Rip'n Snap

p a n S n ' p Ri

You are reading the first edition of Rip’n Snap and the plan is to “keep them coming” when ever I have some relevant and interesting content to show you guy’s out there.

I used to be a very passionated windsurfer years back, but a traffic accident changed my life dramatically. Life can be a bitch sometimes. But deep inside my soul the surfer is still alive. And it’s squeezing my balls every time it’s a bit windy. So instead of just letting go of this fantastic sport, I started shooting photos from the Nordic surf scene. It soon became whole bunch of pic’s from a wide range of the surf spots in Scandinavia, which you will be able to explore in this e-mag.

Today I enjoy very much to just sit and watch the motion of the ocean and of course shoot some pic’s of all aspects of surf related sports. Windsurfing, Surfing, Kite surfing, SUB and not to forget Snowboarding and Skateboarding!! - they are all extremely great spots, with a lot of soul and spirit.

In this edition you will find some shoots of Surfing, Windsurfing and Kitesurfing but also some interviews with interesting people related to these sports. Then later on I’ll aim to bring some snowboarding, SUB and skateboarding pic’s as well.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy this free Surfing e-mag.

“May the weather Gods be with you” - and lot’s of “Mino’aka” M.Wengler Editor

Rip' n Snap Editor M.Wengler Contact ripandsnap@gmail.com Blog ripandsnap.blogspot.com

contents

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editorial rip’n snap info lucia griggi - surf photographer D99 - lars petersen scandinavian surf scene clean ocean project roskilde fjord chasing low’s vintage surf

Lucia griggi surfing photographer

photos interview

lucia griggi m.wvengler

Hi Lucia

It’s very kind of you to take some time off to do this interview with me and Rip’n Snap.

Lucia, you have a very special and exciting job, which takes you to places most people only dream about, and probably never get the chance to visit, so I’m of course very ex- cited about this interview.

Well let’s jump right into it!

Who is Lucia Griggi?

You are born in Venice Italy, educated in England, and are now traveling all over the world, so I have to ask you what you consider as “home”?

I would say my home is Cornwall now. Or at least call it my base! Home I feel is

where your friends and family are and this is what will always bring me back home.

Where is your closest family located?

My family is located in Cornwall on a small farm in the country about 10 miles from

the beach ‘Watergate Bay’ in the UK.

Being an Italian, food is normally a serious matter - so I of course have to ask what your favorite dinner would be?

I like this question! I would say my favorite dish is mushroom risotto. I love it so much!

Surfing Where did you learn to surf?

I learnt how to surf in Cornwall at Watergate Bay back in 2003. I will always hold a place for this beach in my heart, I will never forget the first wave I caught!

How many years have you been surfing?

I have been surfing for around 8 years now.

Traveling all over the Globe you must have seen so many fantastic places so tell me where is your favorite surf spot?

My favorite Surf spot is ‘Honkey’s’ righthand point in the Mal dives. I love surfing it at 6ft and clean, it is so much fun and a great punchy right. I also enjoy surfing ‘Trestles’ in Califor- nia; again it is a fun right hand wave and never closes out.

What are your favorite conditions?

Snowboarding, Windsurfing and Kitesurfing are very related sports - do you ever spend some time playing around with these great surf related sports?

My favorite conditions are 4-6ft and glassy clean.

No I haven’t tried either sports. I snowboard when I’m not surfing but have never tried to kite surf nor windsurf.

Maybe at some point I will! I pretty much stick to surfing as I enjoy this the most.

Your amazing Job

Female surf photographers are quite rare, so what made you choose this very special line of work?

I never really thought going into this line of work would

be a problem being heavily male dominated. It was a

passion I followed and then before I knew it I was al

ready working in it! I chose this line of work just because

that’s what I wanted to do, plus guys are great to get along with.

Have you ever experienced any problems by being a female in this very man dominated line of work?

It hasn’t been easy that’s for sure. However it really doesn’t matter too

much anymoreI am accepted for who I am as a female. It can have

its disadvantages and its advantages. The advantage was I was no

ticed obviously being different. The disadvantages are my strength

shooting in the water and also some guys being rather sexist and un

willing to have me included. Both in clients and amongst the photogra- phers.

How many traveling days do you have during a normal season?

I travel a couple of times a month. We don’t really have seasons in the industry but I am constantly on the road. It makes me feel free and I love being on the road so much I would never be able to give it up!

The lifestyle of surfing enables you to have your office on a beach and feel the cold-water edge at your toes. I love to be able to shoot in the water, which lets me swim as my job!

Which competitions are you following every year?

I follow the Men’s World Tour of Surfing and some of the Women’s events.

Being a globetrotter you must have seen so many exciting places, most people only dream about - of all the places you have visited which one is you favorite?

