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November 2006 Issue
Hello to Emma Wood: Chris Malloy comes full circle
HELLO TO EMMA WOOD.
By Chris Malloy
I’ll never forget the time my grandma asked me to say hello to Emma Wood for her.
When I was a kid my grandma loved to sit us down and tell us long stories about Ventura and Ojai and the days when the streets were dirt. She’d tell us about our great grandfather Amos the muleskinner and
watching the buckaroos push cattle down Ventura Avenue to be loaded on the trains from Canada Larga and the old Taylor Ranch. She said in the spring she and Amos would ride horseback along the Ventura River ending up in the Matilija for long pack trips. When it got too hot in the summer they would head to the coast and she even told stories about belly boarding wooden ironing boards with her sister Cali near the Ventura pier. One day during a long story filled with old people and places she mentioned the name Emma Wood.
I perked right up (I was ten at the time and it was my favorite spot in the whole world) and I yelped, She looked at me confused and shook her finger at me. Confused I muttered, “but, but I was there.” As a kid it was fun to hear my grandma’s stories about the magic that lies between the Sespe and the Channel Islands but I was too young to know I could still tap that source and more importantly, I had hometown-itus. Every session at the Mushpot, (the appropriately named left at Emma Wood) from the time I was ten until the time I hit the road at eighteen I would imagine I was at Pipeline or G-land or Phantoms. I didn’t care that I was fourth generation in one of the most wave-rich zones on earth, I didn’t care that Emma Wood reef was the place that produced modern surfing’s first big wave crew (Pat Curren, Peter Cole and Greg Knoll), I didn’t care that design revolutions had been test ridden at Emma Wood (Bob Simmons, Bob Mctavish, and George Greenough), I didn’t even care that the overpass there, is where Matt Johnson hit rock-bottom (Big Wednesday’s vehicular bullfight). I just wanted to chase the big lights, big waves and my own big dreams. I sold everything I had and moved to Oahu at eighteen. After living in Hawaii for a few years I weaseled a gig, starting around 1991 where I actually got paid to go chase big waves and scour the map looking for new unridden realms. My scheme was to find the perfect place that had the exact mix of consistent surf with beautiful backcountry and a rich history and culture. Over those fifteen years I went as far north as the Orkney Islands and as far south as Antarctica. I sifted through the whole equatorial zone and made many pilgrimages to places like West Oz, New Zealand, South Africa and South America. Somehow though, over all those years my mind would always drift back home. I came to grips with the strange fact that I was happier at Mugu than Hossegor, more inspired by the Sespe than the Andes, more barreled at T’s than at the Box, and more at home at the Mushpot than Pipeline. As time went on I’d do the opposite of what I’d done as a kid. I’d be at Teahupoo or Gnaraloo watching a massive wave implode in itself in a crystal clear warm water aquatic masterpiece and have visions of the Mushpot. Although they have become great friends of mine, I didn’t care about surfing with Kelly Slater, Andy Irons and Laird Hamilton. I wanted to surf with guys like Shrimpo and Jack Cantrell, Frazier and Slime Dog. I was tired of French frog legs and Asian fried rice, I craved oak smoke and tri-tip. Sipping warm wine in Spain is great until you remember cracking a cold Budweiser in Rose Valley. Today, I still haven’t been able to shirk my travel habits completely but I live back in Ojai in a little ranch house just like I grew up in. Even though we need to go a little deeper into the backcountry, and a little further out in the ocean to find the magic that my grandma and great grandfather lived through in the last century, it is still alive and well for those who live for it. My sweet grandma Mildred passed on a ways back, and I would give a million dollars to have recorded those stories she told us about Ventura and Ojai when she was a little girl. I’ll always remember her tales of black bears on Ojai Avenue, snow on Santa Cruz Island and the beauty of the handmade culture she grew up in before the oil fields came to town. And every time I paddle out to the Mushpot I tell Emma Wood that “Mily says hello.” Posted November 2006 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
