australian television information archive

Episode 3.01 (53)

Australia: April 03, 2008 (ABC)
Written by Noel Price
Directed by Ralph Strasser

Cassie is the first to arrive at Blue Water Beach. With high hopes for the year ahead, the day doesn't exactly pan out the way she had imagined. Overloaded with bags, Cassie attempts to contact the Solar Blue Academy but keeps getting the answering machine. To make matters worse, Adam, a teenage boy with a surfboard, asks if she needs some help. She's been warned about strangers like him.

Meanwhile, Angus Li the new head of Solar Blue, meets up with former student Bec Sanderson to discuss the re-vamped running of the company.

After some clever thinking Cassie finally makes it to the Solar Blue house. The situation doesn't improve on arrival, though. There's 'keep out' signs surrounding the house — not exactly the welcome Cassie had in mind. Then, Adam shows up again! Cassie accuses him of being some crazy stalker. He finally convinces her that he too is part of the academy's intake for the year. They decide to take their luggage off the street and check out the waves. Witnessed by a nosy neighbour, Adam and Cassie emerge from their surf to be confronted by a policeman who accuses them of breaking in.

Meanwhile, it's decision-time for Bec. After a reassuring chat with her old coach, Simmo, she takes up Angus's job offer. Her first day back at the academy begins promisingly. She meets the other kids — Charley, Guy, Bridget and Loren — and gets into the swing of things. But then she starts to wonder about the whereabouts of Cassie and Adam...

With: Jason Chong as Angus, Bill Young as Sgt Leslie, Burgess Abernethy as Pizza Boy, Debra Freeman as Neighbour; Surfers: Bel Hardwick, Raine Jackson, Karlee Mackie, Jedd Cooney, James Johnson, Dane Pitman

Note: series three filmed from Oct 12, 2007 to March 13, 2008

Episode 3.02 (54)

April 10, 2008
Written by Noel Price
Directed by Ralph Strasser

As the kids settle into the Solar Blue house, decisions have to be made. They start out simply — like choosing which bed to sleep in — but soon become a little more complex.

Bec assigns the group the task of picking their own surf coach but faced with two completely opposite candidates, Charlie will have to convince the rest that the best candidate is not the obvious choice at first glance.

With: Tom Oakley as Dave; Surfers: Jedd Cooney, Jade Naidoo, Dustin Atkinson, James Johnson, Dane Pitman, Raine Jackson, Bel Hardwick, Karlee Mackie

Episode 3.03 (55)

April 17, 2008
Written by Noel Price
Directed by Marcus Cole

As the excitement of moving into Solar Blue slowly fades, reality sets in for Loren. She can't stop comparing herself unfavourably to her team-mates. Firstly it's Bridget, who is super-organised and with the perfect wardrobe to match. Then there's Cassie — nothing intimidates her — not even a blue tongue lizard under the bed. Adam's sense of calm, Charley's belief in himself and Guy's totally unflustered approach to everything. And her real insecurities begin to come out when she starts to compare her surfing skills.

Garry arrives for his first week of training. In order to get to know the kids he pushes them to the limits in his preliminary sessions. Loren immediately begins to freak out. Garry not only forgets her name — but singles her out at the end of the session to discuss her posture. Loren's confidence collapses; she feels that he doesn't think that she will ever make it to the pro-circuit.

When Loren skips a group trip to the movies, Bec, after some delicate questioning, discovers that Loren doesn't think she'll last long at the Academy. Bec issues Loren with a challenge — one that Loren reluctantly agrees to. There's an afternoon surfing comp coming up with some of the Blue Water locals. As there will be three independent judges doing the scoring, Bec thinks it will be a great way for Loren to get an objective comparison of herself with the other girls. Loren remains convinced she has no way of winning.

When her heat begins, her fear is forgotten. Loren surfs well, milking the waves and having fun. After the first two heats, the Solar Blue kids are way ahead. Garry is a bit disappointed at the lack of competition and decides that the final round points will count to the end-of-year scores: three points for first place, two for second and one for third. Loren's convinced she'll be going home so she tries for one last big ride at Blue Water Beach. She heads out the back looking for the biggest and best wave, but in doing so she loses precious minutes of competition time. She finally gets one and it's a beauty. But then disaster strikes...

With: Surfers: Bel Hardwick, Raine Jackson, Karlee Mackie, Ellen Northey, Jade Naidoo, Jedd Cooney, Dustin Atkinson, James Johnson

Episode 3.04 (56)

April 24, 2008
Written by Noel Price
Directed by Marcus Cole

Training has well and truly kicked off for the Solar Blue kids and the team is finding it gruelling. For Adam, surfing has always been something he's done for fun, but Garry's extreme training regime begins to make it way too serious. Garry's 'drill sergeant' character and 'boot camp' style training sessions drive him up the wall.

