Raves and Rants . . . . from Penzance

On Surfing Injuries

2012-01-25T03:08:00.000-08:00

It's come to my attention that my physical body is perhaps not as happy to go surfing as it once was. While the elation of riding virtually any size or sort of wave remains undiminished since I first stumbled to my feet on a dented and waterlogged old board at Sennen more than twenty years ago, the increasing occurrence, and current list, of minor bodily injuries has managed to break through my imagined youthfulness and inform me of it's ailments. Since this is usually via the conduit of pain, it has been difficult to ignore.

Some of these ailments could be said to be partially self-inflicted - the groin injury occasioned by an upturned fin during a wipe-out, a bloody nose inflicted by someone bailing their board after dropping in on me. Tight hamstrings are a fact of life for surfers, but add the current twinge of Sciatica, a cricked neck that six months of exercises has failed to heal and a twisted knee caused by the above drop in, and you'll start to get the same message that my body seems to be giving me.

Whilst I'm not yet in the same self-destructive league as hard-hitting journo I njury Nation there is always the chance that every session will mean a further addition to the list of 'Things that might Stop you Surfing'.

And I haven't even mentioned age yet. So while some types I know are training towards attempting a triathlon (read mid-life crisis) some of us are simply coping with the effects of having gone harder a bit earlier in life. That's my excuse anyway.

Now, before I am forced kicking and screaming to get my pipe and slippers for a cup of tea and a nice sit down, please view this proof that I am still (currently) up and riding.

Pic courtesy of Mel Sedgewick of Splashography

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Ghost in the machine

2012-01-12T02:16:00.000-08:00

Click to watch video

Haunting music and beautiful footage of massive waves and riders at Teahupoo in Tahiti. Shot on £100,000 worth of video camera called 'The Phantom' during the Billabong Pro last year, the camera was designed for ultra-high speed capture to be played back in slow motion. This high quality imagery really gives you an idea of what big wave riders are taking on.

More Surfing VideosIt also makes the waves look stunning.

Amazing work by Chris Bryan www.chrisbryanfilms.com

Missing person ..

2012-01-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

Has anyone seen Newquay surfer Oliver Doy? He is missing and his friends and family are worried about him. Please call 101 and quote log number 572 of the 7th of January. This is not a joke, serious help only please. (from the local police)...

Oliver Doy - missing since 7th Jan

Please contact the police if you have any information.

Happy Resolutions

2012-01-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

Click for more photos...
Happy New Year to the blogosphere, here's hoping 2012 will bring lots of interesting photo commissions, surf and storms. Before all that though, here's a quick glance back to the Christmas Day swim at Sennen. The only shot I got was this one from the road leading down to the Cove because we were stuck in a traffic jam. Normally this time of year Sennen lacks only tumbleweeds for the classic 'deserted town' feel. Christmas Day saw the car park overflowing, and the road across the front lined both sides with seemingly abandoned vehicles. Several hundred people made the 'swim' ( more exactly a screaming, lemming-like plunge up to the knees followed by hours of shivering) with several hundred more encouraging them on with their madness.

Sennen on Christmas Day

The swell was good enough to tempt a few surfers in too.

So what's new for the New Year, I hear myself ask ? Some interesting portrait jobs coming up for Cornwall Today, including artists, pilots, and the RNLI, storm chasing for the national papers, plus an intriguing surf trip to a hitherto unexplored surfing area abroad (unexplored by me anyway), with reports promised once the need for secrecy has passed.

Christmas in Portreath

Portreath harbour

Today myself and a couple of friends managed to surf a spot which I've been eyeing up for years, a walling right point, which despite certain access problems, a strong rip, howling wind and spray, with glaring sun blotting out the sneaker sets, still managed to instill in me a massive sense of achievement, since I only know of about five others that have surfed this rare beast. Six to eight foot walls wound down the point, with only three of us out. A great start to the year, here's hoping the rest of the year is as exciting.

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Endless Winter film

2011-11-18T09:25:00.001-08:00

Can't wait for this film from Mr B to hit the silver screen.. teaser clip on big wave surfing at the Cribbar, in Newquay

Sunset style

2011-11-14T15:50:00.001-08:00

Seb curling under

Sam styling, James whiling

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Windy Walls

2011-11-10T12:19:00.001-08:00

Godrevy today . . . . . . . but first, click this post to see a little video attempt from yesterday........

Today the swell jumped quite a bit and the wind kicked in too, but plenty managed to score some decent waves at Godrevy on the north coast once the rip had been tamed.

Lawrence Couch finding a line

Meanwhile, giant walls of water moved around on the infamous Stones Reef in the background.

Inside Stones Reef.

You can just make out a fishing boat dodging the big ones in the background of the picture above.

Bert Wright at Sennen later

More photos here from Godrevy and Sennen

Further afield, a few people hit the south coast and got some decent ones by the look of Colin Banfield's shots.
Check them out here : South Coast

A Boex in a Bowl

It's been a fantastic autumn for surf so far, and looks set for more this weekend.

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90 foot wave ridden in Portugal

2011-11-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

Garret Mcnamara
Photo by Wilson Ribeiro, courtesy of North Canyon Project

This giant beast was ridden a few days ago by Garret Mcnamara and is being called the biggest wave ever ridden at 90 feet (30metres). An 8m swell had been creating 60ft waves all day, the size boosted by an unusually deep undersea trench running in close to shore on the west coast of Portugal, according to big wave rider and Irish giant Al Mennie , who was out on the safety ski on this day. But this one swung through out of nowhere, and Garret was towed into history by Andrew Cotton.

The trio were in Nazaré as part of the North Canyon Project, perhaps this will now be the spot where the landmark 100 foot wave will be ridden, the Holy Grail of big wave surfing. For the moment.

To read Al Mennie's first hand account, Click Here

Surflne article with a bit more video: click here

Below, a some great footage, and a few words from Garrett about the ride.....

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Burn out

2011-11-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

A flaming wreck on the beach.

Witness the end of the Newlyn crabber Dom Bosco, a fishing boat that was due to be de-commissioned, but for reasons unknown, was towed outside Newlyn Harbour, drawn up to the high tide mark on Sandy Cove, and set ablaze.

The thick smoke drew crowds to the car park, and lacked only the firework displays of last night to make it a landmark spectacle. Whilst the legality of this 'de-commissioning', health and safety or marine pollution issues will be discussed at some length locally, it is certainly a rare sight. Perhaps all the fishing boats due for de-commissioning could be drawn up on the beach here and create a new fishing-based theme park?
With tractor rides and everything. Anyone ?

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Who will save British surfing ?

2011-11-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

What is it with surfing ? Everyone wants a piece of the innate 'cool' that surrounds surfing, the advertisers, the clothing brands, the appropriators of surfing's unique language. But no-one wants to carry the torch for British surfing. The British Surfing Association has gone, Surfing GB has folded, in a disarray of resignations, before it had even started doing anything to promote a sport that just about everyone in Britain aspires to.

So who will be the person, or people, who will step forward and put British surfing solidly on the map? Who will step in to the current void and take UK surfing to the place it belongs?

Reading this post at Surf Nation gives me hope that a sensible committee might indeed be formed to promote our sport on a national level. As a healthy lifestyle pursuit and with charitable institutions like Surf Action and Sirens Surf providing social help to disadvantaged groups through surf courses, surfing has traveled well beyond its humble roots.

As ever with movements on a national scale it will be slow going, but if those movements are in a continually positive direction, it will only be good for British surfing.

In the meantime, here's a picture of someone having a very positive time at Praa Sands today..

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Surfing is good for you

2011-11-04T04:09:00.000-07:00

A decent swell hit the south west of Cornwall this week, and some lucky blighters managed to snag a few. Three foot peelers were randomly interspersed with 6 foot screamers resulting in hoots for the riders, and groans from those caught inside. Generally smiles all round though, surfers grins keeping the beach lit up long after the autumn sun had made its (far too early) disappearance.

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Coming soon . . . .

2011-09-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

The new2012 Waves Calendar

Coming to a website near you. Soon !!

P.S. You can pre-order yours if you want, here: 2012 Calendar

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Reflections

2011-09-08T03:37:00.000-07:00

Two magnificent pieces of architecture for the price of one

The camera never lies . .

2011-09-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

. . .but sometimes you can persuade it to fib a bit.

Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro

Swim to the pub

2011-09-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Every year a small group of friends used to swim from Newlyn to their favourite pub, about a mile away in Penzance. Gradually the group expanded and this year saw over 500 hardy fools attempt this 'Wild Swim'.

Having witnessed Captain Indestructible finishing this swim despite an ever-lengthening list of ailments, I rashly promised that next year there would be another less than hardy fool in the starting line-up.

New surf publication - not online

2011-07-27T00:08:00.000-07:00

With the advent of the ever-expanding world of iPads, Kindles and netbooks allowing ever easier access to the internet and its largely free content, the once burgeoning world of magazines printed on paper (stuff you don't have to even click, for younger readers) has become squeezed, and squeezed again, as advertisers head where the public are flocking. The effect of this has seen many magazines close in recent years, the doomsayers heralding the signs as the complete end of all printed material. But maybe it's just the business model of the Net that's part of its success, the knowledge that all content is free being the one of the biggest draws.

