Mountain Surf Adventures

Canoe and Kayak Online Article

2012-02-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

Writer Conor Mihell, from old stomping grounds(well at least when we beat them in ball) Sault Ste. Marie, called me this week to interview me for an online article for Canoe and Kayak on my Standup4Greatbear Expedition and buddy Frank Wolf's On the Line Expedition. Check it out here.

Standup4Greatbear Documentary

2012-01-16T17:57:00.001-08:00

Standup4Greatbear Online Article

2012-01-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

Just happened to find this article online that i hadn't seen before and it brought back fond memories of the expedition. Having Guujaw sing for me has motivated me to look towards a new SU4GB expediton to Haida Gwaii. Click here for the article.

Paddle for the Planet

2012-01-05T20:18:00.000-08:00

Jen and i finished out 2011 by traveling to Kelowna to support Bob Purdy and his amazing Paddle for the Planet. Bob's New Year's resolution for 2011 was to standup paddleboard everyday for at least an hour a day for 365 days. Bob was paddling in support of the David Suzuki foundation and was encouraging us all to take a look at how we live and to motivate people to change the way we live on the planet for a positive environmental impact.

Behind a good man is a great woman, Sharon!

The weather co-operated and the 31st ended up being a super day to paddle with no wind and flat conditons on Okanagan Lake. Jen and i met Bob and Kevin O'Brien from Kalavida Surf Shop at the Good Earth coffee shop where we got our mandatory Americano's. It was great to see Kevin who has been a huge supporter of Standup4Greatbear and for me personally as a standup paddleboarder. Kevin has done a lot for our sport and organizes one of the best races in Canada, the Kalamalka Classic in Vernon. This year the race takes place June 23/24th.

Standup4Greatbear, PaddleforthePlanet, KingofKalavida

We met Bob and the rest of the paddlers at Rotary Beach where Bob had set up a course for us to enjoy a leisurely paddle with him for his Day 365. It was great to see supporters out like Sheila and Karly Sovereign, Heidi Maddess, Kevin O, Tina, and Stephan Idzan. Cheers to Stefan Idzan who supported Bob and was his paddling partner for over 100 days this year. From the lake we packed up and headed for the post paddle festivities which included an amazing sockeye clam chowder lunch and inspiring presentations. Bob had asked me if I would play Standup4Greatbear for the wrap up and i was more than happy to. Bob has been a really big supporter of Standup4Greatbear and our relationship has developed through mutual admiration and inspiration.

Bob completing day 365

It was a fantastic afternoon and Bob surprised everyone by announcing that he will be continuing his consecutive Paddle for the Planet initiative everyday into 2012.

Chicks with Sticks

The day spent with Bob and friends was an inspiring way to bring in 2012. For more information on Paddle for the Planet and to support the initiative and help in making a change please visit www.paddlefortheplanet.ca

Team Kalavida

BIg Wave Surfing at Mavericks

2011-12-30T07:32:00.001-08:00

Eddie Would Go!

2011-12-29T13:29:00.001-08:00

Well it was a dream come true for me as we left Vancouver on Dec 9th for our 10 day trip to Oahu's North Shore. The North Shore in the winter means only one thing to me, big, legendary, historic surf. Before i could get to the North Shore though i was there to support Jen in her Honolulu marathon(it'sin my contract). We were also travelling with close friends Jenni Chancey and Leaf's fan Darren Ashby. Jenni also ran the marathon and both Jen's ran well competing against 22000 other runners. Jen ran a a solid 3:20 battling Achilles tendinitis and a strong headwind. Jenni ran a great race as well coming in just under 4 hours. I know both girls wanted more but Darren and I admired the commitment and effort. The last time i was in Oahu was this past July when Bodie Shandro and i raced our standup paddleboard in the Molokai2Oahu World Championships. The south swell at Waikiki was much bigger and consistent then but it still felt good to be there in the shadow of the Duke Kahanamoku statue. It was great to be in the heat and humidity of Hawaii and we were not missing any powder at Whistler so that made me feel good too.

11 Time World Champion Kelly Slater

Arriving on Oahu our timing could not have been better as a 12-15 ft swell had hit the North Shore the day we arrived which signaled the start to the Billabong Pipeline Masters. Not only would we see the historic North Shore but we would be able to watch the best surfers in the world compete for the prestigious title and the final piece of the Triple Crown. The marathon was on the 11th but we headed straight to North shore the day before to watch the final day of the Pipeline Masters. I have been buying surf magazines and looking at pictures of the North shore for close to 25 years, growing up in Sudbury and 4500kms away from the nearest surf break. Finally i was here. We all got to the beach early and set up right in front of Pipeline with the wash almost coming to our feet. The crowd would swell as the morning went on. I was mesmerized by what i saw. The Bonzai Pipeline is one of the deadliest waves in the world that breaks over a nasty coral reef and showcases the skills of the best surfers and watermen in the world. We watched the quarters, semi's and finals. I was most excited to see Kelly Slater, the 39 year old, 11-time world champion and king of surfing. He was right there in front of me running to the water for his heat with John John Florence. There were camera's everywhere. John John has been killing it this year and was super hot and had already scored a couple of perfect 10's throughout the contest. Florence basically had Kelly beat but i got to see the magic and mystique of Kelly as he pulled a way back come from behind win over John with less than 2 minutes remaining in the heat.

Kelly pitted for his come from behind win vs John John

Incredible. It's not too often you get a chance to watch an athlete in the same caliber as a Michael Jordan or a Wayne Gretzky. These guys are so good. Also, it's not too often that you get a chance to have free(except for $10 parking) front row seats to watch a guy like this. Crowds follow this guys every move. Kelly's magic ran out in the Semi's as he was beat by past Triple crown winner and 3 time world champion runner up Joel Parkinson. Joel was then beat in the finals by a hard charging Kierran Perrow who lost the Pipeline Master's himself in the final seconds of last years contest to Jeremy Flores. With his quarter final appearance Hawaiian, John John Florence became the 19 year old winner of the Van's Triple Crown Title.

Fallen Hawaiian warriors

After the contest we headed back to Honolulu for the marathon but we came back up to the North shore for five days after the race. Honolulu is pretty busy and we wanted the country feel. We rented a vehicle and stayed at the Turtle Bay resort at the tip of the island which was a good base for our time up there. The weather was windy and cool with off and on rain but the weather got better and hotter as the week went on. After not being in the water for 3 days and stoked to surf I finally rented a standup board and got in the water. Not everywhere does it break like Pipeline(thank goodness)but the swell was also dropping. Over the course of the week we surfed at places like the Boneyard's, Chun's and a bunch of times at Haleiwa/Puena Point. I was spending close to 6 hours a day in the water and had a chance to surf a number of different boards. The first one i took out was a 10' Boardworks EPX, it was a nice stable beginner surf board and seemed to surf pretty good. I enjoyed the stability and ease of getting into waves. It was a good first board to try out as i was getting my feet wet on the Northshore. The second day i rented a C4 9'8" Raimana that i surfed at Chun's. It was set up with a quad fin which made it more unstable, and tougher to get into the waves but once i got used to it, the board performed really well and was pretty fast. The last two days up north i went to Uncle Bryan's and rented a 9'8" Paddle Surf Hawaii Ripper. I had always admired these boards shaped by Hawaiian Blane Chambers. He knows how to build an incredible board and that's all he focuses on, paddle surfing. They seem to be the board of choice here in Hawaii, and Uncle Bryan swear's by them. I also got a glowing review from NorthWest Paddle surfer Tom Haney, who loves his PSH All Arounder. Even with a thruster set up this board was less stable than the C4, with very little volume in the tail, but man was it fun to ride on the wave. It was fast and snappy. There were a number of guys in the lineup who were asking about the board as they could see that i was having a lot of fun on it surfing the rights and lefts inside of Pueana Point. The best times had was when we were all in the water together, Darren doing a great job paddlesurfing for the first time and the girls enjoying the long rides on their longboards.

Ummm.....Waimea Shorebreak.

Another large swell hit the north shore again which kept us out of the water for a day but gave us the opportunity to head back to Pipeline to watch it go off. And go off it did. The waves were much, much larger that what we had seen on the final day of the Pipeline Master. Large waves were breaking and feathering out on second reef and some were even breaking way out on third reef. It made me think of how big the swell gets when the outside reefs become towable.

Massive Pipeline Swell

It was incredible and i was blown away by the performances and the ability of these surfers to manage the extreme conditions that they had to deal with. We also had a chance to go to Waimea Bay and watch the 10 foot shorebreak and a swell that was just starting to break outside at Waimea. Waimea, before places like Mavericks, Jaws, Cortez Banks, Shipsterns, and Dungeons, was the premier big wave break in the world. It is still the proving grounds for waterman world wide. Check out this amazing breakdown of Waimea Bay by the late Surfline founder Sean Collins.

Waimea starting to break. Not big enough for The Eddie

It is also the sight for the historic Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Invitational. Eddie Aikau was a legendary Hawaiian waterman and North Shore lifeguard who was lost at sea trying to go for help on his paddleboard after the traditional canoe he was in with crew members swamped in the dangerous Kaiwi Channel. It was 1978 and he was 31. On his passing the term, "Eddie Would Go" was born meaning that when the surf was XXL and no one would dare, Eddie would. The phrase originated during the first Eddie contest. The waves were huge and the conditions were extremely dangerous. While the contest organizers were discussing whether to put it on, Mark Foo looked at the conditions and said "Eddie would go." The phrase stuck and the Eddie went. The slogan is now seen on Quiksilver stickers and tshirts all around the world. As we speak, the contest, which is held only when the waves hit a 20ft. minimum, is now in the waiting period.