The more Adam thinks about his current day-to-day existence, the more he wonders if it's what he really wants. It's the hottest day ever and Garry has planned a gruelling bush walk. Adam is furious. After a long drive, the team are handed maps, compasses and told that if they don't finish under four hours they'll miss out on points for their final point score. At breaking point, Adam snaps when handed a bag weighed down with an extra 15 kilos. He refuses to complete the exercise until it becomes evident that Cassie, his partner, will also miss out on the points if he pulls out. Feeling like he's been blackmailed, he agrees to participate, and the three teams set off on their individual tracks.

Adam and Cassie are only two hundred metres from the end when suddenly Cassie slips and drops her bag over the escarpment. Knowing that if they don't complete the task with the weighted bag they won't get the points, Adam decides to climb back down the cliff.

The kids are all being tracked on computer by Bec useing a GPS and tracking devices placed in the backpacks. Seeing the bag's quick descent, Bec assumes that someone has fallen and makes a panicked call to Garry. He races to the escarpment and finds Cassie anxiously peering over the edge. Fearing the worst, he is extremely relieved to see Adam climbing up with the fallen bag. Realising that they have put in 100%, Garry sneakily allows extra time for Cassie and Adam to complete the course and earn their points. Back at the house, Adam finally confronts Garry, who reveals that he and Bec were 'testing' them all to see if they really have the mental toughness needed to survive on the pro-circuit.

With: Surfers: Raine Jackson, Bel Hardwick, Karlee Mackie, Jedd Cooney, Jade Naidoo, Dane Pitman

Episode 3.05 (57)

May 01, 2008
Written by Noel Price
Directed by Chris Martin-Jones

For Bridget, winning is everything and 110% is the least you can give. The Solar Blue team begins their first week of school at Blue Water High and for Bridget everything must be just right. Even after Bec's warning that the other students may give them a hard time, the kids all feel positive — but not for long.

As Charley, Adam and Guy find their nominated lockers, they meet Mick and Jimmy, the class 'heavies'. A turf war starts over locker positions but the Solar Blue boys refuse to be intimidated. Charley manages to infuriate the thugs even more when he has the nerve to correct their poor grammar. It looks like a tense year ahead for all of them.

Meanwhile, Bridget is more than happy to have been allocated a group assignment with and two other classmates. By lunchtime, she has already organised a group meeting and is enthusiastically allocating tasks to the other girls. Back at Solar Blue, the other kids begin to wonder if Bridget is deliberately trying to 'out do' them. Garry also starts to worry, after telling her that her board turns are fine, Bridget automatically thinks that they can be better and goes out for more practice. She's also getting up earlier than everyone to do extra laps in the pool.

Back at the school lockers, Charley, Adam and Guy are still having problems with Mick and Jimmy. Their lockers have now been bashed in with a hammer — and it's pretty obvious who's to blame. Mick and Jimmy see this as the perfect way to get rid of the Solar Blue kids, but when the boys embrace their newly-sculpted lockers and refuse to move, the bullies are left defeated.

While the boys have resolved their problems, Bridget's continue to get worse. Her assignment-group fail to show up at their next meeting and she overhears Gina saying that she is "up herself" and that she "has no life". Bridget is devastated.

With: Don Halbert as Mr Savin, Rainee Lyleson as Gina, Oliver Leimbach as Jimmy, Sam Greer as Mick; Surfers: Raine Jackson, Bel Hardwick, Karlee Mackie, Jedd Cooney, Jade Naidoo, Dane Pitman

Episode 3.06 (58)

May 08, 2008
Written by Noel Price
Directed by Marcus Cole

Guy loves life and life loves Guy. He hasn't got a worry in the world, can always see an upside to everything and luck is usually on his side. However, Guy's luck is about to change — in a big way. In return for some maths coaching, Guy invites Bridget out to pizza and a movie on the weekend. When Bridget sees what he's intending to wear, she's appalled and offers to take him shopping. After choosing a shirt together, Bridget heads off to another store, leaving Guy behind to pay the bill. Guy asks another customer if she knows where the cashier is. To his surprise — she's rude and dismissive and doesn't help him at all.

Stunned by the girl's attitude, Guy pays for his shirt and leaves. Just as he's out the door, he remembers his bag and runs back in to get it. Leaving the store a second time is not nearly as easy. The shop owner stops him and demands to search his bag. Baffled, he opens it only to be shocked by its contents — it's filled with the shop's jewellery! Guy's suddenly in serious trouble for shoplifting.

News gets back to Solar Blue that Guy has been arrested. They can't believe that Guy would steal anything from anyone — let alone jewellery from a surf shop. To cheer him up, Bridget prints out a photo of their celebrations at the café from the day before. As Guy looks closely at the picture, he recognises the rude girl from the store in the background and is convinced he was set up.

With: Bill Young as Sgt Leslie, Melissa Brownlow as Melissa, Cori Hopper as Shop Owner; Surfers: Dustin Atkinson, James Johnson, Jedd Cooney, Dane Pitman, Raine Jackson, Bel Hardwick

Episode 3.07 (59)

May 15, 2008
Written by Kristen Dunphy
Directed by Marcus Cole

For Cassie, school is fine, training's good and her surfing is always getting better. Everything is travelling along smoothly — at least, it was. Suddenly Cassie's balance goes all out of whack. Concentrating at school becomes impossible, she starts to fall behind in training and the wipeouts come to visit as a regular occurrence. This lapse in concentration can only be blamed on one person — Adam.