If that's true then maybe new national surf title SurfPlus stands a better chance of sticking around, since they are simply giving it away. While free papers are an unremarkable publishing method, witness the local Classified Ads 'newspaper' dropped through your letterbox, this is a first, as far as I know, in the Surf Magazine world.

Of course only time, and the quality of content, will tell. Having not seen the insides of one yet, though they are on various shelves around the country as of today, the outside cover is sure looking pretty, with a perfect blue Ocean-Image.com barrel being ridden by stylish and enigmatic chef, Joobs.

Of course, being a modern title, you can also get the preview issue online, here: SurfPlus .
Why not pick one up, that's something you can't do with the internet.

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World Records and Surf Tripping

2011-07-06T03:41:00.000-07:00

In the topsy turvy world of freelance photography, anything might happen, and frequently does so, often in a bad way. But recently a couple of good things happened. First, I found myself shooting a World Record attempt, (OK, it was the slightly obscure 'Most Pirates in One Place' attempt, but a World Record is a World Record, right?) in the blazing sun with 8,733 other scurvy dogs on Penzance Promenade.

Having successfully smashed the previous and paltry record of around 6,000, the second good thing happened, I was asked to shoot a surf trip. I immediately jumped on board a Spanish Pirate Galleon with Self Destruct Nation and sailed south to the Spanish coast in search of some hidden surf treasures. (OK so it was the Santander ferry, but sailing's sailing, right?).

The Basque coast and the rivermouth jewel of Mundaka are much noted for their quality surf, but we managed to find a great setup, without the crowds, straight off the ferry at Loredo. In fact you can spot the two mile stretch of surf beach as the ferry docks. And if a decent swell is running, you'll also see a heavy
right point peeling off an island in the bay.

This being summer, the surf was small, but lined up and fun, the younger crew traveling with us opting for the brand new skate park right by the beach after the morning surf session.

A classic surf town setup, and a little gem you should visit if you head south this winter.

Somo beach and skate park, Santander across the water

There's always a wave in Loredo

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Misty mornings

2011-06-15T03:44:00.000-07:00

A classic boat, the Brixham trawler 'Leader', rocking gently at anchor in the bay on this hazy dawn. The 80ft gaff ketch adding a touch of classic wooden style to a classic hazy Cornish morning. Suitably, the mount is looking ageless and mystically misty in the background too. Classic!

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New Exhibition

2011-05-31T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted here! The reason, well, one of the reasons, being arranging some photos for this show, which will go up next week.

Inviting you to the show

There will be photos by John Knee, whose abstract photographs should match the colourful canvas paintings of Anthony Frost, plus some seascapes and waves by yours truly. Glass of wine if you come on Friday 10th for the view!

Hopefully see you there.

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Evening all

2011-04-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

Some sunset shutter clicks, from a certain place that never works at this state of tide . . . . .

A blurry evening

Sir Jack of Johns

JJ standing tall

Sir Sam of Boex

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Blues are back in town

2011-04-11T02:01:00.000-07:00

Suddenly a crisp, clear day can arrive at the same time as a long period swell, and more occasionally, a rare offshore wind to create perfect, solid conditions. The first law of surfing being 'The size and quality of the surf is inversely proportional to your ability to get to it', ensured that, naturally, I had no chance of surfing, leaving me feeling slightly blue. A small window of opportunity did allow me to grab a frame or two at this rare spot though - a blue wave, under a blue sky, shot by a blue surfer.

Blue

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Hazy Spring Days and Lego

2011-03-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

It's been some time since I've had the time to update this blog, for which omission, my apologies, dear reader ( you know who you are). I had a job postponed today, and so have had time to upload a shoot I did yesterday at a local surf spot.......

The LEGO effect

A bright sunlit day, a stiff offshore breeze was initially ripping plumes of spray out of the lined-up wave faces, creating awkward updrafts for the keenest morning surfers, and a pleasant haze across the sea surface. Advanced surfers who could prevent themsleves from rushing in immediately, and those on a late one after work, caught the best part of the day with the LEGO effect, the Late Evening Glass Off.

See how the day changed from EMO (early morning offshores) to LEGO here

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Summer time

2011-02-26T12:49:00.000-08:00

Spent today thinking about summer. There's no doubt it's been an epic winter for swell, but it will be nice to hang up the winter wetsuit and shake out the summer one. Swells may be smaller, crowds may be bigger, but the heat of a summer day can't be beat.

Jonty Henshall

Jonty Henshall, a cooling run in the summer heat.

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Land of Waves

2011-02-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

The surf mags have followed the big wave events at Waimea Bay, Hawaii and Teahupoo, Tahiti for many years, but now with Aileens becoming a renowned big wave spot, and with these behemoths being ridden at Mullaghmore Head today, surely Ireland can lay claim to being one of the best legitimate Big Wave destinations on the planet ?

Mullaghmore Head today

Pic courtesy of the Billabong site , taken during Ireland’s first Big Wave Invitational surf contest demonstrating tow-in surfing and organised by The Irish Surf Rescue Club. Hats off to anyone who ventured into the water under these conditions, as cold and heavy as any I've ever seen.

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Surf Graffiti

2011-02-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

Just loving this artist . .

The arms say it all

Not in a gallery, just a bright moment of inspiring graffiti brightening up a dull, grey, industrial wall.

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Jazz

2011-02-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of images from a recent shoot with a Jazz band. Shot using digital, but with a Black and White eye.

Always good to have some cool tunes blowing while you're working too.
Reminded me of my old darkroom and my Durst enlarger..........

Durst enalarger - yours if you want it

Now surplus to requirements if you know anyone who could use it?

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Swimming

2011-01-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

A stunning blue sky day arrived out of nowhere so I went for a swim. A solitary bird wheeled above me, seemingly intent on watching the waves roll in.

south coast wanderer

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Start

2011-01-04T03:08:00.000-08:00

Hope you had a memorable festive season, and 2011 has many open doors for you. I'll be continuing to do that thing that photographers do, including swimming around whenever there's some decent surf.

Mike hard at work shooting in his studio

This pic is courtesy of the long lens of Photographer and Photoshop Master Geoff Tydeman, a long time contributor of top quality imagery to the surf media. Thanks are also due to Geoff for showing me the light in one of my photographs recently.

Happy New Year.
Mike
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End

2010-12-31T02:20:00.000-08:00

So that's it for 2010, here's some wintry Sennen shots from the recent snow. If you're reading this tomorrow, then Happy New Year.

Sennen Cove

Sennen beach, with Cape Cornwall in the distance

Sennen hill surfing

Penlee Park

Penzance Promenade

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Spicy Christmas

2010-12-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

With all the spices going into the mulled wine this time of year, it reminded me of one of surfing's most iconic commercial uses in the 1970's Old Spice adverts. If you know who shot the surf footage, or who the surfers are, please get in touch, I'd love to know.

Festive Greetings to you, hope you have a Spicy one.

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Water shooting

2010-12-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

I love getting in the water to shoot surfing, it gives such a fresh perspective on what is really going on in the water. Today was also fantastically bright, which helps with getting faster shutter speeds to freeze the action.

Porthleven today

Freezing was the buzz word today, with a near zero air temperature and blocks of ice for feet after a long session swimming about in the water ensuring that hobbling across the barnacled reef afterwards was like stepping on red hot knives. But a brilliant blue sky day with sparkling clear light and some great colours.

More of the shots here : Porthleven Today

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More horses

2010-11-30T01:47:00.000-08:00

A few horses in the snow, alert to the arrival of some hay..

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More Published work

2010-11-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

Hot on the heels of the 2011 Waves calendar comes my first book, unsurprisingly entitled 'Ocean-Image', and published via the Blurb phenomenon.

With 120 pages of, as the title suggests, seascapes, surfing and wave pictures, the book also includes three surf travel stories from previous Irish, Scottish and Sri Lankan adventures.

You can buy one or just have a look at the first 15 pages here : Ocean-Image Book

New Book - Cover

A calendar, a book, whatever next ? Well, hopefully some time for a surf before the X-word arrives.

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Waves Calendar

2010-11-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

So the new Waves Calendar has arrived, just in time for the X-word, with 12 great surfing and wave photos plus a whole year's worth of days and dates inside, it would make a marvellous present for the Ocean Lover in your life.

The 2011 Calendar cover

Back cover

Displayed inside it's own clear fold-out case, it'll sit happily on a shelf, mantlepiece or desk, plus it is sold in aid of Surfers Against Sewage, who aim to keep our oceans clean, among many other worthy causes.

Grab one via the website by clicking here .

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Barrels

2010-11-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today was a day of barrels, everywhere you looked there were barrels peeling down a reef. And a lot of takers too, doesn't anyone in Cornwall have a job ?

Bert Wright

Is this you ?

Although there were plenty of deep pits, it wasn't as big as expected. Seemingly most of the swell went south to Brittany and Galicia, and hit the west coast of Ireland in a very big way. There were a lot of smiling faces at Porthleven today though.

Bert Wright

There were so many barrels, some people just stood there, mesmerized .. . . . .

