SurfVisuals Issue 4

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SURFVISUALS ISSUE FOUR

PEOPLE WILL STARE, MAKE IT WORTH THEIR WHILE

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DO THE RIGH

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EATYOURWATER.COM.AU

HT THING.

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@EATYOURWATER

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People will stare, make it worth their while.

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BACKYARD BLISS Photography by TOM BRUNE

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People will stare, make it worth their while...

TEAM EDITORS Ben Nathan Michael Dillon ON THE COVER Titus Haug Brian Bent (surfer) CONTRIBUTORS TITUS HAUG GEORGIA HANSON HUNTER VERCOE KONRAD BREWSKI JOSH EVANS SASHA GOLYANOVA COREY MUNN TOM BRUNE HAYDEN O'NEILL EMY DOSSETT KONRAD BREWSKI RYAN HILL ALICE VEDRINE AMBER JONES KANE BROWN CHARLOTTE PIEPER DOM STUART BEN OSBORNE

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT RIPCURL EAT YOUR WATER OTTWAY THE LABEL THANKS TO YOU, THE CREW: Thank you to the crew of followers over at Surf Visuals whose loyalty and support is so vital to SV’s life.

You make our world a better place and allow us to create independent media that we love, to that we thank you. It was in our wildest dreams to create tasty content for you and we have it, with that extra mexican spice. If you haven’t subscribed online, head there for a chance to win epic subscriber giveaways.

ABOUT US Surf Visuals is independently published

by Ben Nathan and M ichael Dillon in Melbourne, Australia. The views and opinions expressed by contributors and people featured inside SV are not necessarily shared by the publishers.

All content is copyright Surf Visuals Pty Ltd unless otherwise indicated.

SUBMISSIONS michael@surfvisuals.com ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ben@surfvisuals.com SURF VISUALS DIGITAL Instagram: @SURFVISUALS www.surfvisuals.com www.facebook.com/surfvisuals

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People will stare, make it worth their while....

Pg.14 Cover Story, Titus Haug.

Pg.26 Yours, Georgia Hanson.

Pg.36 Yours, Hunter Vercoe.

CONTENTS

Pg.46 Yours, Josh Evans.

Pg.58 Yours, Sasha Golyanova + Corey Munn.

Pg.68 Yours, Tom Brune.

Pg.80 On the road, Hayden O'Neill.

Pg.88 On the road, Emy Dossett.

Pg.98 On the road, Konrad Brewski.

Pg.108 On the road, Ryan Hill.

Pg.120 On the road, Alice Vedrine.

Pg.130 Women of the Sea, Amber Jones.

Pg.142 The 2019 photo comp, winners.

Pg.150 Thankyou , our thanks.

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WIGGOLLY DANTAS

Photography by TOM BRUNE

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The Cover Story BRIAN BENT Photography by TITUS HAUG

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Titus Haug I grew up as a missionary kid in Japan for the first 16 years of my life. I also lived in Thailand for three years but eventually ended up in Southern California where I live now. Photography was a hobby I dabbled in during high school, though it wasn’t until college that I really fell in love with it.

Between my sophomore and junior year I had planned a trip to India and purchased a Canon 7D to bring along and document the trip. Those two months in India were definitive for my photography journey. I began to understand how powerful photography could be and also how it was an avenue to tell stories and create art. That’s when it went from a hobby to a full on passion. Eventually my love for surfing and photography intersected in 2015 when I met photographer Todd Glaser who encouraged me to pick up a Nikonos V. I’ve been pursuing a path in surf photography ever since.

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BRIAN BENT FULL OLD SCHOOL Photography by TITUS HAUG

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BRIAN RIDING HIS KOOK BOX Photography by TITUS HAUG

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Brian was riding a Kook Box based off of a 1930’s template. We were trying to capture the feel of that era so we decided to use Black and White film. It was one of those days where everything seemed to fall in place. The light was good, the wind was off shore and there were these really evocative rain clouds that added a dreamlike quality to the photos. The original plan was to finish the shoot in the water but Brian was getting cold and ended up catching his last wave in before I finished the roll. When I swam back to the beach I noticed that the clouds had surrendipidously formed behind where he was standing so I snapped the last few shots as we were headed back to the car. It ended up working out great and we were stoked on how the images came out.

Brian and I have done several shoots over the last few years. Usually it’s just for the sake of creating art, though we have talked about putting together a show sometime.

I’m super grateful for the opportunity. Surf Visuals has been creating some really rad content and I’m honored to have this photo featured on the new Issue!

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STYLING OFF A 1930'S TEMPLATE Photography by TITUS HAUG

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MY IDEAL CHEESE Photography by TOM BRUNE

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Yours.

Featuring: GEORGIA HANSON HUNTER VERCOE JOSH EVANS SASHA GOLYANOVA TOM BRUNE

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THE SEARCH Photography by JOSH EVANS

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Georgia Hanson Words by GEORGIA HANSON Photography by GEORGIA HANSON

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Chicks Can't Surf.

Words by GEORGIA HANSON

**I know what you may be thinking already from the three words above and you may have already found it a turn-off, but please! Don’t leave the article here. This isn’t a whiny, in-your-face piece of gender-biased writing. Merely some words and photos by a chick from West Oz. Purely intended to get you excited about the current moment and the future of surfing, as well as the ways that we document it...** The above phrase has permeated the shorelines of Australia and abroad since wave- riding was born many moons ago. With vast international shorelines embracing this mentality as the surfing lifestyle has grown to be the wildly popular oceanic activity it is today; various forms of this phrase have been adapted and embedded into contemporary meanings for different surfing populations across the world.

Popular surf photography took up this mentality in its own way too when documenting the growth of surfing, and if we flick through the history books of the sport it’s there on display.

I spent the better part of last year writing a thesis paper that, in a nutshell, explored how viable the medium of surf photography is to convey alternative views of surfing and gender. Pretty much. The whole thesis process took me down lots of rabbit holes; some that were really really boring, some that were bloody awful, and some that were quite amazing in what they offered.

