The Cleanest Line

Watch the Trailer for Groundswell

by Chris Darimont

How could we possibly give voice to marine mammals and other life threatened by one of the largest industrial projects ever conceived? After all, whales, dolphins and the like – as intelligent as they are – cannot mount their own defense against the oil industry.

[Video: Groudswell (Trailer) from the Patagonia Video Gallery]

Oil giant Enbridge Inc. and its international partners have proposed the Northern Gateway Project, a massive pipeline that would cross nearly 650 miles of Canadian wilderness, hundreds of fish-bearing streams, and dozens of First Nations territories. This oily tentacle would stretch west from the Alberta tar sands to British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest where the raw crude would await transport by tankers to Asia and, potentially, California.

Never before have oil tankers dared to travel along this stormy and largely unspoiled coastline. Most vessel traffic consists of modest fishing boats owned by people from remote aboriginal villages that dot the shores. These people continue to depend on the abundance their ocean provides them. Not surprisingly, their opposition to Enbridge and the Northern Gateway project is fierce.

Les Landes

by Patch Wilson

A friend of mine, Nick Pumphrey, who I grew up with surfing, skating and generally causing mayhem, now lives in South West France. He has called Hossegor home for about six or seven years now. Now turned semi-professional photographer he still works the summers in bars and restaurants and sleeps in his van to save money so that he can head on missions throughout the winter. His van holds this amazing quiver of longboards, single fins, alaias, bodyboards and swim fins. All the wave-riding equipment you could need for whatever one of the best stretches of beachbreak in the world could throw at you.

[Me cruising on my Fark Quad. Photo: Nick Pumphrey]

Back to Patagonia - Part 4

by Crystal Thornburg-Homcy

 

 

After more than a week camping in Patagonia with Jamie Sterling, Jack McCoy, and Mel and Kenny, founders of 1% for the Planet member Sol Raiz Organics, along with their crew, we regrouped and repacked for the coast. While we were in Santiago packing our surfing gear, we heard that the nearby ski resort, Valle Nevado, still had snow and was closing for the season. We decided to make a day trip to visit the over 10,000-foot-high mountain.

The drive up the mountain was as thrilling as hearing the “Wild Bull” breathing outside our tent. The sharp turns and steep cliffs with no guard rails looked down onto car cemeteries. With no coca leaves to chew on the altitude was getting the best of me; I closed my eyes and tried to relax. Our whole drive we didn’t see one patch of snow, just dirt. We were all wondering if there would actually be any snow at the top. I was ecstatic to get out of the car finally to discover a white-capped mountain with patches of mud. It had been almost eight years since I’d been snowboarding, a sport that I’ve love to do at least once a year my whole life growing up. I guess I had been so focused lately on traveling to other coastlines in search of waves that I neglected visiting snowy peaks.

Claim It: There is No Green Wetsuit

Want to know what's up with this ad? Continue reading to learn why we don't use bamboo fabrics in our wetsuits.

 

Back to Patagonia - Part 3

by Crystal Thornburg-Homcy

I made my way through the Pumalín Park area in Patagonia. Fjord Quintupeu was my next destination along with fellow surfer Jamie Sterling, Sol Raiz Organics, and filmmaker Jack McCoy. We paddled our kayaks into the wind with the sun warming our faces while refreshing splashes of freezing water hit our faces. We had a day of paddling, passing by waterfalls, isolated ranches, salmon farms, and seal colonies. When we finally made our way to the entry of the Fjord Quintupeu, the sun was starting to slip behind tall peaks that were blanketed with deep emerald forests, revealing heaven-high waterfalls.

[Above: Crystal Thornburg Homcy+Chile from The Wave Journal. Video: Jack McCoy & Erik Derman]

We navigated through the fish farm to get to our resting point at the base of a waterfall in the Quintupeu Fjord. The crew was ready to warm our bones as the temperature was dropping fast. Our escort boat was far behind back at the port, hours away with the warm gear. We attempted to stay warm by gathering wood, putting our girl and boy scouts skills to work. We finally got a flame going on the soaked logs. As we began to warm up, we passed the time waiting for our boat by doing yoga on the beach, and keeping our fire alive. The clouds began to seep into the Fjord, and the darkness was setting in. Our boat was finally spotted on the horizon. This time, we set up camp under the stars with the rumbling sound of a waterfall instead of the “Wild Bull.”

What a Mess – Remembering a World before Plastic Pollution

by Gerry Lopez

I spent a lot of time surfing a spot in Indonesia called G-Land. Remotely located on the edge of the Alas Purwo National Park, on the southeastern tip of Java, it was, relatively speaking, far from civilization. Actually, as the Indonesian sea eagle flies, it was only about 15 kilometers from the nearest village but with the terrain and local inhabitants in between, it might as well have been a million miles. Residents of that area included the Java tiger, herds of wild boars, the Indonesian wild water buffalo, the Komodo dragon, more deadly snakes than one could shake a stick at… well, I often wondered what I was doing out there with no more protection than a few surfboards.

