There’s More Than One Snake In The Lineup

What’s your biggest fear? 

You’re not supposed to ask people that seriously, are you? At least not in casual settings. But I do have this friend who does what I would and will never do which is going up to complete strangers at bars, parties, or wherever and doing that thing where he introduces himself and then immediately gets really intense while quietly pressing just his fingertips into the hollow of your chest while asking: Hey, what’s your biggest fear? And I'll tell him before, like, "Conner, you need to stop doing that. Yes, that. Asking people what their biggest fear is. People like being asked what they do for work. Or how their day's going. Or where they're from first. It reminds them of our own mortality, and it's just really weird. And they're going to say something to move the conversation along, like, 'Weapons,' or 'STD tests,' or 'Being alone,’ anyway.”

Actually, the only reason I really get all, “Mate, mate mate mate, mate,” about it is because I just wish I had thought of doing it first. It really is a good way to get to know someone. And for every uninspired “uhh…? Spiders?” response, there’s an incredible bit of insight into how destructive an industrial-grade lathe is, especially when it makes that more-common-than-you-would-think contact with the human body. Or, how often people think about getting dragged across the rocks at their local in such a violent way that they die in front of a group of gustier lifeguards who have to weepily carry their surfboard to the top of the beach staircase where it'll be left as a monument and warning to all the surfers after them. Just how dangerous an unfortunately-timed, drunk trip and fall on a subway platform can be, and the inevitable face-to-moving-train situation is following. You know, that sort of thing. 

One of the most common answers, though, is always just: Snakes. A lot of people seem to live a life where they think if a snake turned up, they’d just have to have a heart attack and die, right there. A curiously slithery prehistoric beast? Something that’ll strike and strike and keep striking until you’re cold and facedown in your own backyard if it so much as sees you in its Predator vision? Not for all of you, it seems.

Luka Raubenheimer doesn’t think that should be the case at all, however. And if you’re thinking Luka’s name sounds familiar, well, it's because he’s a great surfer, lovely guy, and filmer who has put together a lot of frames we’re sure you’ve already seen and enjoyed, including Jaleesa Vincent’s “Juju The Surf Musical,” one of our absolute favourite surf flicks in some time. 

But did you know he is so absolutely keen on snakes? Or that he also has a licensed reptile relocation service in New South Wales and Queensland? Or, that he just put together a new flick that's all about finding rare waves and rarer snakes and teaching viewers that both are as exciting, interesting, and inviting as the other? Didn't think so.

Snakes And Surfbreaks is, as Luka puts it, one part wildlife doc and another part fantasy surf film. From initial looks and trailers, it seems to be National Geographic meets Wes Anderson meets Blair Witch Project. It’s a story of one of the scarcest snakes in all of Indonesia and all the remote, empty, perfect waves they like to hang out by. Starring himself, Jaleesa, and more friends, Luka wants to not only show off his passions, but teach others that those things that make you jump and scream aren’t really all that bad, and make a movie that looks really good and highly re-watchable while doing it. We’ll let him explain the rest in our interview, though:  

Luka! What’s up? Where are we speaking to you from?

I'm down at Canggu Beach at the Surfers Bar, so I don't know how good the Wi-Fi is here. 

I mean, I can hear you loud and clear here in LA. So, there you go. 

Not bad.

Yeah, nice. And, wow, classic, down at Surfer’s Bar, how good is that?

Yeah, yeah, it's a beautiful morning here in Canggu.

Are you just in Bali for the premiere or sticking around at all?

I’ve actually been here a couple of months. We did a big road trip through Java, which was, um... Yeah! Never spent much time exploring Java. But it was really, really good. And yeah, just got back to Bali last week for the premieres. And yeah, it's a bit of madness here in Canggu too.

I mean it usually is, yeah. Were you doing any filming over in Java for all this? Like last-minute b-roll, or was it just more for fun and checking it out, and get the research in with some pleasure?

We’re working on this video for Island Brewing and they got a big bus so a lot of us just jumped in to film a lot of surfing for another project. And then, yeah, there's actually a couple of times where I was like, oh, this is definitely a nice little pickup shot that I can quickly slip into the movie before the premiere on the weekend. So yeah, beneficial both ways.

