If you’ve ever travelled away from our shores and got talking surf then it’s inevitable you’ll have faced a variant of this question, often delivered with utter disbelief:
‘Are there waves in the UK?’ ‘You get surf there?’ ‘You’re a “British” surfer?!’
This question is often delivered with a snort of derision. Implying that you really don’t know what you’re on about because you don’t come from a ‘surfing’ country like the USA, Australia or South Africa. Well. We do. So ner. If you need proof just point them to this handy video or the photos below to visually aid your response.
You’ll know Brad Domke, he’s the leading, well only big wave skim boarder in the world. Famous for getting barrels at Puerto that are XXL contenders. This is he taking his finless plank deep in to the bowels of some of Western Australia’s slabbiest oceanic mistakes with varying degrees of success.
Having Kai Neville as one of the co-owners of your sunglass brand, along with Dion Agius and Mitch Coleborn, lends a certain class and quality to your promo edits. Some good surfing in here from new team member Nate Tyler. As Dion said in his email: couldn’t be more excited and honoured to have this absolute legend on board and so i thought i’d send you the little welcome clip that Kai has put together of Nate shredding the shit out of some poor waves in his signature relaxed style…
Buckle up for some inspired Cloudbreak lunacy from the lens of Talon Clemow. You can get the full documentary on the links below.
As the ‘Anniversary Re-Tour’ of Thundercloud approaches, One Palm Media have released the longest portion of the award winning documentary for public consumption to date. 15 minutes straight from the horses mouth, as it is in the actual production. Full tour details @ onepalmMEDIA.com
Featuring the epic swells at Cloudbreak of 2010, 2011 & the lead up the gargantuan 2012 swell that will forever live in the history books as ‘the greatest paddle session seen on planet Earth thus far’, this 15 minute preview is just what the doctor ordered to remind everyone of the majestic, terrifying beauty of the ‘jewel of the South Pacific’, Cloudbreak in Fiji.
Re-touring Australia with more dates and locations than ever before, catch it in cinemas, where all good surf movies should be shown. Short of that, it’s available on iTunes (geni.us/E4T) & Vimeo On Demand (vimeo.com/ondemand/thundercloud) for download whenever you get the urge to see more of this rare gift to humanity, Thundercloud Reef aka ‘Kuru Kuru Malagi’ in the ancient Fijian tongue.
The cream of European surfing having a blast in Hainan…
A decade in existence, The Nixon Surf Challenge has grown from a casual get-together of befriended riders into an annual trip discovering new destinations. The event’s concept was first hatched over a decade ago and for many years was held in the Basque beach town of San Sebastian, Spain where Nixon, a handful of team riders, friends of the brand, photographers, and magazines would post up, hang out, and surf their faces off during this annual event. Fast forward a few years later and the Nixon Surf Challenge migrated to colder, lesser known surf spots in Lofoten (Norway), Iceland, Kamtchatka (Russia) and this year’s event landed the crew in Hainan, China (May 26 – 31, 2015), the beating heart of China’s rapidly expanding surf industry.
After nearly a week of competition, it was Jonathan Gonzalez – the 34-year-old surfer from the Canary Islands – who was voted by his peers ‘Overall Winner’, more than 10 years after his first victory in San Sebastian. The win didn’t come easy. In humid, hot weather with temperatures often hitting the mid-30s, Mr. Consistent Marlon Lipke and Gony Zubizarreta were both also in contention throughout the five-day contest window, repeatedly demonstrating why they too continue to occupy positions at the very pinnacle of the European surf scene.
The surfers, including adventurer Kepa Acero were kept on their toes throughout the event by high-energy young guns including aerial specialists William Aliotti and Gaspard Larsonneur. But when it came to ‘Best Trick’, it was the turn of another Frenchman, 2013 edition winner Vincent Duvignac, to blow the doors off with a flawlessly executed and grabbed 360 to revert.
Over the years, we’ve explored some of the most remote and inhospitable surf spots on the planet. Not exactly easy to get to, Hainan will leave a lasting impression on everyone for different reasons, with its seemingly endless rows of empty beach-side skyscrapers – in some ways a bit like Hawaii and Miami, but with its own Chinese twist. With waves like that, and China’s ability to build the unthinkable, it’s going to be a place to watch in the future for sure.
