Ocean Artwork

Water shots and waves at Froggies beach

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:11:23 +0000

I love shooting in the water … its so much fun.
Even on an average day of surf you can come up with some good results.
These shots are taken at a little beach close to Duranbah and Snapper Rocks.
On Monday the 11th January 2010
Its usually just a close out with heaps of backwash waves off the rocks.
Which makes it even more fun and interesting.
cheers
Dan

Driftwood Timber Surf, creators and designers of Surf Art and fine Timber surfboard shaped coffee tables

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:32:17 +0000

Driftwood Timber Surf are producers of fine Surf Art and Timber surf furniture
Jason and Tina Williams started their business in the late 1990’s.
No one had successfully created a surfboard shaped coffee table that looked good and was sturdy and functional, So Jason and Tina set about creating one.
The first coffee Tables were hand painted by Tina with unique and original Surf Art . They were made with metal tubular legs. These tables had a lot of work put into them and Jason and Tina found most people were more interested in hanging the artwork on their walls rather than resting their coffee cups on them.
Since then they have evolved into a sturdy and attractive piece of furniture that any surfer would be proud to own and have in their living room.

As the business grew so did the line of products , Tina produced more examples of fine Surf Art. So it was an obvious move to start producing Surfboard shaped picture frames or wall hangings which have since become one of their most prized and consistent selling products.

After about 4 years in business they decided to invest in their own computerized over head router which gave them the ability to handle custom jobs and orders.

These days Driftwood Timber Surf has become one of the main suppliers of Surf Trophies for contests and has created unique and original looking timber designs for surf trophies for Surfing Australia, Surfing NSW and Surfing Queensland.

You can purchase any Of Driftwood Timber Surf’s fine products from this site or catch them at the Gold Coast markets and sometimes the Byron Bay markets.

Driftwood Timber Surf products are a great idea for a gift or Christmas present that any surfer would be stoked to receive.

Its still not too late to order for Christmas… SO GET YOUR ORDER IN NOW FOR CHRISTMAS BEFORE ITS NOT TOO LATE

PLEASE NOTE: INTERNATIONAL ORDERS please contact us first before placing your order. Some of these products are quite heavy and can be very costly to ship depending on what part of the world you are in.

Diverse Surfboards Photo shoot at Fingal Head

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:37:20 +0000

Cruised down to Fingal Head last week with Feral Dave and a few of his riders. We tried Letitia spit near the sand pumping jetty but the peaks were shifting around so much it was no good for shooting from the water. So we decided to look for something else.

We found a nice little bank in front of the Surf Club at Fingal, it was pretty small but the water temperature was great and crystal clear. I got a few nice shots of some tiny tubes as well as a few of the boys…
But it was a shame it wasn’t just a touch bigger

Chris Stanton turned up and had a go on several of the boards Dave had brought along.

Daves board brand is Diverse, you can find them at Tugun or on their web site www.diversesurf.com.au
the sequence of Jason Gale at Rainbow bay on the home page was taken by me about a year ago.

More Humpback Whale photos from the Gold Coast

admin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:30:01 +0000

Its been another beautiful week of weather, here on the Gold Coast.
Its a pity I had to spend most of it in front of the computer working.
On Monday I managed to get some time out to go out on the ‘Whale Watcher’ a local Charter boat in Tweed Heads.

There was plenty of whale action and even a very new calf … that was possibly only a few days old.

Here’s a few of the best shots from the day.
You can see more of the photos from the day by clicking here

The Hunt for the Great White Whale – Migaloo

admin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:27:07 +0000

Migaloo the only completely white Humpback whale in existence recently made an appearance off the Gold Coast. And I was lucky enough to get a few shots of him!!
I first heard about Migaloo from Tony and Carol Hunt of Aquatic Blue Charters, a Whale Watching charter boat based in the Tweed Heads / Coolangatta area. they had actually come in contact with this amazing animal when they were working out of Port Macquarie in 2005.