What I did discover through the whole research process is that it ain’t all doom, gloom and purple thunderclouds! Not by a long shot.

It’s kinda hard to tell if we have slowly but surely settled in to normalizing the phrase that kicked this whole article off and everything that comes along with it, or if we are in fact living in the midst of a total shake-up of the way that we read about, document, participate in and ultimately view surf culture as a whole.

I like to believe the latter, but it is totally up to you to choose your own adventure with this idea.

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The beginning of this article may have made it sound like there’s nothing good happening for both men and women in the global surfing community at present, but alas! The opposite is indeed true. Or at least I’d like to think it to be.

Through all the bullshit there remains a core of goodness and a plethora of girls and guys across the globe that shred. Innovative, versatile and down-right exciting surfing that is assisting in paving the way for a new era of surf culture to emerge. One that borrows so much wonder and insight and from a vibrant and everrich surf history, whilst reimagining it for our contemporary surfing societies across the globe. And we’re seeing this evolve largely through a new wave of surf photographers that are reimagining the traditional surf photograph.

Photography is such an amazingly powerful medium used to express our ideas, as it legitimizes them in a sense; makes them feel more real. This is part of the reason why it is such a powerful tool when documenting the sport of surfing. You can relive the longest point break you’ve ever surfed one hundred times over, show your mates who weren’t there what they missed far better than you could ever explain it, (and keep you in check from exaggerating too hard about what the waves were really like), and above all, you can create an entire culture around your experience. That is one of the most powerful things that a photo can offer.

This was the concept that drove the majority of the photos that are published here, as well as a lot of the photos that I take in general.

When I shoot surfing, or anything to do with surf culture, I feel super fulfilled. I think that seeing your own photos compiled in a way that creates a new story or idea come to life, you’re making them legitimate and more real than you could have imagined when they were simply just scrambled visions astray in your mind.

This is one of the most exciting parts of photography for me; being able to push the boundaries of what may have been previously considered as ‘good’ surf photography. Through muddying the waters of what is expected to be seen in a surf photograph through deliberately rejecting what is traditionally present in this genre, lines begin to blur, and completely new works begin to emerge. Blending art with surfing and abstract ideas with bloody good surfers, new things are happening and fresh ideas about surf culture and what it means to be a surfer are coming to the fore. It’s looking pretty damn intriguing so far.

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As we find ourselves morphing through a period of huge global change and shifting attitudes across the board (pardon the pun), this conversation is as timely as ever; we’ve found ourselves in the thick of a physical shift of power dynamics within surf culture and it’s fascinating to be a part of as things change around us on a daily basis.

There are a vast number of insanely talented and passionate surfers across the world, girls and guys alike, who are celebrated so differently within traditional surf culture, but are so deserving of similar levels of praise, documentation and award.

There are also a huge number of old and new surf photographers that are pushing the boundaries and completely reinventing the wheel of what is deemed to be ‘traditionally good’ surf photography, and it is making for some insane new photographic works and collections.

This is such an exciting time to be involved in surf photography. The new ideas and ways of capturing people in the water are being challenged daily and is a constant motivator for you to better your own work. To make your photos push the boundaries of traditional photography and create new ways of seeing. This is how things progress, change and are created. Original ideas, unique ways of surfing, newfangled styles of taking photographs and the overall development of your experience. Your experience in surfing, photography, flicking through magazines such as this or simply diving underwater and appreciating anew what you see through your blurred and salty eyes. This is how the world continues to grow and adjust.

And it is absolutely beautiful.

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Hunter Vercoe Words by HUNTER VERCOE Photography by HUNTER VERCOE

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Landscapes Are Always Changing.

Words by HUNTER VERCOE

Growing up on the Sunshine Coast there’s no real shortage of places to surf and just be around the beach in some way. To me it seemed like a natural progression to go from surfing to shooting with my friends. At some point I realised that some of the people I was surfing with were super talented and that they deserved to be captured in some way. From then I found myself sitting on the beach shooting or in the water watching and getting them hyped on what I was capturing.

When I started surf photography I did every session for free, people would ask to shoot and assume I'd be willing to do it free of charge, which for a while, I did. Then once my work started being recognised by a wider audience, these same people would offer me publicity via social media or a free breakfast after a shoot or anything other than money… Which in a sense was degrading to me, I thought my efforts and work were worth more than an almond croissant… I just never felt big enough to argue.

It’s taken me nearly 2 years to break free from that constant cycle and now working for Thomas Surfboards on the Sunshine Coast as a content and media creator it sort of all feels worth it, and as though all my hard work and endless unpaid hours have finally paid off.

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The south east coast is full of incredible surfers and photographers alike, so I’ve always drawn inspiration from what they put out. But at the same time it has pushed me to figure out what I think would look best through the lens, try and find new angles or uncommon backdrops. In this respect, shooting Noosa (home) can be tricky, the same landscape paired with right after right after right… Don’t get me wrong I love home more than any other place I’ve been however trying to continuously create new and original content in a creative way can be bloody hard, especially when 80% of the time the Pacific Ocean is a lake.

Thomas Bexon (Thomas Surfboards) on task doing what he does best.

As shot by Hunter in Thomas' shaping bay in the idyllic surf town of Noosa.

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At the start of 2019 I made a call to move to Margaret River for a few months, the Wine capital of West Aus and the place we know as a surfers heaven. From there I was basically trying to build my surf photography portfolio and again reach a wider audience with my work. Although scary, the West is a beautiful place to shoot, perfect offshore mornings and water clarity like no other, there’s not a lot that can go wrong really (sharks aside). One of the craziest places I swam at while in the West was The Box. I got it on an average size day with only John John Florence and his videographer out there, 4-5 foot and a light onshore breeze. The gnarliest part about it was the 150m swim out over shallow reef. Once in position there’s a lot of waiting between sets, which when sat in the middle of a channel can put you in a weird head space thinking about what’s beneath you. I think this session was a turning point, a definite confidence booster swimming in bigger and gnarlier conditions and realising what is possible.

