Posts tagged: Surfing

Here’s a sequence of shots taken from my Go Pro Surf Hero camera that captured a little wipeout I had whilst in Newquay surfing with my mates!

Catching some waves on a recent trip down to Devon. When it’s THIS small you’ve just got to make the best of it and have a laugh!

Rapanui is about making cool eco-fashion for young people; that means clothing that is eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable: Made from natural organic fabrics in a Fairwear Foundation audited, wind powered factory. Through surfing the brothers saw and experienced the changing environment and climate at their local beach and as inspired, unemployed graduates in a recession, they took a different path; if you can’t find a job, make one.

Rapanui has held Seminars and Lectures at UK and EU universities and multinational companies such as Centrica PLC on Sustainable Business and sit on the Panel at Plymouth University’s All our Future Conference.

Rapanui has made bespoke versions of its clothing for multinationals and charities including Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and the Marine Conservation Society.

Rapanui was set up by brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight in early 2008 with £200 of savings and was listed in the Top 100 Startups of 2008. Rob and Martin are listed on the Future 100 List of Top young Entrepreneurs and were recently finalists in Enterprise UK’s Young Brits awards. Rapanui was the youngest company to win the Sustainable Business Awards in May 2010 and has recently been nominated for the internationally-recognised ISPO Brand New Award.

CAPTURE: A WAVES Documentary dives deep into the impoverished community of Lobitos, Peru and the experience of surf travelers who dedicate their passion to the youth.

Sneak Peak: Rough Cut from Capture Doc on Vimeo.

WAVES for Development creates life-enriching experiences in coastal communities through Educational Surf programs. These programs help develop local youth into healthy & empowered adults. They also engage travellers & transform their world view and appreciation of local issues. WAVES relies on volunteers, contributors and charitable donations to help deliver these programs.

WAVES is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt public charity in the state of New York, USA. Additionally, WAVES is a formalised not-for-profit association in Peru and Switzerland.

Make a donation now!

Photo © copyright WAVES for Development

My plan

In October 2010 I am taking two months off work and travelling to Lobitos in Northern Peru to help WAVES with the program. In the run up to my trip I am trying to raise funds and awareness for WAVES. That is where YOU come in.

How you can help

Please help support WAVES by making a donation. Your money goes directly to WAVES (it doesn’t fund my trip) and helps them continue to carry out their important work within the communities of Northern Peru.

Here is what your donation can do:

• $20 – The price of sponsoring an English class
• $25 – The price of a surfboard leash for Educational Surf programs.
• $50 – Funds a community art project that provides a healthy outlet for youth
• $100 – The price of a wetsuit for Educational Surf programs.
• $200 – Supports the maintenance, storage & replacement of equipment & supplies for 1 month
• $500 – The cost of 1 year of participation in Educational Surf programs

All donations are greatly appreciated, no matter how small the amount is. Donating through First Giving is simple, fast and totally secure.

Many thanks for your support!

Ben

Make a donation now!

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.

Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing

Stealing the Wave: The Epic Struggle Between Ken Bradshaw and Mark Foo

DA Bull: Life over the Edge

Nat’s Nat and That’s That: A Surfing Legend

Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Fighting to Get Back on the Board

Riding the Magic Carpet: A Surfer’s Odyssey to Find the Perfect Wave

West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origins of Belief

Big Drop: Classic Big Wave Surfing

Surf Nation: In Search of the Fast Lefts and Hollow Rights of Britain and Ireland

Surf Rage: Turning Negatives into Positives

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!