26th Feb 2008

Well I've been surfing nearly everyday but the last couple of weeks haven't been anything special. I've no complaints though as the surf has mostly been joined by sunshine and an hour of sun at this time of year does as much for me as a surf.

Last Friday saw the 2 week sunny and dry spell (another January record!) broken by a steady drizzle and as Murphy's Law would have it it was also the day we had also arranged to interview John Powell otherwise known as the Gower Weatherman. He's been monitoring the weather from his place on Gower for 47 years. All the information he collates then goes to the MET office. He also does the weather report for local radio. 

He confirmed what all the papers have said and what we all noticed that January was the mildest on record. On the 10th it didn't drop below 10.3 degrees all night - exceptionally warm. On average Gower was 2 degrees above normal all January.  It might not seem like much but the flora and fauna notice changes in temperature a lot more than us and it will have knock on affects that we wont even realise.

I remember last winter being really warm and if this winter has been even warmer again I'm wondering what next year will bring?

 I'd be interested to see if there have been any changes in patterns of ocean storms in the North Atlantic over the last few years too, not just as a surfer but as someone who lives in an area of coastal flooding. This is one of the other predictions for global warming. So if you know or are some one who has access or knows where we might get this type of information please get in touch.

Well the wind's dropped and there's a decent swell on the buoys so I'm off for an early night and I'm not sure if I'll notice those extra 2 degrees at six in the morning it is still winter for me this week!

11th Feb 2008

I'm sore and the water's still dripping out my nose but I wouldn't change it for the world.

The last 5 days I've surfed overhead offshore conditions in glorious sunshine - February doesn't get much better than this. It's been a bit tricky timing wise to get a good surf due to the massive 10m tides but it's been well worth it. Part of me feels guilty for not getting the camera out but I think sometimes you just have to enjoy it with your own eyes - well that's the excuse I used to make myself feel better. As I came out of the back of a wave while paddling out last night I was surrounded by gold rain and a pink sunset. The offshore wind lifted spray off the top of the wave which as it fell around me was catching light off the setting sun. So beautiful - those are the moments I surf for.

It really has been lovely and warm too with temperatures reaching 17 degrees (average is around 8-10 for this time of year).  This morning and over the weekend the papers were full of articles on the unseasonably warm weather and which flowers are out early and which birds have arrived early. 

Here's what the Daily Telegraph said. 

And The Times.

The Guardian looked at which birds would be affected and how. 

So I'm feeling a little split in 2 at the moment I'm enjoying the unseasonably warm weather yet there's the other half of me that's worried about the other effects which come with a changing climate.

21st January 2008

Helen and I have just got back from Arolla in Switzerland where we filmed an installment of On The Push.  Snowboarding has close connections with surfing and with so many surfers enjoying their time in the mountains we thought it important to look at an environment and a sport which relies totally on regular seasons and snow fall.

Arolla, near the Swiss/Italian boarder, sits at 2,000m and with the top of it's piste's at over 3,000m it has regular and reliable snowfalls until quiet late in the ski season.  It is also home to 4 glaciers one of which is the Arolla glacier the snout of which comes down into the valley behind me in this photo. The glacier can be seen in the top right hand corner. 

Like most glaciers around the world the Arolla glacier is retreating. The effect this will have on people around the world will be through sea level rise. (Tony Butt discusses the implication of sea level rise in issue 6.) Being landlocked it would take a massive amount of sea level rise for this to affect Switzerland but there are other effects which I hadn't though about, such as the glaciers supplying most of the water for the hydroelectric stations from where the Swiss get a lot of their electricity.

The glaciers are retreating because they aren't being replenished each winter through snowfall. Less snowfall is also a blow to the Swiss economy as the ski season gets shorter and snow is only found at higher altitudes.  

We interviewed Rob who runs www.snow-forecast.com who said that a lot of the big ski resorts were built at lower altitudes in the 1950's a period of consistent snow fall at lower altitudes. These resorts now regularly  use snow machines to create enough snow. The banks will not fund the building of new resorts at low altitudes any more.