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Coming back home to Noosa where the waves are rarely over 3 foot gave me the chance to reflect on my time in WA and got me so amped to get back over there and push the boundaries even more.

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Josh Evans Words by JOSH EVANS Photography by JOSH EVANS

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Twin Palms Creative.

Words by JOSH EVANS

Hi, my name is Josh. I’m a photographer, amongst other things.

I’m 23, from Western Australia. The last few years I’ve split my time between Bali, WA and Southern California (with a few other side stops in the mix). I run Twin Palms Creative, a photo/ video/digital marketing production company and a sustainable women’s swimwear label, Beach Access, with my girlfriend Taylor.

I mostly shoot 35mm film (preference Kodak Gold 200) for my personal enjoyment. I like to remember the surf trips, beach days, skate session through authentic and nostalgic images.

The shots I have compiled for this Surf Visual feature are shot all over Bali, on a mix of different 35mm film stocks on a Canon AE-1 with either a 50mm or 70-150mm lens mounted. Making an appearance are my girlfriend, close friends and some randoms.

Thanks to the Surf Visuals team for the opportunity to share my work in print. Enjoy, readers. Cheers!

Josh Evans @joshevans6161

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DO YOU CARE TO SHARE? Photography by JOSH EVANS

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WE ARE ALL EQUAL BEFORE A WAVE

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The Young Craftsman Interview with COREY MUNN Photography by SASHA GOLYANOVA

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The Young Craftsman.

Interview with COREY MUNN.

I met Corey Munn in Bali during annual Deus 9ft and single longboard competition in June 2019. After comp Corey had to do some exclusive shapes for Deus Customs, so I was fortunate to capture him working and ask some questions.

Can you shortly describe yourself – where are you based, your background, when did you start shaping?

My names Corey Munn, I am 25 years old, I am from the Gold coast, Australia and I currently live in Coolangatta. I make surfboards for a living. I started making surfboards when I was 15 years old and have pretty much been doing it ever since.

What led you to become a shaper?

I started making surfboards out of curiosity for how things are made.

I have always been interested in how things are made and how things work so shortly after I started surfing (around 14/15 yrs old) I naturally wanted to make my own surfboard, so I went and bought a blank and a planer and started figuring out how to carve a board out. This interest is also why I handshape, do all of my glassing and all the work on my boards from start to finish in Australia.

Do you make your own designs/shapes?

Yes, all of my boards are my own designs, inspired from other shapers who inspire me, old boards I’ve seen, tangents while shaping or feelings I get in the water. Inspiration for my designs/theories are taken from everywhere.

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Did you count how many shapes you did?

I have always numbered all the boards I shaped but lost count about 6 months ago. I need to track back and find out the exact number I'm up to, but I have handshaped about 650-700 boards.

Do you have a favorite model? Which one?

At the moment my favorite model is called the ‘PLEASURE PIN’ it is a longboard that I have been working on for the last 4 or 5 months and am very excited about the feeling coming from this board!

Do you identify your boards affordable or elite crafts?

What makes them unique if so?

My boards are unique in that they are my take on surfboards handshaped from a raw blank with a planer. My boards are a quality handmade/ handshaped product and they are in the upper realm of price point, but I aim to keep them as affordable as possible enough, so anyone who really wants one and will really enjoy them can afford to own one! I don’t want my boards to be only owned by rich businessmen.

Where it can be bought?

In Australia, at the moment my surfboards are exclusively ordered as a custom through me. I do offer stock boards when stock is available in Japan, California, and Bali, also this year hopefully looking to have boards available in Europe.

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IVY THMOAS Photography by SASHA GOLYANOVA

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Do you have team riders? Who are they and why?

I don’t have team riders in the traditional sense of working with one person under contract. A lot of my favourite surfers and most talented surfers around I am lucky enough to call friends, so I do end up working through ideas and concepts with them all in the name of fun, which usually works out the best. Some of the people I have worked with on ideas the last few years have been Jack Lynch, Kai Ellice Flint, Diogo Appleton, Creed Mctaggart and Ivy Thomas.

With whom you collaborated? In which countries? Where you might go this year? What're your plans?

I have fairly regular shaping trips in California and Japan, shaping for shops. I have recently just done a shaping stint in Indonesia with DEUS, that will hopefully become a regular occurrence as well. I also plan to go to New Jersey and Europe this year to offer my boards for sale there.

What is the reason of handshaping still being claimed, if machines can do all the job nowadays? Objectively it’s got no benefits in terms of mass production, so why craftsmen like you still exist?

What’s the thing with handshaping?

There's is a lot of talk around handshaping at the moment, it definitely is the “Cool” thing going currently. A lot of guys say different things about the whole situation. There's a lot of hate on machine shapes. I personally don’t have an issue with it, for me the reason I handshape is purely because I like making surfboards.

Spending hours on the computer “designing” and scrubbing out machine cut boards is mindless to me, and if I was doing that, then there will be no reason for me to be making surfboards for a living.

I’d much rather be doing something else creative and just making boards for myself.

Shaper Corey Munn Photography and questions Sasha Golyanova Canggu, Bali - 2019

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Tom Brune Interview by SURFVISUALS Photography by TOM BRUNE

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The Film Lord From West Oz. Interview by SURFVISUALS.

Tom, welcome mate! Let's start by getting to know the man behind the lens. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hey, I’m Tom. 25 years old, born and bred in Perth, Western Australia.

How did you get into film photography and how long have you been doing it?

Before I started shooting photos I had a flickr account and would spend a lot of time exploring photographers and their blogs. It was always the film photographers that were my favourite, which led me to buying my first film camera, a Fuji STX-2. My first few rolls came out completely blank, so it was a bit of a learning curve.

