Surf Café cookbook, Strandhill style

   A surf cookbook you ask? And I answer yes surfing and cooking can go together especially for this well laid out book incorporating the ocean and easy to make delicious recipes for everyone and the surfed out hungry surfer. Not only seafood recipes but some great Irish recipes are found in there like the Guinness and beef stew that I miss soooo much, different ways to make a classic potatoe mash and some good old fashioned Irish bread recipes. These are just a few of what's in the book.

   Also I'm very proud to say some of my photos are scattered amongst the tasty pages. When I was first contacted about using some of my surfing images I was a bit confused about it all, but once Louise illustrated the idea it all made perfect sense. The book is reflected on Shells Café, the owners Jane & Myles Lamberth, fresh organic Irish produce & of course Shells Café is located at the centre of my heart, Strandhill. Once again Strandhill delivers inspiration for great things, as I have always said it is a magical place & it has produced another piece of magic. GO buy the book, it's a must have for any kitchen. Buy it here.

   Thanks to the editor Louise Searle for involving me in the book, Jane & Myles I'm honored to have been part of this & I can hardly wait to get back to Strandhill some day and try some of your beautiful food in Shells with a few of my mates talking about surf, classic.

www.thesurfcafecookbook.com

Photo: Andrew Kilfeather

Cotty power

  I decided to do this blog not just after seeing this picture of Cotty at Mullaghmore but because he's a damn good surfer and deserves the publicity of what he's done over the years in big waves. He's been invited and attended big wave comps, not only in Ireland either, but in other parts of the world. Cotty's been nominated numerous times for Billabaong's XXL awards, in particular his latest nomination you have to admit is pretty impressive and soooo heavy. Cotty's paddled some pretty big stuff but doesn't gloat about it calling it the wave of the day just cause he paddled, he's also towed some pretty impressive waves but once again he never blows his own trumpet. Cotty just wants to enjoy himself with a few mates, simple.
  The very first big wave photo I ever took was of Cotty at Aileens on a less than perfect day and the last big wave photo I ever took in Ireland was yes again of Cotty but this time at Prowlers. That very first photo I was originally told it was of his tow partner big Al Mennie and after getting the print done I found out from Al that it was actually of Cotty, oh and it also got printed that way in the "Irish Times"! Never mind, lesson learnt to check your sources(Al's girlfriend at the time) hahaha.

My first ever big wave photo. "Cotty"

   Cotty never has backed down from a wave, tow or paddle. He just doesn't have it in his vocabulary to say no. Yes he's not just towed, doing a few stints to WA in Australia in his younger days paddling some pretty big stuff gave him great knowledge of the true power of the ocean on the hard hitting reefs. But it wasn't until he got to Hawaii and surfed Waimea where he found his true love for big waves earning the respect from the Hawaiians Cotty returned numerous times, and will return in the future.

Cotty @ Aileens getting chased down

Cotty on a bomb @ Aileens

   Cotty has adopted Ireland as his big wave haven. Spending countless sessions at Mullaghmore in the most harsh of conditions he still loves it and making the lengthy trip to Aileens numerous times. There was one session in particular where Cotty got nailed at Mullaghmore, his first wave of a dodgy day. Getting ripped apart by the wave, his expensive knee brace got torn off him and lost then the wave procedded to pull his leg almost out of joint leaving him in agony. I'll never forget the pain and dissapointment in his face and voice as he couldn't go back out due to his injurys. Seeing everyone else out there from the van on the hill would've been driving him nuts.

Cotty's face says it all...just after the leg ripping wipeout

Cotty @ Mullaghmore

I sent Cotty a txt asking him to answer a few questions about biggest waves he's towed and paddled and how big they were. I was curious to know what his answers were going to be size wise. Here is his humble reply...

"After last year I'd have to say Prowlers for both, surfed out there a few times now and i think it has so much potential for both tow and paddle. unfortunately this winter we didn't get to surf it once. I'm not one to put measurement on big waves, everyone judges differently and has different opinions on how big waves are, I've paddled some pretty big waves by my own personal standard and towed some even bigger ones, just hope it continues for years to come and both get bigger."

