Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Tidal bores in China

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Tom Blake, the World's most influential surfer.

The world's most influential surfer was born in land locked Wisconsin, 1902. He wasn't the face of surfing like Duke Kahanomku. In many ways the Duke was the front man. No not Blake, Blake didn't court the public. Blake was the brains, spirit and passion of surfing. This is the man who took 14 foot solid redwood boards that weighed 1500 pounds, that were ridden straight to the beach and invented wave riding. By making the boards from hollow construction (though initially he simply drilled thousands of holes and then slapped a wooden veneer over them to make the board water tight) he enabled boards to turn and also to be carried single handedly to more inaccessible places (he was after all the first man to surf Malibu, which in itself is an amazing story as Rhoda May Ringe refused to let the state build a highway there, losing her millions in the law courts and even resorting to employing armed guards who dynamited the states construction efforts).

 Not that building hollow boards was the end of his contribution. He then realised that a skeg, to use the language of the time was needed to give the board, pivot and drive. Throw in the invention of hollow paddleboards, the first ever sailboards (a.k.a windsurfers), the invention of water proof housing, patenting the first commercially available surfboards, he also wrote the first book devoted to surfing, oh and did I say that he invented vital lifeguarding aids such as the torpedo tube and the rescue ring. He practically invented the surfing, windsurfing and paddle boarding and then all the things needed on the beach to make it safe.

 When not doing this, he broke and held the World Ten Mile Swimming Record,  he won the first ever Pacific Coast Surfing Championship and inevitably won many prestigious paddleboard races....And none of these things make him the greatest , but make no mistake they make him great.

 He was a Beatnik before there were Beatniks, he lived Kerouac's "On the Road" before Kerouac was born (He was born in 1922). His Mum died whilst he was in diapers, he met the Duke in a Cinema in his home town and then he turned to the road, train jumping and bumming his way around the States before finding SoCal and then in turn Hawaii. He liked his big waves, he loved tandem surfing the smaller waves, his passion was surfing under full moons. He dedicated himself to his sport, with rigorous physical training, a strict vegetarian diet and a passion which verges on transcendental. He virtually invented the sport, lived and breathed it, improved it and passed it on in a better state than he found it. Respect.

I woke up this morning with the cold water

Outcome the boots and twat cap.

Different craft

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

There was a time in Renon when a man inspired me. He committed himself to his passion and had blind belief that that was his destiny. May be he didn't care if lost everything trying, may be he had blind faith it would all work out, may be he just did what made sense and didn't over think it. I may well have given it too much thought. I've never met the man, although I've been out surfing at spots like Balangan when he's turned up in boats or with a board, he's inspired me. He started a website called which he used to post a daily photo of a wave in the area, more often than not Uluwatu or Seragan. It's funny cause then he started off doing fishing trips, surfing home stays and I remember the first time he advertised a trip to G-land...well these days, there isn't much you can't sort out from Baliwaves. He married a Balinese girl and set up shop and set up his stall, sure it's not Santosha....but I'm not in Renon now, I have a child, a mortgage, a job and this morning as I dreaded work and drove through the rain shivering.....Jim inspired me and I had a look at what was happening in his life and got to live a little vicariously for a minute, and felt all the better for it.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

The Eddie

Well the Eddie invitees have all been signed in, ready for the day of days. 8 times in 26 years means more likely than not it won't happen but here's hoping. Super excited to see the mad Chilean Ramon Navarro and a bit surprised to see Jeremy Flores in the mix. Apparently he didn't own a rhino chaser till this year and overlooked proven big wave surfers like Skindog Collins, have been keen to point out that he's a Quicksilver rider getting a spot that many dedicated riders have spent a lifetime trying by trial and error to achieve.

 Interestingly it was also pointed out that at this year's XXL Billabong awards 4 out of the 5 winners were Billabong riders. ..... disgruntlement in the big wave camp!?!?!?

 Should the bay call the day footage will be available by clicking here.

Friday, December 2, 2011


As I  struggle with a whole host of injuries, building a house and the water temperature dropping like a stone, I had a little think about waves and stories that inspired me when younger. Sunset beach, Hawaii the old proving ground of the North Shore, where big balls and boards ruled. It was interesting to see Dane Reynolds, new skool dog showing how to use a rail and do things classy yesterday....made me smile.