The Billabong Rio Pro is in full swing, and just in case you are missing John John Florence from the competition due to his ankle injury, don’t fret. “Begin Again,” the latest film effort by John John and his crew, showcase some of his pretty sick moves in a nice 4-plus minute clip ditty.

According to filmer, editor and pal Blake Kueny, it doesn’t mean starting from scratch. “Begin Again means a new beginning. It’s emptying out the hard drives and starting again fresh.” That means that all the footage in Begin Again is John John in his prime, pre-Snapper (before MRI scans and ice packs were even in the picture).

According to SURFER Magazine, “It is an A-grade cut. The edit is built on solid foundations. It’s what good surf films used to be: a great surfer in epic waves.”

We have to agree. You’ll enjoy this clip. It starts off with some close-up and artsy-ish footage set against a slower-paced “I’ve Got A Crush On You” by New York Philharmonic & Zubin Mehta. Then bam… on to John John and friends’ slick skills, set against a more aggressive “Feel It” by Wake Up Lucid.

Hopefully John John will be back in the saddle for Fiji, but for now enjoy this cool video of his friends and family: which also star Nathan Florence, Ivan Florence, Kiron Jabour, Koa Rothman, and Eli Olson. Filming by Damien Robertson, Daren Crawford, John John Florence and with Phantom footage from Chris Bryan.

Last but not least, savor the last clip, undoubtedly the future of surfing footage.

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Announced last month, The Barrel is a year-long surf project where professional and amateur surfers, photographers and videographers around the world have the possibility to showcase their passion: Barrel surfing. It hopes to celebrate surfers’ collective passion for seeking out and riding barreling waves, where the water is hollow where the wave breaks.

There will be monthly episodes called “Monthly Grid”. The greatest clips will be awarded with prizes, like iON Cameras. It is all about skills, creativity and love to the waves.

“Whether you are 8 or 80 years old, if you love to surf, you love getting barreled; that’s what we go into the water seeking each day and talk about each afternoon,” explained Tony “Harro” Harrington, the project director.

Harrington has been shooting surf and snow around the globe for more than 20 years with more than 150 magazine covers to his name. He has brought together an international line-up of iconic surfers to participate in the iON The Barrel Movie, slated for November release. These include Reef McIntosh, Jamie Mitchell, Rusty Long, Ken “Skindog” Collins, Marty Paradisis, Peter Hayes, Justin “Jughead” Allport, Laurie Towner and a host of others.

“We’ll be on a hunt for barrels all year from Hawaii to Tahiti, up to Indonesia and down to Tasmania. The movie will track our journey and take audiences inside these beautiful, majestic waves” said Harrington.

The Barrel website will be a gathering place for surfers and videographers to shoot and share their barrels throughout the year, winning iON cameras, Carlton Dry prizes, surf adventure packages to Papatura Island Retreat in the Solomon Islands, a VIP travel prize to the movie launch at Turtle Bay Resort on Hawaii’s North Shore in November and plenty of products from Shapers Fins.

So grab your Go-Pro or get one here: http://beckersurf.com/surf-gear/surf-accessories/gopro-camera/ and start shooting some barrel action. For more info, go to www.surfthebarrel.com. Continue reading →

Billabong Team Rider, surfer & activist Lauren Hill heads to Southern India tomorrow to document how surfing, yoga, and ecological creativity are bringing hope and fueling change for the local Indian people and the Planet in a film called “Beyond the Surface.”

This documentary that will touch upon eco-tourism, youth and women’s empowerment, biocentrism, and personal growth… all set against the background pursuit of India’s perfect waves, highlighting the undeniable power of surfing to bring joy amongst suffering. Moreover, the women discover more about themselves, exchange life experiences and – through the medium of film – inspire others to seek a deeper connection to their fellow humans and to the wonder of nature.

It is filmed by award winning cinematographer, Dave Homcy, who aims to capture documentary-style interviews with the local Indian community, and share these stories with the global surf community and beyond. Homcy is best know for critically acclaimed work in Sliding Liberia, Surfwise, A Broke Down Melody, El Mar Mi Alma, Come Hell or High Water, One Track Mind, Shelter, and Dear and Yonder.

The group is teaming up with Beyond The Surface International, a Non-Profit organization whose mission is to use surfing as a highly effective tool to assimilate underprivileged, homeless and orphaned children into society. They have been able to strengthen and create communities to promote social justice and peace.

Find out more at www.beyondthesurfacefilm.com
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The first book to ever exclusively focus on surfing, The Surf Riders of Hawaii, will be auctioned off on May 11 through the Surfing Heritage Vintage Surf Auction at the OC Fair and Events Center in Costa Mesa. It is expected to raise upwards of $30,000. That’s a whole lotta dough!

The Surf Riders of Hawaii was first printed in 1914 by surfer/photographer A.R. Gurrey and highlights surfers in Waikiki between the years 1910 and 1914.

It’s been estimated that only between six and eight copies of The Surf Riders of Hawaii were printed, making this one of the rarest pieces of surf memorabilia in existence. Each version of the book was assembled and bound by hand and the images were printed on silver-processed paper. A separate copy of the book recently sold for $37,000 in a Sotheby’s auction.

The man responsible for creating the book, A.R. Gurrey, is regarded as the father of surf photography. Gurrey was also a surfer, close friend of Duke Kahanamoku, and member of the Hui Nalu surf club. Duke Kahanamoku, appears extensively throughout all of the books.

“The Surf Riders of Hawaii is the first book ever done exclusively about surfing,” said Joel Smith, an expert on the book. “This is a pretty remarkable piece…it’s a landmark in surf literature because it’s the first book dedicated to the sport.”

Who’s diving in for the bidding? Going once, twice… sold to someone who wants to have a fantastic piece of surfing history!
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The What Youth group is currently working on a beautiful film called “Anything Sing” set in Morocco, Mexico, Bali, Australia, Hawaii and California. Shot with surfers Luke Davis, Nick Rozsa, Ford Archbold and Beau Foster, here are a few sneak preview pics from their surfing mission to Morocco.

According to What Youth, “the waves were pumping, the breakfasts were sketchy and filled with bees but the rest of the trip was a classic [f’d up] mission: driving, searching, laughing and ripping.”

The photos we saw are absolutely beautiful. They’re touring the flick around all of April and it will premiere on the What Youth site on May 1st.

For more photos and details, go to: What Youth





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