Messages

61

SUP General / Re: Two For Teddy

« on: September 29, 2020, 06:53:58 PM »

Great shots.

62

Sessions / Re: The Last of the Tropical Cyclone #12 Back Swell

« on: September 29, 2020, 06:45:31 PM »

Thanks all.

I use the GoPro handlebar mount. It comes with a couple of inserts you won't use with a paddle (too small), and without the inserts is a little big for the paddle shaft. What that means, is that when clamped, it's not a perfect fit, and puts stress on the shaft in only one axis. OK if you clamp it lightly, but you need to be pretty careful when clamping something on a carbon tube like that.

In my case, where the paddle blade goes over the shaft, it's not perfectly round, and still has the seam. This plus a little tape I put on there makes it a perfect fit. I can clamp it tight enough that it won't move.

I like this mount, as you can also swivel it, but if I were putting it somewhere on the main shaft, I would do a custom mount for sure.

My paddle shafts are 29mm ( 1.14").

63

Sessions / Re: Day 6?

« on: September 27, 2020, 06:39:48 AM »

Sweet! We've been pulsing out here, too. Many days  in a row. Finally some consistent surf. Glad you're taking advantage of it!

Nice Osprey shot. Just saw my first one for the season the other day. They're here from fall to spring, and a sight to behold when hunting.

64

Sessions / The Last of the Tropical Cyclone #12 Back Swell

« on: September 27, 2020, 06:32:04 AM »

The last of the back swell from Tropical Cyclone #12. This thing gave us many days of good waves. Sunday late afternoon runners. More experimenting with the paddle cam, and some slow motion. Shot at 1080P/60 and slowed in places to .400.

Youtube video is slowed down. The Instagram version is at full speed.

Board is a Blue Planet Pocket Knife 8'8"x29"x116L with Futures F6 Honeycomb fins set up as a thruster.

65

Sessions / Re: Some fun early morning waves_NJ

« on: September 18, 2020, 09:38:17 PM »

Love watching Ben Gravy make the best out of every session.  In addition to being a daily surf-stoke machine, the vlog is also a modern day soap - will he pop the question with Jordan?

LOL. Since you asked.

66

SUP General / Re: Zonoid Surf Session at Cleve's Cove

« on: September 12, 2020, 05:55:50 AM »

Pretty slick. Can't believe you guys risked that board swap, what with all those big sharky things up in that neighborhood ;-)

67

Sessions / Re: Paddle Cam

« on: September 12, 2020, 05:29:30 AM »

Good effort Oki... I think you got some good stuff there!

It is not possible for me to lift an empty carbon paddle on an outstretched arm.... and almost impossible to raise a paddle over my head, so the paddle mount is something I'll never master. Too bad cuz it offers an interesting perspective when done well.

Thanks Rick. A lifetime of turning wrenches and bending metal has left my wrists in pretty poor shape, and the next day they're hurting pretty bad after holding the paddle out like that. This pretty much relegates the paddle cam to the follow behind angle, toe side when I know there might be barrel shots. Hoping to get some really good shots of that here in the near future.

68

Sessions / Re: Paddle Cam

« on: September 08, 2020, 04:44:34 PM »

Really nice views. And also much thanks for all the tasty content you post.

For me I could not get past the hurdles to get enough shots.  I find it hard to stop using the paddle for my surfing.

Also for me I like to save a record of the session to enjoy later.  The complete rides offer that.

Thanks J. My biggest hurdle is that I also like to use the paddle for surfing. Harder turns and bracing. It has a place on the paddle, and I'm figuring out just when that is.

Nice work on the paddle cam! Guessing your first go with a paddle mount (bicycle mount)? I hear ya on the frustration, Oki. That swing weight is tough and paddle shaft selfies are even tougher. I almost always ditch it after about an hour. Helps to have a board mount ready so a water swap is all that's needed. The GoPro Session5 is also key for it's small form factor. But to me the juice is worth the squeeze as they say. I like the challenge of getting it wired and frustration pays off when ya get the shot. Have a few!