I probably really started shooting film when I went to America to do a semester of exchange for uni in 2013. I mainly shot film and did a course on how to process and develop black and white film. Pretty much since then I’ve only shot film.

You must have a myriad of cameras, what is you go-to and what are you using most currently?

I actually just moved houses and realised how much old, mostly broken, camera gear I’m hoarding. My go-to would have to be the Nikonos V, it’s super rugged, small and easy to swim with and you get to set the focus before taking the shot so I don’t have any trouble with autofocus errors like I used to get with my digital setups. I also have a Canon EOS 5 film SLR with some lenses and a water housing. I just got back from travelling and all I had was the Nikonos and a point and shoot Olympus Mju II Zoom camera which was fun for trying out street photography.

Favourite film to use?

Portra 400 or Ektar 100.

Favourite place to shoot?

Pipe for sure. I’ve never been to Tahiti but that’s definitely at the top of my list.

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You have a very distinctive photography style. What/who has influenced or inspired your style?

I guess I’m influenced by a mix of people/photographers and the surroundings I’ve been exposed to. Coming from Western Australia there are so many beautiful places to shoot, we definitely have some of the best sunsets in the world as well as some of the best and heaviest waves, so that has definitely influenced my photos. As far as other photographers go, I could write a long list of photographers who inspire and influence me, but for surf photographers who shoot film my favourites are John Hook, Ryan Jones and Andrew Schoener.

What’s it like swimming out at Pipe on a big day? Paint us a word picture for those who have never been.

It can be pretty intimidating sitting on the beach when you first arrive. There’s usually a bunch of pros getting ready to paddle out, the beach is lined with photographers with their big zoom lenses and there’s usually a crowd of tourists watching and sometimes applauding. You paddle out directly in front of the peak. As soon as you’re in the water the sweep starts to drag you down the beach so you have to swim as fast you can to make it out the back before getting dragged into the dumping sandbar. Once you’re out the back you’ve got to paddle against the current to get to the channel at Pipe. Once you’re in the channel it’s not too bad, I just try and stay out of the way of other photographers.

If wide ones come through you can usually swim under them and if people watching from the beach see a big set breaking on the outer reefs you’ll hear them whistling.

I’ve never shot Backdoor but I hear it’s totally different, speaking to a few photographers, when the wave breaks there’s no water to swim under because it breaks on a much shallower patch of reef and there’s no channel to swim towards so you either make it under them, cop it on the head or try and find a hole in the reef to hide in.

Shooting film in such heavy conditions adds an extra element of difficulty. Respect. Have you ever found yourself in danger of getting sucked over the falls by sitting too deep?

Yeah, I hit the reef at Pipe on one of my first times out there. I’d had my first proper swim in the morning and a friend hustled me into going out again in the afternoon. My legs were cramping so I was trying to just swim with my arms. A small insider came through and I thought I could take a few strokes and duck under it. As I went under I could see the vortex coming for me, the wave picked me up and slammed me on the reef. I gashed my knee on the reef and lost grip of my housing and when I grabbed it I saw it had a big scratch on the lens port. It definitely made me appreciate the power of Pipeline more.

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Who was charging the hardest during that session at Pipe?

The session that the photo (which won the Dropbox Film Category in SurfVisuals 2019 Photo Comp) was taken it’d have to be Derek Ho – he caught like 3 bombs in the space of 30 minutes. All the Hawaiian heavies were charging that day. I saw Billy Kemper pull into some big ones as well.

Surfing is obviously a big part of your life. How do you find the balance of when to go surfing and when to shoot?

I’m not that good of a surfer; when the waves get heavy or crowded I’m way more happy swimming with my camera than trying to surf. That being said, I spent 6 weeks in Mexico this year and didn’t shoot once because the waves were perfect sand-bottom right hand point breaks.

Do you have a favourite image you’ve ever captured?

Not really. Usually I get a film back and really like one or two images off the roll and then get over them after a while. I do have a digital photo from my second time shooting in the water on a backlit arvo down at a local beachy.

That session I got a photo which somehow managed to make the cover of a surf calendar. Inside the calendar were photos by photographers like Morgan Maassen and Russel Ord, so that photo is pretty special to me.

What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not shooting or surfing?

I work away on a fly-in-fly-out roster, so usually on my week off I like to catch up with friends and family and try to get away on a little road trip up or down the coast.

Any future trips planned?

Yep! Back to Hawaii for December and hopefully Indo early next year.

Cheers Tom! Thanks boys!

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CENTRAL COAST Photography by RYAN HILL

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ON THE ROAD

HAYDEN O'NEILL EMY DOSSETT KONRAD BREWSKI RYAN HILL ALICE VEDRINE

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Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.

Words by CAM STYNES Photography by HAYDEN O'NEILL

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Long Live The Peninsula.

Words by CAM STYNES Photography by HAYDEN O'NEILL

You plan as much as you can, you check as many charts as possible, even book your dream location! But when home lights up, you just have to fucking stop and smell the roses! We did, And fuck me I love where I live, and no I’m not telling!

You bolt down for the late arvo in hope for the stars to align and are then greeted with perfect spitting pipes onto barnacle covered rocks that want to rip you a new ring piece, you know you're on! Three good mates could ask for nothing better.

Trading waves, calling each other into wild peaks it was like Christmas on the Ninch. As cramp set in and a few washed up on bricks it was time for a cold tins around the fire.

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To be able to be at your local with a fire on the beach, brew in hand and not a house or other person in sight. Fuck I love my mates, home and my amazing family.

Long live the Peninsula.�

- Cam Stynes

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Sayulita, Mexico.

Words by EMY DOSSETT Photography by EMY DOSSETT

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THE ULTIMATE COMBO Photography by EMY DOSSETT

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How to survive Sayulita…

Words by EMY DOSSETT

When I first arrived in Sayulita, I had no idea of what to expect, how long I was staying and what the place was all about. To me, I knew it was a bit of a party town and was home to sweet longboard waves opposed to Puerto Escondido, where most Aussies go to get barrelled.