That day out at Prowlers was something else, with an 8m swell running we all sat over a mile out at sea watching her break. Blown away by how far it was throwing out, the barrell mad huge. Cotty and Al were originally thinking of paddling it until a outside set came through sending plumes of whitewater sky high and imploding out the back of the wave on itself! Cotty's reaction was hell give me the rope, lets see what this wave has. That's Cotty for ya, balls to the wall charger, tow or paddle he's out there giving it everything not backing down. Since that day out at prowlers he's padlled out there a few times bagging himself some great waves.

Here's some of his waves at Prowlers...

Cotty @ Prowlers

Cotty exiting the barrell on his first ever session out there!

Cotty and tow partner Al Mennie...yes that is a paddle board and they were seriously thinking of paddling

A proud moment for Cotty and I, my first surfing mag cover and my last big wave photo in Ireland

phantom Teahupoo

This below is a piece of moving art recorded Chris Bryan. This is exactly the kind of thing I live for, being able to see Teahupoo maxing at such a slow speed is an honour in my lifetime, I can't count how many times I've watched this. It's like being at IMAX not knowing where to look on the screen as you can see every detail. One part in particular at the end when the surfer slips and turns upside down looking straight at the inside of the lip exploding on the reef a few feet from his head. I cannot start to think what would be going through his mind or his pants! You can see how when a wave of this speed and power stretches the water leaving strips of air bubbles in the lip, I have seen this before in a couple of my shots at Bumbaloids and Rielys. I do hope one day I get the honour to photograph such beauty and capture things going on not usually recognised by the naked eye.
  A big high five to Chris and Billabong

Not so liquid storm...

"Liquid Storm", what does this name mean to me? I chose this name after the countless storms that are created during the north Atlantic winters. Storms so vicious that since bouy data has been recorded open ocean swells have been recorded to have hit over the 60ft range.

Liquid Storm stands for exactly that, storms at sea and bigger the better. Since I left Ireland I haven't exactly lived up to my reputaion of shooting big surf in any conditions, more so the freezing cold raw conditions that I grew to love and could hardly wait during the flatness of summer for Autumn and Winter to swing around.

 A lot of people who don't surf don't understand the passion of it all, how you become so engrossed in a storm, a particular reef to fire that nothing else seems to matter. Your heart starts to race at the first sign of it on the weather maps, sure there a plenty of times when the storm comes to nothing but that makes it all the more special when all the elements come together-wind, water and slab.
 
 I remember shooting Dave's barrel at Mullaghmore that day when everythng came together. The hooting from Paul and Barry as they watched with awe. Mikee hooting all the way from picking dave up till when they came to the boat, and Dave's grin, wow Dave's grin said it all. I showed him the sequence and we couldn't stop giving each other high fives and hooting like mad men. This is what Liquid storm stands for, but...

...at the moment my life has taken a bit of a change, not in what I want but what actually has to temporary happen until Ireland picks back up and there's work going on there again. It's been a year now since I got back to NZ, so at the moment I'm driving a brand new 280 ton crane in shake city(15 earthquakes since i got back 24hrs ago from Xmas break!). My life at the moment is work driven as we work 7 days a week, althou I did get 2 weeks off over Xmas to chill out.

   So for a while longer I won't be living up to my Liquid Storm name, I apologise to all that follow what I do but mark my words I will be amongst it all again in the future in bigger and gnarlier surf. My passion and vision will never go away and will never change. I want to photograph big heaving barrels and I want to photograph the 100ft wave first hand, it's out there and it's definately rideable.
slàinte

Here's a couple of shots from shake city and some waves I saw on my time off.

My 280 ton crane

Homes torn apart by the earthquake

Here's the cliff the house in the previous photo fell down!

Shipsterns

This little clip is tells of what really happens at Shipsterns when it's big, expect gnarly wipeouts


shipsterns from Dave otto on Vimeo.