What does it take to do what you do? Your average day as a surf photographer? What equipment do you use?I started out with Nikon equipment but soon changed over to Canon. I now use all Canon equipment from 15mm to my trusty 600mm lens. Camera body's are Mark 2n and the 20D. Who has influenced you?By far, my mentor was Larry Moore at Surfing Magazine. He guided me through times of frustration and helped me see the light. Also, Craig Fineman, Dan Merkle, Jeff Hornbaker, Aaron Chang, and Don King. They were the guys in the trenches when I was coming up and they were the ones I respected the most in my early years. Lately, I can't say enough about David Pu'u, Scott Aichner, Jason Blanchard, all of whom have given me great encouragement and motivation to keep thinking of fresh ways of looking at the world. Most memorable moment of your career? Traveling the world, how is Ventura unique? Most interesting shoot?Spending almost a year documenting the making of the new Dane Reynolds movie "First Chapter." I was lucky to travel with Dane and Filmmaker Jason Blanchard to numerous locations around the world. From a number of spots around town to Hawaii, Australia, and France, to name a few. It wasn't as much a shoot as it was a project. Maybe someday people will see it. Where/what do you ride?My favorite place to surf is where the waves are best. How's that for an answer. I like surfing Mugu in the summer and the beachbreaks in Oxnard in the winter. I'm into riding old school boards. No new fangdangle boards for me. Give me an old plank to ride and I'm stoked. When not shooting, what do you like to do?Take the family up to Bishop for some trout fishing and hiking in the High Sierras. Nothing gets you more amped for the next swell then to be hundreds of miles from the ocean with a trout hooked to your line. Always keep the weather radio close at hand...You always need to know the latest update... Posted November 2006 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
Jason Wolcott You photograph kiteboarding and surfing. What some differences between the two? Which do you prefer? As a Ventura local, where is your favorite spot in Ventura County to shoot? Who are your favorite riders to shoot? How could you compare Ventura to any other places you've documented? What do you ride? What was your best or most interesting shoot? How did you become a photographer? What is your average day as a photographer like? What equipment do you use? What has been one the most memorable moment in your career? What does it take to do what you do? Posted November 2006 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
The Struggle Within The first time Dane Reynolds surfaced was at a Channel Islands Surfboards team workout, you could see in his eyes that he was hungry, yet rough around the edges while riding a yellowed beater of a board and wearing a slightly tattered wetsuit. At the time, he was 12 years of age hanging with one of Ventura’s up and comers, Geoff Brack, who let Dane tag along to that first workout. Several workouts later, Al Merrick pulled me aside and asked me what my opinion was of young Dane? “You better grab him now before someone else does,” I warned. After a stellar amateur career in the National Scholastic Surfing Association, Dane did what everyone else does after finishing at the top of the amateur ranks and dove right into the Association of Surfing Professionals World Qualifying Series. For the most part, that meant four man heats while groveling in meager conditions. That initial go-around with the tour didn’t pan out, as Dane collected a handful of unwanted first round defeats. Feeling frustrated and slightly tired of conforming to the system, he left the QS, and put his energy into First Chapter, a Quiksilver production following Dane’s year-long odyssey around the globe; all of this at the tender age of 21. However, with his film complete, his competitive juices have had a year to recharge, but there’s a dilemma that Dane has been battling with since he’s decided to chase the QS a second time. Without a doubt, he’s a leader of futuristic surfing, but Dane’s aware he has to tone it down a notch if the World Championship Tour comes within his reach. His surfing is electrifying, but it’s consistency that’ll get him to man on man heats. Like his surfing, Dane doesn’t pull any punches, as we wolfed down lunch at a local eatery while discussing First Chapter and his competitive prospects. So your first encounter on the QS wasn’t a positive one? How do you need to surf in heats? Then the movie was a good diversion for you to break away from the contest scene? What makes it different from other videos? How do you mean, “struggling with the concept?” So it had a natural feel to it? So, I remember the first time I saw you surf. I was running a C.I. workout, and you showed up with Geoff Brack. I could tell you had talent, kind of raw, but hungry. That was 9 years ago. Do you still have that hunger? What goals? How many years will you give the WQS? Al (Merrick) was telling me several months ago that he thought you had the potential to be world champ someday, but he said you needed to tone it down a bit to surf a wave in a heat. Has Bobby’s success inspired you? Where are you contractually with Quiksilver? Do they want you to do the tour? What do you like to do when you’re not surfing? When you were a grom, who inspired you? So how does it feel now, you’re 21 and all of a sudden you have legions of groms looking up to you? Posted November 2006 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
