gopro camera mounts

Where I found the time to shoot and edit this, I don't really know...
It's that I'm so busy enjoying life!

There's some parts of this video that are shot with a really bad light (beginner mistake), but if I had to get everything right, I would have never come up with anything... so take it as it is... almost obsolete!
Some guys on this blog or on the Hot Sails forum have been experimenting quite a lot...
I had to cut it into two parts. Here's part one.

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And here's part two.

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PS. All clips can be turned 90, 180 or 270 degrees by Windows Movie Maker.

Waimea bay snorkeling

Howzit everybody.
Just got back from Oahu and... man, what a crazy (ready shitty) place Waikiki is...

But, I'll talk about it later, in another post...
For tonight, I'll post a video of a snorkeling session at Waimea bay. Yep, the same place that in winter time can have 30 feet waves...
Amongst a few other species, it shows one of the most graceful animals in the world.


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There she is. Her name is Grace.

Awwright!

I know, I know, it's the third post in a row about me... and it's similiar to the last one... but I'm going to Oahu tonight (back on Sunday) and don't really have time to find/edit something else to post.
So you guys will forgive me if I post another sequence of shots that beautiful self of mine.








In the absence of Pat Caldwell, let me try to replace him throwing a promising wave forecast.
There's a storm deep in the south pacific that seems to be getting quite intense. In a week we should receive a good south swell, peaking over next weekend. I'll keep you guys posted. Or not.

Vanity

I keep saying that my only drive when I windsurf is to have fun.

But in this right moment I'm not windsurfing so I can indulge in a little vanity...
Bloody hell, a little?!?!!!! I would never post a sequence of six photos of such an average top turn if it was not me. Hey, at least I admit that!

There's something magic at watching photos of yourself windsurfing (or surfing, or doing anything you're passionate about, I guess). Why is that... I'm not sure. Maybe you guys can post a comment with your opinion about this.

Thanks to Andres for taking the photos and to Jazz for providing the camera.

perpetually stoked

Windsurfing magazine published an article about me and my blog.

That's extremely cool, thank you guys so much!
Guess what I thought as soon as I saw the article for the first time?
Dammit, they choose that photo in which I don't really look that good...
But I really liked everything they wrote. Thanks again! I may even end up buying a copy!!! ;-)


Allright, let's open another window into paradise...

It's the third day in a row that we are blessed with some serious windswell. Check what 9 feet, 10 seconds, straight from 90 degrees turns into at Hookipa.
Here's Glenn about to hit (or be hit by) a lip. Love the light.


Patrick Bergeron in a backloop.


Andres (a young sailor from Colombia) gets better every time I see him...


Patrick bottom turns into a juicy one.


Here and here are a few more photos.

Two words on my sessions. The wind was very strong, gusty and offshore. The first day I went out on a 4.5 and very small (68l) board. Mistake. Such a small board (my favorite wave board) requires strong steady wind. I wasn't comfortable in the lulls (plenty of those on the inside, as usual).
The following day I went out on a bigger board and a 4.2. Much better. So, here's my kook tip of the day: when very gusty and up and down, rig small and pick a board that will make you float thru the lulls.

This guys is Ken (did he say from Maryland?). He came to me at Hookipa saying:"man, you are inspiring" and showed me his pretty clever helmet mount of the gopro camera.
Check it out, it looks much better than mine... He was still testing it though, so I don't know how well it worked.


I'm still working on an instructional video on the different mount possibilities.
Unfortunately my laptop screen broke. I'm using a fixed screen, but that doesn't help much the posting mood... I got to post laying down on the couch!!!!

Here are a few photos from a fun surf sesh on the south shore at the beginning of the week.


In the meantime this couple of tourists was enjoying a not too shabby sunset.


This guy had a great style on his longboard.


More sunset.



I'll leave you with some romance on the hill at Hookipa.

Speed Demon

Yesterday I tried for the first time the Speed Demon.