I instantly fell in love with the place, the local community opening its arms wide, big smiles everywhere you go and maybe a vendor or two casually following you down the road trying to sell you anything from local handicrafts to dining tables or mattresses. I’ve even kitted out my little Mexican casa with a few pieces from the vendors cruising through the streets of Sayulita.

The thing I love about Sayulita is the fact you can dip into the crazy party scene or the cruisy surf scene or get amongst the spiritual scene.

It’s a town full of many facets, bringing people together from all over the world and mixing it with the beauty of Mexico, the mind-blowing tacos, big Mexican parties in little local streets with Banda music blasting until the roosters start crowing, colourful bursts of colour everywhere you look from sunsets over the ocean to La Catrina’s and Frida’s painted everywhere. It’s a perfect balance of chaos and charm, embracing you, shaking things up and enticing you to want more.

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On any given day, you can paddle out at the main break in Sayulita and have the likes of Lola Mignot, Israel Preciado, Kalle Carranza, Marco Mignot, Nomme Mignot or Diego Cadena mixed in with a bunch of beginners on wave storms and a few spikey sea urchins. Sayulita is home to a beautiful right-hand reef break which can be anywhere from nice clean waist high waves to over-head when a good swell sweeps through. When the swell direction is big enough and coming from the right direction, we have a left too, it’s my favourite and a little less crowded.

Sayulita is tucked away in a bay and during the Summer/wet season (May to November) we get the south and hurricane swells coming through. The waves are probably a little less consistent but when they arrive, they’re beauties. Then we’re blessed with the consistent North swells from November to March/May. Sometimes it’s extremely crowded, other days it’s super cruisy, you can’t always pick it!

My favourite place to surf near Sayulita is Burros. It’ll be home to 2020’s Mexilogfest, a right-hand point break with a left as well. It picks up decent swell and there’s a sweet little trek through the jungle to get to this slice of paradise.

Sometimes you can score this spot with only a few people in the water, other times it attracts a crowd.

Sayulita’s beaches are not always about surf, two of my favourite spots to enjoy the sunset or go on my morning walk are Carricitos and the North end of Sayulita.

Carricitos is a bit out of town and a little trek through the jungle to a little crystal-clear water beach looking down the palm trees lined coast. The north end of Sayulita has a wonderful stretch of beach leading to the jungle. You can find a moment here to yourself, and if you love to explore secluded stretches of coastline, make your way through the jungle to Mal Paso, a little slice of paradise with hardly anybody around.

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For the small little town Sayulita is, it has an abundance of night life, there is always something going on from Mexican traditional celebrations like Dia de Los Muertos to festivals to just plain old great places for a boogie session. I’m a lover of música latina! I love all things salsa, cumbia with a splash of reggaeton and with Latinos being born with rhythm pumping through their veins, not only is there plenty of opportunities to get your salsa on, they make anyone who dances with them look like they know a thing or two about salsa.

On Monday night, you can start your night of salsa at Don Pedro’s. Start your night here with a lesson or two first, followed by a good old dancing sess. With the live salsa band and misty sea breeze under the palapa, you’ll get lost in the moment. After midnight when you get your second wind, you can salsa your way up to the main plaza to Don Pato’s for your second session again with a live salsa band. On a Thursday night, you can find yourself at El Conejo salsing away to the live salsa band where you drink the night away with their craft tequila from the state of Jalisco.

And of course, there’s nothing like a good old beach party. You can follow the Latin beats to Cumbia night on Friday nights. It’ll lead you to Coco’s, a bar on the beach where you’ll find yourself grooving away to something a little bit more up and personal, a mixture of reggaeton and cumbia rhythms helping you dance the night away.

Once you’ve danced your way through town, you’ll need to replace your energy with Tacos de pastor on the way home from your dancing marathon. There’s plenty of little taco stands lining the streets whilst you’re waltzing home. My favourite is on the corner, across the road from the Oxxo in town and the restaurant Emilino’s on the corner.

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THE ULTIMATE STEEZE Photography by EMY DOSSETT

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How to become addicted to Tacos… or feed your existing taco addition Sayulita has become a foodies paradise where you can find anything from authentic Mexican food, fusions of deliciousness or other cuisines from around the globe. Because I live in Mexico now, I’ve developed a slight addiction to Mexican food. My favourite place to indulge in my taco addiction is the Taco stand in a hole in the wall around the corner of my house. Tacos de Toño up calle Pelicanos, is a little hard to find but once you find it, it’ll become your most visited stop. The sauces are all homemade making so much deliciousness to choose from. If you love meat and flavour this is your number place to top up your addiction. Next stop is Mary’s! I’m slightly obsessed with seafood so if you share this obsession, I recommend the Sayulita Taco from Mary’s. It’s filled with prawn goodness and an abundance of flavour. Mary’s is situated right in the middle of town, you can’t miss the bright pink building. When you want to continue on your Taco crawl, make sure you make your way to Bichos. Nestled in a little garden, with fairy lights, you’ll find a little peacefulness eating here. If you need a break from your overindulgent Taco marathon, head to Yeamke! The Aztec soup with prawns is my next favourite thing after Tacos.

Then for my next addiction, coffee. When it comes to coffee, you’ll only ever find me at one place in town.

That’s not to say their other cafes aren’t good. There are plenty of them, popping up all over the place. But Cafe Miscelanea has become my second home. It’s where I go to work and hangout. This quaint little cafe is tucked down an alleyway right in town. You can find a collection of local artist’s creative creations, delicious coffee and so many yummy treats.

Of course, there’s always one more addiction… Chocolate! In the main plaza, tucked in the corner is a sweet little shop called Mexicolate. They have these mind-blowing Cacao smoothies made from Organic Mexican Cacao, farmed and processed by traditional methods and indigenous Mexicans.

Surviving Sayulita...

