Expression Session 1 - Spot

Here is another treat from our "featured surfers ofthe Expression Session 1" series held by the Old Farts Surf Co. earlier this year.  This time our featured surfer is Spot.  He has embraced surfing with the old farts with renewed vigour, some say inspired by Canadian upstart Moose.

(Spot paddles out to express himself and watches as The Dude conducts a symphony)

The fine photgraghic eye of Moose captured the photos from the shore, while the Mexican braved the ocean and what learks therein to swim around with a pair of fins to get the up close and personal water shots of the surfers expressing themselves.

(Spot the astronaut launches in to space)

Through his surfing, Spot expressed his secret desire to become an astronaut.  "I didn't know I had the secret desire until I saw the wave face and I just thought 'what a perfect canvass to express my inner astronaut'" said the surprised Spot.  Photographer Moose said "he was a wonderful subject, so expressive and so creative"

(just like the Apollo astranauts, spot lands in the sea) 

 (Spot imitating the Mexican on the way to the launch pad)

(Spot paddles back to the launch pad)

At some stages during the expression session fans of the oldfartsurfers confused Spot with the Mexican.  The Dude said the two surfer's profiles were so similar he thought there was a doppelganger.  "the side profile of Spot and Mex is so similar, partucularly through the tummy area" said the Dude.

(Spot flys through space)

Click here to see the previous article on Macho at Expression Session 1.
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Gratuitous Fin Shots of The Craic

The story of The Craic, the fabulous four finned fat fish created by the mastersurfcraftsman, The Dude, and its successful sea trials has proved so popular we've had a request for some fin shots from Rouge (Old Fart Surfer No. 45).  Normally we would only make the special photos available to Registered Oldfartsurfers, however, we couldn't keep this from the world so here it is.  Not only have we got some gratuitous fin shots but we also have a bottom shot for those with the patience to scroll down.

Click here to read the previous related article on The Craic and its Sea Trials.

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Successful Sea Trials of The Craic Fat Four Finned Fish

You would think that The Dude, mastersurfcraftsman that he is, would have been happy with creating the original Craic, a 6'8" hollow timber three finned fish, but no, now he has created a new Craic.  The new creation, a fat 6' four finned fish made from foam and fibreglass, has been especially created to be Jetstar friendly for his forthcoming trip to Indo in June.  The Dude will be travelling with the Good Woman but they couldn't avoid the dreaded Jetstart who chop boards off at the 6' mark with no argument.

(The Dude prays to Hughey for a good wave before launching the Craic)

Being a mastersurfcraftsman, the obvious solution was to build a board himself with a little assistance from the Other Dude, who is the Old Farts Surf Co. Technical Advisor for Foam and Fibreglass.  The sea trials were carefully planned with The Mexican and the Other Dude on hand for assistance and to hear how it went while the team chewed the fat out the back.

(The Dude does a jig to make Hughey laugh)

The Dude prepared the Craic with wax and laid it on the sand while he prayed to Hughey for a good wave for the sea trials.  Then surprised the crowd gathered on the beach by doing a jig to make Hughey laugh and put him in good humour.

(The Dude gives The Craic a rub to make it feel loved)

As The Craic was placed in the water it was turned over a few times to get it used to salt water, then the Dude gave it a good rub to make it feel good.  "No point riding a board that's not happy" said the Dude.  "Its well known that all boards have personalities and you need to find out what makes them tick before you can have a good surf with them" he said.

(The Dude paddles for the first wave sent by Hughey)

"The first thing I noticed was the buouyancy" said the Dude, "it bobbed around like a cork but it made it easy to paddle".  Of course this was how the Dude intended The Craic to perform.  But the big question was yet to be answered, how would it work when the Dude caught a wave?

(The Dude takes off on the first wave)

No sooner had the Dude got out the back when his prayer was answered and Hughey sent through the wave of the day.  The Dude paddled hard and jumped to his feet, he carved a bottom turn and top turn to position himslef perfectly in the slot.

(The Dude jumps to his feet on the first wave)

"Initially it seemed a bit wobbly but I wasn't used to the fat four finner and I'm really happy with how it handled" said the Dude.

(The Dude takes the first bottom turn on the Craic)

Conditions deteriorated after the first wave and whilst the second wave was ably caught by the Other Dude it just wasn't as big and well shaped as the first one sent to The Dude by Hughey.

(The money shot, The Dude gets the Craic perfectly slotted on its first wave)

The Mexican trialed the Craic and only managed to find a couple of close outs.  "The first take off took me by surprise said the Mex, it was so fast it slipped out from under me" said the Mex.  However, he managed to make the drop and a bottom turn on a couple of waves after that.

(The Dude narrowly avoids getting barrelled on his first wave on the Craic)

(The Dude declares the sea trials a success, "hooray and thanks to Hughey")

(The Other Dude catches the next wave)

(The Other Dude gets some speed off the bottom)

The sea trials were definitely a success and The Craic is likely to be seen as a permanent fixture under the Dude's feet from now on.
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Expression Session 1 - Macho

If ever there was wise old man of the sea its oldfartsurfer Macho.  Not only is he wise but he is a mastersurfcraftdesigner and what he doesn't know about making boards go could easily be remebered if we could figure out what it is.  In this, the second featured olfartsurfer from Expressions Session 1, Macho shows us how to look wise by sitting calmly on his board staring intently at the horizon.  He looks so wise no one argues with him, but of course he rarely utters a sound because he knows everthing and wouldn't waste his breath on fools.

(Wise old man of the sea, Macho, stares intently at the horizon, summoning a set)

(Macho and the perfect crouch)

Another way Macho expresses his personality is by his measured and precise stylised surfing.  He uses perfect technicque from wave selection, position on the peak, paddling, take off and off course his signature crouch.

