On Newsstands December 23rd
To hear all about the latest issue CLICK HERE for the podcast of Leslie Kolovich’s “Standup Paddle Radio Show” … Standup Journal publisher Clay Feeter describes the behind the scenes stories behind the making of the Journal’s latest issue.
ABOUT OUR COVER “After tearing my MCL for the second time within a couple of months, I was put out of the water for an extended period and decided to spend more time on surf photography. This was taken during the middle of a three-day run of clean, double overhead southerly swell in Sydney. While Sydney receives a handful of large swells each year, they usually come up and down within a day—so to have three consecutive days of large clean waves is pretty rare.
“On the first day of the swell this point was basically uncrowded, but on the following days the population doubled and then tripled. I’m perched about 40 meters above the break on the edge of a sheer cliff face. It gives a great bird’s-eye-view perspective and also shows off the finer details in the wave face, such as the texture and ripples on the water’s surface. Andrew was the only standup paddlesurfer out in the lineup and got some great waves—this one being his best of the morning. The reef is really shallow and the wave breaks close to the rocks, so he’s done well to pull off a critical turn while also keeping his eyes fixed farther down the line. I haven’t seen this spot break as good or consistently as on this special day.” -Craig Brokensha, Cover Photographer
HICKS While training for the $35,000 US Open of Sup last summer, Fanatic team racer Chase Kosterlitz was determined to test himself in all conditions to be ready for anything that might happen on race day. The training paid off! Chase almost beat Connor Baxter, taking a close second to the Maui wunderkind. About this shot, he writes: “This looks like a nice sup ‘cruise’ but I was on my toes the whole time! The tide and winds were ripping and the mouth of the Port of Miami kept drawing me closer to the middle of the channel where there was a bigger cargo ship waiting to leave after this passenger liner peeled out!” -Chase Kosterlitz
SCOTT “I remember that day: Courts and Rick lured me out by saying it wasn’t that big and there could be a few fun ones. When we hit the lineup, it was way bigger than I thought it was going to be with a lot of tricky bump on the face. I saw this wave coming from a long way out, and it was way bigger than anything we had seen all day. I was sure we were caught inside. Courts and I were in a mad scramble to get over it, and I was thinking it was a bit too serious, so I tried to lighten up the mood by suggesting to Courts that maybe he should go for it. I thought he knew I was taking the piss [Aussie for ‘joking’], but he wasn’t laughing. As I paddled up the face, it started feathering. I was sure I was going over, but I just kept paddling strong. It was a long paddle up that thing; it just kept me guessing the whole way up.” -Damon Eastaugh
“Damon and I had paddled for a different wave and missed it. When we turned around, this one was coming. When I saw it, I thought it was going to be touch-and-go getting over, so I began paddling hard. As we got to the trough, the wave started standing up and Damon started asking me if I was going to go. He asked like three times as we went up the face. I just ignored him and kept paddling, but I was thinking that he was off his head—there was no way that I was going to spin and go; I was going to be lucky to just get over it. As it began cresting I thought ‘Great! I’m going to go backward over the falls on a set.’ We just managed to punch over it. It’s hard to tell from the shot, but it was a fairly bumpy conditions with light onshore winds.” -Courtenay Gray
FOTO “Cloudbreak was FUN even though I took a little break dance lesson from Mother Ocean on this day. This was the first swell in two years that I chased after. It really wet my appetite, and now I am very, very hungry again! I actually got pounded so hard out there that I went into a different realm as far as oxygen deprivation goes. It was real calm and relaxing… I kinda liked it!!! But as you can see, I was definitely up shit creek with, and then without, a paddle. Luckily I had my GoPro to capture inside the barrel. GoPro Alert: You can view the video of this wipeout by searching youtube.com for ‘Garrett McNamara Fiji Tavarua Cloudbreak Inside the Barrel looking out’ and then fast forwarding 2:50 minutes into the video.” -Garrett ‘GMac’ MacNamara