Surf zombies transfixed by barrels

Did you manage to get in?

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A date with Miss Cornwall

2010-11-04T04:03:00.000-07:00

Miss Cornwall

A calm, windless, clifftop evening, with a stunning view from a classic Cornish setting. With a few lines of surf rolling in across the glassy sea, what could be better ? Well, the opportunity for a shoot with Samantha Orpe, the current Miss Cornwall, that's what. See the photos and read Alice Westgate's interview with her in the November issue of Cornwall Today.

Nice.

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Dolphins - like London buses

2010-10-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

Having been surfing for about 25 years, I have only once surfed with dolphins at my home break. That was around 15 years ago, when a pod of about eight dolphins came leaping out of the wave faces as a set pushed through the lineup. I managed to catch one of the last waves of the set, which had two dolphins in it. They sped along underneath me, one on each side, like some sort of aquatic outriders escorting me to shore.

A very memorable surf for all of us in the water that day, but it never happened again. I've spotted dolphins many times over the years, but never happened to be in the water when they've arrived. Until yesterday.

And then again today. Of course, no camera with me whilst out in the surf, but managed to snap a shot immediately before going in.

Dolphins - fin

Dolphins, just like London buses.

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Old Cornish Surfboards

2010-10-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

I was up at Perranporth investigating the history of surfing for my monthly Surf Spot column, when I chanced across this beast in the photo. Not Tom Tremewan, but the board he's holding.

Known as ‘Chris and Bill’s board’, it's a hollow wooden finless board which is 12 feet long. Built in the late fifties by Bill Heath and Chris Thomson for paddle races, it was apparently physically damaging to ride. Tom and friends used to surf it back in after a paddle, making it potentially one of the first boards ever surfed in Cornwall.

More info in the latest Cornwall Today Surf Spot column.

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Horses

2010-10-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

An unusal sight on any beach really, the gathered forces of the King's Troop at full gallop bearing down on you. Though partially posted in Afghanistan, the troop are more often seen firing Royal salutes on state occassions, under the leadership of Captain Max Channery.

These were shot earlier in the summer for the national newspapers while the horses were 'holidaying' in Cornwall. Luckily the surf was only mediocre, so it was easy to concentrate.

In other news, this blog has heard that it is not fulfilling all of the functions claimed in the title. Plenty of photos and surfing, we're told, but not enough moaning. To redress the balance, perhaps Blogger itself should be the subject of some moaning..... I've been trying to post these photos now for about ten days, but the recent 'updated' and revamped blogging software has been consistently refusing to allow it. Stumped, with all 'Help' emails routinely ignored, thousands of other stumped Bloggers also unanswered by The System and unable to find a solution in the forums, I've now cunningly manged to circumvent the photo blockade with some fickle web trickery to finally bring you these pictures. It's a really Bassackward world where the technology claiming to be for displaying only two things - words and photos - is entirely deficient in one of them. It feels like it's the start of massive state (or even business) censorship, and we should all be watching our backs.

Or maybe Blogger just doesn't like pictures of horses.

More moaning next time, enjoy your day.

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Outline

2010-10-13T05:56:00.000-07:00

St Michael's Mount this morning

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Hurricanes

2010-10-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

Hurricanes, you've got to like them really. At the same time I was on a cliff shooting these photos of a hurricane swell hitting Cornwall, Peter Martin was on a cliff in Ireland filming the same swell. See his stylish video below.

Longships lighthouse is 117ft (35 meters) high

Cornish clifftop views

Video taken at Mullaghmore Head.

Mullaghmore Head 05/10/2010 from Peter Martin on Vimeo.

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Likeness

2010-10-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

Likeness of a wave seen on a child's head

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A Colourful Character

2010-09-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

Meet Tony Plant. An underground artist whose work varies from metallic installations in places you wouldn't expect to find art, to paintings, to photography, to coloured water pools. You may inadvertently see his work whilst out for a walk, but if the tide has risen and fallen again, you may equally not.

Tony Plant

The rock pool creations are ephemeral, fleeting, often gone before he can pick up a camera to record them. A blink, a passing wave, and you'd never know that something had happened here just moments ago.

Colour pool

Despite the questionable practice of tipping paint into the ocean, these creations are obviously all unique. And does the impossibility of selling this artwork make it more valid as art? Driven by passion rather than the need for financial gain?

Red

A true artist, most likely to exhibit in places you're very unlikely to go, you can catch a little bit of his work here: Tony Plant

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2010-09-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations are due to James Parry, who recently became British Longboard Champion, having already earned himself a place in the World Longboard championships to be held in Makaha, Hawaii, in November. Eagle eyed types may also have spotted him projected onto a building in a current Ford advert.

Evening surf at Godrevy

Martin Black

A few photos here from a shoot up at Godrevy, a stunning, end of summer, windless and relaxed evening, with a spread of water users enjoying a calm, lazy swell.

Caroline Perret

Martin Black

Pro surfers Martin Black and Caroline Perret were there for the evening glass-off somewhere along the acres of beach. Their session flowing over into a great sunset. There's so much space at Godrevy that despite all the people that use it, you may easily surf alone, perhaps alongside visiting surfers, but just as easily find yourself surfing next to local people like Austrian Ladies Surfing Champion, Liesi Ziegelwanger, or Slide65 board shaper Rob Wright.

Rob Wright

Waiting for a last wave

You can read more about the surf scene at Godrevy in this month's Cornwall Today, in the Surf Spot of the Month column. I'll leave you with this pic from the end of the shoot, which seems to sum up the atmosphere of surfing at Godrevy.

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Danielle and Earl

2010-09-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

Sam Lamiroy

The long awaited month of September is finally here, the month all surfers long for, heralding the end of the summer wave drought, and the start of the powerful autumn swell season. This year, bang on cue, the south west was flooded by some clean, lined up, 16second period swell, courtesy of a hurricane named Danielle.

Strong, straight lines marched into the beaches and reefs, in some cases being too big and closing out across the bay. Up in Perranporth a small group of locals including Sam Lamiroy, Andrew Griffin and Ben Skinner launched themselves into some heaving pits. The photographers were out in force too, it seems like there's almost as many photographers as surfers these days, so expect to see this session in a few surf mags soon.

Ben Skinner

Although they generate this perfect swell, over in America the press follow these hurricanes with a sense of dread, fearing that they might come ashore and wreak havoc, like hurricane Katrina did to New Orleans in 2005. This side of the pond we wait with baited breath for the next alphabetically named storm.

As the swell drops from Danielle, and surfers retreat to their social networking sites to rave about how good it was, they'll also be closely watching the development of the next hurricane. Shortly on these shores we'll get to meet Earl and Fiona. Let's hope they're as perfect as Danielle.

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Ship to Shore

2010-08-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's finally here. The long awaited landing of the cable for the Wave Hub project happened this morning at about 5am, on the beach at Hayle rivermouth. Once the cable has been attached to the electricity substation at Harvey Towans, all that remains is to unreel the cable to about 10 miles offshore, drop the Hub device to the seabed, and it will then be ready for business.

The end of the line

This is important for Cornwall, since the wave power devices that are tested on it will be at the very cutting edge of renewable energy technology, placing us at the forefront of that branch of engineering. It's also important for surfers, since they will be able to see if the potential 5% reduction in wave size in the swell shadow (due to energy absorbed by the wave devices) is noticeable. This would mean a 20ft wave becomes a 19ft wave, a 10ft wave becomes a 9.5ft wave, a 5ft wave becomes 4.5ft - who will notice?

Presumably, unless there is a veritable Barrier Reef of devices spread across several miles of coast, absolutely no effect will be noticeable at all. With clean, green, renewable energy soon to be pumped out of the county, this is indeed a bright and forward looking day for Cornwall.

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Greenaway Pro

2010-08-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from the Greenaway Pro, currently being held at Porthmeor beach in St Ives this week. With the longboard event being run yesterday, the Under 18 semi-finals today and the Open rounds tomorrow, the finals on Saturday look set to be a showcase of British surfing talent.

Toby Donachie

In the first semi today, Quiksilver rider Toby Donachie stood out, with Sennen's Seb Smart missing out on a finals place due to a lack of waves. Holding a surf contest in August, the flattest month in Britain, at a beach that needs a decent swell to get going is a daring move. Organiser Matt Smith is certainly not short of the courage needed to even organise such a prestigious event, and clean, surfable, contestable waves pumped in during today's contest.

Adam Bayfield

Luke Dillon

Some top notch Boogie Boarders will be showing up tomorrow, in the form of the Zion team, who will be signing boards and T shirts and, if the waves are as good as the forecast suggests, putting on a display of top notch riding skills too, no doubt.

Patrick Daniel

Included in this festival are two nights of films and music, last year's concert and After Party being the talk of the town. With local talent like Jayce Robinson and Patch Wilson trading waves with Britain's best surfers for the £4000 prize purse, it's sure to be a high octane event.

Toby Donachie

If you want to see some great surfing at a cool, laid back, underground event, get yourself to Porthmeor beach for tomorrow and Saturday.

