Robyn and Emma cut it up.

Robyn and Emma did what they did best and closed off any thought of the outside world and just surfed. In the water was where they both felt they truly belonged. There had never been any competition between the girls the entire time they’d surfed together. Both experienced the same sense of joy at being enclosed in a barrel of cold salt water as they flew along on top of their fibreglass and foam surfboards. On dry land, they might compete for guys and money and a myriad of other things but not out there.

Eventually, it took one of the jet ski helpers to ride out and call the two of them back in. They had lost all track of time and Pedro and Renato had both got out of the water long ago along with the underwater photographers. As the two girls made their way onto the shore, they were greeted by a round of cheering and applause from the Brazilians and the entire production. Robyn was hugged by a beaming Renato before he hugged Emma in turn. Pedro standing close by to the girls, a smile beaming across his face.

“You surf great!” Renato said in his heavy accent, shaking his fist in an extremely enthusiastic thumbs up sign.

Pedro likewise nodding in agreement before reiterating what Renato had said, “good! Good!”

“Come,” Renato beckoned the girls to follow him when they had undone their foot straps and freed themselves from the borrowed boards.

Renato and Pedro lead Emma and Robyn to a three-tonne truck that had been converted over into a mini production studio filled with an entire wall of tv monitors. Once inside a young techie looking guy turned in his swivel chair to face the pair.

“Ian will talk to you,” Renato said before leaving the girls alone. His accent making ‘Ian’ sound like ‘He-ann’.

“Girls, I’m Ian Bennett, one of the producers on this shoot. One of the camera guys filmed one of your runs in between the boys' sets and I had a look back over it,” Ian began as he queued up a piece of footage onto the monitor in front of him.

Robyn and Emma lean in expectantly, excited at what they might see, never having watched themselves surf before. The pair were easy to pick out, Robyn in her half wetsuit and Emma in her bikini and shorts. They watched themselves drop into a wave and then come streaking towards the camera before splitting apart either side and surfing away as the camera turned and was washed out in the barrel.

“You girls are incredible. I told the rest of the crew to all focus in on your rides and, honestly, we have just as much footage of you two as we do the guys. You’re hot, you’re talented, you’re young and undiscovered. I want to put the two of you in this movie. It can be two professionals being shown the local spots by you two. I’m going to need the pair of you to sign model release forms and I want to cut you both a cheque four thousand dollars, each that is, right here and now. I’ll have to talk to the studio but once they see what I’ve seen, they’re going to want to sign you and then we can talk about residuals and all that other stuff.”

Neither Robyn or Emma knew what to say. Four thousand dollars, eight thousand between them was more money than they had earnt together this entire summer. That money alone would buy months of site hire at the caravan park.