I would say I love Sri Lanka very much it is so diverse in its culture and the people are so great there and hospitable. The surf breaks are really re- mote and empty.

As a surf photographer you swim over shallow sharp reefs, in areas where sharks live, and with powerful rip-currents that can sweep you out to sea. Have you ever experienced any dangerous situations out there?

I would say backdoor at pipeline Hawaii. I was shooting and a set came through about 10ft and took me down onto the inside. The inside reef at backdoor (the right of pipeline) is about a foot deep and gnarly reef. If caught you take the consequences. Fortunately I was not hurt however I was very shaken up. I have swum a few times and seen smaller sharks swim around me but nothing worth getting out of the water for.

Big wave surfing must be the very challenging as a surf photographer - how do you prepare your self for these big wave photo shoots?

Swimming keeps you fit and running to. I try to do this everyday if I can.

When you are shooting these underwater shoots in shark territory, does it ever frighten you when you see these fascinating creatures out there on the reefs, and what precautions do you take?

I think you just have to listen to your senses. If you feel freaked out about some thing being in the water then I always listen to myself and get out. It’s horrible shooting in the water and feeling uncomfortable when you think you’re not alone.

Our planet is rapidly changing and environmental problems such as the oil spill in the Mexican Gulf and lately the nuclear chaos in Japan. Spending as much time in the ocean as you are I have to ask you if you see any negative changes along the coral reefs and in the marine life in general?

Not a noticeable difference. I think where we shoot are in oceans very wild and

the big surf always brings so much movement around the shore lines its hard to notice.

Traveling as much as you do you must have experienced a lot of different situations Which photo shoot do you consider as you best one ever, regarding photo result and atmosphere?

I think Hawaii offers me the best photographs. With the surf so wild and the light so good my photographs always come out well. I remember one of the best pho- tos I took at pipeline, it was so clean and the water colour was so vivid, it was one of my best.

Do you also work as a fashion photographer in between you photo jobs as a surf photographer?

Yes I shoot fashion for Kuccia, a high street fashion brand and do on loca- tion and product shoots for other companies within the surf industry. I really enjoy working with models and creating shots to see the clothes promoted.

Which is you biggest and most important clients?

They are all important!

“Photo Art” is a growing niche world wide - do you ever consider creating photo art with you great shoots?

I will be selling online art prints soon so keep an eye on the my site

www.luciagriggi.com Where do you see yourself in 5 year from now?

I will probably be traveling just as much! Hopefully in a new country writing and shooting a new story!

Equipment

The life you are living sounds very glamorous, but you must be caring a lot of heavy and fragile equipment (wetsuit, helmet, tripods, computer, lenses, tripod, camera houses etc. ) on your trips round the globe, which must be very physical demanding. How do you prepare you self for these trips, so everything runs smooth trough airports and customs?

I try to pack as lightly as I can but sometimes I will bring an assistant with me. It just depends if I need to take my lighting or underwater kit. Airports make me nervous as I am always overweight and you never know how much excess baggage you are going to get charged for!

What are your typical “travel-equipment-package� for one of your trips?

I travel with two hand luggage bags. One with all my cameras in, another

with my 600mm lense in. In the hold I put my lighting and waterhousing with clothing.

Which is your favorite camera house - and how many camera houses do you have?

I use SPL housing for the canon 5D and have ports for my fisheye lense, 85mm lense and 20-200 lense.

Which lenses do you prefer to use when you shoot from land (long distances ) - and which ones do you use when you shoot with a underwater house?

On land I shoot with the canon 600mm and from the water my 5D.

One of your cameras can feed a whole village for a year in some of the remote places you visit - Have you ever experienced any unpleasant situations regarding crime and be- ing a woman?

This is an interesting question as yes I have run into problems before. I was robbed when I was in South Africa when I was followed into my apartment and everything was taken before my eyes.

Videos is the way of the future in many ways and most cameras now has a video func- tion build in these days - How much do you use these new video functions when you are on a photo shoot?Â

I only shoot stills, I would like to get into video at some point.

Workflow

How many pictures do you shoot on a general photo shoot, if conditions are perfect of course?

I can shoot anything from one 8 gig card to 30. It just depends on the style of the shoot and the conditions.

Which software and computer do you use in you workflow?

I use a Mac and work with Adobe and Photoshop.

Today some photographers say that shooting a picture is “only” half the job, the other half is spend in Photoshop - What do you prefer when it comes to editing a photo, how far would you go regarding changing colors and looks in general?

I very rarely change much in my photos, I really just use Photoshop to bring what is already out in them and make the colors more vibrant.

What is a typical workflow for you Lucia?

I download my card, edit my selection, process my images then save accordingly and archive.

