In the land of extortion, you have to watch your back, as word has it ...

photo: Dave Miyamoto24 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm

By Claire MiyamotoI realized, it is necessary to break free from everydaycomforts and shake the shield of normality.After living in Hawaii for six years, I became accustomed to everything- meaningI had taken everything for granted. Simple pleasures I enjoyed became cherishedwhen I moved to California.The ability to drive five minutes to go surf suddenly changed into a half-hourdrive or hour train ride. However, moving to California broadened my horizonsand improved my surfing. Traveling in general is necessary to improve as a surferand grow as a person. Encountering new breaks, people and cultures help defineyourself and ones individual style. I encourage all readers to travel, beyond therealm of the ordinary- and get lost.Through moving to California, I also realized it is not only the places you go, butit is the ones you are with, that make a good time. Family and friends becomecherished and times spent become fond memories. Whether it is surfing withmy dad or my best friends, as long as I surround myself with loved ones, it’s sureto be a good time.wSSm | womenssurfstyle.com | 25

By Kim Gilberty first surfing experience was in May 2006Mwhen I stood on Waikiki beach and watchedin amazement as local surfers and tourists alike caught wave afterwave, some displaying incredible skills and ease in the water, othersrevealing their inexperience as they took to the water on rentalboards for the first time. I have to admit, I was intrigued!When I first decided to brave the waves with my girlfriends, allequally inexperienced, each with less upper body strength than thenext, I’ll confess I had high hopes! I had seen movies like Blue Crush,Point Break, and watched Pro surfers on TV and figured, “How hardcan it be, right?”Well, to say my hopes for a career as a pro surfer were crushedwas an understatement. I was so terrible that first day that a surfinginstructor actually told me so, and offered to help me catch somewaves for free! Yes, I was an actual surfing charity case! AlthoughI barely stood for two seconds that day it was enough to get mehooked.A week later I was the proud owner of a beautiful blue and yellow9”0 longboard which I christened Tallulah in honour of my bestfriend Becca. She decided that first day that surfingjust wasn’t for her, but a girls gotta have herbest friend in the water, right?Thus my board was christened Tallulah;Becca’s nickname.I surfed everyday of summer ’06, and by theend of September, I am proud to say, I had a fullyfledged addiction. However, upon returning to Ireland, I realizedwith amazement that surfing at home is very different!In Waikiki, I had become so used to throwing on mybikini, grabbing my board and walking two blocks tothe beach that I was in shock when I first attempted tosurf in Ireland. Rather than a two minute walk, I had a three hour28 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm

drive ahead of me (no waves on theeast coast where I live). In place ofmy cute bikini and matching rashguard,was a $400 O’Neill wetsuitcomplete with gloves, booties andhoodie (twice the price of my boarditself). You can imagine how stunningI looked, like a big neoprene seal!!And instead of paddling out intowarm turquoise water with the sunbeating down, I was paddling throughwind and rain in ice cold water.I’ll never forget paddling out for thefirst time and my whole body seizingup as the ice cold water trickled inthough my zip and down my back. Itwas pure torture! When my face (myonly exposed bodily surface) hit thewater, I can only describe it as beinghit by a train in the face!But, surfing is surfing, and when a setrolls and it starts to break, it doesn’tmatter if you’re in Spanish Point inCounty Clare or Waikiki Beach, youstill paddle your bootie off and hopefor that perfect wave that makes it allworth it!!For those who are unsure, Ireland islocated on the very west of Europe,enclosed to the east by the IrishSea and to the west by the AtlanticOcean. Although there are occasionalswells, the east coast is usually free ofdecent surf. So, we east coast inhabitantsmust migrate west, where theAtlantic Ocean offers ample opportunitiesto catch brilliant waves.As it turns out, one of the world’smost perfect waves was recentlydiscovered off the coast of westernIreland. Now, surfboards rolling offthe carousel at Shannon Airport areno longer the unimaginable sight theyonce were.This wave is one of the world’s truemonster waves, soaring 20-30 feethigh, and requiring both a tow-inand a death wish for those willing toride it.Only about ten people have done soContinued next pageWhat you need to know...Before you go!Flights:LAX to Dublin from $900 + tax.Best time of year to visit:The surf in summer is very unpredictablein Ireland and in winteralmost guarantees hypothermia orserious frostbite, so spring is theoptimum time to visit, when theweather is improving and the surfis guaranteed.Try to co-ordinate your visit withSt. Patricks Day (March 17th) for atruly memorable trip!!Places to stay:Ireland is littered with literallythousands of B&B’s, most reasonablypriced, and nearly all will takebookings at the last minute, leavingyou free to follow the surf and thecraic!!Language: English.Drink: Guinness, of course!!Craic: Irish phrase to have fun!Photos courtesy of Grady Varner wSSm | womenssurfstyle.com | 29

