No wave surfs

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Nick Carroll
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Nick Carroll » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:34 am

TrevG wrote: And how about Gerry Lopez? Now there's a legend.
One of those most interesting things about my Hawaii trip last December was getting to watch Gerry surf -- not just for one session, but every day for almost two weeks straight. He's got about 12 years on me, so he'd already departed the Pipeline god head by the time I was old enough to surf there...really I'd only ever seen him surf on the movies like everyone else.

In December I stayed in a house on the beach at Sunset, right on the corner next to the carpark -- the old Bernie Baker block. Gerry was staying a street or two up the point. At just before 7am every morning he'd come down the trail and onto the beach in front of the backdoor Sunset paddle-out spot, between Vals and Boneyards, where a channel leads directly out to a gap between the peak and the point. He had a SUP, one of the wide short ones that C4 makes. He'd stretch a bit, sit and watch for a few minutes, then paddle out and start surfing. Gerry is not a heavily built guy, so he doesn't confront the waves on the way out -- he judges the paddle-out quite carefully and is happy to wait for a break in order not to be inconvenienced by the rogue energy that's always lurking even in the mostly 4-6' type surf of the period. He's not an incredibly fast paddler either, but he doesn't rest, just keeps the paddle ticking over until he's where he wants to be. Watching Gerry day after day, I began to realise how his public image as a sort of Zen Master -- airbrushed so carefully by his numerous fans in the surf media from the early 70s on -- is a complete hoax, and that the truth about Gerry as a surfer is far more interesting: he is a hungry bastard, quietly ruthless in pursuit of waves. His wave alarm-clock is set at around three minutes and he'd never wait longer than that for a wave unless he absolutely could not help it; he was happy to catch a smaller or less well-formed one, or occasionally to politely drop in, if that meant he kept the wave count going. He spent as little time as possible in conversation with other surfers. His interest in each wave was total. He would work it from start to finish, looking for the pocket and the shoulder and the base rather than the lip or the faster lines on the wave-face, and sometimes riding a foam-roll almost to the sand before his little spell of concentration would be broken. He wore a cap and a fair bit of sunscreen, and did nothing at all to draw attention to himself; everything was done quite inwardly, but avidly, as if he couldn't get enough of the feeling of being in the water and riding waves. Maybe he couldn't. After all, he lives in Oregon these days a fair way away from the ocean, and this was a 10-day slice of Hawaii time.

Anyway, Gerry would stay out there till midday on some days, a wave every three minutes, then come in and vanish from public view until just before 7am next day, paddle out, and start the whole process again -- disciplined, casual, yet always with that hungry edge that to me gave him away as something other than the Image ... something. as I wrote earlier, much more interesting.

btw I wrote about this experience of watching Gerry for a couple of surf mags but nobody was interested...didn't have any good photos they reckoned.

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steve shearer
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by steve shearer » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:59 am

So aside from those interesting observations, how did you feel about Gerry on a SUP , considering your public statements?
Did he somehow make it elegant? Or was he hampered(stylistically) by that chunk of foam and paddle?
I had heard from a master event on Tavurua that Lopez was very competitve for the take-off zone....I believe Peter Drouyn took exception to it or maybe vice versa.
Interesting how our surf stars are so carefully airbrushed and manicured compared with say tennis players.
Perhaps a paranoid hangover from the MP years.
It's shame that post Blue Horizon Andy Irons pulled his head in over his Slater rivalry.
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Nick Carroll
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Nick Carroll » Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:57 pm

steve shearer wrote:So aside from those interesting observations, how did you feel about Gerry on a SUP , considering your public statements?
Oh look, I only take the piss out of SUPs for fun, not trying to put down people who know what they're doing on one, specially in Hawaiian waters ... though even then there's sort of a numbers limit...at Sunset Point that seemed to be about two at once. Any more and even they started getting the shits with each other :lol:

Gerry was pretty good, he rides within himself as ya probably should at 61 yo. I don't regard his hunger for waves as a bad thing btw -- it's pretty damn common among all exceptional surfers -- one reason why they're good I suppose.

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Re: No wave surfs

Post by oldman » Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:04 pm

Nick Carroll wrote: After all, he lives in Oregon these days a fair way away from the ocean, and this was a 10-day slice of Hawaii time.
Interesting read Nick.

