Waterpeople

Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich - surf stories & ocean adventures
  • 4.9 (372)
  • Wilderness
  • Updated Biweekly

Surf stories, ocean adventures +  the aquatic experiences that shape us. Listen with Lauren L. Hill and Dave Rastovich as they gather stories, insights and useful skills from some of the most outstanding waterfolk on the planet. Waterpeople is where our global ocean community dives into the facets of watery lives lived well: ecology, adventure, community, activism, science, egalitarianism, inclusivity, meaningful play, a sense of humour. And, surfing, of course. 

  1. 18h ago

    Jon Swift: Making Friends with the Cosmos

    Has something astronomical ever made you reassess your life's trajectory? Jon Swift is an astrophysicist and lifelong surfer with a PhD from UC Berkeley. He runs a research observatory at The Thatcher School in Ojai, California, teaches math and science, and his music has featured in cult surf films from the 2000s, like Shelter and The Drifter. Jon shares his story of living alone in Mexico after finishing a physics degree, and the cosmic event under a desert sky that lit his path forward.  In this conversation, Jon takes us from the ocean to the outer edges of the galaxy. He speaks to the golden age of modern astronomy, and explains how a small, autonomous research observatory still does meaningful work by moving fast on transient events like exploding stars and tidal disruption events near supermassive black holes.  We talk about the disjoint between flashy space exploration narratives and the realities of basic research funding, plus what higher education is worth when running the student debt math.   Jon pinpoints the origin of Earth's water, speaks to how surfing trains pattern recognition, and explains why so much of the universe, including waves, moves in spirals. It's rare to hear someone move effortlessly between a black hole and a backyard, without either one losing its significance. With deep curiosity, Jon shares stories that get at the timeless mystery of why phenomena like waves and stars can still rearrange what we care about. Listen to Jon's music from the episode here and here.   Learn about his forthcoming children's book here.  Send us Fan Mail ... Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander  Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise  The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life Sodii: hydration for salty humans ... Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.

    Jon Swift: Making Friends with the Cosmos

  2. Jul 16

    Bryanna Bradley: All That Lingers

    How good are you at convincing people you're fine? On a burnout-inspired whim, Bryanna Bradley booked a one-way ticket from inland Canada to Hawaii. She quit her job and started putting in hours in the water at Waikiki. Surfing first, but her goal? To become a surf photographer. Bryanna has become one of the surfing world's leading cold water photographers, building a community and career based in Tofino, British Columbia. In 2022, off Sayulita, Mexico, Bryanna found herself shooting photos in the wrong place at the wrong time: a longboard trimmed right into her head, centimeters from her eye. She was stitched up and cracked jokes through it, convincingly enough that the doctor never ordered a scan. She went back to her Airbnb alone.  Four days later, declining fast and unable to walk straight, she took a taxi by herself to the nearest hospital and learned she had a brain bleed. We trace Bryanna's story from landlocked Canada to Florida beach trips with her grandmother, then into the deep end of photojournalism at 19, when her job was to run toward car crashes, homicides, and trauma with a camera. She shares the eating disorder that gripped her amid grief, and the 3,000-mile solo thru-hike she undertook in the middle of her recovery. Bryanna ultimately walked the Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada. In the episode, she explains why long-distance hiking called to her after injury, what pain and monotony taught her, how micro goals beat overwhelm, and what ultimately helped her relax from "bracing for impact" in the ocean.  ... The forthcoming film Let Me Chase This Dream traces Bryanna's accident, through-hike and recovery.  Send us Fan Mail ... Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander  Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise  The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life Sodii: hydration for salty humans ... Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.

