A few fun ones at Curly mid afternoon

Grey afternoon, but there waves

1545 and it may be a dull old afternoon, but there are definitely sets.

Climbed up into the crows nest to see how the ocean was looking at 345 this afternoon. Dull grey skies overhead, but still some swell about. It seems to be cleaning up a little, although there is a fair amount of lump about despite the generally light winds.

A crew was out at the point hooking into a few shoulder to head high plus sets. Beachy was not nearly as well attended (or at least not the bits I could see). I guess we can expect a shower or two tomorrow morning as the grey stuff will be hanging around. Wind is set to be from the NW early, then swing around to the NE but not blow too hard. Swell will probably be smaller again, but with luck it won’t go into the unsurfable range.

Weds looks light and variable ahead of a SW change, but with more of those dull grey skies and the odd shower The models are still saying we could have some waist to chest high plus ESE swell too.

Also, our man on the far north coast is back in action and he sent me a few shots of the coastal erosion at Belongil. Basically most of the beach is gone…

Carparts, an old door and lotsa rocks at Belongil post-storms.

REALSURF GIVEAWAY – Know Your Passion Pit Manners

Passion Pit’s new album Manners is finally out and RealSurf has ten of them to give away. We also have a framed A2 poster of the album artwork that you can hang on your wall.

To win, all you have to do is answer 1 question.

Click here: Know Your Passion Pit Manners

Good luck RealSurfers.

Passion Pit – Manners

Check the carefully-sculpted songwriting on display: the speaker-panning synths and slightly sinister children’s chorus (straight outta P.S. 22 in NYC) of “Little Secrets” and “The Reeling,” the lead dulcimer loops and melancholic melodies of “Moth’s Wings,” the ecstatic, riled-up climax of “Folds in Your Hands.” All part of a greater plan, the next step of which is taking Passion Pit’s live show to a level that matches, and eventually exceeds, Manners’ ambition and kaleidoscopic soundscapes. Because when Angelakos says he wants to be the next Randy Newman, he’s dead serious. And when he adds that Passion Pit is “a band with a lead songwriter, not just Michael Angelakos and these guys,” it’s clear he’s just getting started.

NEW SURF MOVIE TOUR – Thomas Campbell’s “THE PRESENT”

Modern technology offers so many conveniences today that we don’t need to leave the home. With a laptop, cell phone, and an elliptical trainer we can work and burn calories simultaneously. Grocery, clothing, and music shopping has become as effortless and speedy as a click of the mouse. 

For surfers, few could have ever envisioned how the digitalization of their sport and lifestyle would permanently alter some of their customs and traditions. Live web cams and online surf reports have now replaced the old fashioned “surf check” and the need to learn how to read the ocean’s weather patterns. As little as 10 years ago, surfboards were hand built by surfers domestically, but a large majority is now mass-produced overseas by computerized factories. This not only resulted in less work for local craftsmen, but drastically reduced the customary exchanging of ideas between a surfer and his shaper to create unique, customized surf crafts. 

For better or worse, modern technology has played a huge role in reshaping cultures around the globe. The various electronic luxuries available today have made life easier, but does a dramatic decline in physical interaction with society erode some of the time-honored traditions of our local cultures?

Californian artist/photographer/filmmaker Thomas Campbell says yes. Which is why he is helping to preserve one of surfing’s longest running social happenings off the beach: surf movie tours. 

Campbell’s new Super 16mm film, The Present—a colorful and artistic exploration of the beautiful environment surfers play in everyday—is set to do just that by hitting Australian coastal towns this month, on the back of a US tour. It’s his third film and a follow up to the ground-breaking log movie The Seedling and more recently Sprout. 

  Presented in Australia by Margie Wegener and the Lala Society, the film features the modern alaia, developed by Tom Wegener Surfboards. After test riding the alaia’s in Africa with Noosa’s Jacob Stuth, Dave Rastovich took the flat wooden boards to Hawaii with draw-dropping results at Waimea and Sunset. Rob Machado and Harrison Roach travelled to Indonesia to test the ancient boards in some very remote waves, producing some of the greatest Indonesian footage ever caught on film.

