Showing posts with label Surfing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surfing. Show all posts

TIME WARP TUESDAY: VIDEO FROM THE VAULT - Liners 2010

Video From The Vault: Liners - 2010

It is time for Time Warp Tuesday... this is where we at HSA do a throwback kind of thing and post up something from past adventures.

Never heard of it?
That's because this is our first time...

Today we are posting a video from HSA's forerunner, Texas Surf TV. This video is appropriately titled "Liners".  It features a fun little bit of surf... Texas style! Filmed at Packery Channel in Corpus Christi TX during the Spring of 2010.

ENJOY!


Liners from Sirfur Productions on Vimeo.

VIDEO: "LIFE RECLAIMED" Trailer 1

Here it is! The first trailer from the HSA Documentary "Life Reclaimed". "Life Reclaimed" is an inspirational adventure documentary based on the premise that "Nature is Greater than Therapy". It covers the story of a man who lost everything he worked a lifetime to aquire and his fight to reclaim his life from depression, devestation, and lonliness by getting back to his roots in adventure sports.






 
HSA Trailer1B from Sirfur Productions on Vimeo.



Adventure Week - Days 4 and 5...

Photo: Human Spirit of Adventure
Days 4 and 5 were spent with a mix of surfing and riding. Spring break was in full effect, there were a lot of kooks in the water, so dawn patrol was about the only good time to catch a few waves. Catch a few thigh high peelers and then get off the island before the mayhem starts.

After surfing, it was back to the trails... Riding and scouting good locations for camera placement for the documentary.

All in all it was a decent week. Not as adventurous as I'd hoped, but I'm not complaining... a decent day of surfing or riding beats a great day at the office anytime...

In June, I will head to the Arbuckle Mountains in Oklahoma for some hiking, backpacking, and a little freshwater snorkeling in a crystal clear river... there will be a little cave exploring too.

Also on tap for the summer is a little trail riding in the Texas Hill Country, filming for the documentary, and shooting videos for HSA's "yet-to-be-named" Survival Series.

Peace out!

Adventure Week - Day 2... VAS

Courtesy - PeriscopeFilm.com
So I awoke on Sunday morning in hopes of good surf, but I knew the moment I stepped outside that there would be too much onshore winds for anything good. But alas, Texan surfers have a saying... "You won't know if you don't go", so I went.
I loaded up the jeep with my surf gear, called up a buddy, and tried to hit up a dawn patrol. My friend who arrived before me called as I was nearing the beach saying it was total choof, but a few guys were giving it a go.

Being like I thought, I decided I was in no hurry and stopped for a cup of coffee, then pulled onto the beach. I took a stroll down the jetty to find my friend looking sad. The surf was big, choppy, and wind-blown... and the cold front hadn't even arrived yet. Most of the better shortboarders were getting a drop and maybe a turn before the wave totally closed out.

Since my friend hadn't paddled out in a while, we thought we'd give it a go anyway. It was for naught. Being a longboarder makes for real difficulty in that kind of wind. Not to mention the steepness of the waves. I pearled the first two tries, stood up finally on the third wave which closed out as I hit the bottom. This went on for an hour or so before I said "Screw it" and went on in. It was a good thing too because not fifteen minutes later the from hit, kicking winds up to about 45mph.

I spent the rest of the day hiking a bandit biking trail, searching for good camera placement spots for the documentary.

Such is life as a Texan surfer...

Adventure Week - Day 1... The Preparation

Saturday - Day 1

As expected, the winds are howling, so I'm glad that I planned this day for preparation. I was able to accomplish the things I needed to begin my adventure week and start the documentary.

First, I tuned up my bike. I tweaked the brakes, lubed the chain, made some small adjustments to the derailleur, and repaired a flat tire. I also packed up my biking gear so everything is ready to go.

Next I stripped the old wax from my good old Dewey Weber longboard and laid a fresh base coat, followed by a couple of layers of cool water wax. In Texas, the water temp is still 65 degrees so I also packed up the wetsuit. With surfing in Texas, you never know what you're gonna get... the forecast may call for waves, but you are skunked when you arrive; so I also pack my fins and snorkel, just in case. I also bring my handplane... I never miss an opportunity for a little body surfing as well.

Once my biking gear and surfing gear were ready to go, I sat about the task of learning to use the GoPro. That was an adventure all it's own, but I got it figured out, updated, and charged. I shot some test video just for good measure. I also placed the mounts on my bike helmet for some good POV stuff.

