SL AB

Pic: Cahal lutz Dahm

INDEX

EDITO ---------------------------------------R.FACCINI------------------------------------YOUNG BLOOD----------------------------------THE VINTAGE ---------------------------------NORTHERN EUROPE -----------------------------HARD/WAII -----------------------------------SHOOTING GALLERY ----------------------------

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Slab 2011.

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France, June 2011. The thermometer shows 45°c, the Eiffel Tower is literally melting. By-effect of a severe dehydration (despite many kinds of bubbling beverage), we start to wonder “where is my mind?” as in the famous song. Indeed, Miss Eiffel who was some words ago the symbol of France, is now looking like an enormous ice-cream calling me and begging me to taste it.The wake-up is brutal, with a dry mouth and an overheating brain, I’m probably not the only one to suffer. But at Slab it is our duty to bring you pleasure and joy. No Roman orgies for me till this mission is completed! That is why, dear readers, I call the pro-duction and ask “hey J., what do you have in stock? We need some fresh, really fresh stuff ”. Long seconds pass, you know, the same kind of seconds that you experiment when you are taken down in a washing machine on a monumental wave. It is interminable.

“Hey J. you bring something or not?” I hear him dragging his feet in my direction and he says “don’t move” (not my intention to leave my own sofa, by the way).I nicely land into the real world when he shows me an Issue full of this so long-waited freshness: the portfolio of tomorrow’s Austra-lian photographers, a brand new article on the North Sea body-boarding scene, the ITW of Renan Faccini the boogie rock’n’roll phoenix, and more.

Snowball Effect, in the street, the local cafés and the bodyboards shops, you won’t hear anymore “summer will be hot” but “summer is so fresh”. Wherever you are, whatever the season, we decided to make things in big because now Slab’s wind of change is your offcial freshness provider.

The World issue

www.lecerfblanc.fr

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“ROCK” IS THE WORD THAT COMES TO OUR MIND. SINCE WHEN DIDN’T WE HEAR THIS KIND OF WORD TO BETTER DEFNE BOO-GIE? IT STRIKES BACK, WHEN YOU WANT TO DEFINE RENAN FACCINI.The guy is like Fonzi, just cool! Neither because of its decoloured blond hair cutting is face like a modernAlbator, nor because of its gothic style “Menace 2 Society” tattoo, his white slim jeans or his numerous parties and girlfriends. No, even if all that is quite fun, Renan COOLNESS is what he has in the head (or not) when he charges dry reefs in Sao Paolo. He his cool because he offers an off-beat approach of the boogie scene, now overwhelmed by pseudo-arty productions from 16 years old kids abusing from sunrises and lounge music to compensate for scarcity of action…Discovered during our nightly net browsing sessions, the teaser of his video “Addiction”rejuvenated a certain form of old-style rock attitude, the one of boogie founding fathers who were ready to live their lives without concession no matter reactions were. The boogie’s “Rock Spirit” is back and the Phoenix is platinum blond.

Let’s have a chat with the guy

Here in France the image given by media of Brazil is not only the nice postcard but also the favelas, kids sniffng glue and businessmen travelling by helicopter. What is the reality of Sao Paulo? We want the truth, nothing but the truth, raise your right hand and say «I swear».To tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, it is true that the image that other countries have of Brazil isn’t entirely accurate. Brazilian people aren’t all about parties and happiness; there are also a lot of poor people that have no place to live, just like there are hard-working and honest citizens, doing the best they can. So Sao Paulo is made of these controversies, just like any other big city out there.

In French media, Brazil is not so known for surfng, and therefore Guaruja means nothing to me. Can you describe a bit your island?Guaruja is an island at the state of Sao Paulo, with warm water, hot girls, crazy par-ties and consistent waves, but nothing big though.

More generally, where to go surfng good waves in Brazil?Let’s see, there are some great spots in the state of Sao Paulo, as well as some in Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo. You just have to be lucky and get good swells and off-shore winds.

