Some waves are perfect, others are flawed and this wave is somewhere in between. No takers this day so Asher Pacey jumped at the chance for a few empty caves.
Every surfer dreams of finding a new spot or a secret wave they didn’t know existed. The thought of such a thing is what keeps us searching in spite of the recent technology that has made it easier for everyone to search from the comfort of their home computer. Sometimes its doesn’t take an epic wave to satisfy this notion, just a good old wedging beach break with a few friends. That’s exactly what we found when we set off for a hike down a long path none of us had been down before.
The great thing about Australia is that there are so many headlands and little nooks all along the coast to explore. Being from Southern California, where any bend in the coast is likely to have 44 friendly faces bickering over who had the last set wave, this option to explore untouched places is extremely refreshing. As we headed down the long slippery, rocky, winding trail, we encountered lots of big hairy spiders and a few snakes. We knew something good had to be at the end of the road with all the hazards involved. There wasn’t a whole lot of swell at first light and the headland we were scoping appeared to stick out a bit like a catchers mitt, hopefully acting as a swell magnet.
After a good 45 minutes of ducking under webs, we got a glimpse of the ocean and to our surprise there was actually some whitewater down in the small cove. As we got closer we could tell that there was a pretty good right bouncing off the rocks and dumping on the shallow beach. Its hard to tell how big a wave is when you see it from a distance and there is no one out, so we could only guess that it was surfable. Down on the beach the delightful sight of spitting tubes came time and time again in the same spot and we had a session on our hands. Exploring can be fun.
New wallpaper images from the making of the film: WAY OF THE OCEAN.
Click one of the links below to download this desktop wallpaper. enjoy-
1680X1050 (widescreen)
One day of left over footage during production. D’Bah was pumping and Asher Pacey found the goods. These clips didn’t make the cut but soon you will get to see a glimpse of the ones that did. The long awaited official WAY OF THE OCEAN trailer is coming soon, stay tuned . . .
Check out Josh Kerr and Asher Pacey carving some long clean walls in the newest episode of WAX LYRICAL. The legendary wave at Kirra point was once the jewel of Australia. After rocks were moved, sand was pumped and man interacted with the natural flow of erosion, the wave mutated into nothing more than a hyper speed close out. With the exception of a few swells a year the banks at Kirra are but a distant memory. The long draining stand up tubes that resembled the cartoon waves we sketched in our 8th grade notebooks dont happen often but a fun clean swell kept the boys content.
Production had been busy and internet time is scarce so here are a few photos from the road and there will be a full update coming very soon . . .
Back from our journey with plenty of eye candy and surf soaked wisdom to share. Bare with us as we get sorted and back in to the swing of internet and electricity. Until tomorrow, here’s a taste . . .
We came across a rippable right-hander where Jordy Smith and Asher Pacey traded shacks and ramps in the blistering sun.
Bobby Martinez, Jordy Smith, Kelly Slater and Asher Pacey getting loose in the small stuff on the Goldy.
Sometimes when there is a fresh new swell you can almost feel it first thing in the morning. There seems to be more salt in the air and more energy in the crisp off shore breeze. The feeling of walking up to get your first glimpse of the newly stacked corduroy lines is like having a 2nd cup of coffee. Each and every wave has traveled hundreds or thousands of miles only to show its power,beauty and unique form for just a few seconds and for our enjoyment.
This particular morning we were early for the swell’s arrival and at first light there were small clean lines all the way to the horizon. There was a small right tucked away in a sheltered cove for a quick go at first light. Within an hour or so the swell more than doubled in size as the wind kicked up hard offshore. By mid morning all the outside bars were absorbing most of the swell and there was a fickle wedge that proved to be nearly impossible to line up. Once the swell fully filled in, it was clear we needed to relocate and doing so proved to be a smart move as that evening turned out to be one of the best days we saw. For that you will have to wait for the movie but in the mean time here are some images to highlight the first signs of the new swell.
When the surf goes flat there is a good chance you will see Asher Pacey and Josh Kerr headed out to sea for a day of fishing. One might even say that Asher loves fishing as much as surfing and that’s a lot. There are a ton of different species swimming about and during the season a good catch of yellow tail can make for a tasty sushi dinner. When fishing it’s important to remember to not take more than you need and respect the ocean and all its marvels.This particular day wasn’t the most eventful but Kerrzy locked into some large, very large and it snapped the line keeping its identity a secret, but its always nice to give it a go and spend a day on the water.
When you have an island as large as Australia with thousands of miles of surfable coastline, timing becomes the most important element in the quest for perfect waves. Wind conditions, swell direction, tides and other variables come into play and can literally make drastic changes to the surf in minutes. During the first few months of production for the film time and luck were on our side and being in the right place at the right time seemed to become routine. Every surfer has certain days that stand out in their mind for one reason or another as a magic day and those memories are what it its all about. This particular day for us came quite early in production as we stumbled upon a perfect beach break with spitting barrels and no one around for miles. Sometimes its not the quality of the waves but the day itself that can turn your memories to magic. Our little secret spot was kind to us on more than a few occasions and here is a quick look at why those memories are so dear and why the Ocean is such a special place.
