Focus

Part 3/3: The Cook Islands

2011-10-18T15:00:00.000-07:00


Protect . Preserve . Conserve . Recycle

www.harvestblue.com
www.Justinbastien.com

The Cooks: Part 3/3

Before I get started on the last installment of the South Pacific, I would like to thank all the parties that helped launch this adventure. Harvest Blue, Maui Jim, Sunshine Organics, Billabong Camps, Camile’s Day Spa & Surfher Skin Care, Kathy Ireland Foundation, Sex Wax, Coffin Family, Sanuk, and Ocean Cab of Santa Barbara.

The Cooks ....

Mary holds a a bar of Sex Wax, plastic free.

Sick of the sea-sickness. Fives nights out in the pacific sailing, 100 plus miles under my belt and looking scorched from overexposure to the sun. I was on one of the last watches before we landed on the Cooks. You could see three planets, all lined up on the horizon, all the way till sunrise. The morning was another magnificent creation of melted colors in streams of yellows, reds, and oranges. A few hours later I was pretty excited to see the first sight of land. My thought? Ice cold drinking water. That’s it. That simple. It was this precious resource that I had missed the most while aboard the Sea Dragon. Once we landed, we passed through customs, and were greeted with lei’s form the locals and good vibes . One of the standouts was Steve, he runs Pacific Divers on the Cooks, a local dive shop. He invited the crew out to dinner that night. We were two-thirds of the way through our adventure, but plenty of new things left to explore.

Getting Around ...

Being complete strangers to this place, we were in dire need of a place to stay and some beverages stat! I believe when we first arrived, Mary went to check out the farmers market, Justin sought out to figure out our transportation situation, and I? I posted up in front of the store with an ice cold sprite in one hand and an ice cold water bottle in the other. Never underestimate the ecstasy in simplicity. After a quick hydration, we reconnected. The only bummer was that after spending all this time learning about “bad” plastics, here I was, fresh of the boat drinking out of a plastic bottle. It felt almost inescapable. So we began our new adventure with some scooters. These puppies went about 60 mph. The driving test? Pretty rad. It went down something like this:

Q: Have you ever driven a vehicle like this before?

A: No

Q: This is where your blinkers are and headlights

Q: This is the gas

Q: This is the brake

Q: Mind the speed laws

Q: Trunk opens here

Q: Gas goes in here

Q: Here is the kick stand

Q: Remember people drive on the left here

Q: Do understand everything I have explained?

A: Yes. (at least I remembered most of it)

Q: OK, you passed the test. Take this to the DMV , pay your $20 bucks and you are go to go.

Island life is pretty funny. DMV was still slow though, no different than back home. Two people ran the entire office. Funny enough, I managed to crash my bike the first hour we were there. Fortunately I made it out with only a few scratches and bruises to my ego. We had a good laugh about it and moved on.

  We were here in the Cooks for 7 solid days waiting for our plane to  arrive. Two flights per week on the island. Seven days seemed just about enough time to get acquainted with this  little paradise. First of all, I love the Cook islands.  The people are incredibly friendly, most everything is moderately  priced , and there was music  all around you. There are two buses that go  around the island if you need transportation. One bus goes clockwise,  the other, counter clockwise. Like our buses say Goleta or Santa  Barbara, there’s only have two directions on their signs. Classic. You can also rent a scooter or a car. Scooter 's were about $20 a day to rent and you could go around the whole island in 45 minutes on one.

Several companies have begun their transition towards eco friendly products. Sex Wax is eliminating their plastic wrap and substituting their packaging for cardboard. Billabong has the "Recycler" series of boardshorts made from recycled plastic. Sanuk has the Rasta line of sandals made from hemp and recylced tires while Harvest is using organic fabrics. Many mahalos to these companies!

AROKU BUNGALOWS

We came across the Aroko Bungalows, a series of little bungalows stretched out on the coastline. Really beautiful. Cost? $100 bucks a night. I shared the room with Justin,which was the roomiest of the trip. Mary got a sweet bungalow right on the water, giving her a break from the noise of the boys. Later that night we met up with the rest of out crew and enjoyed a nice dinner out with side of dancing. Everyone had a great night. The rest of our days were spent getting familiar with the locals, the geography and looking for spots to surf. It also gave the three of us some time to catch up on our work. I thought I would have had time to finish most of it on the Sea Dragon, but between the swaying and work hours on the ship, it never came to happen.