Cassie's infatuation with him hits new heights. When 'Birdwatchers Quarterly' arrives for him in the post, Cassie assumes this strange hobby is all part of Adam's personality. In the hope that sharing this interest will bring them closer together, Cassie hits the internet in search of information about the elusive 'Lewin's Rail'. Not picking up that Adam hasn't the slightest interest in bird-watching, Cassie continues to read and research about the birds, dropping hints to Adam along the way. He clearly doesn't catch on, as Cassie's hobby turns into an obsession.

Cassie, with all good intentions, plans a surprise bird-watching picnic for Adam. Loren is horrified and tries to talk her out of it but Cassie can't be swayed. Thinking that Cassie is missing her family, Adam accepts her invitation but is disappointed to be skipping the spectacular waves on offer at Blue Water Beach. Adam is bored stiff at the bird-watching picnic but is doing his best to be polite. While Cassie assumes his quiet behaviour is because he thinks she doesn't know what she's talking about, her obsession to find the Lewin's Rail becomes a little manic. She finally spots what could be the bird, orders Adam to get the camera, and then clambers over the rocks for a better sighting. Suddenly Cassie slips and falls into the water, hitting her head.

With: Matt Grainger as Jetski Driver, Bel Hardwick as Cassie Stunt Double; Surfers: James Johnson, Jedd Cooney, Dane Pitman, Raine Jackson, Bel Hardwick

Episode 3.08 (60)

May 22, 2008
Written by
Directed by

Charley has never been one to back down from a challenge and thrives on pushing himself. Everything he does he wants to do to the best of his ability. For Charley, life is a series of hurdles and the fun lies in jumping over them as high as possible.

At a third of the way through the year, it looks like Charley's approach is paying off. On the points board — he's sitting pretty on equal top with Bridget. To add to the high, a regional surf comp is on and Charley is pumped.

With the first round completed, the Solar Blue boys blitz their opponents. Having performed particularly well, Charley is surprised and somewhat flattered to see that three enthusiastic, teenage girls have formed his very own, personal cheer squad! Slightly embarrassed, but secretly enjoying the attention, Charlie poses with the girls while they embrace him and take pictures. After round two, Charley's new fan club goes ballistic when he is announced the overall winner.

Just when life is full of accolades and success, Charley starts to tumble downwards. His fall starts slowly. A few days later when the alarm goes off for morning training, Charley can only drag himself out of bed with severe difficulty. No matter how hard he pushes himself, his body just won't do what he's asking of it. Everything suddenly becomes a major effort — and even his little mind games don't work to motivate him anymore. Bec finally takes him to the doctor for a blood test. Charley assumes he has tonsillitis but the diagnosis is much worse...

With:

Episode 3.09 (61)

May 29, 2008
Written by
Directed by

Loren's family has always been very closely knit so when her dad makes an unexpected visit to Solar Blue, she's naturally delighted to see him. But the situation quickly deteriorates when it becomes clear that her father is extremely unhappy with the inadequate and inappropriate training he feels Loren is getting.

After watching Loren surf, Brian is furious that Garry has changed her style and accuses both Bec and Garry of ruining her chances of succeeding on the pro-circuit. He demands that Loren return home so he can get her a more experienced coach who can give her personalised attention.

Suddenly Loren is in the awful dilemma of having to choose between Solar Blue and her family. Feeling under intense pressure, Loren considers the options and comes to her decision. But deciding on something and then communicating it to the people involved are two different challenges. One thing's for sure though, after she does announce her decision, the relationships between all concerned will never be quite the same again.

With: Jeremy Sims as Brian Power

Episode 3.10 (62)

June 05, 2008
Written by
Directed by

as the Solar Blue team heads to a new surf spot, Adam's secret fear of sharks resurfaces. Since he started the year he's managed to keep a lid on his anxiety but suddenly and unexpectedly it's back. And the more he thinks about it, the worse his fear becomes. Adding salt to the wound, Adam can't help but observe how well his house mates are able to openly declare and cope with their fears while he has difficulty even admitting his to himself. Even more troubling though is the realisation that — unless he can overcome this fear — Adam knows that he has no future as a surfer.

While Adam struggles with his internal demons, Cassie shrewdly guesses his problem and confronts him about it. Reluctant at first, Adam finally admits the truth and so Cassie sets out to help him. Adam is a difficult 'patient' but Cassie is a determined friend who won't take 'no' for an answer.

Cassie suggests they enlist the assistance of Bec and Garry and together they embark on a course of action that is simple, direct and hopefully effective. It will require Adam to go on a scuba dive in a local aquarium and swim amongst several sharks. The prospect horrifies him but so too does the idea of leaving Solar Blue and giving up his ambitions to become a pro-surfer. In order to meet the challenge Adam will have to dig down deep into his inner resources. Luckily for him though, he has a great friend in Cassie to help him find the way.