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#20. JUNE ISSUE We’ve been enjoying a little run of small and clean sliding waves recently. Always nice for getting your wave count up after what has been (for me) a winter of challenging conditions and less than ideal conditions whilst getting used to a new board. But this week I finally had that Eureeka moment with the new board. Yes! I feel very ready for a Summer of surfing. Keep on sending us wave sliding stories from wherever you are. This month’s front cover - represents YOU! A global sliding community. Gemma, Editor.
Photo by Gemma Chalmers.
SURF. EAT. YOGA. REPEAT. // STOKED TO SLYDE // A MOROCCAN ADVENTURE / BE INSPIRED // ENJOY...
Surf Eat. Yoga.
Repeat. After a long flight from London on our first trip to Bali, we landed in Denpasar, happy to see that our boards (his short, mine long) had arrived at the right place in one piece with not a single ding. We heard that Kuta is a crazy town, so opted for the more relaxed Legian for the first part of our trip. On our first morning we headed straight to the beach, we chose to surf Padma as it was the closest surf point and looking back it was a gentle way to break us in. The waves were small clean and quite fun with very friendly locals but after a few hours the wind got up and the swell died down, we were left wanting more. My pre trip research was suggesting that we should head east to waves which would be good for both short boarding and longboarding. So we jumped in a taxi towards Tabanan. We arrived at Pondok Pitaya-a surfing and yoga retreat in Balian, where the hotel was right on the beach. The beach is home to a reef break which was providing some amazing long lefthand breaks into a channel. We had struck gold. It took some time to get used to the surf at Balian, similar to the south of France you had to wait to get over the shore break then you could paddle in the channel out to the peak. On my first surf, it was a little too busy on the peak so I sat on the shoulder.
Photos by Made Dolly, courtesy of Mel Perks.
Surf. Eat. Yoga.
Repeat.
Photos by Made Dolly, courtesy of Mel Perks.
It was so weird not paddling in a wetsuit and I suddenly became very aware of my limbs! I won’t lie the first few attempts at catching a wave were not a triumph, I stood up too early, I fell off, I slipped...in fact I started to doubt that I could actually surf. At one point I even wondered why Andy had agreed to bring me on a surf trip? At least it’s beautiful I told myself, there’s yoga and a pool... then I caught a wave. I’m not kidding when I say it was the best wave I’ve ever had. It was amazing and I was so ecstatic! The lovely thing was, so were the people around me. They were genuinely pleased for me with their lovely smiles and comments about the wave I’d taken. After that I didn’t look back! Wave after wave consistently allowing me to do more and more. We stayed a week, surfing, breakfast, yoga, lunch, surfing until sunset, dinner. I felt spoilt, I truly did. Whilst we were up on the east coast we nipped across to Medewi which is hailed as the longest ride Bali has to offer. Unfortunately we didn’t see it, the swell was too small and the tide too low, yet we could definitely see the potential. Next time we go we will definitely be trying it again. However this time we decided to go back to Balian. Turns out Balian picks up the most swell on that stretch of coast, so even though Medewi barely broke, Balian was still providing some small clean rides. During our stay in Balian we met some amazing people from all over the world- Balinese, Australian, American and European including UK and our home county Cornwall... all of whom were warm, welcoming and interesting to talk to. One local man in particular was called Made (said Mar day) Dolly. Made’s aunt owns the Balian beach bar, which although very basic to look at, sells the best king prawns you will ever eat and serves the best ginger ice tea you will ever drink. Made has just started off as a freelance surf photographer and had taken photos of us surfing. He was shy and humble about the pictures he had taken but we both thought they were fantastic. So we asked him if he’d take some more for us. After an incredible week we set off to meet some friends in the Gilli islands, via Kuta. And then a short boat ride across to Lombok to see where our beautiful friend Lucy is living and working. Lombok is a raw stunning island full of contrasts. We stayed near Lucy’s tree house (she does actually live in a tree house!) in a village called Gerupuk, where we were awoken by call for prayer at 5am ready for a boat trip to one of the many surf breaks. We chose one called insides.
Surf. Eat. Yoga.
Repeat.
Photos by Made Dolly, courtesy of Mel Perks.
Surf. Eat. Yoga.
Repeat.