The Struggle Within The first time Dane Reynolds surfaced was at a Channel Islands Surfboards team workout, you could see in his eyes that he was hungry, yet rough around the edges while riding a yellowed beater of a board and wearing a slightly tattered wetsuit. At the time, he was 12 years of age hanging with one of Ventura’s up and comers, Geoff Brack, who let Dane tag along to that first workout. Several workouts later, Al Merrick pulled me aside and asked me what my opinion was of young Dane? “You better grab him now before someone else does,” I warned. Nine years later, the boy has grown into a man. Dane has a lucrative contract with Quiksilver, his own recently released signature flick, First Chapter, and a future that’s certainly bright. After a stellar amateur career in the National Scholastic Surfing Association, Dane did what everyone else does after finishing at the top of the amateur ranks and dove right into the Association of Surfing Professionals World Qualifying Series. For the most part, that meant four man heats while groveling in meager conditions. That initial go-around with the tour didn’t pan out, as Dane collected a handful of unwanted first round defeats. Feeling frustrated and slightly tired of conforming to the system, he left the QS, and put his energy into First Chapter, a Quiksilver production following Dane’s year-long odyssey around the globe; all of this at the tender age of 21. However, with his film complete, his competitive juices have had a year to recharge, but there’s a dilemma that Dane has been battling with since he’s decided to chase the QS a second time. Without a doubt, he’s a leader of futuristic surfing, but Dane’s aware he has to tone it down a notch if the World Championship Tour comes within his reach. His surfing is electrifying, but it’s consistency that’ll get him to man on man heats. Like his surfing, Dane doesn’t pull any punches, as we wolfed down lunch at a local eatery while discussing First Chapter and his competitive prospects. So your first encounter on the QS wasn’t a positive one? How do you need to surf in heats? Then the movie was a good diversion for you to break away from the contest scene? What makes it different from other videos? How do you mean, “struggling with the concept?” So it had a natural feel to it? So, I remember the first time I saw you surf. I was running a C.I. workout, and you showed up with Geoff Brack. I could tell you had talent, kind of raw, but hungry. That was 9 years ago. Do you still have that hunger? What goals? How many years will you give the WQS? Al (Merrick) was telling me several months ago that he thought you had the potential to be world champ someday, but he said you needed to tone it down a bit to surf a wave in a heat. Has Bobby’s success inspired you? Where are you contractually with Quiksilver? Do they want you to do the tour? What do you like to do when you’re not surfing? When you were a grom, who inspired you? So how does it feel now, you’re 21 and all of a sudden you have legions of groms looking up to you? Posted November 2006 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
Ventura's 17-year-old Cory Arrambide vs. Kelly Slater Taking giant steps in surfing, 17-year-old Cory Arrambide recently switched from Robert's to Channel Islands, dominated local contests, and took his first trip to Europe to shoot with Billabong. It was in Europe that Arrambide took another big step when entering the Billabong Pro Mundaka against none other than Kelly Slater. Despite the rainy weather while shooting with Billabong in France, Arrambide was enjoying the “good waves here and there” and was “stoked to see a totally different world.” Meanwhile, Troy Brooks was still hurt from a couple weeks back at Hossegor where he re-injured his knee. Brooks had to give up his wild card spot, which drafted first alternate Cory Arrambide into heat 1 of round 2. Arrambide “got the call the night before, packed up the car”, called his dad who was stoked, and headed to Bakio, Spain. It was not until a couple of hours before his heat that Arrambide found out that he was competing against soon to be 8x World Champion, Slater. “I knew I was screwed, but I was still stoked,” said Arrambide. Trying to physc out his opponent, Slater showed up ten minutes before his heat to learn that he was competing against a 17-year-old WCT virgin. “He’s less than half my age. It’s kind of funny,” said Slater. “I was thinking about when I was 17 I surfed against Barton Lynch who was the world champion that year and I came really close to beating him. It was pretty exciting. I don’t think I’ve seen Arrambide surf yet, but I hear he’s really good.” Wavelengths Pismo Power Chris Burkard, Blue Edge’s very own two-time cover-shooter, was the lucky recipient of the first annual Follow the Light Foundation $5,000 grant bestowed in the name of iconic surf photographer Larry “Flame” Moore, who departed last year following a three-year battle with brain cancer. “I’m just so stoked,” Burkard said. “It means a lot to receive this award in the spirit of Flame, and I feel very lucky to have this to be able to help my photography to progress.” Posted November 2006 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
“Grandma! I was at Emma Wood’s all day yesterday!”
She looked at me perplexed.
“Ya grandma, it was flat and windy though, so we worked on our club house under the bridge and built a campfire.”
“Listen boy, calling a girl flat will get you in trouble and I don’t know about her club house, but I do know one thing and that is that Emma passed on a long time ago.”
