CLASSIC WINTER SWELLS HIT THE UK
P.36
ISSUE 199 FEB 11 THE “SNAP HAPPY” ISSUE
INSPIRATIONAL SURFING MOMENTS
BRITISH SURF MAG SINCE 81
GET SURF FIT IN SEVEN DAYS
P.84
TOOL UP!
51 WEAPONS OF MASS RESOLUTIONP.26
SHOOT LIKE A PRO
Jay Davies, Micronesia
£3.95 Feb 199 wavelengthmag.co.uk
MEET THE UK’S FINEST SURF PHOTOGRAPHERSP.62 cover_199.indd 2
11/01/2011 14:23:48
ALLTHEGEAR NO IDEA WORDS WAVELENGTH PHOTO BEN SELWAY
It’s not the camera that takes a great shot, it’s the photographer. Here’s some artillery the Wavelength Team have amassed over recent years finding that out. Tim’s Gear 1. Mamiya C330. 2. SPL Waterhousing. 3. Polaroid 635. 4. Nikon 10.5mm f2.8. 5. Nikon 50mm f1.8. 6. Nikon 85mm f1.8. 7. Nikon 300mm f4. 8. Nikon D300 and 10.5 mm fisheye lens - This set up made me sell all my canon gear, whilst Canon were pissing around putting video in their DSLRs, Nikon simply made their cameras better at taking photos and bothered to do a fish eye lens for the cropped sensor. This is a big thing for surf photogs, we need frame rate, 8 fps is a minimum to nail action, but most of us can’t afford full frame high speed cameras like the epic Nikon D3s, so the D300 has become a legendary work horse in the water (Canon has kind of caught up with the 7D, minus a prime lens). I shoot all Nikon now, quite simply they have better lenses, nicer camera bodies and thankfully are not obsessed with video (yet). Not that video doesn’t have a part to play in the future, but to really get that cinematic effect you need to be shooting with a full size 35mm sensor and not a cropped one. 9. Nikon F-801. 10. Olympus Trip - Sharp, contrasty images, point and shoot ease, and it only cost £5 at a boot sale, these little babies are epic for all sorts of candid photography. Great on the street, in a pub or for taking lineups, they simply work. I’d rather have a Leica set up for doing these things, but by using this I save several thousand pounds. 11. Bencini Koroll II. 12. Ilford Sporti. 13. Nikon FE. 14. Mamiya 135mm f3.5. Greg’s Gear 15. Bencini Koroll II – I bought this off a guy at a car boot sale for £3. I wasn’t going to, but then he said “Go on, it’s only the price of a pint of beer.” I had to hit it hard with a
026
hammer several times before it would even close, but when I eventually got my first roll of film back, I was pleasantly surprised. It splits the square 120 medium format film into two panoramic images, not of great quality, but perfect for lifestyle stuff. Still, it’s a bit of a novelty if I’m honest... not like beer. 16. Canon 85mm f1.8. 17. Canon 50mm f1.8. 18. Canon AV-1. 19. Cosmic 35. 20. Olympus Pen E-P1 – I bought this as a camera to have on me at all times. I guess of all my wanky cameras, it has to be the wankiest. Styled on the old school Olympus rangefinders, it may look like a cheapy film camera from a jumble sale, but actually it takes high quality digital images and HD video, has interchangeable lenses, and cost more than most cars I have owned. 21. Olympus Zuiko 14-42mm. 22. Kodak Ektar 100. 23. Fuji Velvia 50 (expired). 24. Canon Speedlite 420EX. 25. SPL Waterhousing. 26. Coronet Twelve-20. 27. Yashica Minister III. 28. Mamiya C220 – This is my favourite camera. An old medium format which takes beautiful portraits and line-ups, especially with the 180mm lens I got for it. Compared with digital, it takes ages to take one photo, but for some reason people always seem more relaxed in front of it. Maybe they just get bored. 29. Kodak Portra 400NC. 30. Zeiss Ikonta B 521/16 medium format folder. 31. Canon 300mm f4 with 1.4x extender. 32. Canon 18-200mm. 33. Mamiya 75mm f2.8. 34. Olympus Trip. 35. Canon 50D with Tokina 10-17mm. Ben’s Gear 36. Canon 600mm F4 - This is my dinosaur. It weighs more than all of the cameras in the picture put together! I bought this off Alex Williams for £2000, back when I freelanced for Carve. This lens has shot many a good picture in its time, but none since it’s been under my