My first Teahupoo trip on Magicseaweed

Clik here or on the picture to take you to the article

Teahupoo

This is just a quick blog and won't have all the shots I want to put up as time is running out as I have a 2 day drive ahead of me to the south island for a work transfer to quake city(Christchurch), more on that in another blog. Anyway I managed to get a week of work and scramble to Teahupoo for my first visit. what an awesome place,  a true heaven on earth apart from the extremly hungry for pale skin mosquitos! I absolutely loved the place, so here's a couple of pics and my apologies for making it a bit rush repacking but will post more up in the coming days
Bon voyage

NZ's biggest environmental disaster

Well how the hell did this happen? A reef known internationally before the 2nd world war, a reef tha'ts been used for diving, fishing decades and a reef I was flamn' hoping for a bit of big wave photography during the tropical cyclone season. It sits around 18km's off the Mount and only a few km's off Motiti island, so if a ship has to avoid an Island surely it would've known about the reef. With sonar eaquipment onboard and pre mapped out course in the ships computer to avoid the reef you just have to wonder was it an insurance job? A reef close to land so emergency services wouldn't too far away , quite a few empty containers onboard and not a huge amount of oil to lose money on you just have to wonder, insurance job or not?
  No matter what it shouldn't have bloody well happened. The bird life, fish, penquins, seals in the area are all going to be heavily affected, already dead oil covered birds and fish have turned up on the shores. And it's probably not just oil either, there could be substances on board classed as R29 which is hazardous material that reacts with water, what the hell that'll do is anyone's guess. You can't blame the government for it, it wasn;t there fault but surely a little more could have been done to stop the sludge reaching our shores.
  I just heard they can't even determine what the birds are that are washing up dead and covered in oil, everything in the sea and everybody that has something to do with the sea are going to be affected which brings me to my next bit, being back in NZ for 10 months and having not a great success seeing big heavy waves I was really looking forward to this tropical cyclone season to head out and explore Astrolabe reef and others not far away which are now indefinately out of bounds, I'm pretty pissed off and my heart goes out to those who are going to be affected by this environmental disaster.
  My parents have retired at Papamoa and they enjoy there daily morning walk down the beach, I can't imagine they'll be able to set foot on sand for a while now. All the holiday makers that bring much needed spending to the little shops and fruit markets in the area and also enjoy the golden sand and surf will almost cease for the summer, it's a snowball affect.
What do you do...

The reef

A small dream come true

  I've been fiddling around with a logo for well over a year, finally I have a logo I am stoked with and hopefully you guys will be too. Maybe some day it might end up on clothing as this is something I'd really like to give a go at but for the moment it will be proudly on my photos. The logo will be stretched and warped to suit various things but here's the base. It's not often you do something and guinely think yup this is the way I want it, there's nothing I want to change about it, cool bananas I say.
  So with some luck I will see some heavy waves in the years to come and take a few shots, thanks Dave for the much needed advice and thanks to you all for following my work.
  Sláinte

Parrty time Irish style

On the way down

Well the game was pretty average from an Irish point of view but when it's like that the entertainment is the spectators. Some of the outfits were so funny with 2 guys pictured below wearing lycra suits in Irish colors and if you look behind them on the left you'll see me in the photo laughing at them. Americans were dressed in there stars and stripes with great pride especially when they scored a well deserved try at the end. Getting in and out of the stadium was a breeze and back into town even easier, maybe Auckland should take a few tips from New Plymouth...
  Once we got to town we went straight to the big tent outside Peggy Gordons and had 1 of the best nights I've ever had in NZ. The Irish educating us Kiwis how to party, not a fight all night, no agro, no one was cursing at the top of there voice when losing a drinking race. The irish were just stoked to be there, smiling, laughing and easing back a few pints enjoying the band that rocked the whole place, it really took me back to the west of Ireland and with all the green around, Irish accents and smoking hot dark haired pale skinned young ladies it felt like I was actually back in the green Isle. The band had so much energy, I would without a doubt go see them again.
   Anyway it was a great weekend, congrats to Ireland for the win and a big congrats to USA for stepping up and playing some great rugby, thanks to all the Irish for a great day and night.

Almost but not quite

Paul Rennick RIP mate

“Hey mate how's it going?”

I replied “Pretty good, nice little swell here”

The young dude sitting on a bar stool outside an Amusement centre looking over my shoulder at the surf repleid back”You Australian mate?” in his best Aussie accent

“No, I'm from New Zealand”

Trying to wind me up the dude replies”You're sure mate, you sound like an Aussie”

“Yes I'm sure, any good surf spots around here?”

