The past 2 ½ years have been really tricky for me and
windsurfing. I’ve had to deal with a buckled knee, a torn ligament on my elbow,
a torn ligament on my ankle, and a trip to Maui that had really poor conditions
(the one and only trip I could do abroad for 2014). So I’ve had very little
training / fun in the surf. Fortunately I’ve still been able to get a
reasonable amount of coverage for my sponsors, but not as much as I would have
liked. On the positive side, autumn’s almost here in the UK, I’m now fully fit,
and two of my Puravida team mates will be returning from their world tour to
enjoy the UK autumn surf with me (Stef Hilder and Sarah Bibby). Hopefully this
autumn and winter will be epic and we’ll get a sweet video online. Watch this
space!
- Tom Malin
- I'm a wave windsurfer and skateboarder based in the South West of England. I love to push my level in these sports with my friends, both in England and other countries around the world, while enjoying as many incredible experiences along the way as possible! I started this blog to feature my favorite photos and videos along with written stories, thoughts, rants and bits of knowledge I've gained from my adventures. Click on any photos to enlarge them.
New video (posted 23rd September 2014)
As promised in my last blog
post, here is my latest video, titled "Skateboarding is perfect practice
for surfing and windsurfing… find out why". Filming locations include the
10,000 feet tall Mount Haleakala on Maui
and several places in South West England. Downhill, bowls and ramps are all
included. It lists some of the reasons why skateboarding is perfect practice.
It also shows everyone what they should be doing on Maui or pretty much
anywhere when the wind and waves are no good (just as we experienced on our
recent trip to Maui ).
VIDEO - Skateboarding is perfect for surfers and windsurfers... find out why
VIDEO - Skateboarding is perfect for surfers and windsurfers... find out why
Maui trip fail (posted 01st July 2014)
I recently did a trip to Maui , Hawaii Maui
10 years ago, the wind and the waves were pretty poor, so no video I’m afriad.
I could have put some mediocre video and photos online but there’s not much
point in that! However, I did mange to skateboard down the island’s 10,000 feet
tall mountain. Expect to soon see a great video titled “Skateboarding is
perfect for surfers and windsurfs… find out why”.
Cornwall stoke (posted 20th February 2014)
I just had a great jumping day at Gwithian, Cornwall . Ended up giving an impromptu
forward loop lesson to my friends on the beach and before I knew it, I had
about 20 people gathered round wanting to learn. Most people went out to try
and learn them after the lesson, or at least try some jumps. It was a great session with
plenty of people pushing their skills. Windsurfers down in Cornwall seem to be more excited than
ever to just get on the water, have fun, learn new skills and try new kit. In reckon Cornwall has the best riders, waves, coastline and general vibe in the whole of the UK. Stoked!
Redbull Storm Chase report (posted 12th February 2014)
The competition was epic. Loads of people turned up to watch
the action. I also a went out for the first time since I re-hurt my torn ankle
ligament. I caught some incredible waves and the ankle was finally feeling ok.
It was the biggest I’ve ever seen it in Cornwall .
Unfortunately I couldn’t get anyone to film because everyone was busy watching
the pros! Checkout the video by Redbull below.
VIDEO - Redbull Storm Chase in Cornwall, England
VIDEO - Redbull Storm Chase in Cornwall, England
Redbull Storm Chase final comes to Cornwall tomorrow (posted 07th February 2014)
The Redbull Storm Chase is a yearly competition that waits
for a huge storm forecast, anywhere in the world, and then at the last minute
flies in some of the best windsurfers in the world to compete in the storm.
Tomorrow will see the final happen at Gwithian in Cornwall , England England in over 50 years. If you’re
anywhere near Cornwall ,
make sure you come down to watch. I'll definitely be heading down with a bunch of friends. Hopefully I'll get to enjoy the massive surf myself as well.
Torn ankle ligament troubles (posted 10th November 2013)
Went back down to Gwithian in Cornwall , England England
First sessions since I tore my ligament and loads of Quatro Pyramid Thruster demos (posted 30th October 2013)
I just got to enjoy my first few days back on the water
after I tore an ankle ligament, catching lovely head high waves for hours at
Gwithian in Cornwall , England
New board sponsor... QUATRO (posted 17th October 2013)
I've just received my new Quatro Pyramid Thruster through
Puravida. I tried this board when i was in Maui
in the spring and I was absolutely amazed by it. It turns so quickly on a wave with
so much control. I straight away knew that Quatro are in a league of their own
when it comes to wave riding performance. The company is run by riders, who are
just all about enjoying the sport. They shape the boards for so many of the
best riders in the world. I couldn't be happier to be back riding their boards
again. Checkout the Quatro website or if you're in England or Wales then contact
Puravida to test some out for yourself. All I need now is for my ankle to get
better.
Thank you to Fanatic boards for their support over the last
year. And thank you to Puravida and North Sails for their on going support.
Torn ankle ligament update (posted 01st October 2013)
It's been 2 months since i tore a ligament on my ankle and
unfortunately it's still pretty painful with very restricted movement. I think
it's going to be at least another month till i can ride again. Rubbish.
Torn ligament on my ankle (posted 06th August 2013)
Once again I'm out of action due to injury. This time I've torn a
ligament on my ankle. Fortunately I've only slightly torn a ligament this time
rather than a full on tear, so the hospital reckons I'll only be out of action
for about 2 months. By the time I've recovered from
this, I would have been out of action for 8 1/2 months of the last year due to
3 separate injuries. Oops! As long as I'm better in time for the Autumn waves.
 |
| Normal ankle Torn ligament ankle |
Maui... what it's really like to come here part 5... the windsurfing (posted 16th April 2013)
I'm back in Maui for 5 weeks and I've decided I want to use this blog to really give a description of what it's like to come here, rather than purely a diary about the waves! So far I've done posts on the people and the vibes, the landscape, the awesome things to do here, and the surfing, but now it's time for the windsurfing...
