Born Pacific

Born Pacific

At only 7 years old, a few household chores allowed young Pete to ditch his bodyboard and buy his first surfboard. Back in the days wetsuits didn’t do a great job and so he could only surf in the summer.

Then this little guy from Tofino, British Columbia grew up and evolved at an international level. He may find himself wearing boardshorts and surf the most beautiful waves in the world, he is always happy to come home. Addicted to the feeling of gliding on a wave, you’ll always find him in the water whether it rains or snows.

Pete is the ultimate cold-water surfer.

Surfer: PETE DEVRIES
Young pete: ASHER DEVRIES
Cinematography / Edit : NATE LAVERTY
Additional filming: JEREMY KORESKI / MARCUS PALADINO / DREW AUSTIN

Late Dust Bowls

Late Dust Bowls

Jonathan Gubbins has been called the most-barreled person in the world, he spends more time in the tube than most London commuters. Check out his mind bending edit he roars through The Grower...

Blu Longboard Classic

Blu Longboard Classic

From the four corners of the Kingdom they came, chisel-jawed, keen of sight, fleet of foot with waxing hand primed and ready for battle. To be fair, that’s a slight exaggeration but there were a couple of Scots who now live in Cornwall, at least one Welshman who goes to the gym and a whole mob of troublemakers from North Devon. Some of whom didn’t need corrective eyewear. Oh, and the Cornish from the WEST west. But more on that later.

Anyway, the time had finally, FINALLY come for the first gathering of the BLU family following a couple of barren years that most of us will be happy to see consigned to the history books - a new start in a new year and a NEW venue. A beautiful venue. One of the jewels of West Cornwall. Porthmeor Beach, St Ives! The onsite facilities provided by Saints Boardriders made the whole deal that much sweeter.

The forecast had been on the ‘vertically challenged’ side in Cornwall with monotonous regularity for a while, and it took two swings at this one to get the contest under way. Even the reserve date didn’t look promising, and it took a brave decision by the committee to call the event on. They were repaid for their ridiculous optimism with just the faintest whisperings of a swell that, against literally all the odds, made the weekend not only contestable but astonishingly good fun.

Saturday morning saw most of the car parks within a mile radius stuffed full of vans, single fins, groms, beards, floppy hats, single fins, more groms, single fins etc. Some familiar faces, some not so familiar and some from way back when. All were welcome, all were keen to surf. The tide eventually drained out far enough for the long, long lines of swell to start spilling over into surfable waves and the biggest entry Single Fin division for many a year hit the water. Without any wasteful hyperbole, the amount of nose-riding that followed in the next few hours was so vast that even the hint of a turn was greeted with confused delirium. I have never seen so many toes over so many noses. By the quarter final stage it became clear that Day 2 was going to be a blinder. Standouts in the early rounds were goofy-legend-from-way-out-west Mikey Lay, Welsh wizard Elliot Dudley, Sam ‘Blimey He’s Erudite’ Bleakley, Ashley ‘The Comeback Kid’ Braunton and the three mega-groms Arthur Randell, Lukas ‘Oh no, he longboards as well’ Skinner and Ted Pearson, who made the most of their substantial weight advantage.

With recently crowned Boardmasters and English Nationals Champion Emily Currie in the Women’s Open, it would have been reasonable to assume the result was only going one way. In a proper ‘hold my coat’ moment, up stepped Izzy Henshall to take the highest heat score in both the quarter and semi-finals. Game on? Sadly not. Due to a commitment elsewhere for Emily on Sunday and an abortive attempt to run the final in the dying light and rising tide on Day 1, destiny this time was firmly with Izzy. Her strong and smooth performance in the final put her firmly ahead of Sam Sunshine and Amelia Hewitson who were separated by the wafer thin margin of 0.1 points.

Unsurprisingly, in the junior divisions Arthur and Lukas claimed the lion’s share of the honours, with Arthur taking the U16s and Lukas the U18 Boys thanks to an almost supernatural ability to find super-long noserides that served up 5s and 10s like they were in a going-out-of-business sale.
The U18 Girls division was short on entries, but definitely not on surfing talent. Izzy Henshall, Sylvie Puddiphatt and Eleanor Hewlett made a great contest of it in what turned out to be some of the weakest swell of the day. It was Izzy, with her super smooth goofy skills who prevailed by 0.34 points

The Masters and Grandmasters divisions, usually the well-attended stalwarts of the BLU, were also noticeably light on entries, with the Grandmasters being a straight final. Again, definitely no lack of talent with the seemingly ageless Sam Bleakley taking the Masters and Adam Chell victorious in the Grandmasters over timeless Robocop-of-a-man Colin Bright.
In conclusion, great to be back, amazing surfing, good weather, great location, great people and just enough swell to make a cracking weekend of it.

