A kid in a candy store.

Life couldn't get much better at the moment. Despite the minor setback I gave myself while surfing last Friday, putting my knee thru my surfboard...theres not really much I can complain about ($40 at the ding repair shop to fix). The Quiksilver pro was up and running last Saturday, where I put my internship to work, and Greg (owner of Motion Media) and myself filmed the top pro's in the world kill it down at Snapper. Greg hooked it up huge and got me a "media pass" wristband which gave me access to a fair amount of the tents, and concessions that Quiksilver had set aside for competitors and those working the comp (free food, clothes, redbull, coronas)....pretty sweet deal if you ask me. It was so awesome to witness that level and intensity of surfing first hand, plus the atmosphere of the contest alone was crazy. So many people, especially beautiful women, basking in the sun, watching surfing, and loving life. Definitely one of the most amazing things I've gotten to experience thus far in my life. 4 hours of shooting in perfect 85 degree Australian sunshine at one of the biggest ASP surf events in the world, has definitely got me thinking that this is a profession I may want to pursue. Unfortunately, the contest has been put on hold since sunday, due to a flat spell thats moved into the area. First time since I've been here that theres really been no waves. I kinda lucked out though, no waves and I don't have a surfboard at the moment. The Quiky's scheduled to continue this coming Saturday, and the reports are claiming a pretty big swell to start showing up tomorrow and holding all throughout next week. Things could get a little crazy over at Snapper this weekend. Big waves, big barrels, big hacks...the shooting should be perfect.

Had my Human Resource Mgmt. midterm on monday....that sucked. 7 essay questions from 6 weeks of class and 2 hours to take it. What kind of shitty exam format is that? Talk about a hand cramp. It took me 9 pages to finish, but that was pretty much the bulk of work I've done all week. In other Uni news, I have my first major photography assignment due Monday. 15 prints, and explanation of the subject matter and what I was trying to achieve thru the photo. This is one of the few assignments I've gotten that I actually won't mind spending some time on. Being surrounded by media nonsense all the time, its really starting to grow on me. Still working on building that network (it's going REAL well lately).

Last night was the Intersection ASL party. Intersection is a feature surf film, produced by Taylor Steele. Its a compilation of edits from the best surfers around the world and edited together to create a full on movie. The catch to this movie is that it was put together via internet voting on each part, and once the movie was created, people could vote on the best part...the winner receiving a fat check of $100,000. Well thats what the party was last night...to announce the winner of that contest. It was held down at a bar/club called Komune down in Coolangatta. Such a sick party. Free Coronas, free redbull, and mobbed with pro surfers and hot chicks....heaven. So unreal to share a beer with surfers like Jordy Smith, Ozzy Wright, and Matt Meoala. I watched Ozzy put on a live show with his band Ozzy Wrong, standing 2 feet from the stage, and shared a beer or two with Jordy, as we watched his part of the movie play on the big screen. I ran into Sal Masekela there too...pretty funny considering I've seen him on TV a million times before. My experience here has been unreal. I feel so fortunate to go to events such as this. I watched 20 year old Matt Meoala walk away with 100 grand...what a bastard. I ended up down at Snapper at the Quiky Pro tent, where the DJ was blasting tunes. Security at the door was tight, but I somehow managed to talk my way in, where I continued my night of partying till somewhere around 2 AM.

A $50 cab ride home and a hell of a hangover, I woke up in my bed this morning. I spent a majority of today sprawled out on the beach. Nothing the ocean can't heal...(also a full day of doing nothing). No more hang over, but I'm still pretty beat. Calling it an early one tonight. The remainder of this weekend is going to be pretty eventful. Definitely looking forward to it.

Here's a link to the edit Greg put together with footage he shot, as well as what I shot.
http://magicseaweed.com/Snapper-Off-And-Running-Content/3080/

 More pics to come this week....enjoy.

An everyday sight

Waterway shot. 

Magic hour.