Photo: Justin Bastien

The first day on the island I began to feel some sense of normalcy. The first few hours

back on land I still felt myself swaying. This feeling had finally gone away. Only the smell of

Photo: Justin Bastien

plumeria and warm tropical air filled my senses. When the next day came, we were hoping to find some waves since we didn’t get any on our sailing expedition. Most spots we visited were serious reef breaks in shallow waters where only experienced surfers should go out. Spots were pretty heavy here. That is probably part of the reason we hardly ever ran into a surfer in the water. Out of the 7 days we were there we met three of them. We happen to catch this reef passage on a rare day that was pretty fun , just a llitle overhead. Snapped my longboard that day into 2 pieces, and my friend Justin had to tow a friend back to shore because of the strong currents in the reef passage. It turns out the the other half of my board washed up in the harbor a few miles and a few months after I left. I good friend that I met over ther told me they found it and stored it at their dive shop. The other days that we were not surfing we went SUPing. This is great in the tropics. The water and air are warm and the visibility is insane. Whether I was out paddling with Mary or Justin, you were guaranteed to see something spectacular on every journey out. On this one particular day, Mary picked up a hitchhiker while paddling. He was about 3'4" shaggy tail, and really hairy. Non stop entertainment watching these two try and navigate the Tahitian waters on a fin less SUP. Due to the geological layout, all the islands and atolls were tightly packed . You could paddle from island to island and explore for hours. Some islands were completely deserted. A great environment to reconnect with natures elements. You had the sun, salt, water, winds, off shores, fish, predators , reefs, jungle, all in rhythm with each other, all in harmony. Still, despite the small number of people, I would find trash and evidence of our presence. Bottle caps, bags, and plastic wrappers from packaging were still visible. I wish I could say that evidence was limited to footprints, but I would be lying.

The Bio bags are a step in the right direction, but are not 100% bio -degradable unless disposed of in the right conditions

One thing that I did find note worthy was the use of bio-degradable bags. They were everywhere on the island. I still wonder how this tiny spec in the middle of the ocean can have this system in place and we, here in the states, are still struggling to make this transition. I spent a fair amount of time talking with people on this trip about plastic consumption. Most people felt plastic was a good thing. It is durable, lasts a long time, its pretty strong, it can be used to hold liquids, and its cheap to produce. The problem is the manner with which we have become used to using it. We use it in a wasteful manner. An irresponsible manner. The Pacific Divers have made it part of their mission to continue to clean up the waters of Rarotonga. They are also helping the locals learn sustainable ways to farm and deal with their agriculture and water sheds. Great group of people with good intentions making a difference and a change, every day,

Photo: Justin Bastien

Food ...

Photo:Justin Bastien

The food on the Cook islands was pretty good. Coconuts are a plentiful food source here on the islands. We kept a nice stash at our home for food and water. There were a lots of fruits and veggies thrown into a lot of their dishes. Most everything was freshly made or harvested that day. Food goes bad quickly on the island. The first meal we had when we arrived was at this place called the "Secret Garden." Beautiful landscaping and fabulous menu. I was a fan of this chicken dish that had a combination of fresh pineapple, papaya, and coconut. The breads were always made fresh and were a great compliment to the chicken fruit salad I had. All the garnishes for their dishes were plucked right out if there garden. Very friendly place and delicious food! On the less expensive side, there were meat pie stands everywhere. I have to say , they are not bad for a quick bite. Just don't eat too many in one sitting.

At the end of this magnificent journey , I came away with a better understanding of my environment and my self. Some notes I took along the journey reflected these thoughts:

-life is short and unexpected, make the moment last.

-Plastic is a great resource, we just use it really poorly.

-the plastic pollution problem is greater than we think, so we needed to act yesterday.

-change is instantaneous when done through fun and creative venues.
-when you lose your balance on a motor bike, try not to hit the accelerator.
-sailing is rad.
-plastic is in every corner of the planet, event the remotest of places.
-desalinated water is awful tasting but will keep you alive.
-I will make it a point to not use plastic bags and encourage others to do the same by suggesting alternatives.


