Friday, April 3, 2009

ASMF/A Tim Bonython Initiative

An unseasonly warm April evening at the iconic Esplanade Hotel in Melbournes St.Kilda was the 2009 Australian Surf Movie Festival (sponsored by Jim Beam).
The night dished up some epic segments on some of Australias gnarliest big wave spots, most of the films were directed by Tim Bonython who was the man responsible for the event. The spots covered were Shipsterns (Tasmania), Ours (Sydney), Depot Bay & Supertubes (South Coast NSW), Gnarloo & Red Bluff (WA) & Bells Beach (Vic). There were also some segments shot in Indo. All the footage was compiled over 2008 & it looked incredible. Watching these guys get towed into these absolute mutant waves conjures up a sense of humility in even an accomplished surfers eyes! The level of surfing fit & utter balls too deal with the inevitable throttling that one of these beasts is happy to dish up has to be A-grade.It's kind of like graduating to Vert skating from just skating Minis & bowls all your life. Rad to watch though & rad to imagine what it would actually feel like to take one of these waves on! The Maroubra locals (Bra Boys) Abberton, Mark Mathews etc. featured heavily in the water & are defenitlely the ringleaders of this crazy mob of surfers. Sorry Toddy, didn't get photos at the actual event as I only had my phone (no flash), just snapped this one of the sun setting across St.Kilda outside the Espy Hotel! That is Port Phillip Bay you can see there, no swell gets in due to Port Phillip Heads but if you travel an hour & a quarter around that bay to the West you'll come to Bells which is where the Easter classic is next weekend so i'll get down there & snap, snap some pics!

Hope all is well!

A.

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