Monday, February 22, 2010

Yet another absolutely gorgeous day in Maui.

Thanks to the amazing HD GoPro camera, here you get a little of the magic surf session I had in the morning up the coast. Check the sky.


In 2 and a half hours, I rode many beautiful walls of water like this.


Two seconds later.


Framed by water. Sorry again about that snot, this time on my ear.
I look like Ben Stiller in "There's something about Mary"...


Is there a barrel to be had?...


...getting clipped by the lip. You guys think I could have squeezed in there?


Look at those glassy waves!


The intense paddling at the very last moment before catching a wave increases my face wrinkles by 500% and makes me look 100 years old.


Few seconds later, and I'm way more relaxed.


Lil 'toes up' top turn.


And another glassy wall.


Cross-stepping my way to the nose... light like a butterfly, graceful like a ballet dancer! A gay one, I'd say...


I wanted to do 'toes on the camera', but I thought that the result would have been a bit dark... so I put my foot to the side of it.


At one point I was sitting next to Francisco Porcella and we agreed that on the next wave I would have dropped in on him so that he would ride the wave behind me and be in the video clip.
"Allright, cool!"
Little we knew that the next wave was going to be the best of the day.

As soon as we saw it coming, he started to paddle super deep towards the double overhead peak. Right, but he was on a shortboard and he's just ever so slightly better than me... so I stayed where I was and dropped in on the shoulder.
Even though it was previously agreed, it was as bad as a drop-in can be: I completely ruined his wave.
"Shit! Let's not do this anymore, ok?", he said later understandably bummed.
"Yeah, it didn't quite work, did it... but hey, maybe I got a killer shot that will end up on the cover of Surfer magazine!", I tried to cheer him up.
Here's the snapshot of the only frame he was in...

Thanks Francisco, that was a great wave!!! :))))


After my awesome session, I took a few pics at Hookipa.

There's no caption for something like this.


This kid was ripping.


Just like this other one.


Being a famous windsurfer didn't help you: you've been DDS (DuckDiveShot)!


Being the girlfriend of a famous windsurfer didn't help you: you've been DDS!


Ian Walsh is in town.


Here he is demolishing a lip, while the lifeguards jet-ski is passing by, telling everyone to leave the water.


Why? Because they spotted a shark.


Now, thank god I was already done with my session, otherwise I would have been soooo pissed to be forced to leave the water with those beautiful waves!
Can someone tell me what is the difference between seeing a shark or not? They're out there no matter if you see them or not!
It's the same thing like saying:"you can't enter the highway, someone spotted a car".
Sharks and cars are exactly the same thing. They're out there when you're in the water or on the highway and they usually mind their business. Occasionally, very occasionally, they hit you. How occasionally? Good question.

Here's what I used to tell my windsurfing students that asked me questions about the sharks in the ocean.
"You scared by sharks? You know how many people are killed by sharks worldwide every year in average? Four. You know how many people are killed by car accidents worldwide every year? 1.3 millions. You're waaaaay more in danger when you enter your car than when you enter the ocean."
Guess what. It never really worked. The students were probably even more scared to be reminded that actually sharks occasionally do kill people than relieved to learn that such a thing has an extremely low probability to happen. What can I say, not everyone's left brain is stronger than the right...

Back to the water evacuation. It would make a lot more sense if the lifeguards would only warn the ocean users if they spot a shark. Inform them and let them the freedom to risk if they feel like. As long as they put the sign out and blow the siren a few times, the county can't be sued, can it? Of course it can, we're in America. Where if a surfer chooses to stay out after a warning and then he gets bitten, he wold probably sue the lifeguards because they only warned him instead of forcing him out of the water and very likely win the lawsuit!
This is the country were an old lady sued McDonalds (and won!!!!) because she burned herself with the coffee, since it was... hot!
Anyway, let's move on.

Must have been a shark.


Allright, enough photos. Let me leave you with that amazing sky again.


No wait!
I can't stand the blogs that try to sell you stuff all the times, but this is only occasional, like a shark attack. I got no more room for boards and need to get rid of some.
The AHD Sea Lion is a unique SUP sailing board. Extremely fun in small mushy surf. Ideal for summer time.


I'm also selling a 2009 Quatro twin fin 81l. And I believe Glenn still has an AHD Seal to sell. My email is on the right.

The NW buoy went up to 15 feet, 17 seconds from 325. Tomorrow is going to be big... outer reef kind of big. 10pm, I hope I'll sleep good, because I got waves to catch tomorrow... 'night.

12 comments:

lara said...

amazing post...

windypizza said...

Good job! Great capture beside the foreground subject ;-) Stunning sky!!!

p.s.

Have you got the HD Hero Go Pro Camera ?

Maui Addicted said...

Aloha Giampaolo,
don't be lazy... just a bit of PP to remove the Ben Stiller's quote and that picture of you framed by water is going to be a great one!!
Really! I love it...well...just if I stop thinking of that thing...

BTW be back in Maui next August! Just can't wait.

Giampaolo

Windwiner said...

Killer surfing shots (and non surfing as well). What mount are you using for the camera? Is it this one: http://www.goprocamera.com/index.php?area=2&productid=13

I'm headed to Costa Rica for a surf trip in 60 days (yeah I'm counting) and would like to take some shots like that while I'm at it.
Great post!

cammar said...

Lara, thanks dear.

Windypizza, yes that's the one.

ISW 865, that movie cracked me up so bad when I saw it back then, that I just put it on top of the Netflix queue...

WW, no it's one of those: http://www.goprocamera.com/index.php?area=2&productid=18
Those little sticky plates are amazingly strong. I had plenty wipeouts in double over head Hawaiian surf and never lost the camera.
The one you link will work too and it's probably even safer, since it has a wider sticking area and the possibility to attach a little leash to that corner. I have that on the SUP and never use the leash, because that thing is not coming off.
I hope your Costa Rica trip will be better than mine. Well, if you'll be able to see the sun for 30 minutes, it'll be better than mine... I went in September during the worse rainy season ever!

Sharon said...

All time Classic Cammar post, me-me-me, pussy, politics, picis & me! Love it.

Anonymous said...

Wow GP, the shots are amazing !!! Love the pics, which GoPro model did you use?

Cheers
Lim

Anonymous said...

I look like Ben Stiller in "There's something about Mary"...

Now was that because the waves were good or because of the girl on the beach?

- m

cammar said...

Hi Lim! It's the HD one.

M, I couldn't contain the excitement at the vision of the two combined.

Anonymous said...

nice post. thanks.

flying_frenchman said...

GP, did you ever try the vacuum cup hold for the GoPro? The nice thing about it is that it is easily removable. Thanks for your advice.

cammar said...

Nope, never tried that one. I wouldn't put it on a surfboard in big surf...