Margie says of Thomas Campbell, “Thomas is very committed not only to his art and to the traditional surf filmmaking format, but also to the notion of the historical surf film tour.”

“I am not re-inventing the wheel or anything, just doing what those filmmakers did back then,” explains Campbell, who extensively toured Sprout through 30 US cities, and did a more modest run for the Seedling. “Doing a tour is a long-time tradition in our culture. It’s also the most sure fire way of bringing the film to the surf community directly, and people love it. … It’s a really nice exchange.”

Campbell’s narrative approach is also very traditional. He hand picks some of surfing’s most talented and creative individuals and captures those riding waves in exotic locales around the word. Each film has a general theme, with narration by Campbell himself to help move the viewer forward. According to him, The Present’s basic premise is, “Taking a view into our lives as surfers on this planet, and showing that this moment—in our surfing lives right now—is a gift. It also has a subtle preservation message about our oceanic playgrounds.”

Like his other films, The Present covers several surfing sub-cultures. Some include: surfers riding ’60s style surf equipment; modern day hi performance tri-fin short boarding; sustainable surfboard building; and following the evolution of a recent board design movement based on 1,000 year old equipment that ancient Hawaiians rode called alaias. Throw in a funny skit with people riding surfboards with exercise equipment and ladders bolted to the decks. Then add some travels to West Africa, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, California and Hawaii and you end up with a classic surf film narrative. All of this happens to the backdrop of a timeless, down-tempo soundtrack that has been a hallmark of Campbell’s other works. 

Through his uniquely artistic style of filmmaking and intimate screenings – with live music performances to set the mood  – Campbell hopes to help keep alive the nearly dead tradition of surfers gathering at a local theater to view a new independent surf film. 

The Present will show for one night only at –

The Coolangatta Sands Hotel – Friday 22 May 7pm

The Bryon Bay Community & Cultural Center – Sunday 24 May 6pm 

Avoca Beach Theatre Friday 29 May 7pm

The Randwick Ritz Cinema Monday 1 June at 7pm 

Two screenings are booked for the Manly Cinema on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th May at 7pm 

Tickets are only $18 which includes music by Shannon Sol Carroll & OJ, who feature in the film and lucky door prizes. Bookings are on line at www.trimyourlifeaway.com and follow the prompts to Australian tour.

Huey settles down

Mostly smaller and much weaker than this one at 0715.

Hello Friends,

Much less choppy this morning, but the swell has dropped pretty dramatically as well. It’s still out of the east (so not too great for Dee Why, which is the only place I’ve looked at so far today). Winds were lightly west and are expected to go N-NE but to weaken further as the day goes along. Bureau says it’ll be mostly fine with the possibility of a shower along the coast early.

Couple of bods were out at Dee Why when I took the photo, but they were struggling to get much. Catchable set waves looked to be fairly intermittent. Size on the sets seemed to be in the shoulder to head high range, so it ain’t flat. But the more average waves were half that whilst I was watching.

Outlook is for the energy levels to decline through the day, but with luck it’s not going to drop into the flat range. The models are currently suggesting that Wednesday will be about the best combo for us this week; shoulder high from the ESE and offshore is the estimate. Thereafter the wind goes more southerly and periods drop back, even as the average size gets back into the 2+ metre range. So windswelly, the odd shower, generally southerly and not too spectacular is the call for late in the week.

Go well with your endeavours and have yourself a top old day!

Next tide is a high at 0843, the low is at 1415.

Sydney Coastal Waters, Broken Bay to Port Hacking and 60nm seawards:
Monday until midnight: Wind: N/NE 10/15 knots, easing to 5/10 knots.Sea: about 1 metre.Swell: E/SE about 2 metres, decreasing.
Tuesday: Wind: W/NW 5/10 knots, turning NE during the afternoon.Sea: less than 1 metre.Swell: E/SE 1 to 1.5 metres.
Wednesday: Wind: Early SW change 10/20 knots, SE later.

C C

Fine, dry and mild on the Central Coast this Monday morning.  Lots of water movement still. The swell is semi-smooth at 4 – 6 feet  from the east northeast.  There is breeze at the moment but northwest forecast to go northeast later.  High tide 0845 and low tide around 1415.  Have a great week.

Byron Bay Today May 24th 2009