Mr. Reynold's Words of Wisdom

Todays wave comes in prose form, from an insanely talented and creative surfer. Some people criticize him for taking the road less traveled in his professional career as a surfer, but I feel the path Dane Reynolds is following is one made of love. Its easy to see if you ask me.

"surfing is my passion in life. i always think about how lucky we are that there's even an ocean, and its not too hot or too turbulent and it's not made of acid that burns our skin off. and how lucky is it that the land tapers into the ocean in just the right way so that when lumps of energy approach from a thousand miles away they gently rise up and crash at just the perfect speed so that we can wave our little arms and match their speed and hang at the crest weightless for just a second before sliding down the face. free to ride it in any way you please. and there's not just one of them. there's tons of them. they keep coming. all different sizes shapes and speeds. everyday they're different. endless joy."

Go to his blog here to read more about why he left the world tour.

The Isle

Gorgeous cinematography in a land that is equally as gorgeous. 




Uncommon Ideals. from Doggerland. on Vimeo.

Graciously stolen from Pinniped

A Message From Our Friends Up North

Yes, there is surf in Canada. And, a lot of it is in some of the most gorgeous wilderness. Help protect it.

Tipping Barrels from Sitka on Vimeo.

For more info visit www.pacificwild.org

Twilight

Pismo beach at sunset at around 40 mph.

Clear Water

Yeah, I want to go to Indo and shred...



Fiji Vignette 3/3 from Taj Burrow on Vimeo.

Theres Something in the Water

It all caught up to me. After running at my normal, maybe slightly accelerated speed of life this week, with nights of climbing/adventure, and two super fun, glassy, waist-high lunchtime log sessions, the algae present in the water decided that I needed a break, sending me straight to bed Friday after work. I spent what seemed to be the longest night in bed (13 hours) alternating pouring sweat freezing my little piggies off even though I was cocooned under three blankets, dressed in my onesie longjohns. It was a battle of epic proportions, and I awoke in the morning to be feeling better, but utterly fatigued. It was a bummer, for the surf happened to be pumping all day yesterday, and I could do was watch people shred the point. I guess I can shred the internet surf while it pours outside today...

MANUFACTURING STOKE from misfit pictures on Vimeo.

It will be interesting to see where the shaping industry will go in the next few years. There is definitely a push for alternative materials. And whoever can come up with the right balance of eco-friendly/longevity/performance materials, will woo most everybody in the industry. The hard part will be making it cheap enough to be justifiable for the small time shapers since there is very little margin in the art of shaping boards.

Rainy Days

Its been raining since just this morning, and already I feel like I am going through sunlight withdraws. The hamster that is my brain scours the inner recesses to locate the vitamin d producing fountain which normally balances out the grogginess that is the Friday morning after a night of beers. Effort is wasted, for there is no sunshine to convert the rays into goodness. But on the flip side, rain means sand bars are forming, and hopefully, waves will get better. In the meantime I can just sit on my couch and read a book.

And now, back from that random tangent...




FRIDAY IM IN LOVE!

Working Stiff Blues

The days of sunshine, clean waves, and warm water is now the way of all hibernating creatures. Hidden and nestled away for winter; we as surfers have to deal with brain freezes, numb toes, and club feet. This condition, invokes the cold-water northern California tribal wetsuit stripping dance - a winter time dance as one tries to get clothed after an early morning session.

I cant wait for the solstice, when days get longer, and I can actually get wet after work...

Or build a boat and travel down the baja coast, hitting all the right hand point breaks like this guy!



Christian Beamish-InnerViews from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.

Trail

Down to the Beach
Canon 20D 
Sept 2011

Dusk

Westside
Canon 20d
P.Hill

Explosion

Somewhere in S.F.
20D

A Day in the Life of the Dapper Octopi
20D


Happy Labor Day!

Frog Man

I think this guy has earned his stripes in the Team Zissou Society.




Ray: A Life Underwater from Danny Cooke on Vimeo.

Empty Mornings

At the end of the street, an empty morning and a reeling left.

 

Another Weekend in Paradise

Pleasure Point Surf Club
Canon 20D
P.Hill

 Untitled
Canon 20D
P.Hill

Angles
Canon 20D
P.Hill

Its made of Wood!

I aspire to one day make a board like this...


SINGLE FIN 6'2'' // BOARDS from losgogo on Vimeo.


Looks like it would be super fun to ride, or something to hang on the wall if it doesn't do the job.

It came from below!

I've been blessed cursed with an over active imagination in life. I often find myself wondering what will happen, and where I will go during a zombie apocalypse, or how I might be eaten by some sort of sea serpent/kraken when I am out surfing. I guess I am just fascinated by the myths and lore behind each creature. If I ever get suckered off a sail boat on some sort of voyage by a hoard of sexy sea sirens singing seductive sea songs, please write on my tomb stone that I put up a valiant fight, but succumbed to the maidens calls.

The Tentacle
Sun-Death-Rays on Driftwood
P.Hill

Big Sur and Further

 

Sand Dollar by Night

Kodak 400 B/W 

Las Palmas
Kodak 400 B/W
Mal Pais

Untitled

Kodak 400

Mal Pais

Flashback!

Over winter, I always thought about summer and warm weather. Its a magical time, full of foggy days, reminiscent of the opening scene of 1941. Fog hangs over the water so thick, you could slice it with a knife. Most often, you are the lone sole on the beach. The solitary feeling creeps up on you, like a monster from the shadows under your bed. It is a time of quite. A time of reflection. A time to think warm thoughts, and see natures beauty in its most desolate state. Here are a few shots from not too long ago, over the winter.