Waves with this power and strength make an ominous thunder clap as they strike the reef.

Cabin view from Aroku Bungalows.


Locals were very friendly. Photo: Justin Bastien

Beautiful sunrise over the Cooks. Photo: Jess Cramp

Leaving for an early morning paddle. Photo: Justin Bastien

Mary and I going for a mid day paddle. Photo: Justin Bastien

This little reef passage was a 20 minute paddle from our home. Not a soul out.

When we returned, Jeffrey got the samples gathered from the voyage to the scientists for further analysis.

The waters of Tahiti and the Cooks were the bluest I've ever waded in or layed my eyes on.

Super heavy day at an unnamed location. No one out. Not every wave was as perfect as this one, but it would be worth the wait to snag one of these double over head gems.

Justin Bastien scouting the outer reef on a Steve Brom YOLO board.

Local scientist for Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative stops to watch some beautiful peelers in the middle of the day.

This is the crew of the Sea Dragon and the Pacific Divers group.


One of the few surfers we saw and met on our trip.

The gentle 80 degree pools protected within the many reef passages.
For more great imagery please visit www.justinbastien.com

www.mauijim.com

Part 2/3 Rarotonga or Bust

2011-06-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

For days now I had been hearing stories of the crew I was about to meet. Stories of Captain Dale, Jeffery the slayer and a few others. On the day that we arrived we had made plans to dine with the crew. This allowed us to become familiar with the people we were about to set sail with the night before departure. The morning had come and everyone was ready to hit the seas. Packed up, well rested, and wind at our sails, we left Tahiti. Justin, Mary and myself were a bit disappointed to find out that the Sea Dragon had been unable to secure some permits for trawling in the Tahitian waters. This meant that the first two days were going to be spent sailing and not much research was going to be done. This may have been a blessing in disguise because there were several people on board that suffered from sea sickness, myself included. Warm, stuffy, humid, rocky conditions were the setting for this first time sailor.

Top right photo: Sara Close

The Sea Dragon is a mono hulled 74 ft racing sailboat. The Captain was a gent named Dale, the kinda guy you want to have with ya if you were to encounter any pirates. He could handle pretty much any situation. The next person below him, Emily Penn. This young woman had sailed around the world and had an impressive list of achievements. The speed of the Dragon varied from 4-12 knots, averaging 6-8 knots on this trip. If we were to fly to Rarotonga it would take 3 hours, sailing ... 5 days. The sleeping quarters were hammocks, one laying over the other, in two rows that encircled the stern. It was a bit musty down there at times, especially if any of the crew were have digestive issues. You were regulated to de-salinated water while on board. This water really made me appreciate our local tap water, thats how good it was.While on the ship we were divided into groups of four people that rotated every 4 to 6 hours. While you were on shift, these were some of the duties you were required to do:

- Maintain the sails, ropes, etc
- Clean dishes, toilets, floors, etc
- Cook meals
- Drive the Sea Dragon
- Enter data into the logs
- Watch on deck for other vessels or debris
- Assist with trawling

Top right photo: Sara Close

THE CREW

Of the 14 members on board the Sea Dragon, 6 were American, the others were from England, New Zealand, and Australia. Every Night we would all eat together up on deck and share stories. At times, it felt like a think tank, listening to empowering ideas from around the world. One gentleman in particular, Peter, was from Australia. He had traveled all over the world and had some great talks from his experiences. One night in particular, we were sharing ideas on what each person could do independently back home to help with environmental issues. One point that Peter brought up was the difference in how someone can approach encouraging people to make better choices. On one end, you could impose change by creating a law that imposes a new order that must be followed. A forced situation with consequences. Or, you could create an avenue where the initiated change is both fun and engaging and is made optional to the population. No negative repercussions in this model. The example Peter used, was the use of escalators versus stairs. A group found a way to encourage people to reduce the amount of foot traffic in this transit station, while promoting a healthier way of being. In this example, people were mainly using the escalator versus the stairs. To encourage more people to use the stairs, each step was designed to look and function like a piano key. By the time the staircase was completed, it had a a full range of notes, low to high. With in a short time span, the majority of people switched from the escalator to the stair case. This phenomenon has been coined as the "fun theory". The "fun" can be the catalyst in initiating change in a positive way that is easy for people to not only relate to but engage. Peter had mentioned that in the experiment with the "piano staircase", people were actively engaging the right side of their brain, the creative side. The "fun" side. It was no surprise to him that people could make the change so easily. Now the question remains, "how can we apply this fun model to our plastic problem?" An idea I am working on currently involves this "fun theory" and its integration into our local schools. For more information on fun theory please visitwww.thefuntheory.com

