Legendary photographer Leroy Grannis, 93, has died. He was reportedly with his family in Hermosa Beach, California at the time.
In his years as a photographer Grannis delivered some of the most timeless surf (and skateboarding) images from a era when everything was fresh and new. He captured it all and lived well.
Grannis’ first published photos appeared in Reef Magazine in 1960. Other photographers were shooting from the water, but they were forced to return to land to reload. Grannis developed a rubber-lined box that enabled him to change film in the lineup. He spent the decade between California and Hawaii, capturing the best surfers in the world riding the best surf. He helped start Surfing Illustrated in 1962 and contributed to every other major surf publication of the time. By 1964, he worked exclusively with International Surfing, and it eventually dropped the “International” tag.
We are honored to have shared the ocean with him on many mornings. We think of the days we’d see him knee-paddle by on the outside, first south then north, making us believe that it was possible to enjoy the surf forever. We thank him for all he gave and the images he saved. Our thoughts are with his family. Rest in peace.
The Daily Mail headline was a little hard to miss: “100,000 sharks mass off Florida’s beaches.” And so far no one has been bitten. Not even in Volusia Country, the shark-bite capital of the world.
Pilot Steve Irwin [no relation] was astonished after spotting a mass of more than 100,000 sharks swimming just 100 yards off Florida’s sandy beaches.. . . The sharks – believed to be Spinners, between 3ft and 7ft long – were heading north and swimming parallel to the east coast’s idyllic white beaches between Fort Lauderdale and exclusive Jupiter Island.
As if Florida surfers didn’t have it hard enough already. . .[Editors’ note: We think that’s the fourth or fifth time we’ve said that.]
The most recent screenings of the Bethany Hamilton biopic Soul Surfer have been getting some pretty good reviews. A story in Variety yesterday says the pre-release press has been so good that producers have been able to get the film a much wider opening than was originally planned.
But something curious happened along the way to the pic’s April 8 release date. “Everyone started liking the film,” McNamara said, “so we were able to hire better talent above and below the line. Once they saw the finished product, they decided to release it to 2,000 theaters and made a $26 million P&A commitment.”
The film stars Anna Sophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Carrie Underwood, and Dennis Quaid. Guardian UK is saying (based on the trailer above) that this film has something for everyone. We’re looking forward to it.
The Volcom booth at the SIA Snow in Denver was packed most of the afternoon as a mob of people crowded around a huge flat screen TV to watch the final day of the 2011 Volcom Pipe Pro from the North Shore.
The final consisted of three Hawaiian Pipe specialists: John Florence, Jamie O’Brien and Aamion Goodwin, who met up with the lone Californian, Chris Ward for a spectacular final heat. John immediately pulled ahead of the pack within the first five minutes after two great Backdoor barrels, and then followed it up with a 9.93 at Pipe just moments later to secure the lead for the 2011 Volcom Pipe Pro.
Congrats, John. Click the link for all the video highlights.
The East Coast is finally getting an ASP World Tour stop as Quiksilver puts up a $1 million purse for The Quiksilver Pro New York September 4-15, 2011. It will be the sixth stop on the 2011 tour (click here for full schedule).
“We are beyond excited to host the biggest pro surf event in the world on Long Island this September,” said Bob McKnight, CEO of Quiksilver. “There has always been a huge contingent of dedicated surfers and surf enthusiasts on the East Coast and they will now get a chance to watch the world’s best surfers in Long Beach. We are also bringing the best and brightest Quiksilver, Roxy and DC athletes to New York City, the largest media arena in the world, for twelve days of surf, skate, BMX, fashion, art and music that will bring incredible global attention to these phenomenal athletes and the action sports culture and lifestyle.”
Finally, a good reason to visit New York. Follow the jump for all the details. [click to continue…]
Tom Carroll has signed on to promote a new Quiksilver Edition of the Olympus TG-610 for Australia. Like Mr. Carroll, the 14 megapixel camera is waterproof, shockproof, snowproof, dustproof, and shoots in 3-D. We’re not sure if Tom features one-touch HD, or not. Anyone?
A 16-year-old surfer, and former finalist in the South African Grommet Games in the U-16 Division Zama Ndamase (right) died after being hit by a Tiger Shark at Port St. Johns, South Africa’s Second Beach on Saturday, January 15, 2011, according to a story on IOL.co.za.
“We ran down there as soon as we saw it. After the shark had bit him he caught a wave and headed for shore, but he couldn’t stand on one leg and the wave faded on him. . . “He lost consciousness and some of the other surfers tried to rescue him before the lifeguards came. He was in the water a good 10 minutes before we got to him. . . “We checked for a pulse and all the vital signs, but he was already gone. The shark had bitten a big chunk off his right leg.”
The mainstream print media’s delayed timelines have finally caught up with the big KS10 news. The February issue of Outside Magazine features Slater in a story titled Kelly Slater’s Perfect 10, and GQ has him as one of 10 covers for their 25 Coolest Athletes of All Time issue. Add them to the list. . .
The waves were reportedly not consistent enough to hold the Mavericks Contest on Sunday, January 23, 2011, but it was big enough to apparently cause some problems for Orange County, California surfer Jacob Trette, according to a story in the San Jose Mercury News.
A Southern California surfer was in critical condition Sunday afternoon at Stanford Medical Center after almost drowning when caught by a large set of waves Saturday at Mavericks, a hospital spokesman said. Jacob Trette, of Orange County, was found floating facedown about 10 a.m. Saturday at the famed break near Half Moon Bay, Cal Fire officials said.
From the looks of this clean-up set and rescue footage (via KTVU.com) it was a huge day. Our thoughts are with Trette for a complete recovery.
[Update Tuesday, January 25, 2011: According to the Associated Press Trette is expected to make a full recovery. Good news!]
With the hoopla surrounding The Eddie we missed this yesterday. But armed with NASA quality lights “international big wave surfer” Mark Visser hit jaws at night during the January 20, 2011 monster swell. With the lights Visser seems much easier to spot in the whitewater. The footage will be included in the documentary series 9 Lives.
Legendary photographer Leroy Grannis, 93, has died. He was reportedly with his family in Hermosa Beach, California at the time.