This is my forth time here, I'm 4 1/2 weeks into my trip and I've got to say that I love windsurfing here more and more every time I come here. The wave riding here is AWESOME! Hookipa is probably the most famous windsurfing wave break in the world. It's a rather tricky break to get used to. You have to ride there and learn about the spot, for example the currents, where to position yourself to catch the waves on different days, how the waves form up while you're riding them on different days, how to work with the days when it's crowded and how to stay off the rocks. But once you've gotten used to it, you can just have so much fun there. The wave has an fantastic amount of speed and punch. Such fun wave riding. It's sometimes really good for jumping as well, but only when the wind is blowing in a certain way. And as you get more used to Hookipa, more knowledgeable about the spot and more comfortable, you can go out on bigger and bigger days. This is the forth time I've been to Maui and this time we had the biggest swell I've ever seen here. I was lucky enough to get to enjoy a big day at Hookipa with just me and about 8 other pros and locals out. It was like a dream! I was pretty nervous about going out but good old Josh Stone came bouncing up to me saying "don't worry bro, the channel's not closing out yet", which is does when the waves get real big. 15 minutes later I'm following him out through the channel by the rocks and we see a big set rolling in. As a wave jacks up in front of Josh I see that it's well over mast high and definitely about to break. Josh shouts a pretty scared "WOOOOOOOOO". I shout "F*#*:~#CK". He JUST scoots over it, and I get fully nailed!!!! Luckily I some how held onto my kit and kept off the rocks. But I managed to get straight out after that and caught some of the best waves of my life. Seeing those guys ripping right in front of me was great. It totally pushes your level. The big days are great as there are less people out and more people sat watching on the hill! Checkout the photos below. A few are of this day at Hookipa, mixed with some smaller but still totally awesome days there. We enjoyed even bigger waves at Hookipa the following day but we'd lent our camera lens to Muzza as he was going to session Jaws so we didn't get any photos. Unluckily for him, there were some issues with getting a boat to get out there so he didn't get to go.
HOWEVER, a certain Katy McAnena did make it out at Jaws. Jaws, for those who don't know, is one of the biggest waves in the world. It only breaks a few times each winter as it needs a fully huge swell to make it work. Katy became the first ever Irish lady to ride Jaws that day. Me and Mike Archer, who I'm sharing a place / places with out here (a pretty dam good English wave loving windsurfer!) went down to check out Jaws after sessioning Hookipa. It was so epic to see people windsurfing it. And the guys surfing it, paddling into the huge waves, leaning into and taking the steepest drop ins, were incredible. After getting there, Sam (a super cool lady who largely runs the american windsurfing tour) said to us "did you see Katy out there". Both me and Mike were like "WHAT? KATY'S OUT?!!! NO WAAAAAY". We were so excited. We shimmied down the steep hill to the rocks in front of the break where she apparently some how launched into the water, to find her stood there after catching some big old rides. She went out there with no boat of jet ski cover and only got back in by dumping her kit on a random boat and swimming in back to the rocks. She's one awesome awesome lady, both on and off the water. An Irish gem!! Her drive and courage to go out and ride big waves certainly made her the windsurfer that impressed me the most on the whole trip.
Maui windsurfing certainly isn't just about rad action at Hookipa though. Maui is an awesome place to come for any level of windsurfing. When I first came to Maui I couldn't even carve gybe. It's pretty much a perfect place to get into waves. Kanaha is another spot on the north shore, about 15 minutes drive from Hookipa. The waves here break reasonably gently over several reefs that are surrounded by deeper water. This means that if you crash and either can't manage to get back up on your board or your kit gets washed away from you, then you just get washed into flat water where you can easily get back on your board and give it another go. Awesome! The waves here can be super fun for both riding and jumping whether the waves are big or small. The flat water here is really popular for just crusing around, although it's not super flat, with a reasonable amount of chop. The launch is from nice long sandy beaches and there's a big grassy park at the beach, good for chilling out with a BBQ or whatever!
Another great spot is Sprecks, also on the north shore between Hookipa and Kanaha. This place also has a long sandy beach to launch from. The waves here also aren't as powerful as Hookipa. They're ok for riding but not great. However it can be a really fun spot for jumping. There are no rocks to worry about here either.
Baby Beach is another good jumping spot. You have to shimmy off some rocks to get in the water here which is a bit sketchy. This spot only seems to be worth checking out when the waves are at least logo high at the other spots along the north shore (around 3 metre faces). If it's any smaller than that, the waves don't seem to break here.
Lanes is a break right next to Hookipa. You get into the water at Hooikpa and just windsurf down wind for a minute to get to Lanes. This wave doesn't normally break that well, only giving 1 or 2 turns, which means that no one really bothers riding there. However when the wind switches round from it's normal direction so that it's blowing from the left instead of from the right (called a Kona wind) the wave riding here can be awesome with some pretty powerful waves. This normally only happens a few times each winter though.
There are a few lesser know wave breaks along the north shore and around the island which can be pretty really good but I think I should keep quiet about these. You'll have to find them out for yourself!
As for freestyle, Maui doesn't really seem like that great of a place for it. Although there's plenty of space at Kanaha and Sprecks where the waves aren't breaking, it doesn't seem flat / smooth enough for freestlying.
The only real problem with the windsurfing in Maui is the crowds. Lots and lots of people trying to catch the same waves. If you put your mind to it though, you can still get plenty of waves. You just have to work out how! It can really force you to learn about reading and selecting waves.
We've enjoyed some truly epic days windsurfing this trip. I definitely feel I've improved my wave riding, getting harder, tighter, faster turns, getting more vertical and more in the critical section of the wave. Overall, more style! I've learnt to read waves better both with deciding which ones to take and what's happening while riding them. I've also gained a lot more confidence in bigger waves. I'm pretty dam happy!
The best times to come to Maui are definitely spring or autumn. The summer is the windiest time of year but there aren't much waves, and the winter doesn't have much wind but has loads of waves. So by coming in spring or autumn you get a good combination of both wind and waves. Maui really is a super fun place to windsurf. With amazing riders everywhere you go, it really pushes you to ride harder! Even if you don't go out at Hookipa, make sure you go up there to sit on the headland and watch some of the best windsurfers in the world right in front of you. Checkout the video below that was filmed on the biggest day at Hookipa. Some of the best guys in the world going crazy!!
