Attracted to Danger - Case Study 1

Today's post comes to us courtesy of Dustin Hollick, Patagonia surf ambassador for Tasmania. This is part 1 of a 2 part essay.

My boss has a theory that I am attracted to danger. I used to find this quite funny. Working as a two man team on building sites exposes us to all kinds of danger, so one could easily say that danger is just a part of life. Then my boss expanded on his ‘theory’; “you are attracted to unnecessary danger”. Hmmm this expansion on his ‘theory’ was definitely food for thought. And as my mind became more focused on what could be called ‘unnecessary danger’ I found to my dismay that he might actually be right!

Case Study 1:

I paced up and down the gravel car park like a rabbit in head lights. One side of the bluff we were standing on showed four foot perfectly groomed closeouts. The other side showed inconsistent two foot peaks with a handful of surfers already out. Wedge Island 12 kilometres distant was the main course for my lament, huge swells bashed up either side of it, and I knew for certain that Shipsterns Bluff would be firing. Of the six or seven guys gathered in the car park, only two had an interest. Sean offered up some feeble excuse and Gibbo, the resident photographer, took great delight in tormenting me, knowing he was going down the next day with a boat load of visiting pros, and with no interest in doing it two days running. Finally I recruited a good mate Brook and my brother Ruebs to come along for the journey.

More Magic

From the FCD Inbox:

"Just wanted to send you guys a quick note about how pysched I am on my new 6'3" DM3! This board is magic. Super light and floaty, it paddles like a dream and gets me into waves I otherwise would not have made. Then, up and riding, the DM3 showed great drive and acceleration down the line without compromising loosness and quickness. I cannot wait to ride it again tomorrow am dawn patrol! So pyched, thanks guys and keep up the amazing work."

Study in Contrasts

Traditional surf craft meets state of the art, cold-water wetsuit. Keith Malloy slides through a frigid one on his alaia.

Photo: Lauren Coffield

Women's R2 Springsuits

Some East Coast friends went out and tested the new W's R2 suits last weekend on a near-shore wreck. There's another cool shot on the FCD facebook page that was posted a few days ago as well. Thanks for the shots ladies!

As for the rest of F10 wetsuits they are starting to show up at key dealers, so if you are in the market for a new suit be sure to check one out!

Patagonia Cardiff

The guys at Korduroy.tv recently filmed this video on the eve of the Castles In the Sky event at the Patagonia Cardiff shop. In this video, Dan gives some backstory on why Patagonia located their shop in Cardiff, as well as some of his own personal history with Taylor Steele.

Thanks to all of the players involved in the production of this video. It came out really nice.

Men's R2 Springsuits

We just got our latest style of men's springsuits in at the shop. This is an R2 weight suit, lined with Regulator® wool through the torso.

If your summer swells lean toward the inconsistent side, we also offer a short sleeved R2 fullsuit so that your legs can stay warm between sets.

Either way you go, we've got you covered for Summer. Give us a call at the shop to order either style or contact your nearest dealer

Levitation

Keith runs a new test board through the paces somewhere north of Ventura.

Photo: Lauren Coffield

Torquay Boardswap

We're going global with the boardswaps. From Cardiff, to Ventura and now on to Torquay.

Thanks for Coming

We'd like to thank everybody that came out to our board swap last weekend. We got a lot of positive feedback and its definitely something that we'll be doing again, so stay tuned!

Castles in the Sky - Patagonia Cardiff

Patagonia Cardiff is screening Taylor Steele's latest film

Friday, July 2 at 8pm

"Join us at Patagonia Cardiff as Solona Beach surf filmmaker, Taylor Steele, screens and releases on DVD his latest film, Castles in the Sky. It follows some of the world's best surfers to never before seen breaks in Iceland, North Africa, India, Mexico and beyond. Castles in the Sky is a follow up to the beautiful cinematography and soundtrack from Taylor's 2007 release, Sipping Jetstreams.

We'll also have special guests Dave Rastovich and Dan Malloy, who will join in a Q & A with the audience. This free event is outdoors, so please dress accordingly. Seating is first-come first-served."

Patagonia Cardiff-by-the-Sea
2185 San Elijo Ave.
760-634-9886