Winter's Solstice
Nikon FM
Fuji 400 B/W

Reflections of the North Coast
Nikon Fm
Fuji 400 B/W

Guardian of the Lane
Nikon FM
Fuji 400 B/W

Fisheye Madness

Andrew Molera State Park
Lomo Fisheye

An Overcast August

The past few weeks have been completely overcast. June gloom decided to attack August, and made moves on the territory. Its good for shooting black and white though.

Birds Eye View
20D

Party Wave
20D

Flowered Shorebreak
20D

Wanderlust

This has absolutely nothing to do with waves. Just something completely different...and amazing.




MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

I can only imagine the stories behind each shot. And to think that there are hundreds in the video, and hundreds that didn't make the edit, blows my mind.

Graciously stolen from yayeveryday.

Why am I a Fishermans Wife?

Unhinged. That's what the last two weeks have been. There was little time to create, and little time to post anything of substance here in between a trip down south to Manhattan, and also a backpacking trip to the Eastern Sierras. But, here's a stop-motion video that is absolutely amazing (I have a major soft spot for stop motion videos), and a smattering of photos from the road.



Gulp. The world's largest stop-motion animation shot on a Nokia N8. from Nokia HD on Vimeo.

The Land Where the Concrete Jungle Meets the Beach

 

On the Strand

Canon 20D 

Meanwhile, down south...

Untitled
Circa 2008
Woodblock Print
Patrick Hill

300 Seconds

A quick 5 minutes...

Untitled
Oil Pastel on Cardboard
 

Creatures which shall not be named

Its a strange phenomena among surfers, that they never speak about the larger varieties of fish which make their home in the oceans of the world. And by fish, I mean sharks. Essentially its like everybody in Harry Potter never saying Voldemorts name out loud. I'm guessing that these people look at the universe around themselves in a slightly skewed way; viewing the world around them through a prism, or seeing the distortion similar to peering into a slightly convex fish bowl. The truth of the matter is that we think of ourselves as the high man on the totem pole, when in fact, we are pretty low on the food chain whenever we enter into the wet, fish filled ecosystems off of our coasts. Is ignorance bliss? It could be. I have a different take on all of the hoopla. If I don't believe in them, they won't believe in me!

Scotts
Canon 20D

And a shot from last night...

The Boardwalk
Canon 20D

All You Need is Love

And/or a wave to ride...

 

 

Untitled
Magnifying Glass & Driftwood
2011

From the Vault

 

 

Untitled
Wire Sculpture
Circa 2002
P.H.

Race Day

Good luck to my sister doing the Door County Half Ironman this morning. Kill It!



Critical Sliders from Nathan Oldfield on Vimeo.


These guys shred, and a sick band to set the mood.

Time Capsule: day 2

Untitled
Watercolor
Circa 2002

Time Capsule

I had to fly back to Chicago to help my parents move, and I uncovered some amazing waves from my high school art class days. I can still remember my teacher yelling at me to stop painting waves. If only she knew where I'd end up!

Guitar Strap?
Leather
Circa 2003

I want to say this piece of leather was going to be part of a guitar strap, but the design didn't work out too well.

The newhand plane is in the process as well. It has a mellow single concave on the bottom, and is slightly bigger than the other one I shaped a while ago. I can't wait to get back to the coast from middle america, and jump in the water.

Walk Don't Run

The film project I have been working on over the past two weeks has finally come to an end, and now I can finally put more energy into the waves! After I recover of course from last weekend. I unfortunately have been cursed with the black lung this week after a fantastic display of illegal and rogue fireworks from the Harbor citizens in Santa Cruz. In their brilliance every year, the city fails to shell out any money in order to have an official display of air born incendiary patriotism, and also has banned all personal firework shows.  When this occurs, we all know that any red-blooded American takes things into their own hands. And, in the spirit of nationalism, every single yank tries to one up each other in the name of freedom.

All in all, a lot of shit was lit on fire, and now I am hacking up a lung. 

Here are some photos from a roll I just got back...

Down the Line
Fuji 400, 35mm

Single Fin
Fuji 400, 35mm

Lighthouse Field
Fuji 400, 35mm

Freedom Day!

Happy 4th everybody!

Stars and Stripes Forever
Nikon Fm
Fuji 35mm
Patrick Hill

Campo Perfecto - Baja
Diana Mini
Fuji 35mm
Patrick Hill

Damn the Torpedos, Full Steam Ahead!

The past week or so I have been in the process of shooting and editing a video resume for the folks at GoPro. Let me just say its consuming my life, and I LOVE IT! The last time that I made a movie was back in college, and I almost won the Regis University film fest for a second year in a row. That first place gift certificate to Mongolian BBQ would have been mine, but there were some crooked judges...kind of like the Olympics a few years ago when the Froggies screwed the Canadian couple out of the figure skating gold.

Here are a couple of pieces that I have used in the film so far.

No. 3

Solar Flare on Wood

No. Five

Linoleum Print on Grocery Bag

This past weekend was also Woodies on the Wharf here in town, and these are a few shots I took with my brothers Digital SLR that I stole. Switching from film to digital has been interesting for me.  Its been quite the learning curve since I have no idea how to use the camera. Kind of like giving an abacus to anybody younger than 30 nowadays. You know it works, but have no instructions.