It all started with the fish when the innovative shapers and board builders out there decided to revisit the past for some inspiration. In doing so they brought back some lost skills such as resin tints and hand foiled fins.The Fish Fry has been a place for these fine craftsmen to showcase their skills. We have seen some amazing boards as shapers have pushed the boundaries over the last few years. As this new look at the fish has evolved to its many forms, it has influenced other shapes and designs along the way.This has spawned a renewed interest in other board forms by this same group and a wider following.Notably the Mini Simmons, Hulls, old school Logs and Pigs. It is pleasing to note that there are an increasing number of people building their own boards as well.All of this is to be applauded and celebrated as a positive for surfing.So it is only natural that these shapers and board builders continue to share their skills with us and include these other shapes at the Fish Fry.It has truly become a melting pot of ideas for like minded people.

George

Larger than life living ledgend, his own man.

The innovator, craftsman that is Roger Hall


This how Roger Hall of Surfline Surfboards New Zealand explains this new 6ft finless....

"During the ordering process, Mark was sending me written accounts of Bob Simmons design theories as well as photos and dimensions of the boards Mark typically rides.
All Marks examples are very Simmons inspired and I got that he was walking the path less travelled. Something I can well relate to; as I guess it would be safe to say there’s not a lot of foot prints along the trail of my Hot Curl journey.
I spent most of the weekend shaping Mark’s board which bear in mind was already machine shaped. All the same I sunk a surprising amount of Roger hours into this board.
As I was nearing the finish line it occurred to me that all I had really done was shape a Bob Simmons, if you take a Bob Simmons and really exaggerate the bottom contours, really push them out there, then cut in the recess to separate the tails, leave off the twin fins then you will most likely end up with this shape! Well I did!
With this fresh revelation smacking me firmly between the eyes I stood in my dusty room with just one question: Would BOB approve? . . ."

Roger, I am sure he would. You and Bob are one of a kind.



 As you can clearly see Roger has an eye for design and innovation. Very few shapers spend the time to experiment and put the time in to go new places like this. Mate I love what you do.

The Fish

 Now you know

Happy Birthday to the Mini Simmons

This great little design reaches 10 years years old today. I have shaped many and they have provided a fun ride for lots of mates.

The Byron Bay Surf Festival is back on for 2017

Byron Bay Surf Festival is BACK
24 - 26 FEBRUARY 2017

"Surf Culture Now"

Wax-up your favourite boards, pack your car, grab your friends and head to Byron Bay this summer! The celebrated and award-winning Byron Bay Surf Festival…is back!!!

The BBSF crew took a slightly cheeky but strategic step and moved the annual Festival event from October to February, and for two very important reasons…to align the festival with surf season, and to celebrate the last days of summer with a bang! 

Founded in 2011, the annual Byron Bay Surf Festival is a non-competitive event focusing on surf culture; highlighting creativity, innovation, environment and sustainability. 

ABOUT

The 3-day event is a fusion of ‘Surf Culture Now’, featuring over 25 different free and ticketed events, including: surfing, surfboards, design, art, music, film, yoga, markets, fashion, presentations, education, demo’s, literature, history, food, health. Culminating on the final day, Sunday, with the highly popular freestyle&stoke surf sessions event, incorporating the hunters&collectors surfboard swap sell & demo, along the pristine shores of Wategos beach. Boasting a large international attendance it comes in a colour and diversity reflective of Byron Bay’s creative and unique community.
After winning the Surf Culture Award at the 2015 Australian Surfing Awards, for best contribution to surf culture, the Byron Bay Surf Festival increased it’s reputation as the best surf culture event in Australia and one not to be missed by any surfer, culture vulture, beach-goer, ocean enthusiast, art lover and any local or international visitor. The festivals mission statement reads, ‘present and maintain the culture of surfing, as an expression, art and lifestyle. Ensure that the festival reflects the values and creative culture of the Byron region and community.’ As world renowned film maker Jack McCoy quoted one year:
 “This was an amazing festival spoken from the heart to the community. There was so much Aloha, you guys really did the community a service which was felt all around town.”

Seems the mission of the festival continues being accomplished!