She looked over her bifocals with a doubtful grin and ended the conversation with,
“Well then, the next time you see Emma you tell her Mily says hello.” 
William Sharp documents Ventura
I'm not sure how to answer that. Having a second source of income helps. And a lot of time on your hands. Being patient and persistent is a must. A good work ethic is also a positive thing. Can't tell you how many guys on the beach have a bad work ethic. It's really amazing how they get things done. And a good sense of trying to tell a story with your images is also good. That's what I try to do with my photography. 
Up at six am to check the surf. Make the early calls without pissing everybody off. And trying to get some bodies in the line up. If that doesn't work, like this morning when I had a no show at sunrise, I shoot some lineups or birds or something that looks neat.
How did you become a surf photographer?In a nutshell, I always had a camera with me when I went surfing as a teenager. When the waves were good I'd shoot some lineups and then go out for a surf. After a while I had a good amount of lineup shots so I decided to submit some to the mags, I made some money and that's when I became serious about shooting. That was back in the mid 70's.
I guess I could list a number of memorable moments but what sticks out in my mind the most is a time in Indo a few years ago. We were at this sick left hander, all by ourselves, and we were motoring out to the line up when I asked the surfer I was with to go out and rip the heck out the lip on the first wave he caught. The lighting was epic and the waves were well overhead. The guy took off, bottom turned, and hit the lip super hard...just what I asked for. The image ended up on the cover of Surfer Magazine Jan 2004. The surfer was Chad Compton of Ventura. I'd have to say that was a special moment for me...
It's pretty hard to compare all the places I've been to around the world to Ventura. Ventura is home, so for that reason it's special. All my friends are here and this is where I choose to live and be with my family. I can tell you though, the Ventura County area has some of the best waves in the world. Just think about it, we have three great points breaks in C Street, Pitas, and Rincon. We have two epic rivermouths in Ventura and Santa Clara. And our beachbreaks are as good or better then any that Australia or France has to offer. So when you think about it, we have it pretty good around here in Ventura...
Jason Wolcott: Photgrapher
By Katie McLean
With the way people are kiteboarding now (strapless surfboards) they are a lot alike. I like shooting surfing from the water the best. Just trying to line up with someone and get the shot is a great challenge. If I had to choose, I would shoot surfing, that way I could kite every time it’s windy. I’m super addicted to kiting.
I seem to shoot at C Street a lot, but my favorite place to shoot is the stretch between Ventura Harbor and river mouth when we get Santa Ana winds. As far as who I like to shoot, surfing wise I like to shoot with Ryan Peterson, Kyle Collins, Keoni Cuccia, the McCabe twins, Cory Arrambide, Guy Q, and who doesn’t like to shoot Dane? that kid is so creative. Kiteboarding, I like to shoot Wes Matweyew, Chris Gutzeit, and Ian Alldredge.
Ventura is pretty unique, it has a lot of great surf spots with talented surfers and it has one of the best kite spots in the world (C Street). The variety can’t be beat. I do like to shoot on the North Shore but it’s so over done.
Surfing: JHR surfboards from 6’5” to 6’10”
Kiteboarding: Cabrinha and Caution Kites, Caution 145 Hustla twin tip kiteboard or a 6’5” JHR epoxy surfboard with no straps
It was not even a surf photo session. I was in Death Valley shooting full moon landscape photography. It was amazing seeing that landscape by the light of the full moon. I was with a photographer friend of mine and I remember saying to him, “If I'm ever going to be abducted by aliens--its going to be tonight” it's so remote and silent out there. I love shooting full moon lit landscape photography. 
I was always interested in cameras. My dad had a really nice Nikon I used to play with when he was not looking. I just loved looking at the world around me through my camera. I made, of all things, bodyboarding videos for a while and shot a lot of surf video.
Wake up early and check it. If it’s on I call some of the guys and meet up. We argue about were the best spot is and finally get some work done. The thing is, the work starts when I get home. Sorting, editing, resizing for email, submitting to the mags…then the wind picks up and I'm out the door again to repeat the process with the kite guys.
Canon eos 1DMKII digital, Canon L series glass, del mar housing projects housing, Canon eos A2 film camera with a dale kobatich pistol grip fisheye housing, Mac G4 powerbook, 5 removable drives, and on and on.
What photographers have influenced your work?