Our trip back to Waikiki took us along the beautiful windward side of the island and past places like Kailua Bay, Sandy Beach and Haunauma Bay. I had time to stop in to C4 headquarters where i met team rider Greg Pavao. They set me up with a C4 Slingblade which was the narrowest board i have ever surfed at 27inches wide with not a lot of volume. At times i had trouble standing on it in the chop but wow, did it surf well. Fast, snappy and i could even make my way to the front of the board on it. I had a real challenge though when the wind came up. I surfed with sea turtles at Queens, Canoe's and Pops and it made me think of the great memories of surfing the summer swell with Bodie Shandro in July after the M20 race.

Barreled, this guy was awesome.

One of the highlights for me in Hawaii was when i hooked up with Scott McPhail, Doc, and Jay for a Hawaii Kai downwinder. Scott is an amazing guy who I had met at the Molokai race and who the night before had treated our group for dinner at one of his restaurants in Waikiki, P.F. Changs. Amazing restaurant, service and food. I rode the 16ft SIC unlimited board in 15-25 knot winds over the 8 mile run. These guys know how to build a downwind board. Wish i had this for the Molokai race, what a blast, i was so stoked. We finished at the Outrigger Canoe club and i realized that this is the specific training i needed for Molokai. If i could only do this 3 times a week. The guys were animals to paddle with and kept me chasing for the hour and 15 minutes. I fell in twice but quickly got the hang of the rudder system and revelled at how well these boards perform in the big bumps. So much fun. We also spent one day heading to the beautiful west side of the island and made our way up to Yokohama Bay, with miles of beautiful, white sandy beaches. Darren and Jenni took time to snorkel the clear water with turtles and a variety of fish while Jen and i soaked up the heat of the Hawaiian Islands. Along the way up to Yokohama Bay i was excited to see Makaha Point, another historic break. Makaha produces some of the largest waves in Hawaii and it was here during the swell of the century in 1969 that Greg Noll rode the largest wave ever paddled. The swell was so big that the whole of north shore was closed out and being evacuated. Greg made his way to Makaha and into the history books. Today it was flat.

Charging! Check out the board!

We headed home on the 19th, tanned and stoked on life. I just love the lifestyle of being able to get in the water everyday and surf. I was happy to be coming home to the west coast to get ready for Christmas. I found myself thinking about board shorts when i managed to get a surf in at Jordan River on Christmas Eve. I surfed in my 5/4/3 wetsuit, along side a couple of locals and numerous large sized logs(high tide). There were no sea turtles but i felt at home.

Next up is a trip to Vernon for Bob Purdy's Paddle for the Planet Celebration on December 31st. Bob has paddled everyday this year in order to bring awareness to the our planets environmental needs and to raise funds for the David Suzuki Foundation.

Thanks to Jen, Jenni and Darren for an amazing trip. So much fun sharing waves, brew's, cigars and stoke. I look forward to the next one!

If you go to Oahu a few things we liked:
Restaurants:
PF Changs, Honolulu: Just go.
Lulu's, Honolulu: Great surf feel, sports, looks out over Waikiki breaks, good burgers.
Haleiwa Bakery, Haleiwa: Amazing sandwiches, awesome ice cream cookies
Kona Brewery, Hawaii Kai: Its a Hawaiian Brewery, nuff said.

Coffee:
Coffee Gallery, Haleiwa
North Shore Board Rentals and Lessons:
Uncle Bryan's
Bevy's:
Maui Brewery Big Swell IPA, Foodland
Kona Brewery Firerock IPA, On Tap.
Books:
Eddie Would Go
The Wave
DVD's
Riding Giants
Blue Horizon
Hawaiian Wood Carvings:
Carver: Maile Niu, Kaneohe, Oahu

Front Row seats to the greatest show on earth!

Raph and Catherine Bruhwiler Documentary- Growing up in Tuff City

2011-12-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a great little film created about surfer and coastal waterman Raph Bruhwiler and her sister Catherine and son Kalum. I had a chance to do a Paddle Canada Coastal SUP Surf Course with Catherine this past fall in Tofino and she was great to work with and fun to get to know. I am looking forward to doing more courses with Catherine this spring. Sure looks like a great place to grow up!

Deception Pass Dash

2011-12-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

Race Prep

Last Sunday night i headed down to Washington for the Deception Pass Dash. Traditionally a kayaking race, they have recently added a standup paddleboarding class and since i hadn't had a chance to race and push the pace since August i thought this would be a fun event to be part of. Due to my guiding in the Greatbear Rainforest I had unfortunately missed races in September like the BOP in Cali, Board the Fiord in Deep Cove and the Round the Rock race at Mercer Island. The DPD intrigued me because it was on the ocean and there were currents to deal with. Kevin OBrien from Kalavida Surf Shop had sent me a couple of new Quickblade paddles and also sent a 14' Naish Javelin to try out. I have been training on my 12'6" Rogue Outlaw but I have always admired the Javelin and it looked to be a pretty fast flatwater board. I also wanted to paddle a 14' board as l like this class on the ocean. I also knew the Javelin was tippy in choppy, dynamic conditions but i wasn't quite sure what to expect.

The Kalavida Javelin

We had beautiful conditions to paddle in with the presence of a strong coastal high pressure system. Deception Pass is a scenic area and a great place to have a race. It was sunny and cool with a bit of a NW breeze. The race started at 10:30am and it was great to see race veteran, local and Northwest Paddle Surfer Beau Whitehead. I last saw Beau at the Kalamalka Classic in Vernon in June. It was great to follow Beau's race at Round the Rock in September on 9/11. Beau, a firefighter himself, was racing his new 19' custom unlimited board in tribute to the firefighters who were lost in 9/11. I admired that. He had a great race and placed second to Thomas Maximus, another powerful unlimited paddler on a lightweight carbon rocket.

Race Start. Photo Rob Casey

I was also not sure what to wear. I did not know how strong the currents would be, how choppy the ocean was going to be and how i would perform in those conditions on the Javelin. I brought a bunch of clothes but just looked to Beau as he has been there and done that in this race. I basically copied what he was wearing so that meant a 2mm neoprene MEC pant and a longsleeve Victory KoreDry shirt with and Xcel short sleeve over it. That system worked pretty well and i didn't really overheat.

Deception Pass Dash race course

The Javelin took off pretty quick in the first couple minutes of the race but i realized immediately that the board was indeed "sporty" as i had to deal with the wake of all the kayakers who had blasted off ahead. We made our way around the first island and again I found it a little challenging dealing with the northwest chop but i kept my focus and drove forward. The goal is to get through Deception Pass before the currents really started to move and made paddling even more difficult as it ran into the NW wind chop. Beau and Rob Casey told me later that they can surf some the 8 foot standing waves that build as the current ebbs out to the ocean. It felt good to be out pushing the pace and to just be out on the ocean with other people as i tend to train by myself most of the times. I did not have to route find much as i just followed the speedy surf skis ahead of me. It reminded me of the Bowen Island Challenge i had done early in the season. Like the rest of the kayaks i used the back eddies and hugged close to the shoreline as i made my way under the bridge and to the turn around island inside of the pass. The racers battled the current to the island but once around we were now with the flow and used the main stem to moved quickly back under the bridge and through Canoe Pass.

Trying to use the back eddies to avoid the main current. Photo from DP bridge

My Larry Allison race fin performed well and shed the bull kelp found in certain sections of the course. It certainly kept the board going straight but i did find it a little tough at times trying to turn upwind. Regardless it was the right fin to have on the board. The most challenging part of the race was battling against the growing NW chop that was bumping up due to the ebb current coming out of the pass. Actually, it was really challenging and i found myself bracing a few times to keep me from going in the ocean. My pace would slow as i managed the ocean conditions and it was more survival paddling than race paddling as i lowered my stance and used shorter, quicker strokes. After circling the last island, racers again had to deal with the same chop but stronger currents before hitting flatwater for the stretch home. The currents build by the second here so the longer your out the more current you have to deal with. I was the first SUP to hit the finish line with Beau coming in just under two minutes behind. I know Beau, a great competitor and top racer was pushing the pace and not knowing where he was behind me motivated to keep paddling hard. I really had to stay focused the whole race or i am sure i would have been in the water. I actually enjoyed the challenge of staying on the Javelin in the rough waters but a lot of speed is lost when you do not have the stability to drive hard. You can have a really fast board but if you cannot stand on it and race at speed then there is no point. The ocean usually does a great job finding the flaws in design on race board or any board or watercraft for that matter. These days choosing a race board that matches the ocean conditions is key. I completed the 6 mile course in just over 68 mintues.

Coming through canoe pass.

