Projects

Building Wave4Me

On my gap year, I created Wave4Me, a real time surf spot finder. It matches surfers to the best nearby conditions using live buoy data, tides, and routing so you know exactly where and when to paddle out. It is aimed at breaking down the barriers to surfing particularly for beginners. No more deciphering complex swell data, just easy to read tailored recommendations. Try it here!

Wave4Me live forecast card for Wategos Beach showing wave size, cleanliness, tide, and water temp
Writing Substack
Travel International Travel

Let me know where I should go next!

At a mountain hut in Durmitor National Park, Montenegro With friends at Oktoberfest, Munich Sunset on the dunes of the Sahara Desert, Morocco
Sport

I also enjoy yoga and cycling. Currently chasing a premiership with the Uni Blacks in 2026.

Reads Top 10 books, by year

2025

  1. China After Mao — Frank Dikötter (2022)

    I begin my list with a novel that kept me company during my day-layover in Beijing, which I brought along with me to visits of the Temple of Heaven, and Tiananmen Square. A brilliant account from an economic lens of the rise of China from Mao-era economic isolation, violence and famine, to its rise as a global superpower in manufacturing, infrastructure and tech, and its reckoning with political instability.

  2. A Moveable Feast — Ernest Hemingway (late 1950s)

    This is a memoir of Hemingway's life. While his stories filled me with confidence that he was at times a self-obsessed pretentious twat (before I found out about his suicide), I did thoroughly enjoy his simplistic writing style. A relatable tale for anyone also in love with the city of Paris.

  3. The Fall — Albert Camus (1956)

    My first introduction to Mr Camus, which holds a special place for me as I purchased The Fall at the Notting Hill Bookshop. A short philosophical monologue-style script. A difficult tale about narcissism, apathy and duplicity. I found it to be introspective with its challenging themes.

  4. Trump, Putin, Orbán, Salvini, Le Brexit… une chance pour l'Europe — Guillaume Duval (2019)

    This book took me a while to read as it was in French, but complimented my familiarity with the language while in France, as I hadn't brushed up on my language reading or comprehension in a couple of years. Books like this one on current-day geo-politics tend to fall out of favour pretty quickly, usually. But it was this exact lens that made it a fascinating read in hindsight. All of these leaders were still, or back in power in 2025. I would welcome a re-write of this optimistic outlook of a book over the coming years!

  5. Why I Am Stoic — Seneca (63–65AD)

    Seneca on living a good life, spending time alone, on living virtuously, without greed. Impressively, it feels like a sincere anachronistic self-help book of the 21st century.

  6. Educated — Tara Westover (2018)

    This bestselling memoir of tragedy and achievement. Probably the most emotional book I read all year. Struggle, pain and education. A guide on how to go from home/no-school to an incredibly impressive intellectual career through grit and uprooting entrenched values. An absolute ripper.

  7. The Season — Helen Garner (2024)

    I finally got my hands on this easy-to-read novel by local legend Helen Garner. It is automatically in my top 10 because it is a story of my former junior football club — go the Flemington Colts. As Helen admits, it lacks detail on football expertise, which is made up for with a strong, touching relationship between Helen and her grandson. It is of course easy to visualise a book when you know many of the characters in person!

  8. The Pelican Brief — John Grisham (1992)

    Another biased selection — a classic from my favourite author. Grisham did it again for me in The Pelican Brief. A suspenseful on-the-run legal thriller which I could almost picture myself in, minus a few (not-so) trivial details about an intimate relationship between law professors and students. An enjoyable read with a bad-ass protagonist.

  9. 1984 — George Orwell (1949)

    I am still reeling that I never studied Orwell in school. What an unforgettable, chilling read this was. The book-within-a-book of Goldstein's 'The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism' was a gripping commentary on the tools authoritarian regimes use to manipulate the psyche of a country — relentless propaganda, an ever-war, controlled distribution and scarcity of goods, secret police, total crackdowns on writing, speech and even thought. And as all pundits put it, it's of course ever-relevant.

  10. The Alchemist — Paulo Coelho (1988)

    Who knew that such simple writing and storytelling could hold so much meaning. A special place in my heart, this book. I began this book on a ferry from Europe to Africa (Algeciras – Tangier), and completed it in the east of Morocco between the Atlas ranges and Sahara on what felt like my own 'Personal Legend' journey. A story almost silly, I believe, requiring a deep introspective reflection on one's own purpose, meaning and legacy to have a real effect on one's self.

Music SoundCloud

I am a hobby DJ, and have played a wide array of gigs including at NYE On The Hill Music Festival to over 3,000 people, as well as parties, social and corporate events.

Crowd at NYE On The Hill Music Festival, viewed from the DJ booth DJing at a festival DJing at a house party
Content Creation TikTok

In my spare time I make silly videos. I have organically reached an audience of 1.5 million views to date.

@linussmith