Archive for: Surfing

A short film/little bit of footage shot whilst on a recent trip to Morocco. We saw some amazing sights including Marrakech, Atlas Mountains, Sahara Desert and the Atlantic coast.

In the run-up to Beej’s wedding in a few weeks, we are hitting the road Stateside for just under 3 weeks of surf and outdoor adventures.

Check out our proposed route map below.

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Pretty sick little trick this one!

Awesome film about surfing and it’s Irish roots. Here’s the official synopsis:

WAVERIDERS is the previously untold story of the unlikely Irish roots of the worldwide surfing phenomenon and today?s pioneers of Irish big wave surfing.

The story unfolds through the inspirational and ultimately tragic history of Irish/Hawaiian legendary waterman, George Freeth, the son of an Irishman, who was responsible for the rebirth of this sport of Hawaiian kings in the early twentieth century.

With its distinguished cast of world-renowned Irish, British and Irish/American surfers WAVERIDERS journeys full-circle from Hawaii to California and back to Irish shores following Freeth?s wave of influence. The journey reaches a spectacular climax when the surfers conquer the biggest swell ever to have been ridden in Ireland by catching monster waves of over fifty feet.

The WAVES for Development website has been given a thorough overhaul by the guys over at Hungry Browser Limited. The site has been launched with improved design and functionality, both for users and content owners. Later additions will include a membership area as well as online volunteer applications. Check it out and let us know what you think!

This takes man-made waves to another level. Some clever dudes have come up with the technology to create a surfable man-made wave. Standing waves and flow riders have been around for a while now, but this looks much more fun. Check out the video below and head over to the Wave Garden website for more info.

What will they think of next!

We caught up with Matt Shanks, Director of Epic, a new surf and skate online-only retailer based in Belfast.

Here’s what Matt had to say about Epic.

We’re a small startup surf and skate online-only retailer who have been running since March 2010. We’ve loved every minute of it of doing this, even though it’s been a tricky ride, and not without it’s difficulties… The big thing for us is that it doesn’t become another soul-less business that is set up to serve the needs of it’s owners and lose sight of reality. The whole reason for setting it up was to express our individuality, as well as being a positive force for change in the industry and the community around us. Right from day one we decided to support a local charity and have chosen the Cedar Foundation which helps people with Brain Injury Rehabilitation.

Surf over here is really opening up, especially with the news of Al Mennie and Cotty surfing perhaps the largest wave in Europe recently at an undisclosed spot known as ‘prowlers’. Check out what we mean here.

Another unique aspect of our business is the effort to try and source as many products from top brands that have been sustainably produced. We’ve a few pieces from Volcom’s V-Cological Collection which uses recycled plastic bottles, as well as Sutsu which source Organic Cotton, to Rapanui, which has a list of environmental accreditations as long as your arm! One thing we would love to get into would be our own clothing range, but for now it’s on the back burner while we amp up the site.

Epicstore also has representation locally in Northern Ireland, and was part of a pioneering event called the Milestone Sessions. This was a collaboration of Skate, BMX, inline and urban sport genres for one day, in a massive ex-shipyard warehouse. The first time Ireland has seen anything like it, and needless to say it was a major success. So much so that the organisers have upped the ante and decided to plan another event for the 11th December. This time as a Fundraiser to bring a shipping container full of action sports gear and supplies to Malawi… You can check out the photo’s from the event on our Facebook page.

Check out the Epic Store here!

Now I am back on terra firma (and hundreds of miles from the sea) maybe the tarp is the way forward for those flat days!

A dude and his alpaca get some sweet rides in this vid! Sick!