SCHEDULE
Friday
 Starting on the Friday afternoon with the Internationally curated artshow at the Lone Goat Gallery, the festival then moves up the road and on to Byron’s main beach foreshore for the sunset cinema which begins with a traditional welcome to country blessing from the local Arakwal and Bundjalung tribes, then on to the feature film, also including a short film, and then rounding off the first evening with live music and cold bevy’s at Byron famous ‘Beachy’ hotel.
Saturday
 The Saturday of the festival on Byron’s main beach foreshore is huge! Lined with the sprawling Surf Art Market and tipi pop-up zone this curation of all things culturally yummy tends to lure the curiosity of surfers, non surfers, the young & old, visitors, families and all sorts of ocean lovers and explorers alike, with people from many nations joining in each year. Starting with 7am yoga on the beach this indulgent day includes artshows, films, presentations, demonstrations, workshops, and an entire surf literature lounge schedule of book talks, signings and readings.

An international line-up of both established and eclectic surfboard shapers usually haunt the tipi zone exhibiting their new creations and talking with curious customers, onlookers and design junkies. All these happenings are bedded in amongst a gourmet of local and mostly organic foods, beautiful and innovative surfcrafts, delectable and cool fashion, and all this groovin’ along to the sound of live music acts from Byron Shire and many other parts of Australia. 

All events throughout the 3-day festival are free entry, aside from the community centre events, the Sunday evening wrap-up party and the greatly anticipated and high profile ticketed event on the Saturday evening. This sunset event, presented in an amazing natural environment with an intimate stage tucked in the trees along the coast, will include acoustic music, the very popular short film comp finals, an exciting surprise event and 2 amazing final live music acts.
TICKETS for this event will be very limited and will go on Sale with first locals release November 1st (stay tuned!!)

Sunday
The Sunday is beach day!! Rise and shine early at Wategos beach with the freestyle&stoke surf sessions including the hunters&collectors show, sell and demo of collectable, unique, and modern surfboards which litter the grass and foreshore in a spectacular display of handmade, art-driven and sustainably produced surfcraft. Right at the tip of Australia’s most easterly point BBSF will be hosting a handful of unique surf sessions. Most interesting could be the finless and tandem demonstrations or the newly introduced surfer/shaper session, along with the regular sessions including logs, mermaids, legends and fish categories and the very popular Party Wave Invitational cash dash which lands one very lucky surfer $1000 cash!! Brainchild of event organisers the freestyle&stoke surf sessions do not focus on traditional competitive surfing but rather it’s about the fun and pure stoke of freestyling your own creative way across a wave on the surfcraft of your choice with a peer-voted surfer in each category taking honours.

Wrapping up this amazing weekend it’s only good manners that we throw a little party on Sunday eve! This event will include live music, food and after a hot summer’s day, probably plenty of bevy’s. Again, tickets will be very limited for this event and will go on sale with second release December 1st.
This is such a great event and it is so good that it is back on. Check their website for updates

www.byronbaysurffestival.com.au

 

HIGHLIGHTS REEL FROM OUR LAST FESTIVAL!!!!! from Byron Bay Surf Festival on Vimeo.

Living on the edge


Wooden Board Day 2016 - Sunday 7th August

This years Wooden Board Day will be Sunday 7th of August and we will have an open forum discussion with guest speakers Tom Wegener and Stuart Bywater at around 11am. We can find out what Tom has been up to, what projects he has been working on and what is in the pipeline for him. Stuart is a fine furniture designer and maker as well as a great teacher in the art of building wooden surfboards through his classes he conducts throughout the year. I am sure he has also learnt much from all the questions that arise in teaching board building. It will be interesting to hear Stuart's stories.

A great time to share your projects, learn from others and ask all those questions from others who have learnt the hard way before you need to go there. Bring your boards, go for a surf, brake out the picnic lunch with the family in the park and soak up the day.
The day is a non competitive gathering of like minded people who enjoy building and riding wooden surfboards.

We are different...  " We are a splinter Group"

Any questions flip me an email : grantnewby@bigpond.com

The Board Room is on this weekend

SURFBOARD INDUSTRY HONORS GERRY LOPEZ
Manufacturers, shapers, designers descend on Del Mar for packed show with exhibits, demos and the industries finest surfboards

Del Mar, Ca., May 11, 2015 -- -- The Boardroom International Surfboard Show will honor Gerry Lopez during the Icons of Foam Tribute to the Masters Shape-off presented by US Blanks. The Boardroom, a consumer show bringing together the surf manufacturing industry, takes place at the Del Mar Fairgrounds this weekend (May 14 & 15).
"It seems my life has always been closely connected with surfboards as well as surfboard design. I am thrilled to be an Icons of Foam honoree," said Gerry Lopez. "The list of past honorees is legendary. To be included with the likes of Diff and RB is really cool, as well as very humbling, since both were mentors to me when I started building my own boards."

Six shapers in the shape-off compeition: Roger Hinds (two-time defending champion), Timmy Patterson, Ward Coffey, Ron House, Pat Rawson, and Ryan Lovelace will be asked to replicate a classic Lopez design within the 1.5 hour time allotment.

In addition THE BOARDROOM will feature exhibits and demos:

Glassing/Laminating demos presented by industry stalwarts Douglas Surf Products a division of Revchem Composites; Emcee Greg Mungall

Young Guns of Shaping presented by US Blanks features 15 year old Zack Flores, 14 year old Koby Gilchrist and 15 year old Trevor Anderberg.

The SURFER Talks featuring discussion about Kelly’s Wave, WSL’s Future, El Nino’s Wake, Greenough’s Edge Board, and a QnA with Gerry Lopez.

Best In Show Big Wave Guns presented by Bubble Gum Surf Wax; an exhibit honoring the El Nino winter of 2016 and forward look at boards from the never ending quest for mammoth swells and heroic individuals.

DIY How-to-Shape lessons presented by US Blanks and featuring expert direction from Shaper Studios and Foam E-Z.

Art by visionaries Matt Beard, Nathan Gibbs, Wade Koniakowsky, Sarah Broome, Chris Allen and Michael Lennicx.

Guitar and Ukulele Luthiers – handcrafted instruments made by surfers for surfers, featuring San Diego’s finest luthiers including Pepe Romero Jr., Ken Minasian, Mark Hudson, Hank Johnson, Jeff Scott, Jack Stone, & Pat Hurley.

Vintage Surf Swap (SUNDAY only) – bring two of your pre-1995 boards for trade, sale or barter. Expert appraisals by Randy Rarick and Dan Pincetich.
Video premier with Mason Ho “License to Chill” …LOST surfboards presents Mason Ho and Cheeseburger cutting loose and having fun.

Plenty of surfboards and schwag giveaways including MANDA Organic Sunscreen booth I-7 offering a 5’ 4” Mannkine Chumlee, fins, traction, leash and stuff from REEF, Stance and others. XTR JHP surfboard booth D-2; JS Industries at the Bubble Gum Surf Wax insta selfie contest; COLT surfboards booth I-21; Early Bird Christenson Surfboard drawing for the first 200 paid through the door on Saturday morning, a SUPER Brand at the Surfline.com booth K-8. Plus, plenty of other freebies and samples being handed out.

A surfboard demo morning at 15th St. in Del Mar Sunday May 15 from 7am-10am. Featuring boards by Firewire, Tomo, Slater Designs, Machado Designs, G&S, Sole Handplanes, Future Fins, Colt Surfboards, Vulcan surfboards, Earth Technologies, Ryan Harris Shapes, Wax Surf Co.

Great deals on surfboards, fins, wetsuits and gear from a packed hall with over 165 booths.

BOARDROOM SHOW Hours:
Saturday 10am -6pm
Sunday 10am – 4pm


Tickets, schedule and info at Boardroomshow.com.
Online $10 or $15 for both days
Onsite $15 or $20 for both days

THE BOARDROOM INTERNATIONAL SURFBOARD SHOW
A CONSUMER FACING TRADE SHOW SHOWCASING THE SURFBOARD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
MAY 14 & 15, 2016 - DEL MAR FAIRGROUNDS

This looks like fun

April 1st-3rd 2016 Christchurch, New Zealand.
A festive weekend bathed in surf, music, movies, art, beer and a great times!


Single Fin Mingle 2016 - Highlights from Jonathan Smit on Vimeo.

Some good news

BYRON BAY SURF FESTIVAL IS BACK!!

PRESS RELEASE · Byron Bay Surf Festival · ‘surf culture now’ · March 2016

In 2015 the Byron Bay Surf Festival did not run its popular annual event of 4 years due to  unforeseen operating circumstances. Fortunately these have now all been amended!!