We also interviewed a bar and chalet owner and a glaciologist who lives in Arolla and has studied the glacier for over 30 years.

It was my first time on a snowboard and I love every minute. I can see why people love both the mountains and boarding. It took me a couple of days to get round using my front foot so much because with surfing your turns all come from you back foot. Once I'd got the hang of that I hit the main piste with Helen to record some action shots and links.  Normally I'm rubbish at remembering my lines but I was so focused on trying not to wipe out on camera that the lines were easy, maybe I should do all my links from now on while attempting a new sport. There are lots of shots of me wiping out though so I'm hoping Helen doesn't edit in an out take section.  We did film some proper snowboarders too so there will also be some fun snowboarding footage alongside the interviews.

Helen goes on a ski holiday each year and normally takes the ski train but for this trip we flew - yes it is hypocritical of us and our reason for flying was,

It would cost 4 times as much and take 4 times a long to get there.  The way things are set up in the modern world doesn't make it easy to be green especially if your on a tight budget. 

Much as I would have loved to have taken a train through Europe this film is being made on a wing and a prayer and I couldn't take any more time off work.

What can we do about all those extra hydrocarbons? Well we have thought about carbon offsetting but in some ways that just seems like an excuse, a way of alleviating guilt. But at the same time planting a few more trees isn't going to do any harm either. 

It's got us thinking a little more about carbon offsetting so we're going to visit a carbon offsetting company in Devon, see how offsetting works and offset the production of On The Push.    

 

5th January 2008 - Happy New Year

Wow it's been a manic month but a brilliant one.  The Spanish trip went well. I was a bit worried we wouldn't get there as a force 10 gale was forecast for our crossing but the ferry sailed and we just about held onto our stomach contents! 

We stayed in Asturias with Tony Butt and his wife Annabelle. Also visiting was Will Henry surf photographer, filmmaker and founder of  Save The Waves   Although there to interview them both we just spent the first couple of days surfing and surf filming. The swell that had made for a rough crossing was still turning the WAM (Wave Amplitude Model - Chart which shows size of swell) blood red and Tony and Will were keen to get out there. I surfed a few of the sheltered spots but was far to scared to even think about paddling out at some of the breaks.

Tony lives for big wave surfing and rarely surfs anything other than a gun (a big wave board) it was amazing to watch and I managed to get a couple of his waves on film.

This is just one of them! There's a couple more in the latest issue of On The Push. 

Will's from Northern California and looked perfectly at home in the big surf on his 6ft6 quad (four fined board) not your typical big wave board.

On the Wednesday we were all invited to attend a surf festival in Salinas one of the larger local towns with a large population of surfers and a beach break at the front of the town. Carlos who was running the festival took us for a lunch of menu del dia at a restaurant overlooking the surf. The event was going to start with some surf films including Will's film Lost Jewel of the Atlantic to be followed by an environmental discussion on climate change and coastal development. 

Salinas is near to Rodiles a world class river mouth break similar to Mundaka. It is currently being threatened by the local government and developers wanting to dredge the river mouth to allow bigger boats into the local marina. Doing this would benefit only a minority of locals and a few rich visitors who own larger sailing vessels. For locals it would mean the destruction of a natural sea defence (while we were there the large swells resulted in surges which moved up some of the local rivers and flooded mostly uncultivated and undeveloped land). Removing a natural sea defence and building on the coast and flood plain is just making us more vunerable. The natural coastal environment will be fine it will just adjust itself but it's those people that live in this dynamic environment that will suffer.   

With the threat of rising sea levels being linked to global warming this hardly seems the time to be destroying natural sea defences. 

So this was to be the topic of discussion with a panel sitting on stage in front of an audience of local surfers and media. The panel was to be made up of lawyers, scientists, Will, Tony and me. Not quite sure how that happened and what exactly I could contribute to this discussion next to all these but I said I'd try my best.

