a magazine for surfing females
A magazine for surfing females
SOMEWHERE WEST OF AFRICA..
360 miles from the West coast of Africa, lies the volcanic archipelago of Madeira. Flying in over the south of the island, It largely resembles something out of Jurassic Park. Dramatic and mysterious looking hills and mountains, rocky coastlines and some of the highest, most sheer sea cliffs in the world. Something gave me the feeling this was going to be a place of extremes.
rived. Luckily we found a fun wave at the only spot on the island that seemed to have a wave on the second day, which made me pretty happy. From the outset our days revolved around driving to check the surf, going to one of the many cafĂŠs for coffee and pastries, heading to a spot for the right tide, and repeating the process in the afternoon.
For the first few days there was barely a ripple running at any of the breaks. Known for being a fickle surf destination, this wasn’t a total surprise, but a monster swell looked due to hit in a few days and I wanted to get my surfing in before it did as I knew waves for me would be scarce once it ar-
Having made the trip to Madeira in the hope of perhaps finding a wave or two, the conversations I began to have with people when I arrived who knew the island and it’s coastline began to make me realise it might be more difficult than I first thought.
Nearly all the spots are rocky point breaks that can be unsurfably treacherous and shallow when there isn’t a big swell kicking about, and most need a big swell to work at all, at which point it becomes a whole new breed of wave. Not for the faint hearted, definitely for those with some solid skills, a big wave board, and a BIG pair of the proverbials! I didn’t really possess any of the above, and once a big swell hit on the third day I situated myself safely behind my camera lens and there I remained. Always a lover of watching waves when it’s too big for me to paddle out in the UK, I felt an adrenaline rush like never before just from watching these waves. The island has an enticingly mysterious interior that begs to be explored. Mountain hikes, many of which follow the paths of Levadas - man made water canals that wrap round sheer mountain sides, some of which are equally as perilous as surfing here! These walks offer stunning scenery and take you through villages and parts of the island you probably otherwise wouldn’t see. Getting around Madeira involves a lot of driving if you want to explore and look for the best wave each day. The Madeirans seem to be set on making this a little easier by tunneling through its ancient mountains, so some 31 tunnels (around 30km worth) allow you to get from one part to another, avoiding the old, incredible and hugely precarious cliff roads. However I am sure the inside of the island must now resemble something like swiss cheese. I don’t exaggerate when i describe this place as hard-core as a surf destination. I didn’t see any girls stand up surfing in the 2 weeks I was there, but there seemed to be a crew of female bodyboarders regularly turning up to the spots. It’s not to say there aren’t any, as I know of one lady who had been charging at a few spots during the previous few weeks to me arriving. She left the island with a broken nose, but had some thrilling sessions and some unforgettable waves by all accounts. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Madeira-Surfing-Life
Gemma Chalmers, Truro, Uk
Evening barrel. Jan 2013.
Photo: Gemma Chalmers
Bruce Brown - a true surf travel documentary pioneer.
Bruce Brown’s most successful film, ‘The
only were these surf adventurers in search
Endless Summer’ (1964), has become icon-
of big crazy waves, most of these early
ic within surf culture, and is probably what
films show a perpetual stoke for waves of
Brown has become most well known for.
any size. From frothing on countless kneehigh little peelers, to flinging themselves
However, The Endless Summer was in
into many a heavy shore dump for the fun
fact Brown’s sixth film. A collection of ear-
of it - “Body Whomping” as he refers to it.
ly films, precede his most well known creation, and all provide insight into the ear-
Each film captures a mixture of relaxed and
ly days of surf adventure. All are just as
clean styles from the Californian pros to the
mesmerizingly captivating, and beautifully
jerky unstable board stances and manouu-
document the meteoric rise of a cult sport.
vers from some of Bruce’s gung-ho friends - all sharing the same amount of enjoyment
After enlisting in the Navy and being posted
however easy they look on their boards.
to Hawaii (much to his delight), Brown surfed Ala Maoana in those mid 1950’s glory days,
Brown went on to make ’On Any Sunday’ in
and he started taking some 8mm films. After
1970 which documented another of his pas-
his discharge in 1957, he returned to Califor-
sions - motorbikes. A look at the lives of those
nia and when Dale Velzy put up $5000 for
devoted to racing off-road and on the track,
a film to promote the Velzy surf team that
and why they do it. Co-produced by his friend
“covered the cost of the camera, travel and
Steve McQueen - actor and bike racer - ‘On
a years living expenses”, Bruce stepped for-
Any Sunday’ earned an Academy Award nom-
ward. ‘Slippery When Wet’ went out in 1958.
ination, and a cult following within bike culture.
‘Surf Crazy’, ‘Barefoot Adventure’, ‘Surfing Hollow Days’ and ‘Waterlogged’ followed.
