A Four Day Festival of Froth

Posted on April 20, 2015
Ten days ago the second annual Approaching Lines Festival of Surf (presented by Reef) wrapped up, following 3 nights of surf films on an enormous cinema screen and a single fin surf contest that went down in classic conditions.  I was fortunate enough to be there as event photographer again, which meant that in between squeezing through the crowds to photograph everyone enjoying a beer in the intermission, I also got to sneak in and watch a few great movies from the back of the auditorium.  It’s really great to see the various Approaching Linesevents gaining so much popularity within the surf community, as British surfers continue to get behind the sort of events that bring us all together and break our bad habits of sticking to our own crew at our local beach.  It’s a real pleasure to be a part of it all, regardless of the surf movies and complimentary beers…
Here’re a few of my favourite shots from across the 4-day event, held in Newquay.  Hopefully I’ll see a few more of you there next year.
Cinema screen at approaching lines festival of surf

 

Life size surf movies, and then some.

North to Noosa screening at the approaching lines festival of surf

Shakas for Deus’ new movie “North to Noosa”.

bar man with a beard pouring sharps beer

Beards and beers, both courtesy of the fine folks at Sharps.

Chris Nelson introducing films at approaching lines festival of surfEvent Director Chris Nelson, broadcasting.

sold out cinema at approaching lines festival of surf screening of cluster

There were sell-out crowds throughout the festival, not least for Kai Neville’s latest shred-fest “Cluster” which had crew queuing out the door.

surf film maker kai neville at uk premier of clusterNot least because the man himself was there to present his latest offering and do a Q&A after the credits stopped rolling, along with Saffa ripper Brendon Gibbens who features in Cluster.

Newquay lighthouse cinemaTrying to make a multiplex look nice with light trails at dusk and all that…

james parry before his heat at the approaching lines single fin classic

James Parry about to paddle out for his heat in the Reef classic single fin invitational.

sam lamiroy running down fistral beach past the headland hotel

Sam Lamiroy running down the beach in front of the Headland Hotel.

competitors in approaching lines single fin classic at waters edge

A loomer rearing up out back.

sam lamiroy air on a single fin

Sam Lamiroy launching off the end section.  He stuck some solid moves in heat 1.

competitors from heat one at approaching lines single fin classic

Heat 1 contestants (L-R) James Parry, Sam Lamiroy, Gee Piper, Toby Donachie, Neil Holland and Tom Anderson.

competitors from heat two at approaching lines single fin classicHeat 2 contestants Archie Cross, Sarah Bentley, Alan Stokes (Victor), Sam Boex and John Eldridge.

alan stokes winning wave in the single fin classic

Alan Stokes did about 8 of these on the same wave, all the way to the inside at Little Fistral.  If I had been shooting film I would’ve burned through a whole roll on this wave alone.

sam boex carving cut back on a single fin surfboardSam Boex took out the “Most Stylish” award, and rightly so.

alan stokes winner of the approaching lines single fin classicThis year’s champ, Mr Alan Stokes.

Leave a Reply