Text & View : S. Da Silva

The World issue

Could you give me 3 specifc reasons to go surfng in Brazil?Warm water, no sharks and girls with small bikinis haha.

You and your buddies seem to have a lot of fun on your fun slab. Come on tell me everything about this type of wave... Does it often work? Since when do you surf it? How many times did you crash on the rocks?The name of the slab is The Rock, and it’s very consistent. It breaks 20 days a month and it’s very close to my house. I started surfng there at the age of 13, when I arrived from California to live here. And, since then, I’m still trying to fgure out how not to hurt myself haha.

What trip do you remember most in Brazil and why?There was a trip to Angra dos Reis with my friends, in which we drove 7 hours by car, besides 3 hours by boat to get to the reef, but it was worth it, since the waves were perfect and it was veryshallow, with my friends screaming and flming. That was a memorable day.

I have got the impression that your ge-neration brings a lot of freshness to the Brazilian boogie scene. How does the previous generation perceive you? What does the Tamega name mean toyou?The sport has changed and it got harder, with everyone trying to perform cleaner and better executed tricks. Tamega pus-hed the sport by charging big waves and busting tricks in crazy lips back then.

You say that boogie judgment is not good. What would be for you the best contest format, and what changes would you propose?The contests` judgment is getting better, but I think that the tricks should be judged more by their flow, and the bo-dyboarders by their interaction with the waves. And the location of the contests is also very important, since bodyboard isn’t fun to watch if it isn’t matched with good waves.

Is there a media support for boogie in Brazil? We know that Brazil is a big nation for sport. What is the status of boogie today in Brazil?No, there isn’t. Bodyboard still isn’t a well-known sport in Brazil, at least not as much as soccer and other sports. But me and my friends are working to change that, with things such as TV and internet broadcasts.

There is a lot of buzz about the video to come. «Addiction» comes back to the roots of boogie: fun and action. We clearly feel the infuence of the 90`s video, the punk-rock attitude. How didthis project start and where do you stand with the production?It all started with me and my brother having the idea of making a movie, since we already worked together with internet broadcasts. Then I showed the idea to some of my friends and they helped me with the professional equip-ment required. In the production of the movie I surf for the most part, do some recording and also provide ideas for the edition of the movie.

You told me that your brother was dealing with the production of «Ad-diction». How do two brothers work together in such kind of project? Does he express special requirements when he shots or does he just let you have fun in the water?My brother and I work together in a different way, since he lives in another city and does the edition of our footage from there. He works with web design and this kind of stuff, so while he edits, my friend Fabio Paim does the filming, and he is quite demanding. *laughs*

Explain to us the link between Youth TV and «Addiction». Are there the same people behindthese projects?Yes, the same crew works on both of them. Youth TV is the producer of va-rious projects, including «Addiction».

What are your projects once «Addic-tion» is released?I’m going to make a website for me (in English), for the people that want to know what’s happening in Brazil. And I’m currently planning on a project that can’t be announced yet.

You are sponsored by Respect. What is your collaboration with the brand? How did it start?I surf with their boards, give my opinion on them and record footage on their performance. Our collaboration started in the beginning of 2010, when the owner of Ride It! Mag Elmo indica-ted me to Rui Ferreira, the owner of Respect. One thing led to another and then, all of a sudden, I already had apage on their website.

