We’d been planning a little surf trip down to North Devon for about a month and randomly choose the last weekend in September. Having travelled to Devon so many times and invariably missing out on epic conditions (such is the life of a landlocked surfer), we went with an open mind and tried to have little (or no) expectations of what the conditions would be like.
On what was apparently the hotest October in the UK on record, we scored some of the cleanest waves, offshore winds and best weather we’ve EVER had on a North Devon surf trip. I surfed in a pair of board shorts all weekend, with a short wetsuit top just to keep the wind off. In all, I reckon I put in about 10-15 hours in the water over the course of the weekend, testiment to the fact that we just couldn’t get enough of what had been served up to us.
Now, call it fate, call it reward for all the times we’ve gone down and it being crap, or call it higher intervention, this time it was an epic session that will go down in the memory as one of the best times we’ve had down in Woolacombe and one that will be hard to top.
Another short video from Do Lectures, this time by Michael Fordham about the lessons he has learned from surfing and how those experiences have transcended and enriched other parts of his (non-surfing) life such as business, family and friends. Michael echoes a lot of what Shaun Tomson says in his book The Surfer’s Code and we can all learn something from both of their wise words.
I just watched this very insightful and thought provoking documentary called The Cove. It exposes the sickening annual slaughter of more than 20,000 dolphins off the coast of Japan and the associated governmental cover up and international corruption. Check out the trailer below, sign the petition and take action now!
When I was in California back in May I had the pleasure of meeting surfing legend Shaun Tomson whilst he was giving a presentation about his book: The Surfer’s Code.
Month’s later I’ve just got around to reading his book. Very interesting stuff and definitely some valuable insights to be taken into the water with me next time I hit the surf. Here’s a video clip from his presentation that I filmed whilst in California. You’ve just to go love Shaun.
Another music favourite from Oz is Gotye. His blend of atmospheric, thought provoking and sometimes melancholic tunes are pretty awesome. Whilst browsing on last.fm I found he’s also got a new album out: Making Mirrors. Like his previous work it is an eclectic mix of styles, moods and shifting tempos. Currently I’m loving the track “Somebody That I Used To Know”. It’s kind of this album’s version of “Hearts A Mess” I think. Well worth a listen.
Another favourite of mine, Australian musician Pete Murray has just also released a new album: Blue Sky Blue. The album continues in the same vain as his previous work with a mixture of rock ‘n’ roll, blues with his characteristic soulful voice tying it altogether. There’s a nice blend of upbeat tracks and a few slow ones in there as well.
All inspired by the new album I decided to check out if Pete was playing over here in the UK, and to my surprise and joy he is playing in London in November. I’ve got tickets for me and Rose, so am looking forward to seeing him play in a few month’s time!
The awesome surfer and musician Timmy Curran has just released a new album: Options.
I dig his style of music (and surfing) and love throwing on a few tracks on the way to the coast (or whilst travelling) to get me in the spirit and raise the stoke for what lays ahead!
You can download the new album: Options by Timmy Curran for free from his website.
Crude (The real price of oil) is a documentary about the lawsuit filed by over 30,000 Ecuadorians against Chevron over contamination of the Ecuadorean Amazon. An extremely interesting and worthwhile watch. The case is still unsettled!