ownership. I got bored of the grey hood and decided it needed a spruce up, so myself, Egor and Nate spray painted it with a mixture of fabulous reds, blues and yellows. At the time I was an avid reader of Escort Magazine and remember being thrilled when I opened up a copy to find a bumper sticker pack, which explains why it has been furnished with magazine’s iconic logo. 37. Olympus Trip. 38. Canon EOS 1D MKIII - I wanted to write about my Nikon D300, water housing and fish eye set up, however, Tim said he was writing about his, therefore making it all rather pointless. Also, Tim has had lots of technical issues with his Nikon recently and we had to use mine to take this photo, which explains its notable absence from this picture. Instead, this camera with my 70-200mm is my favourite land set up. The reason behind this decision is versatility; it’s the ultimate rig for shooting line ups, pulled back action as well as fly-on-the-wall incidentals – all at a hair raising 9 frames per second! 39. Nikon 85mm f1.8. 40. Nikon 10.5mm f1.8. 41. Canon Speedlite 580 EXII. 42. SPL Waterhousing. 43. Canon 300mm f4. 44. Canon 17-40mm f4. 45. Canon AE-1 - I bought this camera to make everyone think I‘m hip. These days analog is back in a big way and if you don’t have a clunky old camera in your inventory then you should just forget it. That’s why I bought this £45 hunk of metal. In retrospect I feel buying this camera may have been a waste of money because I don’t feel as though my photography has improved – nor am I any hipper than, say, those trendy looking cats over at Look At This Fucking Hipster. 46. Canon 70-200mm f2.8. 46. Sigma 70-200mm f2.8. 48/49/50. The Flash Rig - I spent a lot of money on this rig, and it’s only ever been used once! During its maiden/ only shoot a number of problems arose and was indeed an utter failure. The only recorded evidence of this attempt wound up being published in the magazine, however, in hindsight the actual surfing documented in these images is poor and should never have been run. 51. Nikon Speedlight SB 900.
WL SURFMAGAZINE
Gear_199.indd 2
11/01/2011 08:58:48
04
01
02
09
03
10
15
05
11
16
17
18
06
07
12
13
19
20
08
14
21
23 22 29 24
25
26
27
30
31
28
34 32
35
33
36
37
38
39
40
41
49
44
42
45
43
46
47
48
50
51
WL SURFMAGAZINE
Gear_199.indd 3
027
11/01/2011 08:59:18
Matt Smith, West Oz
028
WL SURFMAGAZINE
how to shoot_199.indd 2
10/01/2011 10:33:08
HOW TO SHOOT So you want to be a surf photographer, but don’t quite know where to start? Your shots never seem to look as good as the pro guys, you end up with just a two star rating on magic seaweed, then give up? Well in an age where knowledge is power and life is all about sharing, the three staff photographers here have sat down and put together a few words of advice and offered up some secrets so you can go out and shoot some sick shots. The advice stands whether you’re turning pro or just want a good lineup for the wall, so read on and be enlightened. WORDS AND PHOTO BEN SELWAY
FISH EYE BARREL SHOT: If, like me you are terrified of big rollers, the water shot can sure as hell be one tricky photograph to take! However, you must suppress this fear by listening to hard rock music or anything with a pulsating rhythm. This could be trance, hard house or punk. There are plenty of other types; however, these are only suggestions. Once you are suitably excited and ready to tackle the white horses, pop yourself into a wetsuit (or boardies) and turn on your camera. You then will need to adjust your settings accordingly (only use manual settings) and switch the fish eye to manual focus. You should then set your focal to about 5 feet away and an aperture with a fairly large depth of field (anything from F5.6 up); that way when the surf board rider approaches, you’ll be sure to capture him in focus as he glides past! After you have completed all of the preparation, place your camera and fish eye in a custom built housing and POW! You’re now ready to shoot fish eye! Now, don’t be too hasty. With the thumping music still in full flow, tighten those wing nuts and survey the conditions. If the waves are moving all over the place it might not be worth your while as it’s much better to find a spot which isn’t shifting too much. Once you