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Pic: Joao_zms >

Pic: Joe Faccini V

The World issue

Pic1: Fabricio Alabarce

Pic2: Fabricio Alabarce

Pic3: Ramon Miranda

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By the way, do not expect us to let you leave without having told more about the famous parties you organise... What is a good party for you? How does it begin and how does it end?I organise the best parties on this tiny island, and I call them the «spinning-head blow-away». It begins with enthusiastic people and ends with them mind-blown feeling like they are on another planet…

What is your best party memory?There was this party where I got two chicks in bed and the party ended with everybody naked on the pool. The only problem is that I still fnd photos about that night on the net that could get me introuble…

You tell me that you want to learn how to mix. What is the kind of soundtrack to be found on «Addiction»? What kind of noise you like when you party? And is it easier to hook chicks when you are a DJ in Brazil?The soundtrack of «Addiction» is rather unique, and the tracks that are in it aren’t easy to be found. The soundtrack is made mostly of electronic and indie rock music and my brother added his touches in joining these two styles in a single one. I like parties with lots of electronic music, because it doesn’t get boring as easily as other styles in my opinion. Being a DJ doesn’t necessarily increase the odds of hooking chicks, since there are a lot of DJs in Brazil right now. Besides, there are morewomen than men here, so as long as you’re not slow, you should have no problem in scoring chicks.

Also, forgive my curiosity, but can you comment on all your tattoos?I have «Menace to Society» written on my neck that shows that everything that isn’t the way society says it is, is considered a menace just for being different and unique. And I have 5 crows painted on my chest that resemble death that reminds me to live each day as if they were the last ones. And I also do like crows. Actually, I don’t have as many tattoos as I wanted to because I’m not allowed to surf for at least 20 days after I get tattooed!

Finally, when will you visit us here in Europe to surf and party?I’ll be going to Europe this year to surf at Canary Islands and Portugal, and I’ll be more than happy to meet new friends and party with all the crazy people from Slab Mag. Thanks for the space on theMag and I hope this gives a clue about how things work here.

The World issue

Pic: Fabricio Alabarce

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The World issue

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HERE AT ‘SLAB, IN THE MORNING, WHEN WE CHECK OUR MAILS EVEN BE-FORE WE TAKE THE FIRST COFFEE OF THE DAY, THE ONE THAT WILL PUT “ON” OUR EYES AND RECONNECT OUR BRAINS, SOMETHING STRANGEHAPPENS. FIRST, OUR MOUTH OPENS AS OUR JAW FALL, SECOND, OUR EYES BLINK AND THIRD, A RATTLE ESCAPES FROM OUR THROAT AS THE PICTURES RECEIVED OVERNIGHT SET US AGOG. CAUTION, THIS IS ACONTAGIOUS PHENOMENON. AT AN AGE WHEN IN GENERAL YOUNG KIDS JUST THINK ABOUT WEARING THE FINS AND RIDE, SOME YOUNGOZZIE EYES SPEAK ABOUT FOCAL, EXPOSURE, LIGHT AND COLOURS. THIS IS WHY WE LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU THOSE CLICHÉS AND TELL YOU A BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT COULD WELL BE THE NEXT GEN’ OF BODYBOAR-DING PHOTOGRAPHY.

CAHAL LUTZ DAHM, 18 , PERTH.Gear: Canon 50D with a SPL water housing, 70-200mm f/4, 100-400mm, Tokina fsheye, 50mm 1.4/f, and a 17-40mm 4/fWhen this carpentry apprentice gets down the roof, it is to shoot (or ride) the wedge near his home.Sometimes he will drive to get some other places North or South to surf, fsh, and more generally enjoy life.

The World issue

OWEN MILNE, 15 , COPACABANA - NSW.Gear: Canon EOS 50d, Canon 75-300mm, Canon 18-55mm, Canon 80-200mm, Canon 50mm 1.4, Tokina 10-17mm, Spl 50d Surf Housing (Fisheye Port)You may say “yet another kid with talent!” and I’d say “yes why not?” Since his birth, Owen lives close to the sea, in a symbiotic way, but as he says “I catch a bus to school not a kangaroo!” Anormal day for him would depend on the surf: if it looks fun he will usually surf, but if it looks really good and a bunch of raging surfers are in the water he will always prefer sitting behind the lense. We like this kind of dilemma.