Continued from previous page...since last October, but the wave, known as Aileen’s, is attracting alot of attention in the surfing world these days.Part of the allure is the wave’s location, as it breaks just beyondIreland’s famous Cliffs of Moher. This panoramic stretch of coastalcliffs is a rugged glimpse of nature and beauty that attracts morethan a million tourists a year. I’ve stood on the edge of these cliffsand marveled at the crashing waves, but thanks to the cold Irishweather, frigid waters, and rocky conditions, I could never haveimagined someone would actually surf out there. But people are.For those less brave (like me!), Ireland also offers a brilliant varietyof locations and breaks to suit everyone’s tastes. For me, the bestsurf is located along the coast of Sligo, Clare and Donegal. Lahinch,Dunmoran and Strand Hill are places where a scenic drive coulduncover awesome waves and breathtaking views.In County Clare, my favorite spot is Spanish Point, a left-handbeach break with rides from 50 to 100 meters long and usually nottoo crowded! In Donegal, I love Bundoran, a left-hand reef breakwhich, when going off, is awesome, with rides between 100 – 200meters in length. It’s not for beginners though!!!The main difference between the surf in Hawaii and Ireland, andprobably the most obvious, is the temperature. Average temperaturesrange from 35 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit in January orFebruary, and from 57 to 61 degrees Fahrenheit in July or August.So wetsuits are an absolute must!!But, anyone who has ever been to Ireland can attest to the fact thattrying to predict the weather is impossible, so you just never know,you could have snow and get sunburnt in the same day!But one thing you can guarantee is that no matterhow cold you get in the water, you can always expect awarm welcome in whatever pub you wander into aftera session!Like the people in Hawaii, the Irish are relaxed, friendly and renownedfor how social they are. So while you freeze your bootieoff (theoretically speaking!!) in the water, bear in mind that there’s anice pint of Guinness, a bowl of Irish stew, and a bit of craic*waiting for you when you get out!! y* Craic: Irish phrase to have fun!Photos courtesy of Grady Varner30 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm

SUMMER 2008By Chelsea PavoneSafe at home in Hawaii, I’d like to share a few stories,insights and mishaps that took place while travelingthrough Indonesia last year.After changing planes three times and nearly 24 hours of traveling,we arrived in Bali. Even our luggage arrived in good shape andcontrary to what your cautious family warns you about, nobodyslipped drugs in our bag and there were no police waiting to arrestus and demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars for our release.Assured we weren’t going to jail, we made our way through theairport with ease. Will had warned me that he gets nervous aboutflying, but he really was a breeze… even carrying my heavy bag.What a doll!Our passports were stamped and there were about a thousand taxicab drivers waiting outside, all with different prices though generallycheaper as you move on down the line. Everyone spoke Englishand all the cab drivers carry straps to tie your board bags to the topof the car. Smart. I guess about half the tourists in Bali are surfers.We stayed in the city for two days and surfed Kuta Beach alongwith a million other people. We strolled around town for the dayand at night we met up with my good friend Nancy, who had beentraveling around Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.She convinced us to go out on the town for the night, and eventhough I’m not much of a late night, clubbing, bar-hopping type ofperson, it ended up being great for people watching.Bali is sort of a hodge-podge of locals and tourists, but even withthe mix of cultures, drinking and dancing is the universal languagefor all young city goers. We started at a nice enough looking club, alocal band sang top 80’s hits while dolled up Japanese girls bouncedup and down on the dance floor-innocently enough. But as theclock struck twelve, the place transformed into a seedy go-godancer almost borderline strip club. I watched an 18 year old Englishkid stuff 10,000 rupia (the equivalent of about 11 cents) into ag-string and that was it. Gross. We left.We meandered through the Kuta Beach festival, an annual benefitconcert to remember victims of the 2002 bombings.The band played something vaguely reminiscent of TheClash, but people weren’t quitedancin’ like they did whenThe Clash rocked theCasbah, so after asnack of roadsidebbq corn on thecob we movedon.We foundanotherswankyclub and Isank intotheir comfy32 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm

couches, watching the crazy people in the street. We walked back,carefully dodging the billion and one motorcycles and avoiding eyecontact with the six year old girls selling bracelets on the street atthree in the morning. We all agreed that we’d had enough of thecity. The next day we headed south to a quiet little beach town.We stayed right above one of the most famous, and crowdedbreaks in Bali. Uluwatu. Will talked me into getting dressed andat least walking down, and he was out there in a second. I wasstanding in the cave at high tide and just about chickened out whenI turned around and saw a friend of mine from Oahu. Small worldwe live in! (We would later run into him and his buddies again, aswell as numerous other familiar people from Kauai). For the timebeing I thought it was crazy… Here is my good friend that I haven’tseen in forever and I’m standing in a cave wearing a rash guard,board shorts and booties.I didn’t want to look like a chicken (even though I just didin front of my boyfriend, but that doesn’t count), so I hadto paddle out. I dodged the huge boulder to get out at hightide and immediately lost my friend and never found my boyfriend.I think it doubled in size as the tide dropped over thenext hour and I paddled my butt off just to stay in the rightspot- which for me was not in the lineup, but instead on theshoulder, way out of the way.After about two hours of dodging set waves and trying to catch leftoverslop I was ready to go in, knowing there is only one way to getin and it’s through that small cave. Not an easy task as the currentat Ulu’s is so strong it’s hard to even stand in knee deep water.I thought I would make it, but nope, I missed the cave- TWICE!At one point I was so far away that had I known about the beacharound the corner I would have just floated to the next town, but Ididn’t know. So I paddled all the way back and this time was kind offreaked.Luckily, I met another girl out there and she gave me hope. Shesaid she was a beginner and didn’t know what she was doingout there. WHAT??? I’m not a beginner surfer and even Ididn’t know what I was doing out there. She was an Aussie(of course, you Aussies are fearless and crazy!) so wecollaborated on the best way to get in. Paddle as far overas possible, wait for most of the set to come in, then take the lastwave on the head and hold on like hell while it washed you in. Weboth made it. Ahhh... Sand.For the next week we stayed in the tiny town of Bingin. Nancystayed with us for two days and then cruised along by herself. Idon’t blame her… If you don’t surf, there is not much to do inBingin. Before she left I dragged her and Will to the Temple atUluwatu to see a Ketchak dance. The temple is one of the mostfamous in Bali and makes a great backdrop to see a dance, as it isset high on the cliff with the sun setting right over the stage.The dance was obviously geared towards tourists, but wasimpressive nonetheless. Traditionally, the dance is partof a ceremony that lasts all night long, but we anxioustourists can’t sit that long, so it was just about anhour. If you’ve ever seen the movie Baraka (if youhaven’t, you should), the part with the guys chanting,“tek tek tek tek”, and waving their handsin the air while sitting down- that is part of theKetchak dance. The dance is about a womanwho is tricked and must call on the help ofthe white monkey and his monkey buddiesto help her get back to the man she loves.The white monkey is honored in statuesall over Bali. Modern monkeys however,are not so noble. They cruise all over thetemple and are notorious for snatchingpurses, sunglasses andwallets.In the land of extortion, you have to watch your back, as word has it there’s an Aussie woman servingtime in Bali for a board bag full of drugs that she claims she was unaware of. Australia is fighting tohave her released and Bali is keeping her as an example of their strict opposition to drugs.The two sides have eased up a bit and apparently she’s not doing too badly; she was offered the choice toserve the rest of her sentence in Australia but declined. Her family comes over to visit and she’s often letout for weekend surf trips and has even been spotted in the downtown Kuta party scene. Can you imaginewaves so good that you don’t even want to go back to your own country? Bali is full of Aussie ex-pats.wSSm | womenssurfstyle.com | 33

They especially like Prada and Gucci… Bling bling.The town of Bingin was built for surfers and didn’t exist until about15 years ago, and it really has everything a surfer needs; waves,cheap food, and super cheap places to stay. $5 a night will get youa bed, but you’d want to bring your own sheets. We splurged andspent $10 a night and got our own bathroom.You can’t drink the water, but there is plenty of Bintang, the localbeer which I later found out is made with formaldehyde; gross anddelicious all at the same time.Bingin sits on a cliff too steep for a road, so the town is haphazardlybuilt on top of itself with a series of small alley ways linking onewarung (a small hotel and food joint) to another warang and touristto local.To get to the beach you follow the broken steps down and meanderback up and through someone’s porch, past a living roomwhere the Italian ex-pats are watching satellite tv, down along thekitchen and back behind the bathrooms, up again until you findanother set of stairs that goes down past the surf board ding repairguy, tip toe through the ladies giving $5 massages to weary surfersuntil you finally hit the sand.I never took the same route twice, all the while trying not to stepon the offerings that line every walkway. A leaf bowl containingrice, a few coins, flowers, maybe a piece of candy and always a stickof burning incense are physical reminders to take a few minuteseach day and say thank you to whomever it is you thank for such abeautiful world.When you first arrive in Bingin, local women are waiting for youat the top of the hill. They want to carry your luggage or yoursurfboards up or down the hill for a small fee, but I couldn’t imagineletting an old woman carry my bags for me, it felt so insulting. Butthey have this sweet way of insisting, so finally I let them, and theythen proceeded to carry them on their head. They carry EVERY-THING on their head!It occurred to me, and was later confirmed, that the whole townwas probably carried down on some woman’s head, from the toiletseats, to the mattresses, to the fresh papaya and pineapple breakfast.Tough chicks! I however, was not feeling so tough.didn’t matter. You just walk up the hill and across the cow pastureto the store and fill out a paper with your passport number and thename of your hotel and they’ll rent you a bike. If they don’t haveany available, they’ll rent you theirs and just walk home.Pretty low key.Luckily there was an Aussie guy there renting a bike too and hegave us the lowdown, “This is how you turn it on, this is the brake,this is where you shift”, ok, got it. We were handed two helmetswith broken straps and were off, Will driving and me on back. Wealmost hit the parked car on the way out, but managed to drivearound for about an hour.After my recent brush with death (ok, that’s a little dramatic. I justhad to paddle a little more than my lazy self is used to, but still),I was a little more cautious. I surfed dreamland a few times and asmaller day at Padang Padang. I watched Will surf the bigger crazierstuff and found pleasure in spraying his cuts with stinging alcoholafter he smashed up my board.We surfed, we lounged, and we walked the beach making friendswith the stray dogs. We posed with our surfboards for a picturewith a well-to-do family vacationing from Java who had probablynever seen an American female surfer. There were a few women inthe water, but for the most part, this trip was just me and a bunchof dudes. We watched fishermen catch octopus from the beach,and the tiny colorful sail boats come in each night with the freshcatch. We watched the young kids rip up the waves at their homebreak, doing airs and getting barreled on waves I could barely evencatch, let alone do mind-blowing tricks. We ate a lot of fried rice,fresh fruit and omelets and I read a couple of books (The TimeTravelers’ Wife was very good).One day we got ambitious and decided to rent a scooter and cruisearound the surrounding villages. Neither one of us has a license toride a motorcycle or scooter nor do we even know how, but thatGoing fast was easy; it’s the slow putter up the hill that makes youalmost fall over. It was one of our funnier moments.Oh ya, did I mention that they drive on the wrong side of the road?Hey, EVERYONE rides motorcycles in Bali and you know what theysay... when in Rome… we had to try it. It looked so easy, I meanhow hard could it be if you could fit mom, dad, kid, tiny baby ANDall the groceries on the back of ONE bike. Crazy! What we sawbeing transported on one tiny motorcycle or scooter was amazing.We returned the bike the next morning unharmed, but still notsure which is scarier- riding the motorcycle yourself or being in theback of a cab with a crazy driver passing all those motorcycles goinguphill around blind corners.34 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm

A couple of days later we took a cab ride where I had to actuallytell myself it was really just a ride at an amusement park and thosecars coming straight at us weren’t really real. I grabbed the “ohs*#!” handle and just laughed. It was fun- kind of. That cab ridetook us to our next destination: G-land.We drove all night and parked in what seemed like the middle ofnowhere and were told to sleep for a few hours- the driver thendisappeared. It was the middle of the night, I half-woke up and sawpeople meandering around carrying a large wheelbarrow type thingfull of brush. I fell back asleep with voices and music in the distance.It seemed like there was always a ceremony going on in Indonesia.tourist spot. We were going to stay at a surf camp in the middle ofthe jungle, in a national park, on the tip of the island of Java… Outin the middle of nowhere!Our surf camp, Bobby’s G-Land Surf Camp, was kind of like, well,like camp. We had a nice little cabin with mosquito nets, sharedbathrooms that are kind of scary, a mess hall, a pool table, pingpong, and a movie room, except you don’t spend your days inoutdoor workshops learning about cool knots you can tie out ofreed… you just surf your brains out.The beach is a long stretch that hosts some of the best wavesin the world and it was a little intimidating. And, once again,I’m the only girl. We befriended a few of the older guys who hadbeen coming there since the Stone Age and they showed us how topaddle out, where to sit, and most importantly where NOT to sit.I found that as long as I surfed at high tide I felt ok. Even if youwiped out, there is enough water that you can get tossed aroundand not hit the bottom. Low tide is a different story. If you wipeout, you get dragged over the reef and the camp director has tosew you back together. No thanks.I became familiar to the religious night sounds of Bali, but thiswas different. A different religion, different songs, different music.Where are we and what are we waiting for???By the time we woke up, it made sense. We were parked in thefishing village and were waiting for the tide to come up as we wereto take a boat for the rest of our trip to G-Land.People were bustling around, the fishermen were in, women wereon shore ready and waiting to clean the fish. We stuck out like sorethumbs carrying our cameras and our gear through the black sandbeach littered with fishing nets, past the elaborately carved sailboats and out to our high tech speed boat. The women didn’t evenask if we wanted to buy a t-shirt or a sarong. It was definitely not aThe first day I caught two good size g-land proper, super fun waves.Wow. That was enough for me! Success and not scared, I paddledback in. Will stayed out and caught a few more waves that made histrip worth it, unaware the second day was going to be even bigger.Will had a case of “Bali belly” and was in bed trying not to throwup; I ran into my friend from Oahu again so I paddled out with himand his buddies. It was a little foggy, kind of eerie and mackinghuge.A set came through and I scraped to get over it but I didn’tmake it. Like a super kook I went over the falls backwards, and Iknew it was going to happen too.I took a deep breath and tried to relax before being thrashed andheld down under water. I popped up, realizing I’m ok, and notedgetting thrashed on big waves isn’t so bad. My friend tried to playit off like it was no big deal, but confessed later at dinner that hethought I was going to die. I could see it on his face and I realizedI was way out of my league. I went in without catching a wave forthe first time in years. I didn’t feel so bad though, a couple of theguys that were out there also chickened out and went in too. It wasreally big.We stayed at the camp for a week. For the remaining days, thesurf was so big that nobody really went out to the good spots, butrather all trekked down the beach to smaller breaks that were reallyfun and easy. Places with names like “chickens”, yea, that’s mykind of spot. The camp manager, Puma told us about another spoton the other side of the peninsula called “reverse G”. They’re tryingto promote it as the next G-Land, but you have to take an expensiveboat ride to get there. They don’t have a camp set up and theyprobably never will. “Why?” We asked. “Tigers,” said Puma. Right.Tigers. No thanks.Camp was fun and fortunately Will got better quickly. We surfed,and listened to stories about smuggling drugs in speaker boxes fromVietnam through Thailand during the war.Did I mention you Aussies are crazy?One special night after dinner I learned a new, way more fun ritualfor birthdays. Instead of that really bad drawn out depressing tuneof happy birthday, your cake is paraded around the party for everyoneto see, followed by a procession of people drumming, bangingon pots and pans, clapping and general noise making. As the cakeContinued on page 64wSSm | womenssurfstyle.com | 35