Top Left Photo: A nurdle, small in size, but one of the largest problems for our ocean

TRAWLING FOR PLASTICS

The "Great North Pacific Patch" is the eye opener that most people have heard of when talking of the "trash island". Its has been described as an area where a vortex of currents has collected debris, trash, slugde, and pelagic plastics. Where we were sailing, was about 1,000 miles south of that location. The expedition will eventually end at the patch in a few months. The significance of where we were was to find out what kind and what amounts of pollutants were present in these waters. Remember that where we are in, is a remote part of the world where the gyres influence is minimal and human population is low. We trawled for roughly 7-8 hours each day. The "Manta Trawl" resembled a hydrofoil with a fine net mesh that collected the samples on the surface. Compared to the samples collected in the Atlantic, our findings were minimal. When passing through a Grye, the samples collected were larger pieces or debris including suspended particles. While on our trip we did not see large amounts of any kind of debris. When the Manta trawl was pulled up, we did find evidence of nurdles (small plastic pellets) as well as other forms of plastic. One thing I was a bit surprised to see was the lack of sea life passing through this part of the Pacific. We had one bite on our fishing line over the 5 days out at sea. I was expecting a few more nibbles. The importance of these larger fish, is that once caught, the crew can extract its liver and have it tested for pollutants and levels of toxins. One of the issues surrounding the "nurdles" and small plastic particles are that they are hard to clean up, hard to see, and contribute to bio-magnification of toxins in the food chain. Because plastics are petroleum based, they attract other chemicals floating in the water. A fish can consume these nurdles mistaking them for food, as they move up the food chain, toxins can concentrate to dangerous levels affecting larger mammals. There is a current topic being studied in Rarotonga that I will revisit in part 3 of 3 relating to this on an agricultural level. Though what we found wasn't jaw dropping excitement, the data collected was use full and will be sent to Redondo Beach for further testing. Its is important to note that where we were traveling was very remote with very small human populations. The fact that we were still finding small nurdles way out here, was a bit shocking to me. There must be some way to minimize the source of these pollutants. According to one source, roughly 80% of the trash produced is land based, with the remaining percentage coming from sea vessels. By collecting nurdles from different areas of the worlds oceans, it may be possible to identify the origins of that pollutant. Continued research is necessary at this point on a global scale, but for now, the are efforts being made by smaller enterprises like the 5 Gyres and Pangea Expedition will have to suffice.

To learn more about the plastic problem and what we can do to help visit 5gyres.org

Captain Dale at the helm

The great big blue, 360 degrees for 5 days

Some of Mary Osborne's fine cuisine

Boat mates Lindsey and Emily

The Sea Dragon

Photo: Sara Close

Photo shoot

Photo: Sara Close

One of my many days sailing the Dragon

Photo: Sarah Close

Feeling a little sea sickness ...

Part 1/3: Tahiti to Moorea and back ...

2011-06-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

It's has been a while since my last blog, but I do have lots of stories to share, so pull up a chair ....

Tahiti to Moorea and back ...

When I was younger, I had this vision of winding up in Tahiti at some time in my life. I didn't know it at the time, but I guess this was the first thing to make it on my bucket list. My friend had this poster in his room of the clearest blue water, as far as the eye could see, with crooked palm trees dangling over the waters edge. I now have a different perspective of this place since I have been given the opportunity to visit there. This is the first installment in a a series of three parts that will document my travels though the South Pacific. Starting in Tahiti and Morea, sailing from Tahiti to Rarotonga, and finally one week in Rarotonga.