JAMES RAPER, 23 , SYDNEY.Gear: Canon 50d, Tokina fsheye, Canon 70-200 2.8, Canon 24-105, Canon 50mm 1.8, Aquatech HousingDespite numerous trips in paradise places (3xBali, Sumbawa, lost count on South Coast and North Coast) he lived in Sydney his whole life and would not change it. Being a Plumber, the work eats into his bodyboarding and photography so he fnds it hard to go away during the week (when it always seems to be pumping) when jobless mates are rubbing it but anyway works pay the gear and he can still surf the onshore swell after work and go tripping during the WE so can’t really complain!

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CLAY ELLIOTT, 15 , NSW CENTRAL COAST.Gear: Canon 40d, Dave Kelly custom housing, “and probably two of the worse lenses in the world”, 18-55mm and 75-300mmClay spends most of his time shooting or riding, and starts to plan his frst trip beyond the South Coast and Port Mac’, as he already has a strong opinion on the Central Coast: “lifestyle in the central coast is alright, the waves can get good but on the other hand it is way too crowded and some people think they are better than everyone else…”

Pic: C. Elliot

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DANIEL SCOTT, 19 , BONNY HILLS - NSW.Gear: Nikon D300 and a sigma 150-500mm lensDaniel just finished school and for the time being essentially studies his Camera Manual. Growing up in a small town called Bonny Hills defnitely has its advantages such as freedom todo almost anything you want and getting waves with no one out, mixing surf and bodyboard. When there are no waves and you get bored by the skate park or the local shopping mall it is another story… so when the surf is good, Port Macquarie, 15 minutes North gets pretty crowded. Port Macquarie is defnitely a great spot to get some decent photos as so many versatile and talented riders live in Port Macquarie raising up the standard so high it can be defnitely hard for up and coming bodyboarders to get exposure. So he jumps in his 4WD and go searching along the long uninhabited stretches of coastline with his mate Blake McKenzie, for our greatest pleasure.

Pic: D. Scott

BennetPic: D. Scott

The World issue

DERNIER REJETON D’UNE LONGUE LIGNÉE D’ENGINS DE GLISSE, LE BOOGIE SOUFFLE SES 40 BOUGIES, CE QUI SIGNIFIE QUE LA PLUPART DES PRATIQUANTS DE LA PREMIÈRE HEURE SONT SÛREMENT PASSÉS À AUTRE CHOSE ET QUE PAS MAL DE PRATIQUANTS ACTUELS COMMEN-CENT À ACCUSER UN BON NOMBRE D’ANNÉES AU COMPTEUR. CEUX-LÀ, MAIS AUSSI LES PLUS JEUNES, SEMBLENT AVIDES DE DÉCOUVRIR OU RETROUVER LE LIFESTYLE, L’IMAGERIE ET LES PERSONNALITÉS QUI ONT JOUÉ UN RÔLE ESSEN-TIEL DANS L’ÉVOLUTION DU BODYBOARD.Les images des 80’s et 90’s sont assez rares: elles datent d’avant le numérique, avant Internet, Viméo et Facebook, un monde que les moins de 20 ans ne peuvent pas connaître. Les images en plus d’être rares, étaient chères. Une bonne vieille VHS coûtait 35$ en 1990 soit beaucoup plus en équivalent dollar actuel. Conséquence : elles n’en ont été que plus absorbéespar nos rétines et fantasmées par nos cerveaux à force d’être vues et revues, alors qu’aujourd’hui la profusion d’images chassant d’autres images est bien différente.Constat est fait que les vidéos VHS mythiques s’effacent, les magazines religieusement conservés des années finissent par se perdre dans un déménagement. Sauf grâce à quelques fondus passant leurs longues soirées d’hiver à bronzer sous les scans pour numériser tout ça.D’abord sans plan préconçu, puis de plus en plus et de mieux en mieux. Du haut de son très vieil âge, 36 ans, Arnaud Frene en a passé plus de la moitié en Afrique, plus précisément au Sénégal où la lumière lui a été révélée à l’âge de 10 ans, et depuis la foi dans le boogie ne l’a plus quitté. Il a finalement été adopté par les Landes, ou il concilie vie de famille, surf et accessoirement histoire avec un grand H. Sa passion pour l’histoire du bodyboard, qui lui vient peut être de la difficulté d’avoir eu accès aux mags et vidéo depuis Dakar pendant son adolescence, s’est développée et a su combler les longues soi-rées hivernales. Du coup, nous l’avons soumis à un feu roulant de questions...Mais d’abord Arnaud, quand et comment t’es venue cette idée de collecter les reliques du boogie?Il y a un peu plus d’un an suite à une opération des ligaments qui m’a maintenu de longs mois hors de l’eau. Passionné d’histoire et de lecture, j’ai commencé à chercher sur le net si je pouvais y trouver des images, des films datant de l’époque de mes débuts en body, c’est à dire du milieu des années 80. D’abord mes archives perso (il me restait quelques revues, stickers et posters), puis j’ai amassé de la documentation via les forums et sites de ventes et je continue encore aujourd’hui.

