Day 1: En Route

Our plane awaits in Dallas. 16.5 hours constitutes a journey in my book and I’m looking forward to this one for sure. See ya later flat New Jersey!

Day 2: Jackpot

Million dollar views are common in Coolangatta, Australia but we definitely got a 10 million dollar view from our apartment here at Snapper Rocks. Only thing we are lacking is some swell at the currently “Not-so-super” superbank. No Instagram filter needed.

Day 3: B n’ E Roll

It’s raining and the waves aren’t exactly getting me amped to jump outta bed this morning, but my Bacon and Egg Roll complimented with a cappuccino is coming to my rescue. For those of you who know about B n’ E Rolls and aren’t able to have on right this second – I’m sorrry. For those of you who don’t know about them…well…let’s just say you haven’t lived until you’ve had one.

Day 4: Babes

While the waves may not be pumping at the superbank at the moment, it’s still easy to be entertained by what’s happening on the beach. The Gold Coast has no shortage of fine female specimens prancing around and that goes double for when the Quiksilver Pro is in town. It seems like every girl has a fit, tanned, and toned bum around these parts and these girls know it. Sloppy Philadelphians that swarm the beaches of the Atlantic could learn a thing or two from these healthy beauties.

A short film shot on the North Shore of Oahu featuring Kalani Chapman, Flynn Novak, TJ Barron,
Bruce Irons, Keali’i Mamala and more.

Directed by Alex DePhillipo
Water Cinematography- Erik Ippel, Alex DePhillipo
Edit- Alex DePhillipo
Additional Cinematography- Freddy Malone
Please Like our Facebook page and get all updates and edits!
Visit darkfallproductions.tv

Click here to view the embedded video.

By now we all know Irene wasn’t the storm everyone thought it would be in Jersey.  No 6 feet of water, no hundred mile an hour winds, no 15 inches of rain.  But for all of what Irene wasn’t, she was one thing – awesome for the people who didn’t flee Ocean City.  At 5pm, the police force seemingly closed up shop, all the cars had already gotten off the island, and aside from a few fire trucks and the rouge zombie walking around, the town was ours.  Despite the urgings from all our parents and friends to ‘stay safe’, we weren’t going to let 12 hours of lawlessness go by without a lil insanity.

In the end, the waves were fun but nothing too insane.  A few heavy barrels, a few face smashes, a broken board or two and a bunch of residual over hype.  Luckily I did get a chance to swim and get a few photos at dark.  Only two or three good ones, but plenty for the scrap heap here.   Enjoy.

Scoping the police scene - none found. Go time.

Raging Hurricanes and Raging to Judas Priest

It did come down a little bit heavy at times

Backside Street tubes galore

Staying Safe for sure

Riding a dirtbike in 60 mph rain storm, check.

Look. At. That. Jaw.

Partying with the dudes from Deadliest Catch

Dirtbike on the beach, why not?

Brad Pastrana

Chalk one up for Lurch

Princess Jia doing some interior decorating with the new plywood walls

Kev noticing Rich's insane tagging skillz

Brad still can't believe Selena Gomez is dating Bieber. He's now trying to mack Joe Jonas.

Jamie slotted despite gale force offshores

Sight that brought a tear to my eye: AC residents caught in a sand tornado.

Hurricane Hunters on the prowl

The shot before this is actually kinda sick

Zack got a million barrels but every one we connected on was an almond

Andy Carter enjoying the day off from saving lives

Ian on the bomb of the night sesh

Alex claimed he would get a shot and stuck true

Damn chandeliers

One of the real evening caves

Jesse taking advantage of the casino lights

Broken board on my first session riding it - Karma for all the debauchery.

Maybe, it’s the fact that I’ve seen the true carnage that Teahupoo can deliver (see Jamie’s picture in http://surferscandy.com/jamiemoran/2009/08/17/the-boys-go-to-tahiti/), but the Billabong Pro in Tahiti is by far my favorite contest to watch.

All the surfers pretend they want to have the contest in the biggest Teahupoo possible. However, with just the thought of how ridiculous the wave can get, the top 34 start squirming around like a pre-teen girl about to witness her first Friday the 13th movie. And let’s be honest, some of them do look like pre-teen girls (ya hear me Julian Wilson).

