Frother Of The Month: Chris Sorrell

By Christie Bennett on July 16, 2013 in People

Bronte’s Chris Sorrell has become well known as one of the owners of the incredibly popular Three Blue Ducks. Not only is he the king of the cappuccino, when the surf is pumping there are few blokes better at finding their way into the barrel…

Name: Chris Sorrell
Age: 30
Local break: Bronte Reef/Bunker
Goofy or natural: Natural
Board shaper: I like to ride all sorts of different boards from all sorts of people.
Board dimensions: I ride everything, from 5’4” to 9’5”.

You are a co-owner of the awesome eatery Three Blue Ducks; have you managed to find a good work/life balance?
At the beginning it was really hard. We worked probably everyday we were open back then. Slowly we realised that it was just stupid unsustainable. Missing out on Bronte Reef when it was on was hard. Eventually I got down to about 40 hours a week. Now I get to surf every arvo that the waves are good and I fit in the odd coastal trip every few weeks too.

When you were growing up did you ever think you’d be running a business at Bronte Top Shops?
When I was growing up I used to work at the Bronte Surfshop, I think where the real estate is now. When we were grommets we used to get sent up to the Top Shops to get pies for the older guys from down the beach. It was such a dead area. I never thought that it would look like this today, let alone that I’d own a business here.

If you had to leave the Eastern Suburbs and Bronte Bunker behind, where would you head to?
It would have to be somewhere else with a bunker-esque shorey. Maybe up the coast, or maybe overseas somewhere like the south of France. I’ve heard there is a pretty sick bunker near Capbreton.

You’ve travelled to some pretty exotic surf locations; can you tell us about your favourites?
Morocco would definitely be up there. I spent about two years there all up, in a few long stints. I love the place. Not just the surf but also the lifestyle. With that amount of time in a place you really get to know the joint and explore it properly. There are some amazing long, empty, barreling points. Portugal too; one of the best waves I’ve ever surfed is a place called Coxos in Portugal.

Can you tell us about your most memorable surf session?
One recent session that stands out was at Easter up the coast at Crescent Head. About a kilometre down the main beach there was this bank. The sand was perfect, and on all tides. I surfed it all day for about five days with Mark (co-owner and chef at Three Blue Ducks). Every wave you got you knew that you were going to get barrelled and everyone else knew it too. Every wave people were hooting and screaming at you as you took off and proceeded to get shacked. Epic!

Any last words?
Legalise marijuana!