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BEN JACKSON, 16 , URUNGA - NSW.Gear: Canon 1D Mark 2n with an Aquatech housing, Tokina 10-17mm fsheye, Canon 50mm 1.8, Canon 70-200mm F4We managed to capture this young fox, clever and always on the move, back from a trip in the Cook Islands with the riders Sam Bennett, Liam Vanderwaal, Alex Lincoln and a flmer Morgan Sherry, his Dadd.Living in a small coastal town called Urunga, he appreciates trips, starting with a close town called Coffs Harbour, which fortunately has some decent waves, and increasing the distance when possible to South Australia for a month or so in winter, Bali and possibly Hawaii next season if he fnds themoney… He’ll be 16 only once!

The World issue

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Alex Lincoln / B.jackson

The World issue

Pic: D. Scott >Pic: B. Jackson V

< Pic: J. Rapper

Pic: B. Jackson V

SLAB French issue Paper versionfor only 5.50€!Rdv on www.slabmagazine.net !

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The World issue

// HAWAII, OVER A RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, BECOMES THE GLOBAL CROSSROADS OF THE BOOGIE COMMUNITY. EVERYONE CRUISES THOSE FEW SQUARE KILOMETRES OF NORTH SHORE, FROM THE MOST FAMOUS PRO TO THE MOST PER-FECTLY UNKNOWN RIDER. BETWEEN THESE TWO CATEGORIES, A THIRD ONE CAN BE IDENTIFED, PEOPLE OCCUPYING MEDIA SPACE IN A MORE LOW-KEY WAY, WHOSE RECURRING BUT NOT MAINSTREAM PRESENCE MAKES YOU FORGET A LITTLE THEIR DISTINCTIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE SPORT.THIS IS WHY GREG SISCO, A TRUE DK ADDICT, WAS VERY HAPPY TO CHAT WITH HIS BUDDY, MR MASON ROSE, ON THE NORTH SHORE DURING LAST WINTER, TO OFFER US A QUICK SNAPSHOT ON THE BRAND NEW LIFE OF MASON IN HAWAII, HIS PROJECTS, HIS SURF.

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The World issue

NEW LIFE & FAMILY

Today you live on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Where exactly?I live on the South-eastern coast of the island, 7 minutes away (by car) from Sandy Beach and Makapu’u. And 5 minutes away from the place of the guy who infuenced my drop, Mr. Aka Lyman.

Why don’t you live on the North Shore?The North-West of the island is really beautiful but the best swell season only lasts 3 to 4 months a year. Apart from this period, locals move to the south of the island or elsewhere andthe place becomes a bit too quiet. That’s why I prefer the South-east, there are good waves and more life, and so it’s a better mix. But when I have time, I don’t hesitate to drive for an one hour to ride spots like Velzyland.

