Ben Tayler - Drone Master
Issue 15 / Thu 23rd Feb, 2023
Jack Galloway chats to Ben Tayler on his drone flying skills and the foiling scene in Byron Bay
You might not have heard Ben’s name before, but if you’ve been following the progression of foiling over the last few years I guarantee you’ve seen his films. Most of the films that Adam Bennetts releases have been filmed by Ben. What you’re seeing isn’t just foiling mastery, it’s flight mastery. To catch radical turns & high-speed foiling at low & exciting angles takes an exceptional level of skill. Ben does just that and more. We just had to have a chat with him to find out how he does it.
Hi Ben! Welcome to Tonic Mag. It’s awesome to have you here, your drone skills and follow-cam footage are genuinely incredible and we just had to find out all about it.
Could you start by introducing yourself? What do you do when you’re not filming rad surfing?
I grew up in West Oz, moved to Indo for 5 years, then found a home right in Byron Bay in 2012 with my wife Daisy. The ocean has been my life for as long as I can remember. Grabbed a foil in 2018, tried it twice, and got so spooked that I put it away for over a year. Fully committed to foiling at the end of 2019 and it’s the most obsessed I’ve ever been about anything. Most days I wake up, I go to the beach to foil, film, foil, film, foil, film.
Sounds like you're fully foil brained! Where did your original interest to fly drones come from?
I’m not exactly sure. I had the first DJI Phantom in 2013 where you attached a Gopro to it. Zero image transmission, so you were flying blind. Hit record on the ground, launch the drone, and fly around hoping the camera was pointing the right way. I couldn’t believe how amazing the world looked from up there and I was hooked.
After a scroll through your Instagram, it looks like you started filming foiling in 2020. Did you know the likes of Adam Bennetts before foiling took off?
Adam and I have been friends since the good old Kuta, Bali days in 2009. Chasing swells as surfers in the day and dance floors at night. We both got into foiling separately, then when he moved back to Australia we started foiling and filming together. It’s a pleasure to film him and watch him lead this sport forward. For me, he’s the best surf foiler in the world. I also wouldn’t be on this filming journey without him. He’s immensely supportive and also the best possible subject I could be shooting.
Love it. What drone do you have now and do you need a licence in Australia to fly drones?
I mostly use DJI Air 2S. It's perfect for most of the foiling I shoot. For commercial purposes, yes. I’m an accredited drone operator through CASA.
Some of my favourite edits of yours are the continuous shots from Wategos to Main Beach. That’s a long way to catch on film, where do you stand to get the shot? Is the battery life reliable enough to do it?
Everywhere I shoot takes some planning. We’ve got some great downwind runs around here and the logistics of shooting those are always tricky. With battery life, it’s important to have a plan, be familiar with the drone you are flying, and understand the wind on the day. Following a foiler on a downwind run in 30 knots of wind is a recipe for disaster if you haven’t thought it through. You need to have a good understanding of surfing & foiling to get those epic shots, especially being in the right place for laid-back top turns.
Yeah, I bet, you don't often see aerial films like yours where the riders stay perfectly in the shot! Do your own experiences on foil help with this?
Yeah absolutely. I feel like because I foil, I can anticipate what the foiler is going to do. Shooting the same guys regularly and learning their style and approach, helps a lot too.
What gear are you riding when you’re on the water?
Cabrinha foils and Cosmic Crafts foil boards.
The foil crew in Byron Bay and the surrounding areas seem to be growing. Must be a cool thing to be a part of in such a new sport.
It's incredible. I feel like we’re in a real golden age. Like the stories I’ve heard of surfing in the ’60s. It’s a real brotherhood where everyone is so stoked to share every part of it. Our crew is small but solid and constantly improving. We recently had an amazing 9-day run of swell and for the first time, we’d have 4 or 5 of us together on 8-minute prone runs across the bay together. It doesn’t get any better than sharing big blue lumps way out to sea with others.
Wow, that sounds insane. Foilers must buy you lots of beers when you get them on film!
Well, my wife works for a local brewery so the guys love to grab a six-pack with their footage when they come over!! But yeah the foiling community is incredible and we all take care of each other in any way we can.
Haha footage & beer, lucky them! How was your recent trip to Fiji? The conditions there look like foiling heaven, day in, day out.
Fiji was next level. I was taken as a filmer as a part of the Adam Bennetts/Matt Wilkinson foil/surf experience on Namotu Island. We also did a Fliteboard shoot. The place is foil heaven. The clearest water I’ve ever seen in the world. If you told me 5 years ago that I’d want to leave perfect 10ft Cloudbreak to foil 2ft rolling lumps, I’d never have believed it but it couldn’t have made me happier.
I know you’ve been expanding your photography skills recently, including shots in the water. What are your ambitions when it comes to filming or photography?
The drone to me is the best way to capture foiling but I’m really excited to shoot from the water more. It's harder because it’s mostly up to the foiler to surf at me. It's exciting and scary getting close to high-speed foil turns so I really have to trust their surfing. I want to make foil surf videos that really capture the essence of the foil community and experience.
You must have some close calls when it comes to the drone? How close are you comfortable flying to the water?
It regularly comes back soaked in seawater. Love getting low!!
Woah, that sounds close! Thanks for sharing your experiences, Ben. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
Videos
By Jack Galloway
