Surfers, by their nature, are an adventurous lot. But where adventure goes, calamity is never far behind.
Surfers are also brilliant storytellers.
Join surf novelist James Russell as he chats to his ridiculously intrepid guests about close calls, shipwrecks, wildlife (and lowlife) encounters, heroism, exploration, discovery and freedom.
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Got a Mad Surf Story? Get in touch - james@dragonbrothersbooks.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madsurfstories/
James Russell's surf novels: https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series
Biking NZ with a surfboard in tow: Johanna Brebner's Mad Surf Story
Johanna Brebner is a go-getter.
A Kiwi living in Australia, she felt she had some unfinished business with her homeland, and dreamed up the idea of riding the length of the country with her surfboard. She pitched the idea of filming it to Need Essentials who, to their credit, responded with a resounding 'why not?'
Five weeks later, she was in Invercargill (Google map it!) purchasing a bike for the journey.
Ngā mihi for the chat, Johanna!
If you have a Mad Surf Story, get in touch by emailing james@dragonbrothersbooks.com
James Russell's surf novels are available as audiobooks at all the audiobook retails (such as Spotify and Audible) or as ebooks or paperbacks at www.dragonbrothersbooks.com (https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series) or on Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092SZVRSP?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_tpbk_taud&qid=1765239395&sr=8-1)
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8 Feb 2026
Part 2: Man overboard: Brett Archibald's Mad Surf Story
Part 2. In this episode we rejoin South African surfer Brett Archibald whose Mentawais surf trip with the boys went horribly wrong when he fell overboard in the throngs of a bout of food poisoning.
At this point in the story he’s exhausted, dehydrated and he’s delirious to the point where he thinks he can grab a shark and hang on while it it swims him to safety!
Keep listening to find out where it goes from here!
Buckle up!
Got a Mad Surf Story? Get in touch - james@dragonbrothersbooks.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/madsurfstories/James Russell's surf novels: https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series
1 Feb 2026
Man overboard: Brett Archibald's Mad Surf Story (part 1)
It all started so well. Brett Archibald was on a Ments trip with his buddies and was looking forward to barrels and Bintangs, but when he ate a dodgy calzone pizza and ended up with food poisoning, the sh*t hit the fan in the most insane way.
Buckle up!
Got a Mad Surf Story? Get in touch - james@dragonbrothersbooks.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/madsurfstories/James Russell's surf novels: https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series
25 Jan 2026
Surviving the Boxing Day Tsunami: Daniel's Poole's Mad Surf Story
Daniel Poole’s life can be divided into ‘before’ and ‘after’. He has devoted his career to helping those facing natural disasters, and it all started when he faced one himself.
What began as an idyllic surfing adventure quickly spiralled into a fight for survival as a tsunami struck on Boxing Day 2004. Yep. That tsunami.
Daniel tells his incredibly heavy story with heart and love, and in it we hear the resilience of the human spirit.
Ngā mihi for the chat, Daniel!
If you have a Mad Surf Story, get in touch by emailing james@dragonbrothersbooks.com
James Russell's surf novels are available as audiobooks at all the audiobook retails (such as Spotify and Audible) or as ebooks or paperbacks at www.dragonbrothersbooks.com (https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series) or on Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092SZVRSP?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_tpbk_taud&qid=1765239395&sr=8-1)
Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/madsurfstories/)
18 Jan 2026
Mass rescue in a freezing rivermouth: Dr Will Allen's Mad Surf Story
Dr Will Allen was a trainee doctor in Dunedin, a small city in the South Island of New Zealand, when he and his fellow students decided to surf a remote beach south of the city. What should have been an enjoyable morning in fun waves turned into a rescue ordeal that had both joyous and tragic consequences.
Will is a thoughtful and interesting speaker, and his experience that day has shaped the course of his life.
Ngā mihi for the chat, Will!
If you have a Mad Surf Story, get in touch by emailing james@dragonbrothersbooks.com
James Russell's surf novels are available as audiobooks at all the audiobook retails (such as Spotify and Audible) or as ebooks or paperbacks at www.dragonbrothersbooks.com (https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series) or on Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092SZVRSP?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_tpbk_taud&qid=1765239395&sr=8-1)
Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/madsurfstories/)
11 Jan 2026
Lost at sea: Elliot Foote Mad Surf Story (part 2)
In Part 2 of Elliot Foote's Mad Surf Story, we rejoin the shipwrecked crew floating in the straight between Nias and the Banyak Islands of Indonesia.
Night is fast approaching, but they've spotted an island. The fastest paddler amongst them, Elliot makes the difficult decision to go it alone.
Lock in, because this story only gets crazier!
Ngā mihi for the chat, Elliot!
If you have a Mad Surf Story, get in touch by emailing james@dragonbrothersbooks.com
James Russell's surf novels are available as audiobooks at all the audiobook retails (such as Spotify and Audible) or as ebooks or paperbacks at www.dragonbrothersbooks.com (https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series) or on Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092SZVRSP?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_tpbk_taud&qid=1765239395&sr=8-1)
Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/madsurfstories/)
4 Jan 2026
Lost at sea: Elliot Foote's Mad Surf Story (Part 1)
Part 1: It was the trip of a lifetime, but not in the way Elliot Foote expected.
