Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
By the time you are reading this I'll be floating around the Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Indonesia on an Indonesian fishing boat called the Mahogany, or Hog for short. I'll be pinching myself having fulfilled a lifelong dream. This is my first trip to Indonesia proper.
Most surf photographers weave at least one annual trip to Indonesia into their schedules. Not me. Since I started shooting surfing in 1993 I've always dreamed of going. I've watched mates go and return to regale me with amazing stories. I've followed the discovery of new waves and scoured over images of giant swells washing into the island chain. But I've never been able to make it happen. Like many of us, life has got in the way. Work commitments, family, and most of all a lack of funds ...
Well, all those things still persist, but time is against me. So, I threw my hat over the fence, made it happen and here I am.
The group I'm here with are a bunch of surf lifestylers – all about my age and so devoted to surfing that they've struggled to distill their favourites into a seven-board Indo quiver. That's a lot of boards. I hope to try most of them out in between shooting the best waves of the trip.
I'm not completely sure what internet access will be like to file next week's Box of Light, but my goal is to run a ship's log over on NZ Surf Journal from each day (make sure you're signed up as a subscriber, you can do that here). In those stories I'll share an insight into my experience drifting around the equator chasing waves in this dream location. And hopefully next Tuesday I'll be that familiar ding in your inbox.
See you near the equator ... Derek
PS The whale carcass that caused such a stir these past few months has been rapidly decomposing and last week the swell lifted it from its perch on the rocks and carried it to Purakaunui Beach between Potato Point and the Pa. It has now been buried by Doc's team of experts. That's a huge relief to many residents along the North Coast. It would be well worth continuing to be cautious and vigilant for the next few months when it comes to shark activity in the area. You know the drill: observe the other wildlife in the area and avoid surfing in murky water, at dawn or dusk. Stay safe.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: