Heading back to the 2008 Miami Kiteboard Masters ...


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Charging out along a broad skirmish line


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It's all about perspective


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Putting the spoilers up to avoid grabbing too much airtime during a standup session


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Racing to catch the start



Photos by Rick Iossi
All rights reserved.

Todd Essick wanted to try something different from sports photography for the wire services. So, he took a diving course, bought the first of tons of UW camera gear and set out to capture some new and varied compositions. He focuses on model compositions both clothed and nude, underwater often with sealife.


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This was shot off Nassau about two years ago


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The logistics in such shoots can be overwhelming as unexpected animal interactions with costumes can be at times. That is one core water woman, seems to be containing things fairly well considering she's holding her breath, is at least 20 ft. beneath the surface and a shark is tangled in her outfit banging up against her trying to get out. The shark may have been attracted by glittering small sequins attached to the netting. Great model and athlete.


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The challenges of shooting free diving models, absent regulator exhaust, with natural expressions and poses, largely blind with all the varied light and conditions underwater are immense.


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Todd and his skilled models/water women pull it off though.

All photos by Todd Essick


Todd created a collection of his work in book form with many intriguing underwater photographs. It can be a good gift for water people or folks with an appreciation of unusual, well crafted images. More at: http://www.essickphoto.com/sub4.html

Why not kite Exuma, in the Bahamas? Found some great shots on http://www.exumakitesurfing.com/ from the island chain.


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No need to fear the dreaded effects of FWN, you can find waves in the Family Islands


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Wheeled directionals are catching on at this launch. So many areas of riding flats.


Photos by Gary Sweeting and Bill Malachowski

Trips may be on in the coming months. Bequia below St. Vincent in the Grenadines is highlighted in the following shots.


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Port Elizabeth in the central area of the lee side of the island. There are some interesting shipwrecks around the mouth of the bay worth diving on.


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Click photo for full sized image
A view south across Industry Bay on the windward side of the island. There is a narrow kite launch here with a rock reef about a 1/4 mile to seaward with areas of iron shore to the north and south of the beach. Understand that if the trades shift off due east, turbulent winds can roll in across the headlands. This can cause kites to easily stall nearshore. Heavier seas can bring other challenging conditions out closer to the reef.


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More iron shore and a narrow reef rimmed beach near the turtle hatchery. As a rule on thumb in areas with prevailing strong winds, like the trades, if there are sand beaches on the windward side of things, rock is the reason. There may be reefs breaking heavy seas up to windward, beachrock outcrops or iron shore sheltering a narrow sand beach in the lee. Good for beaches, often less good for kiting. It can complicate things and up the hazards particularly in stronger winds or if something goes wrong.


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Even though the trades had laid down the swells were still pumping in. You can see some good sized ones sweeping over the reef covering the mouth of Industry Bay. Nice wave sailing, just don't break down and try to drift in over the reef, ouch!

Wave lust can sometimes take a toll ...


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From: http://www.pipelineposse.com/rostrum...914204634c.jpg
Photo by Unknown
Jason Frederico goes down hard at Pipeline


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From: http://www.jpgmag.com/photos/252456
Photo by: Phil Mislinski
Randall Paulson punches out at the 2004 Rip Curl Banzai Pipeline


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From: http://www.surf-art.com/gallery/c0070-20.jpg
Photo by: Unknown
Greg Knoll and Mike Strange take the plunge at Waimai 40 years ago


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From: http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/200...MP_800x692.jpg
Photo by: MMP
Sponger getting sneak attacked by 50 ft. wave off Cornwall?


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From: http://www.surfersvillage.com/img/st...efall26103.jpg
Photo by: Karen Wilson
Darryl "Flea" Virostko of Maverick's fame pursues unaided flight over warmer waters


Despite that, we keep coming back for more. Must be something in the water?

It is amazing that anyone could ride down the face of such a steep wave and with a long board. Hats off to Greg Knoll! What is the largest wave that has been surfed in Florida do you think? The largest one I have seen in recent years was over 15 ft. but well offshore while kiting. What is the largest one that someone has paddled (or towed into) here?

Rick,

I remember when I use to surf Pipe, Log Cabins, and Waimea that no matter how bad you got punished out there it was the wave that you conquered with your buddies watching. That always brought me back for more punishment.

I still don't know how Greg Knoll took off with a long board at Pipe. It was hard enough on a 6'8" board at 12 to 15 foot pipe with a lot of North in the swell. It was like standing on a roof of a 30 foot building and it would just fall out beneath you.

Brings back some memories

Hey Chris,

That is some intense stuff. Were you ever bounced off the rock bottom at Pipeline? Your analogy of standing on a three story building as it collapses beneath you is telling.

Bet you guys get swells like this frequently off the Bay area. Well, maybe miles out in the Gulf during hurricanes?

Just came across an interesting clip with some historical big, massive wave footage from Hawaii titled "Greg Knoll Legacy." He definitely is the man.

Rick,

I have a nice scar on my back from collapsing a lung out at pipe one day. Funny thing is I don't remember which wave it was that caused a bleb on my lung to burst. When I got home that night I had a hard time breathing and I felt air bubbles under my skin every time I took a breath. Went to Tripler Army Medical Hospital and 60% of my left lung had collapsed. I always wore a helmet when I surfed pipe, I saw plenty of guys hitting their head on the reef there. Still good times and lots of vivid memories.

Hey Chris,

Yow, that was some impact to rupture a bleb. Worry about bleb ruptures, if present, causing a pneumnothorax in diving. That is some intense surfing. Do you have any photos of you riding some larger waves in Hawaii? Sounds like prime POD content.