The Byron Bay Surf Festival began with its debut event in October of 2011 founded by two local surfers James McMillan and Vanessa Thompson, and then later joined by Michael Jahn. Along with their family members and a dedicated crew of local volunteers, each year the festival quickly grew in popularity and success as the organisers poured more and more in to the event. Last year Michael and Vanessa departed from the festival team to pursue other commitments. They both, along with James, spent much of the past 5 years contributing to the creation, direction and development of the festival and are happy to see its progression into an even more globally recognized surf culture festival.

Given these circumstances, the whole team would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone, including the original landowners of Byron Bay, the Arakwal people, the local Byron Bay community, the many national and international visitors and fans of the festival, and importantly, every single supporter and sponsor, both large and small, for their generous contributions to making the Byron Bay Surf Festival the huge local and global success that it has so far become. Such a unique and diverse celebration of surf culture would not have been possible without the participation and support of all mentioned.

Looking ahead, original founder James McMillan, along with a new and experienced local team, have taken the gap year opportunity and are well into planning the next surf festival with many new innovations and ideas. The festival dates have changed to the end of February to coincide with the start of surf season and to celebrate the last days of each golden summer!! Byron Bay Surf Festival will continue supporting sustainability and the environment with a future goal of zero waste starting now and including operations and partnership alignments that support this continued direction.

Expect more surf, more art, more music and very cool vibes along with all that you have come to love about the festivals awesome atmosphere along the colorful foreshore, at Wategos beach and in the cool little town of Byron Bay!

Stay tuned to your favorite social media for updates!

www.byronbaysurffestival.com.au …Updating soon
byronbaysurffestival@gmail.com …for enquiries

Look forward to seeing you at the next Byron Bay Surf Festival February 24-26 2017

Peace, Aloha and Stoke! 

Just wanted to let you know there will be a screening of the FISH movie at the Sunhouse in Coolangtta on the 24th March. You are invited if you would like to come. Poster attached with the details. This will probably be the only Screening in OZ.


Looks like they had a great day and a great turnout at this years Cove Fish Fry

"Rare relics of surfing's yesteryear - in place of luscious servings of snapper, hapuka, and gurnard - were the order of the day as the third annual 'The Cove Fish Fry' got under way on the Waipu Cove beachfront yesterday.
Although the name suggests otherwise, no frying of fish took place. However, the appetites of hundreds of surf enthusiasts were appeased, with some travelling from as far afield as Gisborne and the South Island for the alternative surf-based event.
"I've been trying to get here for three years," James Newby, a first-timer at the Cove Fish Fry, said. "Up until last year I was working offshore in Australia, so until now it's never really worked out."
With a mass of 20-odd rare collectors' boards, some worth their weight in gold, stacked neatly into his Toyota Hilux, Newby said it was a pleasure to finally be able to travel to the Cove Fish Fry - a six-to-eight hour pilgrimage from Gisborne which, he said, was well worth making despite the 1200km round trip.
"I've met some really interesting people through this. Just seeing all these different designs - there's lots of different types," he said.
Chuffed with the turnout, Cove Fish Fry organiser Michael Cunningham said 2016's edition was one big 'shaka' of surf-infused culture, and a compliment to the event's growth since its inaugural running in 2014.
"It's one of those organic events where it kind of grows through the day, and then people slowly either get too hot or too tired and go home," he said.
"It's around about the same amount of boards as last year, [and] probably the same amount of people. We're really lucky with the weather, [and] there's heaps of diverse surfboards from all around the country. Having those unusual boards that have been stuck under peoples houses for years, and showing them and the history, is what it's all about."
By Josh Berry
- Northern Advocate

The Cove Fish Fry on this Sunday in New Zealand

Wish I could be there, but will be for sure next year. All the best and I hope it all goes well like the last ones.

The FISH movie is about to be released.

Joseph Ryan's much anticipated and now awarded documentary on the evolution of the fish surfboard is about to be released on DVD and download.
Joseph, surrounded by other aficionado's at the launch of the movie at " Birds Shed" late last year.
It has gone on to win numerous awards.


So to order a DVD or download for when it is released on March 28th go to www.somethingkreative.com





Third Annual New Zealand Fish Fry

 
The 3rd Annual New Zealand Fish Fry is on Sunday 13th of March at Waipu Cove Northland , north of Auckland. This is a great time of year for surf in New Zealand, the water is warm and the waves are uncrowded. 
So make an effort to be part of a great event that celebrates why we go surfing and what we ride.

For more info contact the main man :
 Michael Cunningham      mmm.cunningham@xtra.co.nz