And I’m actually pretty pumped Dane is sitting out of this one, which means we get to see Cory Lopez do what he does best. Although we’ve all been hating on Adriano since Brazil, there’s a chance Adriano might actually get the score, legitimately this time, if he tries pulling a floater out in massive Chopes.

Let the carnage begin!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The physical aspect of the race was pretty grueling and a true challenge. Imagine paddling at 80-90% for nearly 5 hours straight without stopping – pretty brutal. The first two miles are tough just getting warmed up and loose, then you hit your stride from mile 2 through mile 8 then some fatigue sets in but you push past that before having your arms nearly go numb. A couple more bursts of energy are immediately followed by major physical walls but that’s were the mental aspect comes in to just keep pushing onward. And so it goes. There were a couple stressful moments as I dodged some serious tugboats, ferries, and barges in the East River – it was clear they were not going to move an inch for what I’m sure they figured was a dumb ass kid floating in the river all by his lonesome.

Mentally the paddle was awesome. Its filled with excitement and adrenaline out of the gates which then segues into surfacing thoughts coming deep from the brain which then turns into crazier thoughts driven by fatigue and ultimately a complete breakdown of the mind. In today’s fast paced lifestyle I find this kind of mental breakdown and expulsion of random deep thoughts a refreshing change. It is truly a great form of meditation.

After feeling lost and not really knowing where I was in relation to the finish for hours, I finally found myself creeping up on the Brooklyn Bridge which would be the finish of the paddle. After a final push through what felt like the longest 2 miles of my life I had made it. All in all I was super stoked on the paddle and glad to have helped raise money and awareness for the two great causes.

Thank you so much to everyone that donated for the paddle and supported my decision to get weird in the East River!!!!!

Prepping for the paddle

Hydration is key. Andy Carter rigging up some Gatorade.

My 12 foot beast outfitted with some GU sugar gels to keep myself fueled up for the long paddle.

Burning an estimated 5000 calories during the paddle it's essential to recoup some of that along the way. I nearly threw up after my 5th one of these.

The flotilla getting ready to push off.

The starting point. Beautiful skyline or concrete jungle? That's the new Freedom Tower being built where the World Trade Centers once stood.

And they're off! The non-racers got a 30 min headstart as they trekked up the Hudson River.

Despite the photo above, this photo really sums up the paddle. Just you, the water, and wild backdrop.

Andy Carter stoked to give the other paddlers a head start before smoking them all to the finish line!

Andy and Dan debating how hard they were gonna push it. They ended up pushing it pretty freaking hard.

The George Washington Bridge from below.

My favorite scene of the paddle. The GW bridge going into something other than concrete.

One the other 20 bridges our course took us under.

The finish line was at the "beach" under the Brooklyn Bridge. Just hanging with Duncan and the pals.

Me about 10lbs lighter than when I started and stoked to be done. Don't let my delirious smile fool you...I'm about 2 seconds away from puking.

On the flat and steamy days of summer, the Ocean City crew will often just hang on the beach, boards in hand but more there to hangout with friends than actually surf.  A Sunday afternoon wouldn’t be complete without a few cold beers, but on this particular day we were fresh out.  Andy Carter, renowned lifeguard and shredder, lives just a few blocks from where we were hanging and came through by bringing not only one, but TWO Heinikens from his parents refridgerator.

A contest was born.  While the first Heineken was destined for Andy’s own liver, the second was up for grabs.  Like a flock of hungry seagulls, everyone on the beach swarmed around reaching out for the cool green bottle, elbows flying and mouths squawking.  Andy deemed that the second beer would be the prize for the winner of a surf contest held at that very moment.  The three most thristy surfers (Jamie, Brad and Chris Kelly) all grabbed their boards and darted off for their 15 minute winner-take-all final.

Chris struck first and jumped out to an early lead with a 6.5 right hander complete with a few slashes, a floater, and an amazing kickout.  Our panel of beach-chair judges were impressed.  Jamie, steaming with anger, pushed into a small but bowly right.  His turns were a bit flatter than Chris’s and the wave ended up mushing out, netting him a 5.0.  As time dwindled, Jamie thrust into a few more crumblers but couldn’t put together a score higher than a 3.5.  With just minutes to go, Chris snapped back with a huge 7.5 ride, taking him from jetty to jetty on a peeling right filled with numerous slashes and an inside 360.  After doing a little board-throw claim, Chris hurried out the back to sit on Jamie for the rest of the heat.