As it turned out when I did have something to say it was very hard to get a work in edge ways which I didn't mind too much.  The discussion got very heated and there were a few sceptics in the whole global warming debate but the biggest issue for them was Rodiles which was an issue they felt was out of their hands. With the suggestion of improving the profile of local surfers and surfing in the area there appeared to be a reluctance to the whole idea of opening it up to the wider world and bringing more surfers in. Rodiles already has a reputation as being a very localised spot.

Even with this reputation we found every surfer we met friendly and open and enjoyed a night out on the tiles of Salinas. Needless to say we appeared bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning for our interview and photo's for surf mag Sesenta 6! The photo of the 4 of us at the top of this blog is from that morning.

Our interview with Tony deals with climate change and we are doing a different issue for Will's interview as he talks about the destruction of surf breaks and why they are worth saving. The issues they are having in Northern Spain are similar to those facing surfers and surf breaks around the world but we are also going to look at this issue as it comes a little closer to home and affects the breaks of Gower.

I came home over a slightly calmer bay of Biscay to a peaceful Christmas and fun waves. New Year was also blessed with waves although there were plenty of sore heads in the lineup that morning it was a perfect way to start 2008. Clean waves, warm(ish) weather, sun on my face and sharing it all with friends I hope there's plenty more of that to come.   

1st December 2007

Bit of a mixed bag of surf the last month and nothing too special to write home about.

On the 5th Helen and I are off to Northern Spain on the ferry to interview the Oceanographer and big wave surfer Tony Butt. Carn't wait I haven't been on a surf trip - sorry - work trip! this year. We are also going to visit Rodilles where the surfers are battling against local developers who want to dredge the river mouth sand bars to let bigger boats in. The sand bars provide a world class surf break as well as being a natural sea defence. There we are going to interview Will Henry the director of Save The Waves.

Just hope the crossing isn't too rough!

28th October 2007

After a flat start to the month we had nearly 2 weeks of brilliant surf and lovely weather - this is what life is meant to be like! I didn't get much filming done as I spent most of the time surfing trying to make up for the last 2 months. But now I've got that out my system we're going to get on with plotting the next few installments.

We did manage to get some filming done at the beginning of the month at the BPSA surf contest at Rest Bay, Porthcawl.  I was judging the event so Helen followed some of Wales's best female surfers, Jo Dennison, Beth Mason and Gwen Spurlock as they progressed through the event. When interviewed on their views on climate change and the impact their lifestyles have on the environment there seemed to be a little confusion so we set them a task to do the Surfers Against Sewage Carbon Footprint Game on their website.

30th September 2007

What a fustrating 6 weeks. September is normally one of our best months for surf but it's been flat since mid August.  Most of the surfers I know have been dealing with it in a number of ways, disappearing to France or Ireland, finding themselves another hobby or hitting the pub and throwing themselves into the Rugby World Cup.

Thankfully there seems to be a low pressure on the horizon and the surf looks good for next week just in time to save a number of people from alcoholism!

While unusual for us to have a flat September it's not unheard of.  All it takes is for the UK to have a high pressure in dominance for a few weeks and there have been fewer hurricanes this season that have tracked up the eastern seaboard of America.  It is not something I'd contribute to global warming.

With a lack of surf to film we thought we'd look at something more predictable - the tide!  As the Bristol Channel has the second largest tidal range in the world it is also home to the Severn Bore.  Every spring and autumn on the biggest tides of the year the Bore takes the form of a rideable wave.  So we sent Welsh Champion Jo Dennison off to try and ride it.  

With such a huge amount of water moving around the Bristol Channel every day surely there's a way we can harness this power so we managed to corner Swansea surfer and founder of Swan Turbines James Orme to look at the possible options for using the Bristol Channel as a site for alternative sources of energy.

30th August

The second week of August Helen and I headed back down to Cornwall for the Rip Curl Boardmasters on Fistral Beach, Newquay.  The biggest surf event and contest to be held in Britain attracting surfers from all around the world.  As well as the surf contest there's live music, skate contest and trade stalls.