Lopez definitely among the greats, for longevity if nothing else, but there's plenty else to admire.

What gives with his move to Oregon? Got any insights on that Nick. Hard to imagine moving from Hawaii to Oregon, while admitting that my knowledge of both is limited.
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by PeepeelaPew » Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:14 pm

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Last edited by PeepeelaPew on Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

Nick Carroll
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Nick Carroll » Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:26 pm

Toby wrote:There are few places in the world where you can find epic conditions for surf and snow in the near vicinity to each other so maybe he's compromised towards the latter.
I think that's the deal, he's also got a son who's heavily into the snowboarding thing I believe.

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chrisb
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by chrisb » Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:52 pm

oldman wrote: Lopez definitely among the greats, for longevity if nothing else, but there's plenty else to admire.
"Lopez, he's as good as they say he is".

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oldman
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by oldman » Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:09 pm

chrisb wrote:"Lopez, he's as good as they say he is".
:lol: :D :D
Lucky Al wrote:You could call your elbows borogoves, and your knees bandersnatches, and go whiffling through the tulgey woods north of narrabeen, burbling as you came.

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Buff_Brad
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Buff_Brad » Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:26 pm

oldman wrote:
dinosaur wrote:I reckon Buff Brad would be better suited to the part of Peggy - The point grinder.
I couldn't remember who was known as the point grinder, but I sure remembered the title. Couldn't give that one to Kyles so had to just stay away.

No doubt BB would see himself as the enforcer, but your motion is carried. BB for the point grinder.
Of-course I'm the "enforcer" oldman but I could probably do a great Peggy in drag. 8)

Oh there goes Dino! Another entry for the M Diary "coming" up.

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Buff_Brad
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Buff_Brad » Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:43 pm

Nick Carroll wrote: btw I wrote about this experience of watching Gerry for a couple of surf mags but nobody was interested...didn't have any good photos they reckoned.
But anyways a very good read Mr Carroll. I'm surprised Luke (Kennedy) of Tracks wouldn't have put that in........

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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Chong » Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:15 pm

I much prefer the idea of Gerry Lopez as a normal wave hungry surf animal than some zen soul master catching flies with chopsticks high on his pedestal.

Hey Nick I spotted an article on another one of your projects today (Bombora) & wondered when you were going to come clean to the punters in the peanut gallery here

I for one will be watching as it sounds interesting http://www.surfingthemag.com/news/surfi ... ry-021909/

Nick Carroll
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Nick Carroll » Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:41 pm

^^^well it's on ABC-1 on March 26 and April 2, 8:30pm

Was a great pleasure and a fcuken lot of hard work to make

ep 1 is my favourite, it covers from settlement to 1965, worth watching just for McTavish's description of his stowaway epic to Hawaii

ep 2 is 67 to now, contains a lot of funny shit, most other people's favourite just for Bugs's descriptions of his adventures with MP in Hawaii in 1972

It is nothing like Bustin Down The Door -- it's as much about Australia as it is about surfing. It's very broad brush and doesn't cater to the insider surfing world's concerns so much as the way in which surfing and the beach has shaped a part of our national personality

I was fortunate to be able to work with some really skilful and professional people in its making, they taught me a lot about moving pictures and words and I hope to carry some of that into some more work of this nature

The dvd has a bunch of stupid special stuff and will be worth the money even if you see the TV show.

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Grooter
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Grooter » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:32 am

^^^

Wow sounds good! 8)
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otway1949
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by otway1949 » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:10 am

Nick Carroll wrote:^^^well it's on ABC-1 on March 26 and April 2, 8:30pm

Was a great pleasure and a fcuken lot of hard work to make

ep 1 is my favourite, it covers from settlement to 1965, worth watching just for McTavish's description of his stowaway epic to Hawaii

ep 2 is 67 to now, contains a lot of funny shit, most other people's favourite just for Bugs's descriptions of his adventures with MP in Hawaii in 1972

It is nothing like Bustin Down The Door -- it's as much about Australia as it is about surfing. It's very broad brush and doesn't cater to the insider surfing world's concerns so much as the way in which surfing and the beach has shaped a part of our national personality

I was fortunate to be able to work with some really skilful and professional people in its making, they taught me a lot about moving pictures and words and I hope to carry some of that into some more work of this nature

The dvd has a bunch of stupid special stuff and will be worth the money even if you see the TV show.
Good to see you've done this, I remember our Dee Why crew being so excited that Mc Tavish and Dave Chidgey pulled it off, all someone has to do now is find the Old Bob Evans movies.
Okay when does the DVD come out shameless plug invited.
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Nick Carroll
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Nick Carroll » Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:08 pm

^^^I don't know.