have selected a peak it’s then time to don a pair a flippers and charge forth into the ocean! This is the tricky part; it’s essential that you are able to swim first of all and wave knowledge, or rather an ability to predict where waves will break, is key. After you have completed your turbulent journey you will then need to sit in a spot where upon the waves will break. However, be sure not to sit directly in the impact zone! No, instead you will need to be just a couple of feet clear of this because as the surfer pulls into the green room, it’s essential that you’re in a position whereby you can capture him/her with the curtain fully over them. So it’s simple, wait for your subject to take off, sit in the spot where the wave will barrel over you (and him) and hey presto! A fish eye barrel shot. There are other variations of the fish eye barrel shot, though. Once you have mastered the conventional-styled image as pictured, you may want to try taking the photo from behind or even underneath their rail. However, the most important thing above everything here is; survey the conditions before you go in and only go out if you’re comfortable. The last thing I need right now is to get sued by your parents.
WL SURFMAGAZINE
how to shoot_199.indd 3
029
10/01/2011 10:33:39
Left to right: Ian Battrick, Indo; Matt Capel backdoors No. 10 as Micah Lester Looks on.
Shoot Long Lens in the water:
WORDS AND PHOTOS TIM NUNN
Whilst the fish eye is without doubt the cool lens on the block when it comes to water shooting, it is also the easiest to use, in fact fish eye photography is actually a doddle and requires little in the way of skill photographically. Using a long lens in the water though is a little tougher. By long lens we mean anything over 20mm, usually 50mm to 200mm are the most common in a water housing. In fact long lensing can be broken down into three distinct areas; you’ll either be doing it with a 50mm or something close, an 85mm or something close to that length or using a zoom like a 70-200. Now the zoom is a great option if you’re shooting off the back of ski, it becomes more cumbersome if you’re swimming, and, as with any zoom you lose quality for convenience and versatility of reach. Primes are where it is really at in the water and for a Nikon D300/D700 the cameras I use in the water it boils down to two, the, 50mm f1.8 and the 85mm f1.8, both lenses are incredibly sharp, can be used in low light situations and are both reliable and pretty inexpensive. First things first, if you’re shooting long lens you need to be shooting with a dry port, unlike fish-eying where you shoot with a wet port. Secondly you need to decide prior to entering the water how you are going to focus; you can either set a distance manually or continually focus using the shutter release button in the 030
water. Back in the bad old days of film, setting the focusing distance manually was the way to go, but with advancement in the accuracy of auto-focusing and the ability to set specific zones to focus on, continuously focusing is now a better option. Especially as with a 16 GB card you can shoot in excess of 500 shots without leaving the water. The real beauty of long lensing is you get a chance to compose shots that surfers can automatically relate to, essentially you are giving them the perspective that we all know, that of the surfer paddling out. Fisheyes are incredible, but they are not what we see in every day surfing life. The long lens also gives you a chance to shoot a number of unique angles in one session, really mixing things up and making best use of the light and surroundings. The long lens is versatile and that’s why it is a great place to start when you want to water shoot. So what setup should you start with? Well I would forget a zoom, prime lenses are the way to go, a 50mm is great, whether for Canon or Nikon they are sub £100 for an excellent lens which will produce sharp images in even the shonkiest of light. They are also light, easy to swim with and responsive to focus, they will also give you more or less the same field of view as you get yourself using your eyes, so I’d recommend it is a great place to start.