With the race completed we all enjoyed the post race festivity's. Great job to all the racers and thanks to all the volunteers for putting the race on. There were a few other guys from Washington who i was hoping to meet but reports and pictures from the surf at Westport showed that they had an epic day as well. This was a fun race at a good time of the year since there are not many opportunities to get out and compete. Thanks to my partner Jen for coming down to support me and for taking pictures. I have been training at her studio ChallengeByChoice in Squamish. I have found a combination of the high intensity multi functional strength and conditioning classes, with paddle specific training and some yoga has kept me ready to go during the offseason, if you can call it that. I am also happy to report that i will be in board shorts this Friday when we head to Hawaii for Jen's Honolulu Marathon. We hope our timing is good and that there is a massive north shore swell so we can watch the Pipeline Master's and The Eddie, a dream of mine for a long time.

ROB CASEY PHOTOS
DECEPTION PASS DASH RESULTS

TIpping Barrels

2011-12-06T14:19:00.001-08:00

A great film by Ben Gulliver and Ian MacAllister. Great job by the boys at Sitka. Its all about keeping the oil tankers out of the Greatbear Rainforest.

Enjoy!

Tipping Barrels from Sitka on Vimeo.

Sweet.....

2011-11-29T21:18:00.003-08:00

Just love this section by JP Auclair from ALL.I.CAN......

JP Auclair Street Segment (from All.I.Can.) from Sherpas Cinema on Vimeo.

Traditional Harvesting

2011-11-29T10:12:00.000-08:00

I am in Hartley Bay right now with Nicolas Teichrob, a talented photographer and filmmaker from the Sunshine Coast whose pictures you are now looking at. We are here doing some work for an upcoming coastal film project and I am carrying on my work with the SEAS program. We flew from Vancouver to Prince Rupert on Sunday and were fortunate to catch the daily scheduled float plane heading down to Hartley Bay. The chance's are usually 50/50 that the planes will fly during the winter months due to the severity of the coastal weather. By floatplane and helicopter i have made my way around most of the area but this flight took us west from Prince Rupert to the outer islands of Porcher and Banks, a first for me. I was excited as I have been looking at the outside beaches of Porcher for years. It's a place i have wanted to surf and paddle, drawn by it's remoteness and pristine, beautiful beaches perched on the edge of Hecate Straight. From the plane i could also see across to Haida Gwaii and to the southwest, Bonilla Island, the location of one of the highest recorded winds speeds in Canada at 143km/hr. The coast is so amazing that everytime i fly over it i seem to add more and more adventures and explorations to my tick list. I have come to the realization that i would need 10 lifetimes to explore out coastline. Below me, I was also looking at the northern route of the proposed oil tankers where they would make their way up between Banks and Pitt Island on their way across the malevolent Hecate Straight past the northern beaches of Haida Gwaii on their way to China. I still can't and don't want to picture it. From Porcher our flight path took us past the snow covered peaks of Banks, Pitt and Campania Island where we verred east past Fin Island and into Hartley Bay.


West coast of Porcher Island

Two nights ago our timing was good as Nic and I had the opportunity to digg for cockles with Jason Bolton and Jonathon Reece. Cockles are a shellfish harvested at the lowest tides of the year and that has sustained the people of Hartley Bay for hundreds of years. I have been clam digging before but this was the first time that i have been out cockle digging. It was hard work raking through the cockle beds but after a couple of hours between the four of us we had eight, five gallon buckets before the tide quickly made its way back in. Thanks to Jason and Chris Bolton we were able to keep a couple of buckets for Cam and Eva. Usually you give some of your harvest to those who took you out but Jason said we could keep what we had to share. So as with tradition, i brought another bucket down to an elder, Helen Clifton. It is important to share traditional foods with those who cannot get out on the lands.

Digging at low tide for cockles

After bringing the cockles to Granny i sat down to listen to her share stories about the traditional way of life. Two hours can go by in the blink of an eye with Mrs. Clifton. We talked about "cracking cockles," a way of processing these hard shelled species and of how all the nasty weather comes in on the big tides. We discussed all of the best harvesting places in the area for both clams and cockles and of how the community sold bags of clams to build their first gymnasium. Mrs. Clifton discussed the best months for harvesting shellfish and how you can tell just by the color of them whether they were ready to eat or not. I was impressed with the sensitivity of these shellfish and how they can be different from beach to beach, even when those beaches were in close proximity to one another. And finally we chatted about how the sinking of the Queen of the North affected traditional harvesting for clams. The sinking did not allow the community to harvest clams from one of the best beds on the coast for three years due to the contamination from the diesel and heavy oils. It's always an education for me sitting with an elder and listening to the stories.

The Harvest

The same day prior to digging, and as i was out on my SUP with Nic, we watched another boat from the community come back with two moose to share. These moose were harvested in an incredible river system north of the village, a traditional area that has been used year after year. I have been to this river to hunt for moose and to fish but were not as fortunate as the hunters that had just returned. After congratulating them on their hunt, i felt that i was beaming knowing the fact that a number of traditional ways have not changed and that there is still a lot of food to harvest. It such a powerful way and normal way of life for the people of our coast. This way of life has to continue.

With the snow falling heavily as i write this i feel it's time to go outside.

Standup4Greatbear Film Screening

2011-11-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

Connections

2011-11-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

This film really resonates with me and makes me think of the work that i do with the First Nations kids on our coastline. It's an inspiring film with a great message. Another important reason to keep our coastlines fresh, wild and pristine for generations to come.

Seeking for a new port-ALASKA from GotSurf.ca on Vimeo.

Paddle Canada Standup Surf Course

2011-11-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a great weekend in Tofino, for the first Paddle Canada Standup Paddleboard Surf course. We had really good weather and some pretty good swell to do the course in. Most of the group including myself showed up to the beach house on South Chestermans's under a warm, fall sun. The small fishing village of Tofino and epicenter for west coast canadian surf was the ideal location to hold the course with great beginner beach breaks and good waves to be found. I made my first trip out here in 1999 to surf and it is still at the top of my list for favorite places to be. I was excited to be working with three other Paddle Canada Instructors, organizer and Deep Cove charger Mike Darbyshire, Canadian surf legend and Tofino local, Catherine Bruhwiler and Paddlesurfit brand manager Bodie Shandro. We had 10 people registered for the course from all over BC and it ended up being a really great group of people to work with and to share our experiences with.

Just prior to the course I managed to get out to surf South Chesterman's as there was a nice little south swell pushing in while Cox Bay was concentrating a 10 foot swell that grew as it hit the outer sandbanks. We would not be doing anything this weekend at Cox Bay. I brought a couple of RogueSUP boards including the 10'6" Tesaro and the 9'8" Katana, while Mike and Bodie filled out the quiver with Starboard's and Surftech's. I surfed in my 5/4/3 Xcel wetsuit with booties and no gloves.

Our evening session consisted of introductions, goals and expectations for the course. Afterwards we introduced an ocean decision making model including swell forecast, tides, weather, self assessment and a great map of the local beaches drawn from memory by Catherine indicating which beaches were best based on the surf and wind forecast. Catherine and her two brothers Sepp and Raph are canadian surfing legends and have really been one of the pioneering surf families responsible for showing Canadians the true potential of our west coast surf scene. Every Canadian surfer should have Jeremy Koreski's Numb and Shrink in their DVD quiver to watch the talent this family has. All three are sponsored surfers, surf school business owners and coastal adventurers. It was great having Catherine at the course and bringing a local surfers perspective to help the correct transition of paddle surfers into the waves. If your in Tofino and looking for a SUP lesson check out Catherine's Tofino Paddle Surf. After an informative evening session we outlined the following day and got the excited group ready for a fun two days.

Warm up before prone surf session,

We awoke to great conditions and our day began with a morning surf check at South and North Chesterman's with some Tofitian coffee's in hand. I could already tell that South was looking really good and that would be the spot for our day's lessons. After the surf check and discussion of objective hazards, and Bodie's warmup we suited up for Catherine's introduction to surfing. Before we were to give the students a paddle we all agreed it would be important that students understood how to "surf" vs paddle surf. Understanding how to catch waves and how to manage a big SUP board was the focus but it was also important to show students the origins of the sport and give them an important perspective. Much of the problems between paddle surfers and prone surfers comes from the lack of experience and etiquette in waves. It was our job to teach them the proper surf etiquette and teach them how to keep themselves safe and others around them safe. The prone paddling session was great and all students had success. We broke for lunch but the conditions were so good at south that i decided to stay out for another hour. During our afternoon session we used the favorable conditions to teach the paddle surfers how to safely get through the break and how to actually start catching waves in a standing position. After a couple of hours I saw ever person catch at least one good wave. For me watching someone catch a wave for the first time is like watching someone catch a big salmon for the first time, it really brings out my stoke and puts a huge smile on my face. I am pretty fortunate to do what I do and have the chance to facilitate cool experiences for people. You will never forget your first wave and like most great experiences they are enjoyed in the company of others. We surfed until the last light as an early setting sun sent us in to the warm fire at the beach house. With an evening debrief of the days events I surveyed the room and saw a lot of happy people.


Walk before you run.

A front came through during the evening and our morning surf check revealed bigger, messy conditions at South so we decided to head to Mackenzie beach to surf the gentler conditions and clear, glassy waters. The smaller surf allowed us to work our on turns, footwork, and bracing. We again had sunny conditions and it made the afternoon very enjoyable. Mackenzie Beach, is a great place for beginner paddle surfers to learn how to paddle and surf. Even without swell, its a great, safe place to explore with the family. As the afternoon progressed and the swell dropped we decided to call it a day as many of the participants had to head back home to catch the ferry for work on Monday. I stayed another night with Mike and hit the surf again the following morning.