Sayulita is a place where charm captures you, lures you in and dazzles all its magic around you. Some love it, others not so much. Whatever your preference, it’s home to some of the best surfers in Mexico and the world and wonderful Mexican charm with flavours from all over the world. Whether you head here to surf, party or get lost in Mexico, you’ll quickly realise there’s so much more to this little beachside town. It’s one of those places that greets you on its first day with a big smile, a suffocating hug and the words mi casa es tu casa everywhere you go.

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LOLA MIGNOT Photography by EMY DOSSETT

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Indonesia.

Words by KONRAD BREWSKI Photography by KONRAD BREWSKI

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A Surf Trip To Curb And Cleanse Curious Souls Words by KONRAD BREWSKI

Some surf and photographer friends and I embarked on a trip late last year to a semi-popular point break in Indonesia. Curious to know if the much documented wave really broke perfectly all day everyday with little to no wind. Curious if the isolation and escape would fix our cluttered minds, and curious to know if a change of scene would inspire my fatigued photographic mind.

Did it? I don’t know. What it did create tho is the realisation that the curious souls’ of a surfer and photographer are not so different.

They both seek to broaden their horizons, to see new colours, new sights, travel to new places and create different things. The surfers’ paintbrush and canvas a board and wave and the photographer.. well you get the idea. We each perform our art and it brings us both joy. We play it safe when we it doesn’t feel right and then we experiment and open our creative flow when we’re comfortable in our environment.

The pursuit of being comfortable in an uncomfortable environment achievable for a lucky few.

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Watching my surfer mates try different things encourages me to do something new too. With a camera in hand instinct says just press the button and capture what’s in-front of you, but when you ask yourself what else can you do to to challenge reality, that’s when things get interesting. How weird can it get? Let’s make it feel like what we’re all looking at isn’t really there… What if I slow the shutter, add a weird filter, find a reflection, or just try something I’ve never done before?

I guess finally our main similarity is that we’re always hungry for more waves, frames, swells and shoots. Always curious and never satisfied.

We’re eternally grateful but always keen for more. Paddle out for one more or wait and see if the light gets even better. As surfers and photographers our souls are ever inquisitive in nature brought together on this trip for for the same reasons. Where will this curiosity take us next?

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California.

Characters Of The Central Coast.

Words by RYAN HILL Photography by RYAN HILL Hugging the coastline you leave behind the bustle of Los Angeles, the perfection of the Queen of the Coast in Santa Barbara and head North. You’ll find a stretch of coast more known for its clam chowder than waves. A place where the trees gradually get larger, the sea wilder, and the lineups emptier. Here in the foothills of Big Sur you’ll find a peculiar bunch of surfers unfettered by the cold, the wind, the fickleness, and the true locals that lurk in these waters. If San Francisco was a gate to the truly cold waters of the north, the Central Coast was the path that got you there. The people that drive these roads hunting the inconsistent gems that reside on its coast either learn to love the process of being a surfer here or they don’t last long.

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The Builders. Those that see shape in foam and art in glass. That put the man-hours in to create a craft that can deliver a few fleeting seconds of bliss for another person. It’s absurd the amount of time that goes into a surfboard. This is a thank you to those obsessed enough to see it to the end.

Izzy Menenes runs Stix n Logs Glassworks in San Luis Obispo. One of the only glassers locally on the Central Coast. All the boards he glasses are either grassroots first-time shapers or seasoned professionals from the Central Coast. I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours with him working on a log for a local shaper. Izzy has been on the Central Coast long enough that life before this stretch of the coast seems distant. Before glassing he left a career in Hollywood working as a distributor for movies to slow things down and work with his hands. As a one-man shop it’s a lot of work running a full factory offering ding repair, glassing, sanding etc.

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Nick Cooper started The Craft a local shop that supplies shaping, glassing, and surfboard building supplies for the Central Coast while also shaping and making boards for the Central Coast through Coop Deville Surfboards. Nick is responsible for spreading the craft beyond its typical reach and making it accessible to the masses here on the Central Coast.Â

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The Surfers.

Braden Jones. Born and raised on the Central Coast Braden’s from the sleepy beach town of Pismo Beach. Once famously hailed

by Kelly Slater as the worst wave in California, Braden has been groomed on by these fickle beach breaks. While surfing choice QS events throughout the year, Braden has been studying to attend fire academy and works the summers as a lifeguard. Before even meeting Braden I had noticed him in the lineup and heard about him around town. His style is so clean and polished it makes taking photos of him effortless. His affinity for cold water has taken him as far north as Canada and south as Chile. Being a lifeguard keeps him level-headed and an easy companion to travel with. At only 21 he’s continuing to build a name for himself in the surf world.

However, on the Central Coast he’s already known for his work ethic and generosity, as a two-year couch to the local surf team he’s well known amongst any local lineup.

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Austin Neumann. Another Pismo local. Austin has been chasing the QS these last few years. Improving his surfing and building some quality results. He supplements his sponsorship funding by working full time at the local donut store often missing out on many of the best forecast windows due to his scheduling. But the early mornings make for free afternoons which suits him just fine.

Austin surfs with an unpredictability that makes him exciting to have in front of the camera, you never know what he’s going to do but you know you want to watch. Perhaps one of the most talented natural athletes I've ever met Austin excels in all things he touches, nearly as talented on a skateboard, moto, and bmx as he is a surfboard. One has to have other hobbies when you have as many blown out days as the Central Coast does, or learn to surf onshore slop. Seems Austin did both.Â

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In a place that seems to be against the average surfer, the surf community here still find a way to thrive. Sure, it isn’t snow covered and hostile, and definitely isn't Huntington Beach.

But surfing here requires a little bit more out of you and perhaps means a little bit more to those that do it here.

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Biarritz, France.

Words by ALICE VEDRINE Photography by ALICE VEDRINE

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Douce France

Café, croissant, vin rouge & petites vagues.* *Coffee, croissant, red wine & small waves.