WL SURFMAGAZINE
how to shoot_199.indd 4
10/01/2011 10:34:15
WL SURFMAGAZINE
how to shoot_199.indd 5
031
10/01/2011 10:34:42
Clockwise from above: Porthleven; Lynmouth Photos: Greg Martin; Porthleven Photo: Tim Nunn
032
WL SURFMAGAZINE
how to shoot_199.indd 6
10/01/2011 10:35:15
shoot a line-up WORDS GREG MARTIN
The line-up shot is one of the most accessible shots for a budding surf photographer. There is no need for an expensive telephoto lens or waterhousing, you don’t even have to rely on there being good surfers, you just have to be in the right place at the right time, and have a bit of imagination. If you get them right, I think line-ups can be the most timeless photos within surfing. When I was a grom, I used to love studying all the shots of breaks around the UK in the Stormrider Guide, but over the years as I started visiting these places and taking shots of my own, I was surprised at how many of them had been taken from the car park. It’s the most tempting thing to do, you park up, see that it’s pumping and shoot a few pics. That’s fine if you just want some snaps to show your mates, but a good line-up shot shouldn’t just show how good the waves were, it should tell a story. Imagine that same photo taken from the car park but shot from a bit further back so as well as the waves, you get your mates in the car checking out the surf, immediately you’ve got a way more interesting photo with a shit load of anticipation in it. Taking a few steps away from the waves can often be the key to getting a great line-up shot. Different waves can often look very similar, but what makes them individual and interesting photographically is what is in the foreground, i.e. the environment the wave is in, be it at a fishing village, city or in the middle of nowhere. For example, an easy way to make any wave look like a secret discovery is to frame it looking through some trees (it’s also a good way to cover a bleached out sky.) By shooting with a longer lens like an 85mm or 100mm (the 70-200mm is great lens for line-ups if you have the money) you can get your shot from further away whilst compressing some foreground (houses, trees, car park etc) with the wave, which can help to make it look bigger. A bit of levitation can also add a bit of height to the waves, but if you can’t get the horizon in then you’ve probably gone too high. If the waves are legitimately big, it’s
important to try and get a surfer in the shot to show the proportion. If no-one’s got the plums to get amongst it, the next best option is to get one of your mates to go and stand down at the shore. If you’re exposing the shot manually, which will get you a better shot, keep your aperture as small as you can (i.e. f8 or above) whilst keeping a high shutter speed of say 1/500 or more to keep everything sharp. Those are the basic rules that I’ve stuck to when photographing breaks over the years, but obviously there are no rules when it comes to taking photos, which brings me to this shot of Leven. As well as some of the great surf photographers, I am also very inspired by war photography. One of the recurring tips from the masters of that genre for getting a more intimate, powerful image is to avoid using too long a lens, even if it means putting yourself in a risky situation. This morning at Leven was pumping, but the swell was dropping and it was still relatively dark. I don’t like the results of shooting surf in bad light with a digital camera, so I grabbed my old film camera which had a high speed black and white film in, and with only a 50mm lens (equivalent to about a 35mm on my digital) I followed a couple of bodyboarders down to the rock you jump off to get out at Lev. It’s pretty hectic there when it’s a good size, especially at high tide, you have to get your timing right so you don’t jump off and get washed back into the rocks. As they made their way to the end, a solid set came through, causing them to pause just for a couple of seconds to watch their mate get pitted, before scrambling to the end and jumping into the back of the wave as it hit the rocks, drenching me and my camera. Luckily, old film cameras don’t seem to mind that sort of thing. I like this shot because it’s as much about the people as it is about the perfect wave. As for advice on taking line-up shots, I guess what I’m trying to say is study all the basic rules, then just do what the fuck you like.
