I just wanted to share with you a few recent panoramic images that I have shot in this beautiful part of the world when I have decided to settle quite a few years ago now.
Those panoramic images are made for larger formats, and seeing them in this newsletter on your laptop or smartphone might not to them justice. However, you can view them in full screen on the Frothers Gallery website or by clicking on them directly. However, for purchase purposes, please contact us on [email protected] for sizes & prices.
But the other thing for me to day, is that I wanted to share the stoke with you all Frothers: one of my favourite underwater images of Francisco Porcella shot in Teahupoo has won the first prize of the Salt Awards Photo contest organized by Tracks Mag. The level was so high (go check it out), that I was really honoured to take the win.
As forecasted on Windguru, there wasn’t much to expect from this morning’s conditions.
Still, I went up to North Bondi to take one shot of the spaceship. As you can see in the clouds, there is a fair bit of wind. South West. It makes for nice mouvement on the photos, but it’s a spoiler for the surf conditions which could have been solid otherwise.
So let me brighten your morning with a few shots taken in the Glenan Islands, in French Brittany. An amazing archipelago made of tiny islands and clear water. One of the best places to sail, kitesurf or dive in France.
I caught up with the team from the Expedition ”Under The Pole” with whom I worked last year in the North of Greenland for ”Under The Pole II”. A team meeting to keep the spirit going, but mainly to start preparing the next episode: ”Under The Pole III”. A 3 year (!!) underwater expedition which will go from France, alongside the west coast of Greenland, then through the ”North West Passage” to Alaska, Hawaii, Galapagos Islands, Polynesia, to end up in Antarctica in 2020. One of the most ambitious scientific expeditions of our times, developping breakthrough diving techniques which will allow the divers to stay several days underwater without surfacing.
I am super priviledged to be part of that Team and will be taking part of this next incredible adventure.
Those shots were taken by 30 degrees, in smooth and relatively warm waters. It’ll be a different story when we’ll embark for real.
A photoshoot in the empty Icebergs: some see the glass half full when it’s completely empty.
Some fun lefts and rights, 2.5ft mark.
Swimmers: quite a few and some real happy ones.
Runners, walkers, coffee drinkers.
Photographers: Morning Bondi, Aquabumps.
This is all I saw this morning from the South Bondi Vantage, from the platform to the Icebergs. So, if one day you feel lazy, tired (or jetlagged) that’s a pretty great spot to see the bubble wake-up without too much effort.
I can’t wait to get my Aquatech gear from maintenance to get back in the water! This morning would’ve been perfect for it.
I am not going to lie, this morning had nothing to do with yesterday: it was cloudy, waves were down to 2ft, occasionally 3, and the landscape looked colourless.
Still, there was some fun to be had, mainly in Bondi. But if crowds are not your thing then Tama wasn’t bad. You just would need to compromise on the wave frequency…Life’s always a question of difficult choices, isn’t it?
It was great to bump into Parko’s wife, Chachi, back in the water like a typical Bondi super-mom! I also spent some time with drone pilot Bruno from le Cut Studio, the man with over 55 million views of the Bondi seal and the school of fish on the World Surf League social media channels.
The jetlag helping i was up wayyyy before sunrise. So i reckoned i’d go down to the beach right away to have Bondi for myself. Well, at 5:25am, a couple of guys were already paddling in!
Nothing really starts in Europe before at least 7:30am. It was crazy to see all this early life and activities again. I missed it. A lot.
Surf is definitely up today. It’s was already borderline for Bondi. 80/20. 80 close-outs. 20 fun.
The usual suspects were making the most of those tricky conditions, eapecialy Chris Little. The more i look at him surfing the more I think he’s Parko’s cousin or something, in or out of the water.
When you’ll read this newsletter, I’ll be landing back in Australia after 2.5 months away on assignments (and for a little time off too). That’s the end of my European Tour. I hadn’t been back in Europe for so long in 13 years. As much as I enjoyed every minute of it, I am so glad to be flying home to hit our local beaches again, and see all those familiar faces again, all the local frothers.
To wrap up this European parenthesis, I want to share some images of Eivissa aka Ibiza. First time there for me. A very enjoyable experience.
The interesting thing about this place is that you can make it the experience you want. If you’re after secluded paradise beaches, then drive 30 minutes somewhere North or East, and you’ll be (almost) alone, swimming in the most inviting waters. If you want to party hard day/night and swim in crowded, then the city of Ibiza and surroundings should be your pick. Finally, if you’re after tranquility in the middle of the olive trees, far from everything and everyone, it’s possible too. This tiny island offers this incredible variety of approach to your stay. The big missing point from my point of view: the lack of surf of course. Swell in this area of the Mediterranean Sea is a rare occurence.
I’ve totally dodged Winter, and I am back for the Australian Spring. I could get used to this!
Have a nice day and see you soon down in Bondi/Tama/Bronte/Maroubra very soon.
Recent Comments