VIDEO - the pros ripping it up at Hookipa on the biggest wave day of the trip...
This is my forth time here, I'm 4 1/2 weeks into my trip and I've got to say that I love windsurfing here more and more every time I come here. The wave riding here is AWESOME! Hookipa is probably the most famous windsurfing wave break in the world. It's a rather tricky break to get used to. You have to ride there and learn about the spot, for example the currents, where to position yourself to catch the waves on different days, how the waves form up while you're riding them on different days, how to work with the days when it's crowded and how to stay off the rocks. But once you've gotten used to it, you can just have so much fun there. The wave has an fantastic amount of speed and punch. Such fun wave riding. It's sometimes really good for jumping as well, but only when the wind is blowing in a certain way. And as you get more used to Hookipa, more knowledgeable about the spot and more comfortable, you can go out on bigger and bigger days. This is the forth time I've been to Maui and this time we had the biggest swell I've ever seen here. I was lucky enough to get to enjoy a big day at Hookipa with just me and about 8 other pros and locals out. It was like a dream! I was pretty nervous about going out but good old Josh Stone came bouncing up to me saying "don't worry bro, the channel's not closing out yet", which is does when the waves get real big. 15 minutes later I'm following him out through the channel by the rocks and we see a big set rolling in. As a wave jacks up in front of Josh I see that it's well over mast high and definitely about to break. Josh shouts a pretty scared "WOOOOOOOOO". I shout "F*#*:~#CK". He JUST scoots over it, and I get fully nailed!!!! Luckily I some how held onto my kit and kept off the rocks. But I managed to get straight out after that and caught some of the best waves of my life. Seeing those guys ripping right in front of me was great. It totally pushes your level. The big days are great as there are less people out and more people sat watching on the hill! Checkout the photos below. A few are of this day at Hookipa, mixed with some smaller but still totally awesome days there. We enjoyed even bigger waves at Hookipa the following day but we'd lent our camera lens to Muzza as he was going to session Jaws so we didn't get any photos. Unluckily for him, there were some issues with getting a boat to get out there so he didn't get to go.
HOWEVER, a certain Katy McAnena did make it out at Jaws. Jaws, for those who don't know, is one of the biggest waves in the world. It only breaks a few times each winter as it needs a fully huge swell to make it work. Katy became the first ever Irish lady to ride Jaws that day. Me and Mike Archer, who I'm sharing a place / places with out here (a pretty dam good English wave loving windsurfer!) went down to check out Jaws after sessioning Hookipa. It was so epic to see people windsurfing it. And the guys surfing it, paddling into the huge waves, leaning into and taking the steepest drop ins, were incredible. After getting there, Sam (a super cool lady who largely runs the american windsurfing tour) said to us "did you see Katy out there". Both me and Mike were like "WHAT? KATY'S OUT?!!! NO WAAAAAY". We were so excited. We shimmied down the steep hill to the rocks in front of the break where she apparently some how launched into the water, to find her stood there after catching some big old rides. She went out there with no boat of jet ski cover and only got back in by dumping her kit on a random boat and swimming in back to the rocks. She's one awesome awesome lady, both on and off the water. An Irish gem!! Her drive and courage to go out and ride big waves certainly made her the windsurfer that impressed me the most on the whole trip.
 |
| Tripped a rail on this wave... |
 |
| then realised that the wave behind it was 100% gona break on my head... |
 |
| and then got totally munched, over the falls desperately holding onto my kit so that it didn't end up on the rocks, much to the amusement of friends watching from on the hill! |
 |
| Stoked! |
 |
| Katy McAnena on a mission! |
Maui windsurfing certainly isn't just about rad action at Hookipa though. Maui is an awesome place to come for any level of windsurfing. When I first came to Maui I couldn't even carve gybe. It's pretty much a perfect place to get into waves. Kanaha is another spot on the north shore, about 15 minutes drive from Hookipa. The waves here break reasonably gently over several reefs that are surrounded by deeper water. This means that if you crash and either can't manage to get back up on your board or your kit gets washed away from you, then you just get washed into flat water where you can easily get back on your board and give it another go. Awesome! The waves here can be super fun for both riding and jumping whether the waves are big or small. The flat water here is really popular for just crusing around, although it's not super flat, with a reasonable amount of chop. The launch is from nice long sandy beaches and there's a big grassy park at the beach, good for chilling out with a BBQ or whatever!
Another great spot is Sprecks, also on the north shore between Hookipa and Kanaha. This place also has a long sandy beach to launch from. The waves here also aren't as powerful as Hookipa. They're ok for riding but not great. However it can be a really fun spot for jumping. There are no rocks to worry about here either.
Baby Beach is another good jumping spot. You have to shimmy off some rocks to get in the water here which is a bit sketchy. This spot only seems to be worth checking out when the waves are at least logo high at the other spots along the north shore (around 3 metre faces). If it's any smaller than that, the waves don't seem to break here.
Lanes is a break right next to Hookipa. You get into the water at Hooikpa and just windsurf down wind for a minute to get to Lanes. This wave doesn't normally break that well, only giving 1 or 2 turns, which means that no one really bothers riding there. However when the wind switches round from it's normal direction so that it's blowing from the left instead of from the right (called a Kona wind) the wave riding here can be awesome with some pretty powerful waves. This normally only happens a few times each winter though.
There are a few lesser know wave breaks along the north shore and around the island which can be pretty really good but I think I should keep quiet about these. You'll have to find them out for yourself!
As for freestyle, Maui doesn't really seem like that great of a place for it. Although there's plenty of space at Kanaha and Sprecks where the waves aren't breaking, it doesn't seem flat / smooth enough for freestlying.
The only real problem with the windsurfing in Maui is the crowds. Lots and lots of people trying to catch the same waves. If you put your mind to it though, you can still get plenty of waves. You just have to work out how! It can really force you to learn about reading and selecting waves.