(Shameless plug opportunity wasted)

But when I do, I'll bloody well tell everyone

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black duck
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by black duck » Fri Feb 27, 2009 3:22 pm

First post

No Wave surf – with a twist.
This happened about 4 years ago at a well known left hand reef break on the South Coast.

The surf was about 6-8ft, one of those solid late autumn south swells with heaps of water moving around. It was high tide and stormy. The ocean was a lead grey colour, dark sky, very little wind but the swell had a bump in it. This particular spot doesn’t normally hold surf much over 6ft, as it breaks too wide and the waves get fat and burger-ish but the waves this day were holding up and I had seen a couple of long screamers from the lookout, so thought it was worth a bash.

Putting on my leg rope at the shoreline I noticed a guy sitting on the dunes with 2 boards in front of him looking out towards the reef. I didn’t think much of it at the time and jumped in to start the long paddle through the shorey, across the affectionately named “shark pit” and around the reef to the outside peak. It was a long paddle with the high tide and strong sweep pushing against me (unusual at this spot). I was about 2 thirds across the shark pit when I heard a voice call out, faint, as though from a long way off. I turned and looked back, automatically thinking someone at the lookout was calling out because they had seen a shark. There was no-one at the lookout and I couldn’t see anyone on the beach. Straight away the shark idea started playing havoc with my head, especially with the overcast conditions, deep water and state of the ocean. After a few more minutes I heard the voice again. This time I sat up on my board and took a good look around: nothing. I kept paddling, cursing the current and my own shark paranoia. By the time I was past the shark pit and paddling around the end section, about half way to the take off zone, the voice called out again. Once again I stopped, sat up and took another look around. Looking south and out to sea I saw a hand sticking up, contrasting white against the blackness of the ocean, a fair way out to sea, disappearing between swells. I looked at the waves coming through and sized up the length of paddle to get to the hand and wistfully left the reef and started paddling towards the hand. It was probably about 10 minutes paddle before I reached him (hard to gauge time in these situations). He had a steamer on but his lips had gone that blue tinge and he looked a pale grey and not really in a good way. I asked him to slide onto to the back of my board and we both immediately sunk well below water level. It was then I realized the guy was about 6’2” and at least 90kg. I told him that he would have to just hang onto my leg rope and help kick if he could. The current was generally sweeping us south and there was a strong rip just to the south of us that had linked into the channel from the lake mouth. We needed to stay north of the rip to avoid ending up way down the coast. I guess we were only about 500-600 metres out from the shore but with the swell, current and a 90kg lump hanging off my leggie I was feeling pretty uncomfortable and I’m sure he was feeling similarly. After a hellish long paddle we got to the beach break, just south of a bunch of rocks near the lake entrance. The swell was hitting the sand banks pretty hard, completely closing out and churning sand. No chance of trying to ride one in the way it was pitching so we waited for a lull between sets and tried to paddle it in. Of course the next set got us on the head but fortunately we both came up within a few feet of each other. The white water from the next few waves basically pushed us in.

I found out later that he had lost his board not 10 feet from the shore and had been swept out to sea in quick time. Once on terra firma he gave me a big hug. The guy on the dunes turned out to be his mate who had found his board on the shore and had been looking for him. He came running when he saw us down the beach in shallow water.

Well, I left them to it and walked up the beach to jump back in but I realized when I got there that I was k’n rooted and could barely paddle. I walked home. A no wave surf.
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Surfin Turf
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Surfin Turf » Fri Feb 27, 2009 3:36 pm

^^^^^

good samaritan … he was damn lucky you spotted him …

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black duck
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by black duck » Fri Feb 27, 2009 4:40 pm

Thanks Rockin

Not too many spots with that setup. If you know then it it's pretty much a giveaway.
smnmntll wrote:
Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:20 pm
You foaming spangoloids need to chill before you all do wetties on the carpet

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