How do you feel about having started a family?I really wanted to. It is incredible when you have a child; your time is dedicated to him. You must work hard for him but to see him making progress and growing is so good and rewar-ding!

What is the name of your son and what future do you hope for him?His name is Phoenix Rose and I am proud to be father! I want especially to see him in good health and to give him all the energy he needs for a successful and happy life. He will be onethis year and he will soon take his frst wave.

How was your wedding in Hawaii?Stressful but I am very happy because it is what I wanted. It is a higher level in a relationship, the biggest possible and most radical commitment just like a big take-off at Pipe! PS: mybachelor’s party was terrible.

Was your integration in Hawaii easy?Yes at human level because I have been coming here for years, but the administrative documents (green card, visas, etc) are diffcult to obtain. Now all is OK!

Does your new life prevent you from surfng or from travelling as much as before?Yes from time to time but my wife has a very open mind regar-ding my freedom of movement.As long as I earn a living and keep in touch regularly during my trips, it is all right!

Do you have other jobs apart from bodyboarding?I have worked for 10 years in the multimedia business (flms, photographs, design) which allows me to be associated to the development and communication of one of my sponsors,TURBO BODYBOARD.

Finally, do you like your new life?Yes, I appreciate this life! I live 5 minutes from the beach where bodyboarding was born. I sometimes miss my family and friends but it is necessary to carry on. Hawaii being a littlesimilar as Australia, with an even stronger boogie culture, to be there is the right thing to do. I enjoyed my life in Austra-lia, my roots are there and I’ll go back there as soon as I can but today I am very excited by my new life. I like change and evolutions, I like the Hawaiian feeling. It is quite simply a dream come true. This is the place to be for bodyboarding, and Hawaiian warrior spirit inspires my surfng a lot.

HAWAII & SURFING

Where do you generally surf ?Rocky Point, Off The Wall, Velzyland, Makapu’u and many other secret spots… Makapu’u remains my favourite spot on the island.

Who are the guys with whom you generally surf ?Micah McMullen, Shawnee and Aka Lyman, Skip, Hubb, Eugine, Noa… And many other completely sick local, truly “nuts”.

What are your current objectives around bodyboarding?This year I had a lot of work… and my physical condition put aside! This is why I was a little underground but I would like for the coming year to resume training (jogging, capoeira, etc). Years are passing and it is harder to recover, so training is even more important.

Next trips?Portugal, Colombia, Philippines and South of France in October. I’!l tell you where soon!

I saw you mixing at Matt Lackey’s Party for the Première of his flm in Hawaii. Did you organize the event?Yes I partly organized it; I like to do different things. I mix once a week at the Indigo Bar in Honolulu. But I am not the only one to organize events; my crew is called Hypnotic Funk Kids… madness.

What did you think about the flm?I liked it but I would have preferred to see more depth in his character. The flm editing and the music are pretty cool. However it is not Fumanchu, it lacks lifestyle and the presence of a crew comparable to Fred Booth, Rollins Wood, etc at the time of Fumanchu.

So when Paul Roach says about “Lackey Project” that “it is the best DK bodyboarding movie since Fumanchu”, do you agree?Yes it is true, Fumanchu is the best flm ever made on dropk-nee! A crew of pals, sharing the same view: to have fun and rip it off whatever the consequences; all that supported by quiteheavy hip hop music. That would be really diffcult today, if not impossible, to do better. So yes I prefer Fumanchu but once again Matt’s movie is excellent.

Isn’t there a comeback of DK?Dropknee never disappeared. It was always present in Hawaii but it is true that from one country to another, the DK scene is quite different.

And what do you think of “DK Wars”?Quite messy but a very good atmosphere, showing the dropk-nee community is like a large family. No stress, only happiness.

So finally, when will we see the “Mason Rose Project”?Well, I would have enough content now! I’ve kept rushes of myself since I was 10, but would people be interested in that?

...