We've enjoyed some truly epic days windsurfing this trip. I definitely feel I've improved my wave riding, getting harder, tighter, faster turns, getting more vertical and more in the critical section of the wave. Overall, more style! I've learnt to read waves better both with deciding which ones to take and what's happening while riding them. I've also gained a lot more confidence in bigger waves. I'm pretty dam happy!
The best times to come to Maui are definitely spring or autumn. The summer is the windiest time of year but there aren't much waves, and the winter doesn't have much wind but has loads of waves. So by coming in spring or autumn you get a good combination of both wind and waves. Maui really is a super fun place to windsurf. With amazing riders everywhere you go, it really pushes you to ride harder! Even if you don't go out at Hookipa, make sure you go up there to sit on the headland and watch some of the best windsurfers in the world right in front of you. Checkout the video below that was filmed on the biggest day at Hookipa. Some of the best guys in the world going crazy!!
VIDEO - the pros ripping it up at Hookipa on the biggest wave day of the trip...
Maui... what it's really like to come here part 4... the surfing (posted 12th April 2013)
I'm back in Maui for 5 weeks and I've decided I want to use this blog to really give a description of what it's like to come here, rather than purely a diary about the waves! This is my forth time here and I'm 4 weeks into the trip.
So surf action! Surfing is something I've always tried from time to time, as in once or twice a year. I've never really got into it for the same reasons that I think lots of other windsurfers... having to paddle out is way too much effort, it's an absolute mission to postion yourself in the right place to catch a wave unless you're lucky enough to be at a spot where the waves consistenly break in the same way, it's not very practical to travel with a surfboard as well as windsurfing kit, and it's generally just not as exciting as windsurfing. BUT, that's all changed over the last month. Check it out!...
When I first got here the forecast was showing no wind for the first 5 days, so I decided to get myself a surfboard. I'd previously been using a funboard (a reasonably small longboard) which made it pretty easy to pop up but a mission to duck dive and get out back. I decided to get a slightly fished shortboard that was still reasonably big (6'4" long and 19 3/4" wide). This alowed me to learn to duck dive (which on its own is a massive buzz as you duck under and look up at the wave breaking above you), making getting out not too hard. I came to reaslise that being out in the ocean with no windsurfing kit and nothing but a little board and the waves and your friends is such a pure, beautiful and awesome feeling. You get to connect with the raw power of the waves that little bit more than windsurfing as you're not getting any power from a sail. You also don't have to setup a sail which is sweet. I thought back to when I first started windsurfing and how much time I spent learning to just plane along nice and fast and carve around a turn, and how long it then took me to be able to windsurf in the waves, but how it was definitely worth every single second of effort as I now get to enjoy riding the waves and pushing my level further and further. I've come to accept that surfing takes this same level of effort, determination and commitment but I now think it's soooo worth it. I've also been told by a lot of people who both windsurf and surf, that surfing really helps with your windsurfing, such as reading the waves both before you catch them and while you're riding them, and how to use all the power of the wave to get your speed and acceleration.
Surfing just fits so perfectly alongside windsurfing. I pretty much only go windsurfing at wave breaks. The wave forecast is pretty reliable, because when the waves are on their way (from a storm however many hundreds or thousands of miles way), they're on the way and that doesn't normally suddenly change. Where as wind forecasts can change or just be totally wrong pretty often. So now, when I get to the beach and I can't go windsurfing becasue there's no wind, I can just crack on with progressing and enjoying my surfing. Having a shortboard, although enitially harder to pop up on, not only makes it a lot easier to get out back (and therefore have more chances at catching waves), but also makes it a lot easier to chuck the surfboard inside your car or van, and I've also found that if you get a windsurf board bag that's a little bit too big for your windsurf board, then you can just take all your fins and straps off and then fit both your windsurf board and surfboard in 1 bag, therefore recieving no extra charges from most airlines (win!). So overall, I've gota say I've been pretty stupid not getting into surfing earlier. Windsurfing and surfing are like a match made in heaven!
As for the surfing breaks in Maui, there are loads of them! If you're windsurfing then you'll be based on the north shore reasonably close to Paia (the little hippy surfy old town). The best spot for surfing on this part of the island is Hookipa. It's a pretty powerfull wave and can give some pretty epic surfing. It's a reef break and gives both both lefts and rights. Lesser experienced surfers can however still go out there by just starting on days when the waves are smaller. The rocks aren't an issue when you're surfing with is nice! It can be pretty crowded here but you'll work out the quieter times to go. Make sure you don't surf on the right of the bay though (called Pavillions) as this is pretty much locals only. Windsurfing isn't allowed at Pavillions either. Checkout my post about the windsurfing on Maui for more info on Hookipa.
A few miles from Hookipa is the beach at Paia. It's a cool beach to hang out at and has some messy, fun, beach break style waves. There are plenty of other surf breaks along the north shore and all around the island for you to enjoy, from super soft and easy peeling breaks to fast, heavy, barreling breaks. There are especially loads of good surf breaks above and below Lahaina on the west coast. It can certainly get crowded at lots of the breaks but we managed to find some epic ones where there were only a few other people out. Paradise! You'll have to find them yourself though!
So surf action! Surfing is something I've always tried from time to time, as in once or twice a year. I've never really got into it for the same reasons that I think lots of other windsurfers... having to paddle out is way too much effort, it's an absolute mission to postion yourself in the right place to catch a wave unless you're lucky enough to be at a spot where the waves consistenly break in the same way, it's not very practical to travel with a surfboard as well as windsurfing kit, and it's generally just not as exciting as windsurfing. BUT, that's all changed over the last month. Check it out!...