Turning 30, and wanting to celebrate, Elliot headed for Indonesia with his girlfriend and ten of his mates.
Bingtangs, barrels, and banter: the trip was everything he’d dreamed of. Until, that is, it wasn’t. They decided to catch a ferry for the Banyak Islands, and that’s when things started to go awry.
Like most Aussies, Elliot is a gifted storyteller, and it’s a long story, so we’ve split this into two parts. Enjoy!
Ngā mihi for the chat, Elliot!
If you have a Mad Surf Story, get in touch by emailing james@dragonbrothersbooks.com
James Russell's surf novels are available as audiobooks at all the audiobook retails (such as Spotify and Audible) or as ebooks or paperbacks at www.dragonbrothersbooks.com (https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series) or on Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092SZVRSP?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_tpbk_taud&qid=1765239395&sr=8-1)
Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/madsurfstories/)
28 Dec 2025
Breaking your neck whilst surfing: Steve Bewley's Mad Surf Story
Steve Bewley is a happy-go-lucky Aussie, with a thirst for adventure. When his brother moved to Panama, and Steve paid him a visit, he discovered the magical coastlines – and pumping surf – of Central America.
Spat out of a nuggety little tube into the channel while surfing one of his favourite waves, life couldn’t have been much sweeter. But that’s precisely when the sh*t hit the fan. Steve tells James about the nightmare of the hours, days, weeks, and months afterwards, and the profound change this brought about in him.
Ngā mihi for the chat, Steve!
If you have a Mad Surf Story, get in touch by emailing james@dragonbrothersbooks.com
James Russell's surf novels are available as audiobooks at all the audiobook retails (such as Spotify and Audible) or as ebooks or paperbacks at www.dragonbrothersbooks.com (https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series) or on Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092SZVRSP?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_tpbk_taud&qid=1765239395&sr=8-1)
Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/madsurfstories/)
21 Dec 2025
Surfing during a tsunami: Chris Nel's Mad Surf Story
Back in 2009, Chris Nel had managed to save a bit of cash, and decided to splash out on a surf trip to Samoa. He had a couple of weeks of blissful, stress-free lazing, punctuated with great surfs on the local reef break.
The day before he was due to go back home to New Zealand, the sh*t well and truly hit the fan, but rather than deal out a spoiler here, I’ll let Chris tell you in his own sweet time, and in his own inimitable style.
Ngā mihi for the chat, Chris!
If you have a Mad Surf Story, get in touch by emailing james@dragonbrothersbooks.com
James Russell's surf novels are available as audiobooks at all the audiobook retails (such as Spotify and Audible) or as ebooks or paperbacks at www.dragonbrothersbooks.com (https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series) or on Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092SZVRSP?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_tpbk_taud&qid=1765239395&sr=8-1)
Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/madsurfstories/)
14 Dec 2025
Chomped by a shark: Sam Judd's Mad Surf Story
Sam Judd – the co-founder of beach cleaning/tree planting charity Sustainable Coastlines (https://sustainablecoastlines.org/) – had concluded his university studies in Chile when he decided that instead of going home to New Zealand, he’d take a side trip to the Galapagos Islands to go surfing.
Let’s just say sh*t turned to custard, of a variety that proved to be formative for Sam, in more ways than one.
Mr Judd knows how to spin a yarn, so lock in. It’s one hell of a ride.
By the way, the language spoken at the top of the interview is Māori, the language of the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Sam gives his ‘pepeha’ – an introduction to who he is through sharing the people and places important to him. Ngā mihi for the chat, Sam!
You can also listen to chapter 1 of James's novel Mine at the end of this episode. If you like what you hear, you can listen to the rest wherever you get your audiobooks, or get paper copies or ebooks on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092SZVRSP?binding=paperback&qid=1765235022&sr=8-1&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk) or from Dragon Brothers Books (https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series).
If you have a Mad Surf Story, get in touch by emailing james@dragonbrothersbooks.com
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14 Dec 2025
Saving a shark-bite victim: Erwann Lagabrielle's Mad Surf Stories
Erwann Lagabrielle, a shark scientist living in the tropical paradise of Reunion Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, decided to go for a morning surf at the most well-known break on the island.
Sounds dreamy, right?
Trouble was, due to a large number of bull shark attacks on the island over the preceding years, surfing was illegal.
Safe to say things went sideways rapidly.
Erwann is a great storyteller, so lock in! It’s one hell of a ride.
Ngā mihi for the chat, Erwann!
If you have a Mad Surf Story, get in touch by emailing james@dragonbrothersbooks.com
James Russell's surf novels are available as audiobooks at all the audiobook retails (such as Spotify and Audible) or as ebooks or paperbacks at www.dragonbrothersbooks.com (https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/collections/saltwater-series) or on Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092SZVRSP?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_tpbk_taud&qid=1765239395&sr=8-1)
Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/madsurfstories/)
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