Both William Sharp and David Pu’u have been very inspiring and helpful. I love looking at the water photography of Scott Aichner, Jeff Flindt, and Chris Van Lennep. As for landscape, Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, and George Lepp. Julius Shulman for architectural photography. My family has been really supportive and this inspires me to keep doing what I love.
My first Cover shot. I got the cover of the Ventura Star newspaper a while back. I was helping my dad evacuate during a wildfire and had my camera with me. It was a scary day. It was rewarding to see the photo all over Ventura County the day the paper came out. I still have 20 copies.
When you’re not shooting, what do you like to do?
I like to surf good waves with brother Jeff and my friends, kiteboard, camp, snowboard, bbq with friends, watch hockey, read. Mostly, I try to have fun every day. If you don’t have fun, what's the point?
Do you think that photographers have their own specific point of view in their work? Could you describe yours and how it's different from others?
Yes, but I’m not sure this applies to my action sports photography. I think I see texture and light a little differently than most photographers, mostly in my abstract water photography. I also look for angels that most don’t shoot.
As a freelance photographer you have to driven, creative, and as good a salesman as you are photographer. I think that the only way you can make a good living, as an action sports photographer is to diversify. I shoot mostly surfing and kiteboarding but have shot ice hockey, skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX and a lot of other stuff. I also shoot architecture, landscape, and abstract fine art photography. Dane Reynolds
By Chuck Graham
Nine years later, the boy has grown into a man. Dane has a lucrative contract with Quiksilver, his own recently released signature flick, First Chapter, and a future that’s certainly bright.
Traveling the QS all over the world is pretty grueling. I was traveling half way across the world and I was losing in the first round a lot. In one foot waves, it really brought me down. When I went to South Africa, I was pretty psyched but I lost in the first round for the third time. As an amateur in the U.S., you’re pretty much taught that the only way to make it as a professional is to surf the NSSA and jump on the tour. It really wasn’t working for me, so I chose a different path. It doesn’t matter how you are as a surfer but how you surf in a heat. That made it difficult for me. This time around I think I’ll do better.
Well, in four man heats with no priority, you can’t afford to take risks, airs, the stuff I’ll typically do when I’m out surfing. I’ll have to adjust when I come up on a section thinking air, double think it and work on standard surfing.
It was great! So glad I did it. First Chapter was a full year in the making. Quik was looking for a new movie project and asked me if I was interested. There’s really not a plot or a story to it. Basically the making of the movie is the movie. We tried to go to surf spots that hadn’t been played out as much. There was no Mentawais, no Indo. We went to South Africa but not J-Bay, also Morocco. Portugal, France, Maui, Australia but no Gold Coast. We did Victoria, WA (Western Australia) and Woolongong.
DR: I put a lot of myself into it. I chose all the music from my own I-tunes. I sat in the editing room the entire time. The whole time we were making it, it was hard to envision what the end product would be, but it won movie of the year at the 2006 Surfer Poll. I think people will appreciate what we did. I think it has a different feeling. It’s a signature film, but I don’t put it out there like, “look at me, here I am the best in the world.” It’s hard to explain because I struggled with the concept, and we didn’t know what it would turn out like until the final edit.
When we were in the editing room, we were trying to do voice overs. Trying to film myself saying a certain line, but it didn’t work out because I’m not an actor. I’m so stiff and uncomfortable saying something. We put that in the movie, and it almost worked out better then if it had worked.
Yeah and I think it worked out better. It was so much fun, but it wore on me. It was all made in Australia, so I was there a lot. I planned all the trips, but we never really scored the whole movie. That was one of the most frustrating things about the whole project. The entire time we wanted that one epic session, and at the very end of the film we finally got it at The Box and that finished the movie.
Yeah, I remember.
That’s when I was competing amongst my friends, because I had a couple of friends who surfed better than me at the time.
Geoff was the guy, the way into the surf industry. He was kind of picking his favorites and he’d take me one day and someone else the next.
No, it’s a problem. It’s not because I feel like I’ve made it. I know I’ve got a ways to go to fulfill my goals?
Making the WCT and potentially succeeding there. I know I’m a long way from that still. I’m doing the last few remaining events, so I can hopefully get in the main events next year. I want to qualify, that’s my ultimate goal, so I’ll be hammering away.
Maybe three max. I don’t want to be the guy on there for 10 years. It would really wreck my surfing. You really have to wobble your way to the beach to get a score. I’d be super pumped to make the CT, but I kind of dread the process.