After our catch up we just couldn’t keep away from Pondok Pitaya. We loved it so much that we went straight back for another week of surf, eat, yoga repeat! This time fitting in some cultural sight seeing. I can’t believe it took me so long to get to Bali. The east coast has truly charmed me with it’s superb surf and peaceful atmosphere. I believe the Balinese to be the most hospitable in the world. Taree me casi and Namastay. Mel perks, Perranporth, Cornwall.
Photos courtesy of Mel Perks.
Being a Muslim village I chose to cover up when I could, although many didn’t. I surfed mainly in leggings and always a big t shirt. Surfing leggings turned out to be a real blessing in the midday sun. On top of being respectable they really did keep me safe from burning my body to shreds! You also can’t take yourself too seriously in sunset tie die leggings either. I really recommend them if only to make u you smile - good for yoga too!
Stoked TO
Slyde In a beachside shop on the Venice Boardwalk, Slyde Handboards crafts a fleet of boards specifically made to enhance the bodysurfing experience. Professionally shaped, these handboards give bodysurfers extra speed and lift for an unbelievable ride.
Photo, Ellie Woodward.
The Slyde team consists of three women who help in the company’s day-to-day operations. Their passion for handboards doesn’t stop at the end of the workday. Whether they’re putting in the hours at the Slyde Store or spreading the stoke on the weekends at their favourite breaks, handboards are on their mind on almost any given day...
Sarah Webb Growing up a competitive swimmer, my parents couldn’t keep me dry. Whether I was lap swimming, surfing, doing an ocean swim or bodysurfing, my life has always revolved around the water. When I strapped my hand to a handboard for the first time last summer, I felt right at home. It reminded me of my summer bodysurfing sessions in Santa Barbara, but with an extra kick. With a handboard, I can feel the stoke without standing up on a surfboard, and it’s truly a beautiful feeling.
Photos: Courtesy of Sarah Webb - Slyde Handboards.
– Slyde’s PR Guru
Stoked TO
Slyde
Angela Ferendo – Slyde’s Chief Ryde Officer (CRO). My boyfriend is an avid surfer and I secretly wished I could be the cool surfer chick on his side. I am not the “lay on the beach and tan” kind of gal but as you all know, learning to standup surf is not an easy thing to just go out and do. So one day, after a few frustrating hours of trying to standup surf, we grabbed two Slyde Handboards. I was instantly hooked. It was so much fun to be out in the ocean and be able to just ride the waves together. Now we go handboarding every weekend and I finally can understand the feeling of “getting shacked”.
Michelle Michalak For me, going to the beach to tan is like going to a party just to be a wallflower. The ocean is my homegirl, and an awesome way to join her party is by handboarding. Handboards are stylish, easy to travel with and just pure fun.
www.slydehandboards.com
Photos: Courtesy of Sarah Webb - Slyde Handboards.
– Slyde’s Socialite Guru.
A Moroccan AdventUre. Having visited Morocco many times this was to be a surf trip like many before. Concept – duty free / quick flight to sunshine / surf camp / yoga till my arms fall off. This time I flew out on New Year’s eve with the lovely Steffi Thorns from the surf club. The first couple of days surfing, due to an extended NYE hangover and just getting used to my new board were pretty average. There was swell, but nothing to write home about. Soon, MagicSeaweed told us a storm was on its way, Taghazout forecasts of 9ft 15 seconds quickly becoming 16ft 20 seconds - a size of waves I’d never seen or heard in real life. Killers Arriving at stunning Killer Point in the lead up to the storm with two guys from the surf camp, I had butterflies in my tummy, having never surfed there before, let alone in those conditions. The two lads jumped straight in, and after watching them duck dive a succession of maybe 10 waves I lost sight of them behind the rows of whitewater. Assuming they’d punched through, I waited a bit, watched the sets and timed my paddle out carefully. It took me a full 40 minutes of paddling to get to the first peak against the rip, probably the hardest paddle out I’d ever successfully completed. 15 minutes later the two boys joined me – apparently they got washed onto the rocks by the rip and had had to climb out, go back round and go again! This was the first time I’d ever seen people wearing helmets in the water, and after all the effort to get out, at double overhead I didn’t actually have the balls to pull into anything! Each time I found myself on the shoulder of a wave someone better didn’t want, staring down a very steep wall - I couldn’t do it! Sitting in the line up and watching all these amazing surfers getting barrelled was pretty amazing though, and I consoled myself thinking that sometimes it’s good to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Something a little easier please? Next day I managed to organise a hire car and persuade a random assortment of folks to come up to Imsouane with me where the surf was meant to be a bit smaller. It was a beautiful drive up the coast
Photo by Lizzy Ooi.
