Shaping a Life Around Surfing – Meet WA Surfer, Evan Ledger

I started surfing when I was 14, in Perth, not long after my family moved back from living in Indonesia for eight years. Everyone assumes I picked it up while living over there, but the truth is I only discovered surfing once we were back in Cottesloe. My earliest sessions were with my mates and my dad. At the time, I was also heavily into footy, but as much as I loved it, surfing started to take over, and before long I began leaving football behind to focus on the waves.

My earliest surf memory takes me back to Scarborough Beach. I borrowed my cousin’s board, and Dad drove me down one afternoon. The waves were tiny, maybe one foot with howling onshore winds. Honestly, it was a grim session, but I couldn’t have cared less. Dad stood on the beach watching, and even though the conditions were shocking, I was hooked from that moment on.

All through uni, I travelled around Australia and the world for single fin longboarding comps like the Single Fin Mingle in New Zealand, Wategos Wizards in Byron, and Single & Unattached in the Philippines. They were all invitational events, and I felt honoured to be a part of them. It was pretty wild being able to score time off from uni and even get extensions on assignments just to travel and surf.

After graduating from UWA with a design degree and a master’s in architecture, I moved down south to Dunsborough. For the past five years, I’ve been living there and shaping surfboards with my best mate, Jack Medland, at Moonshine Surfboards. It’s a lifestyle I sometimes can’t believe – we get to surf every day, make boards, and hang out while still making a living. It’s unreal, and honestly, too much fun. But isn’t that the whole point?

When it comes to surfing now, I enjoy competition for the way it brings people together. That said, free-surfing is what I truly love. For me, comps are social, while free-surfing is about the pure experience of being in the water. Both bring something different, and I appreciate each in its own way.

Living in Dunsborough has had a huge impact on my progression. The level of surfing here is insanely high, and constantly paddling out with people better than me has pushed me forward. Surfing with Jack all the time is even better – he’s one of the best longboarders in Australia, and because we’re such close mates, we push each other in the best way possible.

Moonshine Surfboards grew out of our friendship. Back at uni, Jack started shaping boards for me, and I got curious about learning the craft myself. For the last couple of years of my degree, I would drive down south every week to learn board-building from him. Once I graduated, I made the move permanent. Jack and I spend nearly every day together – working, surfing, travelling, even partying – and we’ve never had a single argument. The respect we have for each other is a big reason why this journey has been so good.

With a bit of freedom in my days, I also poured energy into creating my own invitational longboard competition, the South West Log Fest. We’re about to run our third
annual event this September – and for the first time, we’ll be welcoming international competitors. The pace at which the comp has grown has been a lot to handle, but it’s also been incredibly rewarding to see how stoked people are to be part of it.

The South West Log Fest is something I’m really proud of. I started it after seeing how much fun other invitational longboard comps. brought to their communities around the world. With the waves and surf culture here in WA, I knew we could build something special. My focus has always been on creating an event that feels inclusive, social, and fun – something the community can rally around.

From day one, equality has been a core part of the contest. Equal prize money for men and women, equal spots in the draw, and alternating heats so everyone gets a fair shot at the good conditions. Too often in surf contests, the men surf first in clean morning waves, then the women get pushed to the afternoon when the wind ruins it. Our alternating format flips that on its head and seeing Surfing WA adopt the same system for their state titles was an incredible moment. It showed me that a simple idea can create real change.

At first, I imagined rotating the event between locations. We kicked off in Denmark, then ran at Yallingup the following year, and we’re back there again this year. While I’d still love to mix it up occasionally – maybe for a big anniversary – I’ve realised that building loyal sponsors and community relationships in one place is incredibly valuable. That consistency creates long-term growth and trust.

Being both a competitor and an organiser has given me perspective on just how quickly surfing is growing. Across every discipline and age group, it feels like the sport is expanding every year.

Surfing has completely taken over my life. I shape boards full-time, compete, surf for fun, and run my own event. Even my ‘spare time’ is surf-focused – this year I was elected president of the Indian Ocean Longboard Club, which I’m incredibly proud of. The WA longboarding scene feels like family, and being able to give back to it has been really rewarding. Outside of surfing, I make sure to carve out time with my girlfriend. It’s good to switch off now and then, but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Surfing has shaped every part of my life – and I’m stoked for what’s still to come.

Don’t miss the next South West Log Fest – Evan’s invitational longboarding event that’s
fast becoming one of Australia’s most exciting surf competitions.

Follow Evan on Instagram @evanledger for more from his life on the waves
and in the workshop.