The Test Shoot
The weather’s fitting for the first day of ‘The Endless Winter’; dark and damp. It looks like a nightmare to paddle out to the breaking waves, but Mitch and Egor seem keen, so get suited up (wetsuited that is). There’s quite a few local surfers in the car park and they’re all saying it’s going to be pointless trying to film in the water and that I probably won’t even get out back. But as it’s a test day I decide to get the water housing on and try to paddle out there, even if only to dust off the cobwebs and just get wet.
After a long walk across the beach and very long swim outback, I finally make it into position with Egor and Mitch. Yurgen (Richie Mullins) is also out there. I get pounded by wave after wave, and even pinned to the seabed when one heavy inside wave lands directly on top of me – but we manage to get a couple good ‘hook ups’ and as well as plenty of underwater carnage footage! Egor takes off on a wave directly in front of me, luckily I have faith in his surfing ability to make the drop and to not run me over and take my head off, and so we get a nice unique angled shot. As the sun begins to set, the clouds part enough to allow some very welcome light into my lens, resulting in some pretty, but still foreboding finishing footage.
After an hour and a half of swimming it’s time to head back in, get changed, and go straight to the pub and have dinner with the crew. More talking kit, talking rubbish, then back to the luxury caravan to review footage and prepare for the following day. All in all a successful first day, with a bonus of bagging some nice water clips in the process.
“Our mission: Spreading awareness through music. Helping to conserve our oceans for future generations.”