WL SURFMAGAZINE
how to shoot_199.indd 7
033
10/01/2011 10:35:53
SHOOT LAND SHOTS WORDS AND PHOTOS BEN SELWAY
The land shot is a photographer’s bread and butter and the best part – it’s accessible to every one! Fat, thin – you name it! The beauty of surf photography from the land is it’s safe; you do not have to get wet or have to tackle the ocean, you simply sit on the beach and take pictures from the shore safe in the knowledge that you will not drown. To capture a great quality photograph you will need purchase a reasonably long lens and a camera with a fairly high frame rate (around 4+ frames per second). There isn’t technically a limit on focal length, however you will need something that will enable you to get reasonably close to your subject (150mm +). Land shots vary and the common misconception is to achieve the best possible image, you have to be as close to the surfer as possible. This isn’t true. In this day it’s about being creative and looking for angles that incorporate the surfer; things like framing, back drop and foreground clutter. The are no rules with this kind of photography, it’s as simple as looking at the spot, but thinking outside of the box. This shot of Micah is a prime example. On this day I expertly moved into a position that favoured the dipping sun and perched myself on the rocks to capture the background while Micah did his little thing. He was awfully pleased about it, too. He said ‘it’s great to see this kind of photography at my local break, normally people set up on the beach and point their lens straight out to sea. You, however, didn’t and I think you’re incredible for doing that. It just makes you even more attractive than you already are.’
034
WL SURFMAGAZINE
how to shoot_199.indd 8
10/01/2011 10:36:22
Left to right: Lyndon Wake, Portugal; Micah Lester, Constantine, Cornwall
WL SURFMAGAZINE
how to shoot_199.indd 9
035
10/01/2011 10:36:51
Clockwise from right: Lynmouth Photo: Greg Martin; Robin Kent, Porthleven Photo: Greg Martin; Porthleven Photo: Ben Selway
I love photo issues, when it comes down to it photos are all that matters in surf mags, badly written prose is just that most of the time and barely worth reading. So with that in mind we set our two photographers a little task, a simple one at that, as they are not complex beings after all. They had to go out into the world and create a piece which best reflected their photographic personalities, of course me being the ruthless Editor that I am I gave them no budget, the only currency they had was their own creative genius. Fortunately that currency was worth something during this two MONTH spell and they went out and bankrupted themselves in the name of Wavelength, the following few pages are the fruits of this, enjoy.
036
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 2
11/01/2011 10:44:56
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 3
037
11/01/2011 10:45:36
BEN SELWAY 038
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 4
10/01/2011 09:23:58
WILL BOEX_PORTHLEVEN_NOV_10 I didn’t mean to take this picture – it was a total accident! When I first saw this image, the first thing I thought was it would make a great Christmas present for Will. I immediately contacted his wife Jodie who showed genuine interest in the photo. I informed her about the best size it would print and advised her on a quality framing shop. Whether or not she chose to actually go through with this I’m not 100% certain because at time of writing it is early December and decisions about Will’s Christmas present may change! If she opts to go for something else then unfortunately, Will is going to find out what he missed out on when he sees this magazine. There is no financial reason why she’d do this – digital printing is inexpensive and I did not charge her for use of the image, so one can only presume it might be down to her not wanting the photograph to spoil the aesthetics of their lovely Porthleven home. Initially he will be disappointed by this but then he will quickly realise that seeing himself within the pages of Britain’s best love of surfing magazine is one of the greatest things ever to happen to him, especially because it reminded of him of that special day at Porthleven. Memories last forever. MICAH LESTER_PORTHLEVEN_NOV_10 Micah Lester is a handsome devil. Women even barrage him with their used pants and ‘MICAH I LUV U!’ placards. I often wonder what it would be like to receive this kind of attention – or to be as handsome as he is! Maybe my personality would be different and I wouldn’t have to be so nice to people to gain their respect. Handsome and popular people can get away with murder and no matter how horrible you are to your fellow person; they’ll love you for you looks and nothing else! But then Micah is an incredibly kind and lovely man, so maybe I would just carry on being me? Who knows.