Carol gets pretty excited when she sees any humpback whale. So she was ecstatic when she heard that Migaloo was spotted off Port Macquarie on Sunday the 28th June.

According to Tony and Carols calculations that meant Migaloo would be off the Gold Coast around Tuesday or Wednesday.

They were pretty much spot on because the ‘big white fella’ (aboriginal meaning for Migaloo) was spotted off Evans Head on Monday then again off Ballina late Tuesday afternoon.
I was out on the Whale watching charter with them on Tuesday morning and got some nice tail photos of several humpbacks cruising north in very glassy windless conditions.
When we heard that evening that Migaloo was off Ballina, we were a little concerned that he may have passed during the night. And we would miss him.

And sure enough there were reports the next morning that he had been spotted off Moreton Island up north.
By now I was beginning to understand how Captain Ahab felt when he was chasing the elusive ‘Moby Dick’
Wednesday morning we headed out with a full charter of about 40 people .
The weather was the complete opposite of the day before choppy, windy and crossing the Tweed Bar was a bit like a Theme Park ride!!.

We spotted a pod of whales not far off the coast, but with all the bouncing around from the northerly wind swell … it was a nightmare trying to get photos.
Then we got a call on the radio from Mal of Fingal Charters that he was following Migaloo about 10 nautical miles off the coast.
We headed out there and I managed to get a few shots.

Migaloo is truly an amazing whale to see. He is completely and totally white.

I just wish he had been a little more active .
The photos below are from the 30th June and 1st of July 2009.

Many thanks to Tony and Carol of Aquatic Blue Charters Whale watching for getting me out there.

Bali island of the Gods… that includes Huey

admin — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:50:49 +0000

Bali is one of my favourite places in the world…

The people are friendly, climate is great, it’s cheap to live and the waves are some of the best in the world.
This trip put me up to around 20 visits since 1980. And at 2 weeks the shortest trip Ive ever made there.

Bali is one of the most culturally rich experiences for the traveler and a dream for Photographers.
As you can tell by this short post I love the place and am already planning my next trip there.

The surf wasn’t so great this time but as you can see by the photos even a bad day of surf in Bali is still pretty dam good… I guess that’s why its become one of the surfing Mecca’s of the world.
Here are a few of the photos I took on this trip. I hope you like them

Dan

Water shots from Duranbah, Coolangatta 13th May 2009

admin — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:21:55 +0000

This morning I finally got back in the water and took a few water shots…
Im heading to Bali in a few weeks and I thought that I should try and get a bit of fitness happening . Ive been woeking a lot and sitting at the computer way too much… but hey … gotta pay the bills right?
Duranbah was fun, about 3 feet and there were a few nice clean little barrels coming through.
The peaks were shifting around a bit and the water was nice and clear.
Ill be trying to get out there as much as possible in the next few weeks.
I dont want to be huffing and puffing if I get caught inside in 6 foot Indo waves…
I hope yoo enjoy the shots
Dan

The swell keeps coming … and coming. More photos from the Super Bank and Snapper Rocks to Kirra April 20th

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:20:35 +0000

The swell keeps hanging around… It seems like the waves havent got under 3 feet for over 2 months now.
There were great waves over the weekend . I didnt pick up the camera on the weekend but had a great surf at Duranbah and surprised myself by picking up a few nice peaks in the school holiday crowd.
Shaun Harington was out there ripping on an old brown board. I saw him on one wave, backdoor the peak taking off pigdogging goofy (switchfoot) and then switch foot back, while in the tube and come sailing out in his normal stance … natural. Nice move Hazza!!
That one wave had me wishing I had my water rig out there…
Monday,this morning a brand new swell arrived this from the south.
Along with it came 20 knot winds.
I got down there pretty early, to check it out. Its been a while since Ive shot anything from the water so I was pretty keen to go for a swim. Unfortunately the conditions were less than ideal for water shots.
Duranbah was huge and out of control…The wind was howling offshore and the sweep was horrendous.
Shooting from the water is always a hit and miss situation and the odds were I would only score a few good ones with a 2 hour swim, so I opted for land based photos.
I shot 200-300 pics (the beauty of digital) These are the pick of them. If you see a photo of yourself here, or you were out surfing I may have a photo of you. If you think this is the case then contact me by clicking here.