When I first got here the forecast was showing no wind for the first 5 days, so I decided to get myself a surfboard. I'd previously been using a funboard (a reasonably small longboard) which made it pretty easy to pop up but a mission to duck dive and get out back. I decided to get a slightly fished shortboard that was still reasonably big (6'4" long and 19 3/4" wide). This alowed me to learn to duck dive (which on its own is a massive buzz as you duck under and look up at the wave breaking above you), making getting out not too hard. I came to reaslise that being out in the ocean with no windsurfing kit and nothing but a little board and the waves and your friends is such a pure, beautiful and awesome feeling. You get to connect with the raw power of the waves that little bit more than windsurfing as you're not getting any power from a sail. You also don't have to setup a sail which is sweet. I thought back to when I first started windsurfing and how much time I spent learning to just plane along nice and fast and carve around a turn, and how long it then took me to be able to windsurf in the waves, but how it was definitely worth every single second of effort as I now get to enjoy riding the waves and pushing my level further and further. I've come to accept that surfing takes this same level of effort, determination and commitment but I now think it's soooo worth it. I've also been told by a lot of people who both windsurf and surf, that surfing really helps with your windsurfing, such as reading the waves both before you catch them and while you're riding them, and how to use all the power of the wave to get your speed and acceleration.
Surfing just fits so perfectly alongside windsurfing. I pretty much only go windsurfing at wave breaks. The wave forecast is pretty reliable, because when the waves are on their way (from a storm however many hundreds or thousands of miles way), they're on the way and that doesn't normally suddenly change. Where as wind forecasts can change or just be totally wrong pretty often. So now, when I get to the beach and I can't go windsurfing becasue there's no wind, I can just crack on with progressing and enjoying my surfing. Having a shortboard, although enitially harder to pop up on, not only makes it a lot easier to get out back (and therefore have more chances at catching waves), but also makes it a lot easier to chuck the surfboard inside your car or van, and I've also found that if you get a windsurf board bag that's a little bit too big for your windsurf board, then you can just take all your fins and straps off and then fit both your windsurf board and surfboard in 1 bag, therefore recieving no extra charges from most airlines (win!). So overall, I've gota say I've been pretty stupid not getting into surfing earlier. Windsurfing and surfing are like a match made in heaven!
 |
| Beautiful, quiet point breaks to be found |
As for the surfing breaks in Maui, there are loads of them! If you're windsurfing then you'll be based on the north shore reasonably close to Paia (the little hippy surfy old town). The best spot for surfing on this part of the island is Hookipa. It's a pretty powerfull wave and can give some pretty epic surfing. It's a reef break and gives both both lefts and rights. Lesser experienced surfers can however still go out there by just starting on days when the waves are smaller. The rocks aren't an issue when you're surfing with is nice! It can be pretty crowded here but you'll work out the quieter times to go. Make sure you don't surf on the right of the bay though (called Pavillions) as this is pretty much locals only. Windsurfing isn't allowed at Pavillions either. Checkout my post about the windsurfing on Maui for more info on Hookipa.
 |
| Mike at Hookipa! |
 |
| Mike at Hookipa |
Maui... what it's really like to come here part 3... the awesome things to do here (posted 09th April 2013)
I'm back in Maui for 5 weeks and I've decided I want to use this blog to really give a description of what it's like to come here, rather than purely a diary about the waves! This is my forth time here and I'm 3 1/2 weeks into the trip.
So when it comes to things do on Maui besides windsurfing, surfing and stand up paddle boarding, there's loads of epic stuff. It's pretty much all about being outside in nature... rain forests, bamboo forests, waterfalls to jump off, bigger waterfalls to definitely not jump off!, blow holes, fresh water caves to swim in, mountains to climb, mountains to drive up, hugely varying beaches, valleys to explore, lively hippy beach parties, beach parties of your own, night time skinny dipping!, nudest beaches, volcano craters, cliffs to hike, incredible hills to longboard down (Mount Haleakala descends from 10,000 feet straight down to the north shore beaches with good quality roads, need I say anymore!) and the list goes on. All of these things are obviously free which helps to keep the price of your trip down. There are some activities that you can pay for, such as a snorkeling / whale watching trip to the top of a volcano crater called Molokini that half sticks out of the ocean just off the coast of Maui (which I'd definitely recommend doing with The Pacific Whale Foundation), the aquarium, helicopter tours around the island, some small bars around the place and some lush restaurants (non more so than the Paia Fish Market Restaurant which serves the lushest fillets of fresh fish in big portions, perfect after a long day of surf action). If you're looking for full on night life / clubs though, Maui definitely isn't the place to come!! It's definitely worth making time to do this stuff along with your time in the surf.
So when it comes to things do on Maui besides windsurfing, surfing and stand up paddle boarding, there's loads of epic stuff. It's pretty much all about being outside in nature... rain forests, bamboo forests, waterfalls to jump off, bigger waterfalls to definitely not jump off!, blow holes, fresh water caves to swim in, mountains to climb, mountains to drive up, hugely varying beaches, valleys to explore, lively hippy beach parties, beach parties of your own, night time skinny dipping!, nudest beaches, volcano craters, cliffs to hike, incredible hills to longboard down (Mount Haleakala descends from 10,000 feet straight down to the north shore beaches with good quality roads, need I say anymore!) and the list goes on. All of these things are obviously free which helps to keep the price of your trip down. There are some activities that you can pay for, such as a snorkeling / whale watching trip to the top of a volcano crater called Molokini that half sticks out of the ocean just off the coast of Maui (which I'd definitely recommend doing with The Pacific Whale Foundation), the aquarium, helicopter tours around the island, some small bars around the place and some lush restaurants (non more so than the Paia Fish Market Restaurant which serves the lushest fillets of fresh fish in big portions, perfect after a long day of surf action). If you're looking for full on night life / clubs though, Maui definitely isn't the place to come!! It's definitely worth making time to do this stuff along with your time in the surf.
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| Lots of amazing skate parks (and downhill skating) |
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| A lush, clear pool close to the north coast |
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| On the top of Mount Haleakala during the night |
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| The best place ever to go for food |
Maui... what it's really like to come here part 2... the landscape (posted 04th April 2013)
I'm back in Maui for 5 weeks and I've decided I want to use this blog to really give a description of what it's like to come here, rather than purely a diary about the waves! This is my forth time here and I'm 2 1/2 weeks into the trip.