MOCK-BUNTING “I’ve known of this little cut for years, and while it has always been attractive to me, it can actually be very much a labyrinth in a kayak. It’s very easy to get lost back there (in both a good and bad way). It is wonderful to feel separated so close to town, but it can also be amazingly frustrating to reach dead-end after dead-end if you get turned around. It is near where my father now lives, and one day I was around at sunset and was struck by how the evening light played off both the water and the marsh grass. I knew there were different layers of depth in a short span, so I figured I could set up a ladder and a light stand or two in the shallows close enough to where a sup could glide through. One day after a small-wave riding session, I invited my friend Ryan McInnis—who is always up for photo adventures—to the marsh to see what we could make happen. Getting the lights to function was a lot more difficult than I had expected; I tried both optical and radio slaves as triggers, and had to keep running back and forth through chest-high waters to make adjustments. Luckily, right when the sunset light got sweet, the strobes cooperated (at least for a little bit). I love the slight contrast of color temperature from the “cooler” direct strobes lighting him and the warm sunset/reflection. When lighting any subject, I think it’s important to marry the natural feel and mood with just a slight touch of the photographer’s vision or style. Although I haven’t gotten around to exploring them yet, this experience has given me a bunch of interesting ideas—I almost consider this just a rough sketch of what is to come!” -Logan Mock-Bunting
HALLMAN “One of the best parts of any fun activity is the prep and knowing I have my gear dialed. My gear undergoes some pretty rigorous use, and I think all of my sponsors can attest to my durability testing skills. Unfortunately, I have not found a body part sponsor yet, so I am taking the necessary precautions with pads, footwear, a helmet and a PFD. Nothing beats the Werner Sprinter Outside Van to get my gear everywhere I go, and sometimes it even doubles as a room for two with a view that no hotel in the world can offer. STOKED!!!” -Dan Gavere
LANGDON “Through the looking glass—This picture was taken at the start of a sup race in Pompano Beach, FL, using a GoPro mounted to the front of my board; it really captured the intensity of this race start! There was a pretty nasty shorebreak that day, so I was lucky to get right up and paddling quickly. The paddler to the left is my teammate Caitlin Wisdom; behind me is Jen Hayes Anderson, and Emma Driver is on the right—all three devoted Florida sup racers.” -Sarah Langdon
HART “This photo is a great example of how people are finding new and different ways to have fun on a sup board. Teva Mountain Games, Vail, Colorado, June 2011. As part of the games, C4 sponsored a series of river sup events including the Sup River Cross. Six guys, and girls, take off from the river bank, sprint like crazy down a 200-yard course, and the first two to touch their paddle to the buoy move on to the next heat and eventually the final. First heat went well and I advanced on. Second heat organizers made it more challenging with racers having to go around a buoy just before the finish. The buoy was on the opposite side of the river, so after you rounded the buoy it was a mad dash to get across the river, battling the current to get to the finish. Some heats were a yard sale with boards flying, paddles and people floating by, racers trying desperately to make it to the finish buoy with all their gear! First place guy taped in, then it was a fight for second. I was not in great position so just went for it! In the end I took third and was not in control of my board at the buoy (a requirement), so that was it. Super fun event to watch and even more fun to race in.” -Slater Trout
KANESHIRO “This was my fourth trip to Micronesia and I finally scored big and glassy dream waves at P-Pass! I got donutsly barreled out there and it was almost ridiculous… I had such a good time there and ended up deciding to move there with my family!” -Kohei Shirakawa
McPEEK “Surftech’s ‘The Jay’ Moriarity Memorial Paddleboard Race is a truly special gathering of our tribe. The last few years, it has included standup paddling in addition to prone paddling. The aloha-filled event inspires friendship and camaraderie, and encourages all to “Live like Jay,” a gifted young waterman who’s life was cut short by a diving accident. -Scott Ruble, Covewater Sup Shop, Santa Cruz
