This ain’t just your common surf trip, this quest is all about finding if there still exists a balance between our daily habits and wilderness. Are we losing all our roots to the profit of a virtual life? With kids multi-tasking as they text each and update their facebook status regularly, we wonder how far all this will go? Have we reached the end of real life experiences? Has all the knowledge passed on from generation to generation faded away? Has the human being stopped feeling what it is like to be alive? Are plants and animals the only things left on earth who can appreciate their natural surroundings? We’ll try to find out to which degree it is affecting different areas of the world and whether or not it’s already too late… We’ll travel down the west coast of America starting from Alaska all the way down to Central America. Throughout this quest we will meet a variety of watermen, artists, and surfers. We want to know if they have found that balance what we are deperately seeking, because for us back home the only thing keeping us going through our monotone work life is to pray for a hurricane to bring about some good week-end swell in Maine…
We had to start somewhere… So why not begin our journey on a totally remote land where most of the waves can only be accessed by boat. A spot where the swell and winds switch four times a day. A part of the world where the forecast is always wrong… This is where we got back to the basics. There weren’t as many peelers as we had hoped for, however, we did find a pure connection to wilderness. Grizzly, totem and campfire… Welcome to Alaska.
Ferries are wallet killer, better take advantage of it. Heated solarium chillin’, Ak.
Sitka, Ak
Beautiful British Columbia. Driving from the mountains all the way to the ocean; it’s just constant beauty all along the road to Tofino. But there was more beauty hidden out yet to be discovered, and I got to see it all when Gotsurf partners Adam Dewolf and Raph Bruwhiler showed me the way! I had the chance to get a feel of Tofino’s true potential, and see beyond what the common tourists have access to…Blessed, I am! Here’s what my eyes have seen throughout this part of our journey.
Take it all in… Between Sitka, Ak. and Prince Rupert, BC.
Indian Head, Oregon
In this episode the Seeking for a new port team track a course along the cost of California meeting up with different caricatures in and out of the surf community to learn more about their connection with the digital world. California is a symbol of sunny day & freedom to the masses, it is also a “boiling” state regarding to environment and ecology. Actually, it’s one of the richest and most diverse parts of the world; a unique mix of ocean, mountains, deserts and all the flora & fauna that comes with it. With almost 38 millions residents and endless growing industries, it’s also a crucial pivot point of U.S.A.’s economy. It’s the perfect confrontation between ecology and economy, between environment and technology. Is that equilibrium still possible… or profitable ?
Hungtington classic
Keeping it clean, it’s a 8 month trip after all
The whole idea of the road trip itself was really inspired by the first segment of Teton Gravity Research’s surf movie Shack Therapy. Brian Conely driving his huge truck through Baja’s endless dirt roads to surf alone in perfect remote Mexican paradise. A short part of this journey put a special specimen under the spot light, Glen Horn. Surfer and Surfboard shaper 3 months per year in San Diego, he lives the other 9 months in “Big Red” his RV is a converted ’67 delivery truck. He split this time in between 2 secret locations that he tries to preserve as pure as they were 30 years ago when he first traveled there. Driving the 1000 miles that would lead us to the ferry to get to the mainland, we randomly stopped in one of the Seven sisters’ gorgeous point breaks. After the painful (for the RV) dirt road drive, we stopped to surf our first real good “baja style” empty wave. While having a bit of a rest under the warm sun, we’ve met a women running, who quickly invite us for the dinner… On the menu, fresh halibut caught by her husband, Glen Horn.
Dirt road… the path to follow.
Pedrito, Baja Sur.
Some might travel to get away from reality but somehow it always has away of bringing you back. Your instincts lead you to places, people and experiences that connect you to your inner soul, the feeling of needing to live to the fullest. You might discover way more then a single skin envelop by meeting unexpected characters, you might discover your own identity: leaving also means getting closer to yourself. Finding inner peace, equilibrium, is a quest of a lifetime. For the two months I’ve been in El Zonte, El Salvador, I tasted that balance and i have brought it back with me. This is where the real trip starts: in your daily habits back home, applying and respecting what you lived, what you’ve learnt, what you’ve discovered.
El Zonte’s precious gem.
Take care of your neighbor!