Coming home with a lot of picture on the card it’s always difficult to decide which ones to keep and which ones to trash - do you have a special criterial when you look trough a day’s work?

It depends on whom I am sending my images to. Sometimes I will edit with the client

so they can star the images they like. This helps me select better and more appro- priately.

Some say that you can spend a fortune on equipment, but it isn’t the camera that shoot the picture, it’s the eye of the photographer. So composition is of of course very important – What do you consider as essential regarding composition and cropping a photo right?

I think the talent of having the eye for it is your biggest hurdle. Being able to compose should come naturally. I very rarely crop my photos.

I have just bought a great book called Surfland made by Joni Sternbach, with a lot of great photos made in tintype technique - Have you any favorite photographer who inspire you in your work?

I love Steve McCurry. He is a great portrait photographer and I am sure you would have seen his work many times.

And the final Q - do you have any good tips for “new bee” surfing photographers out there reading this interview with you Lucia?

Get into work!! The best thing I could have done was not study it but just go for it!

Keep your ambition high and perseverance even higher! I am running a course in June

for people wishing to get into surf photography, ypo will find info’s on my blog - use

this link:

www.luciagriggi.com/blog/

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D 9 9 Lars Petersen

Interview with a Danish surf legend

photos interview

lars petersen m.wvengler

H

i Lars

Thanks a lot for taking some time off to do this interview with me for Rip’n Snap surfmag.

Lars I have followed you career and fantastic windsurfing style for many years and it has always fascinated and inspired me a lot. But especially your professional and very serious approach to this great sport as a pro, is impressing.

Well let jump right the questions Lars, I’m looking forward to pick your “surfing brain” for a few answers.

Lars, can you please tell me a bit about where you grew up and how you got involved with windsurfing?

I grew up on the east coast of Denmark in Greve 20 KM south of Copenhagen. I got into windsurfing when a friend of mine asked if I wanted to come along for a windsurfing course in the nearby harbor. I absolutely loved it right from the beginning!

How much time do you spend traveling with windsurfing competition and surf related business every year?

It differs from year to year. It used to be about half year traveling when I still lived in Greve. Since I moved to Klitmøller it’s been less, the sailing is fantastic here, so there’s not quite as big a need to go traveling. But I do like to be away a good part of the winter.

"One part I really appreciate about my career is the hundreds of trips I’ve been on with my windsurfing gear around the world over the years. It has given me a ton of fantastic experiences and friendships all over the globe"

L

ars you’v been sailing for the the Niel Pryde team for 25 years right? - that is pretty amazing in this line of business where a lot of the guy’s change their sponsors quite frequently. Do you have any special reason for staying so loyal to the NP team?

Not quite that long, 23 years to be exact. Well, what can I say, I’m a conservative type of guy! :o) And they do make some of the finest equipment around!

Our oceans are being exposed to a lot of pollution these day’s like the BP oil spill in the Mexican Gulf and now the nuclear situation in Japan. Do you experience environmental changes regarding water quality, since you began to practice this unique water sport?

I haven’t personally noticed changes to the worse. But it’s for sure disturbing to read the news about the developments around the world. Although I haven’t experienced a change to the worse, there’s a lot of things that are not acceptable at the current state. For example the way ships spill oil on regular basis really make me sad when I see the beaches full of oil.

We go back a long time Lars, and I remember when I saw you the fist time ripping it out there, right from the beginning you showed some amazing talent and style. Could you please share the highlights of your windsurfing career, what you consider as you biggest windsurfing goals and achievements ?

Thanks Mark! :) I say my biggest achievements would be the World tour finales that I achieved in Freestyle and Wave Performance. But I’m also proud of inventing several moves. Especially the Switch Stance moves that contributed to the start of the whole switch stance era that today is a solid part of Freestyle.

B

eing a pro windsurfer you must have travelled to a lot of exciting places around the globe, so I have to ask you what you consider as your absolute favourite surf spot on this planet?

Despite being fortunate to having seen lots of fantastic places around the world over the years. Believe it or not, my favourite surf spot is still Middles near my home in Klitmøller - there’s just noting that beats a good session at home! Of course there are plenty of places with bigger more perfect waves around. Out of those my favourite is New Caledonia’s outer reef’s, which has amazing clean wave riding, and is very beautiful and just a pure adventure!

Windsurfing gear has changed dramatically since we started windsurfing several years ago, what would you say has been the biggest improvement in materials and equipment in general since then?

The introduction of carbon was the single biggest improvement if you ask me, it gave us hugely increased performance in boards, mast and booms. The designs of the windsurfing kit have naturally also been refined over the years. A good example is the shorter wider boards designs, that are seen in all categories of boards.

Talking about development within equipment - what is your favourite sail and board size?