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Pirates

2010-08-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

The annual Pirate raft race at Praa Sands was lubricated equally by drizzle and beverages, both fuelling the anarchic party atmosphere.

The first 'Pirates' we met were this strange but merry crew, so we were keen to see how they faired amongst the even stranger assortment of craft lined up on the beach, including a twelve foot parrot boat, a floating trampoline, and this motley bunch . . . . .

Total mayhem followed the start with many crews barely making it 20 yards out to sea. That didn't seem to matter as everyone enjoyed jumping ship as they tipped over, were attacked or simply sank whilst under way. The trampoline crew taking this to extremes by doing back flips and somersaults into the water.

The lads above appeared to reach the beach first, but that didn't stop our Nacho Libre attired friends from claiming victory anyway,

and duly celebrating with a warm manly hug.

The real winners were the crowds that lined the terraces and Praa's (slightly dampened) golden sands though, scoring a great day at the beach, despite the weather.

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Breon O'Casey

2010-07-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

Just been cleaning up this blog, with a change of layout and a new header, hope you approve? In the process I came across this shot of Breon O'Casey, which was used in a recent Artist of the Month article.

A renowned artist, his thoughtful and engaging character comes across in his colourful abstract paintings, though the sculptures and figures at his studio were equally intriguing. Difficult, perhaps impossible, to portray a complex personality and their output with just one photo, so here's two.

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I'm a wirter

2010-07-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

The cover of the August issue of Cornwall Today, with this superb shot by Greg Martin, is the first from new editor Alex Wade , and shows Cornish surf at its absolute best.

Unfortunately for any surfers reading this, surfing's code of ethics, and a desire not to have my legs broken, prevents me from naming the place it was taken. It's not the only photo gem in the mag though, the contents spread improving this photo by the design.

But the most noteworthy thing, personally speaking, is the new Surf Spot page, featuring a few words from your humble scribe. This month get the low down on the Sennen surf scene, with continued exploration of the best surfing beaches around the Cornish coast over the coming months.

Oh, and just my little joke, saying 'I'm a wirter'. I do kno it shud hav bin 'wrighter'.

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(R) Amped

2010-07-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

I was surprised and pleased, not to say (r)amped, to see that The Daily Mirror used a photo of James Follett in action yesterday, testing out the skate ramps he helps to build. Surprised beacuse it's a paper not known for publishing extreme action sports photos, and pleased, not only because it's one of mine, but also that the Redruth based company, Xtravert had their logo in all three of the photos used in the article, covering most of a page.

Not sure what the rates would be for a national daily, but taking out a full page advert is likely to be a wallet emptying experience.

The paper may be swerving towards covering more extreme sports though, since it carried another more extreme action shot, of someone jumping 100 feet off a Cornish cliff.

A cracking shot by Penzance photographer Alistair Sopp, it has sparked numerous debates about the safety aspect of 'tombstoning'. Mostly the discussions bypass the obvious answer that 'Extreme Sports' wouldn't be Extreme if they were all wrapped up in cotton wool by the Department of Health and Safety. They'd just be, er, Sports.

The real question remains unanswered though - exactly who is the mystery jumper ?

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The Surfing Underground

2010-07-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

Meandering slowly around a small local fair last weekend with the kids in tow, we stopped at a very well designed play park. It was such a good design, it kept the kids amused for well over an hour. During which time I sat and pondered, then mused a bit, then generally sort of had a blank state of mind for a while. Probably that weird one where your eyes glaze over, and you may, or may not, have spoken a random thought out loud. Anyway, at one point in this reverie, a tall thin figure, hiding dark hair under a jaunty hat, sidled up to me and silently slipped this white sticker into my hand, before nonchalantly breezing away.

It reads simply 'CrapSurfer'.

What is this ? Had I been given the Black Spot of surfing ? Is my surfing so bad that someone was making the effort to find me in a crowded, non-surfing environment and hand out some kind of red card? No, as it turns out, luckily. CrapSurfer.com is a counterculture movement kicking against a surf world blighted by global conformity, largely set by magazines toeing advertisers lines, selling a surf lifestyle dream to wannabes. Avoiding these 'clones' and admitting that, realistically, your surfing sucks, is all part of the Crapsurfer ethos.

Having had the inaugural CrapSurf World Championships at Praa Sands back in 2007 (on the inside whitewater, away from anything testing) the ensuing lethargy for all things Crap is now being dispelled.

With its unique vein of humour on the website, the availability of some new T-shirts, and the stickers currently becoming, well, almost collectable, this underground surf collective is achieving a certain 'cool' of its own.

Returning home I was unusually captivated by the rhyming rhetoric of Million Pound Poet Murray Lachlan Young on Radio 4. I noticed a similar vein of humour ran through his verse. And, he is tall. And dark of hair. Hmm, maybe there's some connection there.

Or maybe my surfing is just crap.

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Costume drama

2010-07-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Bathing Belles (see previous post) managed to get themselves into the Independent the next day with one of the pics below, the Cornishman the week after, and have now re-branded themselves as The Jubilees. Their Mazey Day display, also at the Jubilee Pool, on Quay Fair day, packed the terraces again, to resounding applause.

Organiser and Synchro Mistress Fi Read has been putting her specially designed costume to further use as part of the Waters Edge photo project. Set up by High Tide, the challenge was simply to help them set a World Record for the most photos taken and collected from a nation on the Longest Day, June 21st. The only stipulation being that the photo had to be near water, whether sea, lake or paddling pool.

Hopefully this one will be amongst those selected to be broadcast nationwide across the BBC Big Screens / London 2012 Live Sites network during the London 2012 Open Weekend 23-25 July 2010.

The costume also had an outing during the Golowan Festival parade, with Fi doing a bit High Street swimming in front of the magnificent giant horses of artist Graham Jobbins .

In this unfolding drama, reporters across the country are now asking for information of any further artistic sightings of these costumes. Have you seen one?

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Synch or Swim with the Bathing Belles

2010-06-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

The open air 'solar heated' Jubilee Pool is the jewel in the crown of Penzance promenade. Originally built to fulfill the town's need to clear some slums and help make Penzance a bona fide seaside resort, it recently opened its doors for the 2010 season.

As the largest Lido in the country, it is marked out by the sweeping white lines of its design, and the serried ranks of changing cubicles along the terraces above the waterline. This year being the 75th anniversary of the first opening ceremony in 1935, it was celebrated with Art75, where local schoolchildren and artists turned over 90 cubicles into mini art galleries, each one with something new for the viewer to experience.

With painting, animation, sculptures or film and archive installations as well as live music to choose from, there was a lot to please the crowds. The stand out part of the show was the Synchronised swimming display from St Austell Synchronised Swimming club, and, stunningly attired in glam period swimsuits and hats, the Penzance based Bathing Beauties.

If you want to catch the show again, get down to the pool on Quay Fair day, the Sunday of the Golowan Festival weekend, when you could (groan) Synch or Swim.

More next year please.

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Is summer here?

2010-06-12T03:29:00.000-07:00

Just been processing some pictures from recent shoots, in this one enjoying the abstract patterns of light on the sand floor. Then I noticed two things - the shoal of fish/sand eels she is poining at, and

that someone is daring to go in the sea, without a wetsuit?
Does this mean that summer is finally here? Nine days before 'Midsummer'.

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It's all about the biscuits, really

2010-06-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

I like a cup of tea. I like a cup of tea and a good read. A good read with a cup of tea and a decent biscuit for preference, since you ask. And since the latest edition of PitPilot magazine hit the doormat just before elevenses, planning for my immediate future became rather a pleasant task.

Kettle boiled, teabag slightly stewed, add the perfect amount of milk and I'm set. The article about artist / surfer/ shaper Jonty Henshall provided the good read, with Alex Wade's words capturing the essence of the man himself. But what really took the biscuit was the quality of the printing of the right hand side photo in the spread below . . . . . . .

I must say, it was exceptionally well printed, I would say Mint. And crisply presented. Mint. Crisp. Coincidentally one of my favourite biscuits. Nice.

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Long shot

2010-05-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

Surfers in crystal clear water

It was a bit of a long shot really, to get a photo of a meandering basking shark at sea level from an aircraft 500ft up, doing 100 miles an hour. So it needed a long lens, duly poked through the opened plane window, a steadying hand against the wind rush, and a firm grip on the camera body to make sure it didn't plummet onto one of the surfers below.

Turns out it's actually quite difficult to shoot a slow moving object from a fast moving one, but with the aid of some very skillful manouevering from the pilot, there were a few shots in the bag at the end of the flight. I'll put the results up here, and on Ocean-Image.com after certain publications have publicated over the next couple of days.

But in the meantime, I can share the one above, showing the clarity of the water down here, as some lucky longboarders share a crystal clean wave on a white sand beach.

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Power to the people

2010-05-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend saw Penzance promenade buzzing to the sounds of crowds of people, helicopters and high octane motors as the inaugural P1 Superstock Powerboat Grand Prix got underway. The two classes of 150 or 300 horsepower boats buzzed the prom at speeds up to 100mph while thousands of spectators lined the seafront in the glorious weather.