In January, 2006, at my yearly check up with Dr. Thomas, asports medicine specialist revealed my left hip was deteriorating.At this time I put his words out of my mind, sure it hurt- but Iwas surfing, exercising and hip replacement was the last thing onmy mind... anyway I wasn’t feeling old.Living 4 months of the year in Hawaii and surfing waves that werebetter than the waves I surfed in my 20’s convinced me I wasn’treally 57 years old. On January 25,2006, I spent one of the bestmonths of surfing on the North Shore I had ever experienced.Flying back home to Florida was the best of two worlds; a lovinghusband, family, friends and church, complete with a good occasionalsurf session- it was a recipe for a great life.2006 was a struggle. As my pain increased, so did the visits to theDoctor and Chiropractor. Pain medicine was limited because Ididn’t take well to it, and by February, 2007, the diagnosis was tohave hip replacement.I flew to Hawaii to get in some waves before the dreaded surgery,and the internet became my research library between surf sessionsas I looked up all the new hip options. I came across a new methodthat younger, more active athletes were having success with. FloydLandis- a 2006 Tour de France champion, Carry Folk- an endurancetri-athlete, and Peter Webb who trained for 2005 London Marathonafter recovering from his hip surgery were among the newbreed of resurfacing Hippies.Birmingham hip resurfacing was touted as restoring active lifestylesand that was my wish.The pain was almost unbearable, but visits to surf buddies BarbaraFisher and JenMurad, both acupuncturistsin Hale’iwa, keptme paddling out forwhat I thoughtcould of been mylast surfingdays.One morning Ipaddled out atmy secret spotin Waialua andI couldn’tsit up on myboard.Beautiful overhead waves were setting up right in front of meand this man kept encouraging me to take off. I was frozenprone on my board, losing any flexibility in my hips. I startedpaddling out to sea hiding my tears in the salty ocean... whenthis surfer came up to me and asked if he could pray for me. It waslike a visit from an angel and after his prayer, my fear of surgeryseemed to fade away and I knew I would surf again, and I knewGod would help me.Returning to Florida started one visit after another to Dr. Helmy,a surgeon who performed BHR and tested me to see if my bonedensity was strong enough for this procedure. It seemed I hadpassed the bone health test, but he noticed a fracture and wouldhave to up the surgery date. Surgery was no piece of cake, butafter a week in the Hospital I was home.My best Florida surf friend Emily (she’s a retired recovery roomnurse) encouraged me as just lifting my left leg was a major ordeal.Staying out of the water seemed like an eternity, but once I got inthe pool it was a joy to help teach my 2 year old grandson how toswim. One Sunday my husband brought my 7’4” surfboard to theocean and I used my walker to get out to the water. I was able toget on the board, paddle, and catch waves on my stomach.September 19th, 3 1/2 months out from surgery I would return andattempt to surf Hawaii again, and I counted it my miracle.I felt like a kook beginner again, but once I got to my feet on theboard, my 45 years of surfing kicked in. Looking awkward andcatching a few waves were a welcome change from the pain of thepast. My surf gal friends- North Shore WAVES (Women Are VeryEnthusiastic Surfers) helped me overcome my fears of surfing someof the bigger waves of the Winter.On May 29, 2008, one year after my hip surgery, I was honered toteach my now 3 year old grandson, how to surf in Waikiki.God has blessed me with family and friends, He protects mewith prayers and angels. What a gift God gives us by allowingus to surf. Surfing CAN BE the best therapy.Linda GroverPhotos by Emily Lewis36 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm

NySeas are a patented unbelievably soft silicon-basedproduct designed to minimize or eliminate the pressureand discomfort exerted to the neck area frombathing suit knot and strings.wSSm | womenssurfstyle.com | 37

38 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSmSouth Shore Oahu | Hawaiiphoto by: Ralph | LeadingEdgePhoto.com.com

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Photo: Paul Topp | paultopp.comPupukea | North Shore Oahu | Hawaii40 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm

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The saga of surf instructor / movie actor John Philbin during his transformationof actress Kate Bosworth for her leading role in “Blue Crush”By John Philbin & Ben MarcuswSSm | womenssurfstyle.com | 43