Well it has to be my Neil Pryde Fly 4,5 and JP Australia Twinser Quad 68.

What is your favourite wind- and wave conditions in Klitmøller?

That would be Middles in a WSW side off shore wind and a big swell from NW.

I

remember the first time I windsurfed in Klitmøller. We were 3 guy’s out there ripping it among the local fishermen. They thought we were totally crazy and didn’t like us much. If they had know what would happen to their little windy fishing village, they probably would have reacted differently back then. Everything changed after a small article in the German Surf magazine and today Klitmøller is famous world wide for it’s powerful wind and waves, moving in from the North Sea. Actually today the whole area around Klitmøller is benefitting economically from these surf related sport, so Lars being a resident in Klitmøller how do you se the future for this little town?

Having been a regular up here since 89, it is indeed very interesting to see the change of the local community that only recently started to appreciate our presences here. It really changed around rapidly, and now where we are enjoying a positive vibe and facing a bright future. Several million kroner is currently invested in infrastructure, and even a world cup event as you know saw the light last year.

Hats off to the team behind Cold Hawaii, and in particular Rasmus Johnsen that’s the main visionary in the project – they have done a fantastic job! :)

I

have virtually never done anything else but windsurf! Well, when I was a kid I did go to school, but not for very long. I remember when I just turned 18 and was back to high school after the summer break, where I had been windsurfing every day. I just couldn’t take it, I hated school, and I then talked my parents into letting me drop out of school

A

s a pro windsurfer you have to think about what to do when your career on day is over, and you told me about your involvement in video and photo production, could you pleas tell me something about you involvement in this exciting line of business?

Well, it actually started after just a few years on the world tour in the beginning of my career, I realized it was wise to also create media value for my sponsors and not just depend on participating in competitions. Because if you had a bad year without good results, the sponsors might not be interested in renewing your sponsorship.

So I got pretty involved in making pictures and stories for magazines and in ’97 I also got into filming, and in ’99 I released my own instructional film sold in the shops all over Denmark. This was the beginning of a whole series of instructional DVDs which is now actually one of the best selling instruction DVD series worldwide. And then a film company with a whole team surrounding it was a reality. Here is link to Larses website: www.larspetersen.net and to the film company: www.fymproductions.com.

Not only is it good for business, but it’s also a lot of fun working with video productions, and good to have something to do when it’s not windy or wavy. Lastly, it make sense build on those experiences for when I get in my 60’s and can’t be a full time waterman anymore! Hahaha ;)

L

iving in the Scandinavian region, it get’s pretty cold and dark during the winter season, how do you stay in shape and what do you consider as too cold for windsurfing?

Obviously my favourite way of staying in shape is by entering the water. I do several disciplines within windsurfing which compliment eachother and I also really enjoy SUP and surfing. Besides that I do a lot of biking, and different types of strength training, and stretching. I’ve started focusing more on my off water training pin pointing certain area’s to improve on. Ranging from cardio, strength and injury prevention. It’s not nearly as fun as the water action, but investing in this enable me to eventually get even more performance and fun out on the ocean!

Regarding cold temperatures, it seem the better the conditions the lower temperature I’m willing to endure! ;) For windsurfing, I normally don’t go out when it’s colder than 1-2 C.. For SUP and surfing, on the other hand you can go out in much lower temperatures than that. My record is –12 air, water 1 C + windchill from a strong offshore wind!!!

L

ars what are your future goals regarding windsurfing? - and how long are you planing to continue as a pro windsurfer?

My main goal is to keep maintaining and improving my performance in both wave sailing and SUP. I’m also pushing myself to find the guts to finally ride some seriously big waves!

Furthermore in FYM Productions we want to keep developing our film capabilities and keep documenting windsurfing!

Regarding my windsurfing career, I don’t have any plans of stepping down anytime soon - on the contrary! I have too much fun to even consider that! ;) So the answer would be I don’t know, as long as possible!!!

F

inally last Q Lars - and it could be the one question everybody is always asking “where do you see yourself in 5 years from now”!!! - BUT I will not ask that question, instead I prefer to ask you what would make Lars Petersen really happy?

Well, that answer is long - there’s a lot of things that makes me happy! :) But I can mention one thing that always makes me very happy, and that is to check the weather forecast and find that a strong low pressure system is moving into the Nordsee bringing strong wind and waves!!!

