Occy vs Curren

In the past I have been known to lay less favorable comments on Occy's surfing, I always thought he lacked finesse despite more then compesated for this with his backhand attack. After watching him at Jbay rekindling the old rivalry against Curren I am eagerly anticipating the next Clash of the Icons heat to be held at Bells beach. I also feel I judged Occy unfairly, the guy doesn't seem to need to pump to generate speed and goes from one turn to the next generating speed through his turns. All his maneuvers are functional with a strong finish to most waves. To put it simply, Occy rocks. I have always been a massive Curren fan, grace, style, controlled aggression and modesty, a great ambassador for the sport. I will be eagerly anticipating the 2010 stop at Bells, but not for the WCT, give me Occy vs Curren any day. I do question if the scales are tipping slightly in Occy's favour as the forecasted large surf and open Bells walls lend themselves to his backside attack. It's a shame Ripcurl don't host the WCT event in Hossegor to even things out in Currens' favour.

New Carbon/Epoxy Surfboards....Have I Sold My Soul?

Ok so I may have got a little bit silly on the carbon front recently. I decided I have had enough of trashing boards through travel and generally poor surfing so decided I would buy my two favorite shapes in a stronger material. I'm yet to put either board to the test but shall update on here when I have had a chance to surf them properly. I was one of the first to jump on the epoxy construction band-wagon and subsequently was one of the first to jump straight back off. I didn't like the corkiness of the boards and lack of (for want of a better word) personality. These boards definitely have their own distinctive and esthetically pleasing character but I am yet to experience surfing them on good waves. I'm hoping for a board I can keep for longer then a year and will hopefully withstand the inevitable inflictions imposed by the Stanstead baggage handlers and the daily knocks and scratches occurred in when surfing Morocco, France and Bali. I am at a time in my life when the majority of my peers are settling down, getting married and having children. Perhaps I have found my life partner.

My Photography

Star Surf Camps - Bali & France

I have launched another two surf camps this year, one in Bali and one in France. The Bali trip is a one month surfing and diving adventure of Bali and her sister islands, we keep the groups small (12 people per month) to ensure a high quality of service and allow for better group dynamics. Once again our ethical approach to surf travel allows for a large proportion of the finances going through the company to end up in the hands of the local economy. I am a firm believer in trade not aid as this I feel this is a more effective means for distribution of wealth to those who need and earn it rather then aid commonly being cyphered off to the hands of politicians and charity workers. I am not for a second pointing the finger and claiming this is a problem in Morocco or Indonesia where I am lucky enough to work, I am merely reflecting on the global problem of aid religiously not landing in the hands of the people for whom it was initially intended.

Our France surf camp caters for 48 customers per week and throughout my years of working in camps I would say we finally have the best possible team I have had the pleasure to work with. We have some of the worlds most elite professional snowboarders and surfers working in the camp along with an international surf team coaching with a ratio of 1 teaching staff per 4 students. The France surf camp really provides a great learning experience for those discovering surfing in a safe and friendly environment. As fore-mentioned the international team comprising of Americans, Australians and a whole host of Europeans provides customers with a knowledge base unrivaled by other camps. The majority of those who discover surfing with Star Surf Camps go on to improve their skills and continue their adventure in our Bali Surf Camp and my own Morocco Surf Hostel