So... landscape. There are considered to be around 11 different types of natural environments on Earth, such as jungles, hot deserts, cold deserts etc. (I don't know exactly what they are!) and on Maui you can find most of these environments The landscape here is so varied, with rain forests, bamboo jungles, rocky mountains, super green mountains white sand beaches, black sand beaches, rocky beaches, lava fields, life filled reefs and plenty more. The island's shaped kind of like a figure of 8 with a mountain / volcano on each figure (checkout the below image). It takes about 3 hours to drive between the 2 furthest points of the island with a mixture of main roads and super windy roads (which make for some epic downhill skateboarding). If you're windsurfing, you'll want to stay on the north shore roughly around the areas of Spreckelsville, Paia and Haiku. Here you'll mostly find a great mixture of the sandy beaches, rocky beaches, sugarcane fields plus the forests and open fields that start leading up Mount Haleakala which towers above. It's incredibly beautiful. You'll LOVE it. Be sure to do some exploring around the island.
So... landscape. There are considered to be around 11 different types of natural environments on Earth, such as jungles, hot deserts, cold deserts etc. (I don't know exactly what they are!) and on Maui you can find most of these environments The landscape here is so varied, with rain forests, bamboo jungles, rocky mountains, super green mountains white sand beaches, black sand beaches, rocky beaches, lava fields, life filled reefs and plenty more. The island's shaped kind of like a figure of 8 with a mountain / volcano on each figure (checkout the below image). It takes about 3 hours to drive between the 2 furthest points of the island with a mixture of main roads and super windy roads (which make for some epic downhill skateboarding). If you're windsurfing, you'll want to stay on the north shore roughly around the areas of Spreckelsville, Paia and Haiku. Here you'll mostly find a great mixture of the sandy beaches, rocky beaches, sugarcane fields plus the forests and open fields that start leading up Mount Haleakala which towers above. It's incredibly beautiful. You'll LOVE it. Be sure to do some exploring around the island.
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| Click on this image and have a look at the yellow labeling I've added to get an idea of where things are |
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| Paia Bay, near Hookipa |
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| Lush valleys among the mountains on the west of the island |
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| On top of Mount Haleakala looking over to the mountains on the west of the island, ready for some epic downhill skating!! |
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| Amazing coastline over on the east of the island |
Maui... what it's really like to come here part 1... the people and the vibes (posted 30th March 2013)
I'm back in Maui for 5 weeks and I've decided I want to use this blog to really give a description of what it's like to come here, rather than purely a diary about the waves! This is my forth time here and I'm 2 weeks into the trip.
This time I feel that I've gained a better understanding for just how incredibly chilled it is here. It's very easy to get so wrapped up and focused with going windsurfing and hanging around with your windsurfing friends that you can easily not get a real feel for the island. We've only had wind around half the time we've been here this time, which has given us a lot more opportunity to just enjoy the island and reflect on being here. So far this trip we've been spending a lot of time around the little north shore village of Paia and at the nearby legendary windsurfing wave break of Hookipa, some time at the other windsurfing spots along the north shore, quite a bit of time cruising the jungles and waterfalls and incredible cliffy coast line further along the north shore, some time around Haiku (a very green area on the north shore which makes for a lush place to live), some time on little beach (the kinda hippy beach down the south of the island), some time at the surfing breaks around the north west corner of the island, and plenty more cool places along the way. At these places we've ended up meeting so many great people from many different countries and different walks of life. There's been a pretty even balance of people who have fully moved to the island, people who were visiting either for a short time or a longer time such as a year, and locals. The vast majority of people I've met have had such a content, happy, chilled out vibe to them. It's such a beautiful place where people spend so much time immersed in nature, whether it be enjoying the forests, the beaches, the ocean or just their own garden over run with tropical plants, that I think it's hard not to absorb nature's vibes. People talk to each other on the streets, let each other go on the roads, quickly invite you into their friendship groups or family, and generally be a lot more chilled about life and a lot more open to people than most other places I've been. Obviously you get the odd angry or nasty person, and I can't really speak for the few touristy areas on the west side of the island (with the big hotels etc.) as I haven't spent much time there, and there's also the small city of Kahului which is purely businesses and shops with almost no homes, but come to Maui yourself and you'll see how chilled it is here (and then take a step back, have another look, and realise how even more chilled it is!!) The best vibes on the island though seem to happen when there's a big swell hitting the north shore, creating massive waves at the some of the best wave breaks in the world. The excitement in the air as so many windsurfers and surfers hit the beaches for big wave days is awesome.
I'd recommend spending a bit of time on your own here. I got here half a week before my friends and the forecast was showing no wind, so I decided to spend 4 days just cruising the island in the van and sleeping in it wherever I ended up!! This was an awesome experience With no pre existing friends to distract you and an open mind, you can really immerse yourself in the vibes. Obviously though you'll achieve this best by observing what's around you and not letting yourself stick out as a complete "tourist" by doing silly things such as driving fast through beach carparks where there are kids around, or wearing tourist tshirts etc!!
This time I feel that I've gained a better understanding for just how incredibly chilled it is here. It's very easy to get so wrapped up and focused with going windsurfing and hanging around with your windsurfing friends that you can easily not get a real feel for the island. We've only had wind around half the time we've been here this time, which has given us a lot more opportunity to just enjoy the island and reflect on being here. So far this trip we've been spending a lot of time around the little north shore village of Paia and at the nearby legendary windsurfing wave break of Hookipa, some time at the other windsurfing spots along the north shore, quite a bit of time cruising the jungles and waterfalls and incredible cliffy coast line further along the north shore, some time around Haiku (a very green area on the north shore which makes for a lush place to live), some time on little beach (the kinda hippy beach down the south of the island), some time at the surfing breaks around the north west corner of the island, and plenty more cool places along the way. At these places we've ended up meeting so many great people from many different countries and different walks of life. There's been a pretty even balance of people who have fully moved to the island, people who were visiting either for a short time or a longer time such as a year, and locals. The vast majority of people I've met have had such a content, happy, chilled out vibe to them. It's such a beautiful place where people spend so much time immersed in nature, whether it be enjoying the forests, the beaches, the ocean or just their own garden over run with tropical plants, that I think it's hard not to absorb nature's vibes. People talk to each other on the streets, let each other go on the roads, quickly invite you into their friendship groups or family, and generally be a lot more chilled about life and a lot more open to people than most other places I've been. Obviously you get the odd angry or nasty person, and I can't really speak for the few touristy areas on the west side of the island (with the big hotels etc.) as I haven't spent much time there, and there's also the small city of Kahului which is purely businesses and shops with almost no homes, but come to Maui yourself and you'll see how chilled it is here (and then take a step back, have another look, and realise how even more chilled it is!!) The best vibes on the island though seem to happen when there's a big swell hitting the north shore, creating massive waves at the some of the best wave breaks in the world. The excitement in the air as so many windsurfers and surfers hit the beaches for big wave days is awesome.