// Interview G.Sisco

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The World issue

WITH THE GLOBALISATION OF BODYBOARDING, THE SPORT HAS SPREAD FASTER THAN THE ASIAN FU VIRUS AND NOW EVERYBODY’S INFEC-TED! ALONG ALL THE COAST LINES, PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT WAVES AND NATURE’S GIFTS TO GET A RIDE CLOSE TO HOME, AND THE TRUTH IS THAT ALMOST ALL THE PLACES CAN PROVIDE SATISFACTORY DAYS WHEN YOU REALISE THAT BEYOND «WAVES PERFECTION» BODYBOAR-DING IS ALSO A QUESTION OF FRIENDSHIP AND SHARING... WE WILL GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES AFTER HAVING EXCHANGED WITH REPRESEN-TATIVES OF THE DUTCH AND GERMAN BOOGIE SCENES. THIS IS ALSO AN OCCASION TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RIDERS WE ALSO RECEIVE FRE-QUENTLY IN OUR FRENCH SPOTS ALONG THE YEAR...

Bodyboarding started in the Netherlands a long time ago. At that time nobody knew about bodyboarding and the possibi-lities to surf good waves in the Netherlands, which is to some extent still the case. The first contests with bodyboard heats in Holland were organised in the early 90’s. There were a few inScheveningen and the Domburg Classic also had bodyboard hears in those days. From there the bodyboard scene started to develop rapidly and more events were launched such as the Dutch Bodyboard Tour, which is sponsored by surffood.nl, the only specialist bodyboard store in Holland. The tour has been done for two years now with multiple spots on the best Dutch Bodyboard spots like Petten, Hoek van Holland, Kijkduin and others. Next year they hope to go bigger and better and get more people to come and ride together, as it will raise the level.Hearing “Germany” also, everybody thinks on beer, sausage and the famous «Oktoberfest». But nobody thinks about Germany as a surf nation. In reality there is a coastline of nearby 2.400km and Wannasurf shows over 30 popular spots. Of course bodyboarding is not very well known but German bodyboarders aren’t less nuts on their loved sport: those guys aren’t scared by 5 degrees and less water temperature in the winter months. The core German bodyboard community is made of around 40 women and men’s plus some hundred more people which will be found on all beaches over the

world. It is an open-minded community and there is no difference between beginners, more experienced or a foreign bodyboarder. The most famous names are Joana Schenker and Pablo Prieto Serrano. Both have their origin in Germany. Joana, several times the German Bodyboard Champion, runs a bodyboard surf school in Sagres, Portugal. She is a very well known competitor: in 2010 she achieved leading rankingson the ETB and the Portuguese Tour, with also a 5th place at the IBA Sintra event. Pablo has been German Bodyboard Champion for several years now. He also ranked very well in Spanish and English contest. This year he hold back to start his own surfng school, Star Surfcamp. Those two examplesshow that yes, Germany exports not only good cars but also good riders!

The North Sea Waves are not world class, but they do get some good waves and, from time to time during the year, epic memorable waves. The best surf is in autumn and winter. During winter the water temperatures will drop to about 3 degrees with sub zero air temperatures, during summer the water can get up to 22 degrees, but usually the swells are small during summer. With enough faith in Mother Nature(and some luck) you can get some waves that you will never forget and the advantage is also that the places are far from being overcrowded. After a good session here you see the guys coming out of the water with a smile similar to the one after a good session at Pipeline. The magic of this sport when thesurf is ON is always the same, wether you’re surfng the North Sea or some thousand miles away in the pacifc.In Holland, most of the time there are short fetch wind swells from the SW to NW with a low period and not much power. But some days Holland gets ground swells coming from storms up north near Iceland, Scotland and Norway which will deliver good powerful waves at the coast. The Dutch coats is all sand, the only hard structures are jetties, dams and harbour walls. All spots except one are beach breaks.There are 3 main bodyboarding spots in Holland: Domburg, Hoek van Holland, and Petten. Domburg is good for body-boarding with a SW swell and low tide. It gets hollow waves over very shallow banks. Hoek van Holland is good around mid to high tide. It is a shorebreak style wave, powerful for Dutch standards.Petten: A low tide hollow wave, and there is also the infamous ET, the only “reef ” break in Holland…Lars de Keijser will tell us about of one of his most epic ses-sions there:“It was on a very cold autumn day this that these two pictures were shot at a spot we call Evil Twins (because it consists of two

