Planning To Search With Kipp Caddy

Going on the Search can be a wild undertaking when traveling to the far ends of the earth to find undiscovered gems. Even a humble road trip can throw up plenty of obstacles.

That’s when planning comes in.

Making sure you have the right gear. Rustling up solid travel partners. Relentlessly tracking swells. It all raises your chances of absolutely scoring.

There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes to make things work that preparation has become an integral part of living the Search.

One guy who lives this more than most is Kipp Caddy, Aussie charger and general weather map aficionado. He’s constantly checking apps like Windy, texting locals, and triangulating forecasts, ready to pull the trigger to leave at any moment. Gone are the days of just picking a season that’s generally good, booking a long stay and hoping for the best. Today, with up-to-date forecasts and online flight bookings, you really can wait until the last moment to score.

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“There's no limit to it,” says Kipp. “Like, if I was sitting here and say, somewhere in Ireland was going to have a day of days, you can go at the drop of a hat. I've booked flights at like 11pm to be at the airport at 4am, ready for a 6am flight. You only get so many insane swells in a lifetime, like those kind of monumental moments. I’m just constantly on high alert for picking the eyes out of where to go.”

Once the swell is looking good, then there’s the hustle to make sure your surfboards are good, plus leashes, boardies, wetsuits, safety gear and other essentials are in order.Kipp also adds there’s one absolute must you need to consider. Food.

“You wait so long for today's amazing swells to come. You don't want to get out there and surf for three or four hours and be completely gassed. I take a few bars and some amino acids and just some nutritional stuff, so I can try and make the most of it the entire time.”

Of course, if you’re Searching for longer, there’s more to pack. It all comes with the territory. There’s also playlists and entertainment for long flights, books to read, local language guides or apps. The list can be endless. But, as long as you have friends, surfboards and the promise of waves, you’re pretty much on.

After all that, there’s still one thing you need to remember: plans change.

The ability to adapt and be flexible is a trait of any seasoned Searcher.

“A recent swell, we had a solid day at a Bombie I love down the coast,” says Kipp. “I wasn't actually even going to surf there, but the temperature dropped overnight and things changed and I just knew in my bones it’d be good. You need to be ready to switch it up.”

So plan and plan to change. There are more tools at your fingertips than ever to discover the moments of a lifetime.

Live The Search.

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