Patagonia surf ambassador, Gerry Lopez, shares a story today about life before single-use plastics. Read on for some rarely seen photos from the early days at G-Land and an opportunity to join the Plastic Pollution Coalition. [Above: With waves like this, who would want to do anything else all day long? Gerry at G-Land, sometime in the late '70s or early '80s. Photo: ©Don King]

In the mid to late 1970s, we were permitted to build a temporary camp with some bamboo tree houses and a shack to cook in. The lack of human presence made the beaches – the only area we frequented – absolutely pristine. We brought our drinking water in glass bottles, the only containers available at that time. We dug latrines out in the jungle and burned all of our garbage. When the coming of the monsoons heralded the end of the surf season, we left.

Éire

by Patrick “Patch” Wilson

Eyeing up a promising looking swell chart and coming to the end of a massive restoration project at work, I jumped at the opportunity to hitch a lift in my friend Lowey’s van and get back out to Eire for some waves again. The swell was looking big and the winds not quite right but I had time on my side and I have found over the years that to get the good days here it’s best not to be in a rush and just to hangout and take the place in.

Editor’s note: Patagonia UK ambassador, Patch Wilson, joins us today with some thoughts about a recent surf trip, and a stack of amazing pictures. Thanks to Patch, Mickey Smith and Tom Lowe for sharing their photos.

Autumn time and the big lows that sweep across the Atlantic throw swell straight at the West coast of Éire along with a lot of weather. In between weather fronts, when the wind is switching around and easing off a little, you can score perfect slabs, points and beaches if you know where to look on the right tide, wind and swell direction. It’s a gamble of: Should we go here and check this slab or here instead and check this point? But when things come together, it’s well worth the waiting and searching.

[Above: Patch Wilson, turquoise bowl. Photo: Mickey Smith frame grab]

Runnin' the Tidal Rapids

by Liz Clark

With a brief window of calm winds, Crystal and I readied Swell to move east among the atolls. With the news of Barry’s passing, I wanted to check out what was rumored to be a new boatyard on an obscure strip of coral a few atolls east, plus with a swell on the way, we might arrive just in time to catch a few juicier waves before Crystal flew home.

Editor's note: Before leaving for Chile, Crystal Thornburg-Homcy visited the South Pacific and fellow Patagonia ambassador Liz Clark who's sailing around the world in her boat, Swell. Here are a few stories from their time together. [Photos courtesy of Liz Clark and Crystal Thornburg] 

Swell caught the flow of the outgoing tidal current as we steered around the coral embankment and into the open draw of the pass. The sun pierced the cloudless morning air, illuminating the deep blue river that carried us out to sea.

Through the binoculars, I could see the sea churning up ahead. “Oh, no…” I bellowed. I knew what we were in for: standing waves and sea-rapids where the flow of the tidal river met the ocean. It was too late to turn around, the outward flow was too strong to fight…I made a firm mental note to get some better tide information!

Body Surf Classic San Francisco and Come Hell or High Water this Weekend in the Bay Area

by Dan Malloy

Danny Hess and his friends at the woodshop are hosting the first annual Body Surf Classic San Francisco at Ocean Beach this Saturday, November 5.

It looks to be more of a gathering than a serious competition so get ready to take your game faces off. The event starts at the crack of nine Saturday morning. Beach entries welcomed.

Below is a sign the guys at the woodshop made me build when I was passing through town last week. It will be present at the competition for anyone who would like to get pitted Mark Cunningham style.

Editor's note: Later Saturday evening, after the contest, there will be a screening of Come Hell or High Water at Proof Lab in Mill Valley. Chris, Keith and Dan Malloy will be in attendance. Those who were lucky enough to score tickets will be able to see the film on Friday night at the Save The Waves Film Festival.

[Video: Get to the Beach! by Alex Kopps]

A Hootfest for the Torpedo People at the La Paloma Theatre

After the world premier in New York, Keith Malloy and crew brought their new body surfing film Come Hell or High Water out to the west coast for a screening at the historic La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas, California. We received two reports from the show. First up is Patagonia Cardiff store manager, Devon Howard.

Keith's film premiere last night of Come Hell or High Water at La Paloma in Encinitas was epic. Nixon did a great job of promoting and putting on the event and after party. We also celebrated Jeff Johnson's birthday. All the Malloys and their family were there, as were the entire Cardiff staff, and surf ambassador Trevor Gordon. Some other great surfers were on hand like Marc Cunningham, Danny Hess, Rob Machado, Taylor Knox, and Kelly Slater. The hoot meter was off the scale. So much fun.
 
There is going to be a big buzz about this film. Keith and the crew made a unique waveriding movie that will be celebrated for many, many years, joining the ranks of hit films that guys like Chris Malloy and Thomas Campbell have done over the years. Congrats Keith. Well done!

–Devon Howard

Next we have writer and traveler Mark Ayling, who offeres his perspective on the evening in combination with a bunch of photos from Drew McGill and Devon Howard. [Above: Director Keith Malloy fields questions on-stage at the La Paloma Theatre. Photo: Drew McGill]

A hushed whisper sweeps across the hundred surfers assembled before the La Paloma theater in Encinitas, California. We all peek to catch a glimpse of Mark Cunningham, the silver headed star of tonight's movie, Come Hell or High Water. Our reverence for this legendary waterman would be nothing unusual, except that Mark rarely touches a surfboard – he's a bodysurfer.