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jetties that hold Evil Surf ). The air drop I made on this wave rivals any huge drop I made in France or Portugal. It was truly an awesome day! We don’t often get days like these. Mostof the time the surf here is in the 2-4 ft range and stormy/choppy. But days like these make us “Dutchies” enjoy the epic swells even more”…The best times for travelling the German Spots are between August and April and the best spots on the North Sea are the islands off the coast. So you have to head for Borkum, Norderney, St. Peter Ording and Sylt, one of the most famous Islands visited by thousands of tourists and many windsurfers, kiteboarders, surfers and also bodyboarders. On the other side of the German coastline, the East Sea, you also fnd a lot of beach breaks. The spots around Fehmarn, Dahme and the Timmendorfer Strand are well known for their conditions and frequently visited by surfers from all over the country. The North Sea often shows better conditions, but the East Sea sometimes surprises its visitors with some good swell. The water temperature is between 3 and 17 degrees. Depending on theSpot location the tide has a big infuence, as the spots are beach breaks only so tide and wind parameters must be taken into account.And from Germany you should also think about a short Trip

to the North Sea side of Denmark: you wouldalso fnd there, with a bit of luck and local knowledge, some great spots to spend a couple of hours...

--Thanks to:Macario “Mocca” Gomez who started bodyboarding in Holland about 20 years ago. He was one ofthe few that did bodyboard around that time and helped Pascal Roberti to found the BodyBoardingNorth Sea Association (www.bbnsa.com)Martijn van Schaik the founder (5 years ago) of www.bodyboarder.nlAlex Karantinas, the founder (7 years ago) of www.bodyboarder.de

Pic: Bart Huijbers

Rider: Lars de KeijserPhotograph: Bart Huijbers

Joana_Schenker in Germany

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SLAB ////3.0

Liam Tomkins ready to flyPic: Ben Sowry

39

The World issue

McMullinPic: Nicolas Breluzeau

Pic: Dylon Parr

Amaury Pics: Nicolas Breluzeau

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Pic: Jack Johns

The World issue

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Pics: Jack Johns

The World issue

Keiki throw Pic: Jack Johns SLAB ////3.0

BP Pic: Jack JohnsNico / Pipe Pic: Gareth Sheehan

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Lachie cramsie the cover boyPic: Dylon Parr

The World issue

Pic: S. Powyer

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Jul Miremont / Hawaii 11Pic: N.Breluzeau

Fronton impact

Pic: M. Hemon

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T. Goyenetch / AngletPic: B. Hemidy

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Nick GornallPic: Eric Medclaff

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Pic: Ellis Cowan

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The World issue

Liam TomkinsPic: Ben Sowry

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BP / Pipe 2011Pic: Justin Mack

Backdoor 2011

Pic: Justin Mack

The World issue

Pic: D. Scott

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The World issue

SLAB Magazine

Contact: contact@slabmagazine.netSite: www.slabmagazine.netPub: contact@slabmagazine.net

- Publication’s director: Jérémie Barlog / jeremie@slabmagazine.net- Chief redactor: Sérgio Da silva / sergio@slabmagazine.net

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Slab 2011.

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- Special Thanx: Jack Johns, Laurent Bory, Sam Powyer, Renan Faccini, Arnaud Frene Nico "ponicoto" Marinelli, Nico Breluzeau, Jérome Bironneau, Greg Sisco

- Traduction: Laurent Bory, Patrice Carlean

, Greg Sisco