The catalyst that started this voyage began with a Sailboat named the Sea Dragon. This scientific research vessel had been on the Atlantic back in December of 2010, studying the Atlantic Gyre off the coast of South America. The trip that I was scheduled to go on, was sailing from Tahiti to Rarotonga, trawling and taking samples of water quality and plastic garbage in the Pacific Ocean waters. However, before we met with the ship, we went to Moorea to look for surf and explore the island. We spent 6 days in Morrea til we met up with the Sea Dragon later in Tahiti.

The first day we landed, we were quickly taken by how expensive things were in Tahiti and Moorea. By expensive, I mean that a cup of coffee, not large or fancy, was about $10-$12. At this time I was traveling with a local Ventura guy, Justin Bastien. Super great guy, amazing photographer, and great to travel with. Wherever we went, he was sure to get a smile out of the grumpiest persons, and let me tell you, there were plenty of those in Tahiti. Once we got settled into our abode at “Camping Nelson”, we checked the surf and surf forecast. The outlook was grim. We came to the conclusion that most of the days spent on this island were going to be spent SUPing.

The SUPs in Tahiti were a lifeline into outdoor activities on the islands. Most of the days we went out were fairly gloomy, and some days were a terrential downpour. We did our best to time the winds and currents, but we always seemed to end up with the challenging currents and tides working against us. There were a few moments when the sun peeked out, and in those moments I had the chance to see some amazing creatures in their natural habitat. Most mornings had their ritual established- pull-ups, push ups, stretching, and a paddle on the SUPs provided by YOLO boards. This down-time was a great way to stay connected to the environment. Whether it was a Moray Eel, Bat Rays, or millions of raindrops pelting you as you paddled or walked around town, you were plugged-in and connected to the elements. A far reminder of the simplicity of life and a disconnection from from our digital world. Most days we gathered our own coconuts, drank their water, and ate their flesh. One morning in particular, I went out for a paddle on my Yolo board. As I scanned the ocean bottom while I paddled, I saw two Lemon sharks cruising the reef. These two majestic fish reminded me of a pair of gangsters. Combing the bottom, not a care in the world, foraging for a meal as fish and other sea creatures would quickly hide and seek shelter. I took a moment to watch in complete silence and observe. It was a memorable experience, to say the least.

Living quarters at this time were pretty tight. We had a room about 15 ft by 15 ft with 3 adults, 2 SUPs, 2 paddles, 2 longboards, 2 shortboards and a lot of camera gear. You could call it real cozy. Fortunately, the chemistry was great with everybody and room, aside from mobility, was never an issue. One of the first people we met was a spiritual healer named Helena. She was a Craniosacral masseuse at a wellness center in Palm Springs. A few nights we would hang out with her a listen to some great stories of the 70‘s, her many travels and Justin would fireback with a few chapters of the Bourbon-ater Chronicles. The end result was a lot or laughter and some great topics of discussion. While posted up in the camp, we met a few people that had just come off of the Sea Dragon and coincidently had sailed with Mary last December to the Atlantic Gyre; small world.

One of these people was Stiv, one of the co-founders of the 5 Gyres project. An organization that has been on the front lines to study the detrimental effects of the plastics in our oceans. He was accompanied by several other people that had backgrounds in environmental fields. One of the topics we had an opportunity to talk with him about was the small particles of plastic in ocean and some of the unknowns. For example, “Does the plastic ever become weighted? If it does, does it sink to the bottom of the ocean and what kinds of concentrations of this type of pollutant are at the bottom of our oceans? What kind of research is being conducted to study this problem at home or abroad? What kind of awareness can consumers bring to the table to create a change in how things are currently done?" One topic that was brought up had to do with packaging used to wrap hard goods. It is excessive and far beyond wasteful. For example, a memory card for a camera has a insurmountable amount of excess packaging that is mandated by large companies so that people can’t steal them. There has to be a different approach to view this problem in order to find a palatable solution that can reduce carbon footprints of this kind. Starbucks, one of the largest companies fueling the rat race so we can continue to move, move, move does not recycle the millions of cups and lids they put out day to day. When looked into a bit closer, it turns out that a majority of malls that have stores like Starbucks, do not offer recycling services to their businesses. In todays marketplace, how has this gone by undetected with no regard to change in an ever increasing "green world"? One step is that we, as consumers, consider our choices with a bit more scrutiny. Make conscious choices of reducing the waste at the epicenter before it strays into our waters. We can create change, but we have to be willing to be active participants in the movement.

