A Day with Vanina

Vanina SUPing at one of her local breaks on Oahu

My photographer Dave Gregerson and I were sent on assignment to shoot and spend some time with teen surfer Vanina Walsh for the next issue of WSSM (Women's Surf Style Magazine). Vanina is a total cutie, an all round water baby, and she's just been signed as a professional Roxy team rider. What makes Vanina so unique though is her talent for not only one specific area of surfing, but her ability to excel at just about everything! She short-boards, longboards, standup paddle boards, skateboards, paints and even sews, all while still working on her high school education from home!

Vanina cruising her local streets. Photograph courtesy of Dave Gregerson (www.20foot.com)

When meeting with a surfer for an interview I'm always a bit nervous. Vanina met up with us on the West side of Oahu for a surf shoot, accompanied by her parents, and they instantly made me feel at ease. The whole family was super friendly and even invited Dave and I into their home for a lifestyle shoot.

I'm looking forward to telling Vanina's story in full, it's a pretty incredible one. Without giving away too much I'll share with you that she spent her first 10 years of life living in Arizona trying to practice surfing in her swimming pool! Now that is dedication!

Return to the Islands

This blog has been in need of some serious loving. It's been neglected like my pile of dirty laundry which keeps growing (hey it's tough living out of a bag sometimes). I found myself in an absolute crazy whirlwind getting ready for this trip, and it hasn't let off now I'm here.
For those of you just tuning in, here is on the beautiful North Shore of Oahu, famous in the winter for it's pumping waves and pro surf scene. The stuff you read in the surf magazines, it's all here. There is so much I want to write about, but sleepiness is wining me over, so I'll leave you with a few photos from my latest work purchase, a new Canon 7D, along with a promise to share with you a more in depth look into the North Shore surfing world.

Dave the fashionista. Protecting camera gear from the elements becomes an art form.

The girls out at Rocky's go hard.

Filtrate sunnies shoot. Photo courtesy of Dave Gregerson. 

A Haliewa sunset. 

Lemons

It's the law of the surf. When you can't go it's guaranteed to be good. I'm post nose surgery - out of the water for two weeks, and like clockwork the swell is rising and the winds switching offshore. I'd just like to clarify this was a nose surgery of the non cosmetic variety. Purely for functional reasons. I keep telling everyone I'm getting my boobs done next, double D's.

So I can't surf but I figured I'd pop down to the beach today anyway and go for a splash and a gentle walk. The sticky Australian summer heat is finally back and it felt pretty good to bust out the bikini and sunscreen. I went and sat down at the dog beach at Leighton in Freo. A while ago they built an artificial reef a little distance offshore, and I can honestly say I have never seen it really going. Today it was kind of doing its thing, the winds were howling offshore but there were definitely some fun looking rights rolling through.

It's T minus 5 days until my return to the surfing world. When I'm out of the water for a while I always dream of the first duckdive. Not the first wave. Just that first leap in and pushing under, feeling the cold rush of water.

They say when life gives you lemons make lemonade, but I make lemon meringue pie. I have been embracing my landlocked domesticated side. I baked this creation for Dad's birthday this afternoon, even using fresh eggs from our friend's farm.

Travel bum turning Martha Stewart homemaker? Not likely.

A Tuesday Surf Check

5:30am Tuesday surf check.

Waves: Ankle biters

Winds: Pretty nice

Chill Factor: Not too bad, but I'm in a 4'3

Crowd Factor: School holidays, what do you reckon? Grom infestation!

My Need for a Coffee: Desperate.

The Office.

Expressions of office oppression...

Surf bum turned temporary 8-5 office worker, here is my take on office life - created with pens, post-its and photocopiers.

DON'T TOUCH MY COFFEE!

Clean your spoons.


There is nothing quite like the awkward elevator silence... little office sardines.

A Mini Movie

Don't let the term "mini" fool you. It doesn't mean any less time and work went into making this little creation. Time spent in the editing labs goes by a different speed. You whittle hours away like microseconds - headphones on, eyes intently glued on the screen.

I had little intention of trying to film during my visit to Indonesia. I figured my $130 waterproof camera wouldn't really cut it. Most of this footage was taken randomly, some of it because I thought I was pressing the "take photo" button when really I was hitting video by accident! The surf footage came about because I hit my head surfing and had to come in and sit down. Seeing the peacful sunset and the most perfect, long barreling lefts rolling through I knew I had to try and capture it.

So here it is, the Youtube link to my mini Indo surf film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpKGo_xojBM

Indo Journal: Lombok

I won’t tell too much about Lombok. Some things are best discovered yourself.

It took roughly six hours on the ferry to get there, and we arrived in darkness. The contrast to time spent in the more crowded regions of Bali was instantly felt. We drove through sleepy little villages with their eerie prayer calls wailing out across the warm evening air.

Our destination was still hours away so a food stop in a village was attempted, several times. Finally a small roadside kitchen was discovered. Perhaps we were starving, but the noodle soup and bowl of hardboiled eggs was an absolute treat, with the friendliness and good humor of the locals being but an added bonus.

Accommodation was basic, but so perfectly peaceful. Rooms are comfortable and a local squat style toilet is shared by us and our host family. Breakfasts of banana pancakes overlooking morning swell lines are something I’m still thinking of.

And the wave. Friendly on a high tide, good vibes in the water, sharing waves with the playful local groms. But on low tide she changes. Morphs. Takes on a whole new form. Water drains and the reef bares its teeth. Boards are grabbed, wax anxiously applied and afternoon plans forgotten. She peels, races, teases. Long lefts winding down past the exposed reef, past the posts, past the tree.

When you’re tired, the suns gone down, or she’s sent you packing like an angry housewife, leave the wave and retire to a good viewpoint. We spend our evenings sharing quiet meals and cold Bintangs.

Now I’m back in the office and my head is filled with Indo dreaming.

COMING SOON: Indo Dreaming - a mini surf film... so WATCH THIS SPACE