I'm not too much into speed, unless the water is really flat and smooth. Well, yesterday it wasn't that smooth, but I had a lot of fun anyway.
What an awesome sail. The same power of a cambered sail without the hassle of rigging (and jibing!) a cambered sail. Loved it.

Good job Tom, this is for you.

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I'm working on an instructional video on how and where to mount the gopro camera. Gimme a few more days... Any last minute questions I can try to answer?

PWA Guincho + SUP little sesh + Maui race saries + fake boobs

The second PWA wave event just ended in Guincho (Portugal). The first two days were windy and they could finish the single elimination of men and women, respectevely won by spaniards Victor Fernandez (on Kauli Seadi) and Daida Moreno (on Karin Jagge). Then the wind disappeared and there was no chance to run the double elimination, so that was it.

This is the single elimination ladder out of the PWA site.

And here you find some videos. On the same page, you'll find the videos of the Cabo Verde event too... quite a difference in the conditions!

But Guincho is a great place. I went there for windsurfing vacations three times and I was never disappointed with the wind (often so strong to require a 3.5) and the waves. Now that I live in Maui though, I don't think I would still like it that much... cold water, side-on wind and kind of messy waves... I'm so spoiled!

Back to the contest. I'm flabbergasted that PWA hasn't found yet a sponsor that would finance the live webcast of the events. All ASP surf contests are webcasted. I understand that the money involved in the surfing industry is probably 10 times bigger than the windsurfing one, but it just seems to me that a live webcast of a wave windsurfing event would be seen by enough people to justify the investment!

Whatever. If they won't have it for the next November Aloha Classic, I'm ready to do a quasi-live coverage. Meaning, shoot and comment live all the heats, then go back home and put them on the web. But I need sponsors for that (otherwise I'd rather be judging...).
So, windsurf companies, magazines, clothing companies, any companies go ahead and email me if interested in supporting this initiative.

What else we got... another magic little video. It's the SUP surfing sesh in which I tested Dolf's SOS 11.11.
I love my little water proof camera. And you guys should love it too. Especially the ones that have never been to Maui. Check out the colors of the water, the mountain and the sky... turn on the heater in your cold room if you live in the southern hemisphere and imagine to be surfing in Maui...

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Ah, those disks in the movie Strange Days... you guys at GoPro must invent something like that soon!

Anything else? Oh, check this short video of Hot Sails Maui french team rider Bruno Andre. Effortless taka in light wind. I got to learn some new moves. That looks like something not too crazy/dangerous to try...

Allright, off to Kanaha to give Sharon a windsurf lesson... bloody exciting!!!!

.................................

Well, since I went to Kanaha, but it was way too windy and gusty to teach (and learn) any windsurfing, we just sat and watched the Maui race series.
Here's a nice shot of a start.




More photos of the races and of the b(e)low subject here.

Fakeness rules in these spiritually poor times. I bet this girl was already real hot before she did her boob job. Now, she's fake hot.


Do you guys know any other animal that do things like these?
The human race... we are really something!

new sails

I got the chance to choose a custom design for the next year sails.
I'm looking for inspiration... any input from the readers?

me, Oly, the Firemen and Keith Taboul

Here's another little video of a fun little sesh two days ago.

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And here's a few photos from yesterday at Hoo: three very good sailors on Fire.
Here's Dioni's wave 360.


Here's Glenn's backloop (I gave up counting them).


Here's Andres aerial.


It looks like these guys are on a tandem board...


Here's our Firemen... somebody must have called 911!


Cute brazilian girls can loop. Giuliana proofs it.


A few more photos here.

Last, but not least, check this interview that I did with Keith Teboul and that Windsurfing mag published on their website.

The best longboard sailing video ever

Well, considering that there's not too many out there, that may well be true...

Here's a short version (I recommend to watch this first) with soundtrack of yesterday's longboard sailing session with Jeff. The idea was to test Dolf's SOS 11.11 (none of us had ever sailed it), but we ended up just having a hell lot of fun on those little waves. In the video, Jeff was sailing my Starboard 12.2.
There's one wave that looks foggy, because evidently there was a drop of water on the lens, but you will forgive me if I left it... it was a good one.
Overall, I'm stoked that the clips came out of such a good quality. I hope they will give you an idea of the colors that we are enjoying in this cloudless days here in Maui.
Here we go.