The day had come and we had heard of some surf picking up on one side of the island. Most of the surf we had seen up to this point had been breaking on dry reef and was not very good. So we packed up with our new entourage and bailed to the other side of Moorea. Sad to say, but the surf was pretty small, so we went for a paddle, caught a few thigh high waves, and went back home. On our way home we found this little pizza place that was amazing. The menu consisted of 6 different options. The chef was a frenchman named Daniel who had been a baker in France and left to Moorea because he did not like getting up early to bake. I'm glad he did leave France, because this guy made one of the best pizzas I have ever tasted. He would start everyday at 11 am, and close at 9 pm. He had constructed a stone oven outside his home and was cranking pizzas out like a machine. I think that in the hour we were there eating, he made close to 50 pies. This was some of the best food I had while in Moorea, and for a change, worth the cost.

The day had come and it was time to close the chapter on this adventure and seek out our second one. We boarded the ferry in Moorea and cruised to Tahiti to meet up with the Sea Dragon and its crew.

SUP's were great for getting around. If you saw something spectacular you could simply jump overboard and explore.

This was often the view from the SUP's as we paddled from island to island

Even in a remote beautiful place like this......

you would find evidence of plastic everywhere that did not belong.

Quick photo shoot with Miss Osborne

This was our crew L2R Jp, Justin , Mary-O

This was the ferry that got us from A to B then back to A.

A camera lens uses the same principles as an eye. This is Justin Bastien.

Daniel form "Daniel's Pizza", best pie in Moorea! Pretty stoked guy, had a great laugh.

Mary found a little friend on the island. This pup was found abandoned on the side of the road and left for dead. One of the crew members rescued it and we had the chance to hang out with the pup for a few days before we left back to Tahiti.

Last Day in Moorea. Beautiful Sunrise.

2nd Annual Punta Sayulita Longboard/SUP Contest

2011-04-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

2nd Annual Punta Sayulita

This year was the second annual Punta Sayulita Longboard and SUP surf contest in Sayulita Mexico. The main sponsors were Corona and Maui Jim. My initial interest in this event stemmed from a phone call I received from a friend describing the event. “You have to check this place out”, I think were the words she used. The event took place in a small little fishing village about 35 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. The event was going to run Saturday and Sunday with an event Friday for under privileged and children with special needs. To be perfectly frank, I was a bit worried about traveling in Mexico given the multitude of stories I have either heard or read about. However, a new experience is never a bad thing and I have never been to this area of Mexico. So, I made plans with a friend, packed up stuff and blasted down to Mexico for the event.

I’ll See You at 4:45 am

The last words I shared with my friend the night before departure. I am not the best morning person but when you really want something you suck it up and git’r done. Car was packed and ready for transit to LA. Hopped in my truck and shot south to pick up my friend Seth. unfortunately I was greeted by a really sick, not stoked, 6’4”, greenish hued New Yorker who was in no position for international or even local travel. Being the bro he is (and you too Kelly), him and his fantastic wife dropped me off at the airport with boards in hand at the terminal. What a CHAMP, thanks for the ride.

Made it

Two and a half hours later, I was in Puerto Vallarta cruising with Eliot Hodges. This young man is a man amongst men not to mention a local Santa Barbarian as well as loc in Sayulita. Eliot is a stand out surfer in SB and its been great watching him refine his surfing over the past 8 years. He gave me a tour of the town which included a store called Mama Chanchas. If you are ever in Sayulita, you have to check out the store Mama Chanchas, it is an amazing boutique. Standing in the middle of the street, looking around, I thought “ this is a pretty sweet place.” You had surf right out in front of the town. Plenty of fishing that could be done right off the shore. Plus you had hundreds of people covered in oil, getting their bronze on. On the street, venders sold anything from the freshest fruit to hats, jumbo shrimp, breads, confections and of course, ice cream.

In the town, there are plenty of hotels to stay at including rentals homes. I was fortunate enough to stay at amazing home, walking distance from town. The home had a full panoramic view of the ocean, beautiful interiors, landscaping, and a stones throw from the ocean. I would highly recommend staying there if you are planning on visiting Sayulita. The property can be found on vrbo.com/10519. Hope you get a chance to experience it.