Only a surfer knows the feeling.

Overall i thought the course was a huge success, we had a lot of fun and I felt that people were really successful. We gave people the tools to make good safe decisions before getting into the surf and really stressed the importance of surf etiquette. A question i get a lot of times in my standup paddelboard lessons when they see a sup board is "you can surf these things?" I always have to laugh because it just goes to show you that the masses of standup paddleboarders have only seen it on flatwater and it will continue that way here in Canada with all the lakes we have but let's not forget that these are surfboards. Surfing is the roots, the heritage of this sport, and in my opinion one of the funnest things you can do on these boards. You sure can Blame Laird for the reason i got into the sport. As an avid surfer since i came out west in 1999 i saw Laird paddlesurf on the dvd All Aboard the Crazy Train and that was it. Done correctly and safely, paddle surfing is something ever one should try. It's also important to make sure you take a good Intro to Standup Paddleboarding Lesson to learn the correct fundamentals of the forward stroke, turns and board control. Mountain Surf Adventures will be offering more Paddle Canada Coastal Surf courses in the near future. Thanks to Mike D for leading the organization of weekend, and to Bodie and Catherine, I enjoyed working(surfing) with you guys. A big congratulations to all the participants of the first Paddle Canada Coastal Surf Course.

Nuff Said.

Learn to Standup Paddle Surf

2011-10-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Paddle Canada SUP Surf Course
Date: November 4,5,6
Location: Chesterman Beach, Tofino, British Columbia
Price: $525 (includes accommodation)
Participants: 10 Max.
... ... Instructors: Norm Hann, Mike Darbyshire, Bodie Shandro

Course Description:
This course is designed to introduce novice paddlers to Stand Up Surfing moderate surf conditions (<1.5m). Course ratio will be kept to a maximum of 1:4 to ensure safety and increase personal instruction time. The cour...se will include land-based and water-based teaching sessions as well as video analysis during the evening. Topics covered during the course include but are not limited to:

-Surf Zone Safety
-Surf Etiquette
-Prone Surfing
-Paddling out through the surf zone
-Catching Waves
-Understanding the surf zone
-Paddling techniques
-Surf turns
-Tides

Prerequisites:
Participants of the course should have taken the Advanced Flatwater SUP Course or have equivalent skill. Participants who have not taken the Advanced Flatwater course should be comfortable paddling in wind and choppy conditions and be comfortable moving on their board from parallel to surf stance. Skill assessments can be arranged prior to the course at the instructor’s discretion.

Course Location:
The course takes place in Tofino, BC and will be run out of a house on Chesterman Beach. Chesterman Beach is an excellent location for this course as it provides a number of different surfing locations that will allow for a good progression from smaller sheltered waves to larger breaking waves.
Accommodation is included in the price but does not include food or travel costs. Directions to the house can be provided upon registration.

Tentative Itinerary
Friday November 4th, 2011:
Afternoon: Participants arrive and check into the house any time after noon.
Evening: Introductions and Course objectives
Teaching sessions: Reading the Surf Zone, Tides and Currents, Intro Surf Techniques

Saturday November 5th, 2011:
Morning: Etiquette, Prone Surfing, Launching into waves, paddling in the whitewash
Afternoon: Catching Waves, Bracing
Evening: Video

Sunday November 6th, 2011:
Morning: Bottom turns, Angled take-off
Afternoon: Advanced turns, trim
Evening: Check out!

Registration
Registration will be run through Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak Centre and interested participants should contact Mike at 604-929-2268. If you have any questions please contact Mike directly at 604-897-7608.

The Pacific Yellowfin

2011-10-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

The Pacific Yellowfin

After the Mountain Surf Adventures GBR SUP Expedition, Jen and I drove back to Squamish and a day later i was on a Pacific Coastal flight back up to the central coast in Bella Bella to meet the boat Pacific Yellowfin and it's captain and crew for back to back trips. I had last guided with for captain Colin Griffinson and the boat in 2009 for the boats inaugural trip to the Greatbear Rainforest. It was great getting back to Bella Bella a day before the trip. I had a chance to visit Chris Williamson who is a woodworking teacher at the high school and who spearheaded the Bella Bella Wooden SUP project(see previous blog post). He talked about his upcoming plan to build more standup paddleboards starting in January with his new woodworking class. We also had dinner with Ian and Karen McAllister at Shearwater and did a bit of shopping at Rosie's, a cute little boutique shop that sells native jewellery, pottery and other unique coastal gifts.

Viewing from the bow of the Pacific Yellowfin

We woke that morning and picked up the 6 guests for our 5 day trip from Bella Bella to Hartley Bay. The Pacific Yellowfin is a magnificent boat. The boat was built as a coastal freighter for the US Army during World War 2. She was painstakingly refit in 2003 and now boasts all the amenities of a luxury charter yacht while retaining her unique character. The boat was built in 1943 and is 114' long, has a 30' beam, with a wood hull construction and is powered by twin Atlas Imperial(Direct Reversing) engines. It can travel from BC to Japan without filling up, a result of the 18000 gal fuel capacity. The crew is talented. The boat is lead by Captain Colin Griffinson, the entertaining Irishman with a love for boats and a very competent seaman. Jack, the engineer on the boat is a former SeaSpan Chief Engineer and at 74 years of age has been working on boats since he was 15. Brilliant and funny, Jack has been on the boat for 8 years and keeps this 70 year old boat in tip top condition. The crew is filled out by boat steward, Sebastian, Butterfield and Robinson guide Dominique and super talented chef Milan.

The Bridge of the 1943 Yellowfin complete with antique barber chair

With Canadian guests aboard we left Bella Bella and made out way around Driad Lighthouse and west through Seaforth Channel and out into a building swell in Milbanke Sound. It was good to be back on the boat. Our first night was spent anchored at the mouth of a mainland estuary and river. Hikes up the river revealed it choked with chum salmon with numerous Bald Eagles perched above eyeing the natural buffet. We were looking for bears but the evening hike did not reveal any of them although we did see numerous fish traps at low tide, obvious signs of traditional fall use by the Kitasoo people of Klemtu.

Mist shrouded rainforest

We woke after a restful sleep and hiked back up the river in a downpour but again, we were not successful in seeing any Grizzlies or Black Bears but just sitting quietly along a salmon stream in the fall is uplifting, reflective and meditative. We moved on and made out way into Fiordland Provincial Park. As the Yellowfin motored along we loaded the guests and got them into the tender to explore waterfalls and a stunning river system on Pooley Island. Floating up this salmon river on Pooley brought us an area where a wolf pack had pulled salmon out of the river at low tide and had fed for hours, most likely the previous night. It was an amazing site seeing all the salmon with just their heads eaten, the signature of a coastal wolf. A time lapse video would show the wolf pack eating just hours before our arrival. I counted at least 60 salmon that had been wolf killed. Seeing this made me want to spend a few days in this system looking and waiting for the pack to appear but with a dropping tide we had to make our way back out. Deep into Fiordland we went. Our path lead us to Kynoch Inlet where the Pacific Yellowfin was already anchored. I have to tell you that i have been to a lot of places on our beautiful coast and in the Greatbear Rainforest but Kynoch Inlet is the most spectacular place i have been to. The whole inlet is towered over by sheer granite monoliths that rise directly from the ocean with waterfalls, glaciers and mist draped rainforest's. For my friends in Squamish, it was lined with "Chiefs" the world class climbing destination in my backyard. At the head of the inlet is a rich river and estuary with a nearby lagoon that also hosts it's own river ecosystems. I was completely blown away by the beauty of the place. The rivers were choked with salmon and feeding birds. That evening in the fading light we saw our first Grizzly Bear, a young one, patrolling the low tide in search of salmon. When we awoke that morning we took the tender back out to look for more bears early in the morning and to explore the nearby lagoon. I could not stop looking at the incredible, steep terrain, wondering if anyone had ever been to the tops of these peaks


Coastal Wolf killed salmon site on Pooley

The incredible Kynoch Inlet

From there we headed north to the Khutze Inlet, another incredible fiordYellowfin past a resting group of harbour seals and under the watchful eyes of numerous Bald Eagles. Once on board our trip headed north to the protected anchorage and natural hotsprings of Bishop Bay.

Coho fishing remote rivers

We made one more stop at another grizzly river where we hiked through ancient forest along a well used bear trail. Being in grizzly territory certainly peaks all of your senses. My eyes were wide and hearing sharp as we followed grizzly tracks upriver that were made that morning before our arrival. One of the highlights for me was the deep impression of tracks we followed in the moss that had been made by the bears. Bears, in this case Grizzlies, will use the same trails year after year and will step in the exact same spot every time. The moss was depressed several inches and were at least 12 inches in length.

Year after year of Grizzly tracks in the moss.

The following day was spent exploring the north east corner of Princess Royal Island, an area i know very well. As we waited for the tidal rapids in Cornwall Inlet to subside we followed two Humpback whales for an hour as they made their way along shorelines, stopping occasionally to bubble net feed. They did not seem to enjoy our presence so we moved on into the inlet where I took the group to visit ancient burial sites and the Raven Longhouse that was built in 2000. The inlet was again stunning and beautiful.