Make yourself comfortable, play some music - La mer by Charles Trenet or anything by Gainsbourg, pour your self a glass of wine - red obviously - & put some sunscreen on.

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I live at the top of the stairs.

Above the ocean, in front of the beach « La côte des basques».

Martin Parr’s dream in the summertime, a deserted mansion in the winter, I love Biarritz all year round.

I use film because through the lens of my camera everything looks like a old post card, trapped in a timeless spectrum, and it's exactly at the beach, where no phones, no cars just half naked people roaming around, I get this feeling of travelling back in time.

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Shoot Film.

At the ages of around 10, my dad very kindly gave me my first camera, A Nikon FE2 which he use to shoot with when a photographer for the skate scene in the 80’s, the very same camera I still use to take my photos.

To my collection there is also the usual favourites: The NIKONOS V: the best friend when I go surfing.

LEICA MINI II & ILFORD B&W Disposable: indispensable, unbreakable and does not mind all the sand at the bottom of my bag....all these with the help of lots of Kodak and Ilford film rolls.

“When a mother takes pictures of her children on the beach, she doesn’t take herself for an artist; she does it for love, which is an excellent reason, from my point of view.”

— Martin Parr

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AMBER JONES

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN! Photography by AMBER JONES

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Amber Jones Words by AMBER JONES Photography by AMBER JONES

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THE GIRL GANG PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMBER JONES

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Hinemoana; Ocean maiden, nurturer and guardian of ocean creatures.

Words by AMBER JONES

The narrative of perfectly honed, bikini-clad, incredibly young, hypersexualised and competitive shortboard surfing females in an idyllic, tropical location just doesn’t ring true for the reality of being a female surfer in NZ but unfortunately was a heavily recurring message in surf media when I was an excited teenage grom.

As an impressionable young teenage female being spoon-fed these ideas, you can imagine how easy it was to feel disconnected to the sport I felt so passionately about because the dialogue fed to us through our favourite mags and DVDs (lol) was far beyond a true representation of what women’s surfing in NZ really was. Many times I almost gave up the hobby which gave me the deepest feeling of belonging, connection to the environment and community all because I was so disheartened by not meeting up to the expectations of what I thought the ‘ultimate surfer girl’ embodied.

Now, later in life with a career being carved out in storytelling through photography and videography I feel compelled and responsible to tell the story of some incredibly inspiring women I have been fortunate enough to meet in the lineup. They are on completely different life paths, riding different lengths & shapes with completely different eyeball-blessing wavedancing styles, but all in it for the same reason.

Since surfing is more than just physical sport for most of us, it was really important to me to tell a story not only about the waves we scored, but about the sisterhood community it builds, environmentalism, family and adventure values all weaved through it too. A film that we could proudly show our children, and that they’d be inspired to pick up a board and/or take care of the ocean the same way we do.

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Writing the film was easy. Being more of a documentary it essentially wrote itself with the beautiful characters involved, but unfortunately my skill-set didn’t quite add up to the cinematic biopic I had in mind.

Two years after I had written a rough storyline and some sketches a wonderful intervention by fate occurred. An ex-colleague I used to work with in advertising said a friend of a friend coming to visit has some mad skills & a production house over in the States and is looking to expand his portfolio with some surf filming in New Zealand, and would I know anyone he could link up with?

Our initial phone call opened with some ideas he had about filming certain male surfers who feature heavily in our magazines already so I listened, nodded, and quickly but kindly put those to bed and proposed Hinemoana to him. He was hooked, I became excited, flights were booked and suddenly the most disorganised person in all of Aotearoa was in charge of organising a surf film.

Although we had about three months to organise logistics, ten women from completely different islands and coasts of New Zealand had to come together at precisely the same time as a tropical cyclone arrived from Fiji, with a nice weather pattern to allow for filming, and it all had to happen within the 5-day period the guys were flying into New Zealand. Not much to ask for really.

Somehow all our prayers to Tangaroa and pleas of passion reached someone in the universe because they blessed us with insane waves on both East & West coasts and perfect weather for the entire (but short) duration of filming.

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While we were shooting there was so much interest from the outside from women wanting to be a part of it which is just so incredible and means we are desperately overdue for a celebration of female surfing here – and also serves as impetus to create more stories and involve a much wider net of wahine!

It was never a ‘boys vs girls’ retaliation because fact of the matter is most of us learnt, and continue to learn from the boys, be it through Dads, husbands, brothers, mates. I personally love surfing with my fiancé and guy mates because it pushes me to go beyond comfortability. But, surfing with the boys is a totally different experience, and their story has been told extensively over the years. Hinemoana is a timely celebration of surfing differently to the boys, differently to one another and differently to the surf media we’ve been fed over the years. And a rightful celebration at that.

Without giving too much away, Hinemoana will be an insight into a lovely little window of Aotearoas wahine surf community, told by us. These women are ones you’d be proud to introduce your daughter/niece/grandmother/mother/best friend to & we are going to showcase them and their presence in New Zealand’s oceans.

They are Hinemoana.

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“.. to recover the femininity of surfing - the sensuality of the experience, how we feel our environment through all our senses, the fluidity of water, how we are in movement with waves, a water dance.�

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The winners of the 2019 SV Photo Comp.

Featuring: KANE BROWN (SURF) BEN OSBORNE (TRAVEL) DOM STUART (LIFESTYLE) RYAN HILL (PEOPLE) TOM BRUNE (FILM) CHARLOTTE PIEPER (WOMEN)

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Kane Brown The first thought that came to mind after reviewing this photo was “Joy”. Not a lot of photo’s I've shot over the past have immediate impact on me. I can't go past the pure stoked facial expression on the surfer's face as he exits the barrel.

This photo was shot in Fiji 2018, a few days before that XXL swell that rolled over CloudBreaks reef, even though I got to shoot that historical day, I still find this image to be one of my favourites from that trip.

