Monday, January 26, 2009

Uppers vs Lowers

Post update.
Blog reader Sergey took some time to apply to my video his magic recipe of compressions and enhancements and who knows what else. I replaced the Vimeo version with his. BTW, no need to pump the volume to the max anymore.
Here's the link to the old Vimeo version, in case you want to check the difference.
Thanks Sergey!

--------------------original post-------------

Here's my last Fellinian effort.



Just in case after watching this you guys feel like expressing some gratitude for the bliss you just received, here's a short list of things/persons to thank:
1) the internet
2) the guys at GoPro for making such an amazing camera
3) Jeff Henderson for giving me the best looking sail in the world - hands down
4) my parents

Point 3 exclamation mark:


PS. Earlier I mentioned that this wide angle camera renders the size of the waves better than the old one. I will be more precise here. Thanks to the wider angle, it includes more of the wave in the picture. But the waves still look way smaller than they were. Not a complain, just an observation.

27 comments:

George Markopoulos said...

Great video, even better than the last one. I take it you used the head band again and not the helmet?
awesome stuff, that video almost more than any other i've seen really really gives me the feeling i'm in the straps, and you get a real sense of how much fun it is, and how magical that place is.

Lano said...

I just wanna go sailing after watching that!

cammar said...

George, thanks for pointing that out. The head band is soooo much better than the helmet. Here's a short list of reasons:
- the camera is on my forehead and easier to reach to start/stop the video
- absolutely no vibration introduced by the looseness of the helmet wobbling on my head
- it's closer to my mouth and it records the eventual commentary way better
It would seem that there is the disantvantage of having to attach a little safety line to your wetsuit in the waves (otherwise the risk of losing it in a wipeout is pretty high), but overall I like it better even in the waves! In fact, it's way easier to duck dive under the waves and to swim for your gear without having a voluminous helmet on your head.
First day I tried it though, I had a couple of clips ruined by the fact that my hair was in front of the lens... but since then, I now often check with my hand that my hair is out of the way. Could fix that by cutting my hair very short... but I won't!
I agree, there's something in this video that is pretty magic. Sure it's the place. And sharing waves with friends adds to it too.

Lano, me too! But today is raining... I'll keep watching the video instead.

Anonymous said...

I am so jealous. I was waveriding in Barbados a few weeks ago and am experiencing withdrawl after watching your amazing video.

When do the trades become more consistent? I need to share some waves at Kanaha soon.

Thanks for the video,
Jon

Anonymous said...

Great video. The Hero5 seems to have much better color saturation than the Hero3. Was it just the lighting on this video, or is it better all around?

Anonymous said...

Great video, especially the last wave. Uppers wins 90% of the time in my book. Greatest looking sail ever? Debatable.

Brian McDowell said...

I know your game - you're just using that camera as an excuse to drop-in on any wave you like and pretend to be filming people! Ha ha. Good idea!

Anonymous said...

At what time does the sun go off in Maui?

Very nice video BTW.

Eric

Wind obsessor said...

Hi GP,

Did you ever post a pic of your camera head band? I've got a helmet mount but don't like wearing a helmet so the head band sounds like a good idea.

Anonymous said...

ciao giampa
you brought me in 2001 when I was there. It really seems to be there on the same waves, same light and sensation. As the KING told in his video RIP, "nothin' radical, but incredible windsurfing".......

thanks again

ps: is it a new lens or a whole new camera? or both of them?

cammar said...

Wow, thanks everyone for the comments.
Even thought I would do this blog even without them, comments are definitely an additional motivation factor. Keep posting them. Let me try to throw some replies.

Jon, as you probably know, trades will become more consistent in spring... in the meantime, if there's no wind, go surfing. It's just as fun (for me at least).

Brian S, absolutely better all around. The wide angle plays a huge role (I mean, I'm in the harness and you can see the whole boom!!!), but also the image is better too. Nice buttons too, I haven't missed a start/stop yet.

Anon, thanks. In my book insted, Lowers wins 99% of the times (the remaining 1% being when it's big enough for the outer reef, in which case lowers is closing out and uppers is heaven) and that for me is the best looking sail ever. Isn't it great that we all have different tastes?

Brian, unfortunately it's the other way around. People see me with the camera and drop in in front of me, because they want to be filmed... but I also get a lot of smiles and waves (meaning waving of hands), 'cause they think the I'm shooting continuosly...

Eric, I think it's around 6.15 these days, but you can sail 20-30 minutes more after sundown.
Maybe I should post the last clip I took... absolutely dark.
Sunset sessions require a lot of local knowledge, since the wind can drop anytime and that would mean swimming for at least 20 minutes in the dark in the notoriously shark populated waters of the close-to-the-harbor Kanaha...
Did you notice I was using the 81l instead of the 75l in the second part of the video? Floaty board is absolutely key.
And a light sail. Since I use the Ultralight superfreak my boards feel like it has 1-2 liters more without being any bigger. Seriously. That is HUGE advantage.
Plus, water starting in light to no wind is way easier with a lighter sail. I should post another clip in which I literally pull the sail out of the water with two fingers...

