Skip to main content

Sporting Barbados 2017

Page 130

B E A C H

C U L T U R E

shout out "REPRODUCTION" from generation to generation. Brian’s own personal immortality was ensured in 2002 when his first daughter, Sunshine, was born and more joined his Sunshine clan, Starlite, Lion Reef, Rainbow and Ocean Blu Brian's first trip to Maui in the early 1990s was through an invitation by fellow windsurfer Dave Kalama (now legendary waterman), who had an major influence on him along with the rest of Strappers as they were called in though days. As the development of kiteboarding was happening in Maui in the 1990s, Brian found himself in the right place at the right time. His long time relationship with the Naish family was rekindled, Robby Naish sponsored Brian with all the kite gear he needed. Brian started to play his part in the kiteboarding revolution and added it to his Beach Culture World Tour, promoting action sports and their culture. Brian was invited to the first professional kiteboarding event in the Dominican Republic, as a personality to promote the sport. Since kiteboarding was so new, it didn't have the personalities, so Brian's function was to bring his high profile personality to take the sport mainstream and tap into the windsurfing market. As windsurfing played a major role in the developmental stages of kiteboarding. In 2003 Brian began to seriously promote his Beach Culture World Tour philosophy. He used the professional windsurfing tour as a basis and was also promoting various locations as windsurfing & kiteboarding destinations. Brian’s concept of a Beach Culture World Tour took off the same year, and by using his own personal high profile within the windsurfing world he found the key to this tour succeeding. Brian also packaged a range of marketing tools including using the conch shell as the tour’s symbol. Other

items included deAction Maps, deAction Beach Culture Diaries, and a compilation of Beach Culture Music. Conch shell blowing contest was part of the action and Brian also performed his own music. All these different aspects worked together to produce another highly successful Brian Talma venture. Event organizers began inviting Brian to participate in their events – either to compete or to bring along his Beach Culture Show. Opportunities were coming to him, which in turn enabled him to provide entertainment spectacles both on and off the water. Brian’s Beach Culture philosophy, which specifically includes Bajan, or Barbadian, beach culture, promotes the concept of blending together the surfing society with the fishing community, thus creating a unique way of life. But Beach Culture actually embraces any and every lifestyle that revolves around the sea. Windsurfing, kiteboarding, paddle surfing, fishing, and the architecture used for homes, are all included under the Beach Culture umbrella. The Beach Culture World Tour has become a motivational presentation with the message to everyone that they should always follow their dreams. As Brian would say, “Find your passion. Live your dream”. Back to base in Barbados, . Brian redeveloped his deAction Surf Shop in 2007, by adding accommodations and a restaurant. He also started to developing his beach culture art , painting and writing his poetry onto his shop, wooden signs scattered across the island and canvases ,He has also incorporated his art into the design of his deAction style of beach wear which is a line of board shorts, bags, tshirts, etc. The building and location are a true reflection of the Bajan Beach Culture concept coupled with Brian's own image and personality. So the Beach Culture

128 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

World Tour has not only enabled Brian to obtain a great deal of mainstream coverage for the sport of surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding and SUPing but now, at deAction World, he is also able to entertain and educate tourists and journalists alike so they get the full Beach Culture Experience on all levels. By the mid 2000s. And still living half his time in Maui, and once again, Dave Kalama influence came into play with a simple conversation about stand up paddling at Hookipa, Maui. Brian caught the stand up paddling bug and returned back to Barbados. He returned back to Maui for a very special meeting with Swen Rasmuin (CEO of Starboards) and Jeff Henderson (Owner of Hot Sails) and introduced the sport to them, seeing if Starboard was going to introduce it to their windsurfing line. The rest is history. Brian, seeing the amazing possibilities with SUPing, brought the sport back to Barbados; and as Brian says,"This is my biggest contribution to action watersport, helping establish this amazing sport around the world from nothing. I added SUPing to my Beach Culture World Tour, and my first goal was to establish it in Barbados, and the rest of the Caribbean and next was Europe. I am extremely proud to have achieved my goal when so many people didn't believe in our vision, SUP is now one of the fastest growing sports in the world" Again, Stand Up paddling used the same distribution channels as windsurfing, with the brands, competitions, trade show, etc and as a high profile professional athlete Brian was one of the key personality to help establish the sport in the Caribbean, Europe and the USA. During this time period he was now full sponsored Naish international including windsurfing, kiteboarding and


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook