Insight

The act or result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively


What do you "see" here?

Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Royalty Surfing

The largest of the Hawaiian wood surfboards, reserved for royalty was the 'Olo' board. These were the giants of the day at 18' and believed to have reached lengths of 25 feet.



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Adrenalin

"A little adrenalin a day keeps the boredom away"



Laird Hamilton

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Jose Angel

Jose is one of the most fearless and best surfers of all time. Jose would take off on giant waves that no one else would even consider. He'd even re-surface from horrific wipeouts laughing; to him it was all part of the fun. And was also known to do radical back-flips or such like off of his board in huge Waimea waves. He was fearless.
Jose was a free surfer; he was never interested in competing. Surprisingly enough he was the Principal of a Hawaiian school, and even skipped school/work one day to surf, only to get caught out pictured on the front page of a local newspaper! Much to the amusement of his friends, and the bemusement of his superintendent! However his students thought he was cool!
Jose was on the cover of the very first issue of Surfer magazine, and later Surfer labelled him the 'Bravest Surfer of All Time'.
Along with surfing, he also loved deep-sea diving. Often free diving extreme distances without the aid of any breathing apparatus. He knew no limits and kept going deeper.
Originally from California, Jose moved to Hawaii, married and started a family. With the death of his mother, Jose started to change. Blaming himself for his mother's death, he had an affair and left his wife and kids. These emotional problems led to him pushing the boundaries even further, one day staying down too long and getting 'the bends' leaving him partially paralysed in one leg. This led to the demise of his surfing. And eventually cost him his life, when he dove down to a depth of 300ft, ran out of air, and tragically never re-surfaced.



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The Shaper

I already have an entry about shaping but today I came across this quote:

"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. Elbert Hubbard

For me it summs up the difference between the craftsmanship of a master shaper and the work of a machine that pre-cuts the blanks.
There is also one very interesting sentence that Dane Reynolds said about one of Al merricks handshaped boards. Dane said that the surfboard that Al handshaped for him was an extension of his own feet... Simply Amazing this definition of handshaping..

One master shaper/craftsman at work... "Pat Curren"

And one piece of craftmanship by Tyler Hatzikian...

Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Freedom



Be free, be happy, be a better person, help others and Surf a lot.

Respect our Ocean.. If you don´t care for it no one will..

Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Pipeline

The Banzai Pipeline, or simply "Pipeline" or "Pipe", is a surf reef break located off Ehukai Beach Park on the north shore of Oahu. A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves crash once they reach the shallows of a reef. Pipeline is notorious and famous for its huge waves breaking in shallow water just above its sharp and cavernous reef forming large, hollow and thick curls of water (a.k.a., tubes or barrels) that surfers can surf inside of and hopefully escape from using expert tube riding abilities.



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The future
During the winter of 2005/2006, Jon Jon was the youngest competitor ever in the Pipeline Masters. He is completely at ease in giant surf at Haleiwa, Pipeline and Sunset. Farther out to sea, Jon Jon has been whipped into some giant waves that have some surfers using unheard of expressions like “10 times overhead,” because Jon Jon is such a sprout.

At the age of 16 Jon Jon is seen as the leader of the new generation of surfers..
Will it be a flop? Or will he be the next champion?
I see a waterman in the making...
Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Gandhi

My life is my message.

Mahatma Gandhi

New Baby

Yesterday I was in the shaping bay with DJ Kane to see in loco one of my two new babies being born.

It started off as big, fat, rough and ugly blank..

And after 4 hours of hand shaping and 413 photos later, it became this amazing beauty

This new baby is a single fin hull 6´0´´x 21 1/2 x 2 7/8

Being able to see this whole transformation made me realize the amazing talent that DJ has. At the age of 20 DJ is for me a master shaper/craftsman, a very sensitive human being and a connaiseur of both the history of surfing and also European history.

His interpretation of a surfboard performance goes beyond the "normal" boundaries. Watching him shape also made me realize the focus that he has, even after being so tired because of all the shaping that he has been doing.

And today my second baby will be born ( 5´8´´twin keel)

Once again Thank You so much DJ

Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Winner

I´m glad to anounce the winner of my latest challenge to all you readers out there.

The winner is Rui Ribeiro from http://magic-quiver.blogspot.com/

He will get this fantastic handshaped wooden surfboard. (shaped by yours truly)

Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Doubt

A fluctuation of mind arising from defect of knowledge or evidence; uncertainty of judgment or mind; unsettled state of opinion concerning the reality of an event, or the truth of an assertion, etc.; hesitation. "Doubt is the beginning and the end of our efforts to know." Sir W. Hamilton.




Give the benefit of doubt at all times...

In case of doubt always go out there and catch a few... If no waves are present at the time, enjoy nature and the elements around you..

Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Challenge

As the blog reached 1000 hits I would like to challenge you!!

Send me your review on the blog.