The Eden Project had a large stall displaying their latest eco-boards. The boards are made from traditional foam and resin but the foam and resin are made from plant based materials. Sarah Bentley was also down at the boardmasters and we took out two of the eco boards, the mini-mal and a short board to test.  Both surfed like a regular board.  The only visible difference is the foam is a slightly yellow colour like a regular board that has been left in the sun for too long but this has no impact on performance and is purely cosmetic.  When my current board dies I'd have no qualms about moving onto an eco-board and Sarah said she'd be quite happy to surf one as her contest board.

30th July 2007

Well we've had the surf but we've also had the rain and wind with it. I haven't minded too much as some of the sheltered spots have been working but for the surf and tourist industry of south Wales, Devon and Cornwall this weather has lead to a bad year financially. Surf schools have had up to 50% less bookings and all of the shops I have spoken to have also been having a bad season.  We can't complain too much though as flooding hasn't been too much of an issue for us unlike most of the country.

Ironically we had a lovely day for our meeting with Chris at Surfers Against Sewage to discuss their latest report on Climate Change.  The interview can be seen in this months film. Unfortunately one of the SAS's key concerns of combined sewage and storm drains being unable to cope with increasingly heavy rainfall seems to be a horrible reality for lots of British people this month.  Chris also gave us some suggestions on how to make our lives more energy efficient and therefore better for the environment.

On the beach at St. Agnes that day we met up with pro surfer Sarah Bentley and had a chat about how that surf and weather conditions have been down in Cornwall over the last winter.

I've just got myself a new board a Viking 6ft2" which goes like a dream but like nearly all board it's made from foam and fiberglass - not the most environmentally friendly of materials but there aren't many other options out there for those who want an affordable high performance board.  Next week Sarah and I are going to meet  Chris Hines from the Eden Project and test his new eco-boards made from sustainable natural materials. 

Surf wise August is renowned for being the flattest month of the year and so far the surf reports aren't looking good. Fingers crossed there'll be some waves later in the month for the Rip Curl Boardmasters in Newquay and for us to test the eco-board on.   

 

Directors of On the Push at BeyondTv festival

Meet the women behind the On the Push series when they showed at the Beyond Tv international film festival

30th June 2007 - The Start!

June has been a manic month. Helen and I have both agreed we want to do this project together and have committed the next year to the filming of this documentary.

The end of May beginning of June saw South Wales having nearly 2 weeks of consistant surf and lovely weather - a rare combination in the summer.  The rest of the month hasn't lived up to the earlier promise and has been pretty much flat or so windy that what little swell was there has been blown out.  The flat spell has been accompanied by torrential rain. From what I've seen we've got off lightly here with little in the way of flooding but that doesn't mean there's been no side affects to the heavy rain.  For water users and surfer it was probably a good thing that there was no surf when the rain started. With the ground baked hard from weeks of sunshine and no rain the first torrential rainfall would have had difficulty infiltrating the soil and would have just run off quickly into rivers, storm drains and the sea.  The problem with this is the flash floods that were seen in the north of England and pollution.

The pollution comes from 2 sources:

Direct runoff from the land, for example, after a big tide or heavy rainfall sheep poo can be found in the lineup round Gower from the sheep that graze the coastline.  Other pollutants such as pesticides and fertiliser aren't so visible.

Rain in built up areas is unable to infiltrate the soil anyway so the water runs into drains and in most towns and cities these storm drains are linked to the sewage system with overflow outlets going straight into the sea or other open water source.   So during periods of heavy and extended rainfall the sewage system is unable to cope and sewage is mixed with rain runoff in the overflow pipes.

With predictions for climate change in this country including longer dry spells followed by more volitile storms and heavier rainfall this occasional problem might become a permanent one with major effects on marine life and the health of surfers.

