Yesterday at the Surf contest, with my camera

1 October 2012 / 2 Comments

EVEN if you are not into this extreme sport, you have got to admire the athletes. They are face to face with the element and are just asking for it not to swallow them whole but instead, go a little easy on them for time to time so they can do what they do. FLY over water.

We got to the Hossegor surf contest with my boy Tom early yesterday morning, so we had the opportunity to see the men’s qualifiers for round 1 of this Quicksilver Pro competition (I gave you the lowdown in this article a few days back, in case this is all sounding gobbledegook to you).

I had such a great time, getting up early on a Sunday (this will definitely be a new habit of mine!) and catching that incredible ocean light the South West of France gets in Autumn. Weekends here for me are vital.

VITAL. Oopps sorry I shouted.

We went back for a quick lunch and Tom’s homework (so much better when you get it done and it’s out of the way) and were back at the contest for 1pm as it was scheduled back on for that time. We got to see all the Groms (translation: under 16 boys) take part in the King of the Groms contest (I love that concept!). These not so little guys are built like tanks (most of the older ones) and surf faster than I have seen anything move! The lighter ones are agile, like supernatural weightless beings drawn out of the water as if by magic.

I hope you enjoy the photos, I took so so many. These were just a selection of my favorite. We left around 5pm and went home, crashed OUT (that ocean breeze…) and had dinner and slept. Dreaming of these amphibian creatures that are able to mold themselves into the element, like born into it.

xxxxxxx