Thanks Cook. I've used the paddle cam before for about 30 seconds, and put it away...LOL. This time I tried to give it an honest go, and found some things I like about it. Best looking shots, for sure. Especially the follow cam ones like TD says. I'm using the GoPro handlebar/seatpost/pole mount. Several different size bushings, but what I really like about it is that you can rotate the camera. Paying off when you get the shot, yea. Most of the time I think I really got a good one and it turns out to be less than stellar. So I had low expectations for this, but was really surprised at how it turned out.   

Thanks again.

69

Sessions / Re: Some fun early morning waves_NJ

« on: September 08, 2020, 04:33:14 PM »

Another great session LB.
Fun fact, I was born in AC. I guess we only stayed about a year, as my dad was a Marine. Never been back, but the waves look good. Embarrassing, but I'm a fan of Ben Gravy...LOL

70

Sessions / Re: Paddle Cam

« on: September 07, 2020, 04:56:56 PM »

LOL! ... nice 'over the handlebars' move at the end there! ... thanks for sharing, appreciate the effort you put into these posts!

Thanks Guy. Knowing that people like the videos makes it worth it.

I didn't like it at first, but I personally like the follow behind angle. The added motion doesn't bother me. I like being right there in the pocket. The hold in front thing I"m not a fan of. You get used to the added swing weight. After a 20 min or so I forget about it. I think the swinging erratic motion would be greatly reduced with a Hero8. I'm still using the Hero5. The chest mount used to be my favorite, but it gets in the way when I'm prone paddling. I like the simplicity of the paddle mount and how it does work like a camera stick. Nice waves..Dude. 

100% agree on the angle thing. Follow behind is the one that really works, and I'll be doing more of this. You really get to see more of the wave's shape, although the Superview does stretch it somewhat. I hear you on the swing weight. I have the actual GoPro small tube mount, and don't notice that at all. Just takes some getting used to the camera being on there. Also need to figure out the camera tilt angle. Probably different for everyone as we all hold the paddle a little different.

71

Sessions / Re: Paddle Cam

« on: September 07, 2020, 05:26:15 AM »

Nice! Hard to judge the size I like the view of water and landscape.

Thanks. Head to a little overhead in the peak. Shoulder to waist down the line. The link is to some pics from a surfer friend on the next peak over today.

72

Sessions / Paddle Cam

« on: September 07, 2020, 04:01:47 AM »

So this was a new and frustrating experience...

Tried the camera in different places, and holding the paddle different ways. Some people do it pretty well, but for me, I found it pretty frustrating. Other than on the toe side as a trailing cam dropping in or pulling into the barrel, the paddle just ended up as a big camera stick, and surfing the board "normal"  Using the paddle for more aggressive surfing just made me motion sick when reviewing the footage. DID NOT like the weight of the camera on the end of the paddle. That took some getting used to!

Like 40 clips today, and these were the best.

Last of the swell from Typhoon Haishen on the east side. Picked a little smaller peak, as I was pretty much doing "research" with the camera.

Board is the Blue Planet Carbon NP10 with Futures F6 Alpha side fins and a Blue Planet 4.6" honeycomb center. Amazing how well this board surfs without using the paddle...LOL

73

Sessions / Re: Typhoon #10 (Haishen)

« on: September 07, 2020, 03:03:37 AM »

Going big Oki!

Stoked you got some stills of the session to put it in perspective.
If you remember Kai 's GoPro vids of 60' Jaws... the GoPro does not give it justice for sure....
but it gives speed and length of drop, which is a good hint to the size!

My friends Shrimpy and Taku where foiling some of those waves near Kanaka

I hope the storms treat you and your islands fairly!!!

Thanks Creek. Yea, Takuji and Shrimpy are usually on it. The ocean is all they do :-)

Yea, go Oki. Now that is some real summer juice.

So how was the crowd out there?  Here at a certain size the few spot that remain rideable get swamped.

And how is the inside there if you do not make the wave?  Do you where a vest?

Thanks for the stoke.