Results
Men’s Open
1st Michael Lay
2nd Elliot Dudley
3rd Evan Rogers
4th Lukas Skinner

Women’s Open
1st Izzy Henshall
2nd Sam Sunshine
3rd Amelia Hewitson
4th Emily Currie

Masters
1st Sam Bleakley
2nd Adam Chell
3rd Adrian Napper
4th Stephen Burley

Grandmasters
1st Adam Chell
2nd Colin Bright
3rd Ray Lee
4th Vikki Burley

U16 Cadets
1st Arthur Randell
2nd Lukas Skinner
3rd Teddy Nicholls
4th Sydney Randell

U18 Boys
1st Lukas Skinner
2nd Arthur Randell
3rd Ted Pearson
4th Sydney Randell

U18 Girls
1st Izzy Henshall
2nd Sylvie Puddiphatt
3rd Eleanor Hewlett

Single Fin
1st Mike Lay
2nd Elliot Dudley
3rd Sam Bleakley
4th Ashley Braunton

Lost Track Ep 4 – Torren Martyn

Lost Track Ep 4 – Torren Martyn

Lost Track Atlantic is a four-part series that takes you on the journey of a lifetime, from the far North Atlantic to the tropical, equatorial coast of West Africa.

Follow best friends, surfer Torren Martyn and filmmaker Ishka Folkwell in a search for waves and life long memories, as they journey down the Atlantic coastline in a customised old van passing through one of the most culturally diverse regions on the planet.

In episode 4, Torren and Ishka push on deep into the African tropics and stumble across a playful long sand bottom point. Experiencing the warmth of local village life, the boys realise shared waves, a good meal and conversation is about as good as it gets.

Become a Professional Adventure Filmmaker

Become a Professional Adventure Filmmaker

Photo: Steven Clarey

The University of Wales Adventure Filmmaking degree is unique in the UK, utilising the landscapes of West Wales, and the wide range of outdoor pursuits that take place in the region. Based in Carmarthen surrounded by beautiful landscape, beaches, mountains and wildlife, here you will learn from media and outdoor experts.

The course philosophy is that Adventure Filmmaking is a lifestyle choice and so it is for those who are committed and passionate about the outdoors, be that extreme sports or the environment. The key to being successful in this field is balancing the theories of storytelling and communication with outdoors and film based practical skills.

Here’s everything you need to know about this killer degree course and how to turn your passion into your profession.

Photo: Steven Clarey

WHERE:
Based in the town of Carmarthen surrounded by the beautiful landscape of West Wales, where the beaches, mountains and wildlife will be your home. Located within a short traveling distance to the coast and mountains of Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Powys, here there are fantastic opportunities to capture footage of extreme sports, sea life and wildlife, coastal and mountainous terrains, and develop your adventure story.

DEGREE INFO:
This programme is designed to give students the specialised and vocational skills required to work in this dynamic area of the film and photographic industries. Students will be introduced to the core production and postproduction skills required to produce adventure-based film and media content. There will be a number of expeditions and projects, in addition to formal classes, which will allow students to experience working in a range of environments and areas.

As part of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (which has campuses all over the UK), the course collaborates with another amazing course based in Carmarthen, BA Outdoor Adventure Education, to provide a variety of experiences. Throughout the degree there is input from professionals working in documentary filmmaking, photography, television, and social media, as well as core outdoor activity skills.

Level 3 First Aid in The Outdoors and RSSL Level Water Safety Management qualifications are also offered as part of the programme. Engagement with industry is embedded in all aspects of our course. This can take the form of work placements, projects for external clients, modules focused on developing your employability, or engaging with the many experts from industry who will be offering their expertise in workshops and guest lectures.

These can range from extreme sports and motorsports to wildlife filming, landscape and coastal filming, and aerial filming. As students progress, they can specialise in the area of their choice; by the final year, students can work on an individual major project in their chosen field, with expert input from leading practitioners. There is also the opportunity to work on a client project set by major companies within the industry.

Photo: Daniel Philips

EXTRA KEY INFO:
With the BA Adventure Filmmaking course, there are no exams; just practical production course work, supported by essays, and presentations. There is also an opportunity for students on the course to travel to Asia and Europe as part of the a collaboration with the University’s BA Tourism degree.

The course is well established as the only one of its kind in the UK and has developed professional relationships with companies such as Wanderlust Action Films, Panasonic Lumix, and Olympus. We also work closely with Carmarthen Cameras, the biggest independent camera equipment retailer in Wales to offer discounts and a first-hand look at the latest gear. These provide amazing industry connections and opportunities for students and graduates. We were also voted 1st in Wales for Photography and Film Production in the Guardian University League Table this year.

Photo: Steven Clarey

WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE:
1. The innovative courses in Adventure Filmmaking are unique in the UK.
2. The degree programmes have been developed with industry to prepare students for a contemporary filmmaking career.
3. The beautiful location in West Wales provides a wide range of landscapes, wildlife, environmental, and sporting opportunities for production work.
4. Student work is focused on developing the practical and creative skills necessary to specialise in your chosen field.

HOW:
If you would like to know more, get the latest course information HERE and follow the Film and Media Course on social media below:

Photo: Tom Smith