Jimmy

Of all the characters, he is a classic one. Anybody who has met him has probably shared a laugh or two .. or three ..or bartender! I was stoked to see a few familiar faces when I arrived in Sayulita. The first was Jimmy Gamboa and his wife Kim. “They say behind every great man there is a woman ... nodding her head”. I loved the dynamic of the Gamboa’s, very sincere, honest, hilarious, and loving. The Gamboa’s organized the surf lessons for special needs and under privileged kids from Sayulita and Puerta Vallarta.

The turn out for the event was great. The fact that it overlapped with the tsunami was unfortunate. Luckily there were about 20 kids in attendance. I was given the pleasure of working with a you girl who was blind. We cruised out for about 30 minutes in the line up , catching a few waves, some all the way to the sand. The experience was incredible. Jimmy, Mary, and the crew took turns taking kids in and out of the water for some waves. Some would ride on their bellies, others would pop up to their feet with help from their instructor. One thing that is certain is that each child was vibrating with stoke as they left the water. The afternoon sun set with an exhueberant mob of children running excitedly about the beach.

Mary Osborne

Three words: beauty, style and grace. With pearcing blue eyes and an award winning smile, it was a pleasure hanging out with Mary. On day one, she introduced me to a fruit stand that had the most amazing yogurt bowls. You could pick out various fruits, granola, yogurt , and they would mix it up on the spot. Cost ... 4 bucks, gotta love Mexico! On land, Mary was a machine, meetings in the morning, contest during the day, MC by night, the young woman did it all. This would also include winning this and last years event. Mary had a great weekend cross-stepping her way though heats, dropping some solid turns and just having fun with the conditions. I look forward to seeing if she can pull off a trifecta next year.

Main Event

The day of the event, the surf was 1-2 ft, contestants made the best of the conditions. The locals were grilling up fresh fish on the beach, vendors were selling all sorts of foods and trinkets. This place was kinda going off. There were hundreds of people on the beach.

In addition to the surf competition, there was a SUP event going on. Some of the best watermen where in attendance. There were several endurance courses including the elite race which was won by Slater Trout. I have to say the kid is really fast. Other stand out athletes included Schulyer Robbins, Anthony Vella, Candice Appleby and Chuck Paterson. On this particular evening, Mishka came out and put on a soulful performance on the beach for the town. The event was open to the public, no fences, no guards, all stoke. For more information on Punta Sayulita please visit, www.puntasayulita.com. or www.puntasayulitasurfclassic.com.

Anthony and Mary

Chuck Paterson

The ladies

Thank You’s

The following organizations contributed to the kids day event that was held on the Friday preceding the event.

Contributing supporters were Ocean Minded, who provided hats for all the kids. Bathing suits, t-shirts, rash guards from Billabong. A cornucopia of wax, stickers, and t-shirts from Sex Wax. Courtesy of Sanuk, key chains, stickers, and enough Donovan Frankenreiter mustaches to keep the kids of Sayulita warm for the winter. Thank you to Maui Jim for getting me over there and all the MJ crew that worked so hard to make this event happen. Big shakas to Mary for taking the time to connect me with all the various parties that were there for the event. Kevin and his wife Erin, thank you thank you for making me feel at home in your beautiful town. Nathalie and Eliot Hodges, words cannot express my gratitude. Thank you for making me feel like part of your family. To the local boys, Giovanni, Tigre, Sal, the Hawaiian boys, thanks for the beers and fish.

Randoms
Here is a small collection of images that stood out from the trip. Thanks for reading ....

Chicken anyone?

This young grom made quite an impression on me.

Coldie in the am, roughly 8 am.

The locals were super cool. This shot was taken at Eliots home. An amazing place to get creative.

The second night we were treated to hanging out at this beautiful home with amazing dishes and people.

Mary and Schylur, two amazing athletes. Both took first place in their divisions.

Mishka played two nights in Sayulita. Super nice guy, super good vibes. Thanks for the tunes.

Me and Sean hanging. Sean won the SUP surf division, defeating local stand out "Tigre".