No crowd here :-) Only one guy I SUP with and a couple of groms that tag along with us. Most surfers will head farther into the bay for spots that are a little more tame. Lots of nooks and crannys with lots of unridden peaks, though. The benefit of an irregular coastline. You can usually find something smaller, and sheltered from the wind.

Inside isn't bad, and you'll never get washed all the way to the rocks, as the bigger it gets, the stronger the long-shore current is that will sweep you into a channel. Out is easy, as you just jump in, hit the rip, and you're out there. Getting out you have to hit the beach, which has some pound, but easy to time.

Biggest issue is this wave breaks on a third reef. On days like this it's freaking huge. Like 20' Hawaiian (18' @ 17 seconds on this day), and top to bottom hollow across a shoal. It then reforms in the middle, which s usually where I'll catch it. It'll peak up, maybe crumble break, which is a steep and fun chip in, and then hits the inside first reef, and can slabout. Biggest problem is sometimes the set waves are so big, it breaks on that third reef, and it's white water all the way in. So you have to put yourself in the peak, but stay on your toes to dig out if it looks like it's going to break all the way through. Easy to get under, though. I've never hit the bottom here, but you can get a long hold down.

If I put the helmet on, I wear a vest. Current one is a Billabong Dbah wake vest. Mostly for impact, but popping right back to the surface is nice, too :-)  We have some big wave riders here. Four surfers were on that outer peak this day. But we haven't caught up with the rest of the world where safety is concerned, and someone died out there a few years back. No floatation. No safety ski. They were all wearing helmets this year, which was nice to see. Amazing how much a helmet pulls you back to the surface, too.   

74

Sessions / Re: Typhoon #10 (Haishen)

« on: September 05, 2020, 10:53:08 PM »

Wow, sizable surf! Your right the GoPro does not tell size at all.  I guess there are channels to get out there?  I believe you have another typhoon on the way so rest up.

Lots of current moving when the size picks up, but always a "safe" entrance and exit. You might get wadded up on the beach, but pretty easy to miss the rocks. This was the second of two typhoons. The one last week brought good waves, but 100mph gusts, too. Like five days of good surf after it passed. This one might have hit 70mph last night.

Board is the Blue Planet All Good with Futures GL2 thruster, and Mink System diffusers. Board was a little wide, and on hard turns at serious speed, I found myself wanting my Ninja Warrior or Pocket Knife.

Nice video. I'm a fan of those small type of slow roller waves.

And thanks for the details on the board you were using and it's fins setup.

Thanks for sharing your videos.

Thanks NW.

Holy moly! That's some serious size and power. And you are handling it proper, Oki! Funny, I was just thinking about you this morning here in NJ after listening to the news. They said Typhoon Haishen is gonna slam Okinawa! Stay safe wave warrior!

Typhoon Haishen to threaten Okinawa
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200905/p2a/00m/0na/006000c

Anybody know how to make text an active link? I used to do it on another forum but it's been a while.

Thanks SC. Those two waves felt like a motocross track. Makes a board really hard to turn, as it'll just skip out from under you. Storms are no big deal for us here in Oki. Everything is made of concrete. Agriculture suffers the most, and sometimes vehicle damage, but loss of life is pretty rare. The storm last week was a howler.

That;s one of the reasons I quit shooting video--that and I hate editing. We had an el Ninio winter in Maui a few years ago--every day was 7-10 Hawaiian, and the GoPro made it look like 3-4. At the end of the winter I considered having T-shirt made to hand out to friends, something like "I survived....etc. There were days and moments when I thought I might not.

Hi Bill. I actually enjoy the editing. Not a lot to do with all the kids out of the house :-)  I hate shooting video, though. I surf three to five times per week, but produce very little video. This is the first time I've taken it out in more serious conditions. There's way to much going on to fuddle with the camera, too. TBH, at this point, if not for a couple of sponsorship commitments, I'd leave it to the kids :-)

Juicy!! ... thanks for sharing!

Thanks. Will try to get some stuff from the cleaner days.

75

Sessions / Re: Bumpy Juice

« on: September 05, 2020, 03:56:35 AM »

Nice. Really feelin' those bumps. That Soloshot does pretty good.