underwater photos

I've always been interested in photos of windsurfing from the water. Taking it to the extreme and sinking kit to do a sea-bed photo shoot in Teos was one idea and with the help of Rusty and Beer (from the Dive Shack) we did it. It was trial and error, and the main problem was that we underestimated the volume of the board – even just 86 litres was too much to pull down fully using ropes. The floating feeling, interesting colour, light and abstract angles made it a good first attempt. Photos by Beer.

alacati

just spent a day in alacati to see the first day of the pwa slalom event. there was an amazing atmosphere, especially with so many big names there and freestyle to watch. i spent the afternoon on a 4.2m but it was fairly choppy and crowded, so i didnt manage much. it was great to meet josh angulo and see ross williams lead. windsurfing with bjorn dunkerbeck just upwind was great fun...

flat water, forwards and fluck gybes

last week i spent a few evenings with other staff at an island for sunset sessions. alex was taking great photos which i put together to make these sequences. landed my first forward loop last week which was a massive relief, such a great feeling. i was teaching light wind freestyle today and put the two moves of the day together, flare and duck gybe. decided to call it the fluck gybe.

teos wind

had a week off and unfortunately the meltemi hadnt kicked in and there was bugger all wind. the wind conditions seem to dictate my mood, so was grumpy all the time. did manage one afternoon with on shore storm conditions, making it very tricky to get out of the little bay. went out on a 6.5 overpowered so settled on a 5.5 with 94 l kode. enjoyed the rough water, bit of waveriding, pleased just to be on the water again. forecast looks good from now on.

arrived in teos

after a petrol leak in the car and a delayed flight, nearly missing connection, I arrived in teos and the new resort looks stunning. it's not finished yet, but the kit and scenery is awesome. this is a pic of me on a BA flight, and yes, with windsurf kit.

scotland march 2009

i've had a few weeks in the uk now - and there's been a very cold spell in scotland. i managed to get out a few times at newburgh... even through a winter suit with gloves and hood it was bloody tough to bear the cold. many coffee breaks were needed to keep circulation but fully powered on a 4.5m it was well worth it.
saturday 28th march was the best day : i headed up to st combs with my 75 litre, 4.5m and most importantly my camera. i was shivering on the beach but it was great to watch the other guys out there. without a drysuit and nothing smaller than 4.5m i decided that it wasn't worth braving the sowy gale. after lunch i went to newburgh where it was busy and surprisingly non gusty. i had a great session and was amazed to land a vulcan on 75l. there was massive chop in the channel - good for jumping. i am always stoked after being on the f2 style - it gets air effortlessly and feels so good.
just got my flight details for my next stop - turkey. unfortunately the flight is with BA which means i can't take my windsurf kit with me. having just bought a new 5m sail, i'm hoping to get my rig out to the neilson resort in teos another way.

here's a wee animation i made on my ipod. i think with some practice i may be better at windsurfing animation than actually windsurfing!!! triple forward loops coming soon...!

New Zealand (mini) tour

The journey began with a long drive from Auckland to Taranaki. The campsite at Oakura, just past New Plymouth, was very good – it's right on the beach and has good facilities including free wifi (nice bonus). Rachel cooked 'chicken carbonara' while I had a surf on the 6'2. Rachel also had a wee surf on the 7' but the waves were too big and messy. Sore backs in the morning due to lack of mattress making skills. Taranaki seems like a really nice place with great coastal scenery. We couldn't see Mount Taranki for clouds, which was disappointing.
Woke up to a dying swell but some really nice sets were lining up. I took out the 7' and had an awesome session with some local surfers and a paddle-boarder from San Francisco. Caught some nice (up to head high) waves which were breaking really close in to the beach. By the time Rachel was out with the camera the waves were getting grimey. Packed up and headed East with a quick stop off at the Pouakai zoo park. Fed a zebra, that was the highlight. We wanted to stay at Kaieto cafe camp site but arrived late evening at it to see the signs 'sorry, closed' and 'for sale'. We decided to carry on along the 'forgotten world highway', which turned into a track at one point. Quite slow progress through the windy scenic roads but arrived in time to pitch the tent and do dinner before dark at an empty DoC (Department of Conservation) campsite in the middle of nowhere - Ohinepane.
With a wet tent in the car boot by 8am, we kept heading East to Taupo. Some great driving and scenery along the way, and we arrived at DeBretts campsite in Taupo and enjoyed the thermal pool. We found the place to be a bit of a rip off and touristy (as we expected), but the thermal pool at night time almost justified it. By then our mattress making skills – involving surf board bag, towels, blankets and duvet – were perfected.
Another scenic drive along the thermal highway and we passed (as we later found out) the only free geyser and thermal, expecting them all to be reasonable. I threw a strop because of the prices for entry, and my attempt to get to the thermal resort through the bushes didn't work. We stopped off at the Huka waterfalls, lava glass and a honey shop, where we sampled some nice honey related alcohol stuff. Our campsite in Rotorua – Thermal Resort – was similar to the one in Taupo – has all the facilities, but claims to be more than it is. The hot pools on site seemed old and dirty – more like a bath where you can catch a disease than something relaxing and inspiring. At $14 I shouldn't complain. The Kuirau park in Rotarua however was good, with steamy lakes and bubbling mud. At that point I decided that I generally prefer to be on the coast, and with Zorbing and Mt Manganui to look forward to the next day, all I was hoping for more sun and waves soon.
Zorbing was good fun – from the bottom the hill looks small, but once inside the inflatable ball filled with some water and spinning down the hill, it's actually awesome. After that we just headed straight for Mount Manganui for some surfing. Turns out there was a surf lifesaving championship on that weekend, so the campsite was packed and the beach was full. I had a good long surf session but the waves were crowded and getting more and more dumpy over the evening. Still had a good session, and we had dinner on our beach-front camp spot, planned our next day and talked about the storm which appeared to be coming.
A storm did come, and from 11pm till 6am the tent was pounded by strong winds and torrential rain. It was simply too noisy and wet to sleep, so at around 6.30am we decided to pack up and head off. By 7.30 the car was loaded and soaked, so by 8.30 we were on the road, window wipers on full.
We headed back to Auckland, hoping that Rachel's passport would be returned in the post before our flight in a week and to sell the car. Still waiting...
Taranki was probably the best bit – great campsite in a superb location, with surf 10 seconds walk away.