P

hoto credits:

1. Mark Wengler 2. Patrice Morin 3. Mette Johnsen 4. Annette Carsing 5. Christian Gøbel / John Carter - PWA 6. Suna Borgaard 7. Jens Pedersen / Christian Gøbel 8. Ida Odgaard Jacobsen / Jens Pedersen 9. Marc Thyge Madsen 10. Martin Petersen Damsgaard 11. Lars Petersen 12. Martin Petersen Damsgaard 13. Mark Wengler 14. Christian Gøbel 15. Christian Gøbel 16. Mark Wengler 17. John Carter – PWA / Jono Knight 18. Danni Jakobsen 19. Mark Wengler 20. Christian Gøbel 21. Christian Gøbel 22. Mark Wengler / Morten Steen

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photos & story

scandinavian surf scene

m.wvengler

20 years back in time, we saw the first real surfers in Denmark.

And to be honest, we had absolutely no respect for these guy's

Windsurfers were the ''Kings of coast'' back then, we owned the place and everybody else were just a joke.... absolutely narrow minded and totally stupid behavior, but hey, what do you know when you are 20 years old, a bit too ''fresh'' and extremly self-centered.

Rider : Shawn

Rider : Shawn

Today things have changed a lot and thank God for that, because these guy’s deserve all the respect they can get.

The Scandinavian surf scene is more alive than ever and a bunch of these “enthusiastic wave warriors” have really put a lot of time and effort into finding the right spots, during the right weather conditions. It has really caught me by surprise, because even though I’ve been windsurfing along the Swedish and Danish coastlines for over 20 years, I never knew these amazing wave spots existed.

Rider : Kasper Kvist

In most of the “Scandinavian surf zone” we are not blessed with a swell rolling in every day. It’s the “powerful low’s” which makes it all possible for these guy’s.

Without powerful wind you won’t see any real waves in this region. So these surfers follow the movements of the low pressures very closely every single day, it’s like a “daily drug”, an obsession - but that’s not all. It’s all a about perfect timing. When the wind peaks they know exactly when to pack their gear and head off to their favorite spots.

Rider : Anders Frank

ed r i w y l serious

Rider : Oliver Hartkopp

A bunch of these surfers have kindly opened up “Pandoras box” and shown me a glimpse of their world and a handful of their favorite spots, which this little photo essay is based on. But first I had to promised not reveal any details about the locations of these spots. If I should decide to reveal these places, I’m, sure they will thigh a thin line around my ball, then pull me up in a flag pole, slowly and in small sudden moves!!.

But of course!! - I wouldn’t expect anything else - crowded waves suck!! - we all know that.

Dreaming of a 9 to 5 life !

Keep on dreaming!!

Ron Halasi Having some fun

I know exactly what they mean, I still recall how I used to fight for every wave I caught, and that was 10-12 years ago, today things have developed in a much more complex direction. Today you have Kite surfers, Windsurfers and Surfers all fighting for the same wave, who said surfing was all fun and sun.

December

2010

minus 17 degrees

Riders : Anders Frank & Vincent Bakker

s

d l o c y l erious

Hope you’ve enjoyed some of these pic’s - I surely enjoyed shooting them, and spending some time with these “relative crazy” and great bunch of Scandinavia surfers.

Clean ocean Project world ocean environment

“The ocean makes life on Earth possible, and it needs our help. Most people don’t realize the long list of benefits the ocean provides us with, nor how much we are connected and dependent on it. If we keep on destroying it we will destroy our own exsistence. Since the ocean produces 70 to 80% of the oxygen we breath - it’s simply the foundation of our beautiful blue planet ”

I

heard someone mention the Clean Ocean Project and it made me very curious. It showed out to be an amazing project, started up by a group of surfers on a voluntary basis. They simply clean up beaches from all the trash dumped in our fragile oceans, and washed up on shores worldwide. We could all learn a lot from these guy’s, simply because it shows us that it indeed does matter, what we as single individuals do on our everyday basis.

I hope you will be inspired and enjoy this interview with the founder - Wim Geirnaert - of Clean Ocean Project, a great project that needs all the support it can get.

M. Wengler

Hi

Wim, welcome to Rip’ Snap. I have invited you to do this interview, because I really like the great work you and the Clean Ocean Project are doing. But also because we want to support you guy’s in your fantastic effort to keep our very fragile and beautiful oceans clean.

Where are you from, what are your background Wim?

I’m from Belgium, and I have lived in the Canary Islands for the last 20 years.

I’m a graphic designer and worked in the clothing industry and graphic design, where I owned a company producing clothes with 10-15 employees, but I have chosen to quit this business and spend all my time working on the Clean Ocean Project. Its difficult some times but that is okay.

Are you the founder of the Clean Ocean?

Yes, I founded the Clean Ocean Project 10 years ago.

How did it all began for the Clean Ocean project?