Cornwall Inlet

After lunch we met Marven Robinson, the Gitga'at bear viewing star of the documentary SPOIL and good friend, for our afternoon of bear viewing. After a 15 minute hike into the stands we were rewarded with an incredible afternoon of viewing. In the matter of two hours our group saw two different Spirit Bears, a black mom with two black cubs and at least three other black bears. After 12 years of bear viewing in this river it was one of the most memorable afternoons i have ever had. The guests were really excited and moved by the sight of such incredible animals fishing comfortably only feet away in their natural environment. Stellar Jay's and a frisky Marten made themselves known with the river as they also fed on the salmon, a keystone species which provides food for at least 200 species in the fall.

The Spirit Bear

The Rainforest Ghost searching for salmon

With a storm force wind forecasted for the next couple of days we made out way to the anchorage in Hartley Bay to wait out the storm. Over the next couple of days the Yellowfin was hit with 65 mile per hour gusts and the guests had to wait for an extra day to fly out. With our first set of guests safely on their way back to Vancouver we awaited our our next set of guests to come into Hartley Bay and to the Pacific Yellowfin. The following four days would be spent with these guests much like the first, exploring the Greatbear Rainforest.

Mamma bear with cubs

Mamma bear teaching the cubs to fish

The Pacific Yellowfin is an incredible platform to explore from and beautiful compliment to the Greatbear Rainforest. Thanks to Colin and the crew for two superb trips. I am already looking forward to more trips next season.

World Class Paddling: The Great Bear Rainforest

2011-09-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

SUPing the Greatbear Rainforest. Photo: Derek Nixon

After a few days of packing gear, loading boards and buying food Jen and I departed for the 17-hour road trip to the northern coastal community of Prince Rupert. Clients would be meeting us there for our 2011 Greatbear Rainforest standup paddleboard expedition. This is the second year of running Mountain Surf Adventures commercial SUP expeditions up here. I have guided in this area for 12 years and my first SUP expedition took place in 2009 with Explore Magazine. Since then I completed the 2010 Stanudp4Greatbear Expedition, a paddle that took me 400km from Kitimat to Bella Bella to bring awareness to the threat of oil tankers on our coast. After overnighting in Smithers, my favorite northern community, and sleeping in the back of the Frontier under a tarp, we rolled into Prince Rupert early in the afternoon to meet the team.

GBR Vet Jamie McVicar on a break at York Point. Photo: Norm Hann

By the time we got to Prince Rupert Sheila and John had already arrived by plane and were out exploring the area. Sheila Sovereign, from Vernon, is a very close friend of mine and is a great paddler and amazing person who has been at the forefront of SUP in the Okanagan. John Redpath, a soft spoken paddler, runner and video editor from Squamish has been training with Jen at her studio, Challenge By Choice, and has been knocking off running races, was well conditioned for the trip. Later that evening we were to meet my brother Brad, from Sudbury, who just celebrated his 40^th birthday and was super stoked to be coming up. Personally I was really happy to have my little brother with me in a place that has been so important to me in my life. Also flying in was Jamie McVicar, from Canmore, now a GBR SUP veteran. Jamie, a Paddle Canada SUP Instructor was on our first commercial trip last year and has spent the past year exploring and pushing the sport on his new Surftech Bark Expedition that Kevin Obrien, from Kalavida Surf Shop lined him up with. It was great to have his experience and quick wit back with us this year. As a return client Jen lovingly nicknamed him “The Vulture” for his hovering food presence. Our fifth client was Derek Nixon. “Nix” and I grew up together in Coniston, Ontario, usually with Brad tagging along. Nix was my first friend and at 3 years of age we were lacing skates up together and stealing pennies from local water fountains so we could buy Black Cat gum at Toni’s Taxi. “Mr. SUP” as my brother likes to call him is an avid and passionate paddler who is also a certified Paddle Canada SUP Instructor. His generosity and care for those around him was a real pleasure for the team to have. Lastly, Aaron Teasdale, a talented freelance writer and photographer from Missoula, Montana had contacted me months ago about doing a feature for Sierra Magazine. Aaron had trained for the expedition on the rivers of Montana and had just completed a multiday bike trip with his family. He was excited to showcase an area he had heard much about and would help bring awareness to the issue of oil tankers on our coast. We had a fantastic paddling team but more importantly we had great people who were to make this week very enjoyable with lots of laughs.

2011 GBR SUP Team

Day 1: Hartley Bay

After a restful sleep at the Inn on the Harbour, and a coffee from Starbucks (sorry Judson, Cowpacchinos was not open) our group headed down to the Tsimshian Storm, a ferry that would take us down to Hartley Bay, and loaded up for the 4 hour ride down the Inside Passage. The forecast was not looking good for the first few days. A gale was forecasted with the strength of it hitting on Tuesday. There was a lot of rain packed into this system as well. With the ferry loaded we made out way into the Greatbear.

By the time we arrived in Hartley Bay the rain was torrential. Shortly after arriving and getting settled in to Cam and Eva’s, we were out on the water with Cam harvesting Dungeness Crabs for dinner. The front end of the Gale hit while we were on the water and it felt more like The Deadliest Catch but it was all fun and everyone had smiles on their faces. We got more than enough crabs for the evening’s traditional dinner of crabs and clam chowder. Crabs are just one species that Cam and his family harvest from the ocean. Cam said he usually harvests between 1200-1800 crabs a year for his community. The rain did not let up at all for the rest of the day but we were all stoked to be in Hartley Bay and sharing traditional stories with the Hill family.

Cameron Hill preparing Dungeness Crab dinner with Derek, Brad and Aaron. Photo: Norm Hann

Day 2: Stories from an Elder

We awoke to heavy rain but with this rain came the sustained gale force winds. We were supposed to be heading down to Cornwall Inlet today but the conditions would not allow us to travel far so we took advantage of the time. We went to visit matriarch and elder Helen Clifton who shared with our group what life was like growing up in the Hartley Bay, the importance of traditional foods and why we need to stop oil tankers and pipelines. We passed around ancient artifacts as the group sat enthralled listening to Helen, a natural storyteller and record keeper of traditions and culture. I always enjoy bringing friends, family and clients to meet with Granny. She is an inspiration and natural leader who opens her house to everyone and shares information freely which enlightens and educates those listening. After lunch and feeling a little restless Brad, Sheila, John and Jen portaged their boards up to the beautiful lake behind Hartley Bay for a paddle and Derek, Aaron and I headed out onto the ocean for a little surf training in the southerly gale. We ended the evening with another traditional dinner of smoked Sockeye, Black Cod and Seaweed. The Sockeye was from the Skeena River, the Black Cod from deep local waters and the Seaweed had been harvested off the low tide shores of Campania Island this past spring.

Team with Gitga'at Elder Helen Clifton. Photo: Norm Hann

Day 3: Raven Territory

Although the rain was still heavy, the winds had dropped and that was the window we needed to load up Cam’s boat, the March Madness, and head to Cornwall Inlet. No sooner had we gotten on the boat that we headed around Promise Island and saw two Humpbacks Whales. Humpbacks are large mammals that are 40 feet long and weigh 1 ton per foot. These whales were not just travelling but were in a feeding pattern. They were in the process of surrounding herring by a technique called bubble net feeding where they dive down in the water column and on the way up blow a ring of bubbles to coral the small fish. On the surface of the water you can see a perfect ring of bubbles form where shortly afterwards the whale or whales will come up with their mouths wide open taking in huge amounts of water and herring. This process can go on for hours, days and months. The rich North Pacific waters are the traditional feeding grounds of Humpback Whales and their numbers here have been increasing steadily every year. We watched the Humpbacks feed for twenty minutes and then made our way to Cornwall Inlet. By the time we landed inside Cornwall Inlet and had lunch the rain finally stopped. After it was all said and done I heard reports of the area receiving 180 mm’s of rain over the last couple of days. Cornwall Inlet is just one of those magical places, it has power and spirit. We spent the afternoon paddling in Raven territory visiting culturally historical sites. With the clouds, mist and fog rising and moving through the inlet, Cornwall was as incredible as I have seen it. You cannot express how a place like this makes you feel, you have to experience it. A long fiord with towering granite walls funneled us to its headwaters. We made it to the back of the inlet and then explored a pristine salmon river looking for wolves and bears. Our night’s accommodation was at Raven longhouse that was built in 2000 to prevent logging in the area. The opening of the longhouse by Gitga’at hereditary chief Johnny Clifton, David Suzuki and Robert Kennedy Jr was a watershed moment for me and helped guide my path with the Gitga’at people, the Greatbear Rainforest and goals for conservation of this incredible place.

