Danny Moa, Islander
I awoke late this Sunny Sunday, having spent the night wrapping a job on the computer and getting to sleep at 6:30 AM. I pulled myself away from my girlfriend Donna who was doing her best imitation of a dead woman at 9:15 am. I had some coffee and rolled down the valley into downtown Ventura for a haircut appointment at 10:00 am with my Samoan pal Danny Moa.
By twelve, after we had rapped out and talked a lot of story and I stood squinting in the broad light of high noon, I felt different. It wasn’t the haircut. I was now more relaxed. It was from contact with Danny and the Pacific Islanders style and mindset. They always want to connect you to the ocean. He had.
Yesterday I did an edit for a client. They had asked for a waterman’s point of view. Here it is. Happy World Oceans day. May you all be connected to, and cherish the sea. It is the source of all life on this blue ball. Let us respect it, learn from it and eschew everything and everyone that would try to keep it from us and us in turn, from it. If an organization or entity ever comes between you and the ocean, I hope that you would know not to support it. God made the seas for you. Take care of them. Be the good steward.
Historian and Hawaiian Tom Stone once told me that the Polynesian’s home is the sea. That land is only where we go to rest. That makes a lot of sense to any water person.
Here is a little film trailer from a piece we should hopefully complete sometime in the near future.
A beautiful piece by another sea tribe, Ireland’s native sons, U2 is here.
Holly Beck’s fantastic blog is here. Make sure to watch the video!
Ah, Project Kaisei is here. My friend George Orbelian kindly pointed out that in myopia, I had overlooked the project he had so generously included me on! Click that link and look around. It is revelatory.
A VERY fun film which is actually a demo reel that I did awhile ago won some festival acclaim recently and is here.
From Joe Noonan:
“I love the Native American saying that the white man took God from the earth and streams and waters and put ‘him’ way up in the sky, out of reach… the ocean’s my temple, church, playground and lover, where I experience the Divine so directly…”
Click on any of the images in the gallery for a larger view and a back story
When I am off center. I see this sign flashing.
Tiare and the Spinners
Balinese Morning
Blue Ombak
Javanese Reflection
Just a Wave
Maldivian Eve
Makaha Rush
Rockpile Sunset Push
Indian Ocean Fireworks
Morning Magic
Dawn Patrol
World Champions, Hobie 16
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- Tiare and the Spinners
Kona. Cooks Bay. Hawaii
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- Danny Moa, Islander
In a shoot for Hobie Swim. Danny grabbed his guitar at days end and did his thing. It is always a good time.
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- When I am off center. I see this sign flashing.
My ex wife was not big on lectures. When she saw me reacting out of character she would generally tell me that I needed to go for a surf. Smart lady. Slow guy.
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- Balinese Morning
A long spell of work, followed by a sweet riff of adventure on a relatively unknown place in Bali. I remember a pretty wise waterman once telling me that we should always either be working or surfing. It was Pat Curren.
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- Blue Ombak
A wave in a remote part of West Java, Indonesia
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- Javanese Reflection
Dino Miranda, West Java. Alone with his thoughts. This day was pumping. I saw this rare lull and remember thinking: "How poignant"
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- Just a Wave
Yea, that is usually all it takes for some of us. Ventura, California
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- Maldivian Eve
Tyler Swain was standing right next to me rolling motion as this moment occurred. I think that the best moments of my life were ones shared with someone else. Tyler is one of those great colleagues. You do not have to tell him much. He just gets it
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- Makaha Rush
Steersman Archie Kalepa, Bobby Friedman, Buzzy Kerbox, Tiare Lawrence. All star human beings. The Buffalo event at Makaha. If you ever get a chance to experience the Buffalo, do it. "Greatest show on earth lady's and gentlemen, step right up. This way." Truly.
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- Rockpile Sunset Push
I have had some exciting moments on this stretch of water. One of which prompted Mark Foo to say "What were you thinking?", afterwards when we were chatting about the day.
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- Indian Ocean Fireworks
On our way back to California, I had left the window shade cracked. I awoke from a little doze to a bright orange band of light on the opposite wall of the cabin. Everyone was asleep. Raising the shade revealed cumulo nimbus cloud towers rising from the ocean surface to 35,000 feet. Lighting spanned the expanse from tower to tower. I shot a few stills and quietly retrieved a motion camera from the overhead compartment and rolled on it. The footage is in our film, An Equatorial Convergence. Great example of being in the right place and time and frame of mind.
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- Morning Magic
The things you see on the ocean will inspire you repeatedly in their uniqueness. Donna Von Hoesslin, Dennis Ryder and some California Brown Pelicans, sharing a moment.
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- Maldive Resort Life
Yep a Club Med in Maldives. But you can get a more in depth experience by spending less. Less is more when you really desire to taste a place. Always.
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- Scramble
What you do when Third Reef Pipe beckons and you are not exactly sure what it is gonna do.
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- Swimming With
The boys. Pacific Common Dolphins in the Santa Barbara Channel.
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- Blue Mexico
A Southern Hemishere swell having rolled all the way from the frigid extremes of the South Pole exhausts itself in San Jose Del Cabo shallows.
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- Blue Shade
A wave I enjoy swimming due to the clarity of the water and the punch that it packs. Ventura, Ca.
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- Dawn Patrol
True legends, Chuck Patterson, and Jim Birdsoule, Australia
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- World Champions, Hobie 16
Australia. It is a deep priviledge to do anything with Hobie International. This shoot in Jervis Bay Australia we had a dozen top notch athletes, 30 boats, 16 crew and the entire bay as our set. It was a virtual waterworld, the likes of which I have never before experienced. We shot 12-16 hours per day for over a week. I actually wound up quite ill, along with my partners in crime on the shoot, Dan Mangus and Sean Douglas. I would do it again in a heartbeat. So would any of us. Watertribe.
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- Nova Scotian Serenade
Yep she was playing Amazing Grace.
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- Last Wave, Nova Scotia
Snagging solo last wave somewhere in Nova Scotia.
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- Dolphin Swim
Hailey and Sierra Partridge, and Jim Birdsoul swim with a wild Spinner dolphin, off Kona Hawaii. Some "environmental" groups would like to outlaw this. Regulating man interacting with the environment is not something I would encourage. Especially when this government took this stretch of water and land from it's native people. This dolphin took exception to us tagging along and over a period of a couple hours changed it's mind and began to invite us to hang. Big Kim Birdsoul who still swims 4000 yards a day and is one of the humans who can actually keep up with the pod. This image reminds me of the many things involved in being a water person.
Dolphin Swim
