Sea Notes

SAS's 2011 Advertising Campaign

Had the pleasure of getting involved on various platforms with the new series of 'Rubbish, Sewage and Toxic' adverts for Surfers Against Sewage. Top creative advertising agency, M&C Saatchi, covered the creative angle, I just turned up with top bodyboarder, Jack Johns and watched him get covered in shit!

I was also accompanied by Celine Gerhert, professional female surfer and model, who got plastered in marine litter:

Luckily I was on the bill as 'Toxic' and simply had to wait until the sun was low enough to create a toxic glow:

It was a hilarious, but super productive day and the adverts are now being published through various print and digital publications. Stoked to be a part of it! Here's a few behind the scenes action shots...

Padina Pavonica

During my time with Bournemouth University I was lucky enough to get assigned on a research trip to Malta to study Padina Pavonica, an interesting floral species, more commonly known as Peacocks Tail. My assignment brief was to identify the key factors that characterise its habitat and make comparisons with those of the UK.

To cut a long story short I spent 10 days trekking the Maltese coastline with a quadrat, camera, snorkel, mask, swim fins and a damn good water proof note pad. I met a lot of interesting characters, some to do with the research and some for just passing by.

Along with the research I could not help but keep my eyes open for any potential surf, even though its positioned deep into the Mediterranean. However, look what I found.

Oh yea, also ended up on the front page of the Malta Independent, whatever...

Away with it all

A key all round player in my life and product tester for Finisterre, Matt Smith, took me out and around our mother bay that separated the towns we grew up in. I've surfed every beach, rock and point in St Ives Bay, all year round and in all conditions. However, I'd never actually sailed across it. Thanks Smithy, this was a good morning.

Me and Smithy share a lot of similar beliefs on the world. Follow Matt's journey here: http://www.mattsmithsurfing.co.uk/_/BONjOUR.html

Bournemouth Surf Festival

Following on from the summer Motivocean project I managed I pitched SAS into the Sorted Surf Festival in Bournemouth in Spring 2011. The weekend was a cracker, early spring, enough surf to compete and over 100 beach cleaners working with me and Adam Beare, Volunteer Officer of SAS.

Motivocean

Based on my various roles with SAS and the developing ideas and building knowledge of marine and coastal issues I somehow landed in a dream job between my second and third year of university. A few phone calls and a brief meeting later I was stripped from a summer of rain soaked surf coaching and behind the reigns of organising and rolling out a national beach clean and sports tour titled "Motivocean."

The project was backed and funded by V Inspired, a national youth volunteering agency specifically for 16-25yr olds, and Quiksilver Foundation. The core of the Motivocean brief was to engage 1000 youth volunteers with environmental volunteering opportunties and new sports, so it was a no brainer for SAS!!!

CLEAN YOUR LOCAL BEACH AND GET A FREE SURF LESSON!

Too good to be true and I only wish a opportunity like this came around when I was a grom. Here are some photos and vox pops I captured throughout the tour, which reached out to over 1000 volunteers, covering 23 locations and even an event on the Thames in London!

We kicked the tour off with the Greenaway Pro surf festival in St Ives, the tour went off with a bang! Great team of volunteers and working alongside an incredible event that I really hope see to return come 2012!

The Bournemouth event was infamous for the amount of cigarette butts found, we filled the butt bottle four times in a hour!

The Wave March

I joined an epic bunch of SAS Reps, volunteers and supporters at The Wave March in London in 2009! It was an awesome action with a ridiculous amount of people dressed suitably for the theme, but without being biased I’d have to say the SAS crew were dominating the day with surfboards, wetsuits and plastered in blue paint!! We held the front line all the way around the tourist trail of London and stood strong at the front of 40,000 people marching against climate change ahead of Copenhagen.

London Rep, David Tudor, also one of the Crown Estate Marine Policy top dogs struggling to apply some suitably coloured guy liner.

Me babbling my way through an interview about why SAS are getting involved in the Wave March and outlining the impacts of climate change on the surf community.