And how are things in Java?

Man, it was unreal. I kind of thought the whole pioneering of empty waves in Indonesia was a pastime, but we ended up finding some spots where no one's out in a little village, and there’s just no one coming there to surf, and the waves are so fun. It was pretty surreal. 

Oh, that’s actually so comforting to hear that there are still spots like that around. 

Yeah, I was tripping. Like, turning up walking through a corn field and then this little left-handed point’s right there. And we just paddled out and surfed all day. Ended up staying in like the village that night so we could surf again in the morning. But yeah, it was a great adventure.

So tell me about this Snakes And Surf breaks. How did it all come about? I actually interviewed Jaleesa for her last movie that you filmed, and she gave a little drop of a hint on it and it really caught my attention, and now it’s here, so, yeah, give me the rundown.

Well, we spent essentially two months in Indonesia last year looking for wildlife and waves with the main objective being to try to find a cobra. And yeah, it was a wild adventure. It turned into something so much more than just an adventure to find a cobra, and just with the team I was with. Everyone was learning to deal with each other, to deal with the jungle, and it was a lot of fun. It was also crazy.

Tell me a bit about the team you were with. Obviously it was you, Jaleesa, and…? What was the rest of the crew like?

Yeah, my younger brother came to do all the sound. We’ve all spent a lot of time in Australia adventuring and camping and then my other friend Jordy, who came with is like the director of photography and then my friend Leon, who came on board as a producer and also stars in it. He lives over here in Bali and he hasn't spent much time in the jungle, and it was... Very comical sometimes, the different opinions of the situations. Me, Jaleesa, and Tim were having the greatest time ever, and Leon (CHECK ON IG TAGS) was fearing for his life. It's actually pretty funny, after I showed the film to a few people a lot of people thought Leon was the only one that had any common sense and the rest of us were mad. But while we were filming it, we kind of had that. But Leon was mad. 

Well, you certainly seem quite comfortable around all the snakes and critters and whatnot. We don't get too many around here, but I think they're great. You have a snake relocation, like, side biz, right? 

Yeah, I started Fauna Friends in 2020 with just relocating snakes around my hometown on the Sunshine Coast. I got a job with a company that employs people as fauna spotter-catchers, and I worked for a couple of years for them. That was four or five years for them, stationed in different rural areas in Australia. Mainly on job sites or on a farm, and yeah, I just really care.

How'd you get into all of it? Like, were you just always really into snakes growing up?

I was the most obsessed with snakes for as long as I can remember, and I guess when I was maybe, like, fifteen or sixteen I discovered punk music and surfing and I kind of put my life aside for a bit and got consumed with the world of playing music and making  movies and surfing. And then when I was like twenty-two, I kind of circled back. It was, like, “Shit man! I gotta go back to my roots.” I was just sick and tired of people killing snakes and hurting animals, and I was sick of death. I wanted to make a small difference in the world, even if I don't know what that is. So, I got my venom cannulating, and I just did that and protect the locals.

So did this film put a bit more pressure on you because it was coming from such a personal place and passion? Or was it the opposite for that same reason?

I guess it’s, like, if anyone asks me, “Why did I make this film?” I made it because I love snakes and I love surfing and I love exploring and chasing wildlife and waves. I've been thinking about snakes and surf breaks for a long time. But always just like, kind of thinking. Like, ah, fuck, I don't know if anyone's going to like it. It's probably a bit too crazy, but that's like the stuff I just stopped caring about that, I’ll just do the best that I can, and even now, after finishing it, I’m like I can't wait. Some people said, “Oh, that's a really cool idea!” And then other people were just saying, “Wow, that's weird. You should probably not pursue that.” But I did it anyway.

Yeah, I think this will resonate a little bit with everyone. Like, kids all love watching documentaries, but I just wanted a human connection in this film. That way you’re not just really realising that you're watching a documentary that's educating you but you're also just on a fun adventure, subliminally learning about snakes. 