Ocean Rhythms – Surf movie Classic a film by Steve Core

admin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:05:00 +0000

Ocean Rhytms is a classic old surf flick shot in 16mm by 70’s surf photography legend Steve Core. With incredible vintage footage of MP, Rabbit and P.T in their primes.
these guys were the original Cooly kids

Steve has recently had the movie remasterd to digital and its now available on DVD .

You can purchase a copy by clicking here on Ocean Artwork
or check out Steve’s new site UtmostSpirit.com.

Below is a the original review published in TRACKS in 1975
written by the one and only Martin Tullemans

Steve gets it all Flowing.

Ocean Rhythms is not only a current up to date look at hot radical surfing – it is a refreshingly entertaining surf movie: something very different from the stereotyped overseas formula for a surf flick. Certainly it is not as slick; without the mandatory Pipeline water footage and other effects which we have been accustomed to from the Hollywood of surf footage: Hawaii.
It largely owes its popularity to the fact that it is about Australian surfers surfing their own waves and ripping tem to its. You can’t help but get the feeling that was expounded years ago; that we’re tops now! For once a surf film maker has given an audience what they have been wanting; an honest in depth surfer’s movie featuring Australia’s best surfers on their favourite home surf breaks.
Definitely value, this one, as there is a variety of surfers and great surf breaks filmed from unreal positions as well as photographically stimulating approaches to keep you hanging on the edge of the seat. There is some Bells footage in there, an unreal reef sequence with P.T., Rabbit (the bunny in the burrow) and Ian Cairns where the film’s maker Steve Core was able to get a look straight down the length of the tube that is pretty full on.

Terry Richardson at his home break blowing people out with his cutbacks into the tube as well as some Bali material of a short trip. Rabbit rips up Duranbah, Burleigh, Kirra and carves great hunks at Uluwatu, often sliding into deep caverns and attempting radical moves which he pulls off frequently.
There are some crowd loosener-uppers tacked on to the opening moments in each half of the film of a zany W.C.Fields slapstick and a Woody Woodpecker enhancing the entertainment and assisting as valuable cutaways to keep you interested as pure surfing is a bit heavy to sit through continuously.
Michael comes on in the second half riding some outrageous tubes at Kirra and Burleigh which he carves up casually with a fierce radical aggressiveness that completely put his true ability in clear perspective.
Peter Crawford’s individual surfing style and ability on his circus machine at Dee Why and the incredible backside moves of Col Smith complete a well balanced overall picture of contemporary Australian surfers.
The coke contest section is a great statement of the radical surfing of the times, with everyone ripping, slicing, shredding, powering and generally going for it something fierce.
Martin Tullemans

A few shots of the Super bank off Big groyne Kirra Monday 6th April

admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:20:38 +0000

Theres been a lot of talk about Kirra being back…..

Well Im here to tell you that’s all a load of crap.

There’s still billions of tons of sand filling in the break that was once the infamous Kirra.

Sure theres been some great waves out in front of the Big groyne lately, courtesy of cyclone Jasper. But the reality is if you went any further down the line, from Big groyne, it was almost impossible to take off without Jetski assistance.

Sure you can call it the ‘best Kirra in years’ but the truth is the spot where Shane Beschen scored his two perfect 10’s many years ago is still well and truly buried.

There have been many photos floating about in the last few months.
and so many photographers covering its incredible.
So you can imagine my surprise when I ventured down there on Monday to fire a few off and I was the only photographer there.

Heres a sample.