Wedding Cake: Jeremy Wilmotte tows the biggest swell at Wedding Cake Island

This feature first appeared in Foiling Magazine issue 16 (June 2023) as "Wedding Cake". Words Jeremy Wilmotte, photo Seb Diaz; the magazine credits each of the other photos to its photographer, as shown under each image. Republished with the magazine's kind permission.

Faced with the tough decision of staying in Thailand or heading home and chasing down a large swell that was headed directly toward his local spots, it was ultimately Jeremy Wilmotte’s foil that got to have the final say. Consequently, what followed was the most photographed session we’ve ever had submitted to Foiling Magazine. Read on, and see why…

Recently, on my first trip overseas in years away from the kids, I caught up with the AXIS team in Thailand. The water felt incredible, the food was spectacular, and the afternoon monsoon rain thunderstorm was refreshing. Unfortunately, the waves were utterly flat. However, as expected, the forecast predicted waves for the very last morning of our trip, while the forecast for home indicated particularly big waves. I was uncertain about what to do. It seemed short-sighted to travel across the world for the first time in years and worry about a swell at a spot I had surfed all my life. Unable to be at two places at once, I decided to experience Thailand and what it could offer.

Photo: Seb Diaz

Photo: Charles Clement

Photo: Simon Sheppard

Life, however, had different plans. 36 hours before the swell hit home, we tried foiling once again in front of the resort, using their ant-infested inflatable boat. This had proven to be the only way to get waves, using the boat to get on foil and then pump around to enjoy ourselves. Paddling in normally was impossible without the foil sticking in the sand. On what turned out to be my last wave of the trip, as the boat started to pull me forward, the front foil buried itself into the sandbar, causing me to fall to the side. The board then floated back towards me, seemingly with as much pent-up frustration towards me as I had with the waves. And just like that, I felt the tail wing hit my kneecap. The blood that surrounded me immediately made me realize that this trip was over, whether I wanted it to be or not. I went directly to my room, cleaned the wound as best I could with the showerhead, and changed my flight home to that afternoon. It was going to be a tight turnaround, but the amazing Thai hospital had me stitched up and packing for my flight within two hours. If only going to the hospital back home was this easy… The red-eye flight home destroyed me, but at least I had a day with my family before the swell landed. Those 20 hours allowed me a bit of rest, which gave the wound enough time to heal somewhat, and allowed the antibiotics to start taking effect.

Photo: Simon Sheppard

Photo: Simon Sheppard

Similar to all previous swell events, the same names had been organizing themselves for the swell, and I was to pair up with my good friend, Josh Ku and head to Wedding Cake Island, located 6km from the heart of Sydney City CBD. Josh’s ambition was to paddle a few early waves and then tow with me after. That was until we laid eyes on the waves at first light and assessed the size... The forecast for these swells is always big, but how big is only ever determined at first light, come morning. I remember sitting on the ski, and my mind changed gears into total froth mode. It was huge, even for Australian standards. But just how big was the question… Well, in my opinion, 15ft plus, easy. People always say you're wrong, so I'll just say it was freakishly big. Combined with the strong offshore wind and the constant unpredictability of the peak, it would be frustratingly hard to paddle in with potentially no reward, and I think Josh trusted my opinion that we should tow foil this swell without too much hesitation. The gear I opted for was my prone 4’6 board combined with a 900HM mast, Ultrashort Advance fuselage, 250 Progressive rear, and ART 699 front foil. I have a tow 3’10 board, but I opted for the bigger board due to the conditions being so rough out there. I wanted the ability to get up on foil without too much effort and also to save my energy.

Photo: Simon Sheppard

Photo: Charles Clement

Photo: Charles Clement

Photo: Charles Clement

The very first wave I caught was from way outside the peak, with the intention of gliding casually to the end of the wave. But as it turns out, it was easily over 20ft, and within the first 15 seconds of the ride, I was slowed down to a near stop due to the offshore wind, until the crest of the wave caught up with me. Then suddenly, the foil went into overdrive as I descended back down the wave. Two seconds later, I breached, and I estimated the wind at the top of the breaking wave to be close to 40 knots. The second and third waves destroyed me in the same way, violently twisting my back and neck due to the high speeds.

Photo: Murilo Lima

Photo: Murilo Lima

Photo: Murilo Lima

Under the normal wave size of 10-15 ft, Wedding Cake has a defined channel on the inside of the wave that allows us to grab the board before it goes over the next wave and towards the cliffs. However, due to the extreme size of the waves, the white water was washing all the way through, and we had to keep chasing the board as fast as possible, jumping after it like David Hasselhoff in Baywatch. We came within seconds of losing the gear numerous times. Clearly, we had to approach these waves differently, as the gear we had with us would not allow us to ride the most critical and powerful part of the wave. As it turns out, the solution was to let go of the rope at the bottom of the wave to reduce the speed gained while traveling down from the crest. Secondly, Josh and I also quickly figured out that it's not always a guarantee to chase down the black walls from out at sea, as sometimes the wave energy would shift away from the reef and fade. Similarly, double-ups that are not visible from deep waters would end up being the steepest and biggest waves on the inside. So, we started towing towards the waves instead of following them, and this proved to be game-changing. We could pick the cleaner, larger waves better than the other tow team.

We are pushing the limits of foiling now, and we are in unprecedented territory. The foils still have a ways to go on big wave riding. Working together with AXIS, we have recognized that, and we’re working on prototypes that are capable of reaching speeds of 80km/hr or higher. Josh and I enjoyed four hours of pure big wave foil heaven before the wind turned more cross-onshore with gusts of 35 knots. It was game over and time to start the one-hour ski ride back to the Botany boat ramp. Overall, the session was amazingly fun. Both Josh and I got all the waves we needed to keep our minds at peace until the next swell. My Thai stitches in the leg held strong, saving me another visit back to the hospital. However, as I write this, I'm starting my second course of antibiotics as it's all infected. So next time when the doctor says rest and stay out of the water, do just that… unless it's for incredible circumstances such as a large swell event like this one. Then do as you please and reap the consequences.

Photo: Mark Clinton

Photo: William Morris

From the issue’s contents page: Take a look at Wedding Cake Island from above and you’ll understand why, during a large swell event, you’d want a friend you trust close by most of the time. Pals Josh Ku and Jeremy Wilmotte make the dicey drop… Photo: Mark Clinton

The AXIS gear in this story

• ART 699 carbon front wing (ART V1)
• Black Ultrashort Advance+ Fuselage
• 250 Progressive carbon rear wing
• Power Carbon High Modulus 900mm mast

Read more from Foiling Magazine, and find issue 16 online.