As time expired Chris came in to a beach full of admiring fans, got a few hugs, and signed a baby.  As Chris was recieving his first ceremonial lay of the night, Jamie was spotted out the back having a 2006 Kelly Slater pipe masters melt down, refusing to come in and face the shame he created for himself.  Brad had the worst showing known to man – think of Yadin Nichol in the US Open but much more embarrassing and with much more at stake.

Big thanks to Andy Carter for bringing down the prizes and huge thanks to his parents for buying and chilling the beer in the first place.  Stay tuned for the announcement of the trials event which will be held this winter to secure the wildcard spot in next years Heineken Challenge contest.

The trilling awards ceremony

A well deserved congratulations from the contest promoter

A worth prize for a true American champion

Scrot sweat and grovel sessions aside, summer also means one more thing: PARTY TIME!  Problem is, where should we party?  I’ll tell you where.  Someplace excessively warm. A place where the Budweiser flows like wine. Where uber-tanned fake brested women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I’m talking about a little place called Margate.   Thats where Waynestock Beachstock was being held this past Saturday.

Beachstock sounds rad – live bands, good food, drinks on the beach, and lots of Gucci sunglasses.  It’s an all day affair, the highlight being the 3pm tow-at demo put on by the Heritage Team mere feet from oblivious swimmers.  With waist to chest high waves, clean conditions, and open sun, this year’s demo was prepping to be an epic one too.  Unfortunately, the winds came onshore, a tow rope was run over crippling one ski, and I parked at the wrong street and had to walk 2 miles on the beach and missed half the action.

At any rate, the Heritage Team knows how to put on a good show, and although it wasn’t perfect there were still plenty of tibia thrashing theatrics for the gaudy onlookers to enjoy.  Below is “Flyin” Ian Bloch, “Sandy Andy” Gesler, Jamie “Hard J” Moran, and “Slammin” Scott Drages.

Whip it good.

Satan Spawns are common occurrence in South Jersey

Only problem is that it waist high

Forget all these grabs and rotations, the new decade is all about the straight airs

Alley-oops are back too

Couldn't tell if they're directing an airplane or doing the Macarena

Drages' patented maneuver - high speed nosedive

This is actually pretty sick.

Only in Margate can a fro like that pick up ladies

Jamie Spotting that Landing

Freestylin Feetus Air

(Come back for comment - need to look this up)

Ankle Annihilator

Kinda Babes and Sorta Waves

Brace for impact

Go Pro fo sho

After a few hours, the typical haze that plagues that spot started to form.  Somehow it knows the exact path of the sun and with no other clouds in the sky, there manages to be a strip that blocks it all day and creates flat light which is less than optimal for shooting.  Typically I would be over shooting, but a few weeks earlier I had decided to pick up a new flash and housing so I decided to give it a swim in the evening.

Man did that end up being a good idea.  I’m pretty sure that single three hour swim resulted in more coverage then I’ve ever gotten in all my years of shooting combined.  First, there was an immediate Surfline swell gallery which ran many of the non-print-worthy shots, but those galleries typically get 50,000 views and most riders now have Surfline as part of their photo incentive contracts.  Jamie, Rob, Chris and Zack all got shots run in that one and hopefully got a little bit of cash from their sponsors for it.

Since that first Surfline run, I’ve sold photos from that day for an O’neill poster of Zack, a Billabong poster of Rob, and had a full page run in the Surfers Journal.   For those who don’t know, Jeff Divine  (OG surf photographer) is the photo editor of The Surfers Journal and getting a full page shot run by him has been the pinnacle of my surf photo career without a doubt.  The latest to get run from that swim was a flash feature in ESM which netted Brad a full page shot, and Jamie the cover shot when, by the grace of allah, the sun snuck out from under a cloud and I was able to get the lighting I hoped for all afternoon.

I couldn’t be more stoked to see everyone get great coverage from this day.  These guys all shoot with me often – trusting their time, jobs, and in some cases lives knowing that I will perform on the other side of the lens.  Admittedly, I don’t have as much pull with magazines and brands as other shooters do, but this crew continues to stick with me and it’s something I remember and appreciate.  When shots do get run, not only does it make me stoked to see my work in print, but to let the guys I’m shooting with know that there is an end product to all the hustling and madness we put ourselves through.