This photog went for a spin in one of the boats last week, trying to shoot the driver and navigator from the back seat, nearly losing all my gear, as well as myself, over the back whilst airborne after hitting some cross chop from another boat. This game is not for the faint hearted.

Great sea conditions, sunny weather and a bit of chop for aerial action made for some exciting racing, the two classes eventually won by Premiere Cru in the 150 HP, and Heights of Abraham in the 300HP classes.

Top marks to local organisers Cornwall's Coolest and the Zero Lounge for organising the music tent and the very best in current local bands, including Josie and the Lovecats and the magnicent iPony amongst many others. Finishing the event after some champagne dousing of the crowd at the prizegiving ceremony, was a quick fire-breathing show from Team 69 - the Fuel Girls - followed by the smooth rounded sounds of Ethatone.

It was a great weekend, and great to see the promenade successfully used to entertain masses of people, both locals and visitors alike. As someone said ' It's what the Victorians built it for'. Not quite sure they built it specifically so that we could watch powerboat racing whilst having a pint in the music tent, but we're thankful that they did.

More expected next year if you missed it this year.

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This is why.....

2010-05-17T03:40:00.000-07:00

.....why we live here.

Sat, as usual, at the computer screen the other day, cursing the lack of surf and an urgent assignment of bulk photo editing requiring attention, the briefest glimpse of blue outside inspired me to immediately re-prioritise and head out the cliffs with the camera. A short walk, clear skies and fresh air, and this viewpoint quickly put a different slant on the day.

Surely one of the best views in the country ?

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My cup runneth over

2010-05-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

Spotted on the side of a chapel in St Ives.

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A Charity Shop you should visit

2010-05-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Not really a surf or photography related post, but news of another feast of visual entertainment available at a village hall near you soon.

Following the fortunes of Elspeth Garter, volunteer at the Help the Jaded charity shop, with her assistants Marion and Leonard, the plot twists and turns of the Charity Shop Cabaret go from bizarre to surreal and back again. All the time trailing a constant stream of laughter, and in one case, a little bit of wee (not mentioning any names though).  Party tricks with After Eight mints, a Michael Jackson Thriller dance and the unforgettable Cup of Tea ceremony all had me creased up. The top quality writing from Penryn-based Trifle Gathering Productions, in collaboration with Nick Whitby of True West, is, as their website says, set to the classic sounds of their own vintage vinyl resident DJ, Friedo.

Included in the entry price is a touch of bingo, which, in their own Charity Shop style, manages to help the evening lift us out of the tedium of these economic times.  Heading to Brighton Fringe Festival for 14/16/17th May and Edinburgh, the full tour is here: Charity Shop Cabaret . This is live stage comedy at its surreal best, see it before they become famous and start charging loads.

Meanwhile in some nearly-surf related news over at Self-Destruct Nation , the sufferings of post-operative-and-six-months-without-a-surf writer Axle Weda, 32, are reaching a head. Waed, 60, had extremely delicate neck surgery to, effectively, prevent total paralysis, and was advised not to surf for a year. Ever since then Dewa, 53, has been blogging his attempts to completely ruin his chances of recovery and the frustrations of not getting a wave. There is Light at the end of the Tunnel now though, as Awed, 27, has recently been seen riding a surfboard on his private tropical island.

In the downtime there are rumours of another book output, perhaps a follow up to the excellent  Surf Nation ? Keep checking back for news.....

2010-04-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

Finally ! Some swell rolled in today, and the beaches were humming with sighs of relief from the surfing population at large. And it did seem that they were all at large, or at least at the beach that I went to. Don't these people have jobs to go to? Towards the end of my session, a cross section of local talent gathered on a small peak and proceeded to rip it to bits. Tom Lowe, Jayce Robinson (above) and Jack Whitefield traded the punchy short rides (read close-outs) with Bert Wright, Michael Lay and Ben Vavrecka.

Ben was on top form considering it was his first time back in the water in a long while, putting in some serious vertical re-entries on his backhand. I managed to get back for a quick half hour shoot before everyone got out, check out the shots here : http://ocean-image.com/Spring_Swell_g275.html

I can only say that finally getting a wave was a really great feeling, even after only a two week layoff. Fully stoked. Imagine though, that you had an enforced layoff for six months, or even a year ? After some dicey might-work/might-paralyse-you type vertebra fusing surgery last year, this post-operative Surf Scribe is battling towards a point where the medics will allow him to finally get back in the surf. The frustration must be enormous, but, looking on the positive side - imagine how stoked he'll be when he catches his first wave again !

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Roadside Warnings

2010-04-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

It's well known that the county of Cornwall hosts an eclectic mixture of people and practices - artists and painters working right alongside fishermen, gentle retired folk having cream teas on a beach with extreme sports windsurfers spinnning loops nearby, Witch museums in hidden valleys, warlocks, hiding mega star rock gods, ancient Celtic ritualists and festivals. I could go on.

All these types, and many more, make up the magical mixture that projects Cornwall's vibrant individual feel to both resident and visitor alike. Or, as local legend has it, ' Cornwall ? It's like someone shook England, and all the nuts fell to the bottom !'

To make this point clearer, informative signage has now been erected on the A30 entrance to Penzance.

If you can't quite make out the white writing - this is a photo from my phone - it reads : May Contain Nuts!

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Fundraiser

2010-04-14T01:04:00.001-07:00

Pretty stoked yesterday morning when the post arrived. A pack of these two cards dropped on to the mat from Surfers Against Sewage. Using photos by Tony Plant and Mike Newman from the Ocean-Image.com site these will form part of their latest fundraising campaign, along with 16 other cards.

Printed to a very high standard on recycled paper using renewable energy, they also have compostable packaging and use vegetable based inks. On the back of one is quote from Duke Kahanamoku, surf pioneer and Olympic swimming champion - 'Out of the water, I am nothing'.

Statue of the Duke at Freshwater beach, Sydney, where he introduced Australia to surfing in 1914.

Very pleased to be involved with this camapign - if you sell cards, why not stock this range and help 'make our seas a better place for everyone to enjoy' ? Otherwise, buy these cards whenever you see them !

Full range visible here http://www.theheartofagarden.com/greetingscards/sas.htm

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Wave the size of a Wall

2010-03-26T07:42:00.001-07:00

Just found this online - check out the size of this wave pouring over the wall. Loving the little cover-up section immediately behind the wall.

How steady is the camera man in the face of that monster bearing down on him !

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Bathing in the Sea

2010-03-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

In this county of Cornwall, it seems recently that the lunatics have taken over the asylum. In a battle over plans to build a new ferry terminal in Penzance by in-filling a local beach and destroying a medieval pier in the process, many locals are outraged. The Town Council have voted against it twice, 1100 local letters of objection have been sent to planners (versus 800 of support), English Heritage have voted against it (also twice), and yet the County Council has given it the go-ahead. Madness. This is the murky world of politics and politicians in pursuit of power being steered by big business, who are the only ones who stand to gain by ruining the promenade, views and coastline. Sickening.

Anyway, enough of the seedy workings of the underlife, a fresh crisp evening visit to one of many beauty spots served to clear the air.....

And there I met another politician, of sorts. Out to sea, plainly visible from land, was Charles de Gaulle. Having a bath!

C'est la vie!

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Pillar to post

2010-03-09T03:49:00.000-08:00

Well, hello again ! Things have been afoot in the Ocean-Image house in the way of trips abroad, commssioned work and, as usual, surfing. The winter has been pretty kind to us, with plenty of swell hitting the Cornish shores. What's great about winter is that the swell gets big enough to light up some of the more secluded spots. This winter I've surfed several of the rarer breaks (which obviously I can't name) and, even after 25 years of surfing in the Penwith area, I managed to surf two amazing, peeling, barreling right hand reef breaks for the first time. It's not that I didn't know about them, it's just that they need a very particular swell direction, a certain (massive) size of swell, and a certain state of tide - not all always possible in the short dalyight hours.

I was reminded of all this classic swell whilst surfing some lamentably small peelers this morning at a break called **** spot *** name***deleted***for***your***safety**** by artist and sculptor Jonty Henshall. It was small, but sunny, blue and otherwise classic, and made me think of this day at Godrevy, also sunny, blue and classic.

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Hello again

2009-10-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

I guess it's about time to write something new here ! Been busy recently - shooting a job for the Times, had a cover with the Western Morning News, had a shot in the Guardian recently too. As well as meeting some great characters for the Cornwall Today Artist of the month slot. Specifically in this instance, Barrie Cook, considered a great artist by his peers, or as Alex Wade put it ' A gem of a man'.

A quick trip to Newcastle and Sunderland shooting, amongst many other things, water sports, lighthouses, Britain's only restaurant-in-a-cave and Blackhall Rocks beach, which featured at the grisly end of the Michael Caine film 'Get Carter'.

Then a blast further North for some decent waves at Thurso, home to one of the best rights in the land, and some great surf, with the occasional icy blast of wind to remind you exactly how far North you are.

And of course, dear reader, as you know, the 2010 calendar is out now as well....
available for only £4.95. Get yours here

So, fairly busy as you can see. What have you been up to ?