    Bryanna Bradley: All That Lingers

  3. Jul 2

    Ziggy Alberts: Wildly Underprepared

    What does it take for you to slow down? Ziggy Alberts started playing live at 17, admittedly underprepared, but fizzing. By 21, he was staring at a studio ceiling noticing the lights had gone dim, but no one had touched the switch. It led him to break down to a friend. After years of “hell-for-leather” world-touring, he'd finally stayed still long enough to feel what he'd been outrunning. Ziggy is a songwriter, surfer, and founder of Common Folk Records, the independent label he built with his family and has run for nearly nine years. He grew up homeschooled on the Sunshine Coast, home-birthed and beach-shacked, surfing ratting before music making.  In 2025, Ziggy, now in his 30s, toured 165 days and played The Royal Albert Hall to a packed house of fans who crossed Europe to be there.   This year? Only 3 or 4 shows. In this episode, he explains why. Our conversation moves through burnout and self-belief, busking the streets of Byron, the physiological crash that follows a long tour, what it takes for men to talk to each other, and the art of dissolving — in music and in surfing, both. … Ziggy’s song ‘Runaway’ is featured in this episode.  … Notable links + recommendations from this episode:  Ishmael by Daniel Quinn Michael Hutchence / INXS documentary New Jack Johnson film Steph Strings, Aussie musician Spotify daily upload rate — conversations cites 60,000 songs per day, that stat seems to be older, probably more like 100,000+ in 2026.  Send us Fan Mail ... Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander  Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise  The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life Sodii: hydration for salty humans ... Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.

    Ziggy Alberts: Wildly Underprepared

  4. Mar 11

    Howie Cooke: Artivism

    When was the last time you had an epiphany?  Artist/activist Howie Cooke shares the sudden realisation that steered the course of his life's work - a handful of decades on the front lines of marine protection via NGOs, art, music and direct action.  Howie has spent 50 years boogie boarding, playing guitar and painting. He has shown in hundreds of art exhibitions around the world – in addition to his large-scale murals, mostly of cetaceans.  Twenty years ago, Howie co-founded the NGO Surfers for Cetaceans to activate surf media on the issue of whaling. S4C then grew into one of surfing’s most scrappily impactful direct action organisations – through campaigns like Transparentsea, films like Academy Award winning documentary The Cove, and collaborating with groups like Paul Watson’s Sea Shepherd. Along the way we dig into what keeps conviction alive as you age: ideals without absolutism, humor as a tool, and the role of the artist in a world flooded with distraction.  If you care about the power of art, cetacean conservation, ocean pollution, or creative environmental activism, this conversation offers both practical lessons and deep emotional re-centering.  We talk through the campaigns, contradictions, and  mindset that have kept Howie moving forward without slipping (too far) into perfectionism or despair. Send us Fan Mail ... Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander  Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise  The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life Sodii: hydration for salty humans ... Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.

    Howie Cooke: Artivism

  5. Mar 1

    Soli Bailey: Maps to Now

    There's no straight lines in the ocean - nor in a surfing life. We sit with professional surfer and Bundjalung waterman Soli Bailey to trace his lines from early talent and success, through the grind of competing and a life-threatening neck injury, to a grounded love of surfing that’s deeper than any accolades. Soli opens up about the quiet crisis that arrived during lockdowns: paddling out and not wanting to be there. He breaks down how stepping off the contest treadmill, and reconnecting with community brought the spark back. Then comes the hard turn: a violent injury, neurosurgeons warning he was lucky to walk, and the decision to have surgery. Soli shares what recovery taught him about slowing down, caring for his body, and holding ambition without letting it hollow you out.  We revisit his dream run—Cloudbreak’s drainers, Shipstern’s step-ladders, and hidden points—and why he doesn’t need “bigger, faster, farther” to feel complete. Along the way, he honors the people who steadied him: a steadfast stepmum, a patient partner, mentors, and sponsors who backed a freesurf path over results. Send us Fan Mail ... Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander  Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise  The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life Sodii: hydration for salty humans ... Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.

    Soli Bailey: Maps to Now

  6. Feb 9

    Patti Paniccia: Raising the Bar

    What are you unwilling to ignore?  Through her experience in pro surfing, journalism and law, Patti Paniccia is a formidable advocate for equity in the water and the workplace.   Patti helped build the IPS tour from the ground up, organised the Hawaii Women’s Surfing Hui to create opportunity, and then carried that same tenacity into law and journalism—ultimately winning a landmark workplace discrimination case against CNN. We sit down with Patti to unpack how a young surfer inspired by chasing lost boards at Huntington Pier became the woman cold-calling promoters, writing qualifying criteria, and pushing the sport past the tired trope of “curiosities with too many male hormones.” Patti takes us inside the inaugural 1976 world tour—its camaraderie and the mess of sponsors asking for wet t‑shirt contests and “date raffles.” She breaks down why equal pay without equal opportunity is still inequity, citing the principle that interest and ability grow from access and experience. We talk media erasure and the plaques that forgot women, and the everyday tactics it took to earn respect in the lineup. Then the story widens. Law school at Pepperdine with dawn sessions at Malibu. Local TV, an Emmy nomination, and an on-air career shaped by a reporter’s craft: tell the human story first. Motherhood reveals the limits of “we love your reporting” as doors close and memos suggest “mommydom.” Patti’s lawsuit—gruelling and precedent-setting—shows what it costs to confront power and what changes when you win. Through it all, surfing remains the anchor: of strength, confidence, and perspective that travels from the lineup to the classroom, newsroom and courtroom. If you care about surfing history, gender equity, media accountability, or how to hold a line under pressure, you’ll find a blueprint here. Patti Paniccia is one of professional surfing's under-celebrated architects.  Send us Fan Mail ... Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander  Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise  The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life Sodii: hydration for salty humans ... Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.

