Enter a world of magic and mystery, in my own head, where surfing and snowboarding are considered real jobs! Amazing feats of daring and skill are performed every day - and that's just getting the footage onto film!
Media anarchist, film guru, surf addict and web video blogger!
Today is possibly our last chance at saving the majestic Blue Fin Tuna from extinction!
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) begins tomorrow and is literally Tuna's last chance. The AVAAZ organisation released this urgent press release today:
Bluefin tuna will be wiped out unless drastic action is taken to stop overfishing at the world summit going on right now. Without these magnificent fish, oceanic ecosystems could collapse.
This little known summit is the last chance for Tuna, and elite and even criminal cartels with powerful political allies are lobbying hard to block a vital recovery plan, putting short-term profits before the future of our oceans and fishing economies.
If we can show governments that the world's eyes are on them, the cartels could be exposed and an urgent survival plan could be forced through. Sign the petition to save this ecologically crucial fish and forward this email -- it will be delivered to the negotiators and the media at the summit:
I love my Tuna, its actually my favorite meal. However, I don't want to see the most magnificent fish in the ocean become extinct, because I love to eat it! I signed the petition, you should too.
I often wonder where technology is taking us. Many people find the advances in social networking and the proliferation of personal information quite daunting. One of my friends gets pretty upset when people tag him in a photo on Facebook - my immediate question to this, is why have a Facebook profile then? But, the truth of the matter is that people realize that if they are not on the social network, they run a very real chance of watching life go by without them. Invites to parties, business opportunities and special personal moments are all shared via the social network and if you are not on, you wont know about them.
If you on FB, you gonna get tagged.
Social networking has grown to match the demand for online media. People have a cellphone, are connected to the net 24/7 and they want to know whats happening, where everyone is and be entertained. This is simply the way things are going and you can either hide away from the world, or jump right in.
The video above is a truly mind boggling display of stats and numbers that seeks to attune you to the reality of the situation - The Net is king in the land of media. Its not about how you will use it or when anymore - but how successful you are at utilizing the Net for your life, work and contact. Its time to get out of the closet and face reality, you can pretend you don't like photos of you in a compromising pose at your mate's bday, or realize that your life is now part of the world's entertainment and knowledge. We cant have the distribution of knowledge at our fingertips without the dissemination of our lives into the world wide web.
With the World title sewn up by Mr Kelly Slater - 10 titles, mind blowing - it's time for the biggest trophy, in my eyes, in surfing - the Vans Triple Crown. This is the one to separate the men from the babies. With 3 events over 4 weeks at some of Hawaii's most infamous breaks - Pipeline, Haleiwa and Sunset - the guy who does the best over all three events will be crowned the Triple Crown champion and the best surfer on the North Shore for 2010.
The North Shore has always been considered the holy land for surfers, with the world's best making the pilgrimage to this small Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean every year. Many have won the World Title, but only a handful have backed that up with a Triple Crown win. The late Andy irons was a multiple triple Crown winner, as is Kelly Slater. These guys are considered the best because they won both titles.
The first event is the Reef Hawaiian Pro and it got off to a good start yesterday. Rudy Palmboom Jnr got a second in his Round 2 heat to progress to Round 3, as did Shaun Joubert. In the first heat of Round 3, when competition resumes, is our very own Royden Bryson. We will be hoping that Roy and the rest of the Saffers can charge hard. Haleiwa is a difficult wave at the best of times and can hand out some strange results at the drop of a hat!
Of all the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing venues, Haleiwa is the working class wave of the illustrious surf series. This is the second-to-last contest of the Men’s 2010 Qualifying season. The hardest working wave rider will be the winner of this event. Whether the surf at Ali‘i Beach is menehune- or moke-sized, to properly ride Haleiwa surfers need to make the fast, racing sections and utilize high performance surfing.
All Ripped:
Current plays a huge factor at Haleiwa
On top of digging deep into their bag of tricks, competitors at the Reef Hawaiian Pro also need to be aware of the strong rip in the lineup. The current at Haleiwa is notorious for pulling surfers away from the ideal takeoff point. As a result, a wave rider is constantly paddling to stay in position while waiting in the lineup.
