A Holiday

I met Ed on a trip to the Cook Islands in late 2007. His casual dedication – if that’s a thing – to capturing great images tipped me over the edge, from dabbling with photography, to buying a DSLR and starting on a never-ending learning curve. Here’s his latest project; beautiful work.

http://vimeo.com/33559121

If you have a good internet connection and 13 minutes, I recommend turning on HD and watching it full-screen. Great stuff. My personal favourite bit (other than the school of fish breaching while Ben inverts at Padang) is the juxtaposition between Ben’s description of the pressure of being an individual in the sport, and the Balinese workers going about their daily tasks. A calmer pace, a calmer place, but still with action and excitement for those who seek it.

In which I unearth treasure

My list of bookmarks is absurdly long at the moment, and most of them are saved because I wanted to share their goodness with you, my dear reader. So I will begin.

Enter the Obliteration Room.

The first you’ve probably seen if you live on Twitter, but if not: it’s the Obliteration Room. Click on the image above for some kid-friendly, mind-blowing, colour-dazzling modern art. When you return, we shall move on to the wonderful world of the ocean and uplifting music:

Caleb Graham has managed to capture the camaraderie, joy of exploration, intensity of bodyboarding and pure beauty of the ocean in two quick minutes. The soundtrack fits perfectly. Bravo, Caleb.

Humbling.

And to complete the trifecta of cool stuff, it’s Abstruse Goose. Think of all the wondrous music you’ve heard, all the stunning scenery, the brilliant combinations of the two – a mere mail-slot in the doorway to experiencing reality. Fortunately, with taste and touch and technology, we can discover more; but if sight and sound were all I had, I could still be a happy man.

The obligatory shot by me.

This last shot I forgot to include in my Wales post. It’s from under one of the arches of an immense rail bridge near Barry, south of Cardiff, on a misty and rainy day. The skeletal winter trees seemed to be clawing at the wet sky, and black and white was the only way to capture the mood.

I still want this movie

Mitch Rawlins has pushed like crazy in big waves, yet the movie seems kind of chilled. I want it!

Dynamic

Robbie Crawford. Top job. The tune fits perfectly, the action is excellent (if a tiny bit repetitive) but you have done it. You have captured the sheer, stunning beauty of light, water and motion combining to create crazy waves. The sunset stuff – magic. And that’s enough to make me want to share it.

Watch it in fullscreen, and enjoy! Oh, and yes. The beach is just there.

Zicatela Pro: Jaw Dropping Waves

Take a look at these images, then, after you lift your jaw off the floor, scroll down.

Monstrous. Scratching over a huge set at Zicatela. IMAGE: IBA/ SPECKER

 

He's not even touching the face! Epic free fall. IMAGE: IBA/Specker

These are from the Bodyboarding World Tour event at Mexico’s Zicatela. A building swell through the contest peaked in epic form for the finals, and these are just a couple of images from a crazy day (you can click on either image to go to the official IBA gallery).

I’ve only surfed ‘big’ beach breaks a couple of times, and the waves on those days were about half the size of the biggest waves in this contest. The sheer quantity and speed of water movement on such days is humbling, and I can’t imagine how intense it must be to try to compete out there in a pressure situation. The waves are basically two-story, moving, collapsing buildings of water, and the riders not only need to survive, but master the waves to win.

Pierre Louis Costes was unlucky enough to be cleaned up by one of the biggest sets of the day and was visibly shaken even after winning his round – to break the composure of one of the bravest and fittest wave riders in the world emphasises how crazy the contest was!

Jeff Hubbard, of Hawaii, walked away the winner over Australian Ryan Hardy – but anyone who competed on that last huge day deserves massive respect for putting their lives on the line.