I love the ocean and I’m surrounded by it, living on an island in the north atlantic. The beaches where I spend my time surfing or windsurfing where full with all kinds of litter, bizar things like bridges, plastics, old car wheels, glass,.. you name it and you could find it. It was really sad to see this, especially because most of the stuff was drumped there or left behind by people who live on the island. So I wanted to do something about that and I organized our first beach cleaning on a sunday, here we removed tons of litter and in the evening we all sat together, tired but happy. The Clean Ocean Project was born.

How manny years have you been living on Fuerteventura?

I came for the first time about 20 years ago for windsurfing, fell in love with the place and now I´ve been living here for about 18 years.

Did you move to Fuerteventure because of the superb surfing conditions?

Yes, I felt very at home and comfortable with the turquoise water and the amazing surfing conditions.

What kind of surfing do you prefer? is it windsurfing, good old paddling surfing or Kite surfing ?

I have windsurfed for 25 years now and I love to get out there when its get really good which happen pretty often in the northern part of Fuerteventura, from easy playful waves or mast high point breaks. But the last couple of years I prefer paddle surfing, its pure, intensive and just great to be so close to the forces of nature. I like to ride all kinds of boards and waves.

Do you want to reveal some of your favorite surf spot on this beautiful and very rustic island? (PS. it’s perfectly OK to say NO!!! )

We have a lot of brilliant spots which makes of Fuerteventura a great place to live, as you can move to another spot with your friends if one place get crowded. Of course I have a favorite one : )

If people wish to visit Fuerteventura do you have any good advise regarding interesting and beautiful places they shouldn’t miss? - and what is you favorite place on Fuerte?

Again Fuerteventura has so many beautiful places, I would advise the Northern part of the island and the little village of Lajares which has become a hangout for surfers the last couple of years. It’s a nice little place away from the tourist villages.

The wind is pretty stable during the summer months at the Canary islands, especially on Grand Canary - but what would you say is the most consistent and stable wind and wave period on Fuerteventura?

The wind is very constant during the summer period and the waves are best during the winter season, but of course when things come together, it can be good for surfing or windsurfing any time of the year, if you are a beginner surfing is ok all year round, if you prefer powerful bigger waves its during the winter season we really see some powerful swells moving in.

Grand Canary has the well known “power wind” spot Porzo, but it isn’t really a “wave break”. I saw some pretty amazing waves when I was participating in the “Planters speedweek” several years back. If someone wants to go on a surf trip to Fuerte what part of Fuerteventura should they concentrate on, not that I’m asking you to reveal any of you secret spots, but could you describe the surf situation in general on this fascinating island?

If you prefer to windsurf in wave conditions then you should go to the Northern part of the island, but if you prefer strong winds and flat water it’s much better in the south.

Located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, you must have a fantastic sea food cuisine, so I have to ask you what is your favorite restaurant and where is it located?

In the small harbour of Cotillo. La Vaca Azul, I enjoy the fresh fish and it’s very nice place to enjoy sunset as well.

What surf event is the biggest every year on Fuerte? - and do you participate in any surfing events?

I don’t like competition much, the only competition I like as it’s based on a different concept, is the yearly FUERTE WAVE CLASSIC taking place where the waves gets the biggest, like up to 10 meter faces in front of the rocks. We also do cleanups with the riders from this competition each year, its a small event organized with very little budget, but its really great.

I remember when I saw Björn Dunkerbeck the first time on Porzo 30 years ago, he was just a tiny kid, but he showed some amazing talent already then. Do you have any up coming young surf talents on Fuerte?

Yes, there are many kids growing up here, getting really good within both surfing and windsurfing, some of them also support CLEANOCEAN PROJECT. Like Lazi who’s a surfer and windsurfer Will Ward.

Are you a self-motivated environmentalist or do you have an educational background for this great initiative?

I´m self motivated - I want to do give something back to the environment, because I get so many great mo ments from the ocean.

How do you finance everything behind the Clean Ocean project?

I have a background in production and design of clothing so I have created a clothing line not only to finance the project but also used to spread our philosophy, our logo simply explain what this is all about.

Some people support us by helping on a beach cleaning, others buy a t-shirt to say....hey, I´m against littering and trashing up our oceans and beaches ...

On our website people can buy one of our t-shirts in our online shop and that way they support our project economically, which we of course really appreciate.

If someone want’s to donate financially to the Clean Ocean project, could then advise how it’s done?

We have plenty of ideas which we need money for, like producing shopping bags to give out at supermarkets instead of using all the plastic bags which often end up in the ocean. But we have and all kinds of environmen tal campaigns which have to be paid for, so money donation are very welcome, and through our website it’s possible to donate money for our project.

Also a support / sponsorship from a bigger company’s for one of our projects would help us and the ocean environment a lot. For example if a company has a green and environmental profile and strategy, we could join up and make a special targeted campaign, against a certain environmental problem.

What are your future goals for the Clean Ocean project?

