Toby Mossop is the kind of surfer who thrives where most would hesitate — deep in the zone, chasing slabs, or laughing in the face of a flogging. Whether it’s paddling into isolated bombs in South Oz or getting rinsed at Shippies, his commitment to pushing boundaries is grounded in core friendships, a quiet determination, and a willingness to take the hits. In this piece, we unpack two trips that shaped him — one forged through years of friendship and grit, the other through cold, hard lessons on Tasmania’s wildest stage.
Shipsterns: Rock Bottom
I love trying out new slabs and when I was younger reefs were relatively new as I’d grown up on sand-bottomed points. So going to legit slabs was fucking awesome and Shippies was high on my list. I went down to Shippies with Wade Clemons — I had about two days' notice. I’d never worn an impact vest or towed into waves before, so I was freaking out.
We flew down, hired a van, and slept in our board bags in the car park. The whole thing felt surreal. The walk in is about six k’s, so there’s plenty of time to think about what you’re walking into. I was seriously rattled, but Wade was frothing — he suited up straight away, and that pushed me into it. I feed off that kind of energy. Like with LOB in South Oz, seeing someone so amped just makes you want to go too.
Once we got out there, it was so fucking big it was basically unpaddleable. We got a few insiders, but I still don’t know how people paddle those proper sets. I ended up towing into a couple of heavy ones and got smoked.
“I hit the bottom, which I didn’t even know was a thing. I smacked my face and my shoulder on one wave and then crunched my foot on the very next one.”
My mistake was that I didn't realise there were two steps. I was so concerned with making the first one, I hadn’t clocked there was another. It took me by surprise every time and that's why I was getting so flogged. I was trying my best to look comfortable, but the footage that didn’t make the clips I put out was me just getting licked, letting go of the rope and eating shit. I was surprised to walk away not in a wheelchair.
Marty Paradisis was a legend down there he looked after me, that was cool, cause the clip of him paddling into a wave behind a tow surfer and getting shacked is one of my all-time favourites.
South Australia, somewhere.....
South Oz: LOB Life Lessons
Of my Burleigh mates, Lob (Liam O’Brien) and Hinata Aizawa pushed me the most. When we were at school Lob was doing physics and talking about university. He’s one of the smartest guys I know. I hated school. I just wanted to surf. It’s probably down in South Oz though that I've had my most memorable sessions with him.
“I’d be stressing on sharks and be so scared paddling these crazy, isolated slabs and he just doesn't give a fuck. So he’s intelligent, but then in those situations, he doesn’t overthink it, he just swings.”
Not looking to be associated
The first hurdle for me down there was definitely dealing with what could be below us — seals popping up everywhere had me on edge. But once I stopped focusing on that and started thinking, "I'm just out here surfing a perfect slab with my mate," it shifted everything.
"I got this one wave where I chipped in, hit a double-up bowl down the end, and went through it no-hands on my backhand — something I’ve never really done before. That wave stood out for me."
You don’t often get to surf waves that good with just your friends. That helped me relax and just enjoy it. Trading waves in those spots with a crew is all-time.
Words by Ben Mondy
Footage Supplied by: Dav Fox, Stu Gibson, Talon Clemow
Edit: Ben Lang
🤝 TRUSTED by surfers for a lifetime.
🦘 Born in Australia.