The best review will get a nice prize.

bushmansurfer@gmail.com

P.s. Reviews are accepted until tomorrow :D

Aloha

Bing Copeland

Bing Copeland played a major role in helping surfing and the surfboard industry to become what they are today. At 13, he became fascinated while helping out at pioneer surfboard maker Dale Velzy’s workshop in Manhattan Beach. He spent the mid-’50s in the Coast Guard stationed in Hawaii and surfed the big waves of Oahu’s North Shore and Makaha. In 1958 he sailed across the Pacific and introduced modern surfboards to New Zealand. By 1960, back in Southern California, he was making surfboards commercially and his company became one of the longest-running and most progressive in the surfing world.











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Waterman

Join Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama, Gerry Lopez and Rob Machado, along with Chris, Keith and Dan Malloy as they venture into the heart of Indonesia, into a hidden paradise of colossal barrels and perfect waves.

WaterMan takes you on an intimate boat trip with some of the most influential surfers of our time as they bodysurf, paddle surf, hydrofoil, stand up surf and tow surf in the Indian Ocean. Venture beyond the shallows of the surf culture into a deeper shade of blue.



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Quote

You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf - Jon Kabat-Zinn



Aloha

Fresh off the mail

My latest buy from amazon.com



I´m starting off with Force of Nature by Laird Hamilton..

Later on i´ll be posting some personal reviews...

Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Rob "The Mob" Machado

"Rob Machado is one of the world’s greatest surfers, having helped to define the modern era of the sport. Internationally known for his unique and impeccable style on land as well as the water, Machado was consistently seeded at the top of the world rankings as a competitor on the WCT Surfing Tour. With 12 career WCT victories, Machado was ranked among the top ten surfers eleven straight years, from 1995 through present, and was inducted into the Surfers Hall of Fame in 2000 and re-inducted in 2006."
taken from robmachado.com







Rob is for me one of my lifetime examples to follow. He´s an amazing surfer as well as an amazing Human being.
Best wishes for all your family.
Thank You Rob for all your contribution in my life and in my surfing..




Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Bunker Spreckels

The story of Bunker Spreckels is a wild one. At the age of 21, he inherited a fortune thanks to his family’s sugar empire. By 27 he was dead. In between he evolved from a surfing hippy to an international playboy.




Bunker Spreckels lived fast - and died young.



Interview with Bunker here http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/oct/28/features.sport9

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PICARESQUE

–adjective 1. pertaining to, characteristic of, or characterized by a form of prose fiction, originally developed in Spain, in which the adventures of an engagingly roguish hero are described in a series of usually humorous or satiric episodes that often depict, in realistic detail, the everyday life of the common people: picaresque novel; picaresque hero.
2. of, pertaining to, or resembling rogues.




New longboard movie from mikey de temple

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SICK

Today i´m really sick.. Influenza got me hard.
My body is all sore and numb, but then again the Sun will shine again tomorrow morning :D

Aloha and Mahalo for reading

My jeans

Found this litlle pearl inside my Hurley jeans...

"One of the most beautiful things about our world is the constant state of change. The heart, soul and spirit of Hurley is rooted in the surf culture.
Our world is all about freedom of expression and the joy it brings. Music and art are pure gifts that we truly value. Creativity drives our curiosity about the world. We are extremely passionate about the indidual voice. We welcome you into our world."

Bob Hurley



Aloha and Mahalo for reading

P.s. They´re not paying me anything for the pub :D

Hawaii

If you´re thinking goin´ to hawaii you should check out this video..

Enjoy the Meca of surfing..



Aloha and Mahalo for reading..

Soulful

Surfing is art..
Surfing is freedom..
Surfing is communication and be in touch with the ocean and nature..



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Surfing

Surfing, alone among sports, generates laughter at its very suggestion, and this is because it turns not a skill into an art, but an inexplicable and useless urge into a vital way of life. - Matt Warshaw



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Bottom Turn

Too often overshadowed by flashier maneuvers, the bottom turn forms the cornerstone of strong surfing. It comes in several variations and lays the groundwork for the rest of the ride, making it an essential facet of a powerful style. As any experienced surfer will attest, a hard-driving bottom turn is as pleasing as any move.






Practice your bottom turn and your surfing will improve a lot..

Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Body Surfer Obama

Congratulations to Mr Obama.

That Change is needed..



Let´s hope for peace in the world.. Happiness for all is my wish..

Aloha and MAhalo for reading

Freedom

Since it´s election day in the U.S. it´s just fair enough to write about one of the Human rights which is seldom overlooked by the americans..

The right to freedom...



Aloha and MAhalo for reading

Barrel Ride

Surfing inside the barrel of a breaking wave is one of the best surfing experiences possible. Your first quality tube ride will make all the effort you spent learning to surf worthwhile.





Can you describe the feeling of a tube ride? The sound? The power? The beauty?



Aloha and Mahalo for reading

The Little Things

Little things that for me are priceless..

A smile, a hug, watching the sunrise, the sunset, check the surf..



Practice "your" little things everyday... It´s free of charge and it will charge you..

Aloha and Mahalo for reading

Board Porn





First two from Alexandre of Barrel Surfboards

And the last one a classic Waimea Gun Shaped by Pat Curren