Hard to believe but this dog is part lion hunter, whata face!

Lines . ..

2011-03-15T20:46:00.001-07:00

The Macro World

2011-03-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

There are so many ways to view the world we live in. Most of us use the wide angle lens of our own eye to take in our day to day experiences. It is the small world that is the focus of this editorial. When I began to explore the micro world, I was impressed by the facial expressions of the insect world. It was this perspective, one of a bug, a grain of sand, or a drop of dew, whose perspective that I was curious about.
The person captured in the first image is posing in the pupil of a pupil. A shot that is deep on many levels, one that allows the imagination to drift almost endlessly. This is a collection of images I pulled from shots taken all over the world. Can you tell which ones were shot locally and which ones were shot abroad? Enjoy!

Wild Kingdom

2011-03-07T06:20:00.000-08:00

When I was 7, I had this fixation with wildlife. I had this routine where I would go to my grandma's home every afternoon and watch Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom”. The host was some older gentlemen with white hair. Thinking back, I have this image of Colonel Sanders. This guy would narrate these videos of lions, tigers, elephants, you name it. I was convinced the people that were given these opportunities to film and document these critters were some of the luckiest on earth. Though I never got that job as a wildlife photographer, I still have a passion for shooting it. So here are a few shots of some local and not so local critters.

"Warming Up"

Santa Barbara Natural History Museum has an exhibit every year called "Butterflies Alive". This photo was taken the first time I visited the exhibit 4 years ago.

"Dive Bomber"

I must have stood on this ladder for about an hour before this hummingbird swooped down in front of me, startling me to crack the shutter. Funny how things work out. I waited an hour for the shot that accidently happened. Stoked.

"Pastel Lunch"

You tell me ...

"Spider Monkey"

Every year I travel with a friend whom I call "eagle eyes". This guys spots things every time I hike with him, plus he's really funny. On this particular day he spotted a troop of Spider monkeys. I happened to look up just in time to grab this frame outta mid air. Thanks Gray.

"El Loro"

First time I visited Costa Rica I met this parrot. Funny guy. On the third year back I was saddened to hear that a possum got to him, and he was no more. Persistence pays off in the jungle.

"Bill"

Toucans are the jokesters of the jungle in my eyes. They have a goofy hop, funny call, and then there's that beak. In the old days, people would hunt these birds for their bill. I'm glad those days are long behind us. Quite magnificent creatures.

"El Sapo"

Walking through the jungle it's possible miss the little nuances if you don't take the time to slow down and take it all in.

"Greenback"

One of our native species of hummingbird. It has always amazed me the multitude of colors these little guys possess.

"Locust"

You wouldn't know it from looking at the photo, but this locust is about the size of my hand. Now, I don't normally go out of the way to squish bugs, but if your the size of this guy ... I definitely ain't squishin ya anytime soon.

"Flutter"

I love this shot. It represents the delicate beauty of butterflies.

"Sea Dragon"

These have to be some of the most interesting creatures on the planet.

"The Thinker"

I found this guy hanging out at the top of Steamer Lane by the lighthouse.

"Lava Lamp"

Another one of nature's beautiful, mysterious creations.

"Woof"

Sammy the dog.

Profiles - Make your profile easier to find

2011-03-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

Profiles - Make your profile easier to find

Never let a day go by wasted ...

2011-02-25T11:34:00.000-08:00

Thursdays are a day I look forward to for a few reasons. The main one being that I get to work with my youngest group of surfers. Two of my Thursday stars are Miles Sedlin and Arrata Tomatsuri. Weighing in at 7 and 8 years of age, these two guys are a constant reminder of the beauty of surfing. At their age, it does not take much to get them stoked. If this feeling could only last forever. On this Thursday, both had a case of the cold which has been taking down many people lately. My other crew members fell victim to lots of homework and another had the flu. Soooo, with only two groms and poor surf conditions we explored the Gaviota coastline, one Will, one Maddie, and one Jp.

Maddie & Will

Maddie

I hope that years from now I will be able to come down here and see this same open seascape.

On our walk back, we found a crab that had a living barnacle on it. We managed to video this creature expose a periscope, flower-like hand and then retract it back into its home like some kind of alien. This happens towards the end of the video clip.