I’ve been working on an project over the past few months creating an iPhone App that tracks your performance whilst surfing. It uses the iPhone’s GPS technologies to track and calculate your speed, distance, angle of ride etc. The app is currently under review from Apple and should hopefully be in the App Store in the next few weeks.
Here’s a sneak preview at some of the screen shots from the app. To find out more check out: www.wavetracksgps.com
OK, I know it isn’t surfing, but it’s kind of related. I took advantage of the snow this afternoon and went out on my skis with the GoPro and put together this little video.
This afternoon Mark Parry and I headed down to Whitsands Bay, Cornwall to test out my new GoPro Surf Hero HD waterproof video camera. It was a beautiful day, clear and crisp (albeit a bit cold).
The swell was small today so I took out the 9′1 Bilbo longboard and paddled around and got a few waves. I put together a little footage capture with the GoPro HD camera.
The sun was directly behind me, so it is pretty intense in the video at times, also I think I needed to adjust the tightness of the mount, so the camera didn’t move as much and possibly the angle so I was in the frame more. Also because the air temperature was only about 2 degrees, the casing fogged up a little, but for a first go we were pretty impressed with the quality of the video.
Check out the short video clip below. The footage has been optimised for the web and so isn’t as high quality as the original video.
Paul the postman has just been and made a very special pre-Christmas delivery of my GoPro Surf Hero HD video/stills camera. The Surf Hero HD, is as you might expect the High Definition version of the much-loved GoPro Surf Hero, a digital video and stills camera that you can mount to your surfboard to capture amazing footage of you and your buddies pulling in to that next pit!
You can also get different mounts for the camera so you can attach it to a helmet, your chest etc. Handy for ski/snowboard movies. Dare I say 2010 will be featuring the 4th snow/surf movie from myself at some point :)
I can’t wait to test it out in the water, unfortunately a.) I have to wait until Christmas until I can open it, and b.) I need to get myself to the coast to make full use of it! In the mean time, check out the links below showing some test footage from the boys at GoPro, I reckon you’ll be suitably impressed!
We officially entered British daylight savings time today, meaning it now gets dark at 5.30pm and the nights will close in until the end of December. Unfortunately this means less time in the water, but on the bright side it means more time for other activities such as reading.
The list below is a small selection of some of the fiction and non-fiction novels/biographies that I have bought over the few years (and by no means exhaustive). So if you find yourself with a spare few moments then get your head into one of the books on the list below.
If you’ve got any suggestions then please feel free to leave a comment.
Speaking to my friend Mark the other day, who was on the beach (with binoculars in hand) when it happened, here is a little footage of Ben Skinner towing in at North Fistral during one of the recent pumping, autumn swells to hit up the South West of Cornwall.
Last week Rich and I made the trip down to Newquay for our first surf of the autumn. Richie Dog was well overdue for some wave action and had to give his water wings a bit of a dusting off upon arrival (but soon after was back to true canine ways).
We stayed with Glen and Alison over at The Chynoweth Lodge, a lovely family-run B&B on Eliot Avenue, in a quieter part of Newquay. Our three night stay commenced with a full English every morning, plus tea, toast and cereal (you need something to keep the engine running when you surf six hours solid).
We were pretty lucky with the weather considering it was mid-October (one day of dullness and three of sunshine and clear skies). The swell and winds were also on our side with two cracking offshore days with shoulder to head-high waves.
We met up with two of my buddies: Mr. Mark Parry and Olaf “The Machine” Mathur, both of which are top blokes and more than functional surfers (ain’t that right Mark).
Our first team session was a three-man assult on the northern end of Watergate (followed by a swifty in the pub afterwards). The surf was ok, but nothing compared to the treats we were to receive over the coming days.
The second team effort (this time with a full four-man crew in tow) was mine and Richie’s debut at a beautiful spot called Penhale. The sun was out, it was warm (especially for October), we had the break to ourselves and we were all super stoked to have been blessed with a little good luck to be in the right place at the right time (conditions like this only come together like this once in a blue moon – unless you happen to live in Indo or the like).
Paddling out felt amazing, clawing through the clear blue water out to the line-up, the surface of the water inbetween sets like glass. The particular peak we sat on was right near the cliffs and broke right, although you could go left, but ran the risk of riding into the boneyard, something Richie would find out later on in the day (the dog loves to dice with death when riding the backhand bone).
We traded waves for just under three hours before heading back up the beach and heading off for an evening session over at Watergate.
Now to have had Penhale to ourselves was enough, but to then have head-high Watergate, clean as a whistle with plenty of space to maneouver and set against an amazing sunset was nearly too much for one day.
Olaf and I traded waves and I managed to make some of the bigger drops even though I was on a single fin longboard, whilst Olaf ripped up a few walls on his shortie. We surfed until dark and then returned to the cars and back home for some brews and a healthy portion at Signor Dicks.
All in all a quality day that really set the bar for future trips!
Yep it is official, month’s of training in the pool and gym, plus the 3 weeks I spent down in the South West have come up trumps and I am now a fully qualified RLSS Beach Lifeguard and BSA Level 1 Surf Instructor. Throw in a little defib and the principles of first aid and life support and as the certificates below say, I am all ready to go!
I am back off to Newquay tomorrow to embark on the second part of my BSA Surf Instructor course.
To become a fully qualified Level 1 Instructor you have to gain 20 hours of “work experience” in a BSA-approved surf school, helping out with lessons etc. It seems fitting that the school that I ended up organising my hours with the surf school that originally taught me to surf 6 or 7 years ago.
So as of Thursday I will be joining Mike Young and the crew down at Escape Surf School in Newquay to gain my 20 hours, looking forward to it!