This is one of the key concerns of Surfers Against Sewage a group that have successfully battled for cleaner waters around Britain for the last 30 years. They have also released a report this week on how climate change is and will possibly affect surfers and the coastal environment. It makes for interesting reading and is clearly set out for the average surfer to understand.

Next week Helen and I are off to Cornwall to meet up with the SAS guys and find out what they have to say.

I'm also hoping to make the most of now and score some waves after a barren 2 weeks.

On the Push in the newspaper

From the Evening Post

DUO FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Local movie-makers are monitoring Gower's shifting sands to gauge the effects of climate change on the region. We've all seen the pictures on the TV news - hurricanes, flooding, superstorms and typhoons.

Most of this wild weather seems to happen thousands of miles away from Swansea, in the Caribbean or in the middle of the Atlantic. So, we may ask, what has it got to do with us? What can we do about hurricanes in Florida or melting ice caps?

These are dramatic examples, but the effects of climate change are starting to hit a lot closer to home.We've all seen the terrible scenes of devastation that the recent floods have caused in the Midlands and North of England.But what if climate change started affecting our beautiful Gower beaches? Is it happening already?

This is exactly what two award-winning Swansea film-makers want to find out.
Anne Gallagher and Helen Iles have just started work on a new eco-film about the effect of global warming on Gower beaches.

The project came about when Helen, who works for independent film-making company Undercurrents, took a walk on Caswell Beach, near where she lives.
"I noticed the sand was depleted and it looked like it was almost down to the bedrock," said Helen. "I spoke to the chap who runs the cafe at Caswell Beach. He is a surfer and he told me about destructive and constructive waves."

Destructive waves are large waves which take sand away from the beach while constructive waves are smaller and bring sand back onto the beach.Helen wondered whether global warming was responsible for more larger or deconstructive waves depleting the sand on her local beach.

"I thought this was really interesting and it was through this that the film idea came about," she said.Helen decided to look around for someone to help her make the film - and she needed somebody who could surf.

She got together with keen surfer Anne Gallagher, another award-winning film-maker, who had already been making her own observations about surfing conditions on Gower beaches.

"My observations in Gower over last winter were that the waves were bigger and more consistent, and the sea temperatures warmer," said Anne.

"There's a lot of anecdotal evidence from ordinary people noticing changes in weather patterns. We'd like to draw attention to what's happening in Gower."

Helen said she and Anne would be filming at Gower beaches for a year.Every month Anne and Helen's findings will be put onto the web as an internet blog. The whole thing eventually will be put together in a hour-and-a-half long film.

"The film charts the journey of a surfer - it is an anecdotal piece, which Anne will be presenting," said Helen.

Each monthly film will be four-and-a- half minutes long. "In this we'll be talking about what has happened in the past month on the beach," said Helen.

But the film won't only be about the beaches, Helen and Anne will be talking to environmental experts on Gower and further afield in Cornwall.They will also be talking to organisations such as Surfers against Sewage and visiting the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Anne and Helen's film will be called On the Push

"It is a really powerful title," and being about wave, "It is also appropriate because the whole film is about waves - constructive and deconstructive."

Helen said that viewing the effects of climate change through the eyes of a surfer was an ideal medium for the film. "Surfers are in tune with the climate. As a group, they are very aware and very conscious of the environment."

Helen said now was an ideal time to make an eco-film because people were becoming more aware of threats to the environment, albeit slowly in some cases.

"People are still at the stage where they need convincing that climate change is a reality. There is anecdotal evidence coming from all corners of the world to convince us."

Undercurrents has been making films on ethical subjects for the past 15 years and has been based in Swansea's Environment Centre since 2000. Anne hopes Tonnau will make people think about climate change in Swansea.

"This film will show the impact of climate change on Swansea," she said.

Helen and Anne are now looking for ethical businesses that may be interested in sponsoring the film.

"We are willing to do a bit of product placement," said Helen. "We are not usually up for sale but this film gives us a lot more scope to accept sponsorship."For further information contact Helen on 01792 455900 or email: helen@undercurrents.org
Or check www.onthepush.org