October Sessions in Tofino

It seems like a dream. Staying at Chahayis, a stunning house on South Chestermans is beyond compare. www.chahayis.com . Every October for the past 10 years we, the Deep Cove and THR crew, have headed out to surf the west coast swell. With a group of committed paddlers and film makers we spent 5 days surfin' it up on south chesty's. Amazing.

Equipped with a dozen Go Pro's, an HD DSLR, 3 Macs, and a boatload of enthusiasm we set out to film a new THR surf movie. With helmet cams, boats mounts, and swimmers in the water our goal was to showcase new camera angles never seen in a sea kayak film. Well, I haven't gone through all the footage yet, but I think it's going to be a pretty dope film. I hope. I should have a teaser out soon...

Marty heading out for a solo storm session...big props Mart!

After years of using WW or short boats the crew has slowly migrated to long boat surfing. Ridiculous. With 4 Romany Surfs, 2 Chatham 16's, a Capella 163, and the new Carbon Grand Illusion, we hit the beach ready to surf. Long boats are amazing in the surf. The length makes it easier to punch through foam piles and chase down most waves. However, once on the wave the speed is intense and the beat downs are violent. One broken boat, one broken paddle, and one dislocated shoulder.

Here it comes....

Just trying to hang in there...

Leaving the Romany Surf at home, I was lucky enough to use Sterling's Carbon Grand Illusion. A boat that is designed for expedition paddling shouldn't be that maneuverable, right? No. I absolutely loved this boat. Being able to change direction on the waves with a stern rudder and edge control gave me huge confidence in the surf. With ample rocker and buoyancy at the stern I was able to continue to work on back surfing, linking edge control with bow pries, leading to my longest and most controlled back surfs ever. Thank you Sterling. sterlingskayak.com . I will post a full boat review after I test it on a camp trip.

Dropping in switch on a nice wave. Thanks to Kim for swimming to get this shot. 

Ripping switch from a different angle. Sorry about the quality - it's a still from a vid.

I'd like to extend a special thanks to Nick, Val, Whirl, Marty, Bram, Jack, Kim, Dave, and Kate for making this year's trip unforgettable. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.