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| People gathering on Little Beach, enjoying the evening sun, ready to party at sunset |
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| Sarah Bibby, previous UK women wave champion, loving the vibes! |
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| Lots of people just enjoying life. Come here on your own and you'll certainly meet some great people, or come here with friends and still meet all the great people!! |
I'd recommend spending a bit of time on your own here. I got here half a week before my friends and the forecast was showing no wind, so I decided to spend 4 days just cruising the island in the van and sleeping in it wherever I ended up!! This was an awesome experience With no pre existing friends to distract you and an open mind, you can really immerse yourself in the vibes. Obviously though you'll achieve this best by observing what's around you and not letting yourself stick out as a complete "tourist" by doing silly things such as driving fast through beach carparks where there are kids around, or wearing tourist tshirts etc!!
End of the physio for the torn ligament on my elbow, just in time for Maui (posted 16th February 2013)
I've now finished 6 months of physio to fix the torn ligament on my elbow, and therefore I'm now sorted for another trip to Maui for 5 weeks. There's gona be a good crew of people going out there as always, including my Puravida Boardriders sponsors. My arm's definitely not 100% yet but it seems good enough! Can't wait to get out there. Watch this space for blog updates!
Start of skate ramp build (posted 15th November 2012)
Over the years I've had many life ambitions. But one that's always stuck is a home built skate ramp in the garden. So finally, mine and my friends' dreams are coming true... CHECK IT OUT, skate ramp build. This summer coming is 100% gona be the best summer ever... Bristol, epic skate ramp, our own sound system, decks, and everything else that goes with perfect summer days!
VIDEO - Cornwall and Devon - windsurf, surf, skateboard and epic lifestyle documentaries part 1 (posted 09th November 2012)
So after 4 weeks of pure Cornwall Devon cruising, I've gota say I'm so so happy. Life down here is sweeeet. Checkout this video. You'll be moving down here in no time!! Ocean living!
This video was originally uploaded to a dedicated extreme sports video website and featured by boardseeker mag, therefore gaining plenty of views. Unfortunately they managed to wipe all my videos so they're now uploaded to the more reliable vimeo!
This series of short documentaries will give you a detailed insight into loads of windsurfing and surfing spots around Cornwall and Devon. It'll reveal plenty of incredibly lush places to go to when you're not in the ocean. Numerous events are also featured including competitions and student windsurf festivals. Extra action will be thrown in along the way such as skateboard parties and who knows what else! Plug in your speakers or headphones to enjoy the beautiful sounds!
This video was originally uploaded to a dedicated extreme sports video website and featured by boardseeker mag, therefore gaining plenty of views. Unfortunately they managed to wipe all my videos so they're now uploaded to the more reliable vimeo!
This series of short documentaries will give you a detailed insight into loads of windsurfing and surfing spots around Cornwall and Devon. It'll reveal plenty of incredibly lush places to go to when you're not in the ocean. Numerous events are also featured including competitions and student windsurf festivals. Extra action will be thrown in along the way such as skateboard parties and who knows what else! Plug in your speakers or headphones to enjoy the beautiful sounds!
Awesome Autumn (posted 30th October 2012)
So the torn ligament on my elbow has definitely put me out of action but I'm down in Devon and Cornwall and loving life. Been down here for a few weeks and had so much action. Been to the forever crazy Aussie Kiss student windsurf festival and loved seeing loads of old friends and some awesome action on the water, both at the sea and at the lake (you're gona LOVE the video we're editing). Also been to the BWA contest at one of the UK's best wave beaches for windsurfing... Gwithian. I've been shown some incredible spots by friends and stumbled across some mind blowing ones myself.
It just gets better and better almost every time I come down here. So many places here, both natural and man inhabited that you could barely even imagine. Being injured has meant that I haven't been so occupied with being in the waves, so I've ended up doing more exploring than I've ever done. I won't say anymore though. You'll be able to checkout the video soon. It's gona be part 1 of an ongoing Cornwall and Devon windsurf, skateboard, surf living documentary! Here are just a few cool photos for now though.
It just gets better and better almost every time I come down here. So many places here, both natural and man inhabited that you could barely even imagine. Being injured has meant that I haven't been so occupied with being in the waves, so I've ended up doing more exploring than I've ever done. I won't say anymore though. You'll be able to checkout the video soon. It's gona be part 1 of an ongoing Cornwall and Devon windsurf, skateboard, surf living documentary! Here are just a few cool photos for now though.
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| Gwithian, North Coast Conrwall |
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| Gwithian, North Coast Cornwall |
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| Sat watching an eerie sunset over the lagoons at Porthcothan, North Coast Cornwall |
Torn ligament on my elbow (posted 14th September 2012)
Bad times... after buckling my knee in the spring and then a summer of no real wind or waves to report on, I’ve managed to tear a ligament on my elbow! This time I’m apparently gona be out of action for at least 6 months. DOH! Major bummer, especially as I've just received my new board from Fanatic and new sails from North Sails through Puravida Boardriders. I’d also put aside the whole of October to just cruise Cornwall and Devon to catch waves, compete in the Gwithian competition and get involved at the epic Aussie Kiss student windsurf event. So lots of physio for me again, and this time it’s particularly painful!