Then, hopefully, getting some kind of sympathy for snakes and realising that they're not out there to get you and they're not out there to kill you. And if you have a snake in your garden, especially for people that live in areas like Bali or live in areas like Australia, where snakes can always be encountered anywhere at any time, you should just know your basics. Like, oh, that's a harmless species. Or, that’s a dangerous species. What to do if you do come across a snake and… I don't know. I'm excited! I showed this to a couple of friends, and I got a sense they did, or that they said, kind of like snakes. So, I’m like, “Yes!” (Laughs).

Now I know you were hunting for, and you don't have to like spoil anything here obviously, a cobra in this. But did you come across any other species that you're like, “Oh, that’s insane!” Or that you weren’t expecting, or was it just really fun? 

Oh man, we came across so many species that I didn't expect, and just like an abundance of snakes, I didn't expect. When you go looking for snakes, it's really difficult to find them the majority of the time. But in the two months that we spent looking for snakes here, we found more snakes than I could have ever imagined. It's given me a different perspective. I can just go walk out behind the pillar and rice paddy at night with my head torch, nearly anywhere in Bali and probably find a handful of snakes. It’s pretty crazy.

But, yeah, it was a lot of fun. The main reason for trying to find the cobra was actually because, obviously, I just love cobras and I've always wanted to find one. We actually found one, maybe four or five years ago, when I was staying in Lakey Peak with Jaleesa. There was actually a cobra in the kitchen of the homestay, and Jaleesa came and woke me up being like, “There's a snake in the kitchen!” And I just jumped out of bed, ran inside the kitchen and there was this bright yellow, little spitting cobra in the corner of the kitchen, and it slithered under the cupboard. And I was trying to fish it out with a spatula. As I was doing that, these local guys jumped on top of the cupboard and just started stabbing it with a spear. And they just stabbed it to death while I was just trying to save it. And it was just like the language barrier and them yelling at each other, but it was so traumatic. I ended up pulling the snake out of there, and it wasn’t dead, but just so heavily injured and just had to get euthanasia by squishing its head on a pot. And that was the only cobra I've ever seen. It was the most beautiful snake and a huge inspiration for coming back to Indonesia and trying to find one alive and healthy in the wild.

You have to watch the movie to see how it pans out.

Okay, so, before I let you go, I have to ask… let’s say you get a blank check, can just get off work however long you want, no worries or problems at all, where are you going and what snake are you tracking down?

That's a tricky question because I feel like there's a handful of them.

Oh, I mean you can list them. Or give me a top five. 

The notorious inland Taipan of Australia, the most venomous snake in the world! I'd love to find my man. I'd love to find a black mamba. I'd love to find a king cobra. An Indian King Cobra. But, yeah, I'd say the Inland Taipan, just because it's a... Yeah, it's just so much more venomous than any other snake, and they're so beautiful and that'd be the one.

Wait actually I do have one more question. When you’re coming up to these snakes, it seems like you're not wearing too much protective gear. Do you have an approach there? Like, do you stay calm because it's calm too and not aggravated or like it is just a whispering method to get close to it and see it? Basically, how are you not getting snapped at?

When I see it, I kind of black out, and I just want to engage with it, I guess. It's something I'm trying to teach myself as I'm getting older too, sometimes not having to follow innate senses and reactions. Sometimes I can just admire it without always interfering. But when I do it, I actually handle that.

It is definitely a huge thing, I believe, matching the energy. Because snakes can be so fast momentarily, but the majority of the time, they're also pretty slow-moving. So it's like reading that difference and you can not react with a frenzied energy. It's funny how sometimes, like, with a non-venomous snake that I've handled for a moment, it's calmed down and then I give it to someone else who wants to hold it and the second they hold the snake it flips out again and then they freak out and drop the snake or something. It's definitely a huge thing, I think, with the energy of the snake kind of slowing down and speeding up to kind of get in sync with it.

And I think you know i'm a big believer that snakes have individual personalities within the same species. One rattlesnake's different to another rattlesnake. Also, just environmental dependencies. Whether they're charged up on the ground or cold. In terms of carpet pythons, like the really common ones in Australia that you find crossing roads, and you walk up to and it's just like, okay, they just always spread out and you say, I'm gonna touch the tail and see what kind of mood you're in. And you touch the tail and they're like, ugh! Then you can just easily pick them up and move them. Or you touch the tail and their whole body throws back at you, and you just have to go, “Whoa! Okay!”