Raves & Rants . . from Penzance

Yesterday was a fantastic day down here in Cornwall, the second sunny one after a massive storm that smashed sections of Penzance promenade, the Jubilee Pool and Newlyn Green. On Sunday the promenade was almost as crowded as on Pirate Day with locals and visitors alike inspecting the damage to the prom and pool.  A sort of Dunkirk spirit pervaded the atmosphere. Waves in the 'ride-able' size now  At Sennen it was the same story, the cove filled with half-term holiday makers strolling in the sun, having a look at what all the fuss was about in the national press when '200ft Waves' were reported crashing into the cliffs at Sennen.  Today there were decent surf-able waves, the sunshine making Sennen look more like its normal inspiring self. Apart from the sand, that is. The bed rock of a beach There is a distinct lack of sand on the beach at the moment, the giant scouring swells of the last weeks having shifted it out into the bay, an oceanic action repeat...

It was morning, and work timings had unusually left me free for a couple of hours. That would normally mean the surf was onshore, or blown out, or flat or something, adhering as it usually does to the First Law of Surfing . But not today. Blue Rinse Today looked like a bleak, grey, midwinter day with (from a brief glimpse of the sea on the school run) a weak looking swell and the wind threatening to go onshore. But I had time. Time to take pictures. So I trawled along the coast looking for surf or seascape images, but found very little. Until I came to the reef. Which, oddly, seemed to be firing. Fryer  Several locals and some of the Aggy crew were making the most of a small day before the expected 'Hercules II' storm at the weekend. An acceptable peak Empty Dan Joel Mole getting critical Captain Fryer on a set wave A chill wind cut through the grey pall that hung over the break, warmed slightly by the relaxed atmosphere. Styling ...

The second day of the swell and it's 'not quite so big today', i.e. still pant-fillingly huge. There are only a few people on the planet that that will take this sort of ocean power on, and someone has already been Medivac-ed out. No details as yet. These videos were shot on a phone in the channel only minutes ago. Stills take a little longer to come out, probably by tomorrow morning, I'll update this page as they do, so keep checking back. Quiksilver highlights, Day Two Quiksilver put this together from the first day Surfline - amazing video here Stills from Day Two :  Great footage from Surfing Life Teahupoo Tahiti 13 05 2013 by 1ere-polynesie A beautiful shot from Tim McKenna. Alan Riou flying in Brazilian Pedro Scooby took a trip over the falls, and then probably a trip home. Laird on a beauty   Some amazing shots of yesterday here from Surfer Mag

Someone must have put something in the tea because it's been a very productive month at Ocean-Image towers, and consequently sees the release of three new products. Firstly, the new 2013 Waves desk calendar, which sits in its own fold-out display case, simply change to a fresh image each month. This year again it is in aid of clean seas charity Surfers Against Sewage . A healthy donation from the sale of each calendar will go towards monitoring and challenging the polluters of one of our greatest natural assets.  Due out at the end of this week,  you can pre-order yours here already. Secondly, as mentioned on my Facebook , while drinking a cup of tea and listening to one of those brilliant Cornish storms rage outside, a punny idea came into my head, heralding the creation of ..  'A Storm in a Teacup' OK, OK, so it's a mug, but 'Storm in Tea Mug' didn't quite work. Using this Sennen Storm photo printed onto a solid white ...

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

The new2012 Waves Calendar Coming to a website near you. Soon !! P.S. You can pre-order yours if you want, here:  2012  Calendar Return to Ocean-Image.com

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.