By John Philbin & Ben MarcusThe Academy Award for BestPaddling and Duck Diving by a NonSurfing Actor or Actress goes to….Of all the actors and actresses who have played surfers overthe years – and that is a long list that includes icons and Oscarwinners like Sandra Dee, Elvis Presley, Cliff Robertson, Jan MichaelVincent, Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, Keanu Reeves andCameron Dias – Kate Bosworth looked the most natural on asurfboard and in the water.In Blue Crush, Bosworth portrayed Anne Marie Chadwick, ablue and brown eyed, blonde local haole who struggles to overcomeher Pipeline issues in a world where the women competeat gnarly Pipeline.Early on in the movie, there is a shot of a young, blonde surfergirl paddling out at Pipeline. It’s a big day there - surfers andbodyboarders are dropping in, some are getting barreled, someare wiping out - and there is Anne Marie Chadwick paddling intothe middle of it all. In most movies, paddling out at 10 foot Pipelinewould be considered too hazardous for an actor or actressto actually do themselves, and so the actual paddling would bedone by a stunt double. But in that scene, you don’t have to looktoo close to realize that the girl padding out at Pipeline is reallyKate. Looking at the whole thing with an experienced eye, KateBosworth looks good paddling out. She looks real and what’seven more real is that here is an actress on the shoulder at Pipeline,very close to danger.You may ask yourself: “Well, how did she get there?”IN JOHN’S HANDSJohn Philbin helped to put her there. Growing up as a surferin Palos Verdes, Philbin dreamed of surfing Pipeline and actingin movies. He earned a Bachelor’s in Theater from USC thenstudied with Peggy Feury at the Loft Studio with Sean Penn,Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laura Dern and EricStoltz, among many others.Sometimes dreams come true and Philbin’s dreams came togetherwhen he got to surf Pipeline in front of the camera fortwo movies: In Universal’s 1987 cult classic “The North Shore”,Philbin nailed the role of Turtle – a transplanted haoleglasser with a pidgin accent thicker than the resin hespread on surfboards. Four years later, Philbin was thebank robber in the Jimmy Carter mask in Point Break.Most recently, Philbin played a villain again in BrianGrazer’s TV pilot The Break, which was directed byJohn Stockwell, starred Kala Alexander and employedthe exact same water safety team as Blue Crush.With those credits on his resume, combined with hisexperience as a surfer, Philbin has been teaching surfingprofessionally since 1999. He teaches the famousand the anonymous – anyone who wants to learn – andsometimes works with feature film and television productionswhenever authenticity and the integrity of theproduction are desired.Philbin has been taking a yearly surf trip to Grajagan going backto 1980. He was there when tsunamis destroyed the camp in1994 and in 2001. Philbin was at Grajagan when filmmaker BillBallard told him about a new Hollywood surf project involvinggirls that was about to go into production.Back in Los Angeles, Philbin went on the hunt: “I sought outthe director John Stockwell because I acted in one of the firstmovies he directed, called Undercover.” Philbin said. “I kindastalked Stockwell in Malibu, always campaigning for the job.He asked me how and if he could realistically filmsurfing out at Pipeline with girls and/or actresses.I told him it could be done, but I wanted the job of trainingthe actresses. I kept giving him my card, like: “I am a surfinstructor now, not just an actor from surf movies. Get it?“One time I was giving a lesson out at Malibu and saw John sittingon the beach with a camera filming some guy with a beginnergirl. It looked like a surf test and I was furious. I complainedabout it: “Who is that guy? Does he even know how to teachsurfing?” John Stockwell told me he was one of the most famoussurf instructors from the Paskowitz surf clan. I gave him the flattire - HHHHHHHUUUFFFFF - and said “whatever”.My poor client – the girl I was teaching – said, “What was thatall about?” I actually thought I had blown it forever with Stockwellright then and there, but three days later he called to getmy rates for teaching and gave me one of the greatest jobs ofmy life.Philbin was hired by Stockwell, who was hired by producer BrianGrazer, one of the co-founders of Imagine Films. Grazer is aSuper Producer whose movies like Splash and Eight Mile and ABeautiful Mind have been nominated for more Academy Awardsthan Kelly Slater has won World Titles, and have earned moremoney than any other Hollywood production company. Grazerand the director John Stockwell are two guys who would ratherget caught inside at 15 foot Sunset than make a sloppy movie.The success of Blue Crush depended on transforming their actressinto a believable surfer.MAKING ANNE MARIEThe movie was Blue Crush, the lead role was Anne Marie Chadwickand the leading actress up for the role was Kate Bosworth.In the summer of 2001, Bosworth was 19 years old and fresh outof high school in Connecticut, where she had been a NationalMerit Scholar. Princeton had accepted her but she deferred her44 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm

Photos by: John Philbinentrance to have a go at Hollywood. By the summer of 2001, Bosworth had four rolesto her credit, mostly small parts in the movies The Horse Whisperer, The Newcomersand Remember the Titans, and a role in the Young Americans TV show.Bosworth was ambitious and determined, a young, blonde actress with talent in an extremelycompetitive business loaded with young, blonde, talented actresses. Now shewas up for a starring role in a Brian Grazer movie and in true Hollywood fashion, shewas smart enough not to talk her way out of the role. “Kate was not entirely truthfulabout having surfing experience when we talked to her about the role,” Stockwell said.“So she quickly went out and took surf lessons before the surf audition.”Kate met her surf instructor John Philbin at the Cross Creek Starbucks in Malibu, lessthan a mile from the surfbreak at First Point. “Kate was on time and enthusiastic,”Philbin said. “At first impression she was very athletic and beautiful. I could see rightaway why they were interested in her for the role – but she couldn’t surf. My job wasto get her in the water and see if she had what it would take to realistically portray asurfer on Hawaii’s North Shore.”It was Philbin’s job to show Bosworth how to walk the walk, talk the talk, paddle,catch waves and make it look natural. From Sandra Dee in Gidget to Cameron Diaz inCharlie’s Angels III, most actors and actresses have had trouble looking like surfers andone of the dead giveaways is paddling.“Paddling in the ocean may not sound so very glamorous but surfing is 90% paddling,”Philbin said. “I teach that position is everything in the ocean, and paddling is how youget there. Paddling is how you catch a wave and how you get away from one. Youpaddle to get out of danger or closer to it. The difference between relative safety inthe ocean and extreme peril is often a few more paddles. Especially at the location hercharacter was supposed to surf: the Banzai Pipeline.”PIPELINE ISSUESIn Blue Crush, Anne Marie Chadwick is an experienced pro surfer with Pipeline issues.She is afraid of the spot, her fears fortified by an unfading memory of wiping out there,cracking her head on the bottom and nearly drowning.Because Pipeline was the stage for Blue Crush, Bosworth would not only have to looknatural on a surfboard, she would have to do it within 50 yards of the one of the mostdangerous surf spots on earth.Kate wasn’t expected to surf Pipeline. Her surfing would be doubled by Rochelle Ballardand Noah Johnson, but she had to be ready for her closeups, and that meantpaddling and duck-diving and moving through the ocean like a real surfer girl. “I knewthat Kate would have to be able to paddle and sit stable while doing dialogue over andover again,” Philbin said. “But I knew she had what it would take after our very firstlesson. Kate is a natural athlete. Most movie stars are because it’s a very physical job.The gentle waves of Malibu provided the perfect opportunities for her to practicebeginning surfing skills.She showed up on time, followed my directions, stood up, rode a wave and showedthe first sign of some talent in the water. Kate was determined to get it right and getit perfect. I was being paid by the producers and part of my job was to report on herprogress, truthfully, to the producer and director each day. What they were lookingfor was determination, willingness, a certain athleticism and bravery. Surfing is not foreveryone. It’s hard and it can be scary.”Training Kate meant a lot of hours in the ocean, two to four hours a day,four to six days a week, an intense immersion, so to speak, into thisstrange new world of ocean, waves and how to catch them.“The situations and choices presented to any surfer in the water and on land are unique,varied and infinite,” Philbin said. “The situation is always fluid, so I trained Kate how togo with the flow. We would start our sessions by checking the forecast, we were goingout anyway but it was interesting comparing notes, then we’d drive to whatever spotwe thought would be best for what we were working on.wSSm | womenssurfstyle.com | 45