W.O., I haven't posted such a photo yet. But now that you asked I will. In the meantime, you can have a look at the strap clicking on the hiperlink I just added to the original post. It's not the strap for the helmet on the top of that page. Scroll down and there's a photo of a bunch of accessories. It's the strap on the right.
Hey, let's me say hi and thanks to the whole Guernsey windsurfing community. I know you guys follow this blog a lot.

Nico, whole new camera. Again, click on the link.
And thanks for that quote: "nothin' radical, but incredible windsurfing".
Can't be more true. At my level, when Kanaha is good I like it way better than Hookipa, 'cause I can go for the lip without fear of being worked badly (even though accidents can happen everywhere of course) or going on the rocks.
Lately Graham Ezzy instead told me that when Hookipa is too big and closin out and he has to go to Kanaha he doesn't have that much fun "the wave has such little power!".
Totally understandable.
That's the same reason because I like it so much!

A pro and us (I'm assuming most of the blog readers are not pros) have completely different preferences and needs. That's why a pro will probably not like a Superfreak and instead I love it.
Now what are you, dear blog reader?

Anonymous said...

alhoa GP....terrific videoooo!
just the best windsurfing feeling from my last summer !
and for sure the best application of new tecnology !
no special effects ...just special emotions !!
ciao grande
MP

Acewave said...

Another excellent video! Is this the exact GoPro camera you used : http://www.goprocamera.com/index8.htm?

Unknown said...

You are onto something with these videos. Question, how fast are you moving?

Anonymous said...

GP:
Now I dream on seeing what Levi sees when he does that 360 in the tube of water you described so nicely with words... or at least your view of him doing
Indeed you are onto something...
Thanks!
Marcos

Anonymous said...

Hey Giampaolo,
That was a magic day. (I was the kitesurfer who cruised by you in the water and said hello as the sun was going down.) Being on Maui makes it hard to work sometimes. Oh darn.
Best,
Garrett

Anonymous said...

Hey that was me coming up to Andres as he accelerated to hit the last section better than I could have... at least i got a couple hits right before the last one caught by you, Thanks!

PS next time let me wear the cam.

Anonymous said...

Amazing! You can relly feel the genuine fun and camaraderie between you guys. Right now, I just want to get on the water with my friends and have a blast like you did.

Great job,

Dom

Frank said...

Ciao Giampaolo,

This video let me remember my last trip in Maui, thanks.

As you remember I took videos with my gopro wide camera, probably I was the first to use that camera in Kanaha :), but your video looks better,
I have to practice ...

Frank

cammar said...

Well, judging by the comments you guys really digged this little vid...

MP, thanks for that: "no special effects ...just special emotions !!"

Andrew, yes, that's it.

Robert, how fast??? Well, considering that my best GPS recorded speed (10 seconds average) is 29.6 knots, I'm guessing that while sailing along like that I go like a third or a half of that... so 10-15 knots maybe? Way slower while wave riding.

Marcos, that's exactly what I think too. If it looks so nice when a kook like me does it, how good would it look if a pro does it? Actually KP did one sharing a wave with Levi and that did look good pretty good...

Garret, what you mean "sometimes"???

Alex, thanks but -believe it or not- I have way more fun filming than being filmed.

Ciao Frank, yes it takes some practice...

A couple of more things:
1) I just updated the post with Sergey's enhanced version of the video.
2) I want to wish a quick recovery to Jeff Henderson that, the day after the video was shot, in way windier and gustier conditions broke his foot on a bad aerial landing.

Nord_Roi said...

Wow, the best GoPro video I've seen so far, you angle was just perfect! good work.
steeve

Anonymous said...

Writing as one who lives in middle England and hasn't a clue about "uppers and lowers" - I thought they were things people took!!!! I just want to add my twopennorth and say what a beautifully coloured sail you have, almost as good to look at as it is to listen to that sexy Italian voice!!!

Anne

Anonymous said...

Nice GP....just so you know...I've been meaning to get a GoPro for awhile now. My wife just bought me the Surf Hero for my birthday. I know how you feel about birthdays but I'm still happy she got it..:).
Here's my 1st vid:
http://newenglandsup.wordpress.com/videos/

On another note...two subjects near and dear to your heart. It seems even great tits are being effected by global warming.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080508-great-tits.html

I'm Maui bound in late Feb for a couple of weeks. Hope to see you on the water.

pat said...

You know the guy who did the vocals in the Australian rock band Midnight Oil had cut off his hair too decades a go for the same reason and later he became a politicion in Australia

Unknown said...

Amazing video. I'm so jealous. I love this place.

Anonymous said...

Excellent video, it kinda shows paradise from a real world perspective. The colours are amazing and you can feel the fun and good vibe on the water. Loved how you guys weaved lines on the waves.
Keep it up!

Aloha from Greece

Kirk Lindstrom said...

Boy that brings back memories. I used to stay at "Honeybuns" with Excersions Extroidinaire (sp?) in the 1990s.... Sailed there for a week then would stay as much as another week at Bob's in the back. I heard you can't do either any more...

I loved how EE used to have all the gear rigged on the beach for you with a hot tub plus breakfast and lunch...