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Blinder

2009-09-03T08:23:00.001-07:00

Had a great shoot this summer for Cornwall Blind Association , who are highlighting the harmful UVA and UVB rays from the sun that sea users like surfers and fishermen are being exposed to in their 'Be Bright for Sight' campaign.

This involved spending time shooting at the glorious Sennen beach with willing sunglass 'models' from Sennen Surf Centre, and in the water with local writer and longboard ace Sam Bleakley.

This shot has been used in the recent Stranger mag article , others will be appearing in your favourite surf magazine in the coming months.

It's always great to be able to spend time at Sennen, but on a sunny day, in some cracking little waves, and getting paid? Now I can almost afford those 'must-have' sunglasses . . . .

Reading material

2009-08-10T02:13:00.000-07:00

Just had the latest newsletter from online surf mag Drift in their new European guise. Having a quick look through, reading articles about secret reef points and trying to work out where they are from the grainy black and white photos. Surely after many years of coastal searching I must have been to these lesser known places? I couldn't recognise them though, so it's good to know that there are still epic reefs and points to be discovered, even close to your home.

Another discovery in this mag was the re-use of an article I wrote for the magazine's first ever issue a few years back. It's from a trip we made to Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka with the UK Surf Tour back in 2005, shortly after the Tsunami had struck. Check out the full story here.

The Tour has recently returned there after a two year hiatus, so the surf mags will be full of Sri Lankan stories in their next issues. Looking forward to hearing how the rebuild is going, and seeing how the photos compare to the ones of four years ago.

And to ensure the surf's still good, of course.

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Stunning . . .

2009-07-09T01:52:00.000-07:00

It's been busy here since the last post, some new photos up, the new 2010 Waves calendar out, some commissions shot, and more images published.

Check out the latest uploads, including a small but sunny surf shoot, here http://ocean-image.com/new_photos.php

The latest calendar -2010- is also hot off the press, showing a different wave picture each month in a funky fold-out CD case. We delivered some to Surfers Against Sewage who are again supported from the sale of the calendar. Buy one and ease your conscience here: http://www.ocean-image.co.uk/calendar.htm

We've also had some images published in the Times, last weekend, with Alan Williams great shot of a surfer waiting making the Beaches supplement. Also a photo of Alex 'Surfing Machine' Wade and his son at a local secret spot to accompany his article on why Britain became a surfer's paradise.

Lastly, in all the driving around, meeting people, shooting and trying to escape for a surf, I was pleased to finally bump into a copy of Black Dove, by Bridgette Cassese. Published in 2007, it uses a backlit wave shot from Ocean-Image.com on the cover and back, but I hadn't yet seen a copy.

With diverse settings of London, Ireland and Cornwall it's 'A collection of four novellas', as the back reads. One in particular stood out, Castle of Dreams, where the back tells us, ' Claire meets the stunningly attractive photographer Mike, who whisks her off on dream holiday'.

Just below, the credit reads 'Cover image : Mike Newman'.

Mmm. Off for a surf now, with a smile on my face.

Cover stories

2009-06-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

Ocean Image is on the shelves! This month's edition of Cornish World magazine (sold all over Cornwall as well as Cornish communities all over the world) is sporting a rather fine image from the Ocean-Image.com back catalogue. With a nifty piece of clever designeryness, they've also included a postcard on the front, which is a cut-out from the main photo.

Get out and buy one, and post the card to a friend. Check out the full image here Cover picture

Also in the news is another Ocean-Image photographer, Adam Cornick, who's cracking shot of surfers walking down the beach is now gracing the current cover of Coast magazine.

Congrats to Adam, who has only recently started uploading his photos to the site. Check out his folio here : Adam Cornick. Keep checking the site for more summery images, some have just been uploaded from Rock, in North Cornwall.

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Vellela vellela

2009-05-20T05:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, on the way back from a shoot with intriguing Newquay based artist Sam Walsh for Award winning magazine Cornwall Today, a phone call suddenly sent us rocketing coastwards. We're being invaded ! I heard. There's millions of them on the beaches ! I heard. They're jellyfish ! I heard.

Turns out, literally millions of tiny 'By-the-Wind-Sailor' jellyfish had mistakenly had a 'mass stranding' along the south coast from Penzance to Perranuthnoe due to a recent onshore storm. Vast swathes of them littered the tideline for miles. However, as a relative of the extremely poisonous Portuguese Man-o-War jellyfish it was going to take a braver, or madder, man than I to hold one up for a picture.

Luckily, I just happened to be returning The Patient Wade to his soft walled room after his regular Soothing & Calming appointment at a local hospital. Affably thoughtless when exposing himself to injury, I persuaded him to stop eating them long enough to get this shot.

This shot appears in today's Telegraph , cropped from the larger version below.

As you can see, even National Papers used to showing the Horrors of Parliament and other atrocities, could not stomach showing Wade's self-inflicted thumb wounds to their readers.

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Porth Emmet

2009-05-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

I came across this fantastic beach a while ago, and thought it was very much worth the effort of finding it again. Rumour has it that when decent sized surf hits, from exactly the right direction through the narrow swell window, a mystical A-frame peaks and then peels down both sides of the far rocks you can see in the picture below. Apparently it's an easy take-off and a guaranteed barrel whichever way you choose to go.

Find out more about this wonderful beach here : http://thisisnotcornwall.co.uk/porthemmet/

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Recommendation from a friend . . ?

2009-04-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

A message arrives in my inbox.........

My Dear,

Before you proceed reading this mail,this is true and not one of those mails you see on the internet,i am about to retire and here in Africa service is not adequately rewarded i tell you the truth,hence do not blame me on this,i only need you to help me so that we can smile in future,I presume this mail will not be a surprise to you.

I am an accountant in the mineral commission department of Ministry of Mines and Energy Ghana and also a member of contracts awarding committee of this ministry under Ghana government. I got your full information from Chamber of Commerce and industry on foreign business relations here in Accra-Ghana.And i beleived you must be trustworthy and honest main looking at your profile.Some years ago, Ghana government asked this committee to awards contracts to foreign firms, which I and my colleague happed to be the head of this committee. With our good position, this contract was over invoiced and as a deal to be benefited by me and my colleague.

Now the contracts value has been paid off to the actual contractors that executed these jobs, all we want now is a trusted foreign partner like you that we shall front with his banking account number to Claim the over inflated sum.The said funds will be shared within us when it is confirmed into your provided Account in your country by the paying Bank.

NOTE: I know there may junk mails flying here and there on the internet but certainly, this is not one.

Please do not fail to understand that in spite of all that, opportunities of this kind still abound. If you have ever wished or prayed for something good to come your way, now I urge you to take this message seriously and with an open mind.

So please give it a benefit of doubt,and with good faith and trust join me and I am assuring you now that you will never be disappointed.Now our questions are:Can you handle this project? Can I give you this trust? Mail with phone and Fax number,respond back to me.

Respectfully,
Mr.Benjamin Nyarko
Mines and Energy Ghana

So, my question is, is this a Good Business Proposition' ?
Answers, on a postcard, to Mr Nyarko please.

New updated stock library website

2009-03-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it's finally here ! After a winter of headscratching and upoading, the new site is finally ready to go. With cracking shots from some of Britain's best surf photographers, coastal imagery, bits of Cornwall, beach lifestyle, adventure sport action and just great photos of the ocean, you should be able to avoid work for at least a few hours.

We'll be regularly uploading new images though, so keep checking back for the latest shots.
Hope you enjoy it, if you've got any feedback for us, please leave a comment below, or Contact Us .

Library website is here : Ocean-Image.com

Enjoy

Mike

Sand, Salt and Cameras

2009-03-26T03:43:00.000-07:00

The thing with being a photographer of the ocean is that obviously you have to be outdoors, and consequently you are constantly exposing all your (very expensive) gear to the elements. And not only 'the elements', but the precise elements that are the very worst for sensitive camera gear. Namely sand, and salt water spray - this latter frequently wind-driven into every finely machined crevice of your sensitive (and very expensive) lenses.

Salt and sand have trashed many bits of gear over the years, including one drenching in Australia a few years back. I was shooting some tow-at surfing from a pier when a large wave hit, covering me and several fishermen in a deluge of saltwater. Not one piece of clothing was dry enough to wipe the camera and the (very expensive) lens down. Checking the kit over, I could even see water sloshing around inside the lens barrel.

Nowadays, I'm pretty good at avoidance tactics, with camera covers, water housings and umbrellas added to the armoury. Iwas caught out shooting a fast dropping sun the other week though. I was using two cameras, one with wide angle, one with a zoom. Deftly stepping away from the whitewater surging up the beach, I lay prone on the beach to get the shot above, completely forgetting that while doing so, the zoom hanging at my side would sink slowly and softly into the wet, salt water laden sand. Which it surely did.

Did I mention this is an expensive game?

Surf Art

2009-03-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Is surfing Art? Is the actual act of surfing an Art form? Are all surfers artists in some way?

There's a lot of both surf and Art around in this part of the world (south west Cornwall, in the UK, since you ask) with the Tate Gallery in St Ives and the renowned Newlyn School of Art just down the road toting their historic lists of well known painters and sculptors.

But recently Penzance itself has become the place to see more cutting edge work, perhaps not relying on traditional painting and sculpting methods.