Aaron paddling in Cornwall Inlet

Raven Longhouse and first nights accommodation. Photo: John Redpath

Day 4: Call of the Wolves

Jen prepared a delicious breakfast for the group and afterwards we loaded up the Madness and drove to the mouth of the inlet where we dropped the boards and began our paddle down to Cameron Cove. We got our boards ready, and charted a course on top of an old traditional rock canoe slip site. This was an area the Gitga’at people used to pull up their large cedar canoes and wait for the tidal rapids to calm before entering the inlet to hunt and fish. As we were paddling away from Cornwall we heard one of the most haunting and powerful sounds in the forest. The wolves had begun their early morning calls and were not far away. We could only hear them under the heavy cloak of fog that was covering the northwest corner of Princess Royal Island. The area was well used by wolves. I had seen individuals many times and was even fortunate enough to see a wolf pack swimming across the inlet chasing a deer. Coastal wolves are a unique subspecies of wolves, genetically distinct from mainland wolves and well adapted to island life. These wolves are smaller and feed on salmon and seals, they use waterways to travel from island to island in search of food. In First Nations communities wolf culture and society are highly revered. They have a relationship linked through thousands of years of co-habitation. Ian McAllister’s book The Last Wild Wolves will give you incredible insight into the lives of coastal wolves through his intimate 17 year study. Paddling past a misplaced, headless salmon confirmed the recent presence of wolves. Maybe we had pushed the wolves off this kill and they were howling to express their discontent. We made our way to a small river where I had seen wolves before hoping the uplifting fog would reveal them but instead we hiked up the short salmon stream to a hidden set of falls with thousands of salmon pooled up below them. No signs of wolf or bears so we moved on for lunch. After lunch we loaded up again and travelled to a protected cove where we were to spend the next 3 nights at a Gitga’at watchman cabin in the heart of a prolific salmon stream with roaming white bears and coastal wolves. We dropped the boards off outside of the cove we headed in to the cabin and were greeted by a Black bear feeding on Sedge grass working his way into the salmon stream for some nighttime feeding. He was well fed and his belly hung close to the ground. We set up camp and hit the rack early for our paddle to the Cetacea Lab the following morning.

Through the fog. Photo: Norm Hann

Deep in the Rainforest and end of the line for the salmon. Photo: Derek Nixon

Day 5: The Fog Horn Humpback

A stunning morning greeted us on the coast and after enjoying a delicious blend of Standup4Greatbear coffee brewed by Lance, a member of last years GBR team, we set out for Cetacea Lab to visit Herman and Janey. On our way out of the harbour we had a humpback whale pass about 50 yards away from us as I charted a course through the fog. On our way over we could hear the foghorn from a passing cruise ship, happy we had made the crossing. Before heading to cetacea lab we explored another salmon river on Gil Island for lunch. The Gitga’at people have used this river traditionally and proof was in the numerous CMT’s (culturally modified trees) and ancient stone fish traps used to harvest salmon in the fall. We left the river and stroked to Herman and Janey’s under flat calm, sunny and hot conditions. The Greatbear was serving up some stellar paddling conditions. I would realize later I in the month that these were the last days of summer. I was overdressed in my Gore-Tex and rubber boots but Bradley was on with board shorts and a t-shirt. The weather in the Greatbear never fails to impress me with its weather range. It can go from rainy, cool and windy to fog to flat calm, blue skies and hot all in the same tide cycle. Cetacea Lab as usual was great. Herman and Janey and I have pretty much grown up together here in the Greatbear, although they are permanent residents here. They are both adopted into the Hartley bay band and have built a life here studying cetaceans. I always enjoying bringing guests by to see their work and to listen to the calls of Humpback and Orca recorded from their own hydrophones. The walls of the lab are covered in charts and tail identification photos. On our paddle back to the cabin we heard another fog horn, but without fog I was confused. I looked behind to see where the boat was but there was no boat. At that point I heard the loudest sound I have ever experienced in the Greatbear Rainforest. The sound, which was like a ship’s fog horn echoed powerfully off the walls of the islands and fiords for miles and miles. Looking back again I could see a pod of 10 whales just south of Gil Island a few miles away from us. We realized that the sound was coming from the exhalation of one whale. I could not believe it. The fog horn I had heard early in the morning that I thought was a cruise ship in the fog was actually a humpback whale. I called Herman right away and he confirmed what we were hearing. It was another first in the Greatbear. You would have to hear this whale yourself to understand the power, magnitude and uniqueness of this whales blow. It remains one of the memorable highlights of the trip. Paddling our way home with the setting sun at our backs, I secretly hoped we would encounter this pod tomorrow. Upon arriving to our campsite a quick hike into the estuary to look for wildlife revealed the black bear we had seen the day before working his way into the river to fish for the night. The evening ended with the rise of the full moon and the northern lights dancing above. The northern lights on the coast are rare and I can count the times on one hand I have seen them up here in 12 summers. Aaron took advantage of this rarity and got some amazing time lapse photo. After a full day we were all ready for a restful sleep.

Sheila with just one of the Humpbacks. Photo: Derek Nixon

Day 6: Riding Giants

An early morning in the estuary did not reveal any creatures, just the relentless, determination of spawning salmon and the many vocalizations of the Raven, Trickster and creator of the world. We put our day packs together, loaded our boards and caught the ebb current out of the harbour on our way to the Stellar Sea Lion rookery. 45 minutes in we spotted the big pod of Humpbacks on the east side of Ashdown Island. We moved quickly towards them as I tightened up our group. They were working together to bubble net feed as a group with all 10 whales organizing themselves into an interdependent team. They seemed to be moving away and after a local whale watching boat scattered the group we hunkered in along the shore of Ashdown Island as the 3knot current carried us to our destination. I was looking back for the pack and saw a Humpback blow a ways off and pointed to show the group the pod, unfortunately, had moved farther away. Just as the group looked back a large whale surprised us came up 30 feet from John, and then another surfaced, and then another until all 10 humpbacks came up beside us. It was one of those rare moments in life. We were riding giants and it was a very heavy experience. Experiencing 400 tones of whale so close and without the safety of a boat, at eye level, will be an experience I will remember forever. And as with all great experiences it was best shared. This feeding pod would be our company for the rest of the day. We made it to Sea Lion Rock and shared the water with hundreds of sea mammals that come back to the rock every year and use it as a base camp to give birth and to feed. It’s always thrilling to have 50 sea lions rush up on you trying to intimidate you, rolling and diving beneath your board. At close to 2000 pounds the big males are intimidating and are quite protective of their harems. Sea Lions and Harbour Seals will use these haul out rocks to protect themselves from predators like Transient Killer Whales, bears and Coastal Wolves. Transient Killer Whales will sneak up in stealth mode and pluck unaware sea lions from the rock while Coastal Wolves will swim over, downwind with hopes of grabbing some pups off the rock to feed their own family. From Sea Lion rock we ferried across a strong current to have lunch at Kiel, the traditional food harvesting spring camp of Hartley Bay. This is the location where the Gitga’at people have harvested seaweed and halibut for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. We ate lunch under a blazing sun as we watched the pod of Humpbacks, breaching and feeding from the midden beach. A quick paddle home using the back eddy of the current brought us to the cabin. That evening under the rise of the full moon we paddled into the forest to look for wildlife. The Ravens had gone silent and the estuary was quiet except for the running of salmon in the shallow water. Wolves had used this river for years but this season I had not seen any wolf killed salmon which was surprising but we still hopeful. Viewing wildlife at night is a much different experience than day time viewing. It is unnerving and I think we all felt good after we gathered the group to head back out onto the water to explore the estuary and phosphorescence at high tide. It was 1 am before we made it back to the cabin after a unique experience of becoming nocturnal animals ourselves.

Brother Brad at Sea Lion Rock on the Lambrecht Cedar Board. Photo: John Redpath

Cetacea Lab with Hermann and Janey

Day 7: Outflows and Fried Bread

Our last morning looking for bears and wolves without luck brought us back to the cabin to pack up for our trip back to Hartley Bay. We had a challenging boat ride back to Hartley Bay in a building and vicious northerly outflow wind. Cam’s boat March Madness handled the water well but Aaron, Derek and Jamie had to pay the price up front. I should have travelled on the west side of Gill Island where the outflow winds would have been a lot less. Another lesson the Greatbear has provided for me. We were all happy to see the dock and made out way to Cam’s parents house for fried bread, coffee and fruit. This has become a tradition for our trip and John Redpath set a new record by throwing down 10 pieces. He made Brad and I look light we were on a diet with his impressive display. The “Gitga’at donunts” did not have a chance with our hungry SUP crew. After thanking Lynne and Ernie we boarded the ferry to Prince Rupert. By the time we made it to Grenville Chanel most of us were horizontal, catching up on sleep and reminiscing about the incredible experiences of the past week.

One of the Great Bears

Bear killed salmon. Photo: John Redpath

From me, a special thanks to John, Brad, Derek, Jamie, Sheila and Aaron for committing to the trip and giving me the opportunity to guide you through the Greatbear Rainforest. Jen and i really enjoyed spending the week with you. From our group, thanks Cam, Eva, Max, Rachel, Morgan, Ernie and Lynne for sharing your home and traditional food with our group. Thanks to Helen Clifton for sharing your stories with us and thank you to the community of Hartley Bay for welcoming us into your community. Thanks to Herman and Janey for your time at Cetacea Lab and to Marvin Robinson for your guidance and support throughout the territory. Finally a big thank you to Jen for doing a great job on the food and coming up here to co guide with me. This is our 3^rd GBR SUP Expedition together and it gets better every year.

Jen on the beautiful Rogue Drifter. Photo: John Redpath

Big thanks to Danny B from WhiskeyJack Paddles for the beautiful SUP paddles. Thanks to Joe from Ryders Sunglasses for the much needed polarized shades, love those Rockslides. Everyone on the trip thanks Lance and Cara for the huge supply of Standup4Greatbear Coffee from Galileo Coffee. To Gord from MEC thanks for the waterproof bags, tents and lifejacket. Amazing gear for the expedition and everyone asks about the waterproof bags. The coastal environment of the Greatbear Rainforest is one of the most best places for testing gear in the world. If it can last here it and keep you dry, it can last anywhere. Your gear is GBR certified. Jen and i also got our gear ready by treating it with Nixwax products provided by Kelsey Hulse. Nikwax has an amazing line of waterproofing products that has really helped keep our wet weather gear ready for the rainforest. Finally thanks to everyone who has supported Standup4Greatbear this year. Your financial support has helped me complete the Standup4Greatbear Film which will be showcased this year and will be online soon.