Thanks to everyone who has helped along the way with getting these photos run, and all the people who have taken the time and initiative to give feedback on the work – we see it all.  Hopefully this recent run will build my street cred even more with the editorial and advertising worlds and enable us all to continue to expand our Jersey surf empire and bring more visual treats and stories to those who aren’t fortunate enough to live it with us firsthand.

First Jersey ESM cover in a looong time.

Full page in The Surfers Journal - I got sucked over the falls in the next frame

Brad's Full Page in ESM - He's searching for sponsors people!

Not from our Super Session, but older one of Zack in Indo - Full Page ESM this Issue

This video was one of the last swells of the winter/spring season. In it there’s a bunch of eating shit with a couple barrels that were worth the wait. It’s also my farewell to waves that good that Jersey will likely not have until Fall. I’ll be patiently waiting for waves again like this. But I know it will be worth the wait…

Click here to view the embedded video.

I do apologize if I was quick with conversation, but just made sure to reach out to everyone.  I did not expect that many people to show up so was some what overwhelmed.  It was very emotional in a positive way knowing all of you were there for me.  I know people were unable to make it and that is understandable because life brings us plans.  I know a lot of you that could not be there wanted to be there and have even still gave me donations.  I am so grateful and I hope everyone enjoyed the event.

Special thanks to Stacey Marchel and Stacey’s Surf Camp for making this happen.  She took time off to really make the fundraiser possible and such great success.  Thank you Stacey.

Also thanks to my family and friends who help set up the day of the event.  Thank you to everyone that donated for raffles.  There were so many great options for the people to choose from and I plan on getting thank you letters out this week to as many people  as possible because everyone deserves one being apart of my support group.

As for my recovery things are going great.  At the moment I am off all medications except for supplements.  Food digests so quickly through me that it is hard to keep all the nutrients in my body.  I am on a very strict diet, but I don’t mind.  It actually is very healthy.  During my recovery I tried to eat corn, which they say is not good because it is hard to digest, they were right.   I had a blocked up small intestine.  I spent almost 24 hours in pain while nothing was coming out of my stoma.  I knew it was blocked up, but nothing seemed to be working to release it so my mom drove me up to the ER at Penn and they admitted me just to make sure that was definitely the problem.  It was Easter morning and I was woken up by the nurse to have my vials checked and felt at that time a very warm and wet texture.  The blockage had passed through filling my bag up to capacity removing it from attachment.  Happy Easter to me!  It did feel good though and since then have been extra careful with what I am eating because I do not want to go through that ever again.

I am in the water again full time.  It feels so good to be able to be surfing again.  To have those sessions with your friends and getting a few good turns in really makes your day that much better.  I have worked hard to heal and get myself to this point.  I started doing yoga as soon as I felt alright stretching and have stuck with it going 3 to 4 times a week.  I have recently started a workout to get my strength back, but only using an exercise ball. I am surfing better than I have ever surfed before.  The stoma does get a little irritated from laying on it and the bag fills up, which can all be a little  frustrating.

For people that did not make the event I had pictures displayed of my body with the stoma.  I am now having them on my blog for everyone else to see.  The photos were taken by Trevor Moran.  He took about 300 and these are the 5 we chose for the display.  They are kind of graphic, but it is interesting to see the stoma and it shows a little of what I was forced to live with so that I didn’t have to be on medications, in pain and going to the bathroom 30 times a day.  I hope you enjoy and  there are some highlights of the fundraiser.

the Kevin RIchards as we know

the bag

look at that left hand barrel tattoo, oh yea and the stoma

hanging tough

the same Kevin Richards

so many raffles

pre-fundraiser help from Maddun

Much Love from PBL

and Timmy

Tyler joined a crew from up North to make it.

live music watchers

the event did clear out Maynards outside bar.

i guess Trevor passed over the camera

crazy eyes

PBL's biggest fan

Much Love from DJ Phoecus

palz

Charlie rounding up

raffle madness, thanks Matty

Jake getting down

beauties

Brad stop messing with that baby.

Bobby Fresh is pretty gangster, haha

these two, Rich and Jeanine

Scott, Zack, Jeanine

everyone