We have many pending projects where we need more manpower and money, but meanwhile we continue to be pre sent on beaches and shores wherever and whenever we can. Of course our main goal is to clean beaches and here on our little island we are getting closer to that goal. We also want to keep on helping others to start up a Clean Ocean Project in their local community, and through our website people can find relevant information or contact us for any further advices.

You must have seen a lot of damaged beaches, in you position cleaning up all these places - What have been your worst experience so far?

The worst is oil which is very difficult to remove, some beaches in remote or poor areas which have never been cleaned before are sometimes impossible to clean by hand power... it’s simply too big a job, you need special machines and a lot of money.

Sadly we are talking about a lot of beaches - It is too many to name it, it never stops...

Here on the islands you can clean up everything and one month later it’s full again, not from people littering on beaches but by the current of the ocean...often I´m wondering where it all comes from again and the an swer is, well, from us people.

How many countries are you established in right now?

Right now we are doing clean ups and events where ever we can, on the mainland in Spain and in the Canary Islands which is our home, but we have also been to Morocco and across the Atlantic to Brazil, where we have had success with our beach cleaning events.

You inspire a lot of people for sure, but if someone wishes to establish a Clean Ocean project in their own country, do you have any good advise you want to share?

We have a lot demands from interested people so this year we have added CLEAN YOUR BELOVED BEACH on our webpages where we explain how easy it is to organize your own beach cleaning on your favorite beach, and if someone want’s to do something more, they are always welcome to contact us through our website.

It must be a tuff job to clean up after others all the time - how do you keep your people motivated?

We try to motivate people however we can, we give out t-shirts on the cleanings and organize our now famous BBQ after the cleaning, its not always easy. People often feel uncomfortable cleaning up others trash. They think: the government should do this, its not my trash or I don´t litter,.....

But when I see the difference we make on the beaches we clean, and get all the positive comments of people I meet - that’s what keep me going.

BP has shown the world how wrong things can go - what are your experiences when it comes to oil pollution?

It’s not only the big mess BP created recently, its all the small pollutions created every day and left behind, for ex ample on the Canary Islands beaches are full of small balls of oil or pieces of dried oil sticking to the cliffs and stones. It comes from boats cleaning up their tanks in the ocean instead of doing it in harbors just to save money...

Very sad!

Are Clean Ocean able to handle oil and chemical pollutions?

No, not at all, we only clean up visible stuff and try to change peoples attitude towards the ocean and it’s fragile environment.

From your experience what is the most common and general kind of pollution you see on the beaches you clean up?

Most of it is plastic and it’ws also the worst of it. It ends up in the food chain, in the fish you eat...

“Most of it is plastic and it’s also the worst of it.

It ends up in the food chain, in the fish you eat...”

If you could get one wish full filled - what would it be?

I wish that people would look after the environment as if it were their own living room..

“Each year the strong winds from the Atlantic bring a trap load of trash, like plastic, old fishing nets etc.

Turtles sometimes get trapped and drift around like that for months.v A slow and very pain full death, but this one on the photos was luckily saved and She only lost her left leg!�

Wim Geirnaert Clean Ocean Project

Do you see your self getting old and living the rest of your life on Fuerteventura?

Well, I don´t feel like getting bored of this big blue ocean sur rounding me, so that could be a yes :)

Do you have anything you want to say to the readers - then here is a chance - we will bring your answer totally “unsweetened and raw” - so feel free to speak from you heart Wim. I think changes start at home so if each of us reduce plastic use, remove some trash from the beach, river or lake side it will make a big change in the end, the answer to the whole pollution problem is in our own hands, that’s the way I started the project and thanks to all the big and small efforts from friends and volunteers, we have made a huge change over the years....so lets all do something for the environment we enjoy so much in most of our free time wave riding, fishing, sailing, diving or just relaxing by the oceanside...for me personally it feels really good to give something back to the ocean.

Thank you for you time and kindness regarding this interview Wim, I of course wish you and the Clean Ocean Project all the best for the future.

Photo credits: Clean Ocean Project - various pictures Veronika Strachova - Noth Shore Fuerteventura Francias Perezn- Underwater pictures.

Teo Lucas - Marine wildlife trashed.

LINKS to Clean Ocean Project: Webite - click on black logo Blog - click on blue logo Facebook - click on green logo

Denmark

Roskilde f jord Slalom fun,solid wind and lot's of sunshine

photo & story: m.wvengler

Super session, sun and lot's of fun When the first summer high pressures moves towards Denmark from the east, the water temperatures is still low from a long cold winter. This creates a quite unique geographic phenomena in some areas of the fjords.

Roskilde fjord is one of these areas where solid wind can blow for several days, sometimes even weeks, while nearly every other area along the coast have not wind at all.