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 5
039
10/01/2011 09:24:24
LEVEN WITH TIM_NOV_10 I never pass up the opportunity to spend quality time with Tim Nunn. He texted me this particular morning with promises of 4ft waves at Porthleven and brunch at Sainbury’s. I was totally unprepared; I didn’t bring any of my water gear and I forgot to charge all of my camera batteries! Luckily, there was enough power in my Canon to snap this beautiful image before Timmy expertly took over and covered the rest of the day’s action with his camera. It was an educating experience to stand alongside a master at work - and even though I didn’t capture as many pictures as I would have liked, the knowledge I came away with would’ve cost a novice photographer thousands of pounds. Brunch was delicious, too. Out of the medium-priced supermarkets Sainsbury’s are certainly winning the war in my book - and their café’s are incredible!
040
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 6
10/01/2011 09:24:52
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 7
041
10/01/2011 09:25:17
042
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 8
10/01/2011 09:25:48
RICHARD MARSH_CORNWALL_NOV_10 Aussie surfing legend Richard ‘Dog’ Marsh brought in some of his skateboards for us all to play with. And boy, did we play! At first I found it difficult and was especially embarrassed to try it in front of Dog but quickly myself and the rest of the Wavelength team improved with every ride. Now we are all experts and will confidently walk to the top of the hill that ascends from our front door and shred the asphalt like professional down-hill skateboarders! In spite of one mishap, so far no one has been seriously injured yet but luckily the Wavelength office is next to the ambulance station for Truro so please do not worry about our safety. This photo was taken on the day that Richard Dog Marsh stopped by our office and gave us these incredible toys, as you can see he was very happy to. PORTRAITS_DEC_10 All of these images were taken on the same day. Top to bottom - What an utter waste of time this day was. Andrew Griffin thought it would be a good idea to shoot Holywell with him and Johnny Fryer. The surf was appalling and I concluded that it’s been over year since I’ve managed to get a good picture there. I left Andrew and promised him I’d never return. Jayce Robinson on one of the two days. Porthleven broke between issues. Jason Feast asked me to take this picture to advertise the fact he gets his suits from O’Neill. THAT’S O’NEILL, ok? The peanut gallery at Wrestles are a fearsome bunch; fall off and they’ll make your life hell!
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 9
043
10/01/2011 09:26:36
044
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 10
10/01/2011 09:29:30
RICHIE SILLS_PORTHLEVEN_NOV_10 This day was just awesome! I woke up at a leisurely 7.30a.m, ate porridge with my wife, ogled at Aysha Iqbal on BBC and drove to Porthleven. On arrival I surveyed the conditions before deciding it was safe for me to enter the water. I quickly suited up and charged down the cliff whilst Mike Newman took photos of me struggling to make it out past the shallows. Once I was amongst the waves I then marvelled at a pod of dolphins for 20 minutes and occasionally shot photos of the surfers. After the session, I reviewed the fine imagery (including this photo of Richie Sills!) on the back of my camera before heading in the direction of Sainsbury’s. Have I mentioned how fine this super market chain is? Just awesome! THE FOG_CRANTOCK_NOV_10 I wasn’t sure or not if the surf was good this day because I couldn’t actually see the waves! It didn’t matter though because it enabled me to snap this timeless image of two surfers entering the water – neither knew what awaited them in the fog. It could’ve been 10-12 feet and deathly out there, but they didn’t care! They just charged into the ocean never to be seen again, by me anyway. I simply went home and relaxed with my new wood burning stove on. I don’t think anything bad happened to them, we would’ve surely heard about it on local news.
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 11
045
10/01/2011 09:30:01
GREG MARTIN
046
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 12
10/01/2011 09:30:36
The Hypnotist_PORTHLEVEN_NOV_10 I’m never going to Porthleven again. I’ve said it before, but this time I mean it. The south coast of Cornwall is littered with sick little waves that never see the light of day in this mag, because for some reason whenever a swell pushes up from the south and the wind blows cold from the north, the part of my brain that stores the information on these spots ceases to work and I become hypnotised by Porthleven. The little fishing harbour famous for its hollow waves is the Derren Brown of the south coast, and on this particular day, like so many before, I looked into its eyes, felt sleepy, and shot people indiscriminately at its beck and call. It’s looking good again for tomorrow.