Api is the surfer in this photo. He is a local Fijian that absolutely rips and will always have a cheeky grin on his face in and out of the water haha. I remember this particular day so vividly. I swam easily 4 hours in the glassiest conditions with 4-6 footers rolling in. This shot of Api was one of the smaller waves, but probably the longest barrel from anyone that morning. I was positioned further down the reef at Shishkabobs perfectly lined up for when Api exited his dream tube.

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Ben Osborne A rainy Sunshine Coast afternoon and a group full of friends with one thing on their minds, to find some surf. After a short, rainy session on the points on Noosa we decided we wanted more. A trip up the beach was thrown out there only to be received extremely well by everyone around. The weather soon started to turn and as the rain started to drizzle down on us we packed up all our gear and headed on our journey.

Though the downpour was heavy on the way up, Matt didn’t seem to mind being on his bike. Weaving back and forth between our cars, flying off in front of us only to come racing back and trying to hold a wheelie for as long as he could during the hour-long journey whilst sporting the biggest smile on his face, knowing that at the end it will all be worth it. This image was shot out of our front car, using a Canon 5d MarkIII with a 24-70mm lens.

About halfway through our journey, Matt and Husni (driving the Landcruiser behind) were keeping themselves entertained by crossing over with each other. With the rain falling, and by turning this image black and white, you get a feel for how miserable the afternoon actually was but also feel the sense of the commitment that drives us through these conditions known as travel to get to our desired destination.

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Dom Stuart Lifestyle July 2018: An extremely spontaneous, two month trip to Bali comes into talks with my best mate.

Q: “There will be waves I can surf, right?”

A: “Yeah for sure, it will be mellow as!”

Two days later I’m on a plane. (My first time in Indonesia). One week later and I’m in one of the biggest swells to ever hit Uluwatu…unable to surf. Naturally I was never without my camera, but without my full camera kit and the swell promising more and more, a four-hour return scooter ride to buy a lens from a random Russian dude was on the cards.

This shot was simple. During evening beers on a rooftop bar with everyone watching in awe as the few brave enough to venture out caught some of the most ridiculous waves I will probably ever witness.

Moments I’m sure will stay with them for the rest of their lives, and moments that brought everyone watching together.

I entered this shot into the 2019 Surf Visuals Photo Competition as a surfer - this is what it’s about.

Being in beautiful places, being present in the moments these places give to us, having fun whether you’re surfing or just enjoying watching someone else getting stoked, no bullshit, no drama.

Coming together in good times or bad, keeping that sense of community and always remembering that we’re all just people who love to surf.

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Ryan Hill People Not so deer in the headlights, Russell Holliday wind-chapped, soaked, more than a little cold and just making our way home well past dark. After a few rainy weeks in the so-called sunshine state of California, our better judgement (or maybe it’s simply boredom) got the best of us and we decided to try and go get stuck on some mountain roads.

I’ve always been fond of this image and as a photographer it’s hard to separate your personal connection with an image from what others might see or feel. From a photographic perspective, the moody atmosphere and low light coupled with the wind, rain, and headlights helped create a powerful image. Personally, I’ve always felt this image really captured how I knew Russell: Calm even when confronted with chaos. I’ve been in my fair share of sticky situations with this guy, and he’s always held up his end and more. It’s fitting this turned into another one of those, he didn’t tell me until after we took this but it turns out the tank was half empty and we still had to pin it towards home…but sometimes it’s just time to crack a beer and figure it out later. It all worked out in the end.

It always seems to.

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Film

Tom Brune Film Shooting in the water at Pipe is equal parts surreal, exciting and intimidating. When she’s big it can be pretty intimidating sitting on the beach waiting for a lull in the sets to try and make it out the back. You swim out directly in front of the peak, get swept all the way down the beach and hopefully make it out of the channel between the reef and the dumping sand bar. On this day, there was a busy pack of photographers but the atmosphere in the water was epic. All the local chargers were out, I remember sitting behind Zak Noyle as Makua Rothman and Billy Kemper pulled into some amazing barrels. I felt a bit out of my depth surrounded by pros whilst shooting with my little Nikonos V which only allows you to get one photo per wave, two if you’re lucky. In the end, it makes getting all your film back weeks later much more special.

This session, the standout surfer was 54-year-old Derek Ho. I saw on Instagram Joel Tudor calling him ‘The King of Pipe’, because he is the only guy from the older generation still out there pushing it on the bigger days. In the space of about 30 minutes he dropped into and got spat out of three bombs. On this wave he dropped in, made the bottom turn as the wall pitched up and threw over him. He stood in the barrel before getting spat out a few second later. I only got a photo of him bottom turning, but that’s the beauty of shooting film at Pipe.

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Film

Charlotte Pieper Women of The Sea This shot is a sound example of why I love my ‘accident’ photos the most.

I wanted to shoot this location on Bali’s East Coast with Elena since days; as it got neat logging waves and with the super clear sky I’d have the volcano in the background. But when we arrived that day, the spot was dipped in deep grey clouds and it was about to rain. Dark and rainy weather is actually one of my favourites, so I just decided I’ll takes shots of her in the ocean, rain drops dancing around her. They turned out to convey such a calm feeling.

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Thank you

In loving memory of my beautiful Mother, Louise Jeanne Dillon.

23 February 1955 - 25 June 2018.

So much strength and so much love for life, family and friends.

It's hard living without your best friend. I’ve hurt a lot, we all have.

Not a day goes past that you are not missed.

In the early days of SV, my Mum was our biggest fan. She was our chief proofreader and head of sales and distribution of the mags - in saying this, I mean she’d used to walk into local shops and cafes trying to get the mags in there.

She even made an Instagram so she could like our posts.

This Issue is dedicated to my beautiful Mum. You were always there to encourage and support me. For that, I thank you.

I hope I have made you proud.

Love and miss you everyday.

Love Mike.

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GRATITUDE Photography by TOM BRUNE

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