In 2020 Kolohe Andino, Griffin Colapinto and a small San Clemente crew jumped on an Indonesia boat trip and absolutely scored.
The result was “Reckless Isolation”, one of the best surf films of the past decade.
During Covid times, how did they pull it off?
An ingenious and well-executed business visa, for starters.
But that was only half the equation.
The other half was putting their trust in Ricky Estevez, the man behind Sibon Charters in Indonesia. For 10 straight days, Estevez put them on the perfect wave during the perfect day, and when it was his turn to surf, got absolutely shacked at heavy slabs like Greenbush, which you’ll see in the edit above.
So, who is Estevez, and how did he end up in his role?
Read on to meet Drifter Ambassador Estevez — the most barreled surfer you’ve never heard of. His path is a convoluted one: It involves a super late start to surfing, a motorcycle crash, and a broken back.
It’s also an inspiring story.
EARLY YEARS:
My path to Indonesia was a bit all over the place. I grew up in California but I had other interests when I was young, so I didn’t start surfing until later in life. I was 17 when I bought myself a surfboard. It hooked me straightaway. It took years of being a total kook and having no real idea what I was doing — all I knew was that I loved everything about it.
Directly after high school I enrolled in the fire academy, was set on becoming a firefighter/paramedic. Surfing in between classes was another highlight of those years, well learning how to surf. Just before graduation I had a really bad motorcycle crash. I almost died. It really realigned my perception, made me confront time, I mean the fact that we don’t have so much time on this planet, and thus reconsider how I wanted to spend it. So I bought a ticket to Mexico and a camera, and traveled by bus through mainland Mex, surfing along the way. I ended up in Puerto Escondido. While I was there I met some guys that were going to Australia, so I flew home, sold the rest of my stuff so I could scrape a couple thousand dollars together, and I joined them.
A few months later my tourist visa in Australia expired. At this point I was 20 and infatuated with surfing. I had seen pics of Indonesia in the magazines, so I figured that was the spot to go. I flew over to Bali with a couple of shitty surfboards, and that’s where it all really started for me. It was immediately a dream come true.
Deserts. Lakeys. Lembongan. I surfed all of those waves during my first trip, plus I went to G-land and the Ments. I definitely wasn’t good enough to be surfing those places yet, but it was a trial by fire and I had to get better really quick.
Nate Lawrence
PHOTOGRAPHY:
I bounced between Oz and Indo for awhile. During those years I was working odd jobs in Oz and I made a decision that I needed to find something that could support my surfing addiction. The fire academy was out the window [laughs]. I always liked photography and videography, so I bought a Canon body and a water housing, and I picked up shooting in the water fairly quick. I loved it. I wasn’t surfing, but I still felt like I was a part of the ocean, you know? Then my accident happened.
I was brought on by one of the surf companies to shoot photos of their team in the water at Deserts, and I got caught inside down in the shallow section before Grower. I crushed my T3, T4 and T5 vertebrae. It was gnarly. The day before I had nailed a sick shot that ended up being a two page spread in one of the mags, so I was feeling confident. I thought I was in a good zone, but I had been sucked down into a really bad spot and this big double up landed right in front of me. I couldn’t do anything about it. The wave picked me up and slammed me on my neck in less than a second. It felt like a shaft went through my chest.
SHIFT TO THE MENTS:
It was a long and grueling recovery, but I ended up on the other side without permanent damage. I got lucky. I still wanted to shoot photos and I still wanted to spend my time in Indo. That was when a friend offered me an opportunity to shoot photos of guests on a charter up in the Mentawais. It was a new boat and they needed photos. They ended up offering me a chance to invest in the business, which is now Sibon Charters. I knew nothing about boats, and I didn’t have much cash, but I put in what I could in exchange for a small percentage of the business, and that ended up being another life changing decision.
On the very first charter, the surf guide didn’t show up, so it was on me to take photos and also guide for the guests [laughs]. Trial by fire again. But I realized I really liked doing it, and it was something I wanted to do.
So, yeah, both my shift to traveling and my shift to operating charters happened after a major accident. I had nightmares after both accidents, and would wonder about why bad shit was happening to me. But looking back, I can see there’s always a positive out of every negative.
RUNNING CHARTERS:
The ocean is something that commands respect. There’s a difference between demanding and commanding. Up on the equator, things can change in an hour. We’ve had many crossings where we’ve not anticipated a storm and got caught in the middle of a huge one. But for us, safety is always priority number one. We don’t cross boundaries. We don’t push it. Even if that means changing plans and flights.
My worst experience was an unforeseen mechanical issue during a crossing. Our shaft snapped at night, in big seas. I had to get in the water with a flashlight — in gnarly conditions — to tie off the propeller to the railing so we could make a temporary fix.
The worst accident I’ve seen? I feel like I’ve been lucky. My medical background helps tremendously. I’ve stitched up over 100 people. And not just on our boat; I’ll help anyone that’s around. One thing you learn really quick on a boat in the Ments is that help is not on the way. If I see blood, I sort it out.
Guests needs come first. But there was a time where we were at Macaronis and it was firing, and somehow nobody was around. It was as good as it gets. But the guys on the charter weren’t up for it. It was too heavy for all of them. Can you imagine? Like: that’s my actual dream out there and we’re leaving it. That was heartbreaking. I don’t think they realized what that felt like for me. It made me question all of my life’s decisions and consider making a career change [laughs].
These days, there’s almost always one guy that wants it and surfs really well. On firing days, the majority does not rule [laughs]. I always tell the others: There will be plenty of small fun days where it will be perfect for everyone to surf, but if we pull up to pumping tubes and one guys wants it, I’m not gonna let his dream crumble.
PERSONAL LIFE:
At one point in my life I thought I was too old to pursue new passions. Like surfing. Or getting barreled. But I know now that you’re never too old to pursue new things. Just don’t doubt yourself. And don’t let anything hold you back. Age, time, whatever it might be — get that out of your mind and just go send it.
My biggest sacrifice? I don’t have a house, I don’t have anything [laughs]. I don’t make much money. Everything I’ve made I put back into my lifestyle. I have started buying some land recently, and hopefully that pays off in the long run. But I’ve never really been worried about it, either. I’ve just been focused on learning and experiencing life and and taking it as it comes. I’ve just always wanted to do it all. All the pain, all the joy…I wouldn’t change it for anything. So I’m not sure I’ve really sacrificed anything. Through these experiences I’ve evolved into who I am.
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