Surf is on the agenda for tomorrow... Peace out!


Adventure Week - 5 Days of Fun

Photo: Human Spirit of Adventure
Friday - The Day Before...

After the last 9 months of working my butt off with only Saturdays to find adventure, I am looking forward to five glorious days off.

The Big Bend expedition that was planned late last year fell through due to various circumstances. First, I was unable to get as many days off from work as I had hoped. That kind of put a bummer on what I was wanting to do. It's a rare trip for me and my family and if I'm going to spend the money to go, then I want to be able to get the full experience. Second, I was unable to secure reservations as the park was already full with Spring Breakers. The rafting tours were full as well. So the trip has to be put on hold.

Still wanting adventure, I decided to take what is available in my own backyard... surfing, mountain biking, hiking and kayaking. With crappy weather in the forecast, I refuse to be defeated... I will find adventure.

So I picked up a GoPro Hero3 Black edition. It was the missing piece of the puzzle for beginning the Human Spirit of Adventure documentary that has been in the works. Several months of planning can now begin to take form and get the shooting underway.

Well, I better get some sleep. I have a lot of prep work to do tomorrow. Peace out!


... A Surf Comedy

What else are you going to do on a flat day?
Corpus Christi surfers Shawn Miller know how to keep the stoke alive.

Shot in the summer of 2009 as a comedy skit for the web show "Off the Lip" this video was totally improvised during a flat stretch. Check it out...




Adventure is Half the Fun...

Photo - Joe Vulgamore
When I first started surfing, I was drawn to much more than just waves. There was a spirit that came with surfing that was beyond description. It had partly to do with a more laid-back, island type lifestyle, but what attracted me the most was the aspect of adventure.

From the sweatshop that I called work, I would log on to my favorite surf forecast in hopes of seeing the potential for swell on my days off. Each night I would go into the garage and re-pack my surf bag, double and triple checking to make sure all of my gear was in it's handy locations. Hours would be spent on the internet looking at terrain maps and shore contours, trying to decide where the surf might best offer a couple of surf-starved adventurers an uncrowded wave or two.

The entire week would build with anticipation, leaving me feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve. The night prior to the trip I would stuff myself with a healthy dinner, then load the ice chest with beer, water, and sustenance  for the coming trek, then fade off to sleep with the sounds of my favorite surf movie in the background.
The next morning I would usually wake just before the alarm to the smell of hot coffee that my wife would set the night before. A quick look out the window would remind me that sunrise was still two hours away.
I would load my truck, checking twice to make sure I had everything, and then off I'd go... anxious to meet with a couple of good friends for a day of waves.

Then, I made a big mistake.


I enjoyed surfing and my lifestyle so much that I thought it would be a great idea to start a business centered on surfing. I never had plans to make a fortune off surfing, but I thought it'd be great to make a living doing what I love. So I parlayed my photography skills and my journalism background into a surf magazine. At the time, Texas had no magazine or surf media, so I thought, "What the hell..."

During the time that I was publishing Texas Gulf Coast Surfing Magazine, going to the beach every day became more of a chore than a luxury. It was great at first. I got to see my friends everyday, shoot photographs of all the sickest local talent. I got to hang out in the surf shops and frequent the contests, and it was fun... for awhile. Unbeknown to me, the surf scene was no longer about the spirit of the ocean, somehow the business took over the stoke. Suddenly, I felt like I was playing hooky if I paddled out to surf. If I wasn't on the pier, or jetty, or the open beach with a camera in my hand, then I was slacking. The biggest problem was that I didn't even notice... all I cared about was getting the next issue out. I had quit taking the time to enjoy what the ocean had to offer.

Economic factors caused me to cease production of Texas Gulf Coast Surfing Magazine. It was heart-breaking, and financially devastating for me on a personal level. So I retreated. I put surfing on the back burner and decided to try to enjoy everything else that the ocean can deliver to us.

Body surfing has become a focal point for me lately... maybe it is because it is pure. I don't really know. But in the past few months since the magazine was shut down, I have found myself longing for the adventure that has eluded me for a long time. It has reminded me that the adventure is half the fun.

So now, I have set out on a personal quest to rediscover my love for the ocean. I now set out to experience as many waves as possible, whether it be on a longboard, boogie board, or feeling the sweet caress of the wave while body surfing.

I set my sights not only on the waves, but also on the adventure.
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