Check out the new art works by artist and surfer Ben Cook .

This piece refers to the demise of Hayle based Kamikaze surfboards, and the retirement of the company's owner and shaper Mutley, after around 80,000 surfboards.

' I'm not sure if I'm an artist who surfs, or a surfer who arts' says Ben.

Despite this mental conundrum, he has made some great investigations in to the areas where surf and art cross over.

See his latest show upstairs at the Cornwall Contemporary gallery in Penzance.

Well worth a look.

Picture frenzy

2009-03-19T04:54:00.000-07:00

News reaches Ocean-Image of the use of many surf photos by many surf photographers to produce a flashy animation. This mini-movie is bought to you the Surf Twisted creative collective.

### WARNING ### Contains Flashing photos ### WARNING ####

See if you can guess where all the surf spots are...

Now is the Time

2009-03-18T01:18:00.001-07:00

Harking back to the problem of concreting over beaches, the Route Partnership, who are proposing to extend and expand the South Pier in Penzance over the beach and rock pools nearby, have ldged their planning application.

It is vital to lodge objections to this by 26th March when the proposal comes before the Planning Committee. If you haven't already, you can raise your objections via the Friends of Penzance Harbour website :

http://www.friendsofpzharbour.org/

Most people in the area object to the plans, nearly 85% according to the Route Partnership's own survey. However, we still need to pass this knowledge on to the Planners, so please check out the website, and email your objections to them.

Thanks for your support.

Eye on the ball

2009-02-28T14:23:00.000-08:00

Went up to the Cornwall Outdoors centre today to photograph writer Fi Read and family trying out their indoor climbing wall. AMongst other outdoor lunacy, they also had to do this mad 'Leap of Faith'. And since they'd done it, they thought the photographer ought to have a go too ....

Photos courtesy of Fi.

Thanks Fi.

Just keep your eye on the ball, and jump.

Return to Ocean-Image.com

Concreting over a beach ?

2009-02-26T06:32:00.000-08:00

A company is planning to widen the lighthouse pier in Penzance, to build a small passenger terminal and aid freight handling for the Scillonian ferry. However, to accomplish the build of what will be essentially a lorry turning area, will involve concreting over a beach, rockpools and other marine habitats on the promenade in Penzance.

Apart from the obvious eyesore, the whole project is totally unnecessary, as alternative, more environmentally friendly options for improvement are readily available. (And with greater savings to the public purse).

Check the details out here http://www.friendsofpzharbour.org/

I've written in to the local paper, the Cornishman :::

Dear Sir

RE: Scilly link development in Penzance (Cornishman recent issues)

It is appalling to think that concreting over a vast swathe of rocks and the secluded beach near Battery Rocks is the best way of ‘securing’ the Scillies link. The rock pools and pebble beach there have long been family areas, perfect for youngsters to learn about the sea and the local marine life. I learnt a lot about sea life there as a kid, and hope that my kids will have the same opportunity.

Whilst I fully support the Scillies link, there must surely be another, more environmentally friendly way to facilitate any improvement ideas?

Have we learnt nothing if we think concreting over a natural marine habitat is an improvement? The beach may be a pebble beach, but it is still a beach. The negative response to this scheme would surely be even greater if that beach were a golden sand beach.

Yours sincerely.......

Perhaps you can help too, sign the online petition here

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/save-the-holy-headland-penzance

No concreting over our beaches !!

Surf Porn Fillums

2009-02-22T23:27:00.000-08:00

There's nothing better than sitting down and watching a surf movie in a real cinema. Waves just look spectacular on a big screen, rather than squinting at the scratchy output at home from your shonky old video player.

Especially when there's loads of like minded surfers hanging out there too, for mucho surf banter. Check out these sessions being run once a month in St Ives by The Surfscreen.

There's a range of different films that should cover your wave riding vehicle of choice. Full screen surf porn, why wouldn't you go?

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Shooting Tony

2009-02-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

I was going swim out and shoot surf with top water photographer Tony Plant today, if only I didn't have to drive away to shoot Tony Blair . . . . . . . . . .

There were some cranking barrels to be had at this little secret spot today. Tony was there with Ben Skinner . I would have gone in, if only I didn't have leave to do a portrait session with our now-almost-forgotten ex-Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

Not the real one, though, you understand. A lookalike, John Brolly , who has impersonated him in films, videos, and famously for Alison Jackson's classic set of faked photos. He has travelled all over the globe making appearances on the back of it. Work must be tough now Gordon has got in ! John now holds the unenviable position of Mock Mayor of the Quay, as part of the Golowan Festival.

Sorry can't put up my pictures of him until after the magazine has published, but keep an eye on Cornwall Today.

So preferring barrels to politics, I went back to the secret spot, and bagged my second Tony of the day, which shot I can share, above. Tony Plant swimming out into some epic barrels.

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New website coming soon (ish)

2009-02-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

In case you're wondering where I've been, I've actually been here, sat at my computer, struggling to learn strange languages over the dark winter nights. The finer points of HTML and PHP are still miles away from my conscious mind, but the end result will be the new Ocean-Image website, which is readying itself for launch in the near (or not so near) future.

Having learnt the equivalent of 'Dos cervezas, por favor' in these languages, I have been able to mould, shape and buff the new site into a multi-paged click-fest of visual pleasure, albeit at a snail's pace. The end, or rather the start, is now in sight (site, geddit?) and a bright new dawn of sumptuous oceanic photography will be upon us.

The good news is that it will feature not only seascapes from yours truly, but also offerings from some of the UK's best and biggest names in surf and water photography. I have seen these pictures already, and believe me, there is a lot of pleasure to be had.

Here's a surf pic to keep you going until it's released . . . . . . . . . .

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Snow

2009-02-04T22:05:00.001-08:00

Since it only snows about once every twenty years down here in the far south west of England, you have to get out and about with the camera quickly, as the snow tends to disappear quickly. This day saw me drinking coffee in warm, bright, snow-free sunshine on the south coast, and then sliding all over the road in a blizzard on the north coast about ten minutes later.

I carried on to St Ives to get some 'surfers on a snow covered beach' type shots, only to find it also bathed in bright sunshine. Honestly, us Brits would have nothing to talk about if it weren't for the weather.

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Drive to surf wipeouts

2009-01-28T03:11:00.000-08:00

It's always the same - the drive to the surf is faster, more focused, and more stressful than the post-surf meander home. On the way you're amping to music, eager to get in the water and the road always seems to be full of the slowest and worst drivers on earth. Even when it's howling onshore mush, as it was on a recent jaunt to the south coast of Devon, surfers are just so super keen to surf'.

Arriving rapidly in the car park for a surf, a touch on the brakes saw this vehicle slide down a waterlogged field and into a hedge, causing 'about two grand's worth of damage' according to the driver.

Despite this hefty dent to vehicle, pride and wallet, he simply suited up and ran down to the beach with a smile on his face!

Not sure if this mess was worth the smile, and freezing cold to boot, though some inside wedges were peeling away nicely.

This little secret spot, a pre-visit internet discovery, dished up some interesting lefts, with a half decent looking bommie out the back, despite a whole week being an onshore gale. So, sated by the waves or not, the drive back home to Cornwall was, as ever, mellow.

Pure Blue

2009-01-14T08:56:00.001-08:00

Spent a lot of time yesterday driving around in a WNW wind trying to find somewhere to shoot some decent surf. Obviously an impossible task, since it that wind blows out everywhere in this neck of the woods. Trying to get some shots for Jess, who recently started riding with Pure Blue Water.

After yo-yoing up and down the coast, and dragging serial blog artist Alex Wade along for company, we managed to turn up a pretty decent wave at a certain lesser known spot. Luckily the spot doesn't really have a name, so I can't give it away.

They both managed to get a few waves, despite conditions detiorating dramatically as soon as they hit the water, as so often happens.

It's the surf photographer's lament to stand on a freezing beach watching others have a whale of a time, sigh. But I was pleased with one or two waves that I snapped in between the surf shots.

Happy New Ones

2009-01-01T04:21:00.001-08:00

Yeah, new year's day, headache, so what's really New about that?
My new year's resolution is going to be 300dpi.

Predictions :

The credit crunch will be the biggest hoax of the year.
The surf will pump in the spring.
I will be on it.
Or photographing it.
The new Ocean-Image site will launch.

Have a good one.

Ocean-Image.com

Cool water

2008-12-31T02:05:00.000-08:00

So it's New Year's Eve, let's hope the expected big freeze every surfer seems to be dreading doesn't bring Waves of Ice.

These are from Sean Buckley's blog

Check out this wakeboarding in St Mark's Square, Venice too, from the same place.

Strange, but Untrue

2008-12-20T03:48:00.000-08:00

With the dread dark days of winter upon us ( it's the shortest day of the year tomorrow) I seem to be surfing the net more these days than actually physically surfing waves.

I've never seen how sitting motionless squinting at a screen, clicking away in a darkened room is in any way similar to surfing. However I was quite happy to encounter this online, rather than in reality!

This is from Freaking News, a site where people take a news photo and apply their Photoshop skills to it. See the original photo here .