and we stopped along the way to admire the pros in the water at Anchors, and the enormous but completely unrideable waves at Boilers. My last day surfing in Morocco I couldn’t persuade the surf school to go anywhere that would be a bit more sheltered, so we ended up at Panoramas, which, under the conditions was mega exposed and rippy. But it was my last day and I was determined to make the most of it! So while most of the crew sat on the beach, I suited up and jumped in, scoring one of my biggest waves and longest rides so far on that trip. It was hard going though. Even paddling constantly against the rip I was washed 300 metres down the beach and kept having to get out, walk around, and get back in again. OOPSY DAISY Knackered after a 3 hour session I promised myself just one last wave before quitting for the day. Sitting out back a bomb set started coming through, attempting to duck dive on an empty fuel tank, I didn’t go deep enough and somehow got sucked up and over the falls. In that lovely foamy washing machine, desperate to surface for air, I smashed my board on my face. I knew things weren’t great instantly as I felt dizzy and disorientated, and couldn’t see properly. Using my leash to find my board I held onto consciousness and let myself get swept back to the beach. One of the surf instructors came over, cleaned me up as best as he could and closed up the wounds around my eye to stop the bleeding. I couldn’t wait to go home the next day! Ballache Arriving back to London I quickly hit A&E. I didn’t actually think things were that bad and vainly was more concerned about the cosmetics of the situation. The first day there they told me I’d damaged my iris, which is why my pupil was completely blown out to the size of the iris. They said they could see bleeding in the back of the eye, but I’d waited so long that the specialised equipment in the eye department was closed so I’d have to come back the next day to find out if I had a detached retina - I didn’t sleep much that night! Fortunately Mr. Retina was where he was meant to be, so all I could do was to sit in the dark, eat chocolate, and will my eye to heal.
Photo by Lizzy Ooi.
A Moroccan AdventUre.
A couple of weeks later as the swelling and bruising subsided I realised my nose was wonky… Damn! Another visit to the hospital confirmed my nose was broken, so they quickly booked me in for a re-breaking and re-setting. Almost four months later and my right pupil is still 2mm bigger than my left one. Luckily the improvement is enough that I can see under all light conditions (a month ago bright lights rendered me blind in one eye – dangerous for night time driving!). Even though I’m now long sighted in one eye, my good eye has become dominant so I can read properly, and the hospital made me a contact lens to block out the light, help with the pain, and so I can surf again. The first couple of times I used it in the water my eye puffed up a bit, but the four day Easter weekend seemed to go fine. By Lizzy Ooi, London, UK.
BE INSPIRED Josefin Svedberg FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER.
I am a freelance photographer and writer. I live wherever mountains, waves and adventure take me. My parents gave me the passion to travel, explore and create, taking me on trips all over the world and all over Sweden. Thailand was the first country I captured on film, I was eight years old. The world constantly blows my mind and I try to follow the paths I’m supposed to walk on. I have to follow my own feet. I have to be in charge of my own life. After two successful exhibitions with my friend Hanna, with photos from our surf and volunteer trip to Ecuador things started rolling. We lived in a Spanish speaking family without knowing a word of Spanish for over a month and one of the exhibitions ended up at Stockholm’s House of Culture. I had already started travelling, but after I graduated from high school I was like shot out of a cannon. I travelled, took photos, wrote, surfed, skied, became a ski patroller, surf instructor, worked, and studied at university at a stupidly high speed. I registered my own company in 2010 and have since then worked in Canada, Indonesia and Sweden. Now at the age of 22 I find myself mesmerized, living the life I want to live: full of surprises, adventures, hard work and a healthy lifestyle. I love that I’m able to wake up with sandy feet with nothing but the waves waiting for me before my morning coffee. I love that I’m able to give heaps of time for my creativeness. I love that I’m able to follow my feet and travel the world. I love that I’ve chosen a path that can make some difference for others. I’ve realized that I find the rugged north more exotic than the white beaches of the tropics. The north is where I belong. I can’t think of a more perfect day than a day in my wetsuit, ripping the un-crowded waves of the north with my friends followed by a steaming hot coffee by my computer and my freelancing business.
Josefin Svedberg, Sweden. Find Josefin’s adventures on: www.josefinsvedberg.com josefinsvedberg.tumblr.com twitter.com/JosefinSvedberg instagram.com/josefin_svedberg
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