A lot happens on the Instagram feed @surfcore2001. Shane Herring banging the lip. Luke Egan heaving a rail sandwich. Tom Curren, circa The Search, gliding through a giant barrel. It captures a bygone era in surfing, pre-WSL, pre-aerials aplenty. And the captions are their own sort of Rubik’s cubes.

I’m intimately familiar with this golden era. I was on the beach when the young Shane Herring rode his banana-rocker Greg Webber to victory in the 1992 Coke Classic at Narrabeen. I was on the tour with Luke Egan and have wonderful memories of watching him tear the bag out of Burleigh Heads (and not-so-wonderful memories of the time we nearly came to blows over a game of pool at a bar in Lacanau). I was on (and wrote about) The Search trip to Western Australia where Tom Curren recorded his first record with a group of Perth-based musicians in a natural amphitheater not far from Margaret River.

So, @surfcore2001 really struck a chord with me. I DM’ed the author of the feed. They refused to give their name, but were kind enough to answer a couple questions. Read on, then check out the feed and time travel back to Y2K.

What is your ideal situation/state of mind for writing @surfcore2001 captions?
I receive a bi-monthly blood transfusion of AB-negative antigens I harvested from Chris Davidson in 1997. This micro-dosing of testosterone and amphetamines helps me reach a transcendental flow state. I usually ride out the initial buzz by fishtailing my V8 Holden Maloo around the esplanade. When I feel my resting heart rate simmer down to a stable 210bpm, I rip the handbrake up, turn the Grinspoon cassette down, and enter the zone. Like Kerouac’s Underwood loaded with a 120-foot continuous spool, I choose to use an alphanumeric keypad Nokia to efficiently offload my consciousness. 

What should the viewer know in advance before perusing your feed?
This digital portal is a tribute to on-rail heroics and nocturnal hedonism of the Y2K. It is to be respected as a place of worship and solemn reflection. A temple to pay respect for those who dedicated their golden years to parabolic arcs on knife thrusters. Internet pilgrims that reach @surfcore2001 should be endowed with an understanding of the core values and vernacular of the Y2K. Studying the scriptures of Waves mag will best inform the new converts.