This little photo shoot is from one of these sessions in Roskilde fjord. Everybody was seriously powered up with constant winds around 12 -14 m.sec from the South East.

Itís a perfect example of how much fun these guyís were having out there with their racing gear fully powered.

As soon as they saw me standing out there, in my waders shooting them with my camera, they really gave me everything they had, and a bit more - probably because they need some new picís for their Facebook profile!! such a bunch of narcissist!! - but to be honest, I had done exactly the same......

Lotís of wind, from a clear blue sky, enjoying your expen sive toys with good friends - what else do you need in life.

Riders : Mikkel Asmussen Kurosh Kiani & Max Nielsen

Rider : Henrik Carstens

Rider : Mikkel Asmussen

f G FULL POWERED U I O N E D N D S

E H N O f B SLALOM SESSION IN ROSKILDE fJORD. U O K R Y P Y G S E I E R L N T W I I S f H 9 T E E O H S L T S D O T I O O O 5 Y N N S

Rider : Mikkel Asmussen

Riders : Mikkel Asmussen Max Nielsen & Steen B. Hansen

Rider : Max Nielsen

zy

z a J y l s u serio

photo & story: m.wvengler

chasing low's Just one of those unforgettable days

Rider : Lars Dam - "47"

chasing low’s When I think about all the time and effort I have spend chasing low pressures and finding the right conditions for windsurfing, it’s totally insane.

Instead I could have used my time studying and probably ended up being a professor, a doctor or even a rocket scientist?? . I have simply used so manny days, weeks and even years to follow the movements and developments of potential powerful low pressures - time is a “slippery thing”!!.

Chasing low’s simply became a lifestyle, an obsession. I was addicted to wind and waves back then, and in some strange way I still am. I simply couldn’t allow myself to miss a single one of these super sessions at all. If it was windy you could be 100% sure I would be out there ripping it. I even once skipped a Christmas evening, because of a perfect windsurfing session. My girlfriend at that time hated me for weeks after this little stunt - but hey I would do it all over again today - without no doubt!!

We have some windy periods in Scandinavia, especially during the autumn, but it isn’t like we have a solid trade wind blowing every day for several weeks, like in some of the warmer areas of this fantastic blue planet. Therefore it’s essential to act when the wind blows, you simply better be out there, because you never know when it’s going to be windy again. This of course creates a lot of frustration among surfers in my part of the word. Relationships, 9 to 5 working situations and chasing low’s is indeed a challenging combination, which doesn’t fit well together.

But I know a handful of guy’s who have made it all work out. They have arranged their lives in such a way, that they are 100% tuned into the movements of the ocean. In other words - they simply made their mission in life to follow every potential low pressures right from the early state of it’s development. And every time it’s windy, you can be very sure they are out there charging and ripping it to the max. So I hope you’ll enjoy some of these pic’s as much as I enjoyed shooting them.

chasing low’s

Rider : Lars Petersen

Backloop by Lars Petersen

Rider : Mikkel Asmudsen

Rider : Carlsen

Rider : Lars Pedersen - D99

I still remember a “handful” of these super sessions very clearly. All together it’s no more than five to ten day’s over a period of maybe 10 years, so as you can imagine, these supersessions are very rare.

But when you finally hit one of these unforgettable day’s, where everything comes together, then all the driving, all the time spent, all the frustrations and all the fights you’v had with your boss or girlfriend, finally pays of. It’s a fix, a high and nothing else even comes close to the feeling from a good day of pure soul surfing.

Rider : Mikkel Asmudsen

This photo essay contains a series of shoots from a variety of Danish surf spots during some of these unforgettable days, created by these fascinating and powerful low’s’. It’s pic’s from days’ where everything came together in a combination of raw power and lot’s of fun with the dudes.

Rider : Lars Pedersen - D99

Rider : Carlsen

Rider : Mikkel Asmudsen

Rider : Lars Dam - "47"

Rider : Lars Dam - "47"

Today It doesn’t really matter if it is wind - kite- or regular surfers I follow, I really enjoy following a group of these “surf addicts”, and capture some of their moves from these powerful days of violent and fascinating low’s moving in, creating a perfect frame for these amazing water sports.

Rider : Carlsen

Location : Munkerup

Rider : Mads Bjoernaa

Rider : Lars Petersen

py

p a h y l s seriou

Rider : Peter Wintex

Double attempth by Wintex

Rider : Peter Wintex

l

serious

ol

ntr o c f o y out

Rider : Mads Tomming

Rider : Mads Tomming

Rider : Lars Petersen

The end but i'll be back

Rip' n Snap Editor M.Wengler Contact ripandsnap@gmail.com Blog ripandsnap.blogspot.com