  Now he stands up and says”Couldn't tell an Aussie me secret spots now, you sure you're a Kiwi, say 'fish n chips' then” and proceeded to grin that cheeky grin when I said it. Back in 2000 that was my first time I met Paul Rennick, a real character that couldn't pass up a chance for a laugh. That nite we met in the Strand bar and had a good few too many beers exchanging surf stories, over the next 11 years we had some bloody good times.

   He's a bit of eye candy for the ladies. I remember one night in Dublin we were walking out of a pub and he cheekily decided to grab a handful of the young gorgeous woman's cheek that was in front of us, she turned around and looked at me with a huge frown and was about to say something and I said “oh no it wasn't me it was him” pointing to Paul grinning away beside me. Expecting we'd both get a slap, she took one look at Paul, her eyes lit up and she smiled at him and said “Well hello, I'll forgive you if you buy me a drink”!!

Paul lived life, he loved to party and loved the ocean dedicating himself between surfing and kite surfing. He loved his family and help looked after his dad Tony, fundraising was a thing he enjoyed and took great pride in it, always one to help others out. Paul mate we all going to miss you, thanks so much for all the good times, smiles and laughter. You truely made all our lives brighter. You were a big part of my life in Ireland and a huge part of Strandhill life for everyone

RIP mate.

 Emily sent me this great story of Paul and I just had to share it with everyone
 "Hey Aaron, thats a nice tribute. Its so sad, I cant belive it. I was telling my friend about him yesterday, and I told her about one of the first times I met him- I was working in Outer Point, and this fella hobbles in on crutches saying he has a wetsuit he needs fixed.
I was like, oh yeah, no problem, they can patch up a seam pretty quick. He starts taking it out of the bag, first the top half, then a leg, then another leg split open from ankle to hip- he was telling me the guys from the ambulance had cut it up to get it off him when he crashed his kiteboard, even though he was begging them not to ruin his good wetsuit!
I was a bit dubious sending it back, but when they heard his story they decided he deserved a new one! What a character, he'll be missed."
 Emily

Kasia emailed me this story as well
"Very sad, I still can't believe it. Paul was such a character!
Few years back at one of our kite gatherings in Strand Bar (and probably after few too many drinks) I finally managed to find my "missing" hubby deeply in conversation with guys at the bar. I approached him from behind, gave him a cheeky bum squeeze, put my arms around his waist... and then somebody said - "you know his girlfriend is just around the corner?!" Only then Paul turned around with a cheeky smile!!! It was first time I really met Paul :-) ...

Ken sent this in,
First time I met Paul I was working in Dublin on a building site. It's a long time ago now. It was a Friday morning and I had arrived on the site and getting stuck into work so I could leave early. I had been chatting to him through the day and at break time I was at the van getting something when he comes outside. He spotted the surfboard in the back and came running over," where are you going with that," I thought to myself, who is this joker. I said I was heading for Sligo after lunch for the weekend. With that he was straight in,"I'm going with you, don't leave here without me". We had great craic all the way down and shared many a Friday journey to Sligo while he was living in Dublin. From that day on we where friends. He showed me some secret spots to surf and I convinced him to give kiting ago and sold him his first kite. I'm forever grateful that I can call him a friend. When I heard the news my heart sank a thousand league's. To Tony, his family & Blathin I am truly sorry for your loss. Thinking of you all. To Paul wherever you are I know your dreaming up some crazy idea that will somehow come together. Your friend forever. Kenny

RIP Paul. Sincere condolences to family, friends and all who loved you. My heart goes to Blaithin."
Kite Kasia