For more information about the GBR SUP trips and to find out about next years dates email me at norm@mountainsurfadventures.com. Also contact me if your interested in buying Roy Vickers SU4GB hats, hoodies, tshirts and Galileo SU4GB coffee to help support Standup4Greatbear.

Sheila and I waiting for wildlife- Jen Segger Photo


Geared Up. Photo: Norm Hann

Gifts of the Sea Project

2011-09-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

It's the first day of September and I just arrived in Hartley Bay a few days ago to meet with ILCP(International League of Conservation Photographers) and National Geographic Photographer Tom Peschak to work together on getting some pictures for the "Gifts of the Sea" ocean foods book that we are working on with the students in Hartley Bay as part of the SEAS(Supporting Emerging Aboriginal Stewards) program. I first met Tom when we were on assignment last September and working for the ILCP as part of the Greatbear RAVE which has turned out to be a very successful project for bringing awareness to the threat of proposed oil tankers.

Gitga'at Values

We headed out yesterday under clear blue skies and took four students, Boyd, Rachel, Linden and Dominic into the territory to get some shots of traditionally harvested foods. Having a professional like Tom as a mentor for these students is inspiring and he was able to guide them through the process of selecting and then taking shots. Tom's main piece of advice was "to tell a story" with their pictures. While the students were gathering photos Tom was in the emerald clear and cold waters working the area. Tom is a phenomenal photographer and the underwater footage he got for last year's RAVE was spectacular, an underwater world rarely documented up here. Tom has also inspired me to buy some fins and a mask and to start freediving from my SUP board. If you haven't had the chance, check out the film SPOIL on Vimeo, which highlighted the Greatbear RAVE and showcased this world class environment.

Hartley Bay students heading out with Eva Hill

As Tom was diving, the students were shooting and we spent a couple of hours in a location that looked like the Vancouver Aquarium but better. Afterwards, Eva Hill then took us to their traditional harvesting location for Ghenti(Sea Cucumber). This area has been used year after year to harvest large numbers of Sea Cucumbers for the community to eat throughout the year.

Tom teaching the students how to shoot traditional foods

Tom with a large Sunflower star in the process of eating a clam

Our final stop was to meet Eva's husband Cam to pick up the crab pots he had set a few days ago. Tom was going underwater again to get shots of the traps coming up. The pots were stacked with huge Dungeness crabs. Cam and Eva were showing the students, including their daughter Rachel, where to set, how to pick up the line and then how to get the pots aboard. Tom had asked Cam why this area was so prolific and Cam responded with, "because i look after this area." Cam knows the exact line he needs to lay his pots down, further north or further south and nothing. These are incredibly sensitive areas. The females and smaller crabs were all thrown back and after 45 minutes we had over 60 crabs. We then brought them back to village, boiled them and had a crab feast at the house. As it is with tradition, anytime food is harvested by an individual some of it is shared with those who cannot get out so on his return Cam handed out Dungeness crabs to community members and elders. Cam figures over the course of the year he will harvest 1000-1200 crabs for his family and for the community which is a lot of hard work and money spent on gas.This is just one species of many that the people of Hartley Bay are dependant on.

Students pulling traps

Cam Hill leading by example

Large Dungeness Crabs

That evening Tom showed us his slide show of pictures collected from his last couple of weeks work here in the Greatbear. We were all amazed and motivated to get all of the shots we need for our book. Our finale will be this May at the spring harvest camp, Kiel. By that time we should have everything we need to put this book together.

Tom Peschak, Sonny and Norm

MOLOKAI2OAHU

2011-08-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

The time had finally arrived to hop on my flight for a trip to the 2011 Molokai2Oahu World Championships. My partner Bodie Shandro and I had entered into the 2 man, 14’ SUP division and after months of training, we were ready to compete against some of the world’s best waterman including 9 time champion Jamie Mitchell, Pipe Master Gerry Lopez, Ekolu Kalama, Chuck Patterson, Connor Baxter and a host of other top athletes. The Molokai Channel is referred to as the “Channel of Bones” and is one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world. This race is on the tick list for most serious prone, outrigger and SUP paddlers. I had looked into wanting to SUP it last year but Bodie Shandro and I decided to take it on this year and fulfill a dream. We were to be the first two Canadian standup paddlerboarders to do the channel and we were proud to be pulling hard for the red and white. I was also excited about the coastal link between British Columbia and Hawaii with thoughts that the Haida at one time may have canoed from their home waters of Haida Gwaii to the Hawaiian Islands. The beliefs, values and connections seem universal amongst coastal aboriginal people and having been immersed in our coastal traditions gave me a greater appreciation and understanding of the importance of the Hawaiian culture. This channel was going to provide me another opportunity to experience the spirit and power of an ocean and it's people.

I arrived in Honolulu, Oahu on July 28^th and met Bodie at the Royal Grove Hotel, a rustic, affordable surf spot right in the middle of a bunch of high rises yet steps away from the legendary breaks of Waikiki. It was late, I was ready for bed, and stoked to see the birthplace of modern day surfing.

Pre Race headquarters- The Royal Grove

After a great nights rest we went down to the beachside Starbucks, which was to be our outdoor office for the week, to have a couple of Venti Americano’s. The waves were firing and there were surfers all over the place. I had to laugh at how many surfers there were on each wave. Exactly what I envisioned Waikiki to be. After coffee’s that afternoon we hit the water and headed out to the surf break called Queens. After our really long winter and poor summer conditions it was great to be in boards shorts and surfing in warm water again. Waves were fun but the breaks were pretty crowed so we had to be careful to maneuver our SUP’s without running anyone over. We mostly stuck to the outside and tried to catch some of the bigger(relative) waves that were coming through just to stay out of the way. We experienced a little bit of localism here but nothing that bothered us too much.

These are historical breaks with the statue of Duke Kahanamoku overlooking the beach. Everyone gets their picture with the Duke.

It was pretty easy to stay in the water for hours but we did have a 32 mile paddle coming up and needed to rest, although that’s pretty tough for two Canadian guys who love surfing in warm water.

That night we had a chance to meet out boat captain Johnny Pang and his assistant Justin who took us out to Costco to get provisions for the boat.


Support Crew

The day before our race was to start we hoped aboard a small plane for our 30 minute flight to Molokai. The views were stunning as we flew across the south end of Oahu and over Honolulu. These are really beautiful islands with every color of blue found in the warm ocean waters. I was transfixed by the hundreds of amazing surf breaks, with swells rolling over countless reefs.

It wasn’t until we got into the air that I realized the immensity of the challenge and what we were about to undertake. It was a really big body of water and as we pulled away from Oahu you could see the 20knot winds blowing the channel into whitewater. It looked…serious. I was pretty excited but I was becoming more aware of the magnitude of this race.

We arrived to our location for the day on the east side of Molokai at a scenic beach location and spent the next several hours waiting, resting and watching the howling winds and building swell. People who have paddled this channel before said the the conditions were to be favorable with a 20k+ wind and 8 foot seas forecasted for the channel. We had a pre race meeting and shared dinner with Dave Kalama and a crew from Maui. It was pretty cool to be chatting about the channel with one of the best waterman in the world.

Big thanks to Scott, JD and Doc Kelly for putting us up at their place so we could have a good nights rest before the race. Scott was doing the race solo and JD and Doc were teaming up for the two man.When it was all said and done Scott had a really great solo race and Doc and JD came in just before the two Canadians.

We awoke to a beautiful morning on Molokai and headed down to the beach to get ready for the race. It was July 31^st, my brother’s 40^th birthday. Unfortunately we had some miscommunication with Rick Karr from Rogue SUP, my sponsor, for the board we were to use. Rick had a 14 foot board that we were supposed to ride but wires got crossed and we ended up paddling the Bark Expedition thanks to Bodie's connection with Surftech Hawaii. Althought I certainly have a lot of experience on the open ocean with this board since it was the one I did my Standup4Greatbear expedition on, it was not the most efficient board to be paddling on this channel. It was to be a tough battle with this board as the boards of choice seemed to be the SIC’s, the Naish Glide and the C4 V2. Gerry Lopez also built a new board for his team and shaved half an hour off his time from last year. All of these boards have a planning hull design with huge rocker except for the V2 which had a lot of displacement volume and were designed for these exact condition. These boards were all close to 7 inches thick whereas the bark was just over 5 with rails that got caught more easily in the cross chop much more easily and a nose would bury in the upcoming wave. The Bark was heavy and really had trouble surfing across the waves. The weight did not allow us to accelerate and catch the fast moving swells, or even the 3-4 foot surface chop. And when we did, it was all we could do to stay balanced on the board and not get bogged down. The other thicker boards were bomber and skitted across the channel like a water bug. Regardless, this was our board and we had to go out and bang and paddle as hard as we could. Again we were happy to have a board thanks to the great team at Surftech Hawaii.