The surf had been solid for weeks now and we wanted to get away from the Gold Coast for a bit and find some different waves. While perfect point breaks are always on the top of the list, sometimes a wave that keeps you on your toes can be much more rewarding. There are many types of waves in Australia and reef slabs are all over this surf blessed country. Reefs come in all shapes and sizes and can bend and transform waves into all kinds of different forms. In this case the shape was round, sometimes almost square and somewhat below sea level. It wasn’t the biggest day but there were a few on offer and Asher Pacey and Josh Kerr traded barrels for an hour before the tide turned and the waves turned off.
After sitting around the house for days waiting for the rain and wind to stop we started getting restless. Frequent runs to the beach in between downpours only revealed victory at sea conditions but we knew it had to clean up sooner or later. So when the forecast showed a switch in wind direction, less rain and more swell, we decided to make a plan and head out to a wave that rarely breaks and needs heaps of swell like we had on our hands. Getting there would require spending some quality time on the ski and motoring out miles into the distant horizon. The crew consisted of Asher and his good mate Ado along with Dean Morrison and Shaun Harrington. The plans were made and we would take off dark and early the next morning.
We awoke to what had to have been the loudest crack of thunder any of us had ever heard. It was pretty clear that the storm was nowhere near finished but plans were already made and so we headed off for the long drive to our launching point to assess the situation. Upon arrival we were greeted with howling side shore wind with pelting sideways rain. Out to sea the horizon was black and the wind driven white caps marched across it with no sign of remission. But, plans were made and the thought of what we might be missing out yonder wouldn’t allow us to cancel the trip, after all this wind would be off shore at our destination.
So we packed ourselves and the gear on to our ski, three hombres, five surfboards, one Camera, one water housing, one tripod, three backpacks, two extra fuel canisters and the storm of the year. Packed on like refugees we set off on our adventure wondering what the day and our luck help in store for us.
After motoring out for about five minutes we heard Deano and Shaun whistling from their ski behind us and we realized we had lost all five boards. We quickly looped back and rounded up the wandering crafts and pulled ashore to reload. The seas were extremely choppy and it was clear no matter how tight they were tied down we were going to have to keep an eye on them.
Take two, so we made headway into the black horizon and as the wind driven sideways chop met the on coming swell we found ourselves caught in what felt like a washing machine. No sooner than the shoreline disappeared and my death grip to the back seat started to loosen we rode over the top of the biggest lump yet. Then we came down the back only to submarine right under the next wave. The ski had to keep motoring to stay afloat and we submarined for what felt like a good distance before Asher and myself were ripped from the ski into the murky water. Luckily the tripod bag floats because it went flying off as well and was floating a few yards from where I popped up. The waters we were in are known to be very very sharky and we didn’t exactly want to hang around to find out.
So now that we had two mishaps in the books there was sure to be a third since things seem to always happen in threes. We continued on for what seemed like forever bobbing up and down and slowly making our way to an island we still couldn’t see. Luckily the rain let up, in the distance we could see the shoreline and knew that were on the right track. The wind was still howling as we make our way around the island to the side where the swell was hitting and as we came around the corner we could just barely see through our bloodshot eyes what appeared to be waves peeling off in the distance.
continued in part two tomorrow . . .
Josh Kerr and Asher Pacey grabbed the ski and took turns pulling into barrels in the big stormy conditions. Without a ski the current would send you miles up the beach in just a few minutes. Here’s a shot from the newspaper of Asher setting up for a big dark barrel with Kerrzy in the foreground watching the action and waiting for his turn.
This is some of the art that we designed for Asher Pacey’s board during the filming of the movie. Click one of the links below to download this desktop wallpaper. enjoy-
below are some photos of the creative process
getting the idea down on paper first is key, then it’s on to the board.
Just laying on a few minimal colors to keep it simple.
We are busy editing the next few posts about the storm that hit during our stay on the gold coast, so here is some eye candy to feast on for the time being. COLORS ON THE CRAFT is a short film featuring time lapse photography of art coming to life on Asher’s board. Stay tuned for footage and photos of the storm that rocked the Gold Coast and Northern NSW last May, proving to be one of the biggest storms of the decade flooding much of Northern NSW and carrying meters of beach out to sea and up the coast. We will also be sharing video of our adventure miles out to sea in search of perfect empty barrels in very sharky waters.
To go with the previous post we give you WAVE CLOUD SAND, a short film we produced while filming for Way of The Ocean. We were drawing so much inspiration from the empty waves we were finding that we decided to create a short piece that pays tribute to the elements.
While on the Gold Coast we spent a day at the D’Arcy surfboard factory to check out the process of building a board and to find out how D’Arcy’s shop was named the most environmentally friendly facility in Australia. While there is still a need to develop greener materials used to build a board, D’Arcy shows that we can still take action now to ensure the cleanest outcome for the environment and our future. The factory is outfitted with various extraction fans and other technology to lower the toxic dust and floating fumes emitted in the manufacturing process. The air leaving the building is actually cleaner than the air outside and with just a 3% emission output, the factory is setting high standards for environmental responsibility and awareness.
Here is the first of many WAY OF THE OCEAN desktop wallpapers. We will be offering new imagery weekly. Click one of the links below for the correct size. The file will open in a new window.
Ocean Facts