Pacific Liquid Storm

Towards the end of the road

   Is it the perfect storm I ask, well the answer to that question would be debated forever so here are a few things to consider. Firt of all how damn lucky we are, how many people from the Chathams, Polynesia, the Americas to Alaska will enjoy this swell smiling from ear to ear as they glide along the long period glassy walls of LIQUID produced by a STORM pasing under good old New Zealand...millions?
   Tahiti was hugely perfectly wrong with waves ridden on the tow day rediculous, beyond belief to say the least. After some mammoth waves rode on Saturday they went back to running the Billabong pro the next 2 days allowing the best surfers in the world to have the wave to themselves with no more than 3 people in the line up, how sweet is that. Kelly took the honors to re claim the lead in the title race, some say he was over scored but really who gives a toss, they just got one of the best barrels in the world to themselves.
   I'm stoked that all this was broadcast on the net live to all who couldn't be there and shared with joy around the world. Now as the swell spreads from Tahiti it will smash into all of the Americas including Hawaii and a shit load of islands inbetween that aren't regurlary documented then onwards to finally gently caress the Alaskan coastline. Think for a second how many miles of coastline the swell will hit? How many breaks known and unknown will be going off, beach breaks, river bars, slabs, reefs, point breaks and how many waves will be ridden by this 1 Liquid Storm...?
   If I find any stories as it hits I will try to post them on this story so keep an eye on this page, and oh you might've figured out by now I'm not anywhere near these waves and maybe you're asking the question why am I'm posting all this,,,the luv, passion of it and to keep me alive inside

Clik here for a Puerto shot on magicseaweed

Clik here for surfline's take on the swell

and here for surfline's Puerto experience

Hawaii


Teahupoo

Teahupoo ohh my Teahupoo

Copyright ASP

If things had gone the way they might've I could have been on one of those boats today at Teahupoo witnessing some of the heaviest waves ever surfed there. Unfortunately at all ended weeks ago when I couldn't get a day off work but hey I can't cry about it too long and just have to stay tuned to the net and watch in awe the videos and photos streaming ontot he net  faster than a cheetah on steriods. The last hr facebook has been saturated with shots, surfline has stuff up and youtube's going nuts. Fair balls to everyone surfing it and for me I'm stoked there was such good photographers there like Ted Grambeau and Kirstin Scholtz to record it for all to see. Here is a couple of ahots and vid from the net so far

Clik here for ASP full coverage from yesterdays Tow session

Clik here for ASP photos

Clik here for Surfline photos 

Clik here for Magicseaweed photos





1000 frames per second camera

Movie of movies

Usually I wouldn't blog about this sorta thing but with excitement still running through my veins I just had to share. I went to see Transformers at the big screen, when I mean big I mean Imax 3D bloody huge. I go to the movies to basically see the impossible made possible which is generally Si Fi, normal movies I feel as though it would look and feel the same on a normal TV so I don't go to the flicks that much.
  
   I'm not a huge fan of 3D because if you're watching something that's not computer generated it can be as fluid as a mobile phone upload. But this is without a doubt in my mind the most visually stunning movie (apart from surfing movies of course) I have ever seen and seeing it on that massive white tarp Imax just made the experience even more mind blowing, the 3D is astonishing and a long way on from the daft Jaws 3D. I was completely captivated with the movie, at several times ducking for cover as objects seemed to hurtle straight towards me. The Transformers themselves a lot more detailed and the matrix style super slow motion showing that off. The story line was actually an interesting one with twists all the way.

  I left dazed and confused from what was and was not reality, to seperate the 2 just did not compute with what I just saw, so if you want to take my advice go see it in 3D at an Imax is a must for things to do this year, absolutely stunning

Teahupoo's little brother

When I was looking through some shots online from the past week of Teahupoo there was one that stood out, but stood out in a different way. Like i'm sure i've seen a smaller version of this shot somewhere, then it dawned on me, a photo I had taken a few years back of Ferg at Rileys, a place very close to my heart and how lucky I was to be in Ireland when it was being explored. 2 totally different country's, one cold and the other warm, one surfed by every big wave freak in the world the other by just a handful of people but when you look at both these photos there is an uncanny similarity. Obviously not in size but most certainly in shape and definately in power and if you don't believe me just ask the guys who have had broken bones, near knocked themselves out and joints disjointed @ Rileys!

 This Teahupoo shot was on Lairds facebook but it didn't say who the photog was which is a damn shame as it's a great shot, so my apologies to the photographer whoever you are for not crediting you the photo.

Laird

Ferg