For years snowboarding has progressed primarily through the contest format disciplines such as Big Air and Halfpipe. But at its core, the reason it was developed as a sport, is the Deep Powder riding on Big Mountains. Jeremy Jones has always been at the forefront of this type of riding. Deeper, the movie, looks like it will take us on the wildest ride ever witnessed in snowboarding.
From the award winning producers at Teton Gravity Research (TGR) comes the most progressive big mountain snowboarding film to date, Deeper presented by O'Neill.
Follow Jeremy Jones and other top freeriders as they travel to the world's snowboarding meccas and venture past the boundaries of helicopters, snowmobiles, and lifts to explore untouched realms. Hang on tight as Jeremy faces the biggest challenges he has ever encountered in snowboarding. All night hikes, sleeping on peaks, camping 65 miles from civilization, 20 below temperatures, 10 day storms, and 20 mile days bring the adventure back into riding. Deeper puts the viewer in the athletes' boots, from the trials and tribulations to mind-boggling breakthroughs in the sport of snowboarding. "The Deeper crew put cameras in places and in conditions you could never imagine. It is the ultimate first-hand experience and the most insane riding I have ever seen." - TGR co-founder Steve Jones.
This film is 100% carbon neutral.
Athletes: Jeremy Jones, Travis Rice, Xavier De Le Rue, Josh Dirksen, Ryland Bell, Jonaven Moore, Forrest Shearer, Johan Olofsson, Lucas Debari, and Tom Burt
Are you kidding me! While the guys in Hawaii waited on the swell for the kickoff of the Vans Triple Crown of surfing, they decided to blow everyone's minds with some of the world's hottest BUMS! You have seen the Reef ads across the mags and years - now they have decided to crown the hottest derier! Oolala! haha
Making surf movies in South Africa is a pretty difficult task. This is not due to the lack of talent, or for the lack of incredible waves - its mainly due to the fact that in a market where surfers are such a small portion of the population, there really is not much money to be made from these projects. Its for this reason that I am always stoked to find local videos, made by the guys who are really passionate about SA surfing and documenting it.
One of these guys is, Alan Robb.
Alan has been making surf films for quite some time now, in betwean his other commitments and work. I had a quik chat with him about the new movie and filming around his home of the Kom, in Cape Town.
Kai - What got you into surf cinematography?
Alan - Being a surfer and enjoying shooting surfing since the first Spur Surfabout... and having a wife who warrants being recorded.
Kai - Its tough sometimes being behind the lens when the waves are cranking - what motivates you to keep at it?
Alan - Injuries, the love of editing, money, and the fact that some waves I just don't want to surf...
Kai - What was the high lite of making Rough Cuts?
Alan - Highlight of Ruff Cuts were numerous... a condensation of west coast trips and good cape days, but the Dream Session in evening light at Hts was good because I got to shoot Scuzz, our captain, who is a legend. Also, being in a rubber duck at Sunset was a rush.
Kai - Who do you think is the best up and coming surfer in SA right now - who really impressed you shooting the movie?
Alan - Brendon Gibbens pulls off some great airs and Dave Richards has a knack for big tubes... then there's the Brands who absolutely rip... and Mikey February.
Kai - You have lived in the Kom for a very long time and this is reflected in the movie - how has the deep south changed since you were a kid?
Alan - Deep south has more surfers now... the spots we kept quiet for years have been exposed to some degree and surf schools help to put more flotsam in the lineups... The place is still beautiful though and quiet sessions are still to be found. And for some reason there are less paddle-skiers..!?
Kai - Where to from here?
Alan - Next: Surf more, shoot more... for the love of it. Shweet!
So there you have it - straight and direct from the land of the KOM! Dam, I wish I had less flying deck chairs - ok, so I only have one, Khimal, but he is the same as 4 more! haha
Check out Ruff Cuts! A new video from Leaping Louse Productions... call 0733838924 for a copy or visit Lifestyle or The Corner Surfshop in Muizenberg or The Kommetjie Surfshop.
Our good mate Jeremy Johnson got to Ireland a few days ago for a surf trip - he focuses on big wave surfing - and scored the biggest wave of his life on the first day there! Unreal! His wave is being called 40ft and if you look at the footage, it was definitely the biggest wave of the session caught on film (Jem's wave is the last one on the video above.)