    Patti Paniccia: Raising the Bar

  7. 12/22/2025

    Living the Questions: answering your queries

    Ever felt the ocean fix what land couldn’t?  This episode, we turn the mics on one another and answer your questions about grief, love, parenting, and crowded lineups.  Hear the stories behind the sails, the garden, and the choices that have shaped us.  Also:  It’s time for our annual giveaway – you can enter by leaving a review of the podcast before January 15th – wherever you listen to podcasts. A couple of years ago our dear friends took us to their favourite hidden gem in Indonesia: Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat nestled into the cliffs of Sumba. We want one lucky listener to experience it, too.  To enter: Leave us a review wherever you listen – Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc with at least two sentences. The first sentence is about your favorite Waterpeople episode, and the second is about who you would like to bring with you to experience the spaciousness and reeling rights of Ngalung Kalla in 2026 – and why you want to take that person with you.  Don’t forget to leave a way to get in touch with you – your name, email, - any way you prefer.  Send us Fan Mail ... Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander  Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise  The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life Sodii: hydration for salty humans ... Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.

    Living the Questions: answering your queries

  8. 12/17/2025

    The Rivers Run: Theory of Change (pt. 2)

    What's a river to you?  After cyclone Alfred crossed Australia's East Coast earlier this year, tens of thousands of fish died in our local river, Dave got a persistent staph infection and our community tousled with a question: what's wrong with our river? And what can we do about it ? How does change happen when we, and the world, seem stuck in our ways?  We’re curious about how change happens – and what people are doing on the ground, in our community, to create the causal pathways to shift social and environmental ideas, norms, and policy.  The first episode heard from organisers and attendees of the 2025 Waterwomen Camp Out put on by the NGO Surfers for Climate.  In today's episode, we head to Richmond River Fest 2025,  a month-long celebration of the rivers, cultures, and communities of the Northern Rivers put on by Richmond Riverkeeper. We hear from marine scientist Liz Hawkins, who reveals how our resident Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins use the Richmond as a kitchen and nursery. She connects river health to coastal resilience.  Then, lifelong commercial fisher Mark lays down hard truths about the Teven/Tuckean barrage and failed floodgates. The fix is practical and proven. Revive The Northern Rivers founder Tom Wolff speaks of his seventh generation connection to the river and gives Dave a guiding question that fills his sails. Dave shares the story behind one of his projects this year, The Rivers Run. It's a 50-kilometer run–paddle–swim designed to recruit surfers, divers, and sailors into tree-planting, mangrove restoration, and on-the-ground river care with OzFish and Revive the Northern Rivers.  Along the Cape Byron Marine Park and a UNESCO-recognized Hope Spot, we remember why this coastline still inspires—and what it demands in return. Send us Fan Mail ... Co-Hosts + Production: Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray   + Ben J Alexander  Closing track: 'Sunseekers' by Andysixstring Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast  ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia: in business to save our home planet Ngalung Kalla Eco Retreat: surf adventure paradise  The Sunglass Fix: give your favourite sunglasses new life Sodii: hydration for salty humans ... Subscribe to our newsletter for BTS stories from making the podcast, and the books, films and music we’re currently into. Written by us + free to read.

    The Rivers Run: Theory of Change (pt. 2)
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About

Surf stories, ocean adventures +  the aquatic experiences that shape us. Listen with Lauren L. Hill and Dave Rastovich as they gather stories, insights and useful skills from some of the most outstanding waterfolk on the planet. Waterpeople is where our global ocean community dives into the facets of watery lives lived well: ecology, adventure, community, activism, science, egalitarianism, inclusivity, meaningful play, a sense of humour. And, surfing, of course. 

Information

  • Creator
    Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich - surf stories & ocean adventures
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    136
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Waterpeople
  • Show Website
    Waterpeople