I hope I’ll do better this time around. I know I need to.
Yeah! I’m psyched for him, especially someone from the area. He worked hard for it. I can’t believe how close he came so many times to making it. He surfs better than 90 percent of the guys out there. He’s as good as the best, but the QS system is hard. You really have to lose your dignity at the water’s edge. Some guys try for a lot of years and never make it. That’s the last thing I want to do. I want to make it as soon as I can because that’s the only thing the QS is good for is qualifying. I was talking to Bruce (Irons) about it and he said you have to lose your ego and do whatever it takes instead of worrying about what people are thinking on the beach.
I signed a 5-year contract six months ago.
Yeah, they won’t tell me that though, but they do. They tell me it’s more whatever I want to do. If they told me I had to do contests, then I wouldn’t want to do it. I guess that’s human nature, especially because you have to do it for yourself. If it’s for someone else you’re not going to do it properly.
Surfing consumes my life. I like spending time with friends because it’s kind of rare.
Taylor Knox. When his signature movie Arc came out, it was my favorite video. The Malloy brothers too. They lived down the street from me growing up, and when I’d see them with boards stacked on top of the car...Taj Burrow is my favorite now. I like the way he surfs a heat. He’ll go out there and consistently get 9s the way I would want to surf a heat. Parko is up there too.
I’m a friendly guy. I’m good talking to the kids and I know they want to talk to me.Dane Reynolds
By Chuck Graham
Traveling the QS all over the world is pretty grueling. I was traveling half way across the world and I was losing in the first round a lot. In one foot waves, it really brought me down. When I went to South Africa, I was pretty psyched but I lost in the first round for the third time. As an amateur in the U.S., you’re pretty much taught that the only way to make it as a professional is to surf the NSSA and jump on the tour. It really wasn’t working for me, so I chose a different path. It doesn’t matter how you are as a surfer but how you surf in a heat. That made it difficult for me. This time around I think I’ll do better.
Well, in four man heats with no priority, you can’t afford to take risks, airs, the stuff I’ll typically do when I’m out surfing. I’ll have to adjust when I come up on a section thinking air, double think it and work on standard surfing.
It was great! So glad I did it. First Chapter was a full year in the making. Quik was looking for a new movie project and asked me if I was interested. There’s really not a plot or a story to it. Basically the making of the movie is the movie. We tried to go to surf spots that hadn’t been played out as much. There was no Mentawais, no Indo. We went to South Africa but not J-Bay, also Morocco. Portugal, France, Maui, Australia but no Gold Coast. We did Victoria, WA (Western Australia) and Woolongong.
DR: I put a lot of myself into it. I chose all the music from my own I-tunes. I sat in the editing room the entire time. The whole time we were making it, it was hard to envision what the end product would be, but it won movie of the year at the 2006 Surfer Poll. I think people will appreciate what we did. I think it has a different feeling. It’s a signature film, but I don’t put it out there like, “look at me, here I am the best in the world.” It’s hard to explain because I struggled with the concept, and we didn’t know what it would turn out like until the final edit.
When we were in the editing room, we were trying to do voice overs. Trying to film myself saying a certain line, but it didn’t work out because I’m not an actor. I’m so stiff and uncomfortable saying something. We put that in the movie, and it almost worked out better then if it had worked.
Yeah and I think it worked out better. It was so much fun, but it wore on me. It was all made in Australia, so I was there a lot. I planned all the trips, but we never really scored the whole movie. That was one of the most frustrating things about the whole project. The entire time we wanted that one epic session, and at the very end of the film we finally got it at The Box and that finished the movie.
Yeah, I remember.
That’s when I was competing amongst my friends, because I had a couple of friends who surfed better than me at the time.
Geoff was the guy, the way into the surf industry. He was kind of picking his favorites and he’d take me one day and someone else the next.
No, it’s a problem. It’s not because I feel like I’ve made it. I know I’ve got a ways to go to fulfill my goals?
Making the WCT and potentially succeeding there. I know I’m a long way from that still. I’m doing the last few remaining events, so I can hopefully get in the main events next year. I want to qualify, that’s my ultimate goal, so I’ll be hammering away.
Maybe three max. I don’t want to be the guy on there for 10 years. It would really wreck my surfing. You really have to wobble your way to the beach to get a score. I’d be super pumped to make the CT, but I kind of dread the process.
I hope I’ll do better this time around. I know I need to.