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 13
047
10/01/2011 09:31:15
The Teacher’s Pet_PORTUGAL_DEC_10 Teenagers eh? Lazy, sluggish, apathetic whingers who would rather check other people’s status updates than the waves. Not young Alex Baker though. This lad is a serious keener and knows exactly how the game works on photo trips. I’ve got a feeling that this might have something to do with Selway, a much harder task-master than me, schooling Baker in the ways of getting shots on some of his first trips as a sponsored surfer. As a result, he gets up early, discusses photo angles, surfs the weaker peak if the backdrop is better for shooting, and even tries to pull in to a whomping closeout going switch foot, because he knows pig dog shots don’t look so good. Not only that, but he thinks nothing of giving up the shotgun seat to the photog and buying the coffee round. However shallow, however ass-kissing, this kind of shit goes a long way with a grumpy old photographer like me... hence the extra exposure. Aspiring groms take note.
048
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 14
10/01/2011 09:32:12
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 15
049
10/01/2011 09:32:36
050
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 16
10/01/2011 09:33:05
The Legend_NEWQUAY_JAN_11 Long before Hobgood was thanking Jesus for his win at Sunset, the CJ associated with contest surfing was one Chris Jones from Newquay. In 1971 he comfortably won the English, British and European titles, trailblazing the way for competitive shortboarding and influencing some of our country’s most successful surfers in Nigel Semmens, Spencer Hargraves and Russell Winter. But even before he was collecting trophies, CJ was learning how to shape boards, working at the legendary Bilbo factory throughout the ‘60s. 26 years ago he struck out on his own and started making boards under his own name, moving into a small workshop in Newquay. He still shapes in the same place to this day, passing down knowledge to the next generation of board makers amongst a chaos of surfboard history. His workshop should be the benchmark for all shapers... one day he might tidy up, in the meantime he’s busy.
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 17
051
10/01/2011 09:33:37
THE Rain_LYNMOUTH_NOV_10 It’s always raining when I go to Lynmouth. I guess I only ever think of going there when a big storm has pushed through Cornwall and Devon, sending swell up the Bristol Channel that eventually bends into one of the longest lefts in the country. Soaked through to the skin, camera shoved up my jacket, peering through the showers at long, raggedy walls with some size but little grace, this morning was no different to most previous visits. This place is synomonous with rain and 052
tragically linked to flooding throughout it’s history. The worst on record happened in 1952 when a fierce storm hit the South West of England and 9 inches of rain fell onto an already flooded Exmoor. A dam of fallen trees and rocks let the water build up in the River Lyn above the village, before it eventually gave way, sending a deadly wave of debris that destroyed most of Lynmouth and killed 34 people. In more recent years, previously classified government documents have revealed that in the days leading up to the disaster,
the RAF were carrying out a series of artificial rainmaking tests in the South of England, dubbed Project Cumulus, where pilots would drop dry ice into clouds which encouraged precipitation. The conspiracy theory is that the actions of the RAF triggered the storm and flooding of Lynmouth, although this has never been proven. Through the drizzle the wind looked like it was easing and the swell was cleaning up. Always backing away slightly, these lefts are hardly high performance waves,
but perfect for racing down the line. This was made clear from the guy who seemed to getting the longest rides and having the most fun... on what looked like a door. “It’s not what I ride normally,” Neil Randall from Croyde admitted holding up his oblong piece of foam, “but here, on days like today, it’s perfect.” As I walked back towards the village with him, the sun finally broke through, the wind swung offshore and for a few minutes through the bare, winter trees, Lynmouth looked pretty perfect itself.
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 18
10/01/2011 09:34:01
Stu Campbell on the inside right
WL SURFMAGAZINE
versus_199.indd 19
053
10/01/2011 09:34:36