Brown’s distinctive story telling through a use of amusing narration, slapstick mo-
Brown’s films show these surfers for the hell-
ments and footage quite advanced for the
men they most certainly were. They had no
era, combines to make a each of these films
leashes, no wetsuits, rode big heavy boards,
a jewel in the crown of genuine vintage sub-
and pushed the boundaries of surfing by
culture history that leaves the watcher com-
seeking out unridden waves and tackling
pletely absorbed and massively stoked!
a multitude of conditions. In the winter of 1961, whilst making ‘Surfing Hollow Days’
Bruce Brown - Signature Collection (10 Disc) box set
in Hawaii, Brown filmed the ground breaking
available online.
first rides by Phil Edwards at Pipeline. Not
Words and artwork: Gemma chalmers
kids into the surf
Getting the
Spending my childhood in Aden, it was 30 years later in Cornwall that I rediscovered surfing. Our good friends Ted and Jo had a house in Trebetherick and invited us all down to stay for a few days. I was a mother by then, of Bryony 16, Kim 13 and Kit 11, and we planned to go body boarding. By the time I got sorted and out of the house I found that Ted had gone on ahead to get them kitted out. On the way to the beach I could only think that whilst they could all swim well they had never swum in surf and did not know you have to get under the waves or how to deal with it. They needed me with them! I rushed to struggle into a hire wet suit scanning the beach frantically. I grabbed a bodyboard and headed out as fast as I could looking back and forth across the sea all the way. I had forgotten how you cannot see over sets of waves marching in, but continued searching desperately as I battled my way out... No sign of any of them. When I got out of my depth and had to accept that I had not found even one of them,
I decided I had better go in and start again. So when a wave pulled the water back away from me I jumped onto the bodyboard, and was roared all the way up the beach... Suddenly with a rush l recognised the feeling and remembered how great it was! I stood up again at the shore, searched the sea, and realised I had lost my children, it was impossible to see them and they could indeed have drowned. ‘It is hopeless’ I thought seriously worried ‘but if I just cannot find them I might as well catch another wave! After all I can search as I go’ And I had a magic hour catching waves. Needless to say they all survived it, loved it, and now all live in Cornwall and all surf. It is hard to imagine how anyone could wait 30 years to enjoy surf again, but when I was in my 20s if there were wetsuits, only professional divers wore them. I never saw anyone surf in Britain, also I had never been to Cornwall. Fortunately whilst we were having a young family there was a wetsuit revolution and surfing came to Britain. Words and photo: Sue Gross, Guildford, UK
Surf travel
Keep your plank in ONE piece! I love that moment when you’re sat on
the gritty concrete below. I’m sure you’ve
an aeroplane waiting to be taxied to the
seen it before. All in all, it can be pretty
runway, ready to take off on another surf
hazardous for your favourite plank to travel
adventure. That moment is made all the
the globe with you, so I thought I’d share
more memorable when you see a clas-
an idea that has kept my boards intact for
sic luggage handling blunder through the
many a trip now.
murky oval window next to your seat – it’s like the baggage man-handlers have got
Get your hands on 2 blocks of foam that
something against bags the way they chuck
are each around 0.5 mtr x 0.5 mtr x 30 cm
them around. Then again after seeing a
thick. The size will depend on what boards
few thousand bags each day I think that’s
you’ve got and how many you’re going
understandable.
to pack, as well as the size of your travel bag. These need to be pretty dense foam;
I’ve had a board snapped, a guitar cracked,
something like what you’d find inside a sofa
and I once saw a double-bass case drop
cushion should do it.
from the very top of the luggage cart to I then got out the old faithful bread knife (the pointy serrated kind) and cut two
corners off each block so that the blocks fit
the boards in the bag. I also found that I
snugly into each end of my board bag.
had to really hack away at the foam, which
The next step is to cut a slot into each block
might have something to do with the fact
for each board you have. In my case I cut
that I was using a bread knife, but I got
two slots in each block; in one block I cut
there in the end. Once it’s all fitting in the
a thick slot to accommodate the tail of my
bag nice and tight, the hard work is done,
shortboard including its tailpad, next to that
now it’s just a case of packing the rails with
I put a thinner slot for my other board. I then
pants and socks, putting a wetsuit under
put two triangular slots into the other block
the board and cramming the rest of your
to fit the noses of the two boards.
clothes in there. Safe travels, hope you score some waves!
You have to eye up your boards and constantly try the blocks to make sure they fit the boards and the bag snuggly; you want a pretty tight fit, so that you have to squash the blocks slightly to get them and
Words: Kit Stokes, Truro, UK
St Agnes, Jan 2013
Photos: Gemma Chalmers
Photos: Gemma Chalmers
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