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Here's a longer version with my live comments. As you will hear, I was really impressed by Jeff's longboard wave sailing ability.

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I mean, did you guys get the feel of how much fun Jeff was having?

...SUP boards without the mast track should be illegal.

And now, I ask for 5 seconds of your time (and what the hell!) to vote for the one you liked better. Thanks!


Well, today it was another fun session (windy enough for the shortboard), this time with Oly (also know as Oly from England). Took a bunch of clips, got to edit them.

It looks like the north shore is going flat for a while. Thank god there should be a couple of days of waves on the south shore, starting tomorrow. And after that... not much on either shores.
Think I'm gonna get bored? We'll see...

Quick (yeah, right!) post before bed

It's been a great weekend of wavesailing (for me and a few others) in Maui. For the majority it was great surfing instead. Even Ulli had some fun! :-)

Yesterday there were some beautiful out of season waves and I scored an epic session at an unnameable spot on the north shore.
The wind was light and steady. 5.3 and an old 96l wave board did it. Four of us sharing waves, smiles and stoke.
The waves were head to logo high, with even a couple of mast high beauties. And they were glassy... really glassy. And blue... really blue.
For an hour and a half, it was pure wave riding perfection.
As a confirmation of that, even an Hookipa ripper like Nat Gill (one of the four) was pretty stoked afterwards on the beach.

Here's a few waves in the morning at Hoo, when the swell was still on the way up.






Today, the wind was even lighter and I opted for a longboard wave sailing sesh together with Jeff. I had my waterproof camera with me and I shot what I think is going to be a killer video. I'll edit it tomorrow night... unless Naomi calls, of course.

After that, with a few friends, I enjoyed a lovely walk on the beach at Baldwin and a few beers in front of the sunset.
That's what I'm talking about!


Dramatic light in this one.


I asked Michelle how she managed to get both big toe nails black like that.
"Just hiking 20 miles in the crater...", she said.


Tomorrow they're calling for stronger wind and bigger waves. In fact the NW buoy is up to 6 feet, 10 seconds from 340 degrees.

Man... it's so good to be back!
- Did I say that already?

PS. Talking about killer videos... check this one out. WOW!

Back!

I'm back in Maui and that feels better than sleeping with Naomi Campbell.


Well, unfortunately I'm not 100% sure about that, but you know what I mean...
Life goes at a different speed here and it's seen in a better perspective.
Having fun (in the ocean, in my case) is the priority number one. As Ulli once told me, "everything revolves around surfing".
I wrote that sentence on the wall of the shack where I used to live (grooviest place I've ever lived in). They had to tear it down, but I cut that piece of wall and now it's in my studio. It's not a particularly useful reminder, but I'm attached to it. It's a piece of the shack...

On my way back, as usual, I stopped a day in LA. Dreadlocks Gianfranco (here's where he's from...) took me surfing at Trestle. Here's a few shots of a very fun day.
The first one and the last one it's him.












At one point some huge dolphins (never seen so big... like ten feet or more) showed up in the lineup and shared a few waves with us. So cool. I was in the water and couldn't take photos.
But, check what I saw the day after on Maui's south shore...


Yesterday Hookipa was often head high and super fun. Today smaller, but still fun. A new small NW swell is on its way (3 feet 13 sec from 330 at the NW buoy this afternoon). A south one should arrive Tuesday.

The ocean looks more blue than usual. The temperature feels better than usual. The people is friendlier than usual. I'm happier than usual.
That's what my yearly Italy trip is for, I guess... just a little reminder to have an extreme appreciation for mother nature, this wonderful place and this incredible gift called life that too many people waste running after material things.

So long.

No wait. You guys prolly seen Kauli's push-into-forward loop already.

It's good to be 44 and have the excuse to be too old to try that...
By the way, today I did my answer to that: a new move called spinout-into-catapult. I'll work on the peeing version.