Take a look at the news footage from Ireland -
Jem is in Ireland for 2 months and I am sure we are going to see more of his exploits in the media.
"Kai, why the hell are you talking about snow, when we are clearly heading into the middle of summer?", I hear you ask. Well, put quite simply, we have an indoor snow event happening in December - top secret, but details will follow shortly - and before we get there, I thought it would be a great idea to introduce you to the snow scene in South Africa, which is definately bigger than you think!
Marcin Jekot at Quiksnow Sa Champs
First off, we have our own snowboarding club, Snowboarder.co.za, which puts together both our major competitions, The Kings Cup and our SA Champs, Quiksnow. Both events are now held in the majestic mountain kingdom of Lesotho - admit it, that last bit really caught your attention, it's the word "majestic", does it every time. Every winter, around 300 intrepid and fanatical lunatics head up to Lesotho for 2 long weekends of mayhem and charging and definitely a lot more mayhem. The guys from Afriski ensure we have a world class park and Oliver Schwankheart and his intrepid team of do gooders - That would be me as well - make sure the contest is run both according to international standards and fairly. Not sure you believe me? Check this out then:
Secondly, we have a bunch of extremely talented riders, who not only charge at home, but also have been known to take on overseas contests. At the head of this line must be Marta "Mawa" Jekot. She has dominated woman's snowboarding in SA as long as there has been snowboarding. This year she took a crack at the Euro Cup and ended up winning the tour. She is currently in training for the LG World Cup event in Bardonecchia, Italy, for February 2011. In 2009, we went to the World Cup and Marta finished 10th with no international experience and after only completing one of her two runs. I tell you, watch this space, as she will probably go and win the whole dam thing. Marta is backed up by a dedicated crew of guys with her brother and multiple SA Champ, Marcin Jekot at the head of the list.These guys travel together, ride together and definitely jol together!
Afriski Park being built - lookin good!
Thirdly, we have the DON, Peter Pyper, and his store Gone Skiing, based in Fourways, JHB. This does not mean you have to fly to Johannesburg to buy gear, just check the website out and they will deliver. Pete also has a store on the mountain at Afriski. So if you pull in for some park riding in Lesotho, it's real easy to buy and rent gear.
OK, so now you guys have the down low on South African snowboarding. Get ready for the "Rail Jam" in December, close to xmas, and at Canal Walk, Cape Town. Remember - WE HAVE SNOW
Check the whale breaching behind us - Photo: Craig Kolesky
You could not ask for more in a Memorial Paddle out, than what we experienced on Saturday morning. About 30 surfers came together, along with around 100 dolphins and a couple of whales to remember one of the World's greatest surfers. RIP Andy
With the amount of coastline at our disposal in South Africa, I guess it was only a matter of time before we discovered our own super slab - similar to spots like the Box and Shipsterns Bluff. The really amazing thing is that the Bodyboard crew have been on these waves for quite a while already, before the tow crew came along and charged the slab as well.
I stood and watched this day and can clarify 2 things:
1) This wave will hurt you - I was witness to a Bodyboarder getting his ass smoked, hands down the worst wipe out I have ever seen! I mean for farks sake, the sequence made Zigzag, a surfing magazine. The guy was so broken, he spent the rest of the day lying down in his tent.
2) It was not perfect. In fact, it was messy, choppy, low tide, meaning there were steps all over the place - in other words, you don't want anything to do with the place.
Sean Holmes was the standout for the day, those 2 giant tubes he gets, were paid for in blood. He took some of the meanest wipes I have ever seen. In fact, the guys who surfed it all took beatings. It was a pretty amazing session to watch, let alone film.
Zigzag ran the story by AVG, as well as the photos. I don't think it truly did the wave justice. the photos make it look a lot more clean and surf able. At the end of the day, if you think you have what it takes to surf this spot, get in your cabby, pack the ski - cause you wont be paddling - and head west. I reckon there are at least 100 more waves like this on our West Coast, all needing a certain wind, swell and tide to work. Good Luck!