Return to Ocean-Image

Winter

2008-12-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

Winter is most definitely here, the usual time of year to be heading off to warmer climes for six months. I never thought I'd say this, but having decided to stay UK side this winter, I can only hope that it's going to be really, really cold. All winter.

If memory serves correct, in winter the coldest winds blow out of the East and North East, bringing frosty arctic air from over the Russian Steppes. and cooling our tiny island enough for snow to settle. Yeah, and so what? Well, usually, this airstream is driven by a great fat High Pressure sat over the UK, meaning great sunshine, and little rain. Also, any surf-generating Atlantic Low Pressures will tend to go round this High Pressure, meaning the swell will be long range, and therefore better formed.

Finally, that cold East wind is directly offshore on our West facing beaches, a North East is perfect for the South facing beaches. Presto! Perfect, lined-up surf, bright sunshine perfect for shooting, and a clean offshore.

Bring on the cold!

Check out the latest forecast for your area here YoSurfer

Twenty Year Swell

2008-11-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

So, we went, and it pumped ! Thurso, that is. Long way to get there, but what a great place Scotland is to surf. Plenty of good set ups, swell drenched from several directions, and blessed with a craggy coastline to find shelter from the wind.

I must say, I rather enjoyed it. Shouldn't have waited twenty years to get there, but still.

This pic is from one of the best days of thre trip, solid groundswell from a 960 Low. People showed up from all over, including one hardened camper who had his tent set up above the break. Not the balmiest of tenting weather, Scotland in October.

Check out the full story and more pics in the next issue of PitPilot magazine.

Ocean-Image.com

What no blog?

2008-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Crikey, nearly three months since I managed to find the time to post anything !! Not that I've had little to rant about, on the contrary, life has been entirely hectic, and made more hectic with local planning law interference. Without boring us both to death with the details, the upshot is that I have had very little in the way of surf time in the past months. Of course the surf has pumped, and I needed the practice, to get fit for my 20th anniversary return to the legendary Scottish break of Thurso.

I say return, but actually I never made it there in the first place, merely attempted to get there. Some cunning thieving type in Glasgow removed my vehicle overnight, leaving me bereft of transport for the final leg of the journey, and so I never made it. Fast forward twenty years(!) and it's time to check it out properly.

This time we made it all the way there, and had some of the most amazing surf I've ever seen.
I'll definitely be returning, though next time, as it's a world class wave, I'll be aiming for world class fitness before I go !

Surf Photographers

2008-08-02T02:15:00.000-07:00

Having been shooting surf for quite a while now, at one time being the only person shooting waves and surf at my local break, I've noticed that almost every year now there seems to be yet another surf photographer setting up a tripod at the beach. This type of photography must be a massive draw as there are now at least seven snappers with 'surf photography' type businesses shooting surf, waves and surfers on a swell.

This media explosion is obviously linked to the massive expansion of surfing as a sport generally, and is to be expected, if, from a business point of view, lamented. Also, the advent of digital cameras means people can learn quicker, without the huge cost of slide processing ( I think this is a large part of the increase in numbers - you don't pay for your mistakes)

What's strange though is that, of those seven surf photographers, four of them are living in my road ! What are the chances of that? Plus, I heard a rumour that another eminent snapper was moving in two roads away. If this trend continues, soon there'll be one in every house in the terrace.

Imagine the scene at the beach, every wave everybody has, every turn, every wipeout, shot seven times from seven marginally different angles, at (presumably) seven frames a second.
And all all submitted to the same surf mags.

Is this a localised phenomenon, or is it happening at every beach globally? Is there a street in every surf town where only surf photographers live? Will there soon be more photographers than surfers? Is surf photography in fact, actually becoming more glamorous and cool than surfing itself?

There's enough celebs in London to support an army of stalking flashers, but are there enough surf stars to support this expanding band of Surf Paparazzi ? Without the photographer, there are no stars in the media, and the media needs stars to sell magazines. So perhaps with more photographers, we'll simply create more stars.

Prediction: There will be seven more stars at my local break sometime soon.

Ocean-Image.com

o-region to screen exciting new surf film at Carruan Farm

2008-07-16T02:27:00.000-07:00

From the lens of the hard working, far travelling and long suffering Mr B comes a new fillum !

Mr B's press department says.....

As part of their ambitious screening network for 2008, Cornish film and theatre production company o-region have announced an exciting screening of the new surf film Substance by up-and-coming director Anthony Butler (or Mr B as he’s known in the surfing world) at Carruan Farm, Polzeath on Tuesday 22nd July.

This hour-long surf epic is the long-awaited follow-up to the much admired Performing Monkeys. Described by Wavelength magazine as quite possibly "the best home-grown surf movie ever", Substance follows the adventures of a crew of UK surfers who travel the length and breadth of Britain in search of the perfect wave. Substance is entirely shot in Britain & Ireland and features some of the best waves and surfing ever captured in the British Isles. Perfect Waves, Epic Sessions, Incredible Surfing, ALL AT HOME!

The film will also be showing alongside a hand-picked selection of world-class short films from Future Shorts, the UK's most innovative short film label.

"We're really pleased to have this opportunity to show one of the UK's hottest new surf films," says Oliver Berry, o-region's screening network co-ordinator. "It's a real privilege for us and we're sure we'll get a really enthusiastic turnout, especially with the fantastic line-up of short films we've got courtesy of Future Shorts."

The event will be kicking off at 8.00pm inside the outdoor marquee erected for the current Footsbarn production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Tickets are available from o-region.co.uk/film or the CRBO Box Office on (01726) 879500. For more information on the event please email
info@o-region.co.uk or visit the o-region website at www.o-region.co.uk

Return to Ocean-Image.com

Never miss a surf again!

2008-07-11T01:06:00.000-07:00

News reaches Ocean-Image towers of a fantastic new way to improve your surf skills by , quite literally, surfing online. This new viral surf game immediately has you dropping in to a double overhead peeling right-hander, something most of us rarely get to do, let alone practice. And then you can start cranking your manouevres.

You can slide your turns, stall for tubes as well as bust prolonged floaters and aerials. The longer you stay in the tube, the more points you score - only you have to actually make it out of the barrel to claim the points, unlike some head-dip/wipeout scenarios I've seen claimed as ' Mate, I just got a stand-up barrel '.

Designed by gallery owning tech-head Sennen surfer Toby Jones of Heading West Design, he's been so immersed in code, he hasn't been seen in the water at his local break for at least two years. But we say time well spent Toby, and congrats on finding a way toSurf whilst Surfing, and make us even more addicted to our sport.

Check it out here : Liquid Dreams

Now it'll be me with my head stuck in a computer for two years, with Toby surfing empty lineups at Sennen, while we're all at home trying to land those aerial 360's !

Bound to be a massive hit. Enjoy.

Near to surf

2008-07-10T02:01:00.000-07:00

Things that stop you going surfing: broken legs, the need to actually show up at work once in a while, even the lack of a decent wave, but what has stopped me a lot in the past few months has been the dreaded DIY. Without wishing to depress myself by going over this (self) enforced horror endurance, I will merely show you the results of said labour of (non) love on our two bed cottage near Porthleven :

Click the pic for a view of the results of all my (er, our, actually, as I had much help from the estimable other half) latest labours.

Anyway , so it's up for grabs as a home via Mathers, or for a great Cornish holiday, just e mail us.

Me, I'm off for a wave. Bugger, it looks flat. Oh well, may as well put a face in at work, it can't be as bad as DIY.

New website

2008-06-23T06:03:00.000-07:00

The Ocean-Image site will be changing in the near future ! Development work has been underway for some time now, and the IT droids processors are overheating as the upgrade work progresses.

So what's happening? Well, there will be a lot more surfing, seascapes, waves and ocean-related imagery to have a look at, in an online slide library fashion, as well as other extreme sports, windsurfing, climbing, Cornwall, travel, etc etc.

This will be a searchable database, and include uploads from guest photographers, with images downloadable full size for commercial use, or as small microstock images for websites or personal use. A (free) subsciption allows use of a lighbox feature, picture rating, free screensaver downloads, and more.

Keep an eye on www.ocean-image.com for exciting picture developments!

The Big Brush-Off

2008-06-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

So we planned a trip to try out this crazy new type of surfing - Brush Boarding. Designed to try and replicate a skate-surf-snowboard sort of feel, it's essentially a metal quarter-pipe skate ramp with holes cut into it, through which brushes rotate at high speed.

You stand on a foam board and try and surf against the upthrust of the brushes. Am I making sense?

Pretty much like surfing or skating, you can drop in from the top, do bottom turns and cutbacks, trim down the line, as well as kick-flips (not me) off the tops (maybe after a bit more practice) and wipeout (definitely me).

The wipeouts are OK though, with loads of padding around, and instaed of being mullered by the rest of the set, as in surfing, the guy on the controls simply shuts the machine down, so you can dust yourself off, and get right back into it.

Which, it turns out, is what everybody wanted to do. It was definitely fun to do, and with further developments in the pipeline, I can see this becoming a great training tool for surfing, as well as a sport in it it's own right.

Check out where to have a go here...... Brush Boarding

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