Standup4Greatbear- Molokai

One of the moments I had waited for most with this race was the traditional Hawaiian blessing and prayer for a safe journey prior to departure. All 250 athletes held hands in a big circle while being blessed. It was a pretty powerful moment with athletes from all over the world sharing each others energy and mana.


The Blessing

The solo prone and standup paddleboarders left at 730am and the team prone and standup boarders were to depart at 8am. Our boat captain Johnny Pang and his crew picked up Bodie and my role was to start the race and get us out of the hole. I found myself lined up with Chuck Patterson and as the green flag was about to be raised for the start I realized that this was the moment we had been waiting for. The flag and horn went up and we were away leaving the island of Molokai one hard stroke at a time. The first half hour was for me the most difficult part of the race. Racers had the chop and wind quartering off our right shoulder coming from the east and it was 30 minutes of difficult, balanced paddling all on the left side. The racers goal was to travel in a northerly direction without getting blown too far south. I realized immediately that it was going to be a challenging 6 hours. Racers were not able to exchange with their partners till 30 minutes after starting and soon enough Johnny and the crew rolled up and got ready to drop Bodie off into the water for the switch. It felt really good to have the boat and supportive crew nearby and it gave me a surge of power as I carried on. I again realized our board was making it difficult as I pulled really hard to keep up with the frontrunners. For the first exchange Johnny had to position the boat 100 yards downwind. Then Bodie jumped into the water with paddle in hand, in line with my approach, and I then paddled straight to Bodie. I jumped off the board and he jumped on. As Bodie took off, the boat would circle back to me, throw out a line with a bouy on it and the crew would then drag me to the boat like a fish. Without a slick exchange you could easily pass your partner and lose valuable time. We made a good exchange and Bodie carried on. Bodie had torn his oblique the day before surfing so he could really only paddle on his left side, which thankfully was the only side you really needed to paddle on. So on this went for hours as we exchanged every 20/30 minutes to keep each paddler pushing at 90%. Prior to the race I though most of the paddling was to be straight downwind but a straight downwind would take you south and far away from Oahu. So we inched across the chop further north. At times I was able to surf a wave and then angle back north to keep on our course. Johnny, a seasoned fisherman and with experience in the channel continued to point out landmarks for us to focus on. Early in the race we were using mountains on Oahu that we could barely see as landmarks. I found that the Bark had a hard time in the cross chop with the rails grabbing the waves and not allowing that light surfy feel. Molokai is all about catching the bumps. It was here that I realized that thick displacement rockered boards would eat up all the chop, keep you stable above the water and really allow you to skim across the surface and surf the well overhead waves. Bodie and I found ourselves in the water numerous times. Bodie said he fell at least 20 times and I was in the water at least 10, all of this loses valuable time and if someone were paddling beside us, for comparison, they would pick up at least 25 yards for each of our falls. When you are not able to surf the waves and pick up the “bumps” not only do you not go as fast but you have to make up that time expending huge amounts of energy paddling. When your surfing a wave you can rest and then look for the next bump to catch. Surfing is what puts a smile on your face when your on the channel and this is what you aim to do, connect the bumps. Paddling a long unlimited board like the SIC's will also allow you to get into the swells with the added length.


Bodie out bangin mid channel on the Bark Expedition.

Rest interval captain Johnny Pang with Oahu in the back

We carried on as Molokai became smaller and Oahu became bigger. Rest phases consisted of hydration with water, Gatorade and Nuun. For food I had a wrap, Luna bar and a couple of shot blocks and that was pretty much it. If you were racing solo then you would really have to plan your nutrition and hydration accordingly so you wouldn’t bonk. The crew did an amazing job supporting us and kept us uplifted during the rest phases with humor and good tunes.

Nice bump.

I reminded myself frequently to look around and enjoy the moment. All of it was so beautiful. I had times prior to the boat picking me up that I was just bobbing in the middle of the channel with large swells rolling under me. JD had said, “when you get a chance look into the depths as your floating.” We were over 2300 feet of water and you could see shafts of sunlight penetrating into the turquoise depths, it was magical.

Gerry Lopez in the 2010 M20 on an unlimited board

We worked hard and Johnny picked a really great line as we got close to Oahu. We battled hard against a couple of really good Hawaiian girls who eventually won the women's team of two. It was at this time I realized again the poor board choice. They were on a C4 V2 and they were making it look really easy surfing while we were redlined trying to put distance between us and them. Eventually we got to Oahu as Johnny had us hug the southern shore along China Wall and make our way around Portlock Point. It was a beautiful area. Molokai racers say this is the most difficult part because as you round the point the wind switches and its 20knots right in your face, at your most tiring part of the race. I realized that I was getting stronger as the race went on. I had trained for 32 miles so I felt pretty good as the finish line approached. Once around Portlock the rough choppy conditions were gone but you had to keep your eyes open for the waves that would break on the reef. I managed to catch a really good wave and it carried me at least 200 yards. This saved a lot of time and energy as we passed a Hawaiian 3 man team. It also could have really backfired because I was not wearing a leash. I think Bodie and the guys on the board were waiting for the yard sale but I drove down the line and played the wave out until it hit deeper water. I switched with Bodie one last time and with the Canadian flag stuck in the back of his buff Team Canada crossed the finish line at 5:49:43. My goal of breaking 6 hours was accomplished. There was a huge crowd on the shoreline and fellow Canadian, Sean Sweet from Sweetwater Apparel met us at the finish line to put Lei’s around our necks. Thanks Sean, we really appreciated that. From there it was mingling and congratulations as I headed straight for the Kona Brewing tent to celebrate. That night we had really incredible dinner and awards ceremony at the legendary Outrigger Canoe Club. There were some amazing performances at this years M20. Connor Baxter, 16, won the unlimited SUP, beating the record by 30 minutes with an astounding time of 4:26. Biggest congrats goes to Jamie Mitchell who not only beat his own prone paddleboarding record but won his 10^th straight Molokai title. JM 10. 17 year female Jordan Mercer, came over with her father and blew the doors off the competition and shattered the womens prone record by 30 minutes. Big ups to Jeff Denholm, who lost an arm did the channel on his prone board. The race also recognized two guys who have competed in all 15 Molokai2Oahu races. And to all the competitors for competing and getting to the line. I have heard all week that the your main goal at Molokai is to just finish.

Bodie crossing the finish line at 5:49:43

Team Canada- The Finish Line

For recovery Bodie and spent the next three days SUP surfing the many breaks around Waikiki, drinking coffee and enjoying a few Longboard Lagers. I left Hawaii completely drained and already thinking about my solo race next year. The last thing we did was to honor The Duke for the amazing experience and hang our Lei's at his feet.

Giving thanks to the Duke

Thanks to Rogue SUP for their support and to everyone who supported Standup4Greatbear and Team Canada with their donations. Thank you to the Hawaiians for the opportunity to paddle on your waters and for sharing your incredible Aloha with us.

An incredible story......

2011-07-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Awesome Humpback Whale story from the Sea of Cortez. These amazing mammals have already arrived in the Greatbear Rainforest to feed. We will be fortunate to be paddling with Humpbacks and Fin Whales this September on our Greatbear SUP expedition this September 5-11th. The trip is fully booked. Soon i will be posting at least three dates for next summer.

Hawaii: Paddleboarding’s Top Athletes Compete for 15th Annual Molokai-2-Oahu World Championship

2011-07-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hawaii: Paddleboarding’s Top Athletes Compete for 15th Annual Molokai-2-Oahu World Championship

SUP Wake Surfing on Okanagan Lake

2011-07-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

The past week i have been in Vernon and Kelowna doing some SUP clinics for Kevin and Michelle at Kalavida Surf Shop. I had a chance to get out on Okanagan Lake for a little SUP Wake surf behind a wake boat. It was a lot of fun and a really good workout.

The Chief Article

2011-07-18T22:44:00.001-07:00

The local Squamish newspaper profile of my upcoming Moloaki2Oahu Race. Click here!

Molokai2Oahu Trailer

2011-07-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

Couple weeks away for the Molokai2Oahu race. Good training day today on Howe Sound 2:20 minutes/21k of hard paddling around Anvil Island. This weekend it's up to Haida Gwaii for some salmon fishing at the Outpost and then next week i will be in Vernon and Kelowna with Kevin and Michelle at Kalavida Surf Shop for clinics, lessons and race training.

"Channel of Bones" 2011 Molokai2Oahu Paddleboard Race

2011-07-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

I am excited to be competing for Team Canada in the Molokai2Oahu Paddleboard Race on July 31st. Bodie Shandro and are excited to have our waterman skills tested in this historic 32 mile race. Just recently they have added a standup paddleboard division to compete with the prone paddleboarders. Australian Jamie Mitchell will be gunning for his 10th straight title which is a tremendous athletic accomplishment.

I have been training now for months to prepare for this grueling, big, open ocean paddle. Nothing in Howe Sound will simulate what we will be up against. Swells of 20-30 feet are not uncommon in this downwind race. We will be paddling 14 foot displacement hull boards and boat support is required for safety. I will be flying over to Hawaii on the 28th and staying there till the 3rd. The race starts in Molokai on the 31st. I think they keep the race updated on their facebook page.

We will also be paddling for Standup4Greatbear and to help support us you can donate a dollar a mile. Donate online at www.standup4greatbear.ca See the press release below for more information about the race.