In some ways I’m pretty lucky though. I went to the hospital half a week ago and was told by the nurse that I’d just slightly fractured my elbow and simply had to rest it. It then continued to only get more and more painful, with less and less movement. I went back to the hospital to try and see a physiotherapist but was told I’d have to be put on a waiting list for over a month. I managed to get to see a physiotherapist that day though as I decided to pretend I was in training for the Olympics!!! After the physiotherapist had given me a good checking over, he told me that I’d actually torn my ligament. He also told me that if I’d rested as previously instructed then I would have lost around half my movement and strength in that elbow permanently. That could have completely messed up my windsurfing. At least I’m still able to walk around with this injury. I’m definitely still gona go down to Cornwall and Devon for October, enjoy the events from the beach, do a load of exploring and hopefully make some cool videos. Maybe some documentaries of surf life in Cornwall and Devon or something like that. Lets see what happens!
FANATIC BOARDS, NORTH SAILS AND PURAVIDA BOARDRIDERS 2013 (posted 8th September 2012)
New kit has just arrived from my lovely sponsors... North Sails and Fanatic. For the last year I have ridden the Hero by North Sails. This sail has been the most epic sail, so I'm super happy to have the 2013s arrive. So easy to use and throw around in any way you want. Good power in light winds and still so controllable if overpowered. As for my board, I'm now riding Fanatic Quads. These are sweet all round boards, great for both wave riding and jumping. I normally go for more wave riding orientated boards so it's gona be fun with this new different style for me. Lets see what happens!!!! Checkout the below images of the kit. Hopefully we'll get some good shots of these in action soon.
Summer loving (posted 22nd July 2012)
Seems like there isn’t much wind and waves around this
summer. An African guy was telling me about rain dances the other day, to bring
rain to the needy. If anyone knows how to do a magical wind or wave dance to
make some wind and waves come our way, please get your freak on now! Until
then, you’ll find me down the skate ramps of Bristol enjoying the summer vibes!
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| Mini ramp action! |
Back in action after buckling my knee (posted 10th May 2012)
It’s been 3 ½ months since I buckled my knee and I’m now
back in action. Stoked! Bring on the wind and waves. Hopefully we’ll get some
lush fun waves this summer.
Buckled knee (posted 22nd January 2012)
It’s only been 2 weeks since I received my new North
Hero sails and unfortunately I’ve gone and buckled my knee. I’ve had a few
friends who have damage knees recently and been put out of action for over a
year so I was pretty scared at first. Fortunately it’s not too serious so I
should be back in action in about 3 or 4 months, but it does mean I’m gona miss
the spring time wind and waves. For now it’s just lots of physio for me!
New North Sails sponsorship (posted 07th January 2012)
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| 2012 North Sails Hero 4.5m |
So the last time I posted on here was for my skateboard and windsurf video release in the summer. Boards and Boardseeker put the video on their websites giving me nearly 4,000 views so far so I reckon that project was a success. Unfortunately since then we've been rather slack at getting more photos and video.
The latest news though is that I'm now riding for North Sails through my on going sponsorship with Pura Vida Boardriders. I'm riding the Hero model which is North Sails's new 4 batten wave sail. They're super compact and therefore super manoeuvrable. They're also more powerful than conventional sails meaning you can ride a size smaller than normal but they still seem to hold their shape and control amazingly well if the wind picks up. And checkout the graphics! Have a look on puravidaboardriders.co.uk and give them a call to try one out. They have loads of kit from many brands available to demo. As for my boards I'm going to continue riding Quatro Levi Siver Quads.
VIDEO - Ibiraquera (Brazil) and Maui (posted 16th May 2011)
POST UPDATE: This video was previously uploaded to MPORA but annoyingly they've accidentally deleted all videos from my account. This one got just over 7000 views on MPORA thanks to the shout on boardseeker but I've now uploaded it to the more reliable Vimeo! Click on the below link to check it out.
This video was originally uploaded to a dedicated extreme sports video website and featured by boardseeker mag, therefore gaining over 7,000 views which I was pretty happy with. Unfortunately they managed to wipe all my videos so they're now uploaded to the more reliable vimeo!
This is a short windsurf and skateboard video. It includes my skateboarding journey to get through two tropical paradises, beautiful waves at some rather unknown wave breaks, and some gnarly stop frame animation! The footage was partly taken at Ibiraquera in Brazil (the home spot of world wave windsurf champion Kauli Seadi), and on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Plug in your speakers or headphones to enjoy the beautiful sounds!
This video was originally uploaded to a dedicated extreme sports video website and featured by boardseeker mag, therefore gaining over 7,000 views which I was pretty happy with. Unfortunately they managed to wipe all my videos so they're now uploaded to the more reliable vimeo!
This is a short windsurf and skateboard video. It includes my skateboarding journey to get through two tropical paradises, beautiful waves at some rather unknown wave breaks, and some gnarly stop frame animation! The footage was partly taken at Ibiraquera in Brazil (the home spot of world wave windsurf champion Kauli Seadi), and on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Plug in your speakers or headphones to enjoy the beautiful sounds!
Maui update, 5 weeks into the trip (posted 17th April 2011)
No real wave action to report on from the last week but we’ve definitely been getting up to some other amazing Maui activities. Below are a few photos from the top of Mount Haleakala. We watched the sunrise at about 5.30am in the icy cold, and once the sun was fully out we got the skateboard out. It was the first time any of us had skated at 10,000 feet, way above the clouds. So much fun.
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| Tom skateboarding at 10,000 feet |
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| Tom downhill skateboarding above the clouds |
We also had a random “lifestyle” photo shoot at Ho’okipa with a photographer we were lucky enough to meet, Chris Duarte. Below is a photo of me and Sarah Bibby with the Quatro Quad LS board. This is probably the most popular wave board in Maui at the moment. It's so much fun on a wave. Get your hands on 1 and give it a go.
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| Tom & Sarah Bibby with the Quatro Quad LS |
Hopefully we’ll get some more waves soon.
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