Wednesday 10 February 2010

10 FEB...Not Waiting Any Longer...It Arrived Last Night.

And this is how it ended tonight at about 6.30pm for me, (well the shooting side of things anyay, (now I've got computer work for the evening as I edit pics and blog to you guys).
This first image....Jamie O'Brien slamming his arm into the wall of a first reef Pipe macker to wipe off some speed and get barreled of his head all the way back to the beach and up for a couple of coldies I dare say. He rode that sucker all the way in, and by looking at this pic, his arm would have just about been poking through the back of that thing. The Volcom house went berserk when he pulled this one off, there were yells and whistles erupting out of that place they would have heard back in Honolulu.

What a day is all I can say, and there's heaps more to come...don't know if I can take much more....(just kiddin').

I was a bit concerned about shooting Pipe today as you would know from previous blog posts as I thought it would be turning itself inside out and getting really screwed up, but there is some fine images on my hard drive at the moment I will say and I didn't have to leave home and go up to Waimea.... just wandered down the beach with my gear and then wandered back again, all of 40 seconds either way, even came home for lunch today as I ate my sanga over there early.

It's hard shooting here when the swell's this size as all three reefs are lighting up, and there is bucket loads of salt spray in the air between the camera and the riding crew out the back. I go to focus on a ride out at second reef, and all the camera wants to do is focus on the spray plume of the monster firing down the line at first reef with no one on it, so you just try and bide your time and wait for the "clear" shots. Every now and then someone takes off way out at second that gets my attention and I'll track and focus them all the way into first with the camera if it looks like they're going to have a push at getting schacked at first reef.... Stay focused on them constantly and just hope they put in a charge and go smokin' into a screaming pit at first.....and yes, that's usually what they're aiming at. When that happens it's just totally nuts. They are usually the money shots as you've been concentrating on them all the way, so your "on the job and sharp".
Today was one of those days that will be filed in the memory bank for life, and I think as the swell drops off a bit, things will get cleaner and a bit more under control.... there will be lots more where this came from.
I'm going to be totally flogged when I get home....if I sleep on the plane the hosties will be wondering why I've got the permanant grin happening....god knows, I've had a lot of reasons for that over here this trip !
Hope you're enjoying the pics and the blog in general.

Aloha and mahalo.


Coming in......going out.










Kalani Chapman and friend...they were both grinning at each other when the pulled over the shoulder.









A bit of carnage out the back.








This is how the day started...perfect size pipe with trades and sunny skies. Then it just grew like a monster ! Takayuki again loving life I'm guessing.
When he came in today, his family were right behind me again, so he dropped his board etc right next to me. This time I had a chat to him. Told him to check himself out on my website from the 05 - 06 season. He is a very humble and lovely guy, easy to talk to and very polite and obliging.

Kalani Chapman...warp speed on first reef trying to stay ahead of trouble. It didn't work, eventually breaking his board in two.

It's two days since I wrote those three lines above and I'm back in here editing this post....The more I look at this image, the more messed up my head gets. This is just an insane fractional second of a wave that was totally likewise, and it's all happening just off the beach and right in my face. I've seen Pipe do some wild stuff, but this......well, to me it's something else. I ain't never seen anything throw as hard as this sucker. That is totally off the planet and Chapman is all over it...talk about control, your lookin' at it in one. When I talk about "west swell" at Pipe...this is what I'm meaning. When there's a lot of west in it, this is what happens. The wave hits the reef at just the right angle and peels down the reef perfectly and at full speed making for a very long sharp wall and a blisteringly fast ride.
I'm guessing it will be a long time before I ever shoot something like this again. And you can be assured that this will be the new "full wall shot" right up there next to Dave Wassel out at the factory when I get home.....unless I find something that "ups" this when I get to go through that days files, and I highly doubt it. Click on pic to enlarge, this is a must with this one.











I just had to put this in here even though I dont do the boogers too much.... The spongers were falling from the ceiling today, and this guy is a dead set lunatic....freefalling half way down the face with his legs nearly coming back over his head, then smashing back onto the face and taking off like the proverbial rat up a drainpipe.












This is what we're dealing with today. I'm home for a quick time out and post a couple then back. Takayuki Wakita pulling rank.









6.15am ...just arrived back from checkin' out the beach, there were about 8 guys lined up in the dark looking down into the mayhem waiting for the sun to come up so we can see whats really rolled in and it's as up as up can get. The waves are washing right up the beach over the sandbags at OTW and up into the walkway. I'm about to get my gear together and bolt. See you later.

3 comments:

  1. Hey Mal,

    Those photos of the spongers are pretty amazing. Scary stuff. I'm glad you got what you wanted from Pipeline.

    Wendy. XX

    ReplyDelete
  2. your pics are amazing and exciting, would love to be there
    kerry

    ReplyDelete

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