By John Philbin & Ben MarcusWhile teaching Kate to be safe in the ocean,Philbin had to be sure she was safe in theocean because an injury could have lead toKate losing the part, or delaying the start ofshooting. “I stressed safety in all of our sessionsand the number one thing I stressedwith Kate – as I do with all my students issimple; protect your head. Surfing is statisticallysafer than cheerleading, certainly saferthan riding a bike, or jumping a horse orsnowboarding or skateboarding, becausewhen you fall, it’s only water - unless you hitsomething hard.We would observe our surf spots at differenttides, and learn how the ocean bottomforms the waves, we studied how the whitewater revealed the shape of the reefs, rocksand channels, and we mapped out lineups.We worked on the basics- over and overand over again, like taking the boards offthe car and putting them back on, waxingthe boards, attaching and detaching leashes,putting in fins and carrying the boards longdistances. The board was a prop and a tool,and familiarity was king. We entered andexited the water over and over and overagain. I usually tell students that this is themost dangerous part of surfing and to treatthis boundary - where the water meets theland - with the utmost respect; as almost areligious observance.”PADDLE FOR YOUR LIFEWhen there was no surf, we paddled.“Through waves, over waves, under waves...I knew duck diving would be important sowe drilled one hundred duck dives into along distance paddle and when waves gracedour sessions we’d practice catching them.Making a commitment to catch a wave- thisis what usually separates respected surfersfrom all the rest and it is a quality that is veryhard to teach. Usually you just hear a surfinstructor screaming PADDLE, PADDLE,PADDLE!!!I was out at Waimea Bay the other day whileKelly Slater was giving his brother and JonJon Florence a lesson on where to sit andhow to catch a good one at “The Bay”. ‘GO!GO! GO!’ were his words of choice, but inorder to GO! you’ve got to PADDLE!, andwe mean paddle hard, harder, paddle as hardand as fast as you can. Paddle as if your lifedepended on it, because someday it might.With moms I change it to: Paddle as if the lifeof your child were at stake.”WHAT ARE YOU DOING?Blue Crush ends with a climactic, two-womanheat at the Pipe Masters. Anne Marie hasdone well enough to make it to the final,where she meets Keala Kenneally and facesher fears in big, gnarly, 10-foot Pipe, but afterwiping out, Anne Marie is sitting on theshoulder, afraid to paddle back into the pitwhen she is confronted by Kennally. “Whatare you doing?” Kennally says, then guidesher opponent back into the peak whereChadwick snags a perfect wave.It’s a nice ending – a true ending – becauseone thing Bosworth learned about thisstrange, new surfing world is the camaraderieshared by everyone paddling around onpieces of plastic.The art of the movie was Kate’s realitywhile doing a session at Point Dume, “LairdHamilton came by doing his stand up paddlething,” Philbin said, “and offered Kate onetip. He suggested she stand up quickly, assoon as she could, as soon as she caught thewave. Who’s gonna argue with Laird? But hehad a point.We are all more coordinated standing on ourfeet than in any other position, so it makessense to get to our feet as soon as possible.Pop up drills, by the way, are the only drillswe can practice on land that really come inhandy in the water. I first use a line in thesand, across which both feet straddle, then anarrow park bench. If you can stand up betweenyour hands and under your body on anarrow bench you can do it on a board.”ALWAYS PROTECT YOURSELFJohn Philbin has taught hundreds of beginnersto surf, but Kate was a little differentbecause there was a $30 million dollar movieresting on her shoulders – which weregetting muscular and strong from all thepaddling.The number one cause ofinjury in surfing is headtrauma caused by yourown board. If you caneliminate this, you maynever get injured surfing.Always protect your headfrom your own board, withyour hands or a helmet. Ifyou lose control of yourboard, assume it’s gonnacome back and hit youin the head. This way, ifit ever does, you’re readyfor it, and can prevent anyserious impact.The other hard object is the ocean bottom.No head-first diving or feet-first jumping; trynot to penetrate to the bottom. It’s best tofall flat or dive shallow, while protecting yourhead.Last but not least: other people and theirboards. Tamayo Perry learned that the hardway at Pipeline and almost lost his scalp, butgetting hit by someone else’s board is a dangerfrom the beginner’s spot at the end ofSunset Boulevard in Los Angeles to the tripleblack diamond Sunset Beach in Hawaii.”THE BIG BREAKPhilbin trained Kate for a solid month, fourto six days a week, and while he wanted tosee his young apprentice do well and getthe part, he also had to be honest with theproducers and director. “Through the fourthweek of training I was responsible for callingthe line producer Rick Delago and directorJohn Stockwell every day to report on Kate’s46 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm

Photos by: John Philbinprogress and learning curve – what skills she was acquiringand her determination. While we were swirling around inthe ocean, back in Hollywood there was a swirl of decisionsabout looks, money, studio approval and the director’s beliefin the actor’s talent for the role.”Blue Crush and the part of Anne Marie was a big deal forKate. It is a miracle when any actor gets any role becauseof all the competition, but a starring role in a Brian Grazermovie had the potential to launch Kate as a movie star. It wasthe part of a lifetime really, for a young Hollywood hopeful,“Kate got the job after the fourth week, and we were bothstoked,” Philbin said. “Kate’s dedication to the training hadreally paid off and it was rewarding for me to help a youngactress get her break. She continued to suit up and show upfor another two weeks before she flew off to Hawaii andinto the capable care of Brian Keaulana and Brock Little - themost respected big wave ocean safety team in the world.”E X C E L L E N TR AT E DDAILIESAs Kate whirled off to Hawaii for a graduate course in Hawaiianpower, Philbin stayed behind in California, wonderinghow his young apprentice was doing on the North Shore. “Idid not see Kate for quite a while,” says Philbin, “after ourintroduction to the ocean in California, Kate got pulled intothe big time in Hawaii. I heard that Brock Little took her intothe shorebreak at Waimea to give her a taste of Hawaiianpower, and I heard she did great.Four weeks after I handed her off to Brock and Brian – and10 weeks after she had taken those first small steps at Malibu- I flew to Hawaii to visit the set.Kate showed me some dailies of her paddlingout into the lineup, at 10 foot Pipeline. Thatsame footage made it into the movie, and whenI first saw it I was shocked. At first I thought itwas fake, or someone was doubling for Kate.I watched the scene over and over again, andfreeze framed it and still I was incredulous.But there she was, no question, that pale equestriennefrom Connecticut was now a tanned,determined surfer girl.Her back muscles were ripped and rippling as she paddledout into the lineup at 10 foot Pipeline. These were life threateningconditions, but she looked powerful and focused and,most importantly, completely natural as the awesome Pipelinebombs exploded on the shallow reef beside her.The one thing I noticed most of all: she was paddling hard.”Sun Protection When Your Skin Needs It Most!www.sundayafternoons.com1.888.874.2642wSSm | womenssurfstyle.com | 47