(Macho with perfect technique)

We asked Macho for some comments on the Expression Session, but of course he didn't answer, just stared at the horizon.

(Macho expressing himself by staring wisely at the horizon, The Dude in the background)

Surf buddy, the Dude, said "Macho controls the pack and we even think he might be controlling the waves because he always gets the best ones."  Old Farts Surf Co. Head Honcho, The Mexican said "there is a rumour that Macho is actually a physcial manifestation of the surf god Hughey".  Macho neither confirmed or denied this, further entrenching the legend while staring mystically at the horizon.

(Macho paddling out towards the horizon while another dude surfs by)

(Macho with perfect take-off and crouch)

(Macho with his perfect crouch coming out of the sun or is that Hughey)

Click here for the previous article on The Dude at Expression Session 1.

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Expression Session 1 - The Dude

I am pretty sure that it was 1972 because I went with Scotty, a surfie from Sydney who also played half back in our rugby team, and Scotty was only at the school when when I was in Grade 10, which was 1972.  Scotty took me to a movie called "Expression Session 2" at the State Theatre.  It was pretty exciting turning up to the theatre and seeing Kombis and panel vans parked in the street and guys with long blond hair, Roman sandles and scruffy jeans.  We didn't see them in my suburb.  It was at the time when there was a debate about whether surfing was a sport or an art.  According to the movie, instead of a competition, surfers

(The dude paddles out to conduct the Expression Session)

were paid to surf giant 3rd reef pipeline while they filmed it with four cameras (two in the water and two on land).  They had gathered all the big name surfers of the time, who probably would have been there anyway, and, as the title suggests, they were expressing themselves on the waves.  At giant pipeline "expressing yourself" probably involves expressing your survival instinct and maintaining some form of honour by not soiling your boardies in front of your peers, the crowd on the beach and the boys in the theatre who had probably never surfed anthying over 3'.  The images of Expression Session 2 still stick in my mind today.  Guys riding these huge green walls with a strong offshore breeze, big barrells and massive wipeouts.  I still can't figure out how more people don't die riding those waves.

(The Dude lifts his baton to begin the first movement)

Following the success of the recent World Series Surfing Splinter Group competititions, the Old Farts Surf Co. (OFSC) decided to revive the expressions session concept as a way of showing the surfing world how to enjoy surfing without commercial hype and allowing oldfartsurfers to express themselves without the inhibitions imposed by a competition environment.  OFSC Head Honcho, The Mexican, said "we gathered as many Old Farts Surf Co. stickered surfers as we could for the event and asked them to surf how they felt".  "The results were amazing, we had two cameras shooting the action, one from the water and one on the beach, capturing surfers carving lines on waves expressing how they felt" said the Mex. 

(The Dude paddles back out through the crashing waves, boards and bodies)

Canadian upstart, Moose, manned the camera on the beach and displayed her artistic eye to capture the magic being expressed by the surfers.  According to Moose, "The pure artistry in the water inspired my photo taking".  Talking about his first attempt at water photography,The Mex said he was "inspired by the survival instinct amidst crashing waves, boards and bodies".   Even Spot, after an inspirational performance on the board, took to the water with Camera, overcoming his dibilitating fear of men in grey suits, to take an inspirational photo of The Mex late in the session.

(The Dude extracts pianisimo from his hollow wooden surfboard "The Craic")

We've decided to bring the photos to the readers, surfer by surfer.  This way the mood and feelings being expressed by each individual can be truly presented as "their" exhibition.  The surfer we have chosen for the first exhibition is one of the original oldfartsurfer,s mastersurfcraftsman and perenial crowd favourite, The Dude.  The Dude has a music in his blood, his dad played the guitar, and some photos suggest a subliminal desire to conduct an orchestra.  "We didn't realise how beneficial the Expression Session concept would be for the surfers" said The Mex.  "We thought it would simply be a display for the surfing world that the surfers could be proud of, and didn't realise the journey of self discovery it took the performers on until we got the photos back and the surfers talked to us about them." 

(The Dude lifting the baton for a crescendo as Spot paddles by)

When viewing the photos, The Dude said "that's when I realised I had been denying my desire to conduct an orchestra and now I've done it in the ocean".  Other surfers discovered things about themselves, Macho to be a Yogi, The Mexican to seek the essence of nothing and Spot discovered he could surf.  Stay tuned as their expressions willbe presented soon.

(The Dude, baton down, focusing on the bar ahead)

(The Dude eases the Craic through a movement while Macho watches in awe)

(The Dude in the moment where he lowers the baton at the finale, just before the applause erupts.)

(The Dude, paddling back for an encore)

As to the debate whether surfing is art or a sport, in 1972, I think I just thought it was something you did because you loved doing it, like climbing a mountain, reading a book or growing roses.

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Old Fart Pete

Oldfartsurfer Pete has filmed and posted this sensational video of himself on You Tube.  We can't see any wrinkles on the dude but we'll assume he has achieved olfartsurfer status with pure attitude.  According to Pete:

Old Fart himself..Pete Hodgson..testing the GoPro HD and my new (TOP SECRET..SHHH) surfboard GoPro pole mount in a decent barrel at Rocky Point. Notice the height of the camera off my board. Pretty cool huh? The GoPro HD is set at 720p 60 FPS. The camera and new pole mount are two feet off the tail and work great..the old fart..not working so well.. but thanks asking and for viewing and don't bother looking for the comedy rating on this clip. I tried but couldn't add it to the current rating system...

The editorial crew at the OFSC all voted this video 10 out of 10 for quality, innovation, admitting yer an old fart, but in particular the colour of the board.  We love green.

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