Yeah! I’m psyched for him, especially someone from the area. He worked hard for it. I can’t believe how close he came so many times to making it. He surfs better than 90 percent of the guys out there. He’s as good as the best, but the QS system is hard. You really have to lose your dignity at the water’s edge. Some guys try for a lot of years and never make it. That’s the last thing I want to do. I want to make it as soon as I can because that’s the only thing the QS is good for is qualifying. I was talking to Bruce (Irons) about it and he said you have to lose your ego and do whatever it takes instead of worrying about what people are thinking on the beach.
I signed a 5-year contract six months ago.
Yeah, they won’t tell me that though, but they do. They tell me it’s more whatever I want to do. If they told me I had to do contests, then I wouldn’t want to do it. I guess that’s human nature, especially because you have to do it for yourself. If it’s for someone else you’re not going to do it properly.
Surfing consumes my life. I like spending time with friends because it’s kind of rare.
Taylor Knox. When his signature movie Arc came out, it was my favorite video. The Malloy brothers too. They lived down the street from me growing up, and when I’d see them with boards stacked on top of the car...Taj Burrow is my favorite now. I like the way he surfs a heat. He’ll go out there and consistently get 9s the way I would want to surf a heat. Parko is up there too.
I’m a friendly guy. I’m good talking to the kids and I know they want to talk to me.
By Katie McLean
In the water, goofy foot Arrambide ripped up the lefts and got barreled by the 7 footers, but was just as happy to talk and surf with Kelly Slater. Arrambide held his ground well until a tube closed out on him, snapping his board in half. While Arrambide was assisted by the jet ski and brought a board from Taj Burrow's quiver, Kelly took advantage of Arrambide's absence. With only five minutes remaining when Arrambide got back into the line up, his few final waves were not enough to take out Slater. The heat ended 15.17 to 5.27.
The loss was of little consequence to Cory Arrambide. He was simply stoked about the whole experience. Now back home in Ventura, Arrambide is looking forward to a possible month-long trip to Hawaii in November to surf and shoot. He hopes to “do good in the last year at nationals and do good in the WQS.” With such progress, Arrambide proves to have an impressive future in surfing.
By Michael Kew
Blue Edge photographer Chris Burkard Wins Prestigious Award
Pismo’s Burkard, 20, was one of several noted finalists for the grant. His winning images were judged in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., on October 10 by surf photography heavyweights including Aaron Chang, Jeff Divine, Art Brewer, and Steve Wilkings.
With the cash, Burkard intends to launch into a book documentary project about the California coast, an idea he hatched with his friend Eric Soderquist.
Burkard entered the contest at the behest of TransWorld Surf Photo Editor Pete Taras.
“Chris is just an ultra passionate kid,” Taras said. “He eats, breathes, and sleeps photography—I don’t think I have ever met anyone so passionate about photography as him. Him winning the Flame award seems like a perfect fit, because he really shines and glows of the Flame spirit.”
Follow the Light (www.followthelightfoundation.org) is a non-profit group created by Moore’s wife, Candy, Chang, and Surfing magazine publisher Ross Garrett.
“Through his work at Surfing magazine, Larry literally gave three decades of surfing their ‘look,’” says the Foundation’s Web site. “Today, honoring Larry’s request, we have established the Follow the Light Foundation (FTL), an organization that will help finance the dreams of surf photographers, pushing the sport and its lensmen forward.”
Burkard began shooting surf photos about a year ago. His first official “surf photo” session was with Central Coast legend Van Curaza at Avila Beach.
As a grom, Burkard realized he was an artist, but wasn’t sure which medium he wanted to pursue.
“In high school I tried every different kind of art, like painting and sculpture,” he said. “I was looking for a medium that I would really be able to express myself in the right way. I fell upon photography though just wanting to shoot my friends, and it sort of stuck. That was when I started seeing photography as more than just a hobby.”
From June through September, under the auspices of Taras, Burkard served in the TransWorld Surf trenches, learning the tricks of the trade, and, having no “home” in SoCal, found himself driving back and forth weekly between Arroyo Grande and Oceanside, five hours each way, sleeping in rest stops, parking lots, eating fast food, and changing the oil in his truck four times.
“Pete really taught me a lot, like how to shoot artistically for publication,” Burkard said. “I learned a lot from being around all the editors, but I’ve always been influenced and inspired by Flame. Thanks, Flame—we miss you.”
Check out Burkard’s Web site: www.burkardphoto.com
