Bad Bank. Good bank.

In the last week, there's been a lot of words spewed with venom from the mouths of those in debt to the big banking companies over here regarding the massive profits the banks are making and the interest they are charging us for money they get off other people. Surfers even have joined the fray. Not a lot we can do but roll with it. Knuckle down. Pull the belt in and find a nice friendly bank made of sand.

This post is for my goofy footed brine brothers - Rev Dean, Mexican Steve, Mark "the comb" and Andrew "the twin" and this random surfer from a couple of days ago. Here's to Good Banks.

Yesterday

Yesterday I saw this guy get a nice barrel while I was waiting for my mates to show up for a surf. While I was setting up my tripod high up away from the surging tide that was bursting up the lakemouth so hard you could have ridden the wave upstream.

I love the light and shade and the way this guy's finger tips are just trailing the surface. Was it a left or a right?

Brine brothers

Post session walk to breakfast - a couple of fellas I have surfed with since last century, affectionately known as The Old Goats. Big shout to the shapers - Dain Thomas and Ian Chisholm.

Jack and Tony

Jack and Tony have never met but have had a big impact on me. They both ride surfboards - on the other side of the planet from each other - one in the north Atlantic and the other in the south Pacific,

Jack runs a fantastic blog called Salt Stained Eyes, where he showcases wonderful, surf related photos he shoots with cheap plastic toy cameras.

Tony is an amazing logger, artist and photographer who has loaned me his 1968 manual everything Nikonos II camera.

Thanks guys for your generosity and sharing spirit. Slide on! Middle shot is Andrew Dale on his Classic Malibu 9' 6" Jai Lee noserider model.
Mental note to myself: wear a helmet next time.

A Couple of Squares

From my window at work I can see a river that flows to the sea. In the distance, way past the airport, the oil refinery and the new football stadium, I can see a couple of islands made of sand. I'm pretty sure the surf is cranking and the local sharks have gone Christmas shopping somewhere else. There's air in my bike tyres and wax on my board. Can I leave now?
Autumn 2009