Healed by the warmth

So here i am for the 5th year in a row out in bali, soaking up the sun,

eating rice and vegetables, surfing incredibly fun waves. Its been small out

here, which is probably a blessing for me as i can't re injure my knee

easily. The heat has limbered me right up and allowed the healing time to be

minimised, which is one  of the main reasons for coming.

 I love indonesia, Its a special place, as any one who has been here would

know, for me its like going to another planet, a place where my mind is set

free and the reality is left at home.

Already in a week we have had 1 crazy police chase, which was stupid, as

we could of been killed on the deathly roads. 2 days later when i was

flagged down again i thought, i might just pay the measly fine of £2.00 this

time, instead of risking my life. It took a while to get the gnarly Javanese

police man from £70 to £2.00, thats the annoying part.

 the surf was small for 2 weeks, and the crowd at lackey peak was getting pretty intense. When its smaller than 3ft at lackeys the crowd doesn't really get separated , everyone starts dropping in and snaking, never mind all the local kids that are hanging out on the inside, with not the slightest worry that someone is going to run them over. anyway thats just 1 of the things that you have to laugh of and not let it phase you. It felt like ground hog day, wake up everyday hoping there is just the slightest increase in swell. realise there isn't, eat my banana pancake, drink my bali coffee, surf,  get my packet of rice and veggies from the dirt lane around the corner, surf again in the mid day sun, to avoid the majority of the crowd. get some dodgy donuts from a lady called dodgy, maybe a banana milkshake. surf again before dark, glassy fun conditions, standard procedure. 

it all gets a bit "samey. and then there it is, a flicker of hope on the charts, an increase in swell and period. We're on. 

2 days before our flight back to bali the swell finally came. 2 days of barrels, 2 days of excitement and exhaustion,  its all us surfers need to make a good trip.  the swell split up the crowd, it separated the beginners from the experienced, my friends and i surfed our selves stupid for those 2 days, we surfed through aches and pains, severe bruising and infections, theres not much that can stop us from missing a swell like that

 every time i come home alive i am grateful, for whoever kept me from danger. The reality of what could happen out there is scary, surfing razor sharp, slabbing, reefs, that could slice you to pieces. Driving on roads with no rules, flying with airlines that probably havn't had a safety check in a few months, malaria, natural disasters, the list goes on.  These are the risks i suppose you have to take if you want adventure, if you want a change from the repetitive life u may live. I've come of lightly this time with only a small infection in my foot, and a million RP (£70) stolen from my bag on an airline. "Don't leave your bag on the back of the aeroplane with valuables inside." A lesson to us all. My knee is almost fully healed now, i'm gutted that i missed out on some amazing waves in ireland, but there's always next year. hopefully i can go back out there with more experience, more knowledge and not make the same mistake i made last time, but for now, well summer is on the way again. Time to get down to europe and give the wqs comps another go. 

 bring it on.  

https://vimeo.com/38085206

Injured update

So shit got a bit crazy out in Ireland before christmas. For sure the biggest waves i’ve ever surfed. 

Was i ready for it, probably not, but how could you let that swell pass with out giving it a go. 

Lyndon was amped and so was I.

 we were the first ones in the water, it was still a bit messy, but we started towing anyway, i towed lyndon into a few beauties, a little nervous, to say the least, but everything was going smoothly.

It was my turn, the wind started to blow offshore, I had a couple under my belt, my heart was pumping and adrenaline flowing. I wanted to go deeper and get the barrel of my life.

as we were sitting out back chatting away, like frothing grommets on a 2ft beach break, suddenly these lumps appeared on the horizon, “you ready big dick”  shouts Lyndon. “ I think so” i said.

Next thing i know i’m flying down  a 20 -25ft wave, thinking holly shizenburg, this thing is a beast, i was to deep, i tried to get more speed by going to the top of the wave and accelerating down it, as i got to the bottom of the wave it felt like slow motion, everything just slowed down, i lost all my speed, either that or the wave was just going a hell of a lot faster than i was. I didn’t make it into the pit, tons of water piled down on me, square on the head. It launched me in the air, i was wait less for about 3-5 seconds and then the giant washing machine turned on. It frashed me around like a rag doll, ripping my limbs apart, i felt my leg pull in the wrong direction, “ouch that hurt a little” i remember thinking. 

I popped up surprisingly fast to see my loyal friend there to save me. 

My knee was pretty damaged, i could tell it wasn’t good. Im still waiting on my scan results as i was lazy and didn’t get it done straight away. But 2 months down the line now and i’m surfing again. very cautiously, but its nice to get back in the water.  was it worth it   ............. of course it was.

https://vimeo.com/35683791

Winter In Ireland -

This winter will be a massive change for me.

I have decided to venture to the cold instead of the warm.

These waves have been on my door step my whole life, but only now i have decided to take advantage of them.

I’m over trying to fight for waves in warmer climates, the hassle and localism is a little to much. Surfing maybe a lot harder in the freezing cold conditions, but i’m ready to face it.

Lyndon wake and i have been preparing for this winter, all summer,

the organisation has been non stop from sponsorship to photographers . I cant actually believe that i’m finally out here now, writing my first blog . 

 With 2 weeks gone and some amazing waves under our belt already, also comes some pretty horrible beatings, but nothing to serious as yet. To be honest everything is going pretty smooth.

 Thanks to yamaha sorting us out with a deal on a new wave runner jet ski. we will be able to tow waves that we haven’t yet experienced.

I’m so excited about getting some of the biggest barrels of my life. I have never driven a jet ski before, but Lyndon has, so he is going to show me the ropes. i think a good driver is almost as important as a good surfer. So far we have had a couple of sessions in 8 to 10ft waves, at the start i was terrible at towing lyndon in and was pretty much shitting myself that i was going to write the ski off. After a few goes i soon got the hang of  it and felt comfortable.

I really want to learn how to paddle big waves this winter as well. I thinks its really important to know how to paddle before towing. Its almost a completely different sport . Its 1 thing being able to grab hold of a rope and launch yourself into the right part of the wave. and another using your own strength to get down the face of the wave and maintain the speed to make it out. 

So far we have had 2 good days out of 2 weeks, The wind has been howling on shore most days. we have driven up and down the coast looking for sheltered spots, but theres only so much driving you can do before turning into a mental case and hatting all the music you have on your ipod. 

We have a sweet house in bundoran, county donegal, surrounded by waves,  now its just a waiting game until they all turn on.  

I’m not here to prove anything to myself or anyone else, I’m here for a change of scene and a taste of some of the best waves in the world

https://vimeo.com/34075914

Summer fun -

So, the Mentawais was an interesting trip. It took us a few days and night to get there but it was worth it, as you can see from the picture above and below.

I think we got pretty lucky with 1 of the first solid swells of the season i’ve never really experienced waves like it. was quite blown away really, especially as i had the shits  the whole time. Pretty devastating when your looking at waves of such calibre and thinking, ummmmm ok i might drown due to fatigue and lack of energy in my body, but fuck it least if i shit myself the fish will have a nice dinner .....

 The waves on this day were out of control, from perfect rights to perfect lefts, i couldn’t believe what i was seeing and about to surf. It wasn’t just the fact that it was pumping, there was also only a few guys out, now theres something you don’t see these days.

 Even the small days were really fun, but sometimes crowded, with a few charter boats around. We stayed on pei pei island, with a friendly family that have just started up there surf camp. http://www.mentawai-surfcamp.com/  

 Don’t think the action stopped there !!!!    

 this was only the start of the summer. when i arrived home after the wqs in scotland, france and the epic journey to the Mentawais, i was pretty content with just chilling and catching up on myself . But chilling is not what happened, well maybe for a few days. 

Summer in cornwall is my comfort zone and i was caught right in the middle of it. 

There was also some good fishing this summer don’t worry vegetarians or animal lovers, i eat everything i catch. I only kill fish when i’m hungry and appreciate all the goodness and omega that fish give to us humans......

and allot of festival appearances, reading  being the highlight of them all, thanx to relentless energy sorting the boys out with free gust tickets . 

Oh i did surf through out the summer as well, but i thought i might as well just share the fun parts of life with you guys, after all that is what life is all about.... isn’t it ?   

https://vimeo.com/26598884

A year down the line _the tropics_

from cold to warm, theres no escape from the storm.

its wet season again in bali,

hot, humid days, stormy nights.

There's good and evil here, its taken me a few trips back and forth to  figure this crazy place out.

theres no doubt about it i love it here, the waves, the temperature, the religion, but i've heard stories about bali 20-30 years ago, and can only imagine how beautiful and pure the island was before it was invaded by people like myself, westerners.

In my short visit 

this time i managed to schedule in my normal escape to lakey peak for 3 weeks. The waves were fun as per usual. 

we had 2 swells whilst i was  there. A week into it i found out some bad news about the small town, that relies on surfers passing through. Westerners have traced gold in the forest about a mile inland from lakeys. They have the rights to dig and destroy miles of land surrounding lakeys. Locals are protesting in the the closest city about an hour away, but what they don't understand is that money talks,  not just in indonesia, but anywhere in the world. 

If more gold is found lakeys will be destroyed, the quant surfing paradise in which it once was will be taken over by the indulgent western world.

bali can only go one way now and we all know where this path leads.

money, money, money, thats what its all about.

Which leads to an increase of structure, traffic, fumes, greed and a decrease in natural beauty.

https://vimeo.com/21596860

Fuerteventura -

Fuerteventura for me has always been a special place. Since the age of 10 it has been a quick and easy winter retreat for my family and friends. 

the waves never seem to fail us. without a doubt i woulds say its in my top 3 surf destinations.

only a four hour flight south on the same longitude and you arrive on this baron, moon like, volcanic landscape. named the canaries.

 - lobos -

The chart looked amazing we booked 4 days before flying. from day 1 the surf was relentless 

we surfed this wave 5 days in a row sometimes 3 sessions a day. it was unbelievable, every time we rocked up to see consistent perfection, the excitement would take over the tiredness.

 every night we would eat like kings and watch the constant flood of tourism flow through the streets with a scoop of ice cream. I find it weird that most of these people look over at lobos not knowing what goes on over there, on that flicker of white water, that rolls smoothly down the mountain side.

https://vimeo.com/19237543

Images - nick pumphrey

A Dogs Life -

Im currently in paris on another photo shoot.

some news came to me yesterday that my dog had to be put down.

to here this whilst being alone was very sad.

after sharing 15 years with a dog, you bind a connection, you understand it and get to know its personality, even though its not human. 

shady was 15, she lived a long and happy life on our farm, chasing sheep, horses, badgers and any other animals she could snout out. 

we’re all gona miss you shades......... r.i.p

 especially sunny ladkins ...

and treacle dog .