"I was on a live feed with a Stephanie Gilmore Roxy advert shown just before me!'
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| @markusbrownphoto |
Wowweee, I think this has been the highlight of my journey so far - let's take a step back and I'll explain!
A few weeks ago (depending when you are reading this) I had one of those notifications on my Facebook that I just couldn't get rid of, you know the ones that just get lost somewhere in the universe. Digging a little deeper, it was in fact a message from the team at UK Pro Surf Tour who had sent me a lovely message asking for a surf forecast for their Night Surf competition. Ekk...Not only that but they offered me the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the competition at Fistral Beach and even go live on the evening feed with the amazing commentators - Lee and Sam.
I decided to make the most of this amazing opportunity and booked myself an Air bnb on Friday night to meet the team and see what I was getting involved in. Their first impression of me probably wasn't great, as I walked into the RNLI hut looking like a drowned rat... love you British summer!
As if it wasn't hard enough to surf in the dark, the weekend weather was influenced by the remains of Storm Miguel - a storm named by the Spanish Met Service. That Friday night were a set of heats and what a challenging set of heats it was! Strong howling onshore winds with wind swell up to 5 ft, how the surfers did it I have no idea. Bringing it back inside to the judging panel, well that was also a challenging matter - we needed our own set of window wipers!
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| @markusbrownphoto |
I spoke to the weather gods, checked the radar, analysed Saturday's forecast and decided to speak up. "Don't worry guys, tomorrow is going to be a brighter day I promise". A few eyes rolled... The next morning I woke up, drew open the curtains and there she was! SUN. The winds had dropped, the sun was out and we were on for a winner!
After a quick brunch at Box and Barber, I headed back to North Fistral and saw the competition area in beautiful daylight. Flags, crowds and a skate ramp in the carpark. Not gonna lie, the nerves started kicking in but I had a whole day to chill and relax until the live feed.
Sunset arrived and it was time to experience my first live surf commentary! Honestly what an amazing experience, the crew were absolutely lovely and watching the surfers in tricky conditions made it that more exciting. The judging room got intense pretty quick and it was safe to say I suited the media room a lot more; a little calmer, laid back and chattier approach.
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| @Markusbrownphoto |
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| @markusbrownphoto |
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| @markusbrownphoto |
A massive thank you to the team!! Here are a few links to help remember the experience :) Enjoy!
