Vince grew up along the coastline of Northern California in the quiet town of Pacifica. In 1997, he went to play football for the University of Hawaii and when his senior season ended, he traded in his pads and headed off to Indonesia for a two month surfing trip. When he returned, he was inspired. Vince decided he wanted to learn about photography and picked up his first SLR camera. With a little help from legendary surf photographer Hank Foto, Vince’s skills and interest grew fast. He also ended up working with North Shore photographer Brian Bielmann for a couple of seasons.

In 2003, he graduated from University of Hawaii with a degree in sociology and headed off to Asia for the next five months traveling and photographing various things. When he returned stateside, he decided to go full time as a freelance photographer.

To see more from Vince, click here.

In addition to a high SPF sunscreen and a hat, I have found the easiest way to keep my skin smooth and healthy are natural oils. I made two discoveries that are the perfect skin remedy for long sunny days- coconut oil and carrot oil.

The Magic of the Coconut Tree

The magic of the coconut. Photo: Wikipedia

I learned about the benefits coconut oil while on a surf trip at  Kandavu, Fiji. Every person had radiant skin, even though they spent most days in the hot sun. Coconut oil is part of their daily skin regimen.

The Magic Ingredient: Extra virgin coconut oil is high in vitamin E, an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals that are damaging your skin.

The Benefits: Skin products high in antioxidants reduce the appearance of wrinkles, repair skin damage, and naturally prevent additional skin damage.

The Right Choice: Extra virgin coconut oil is a great option, because it’s unrefined, and has not been stripped of any natural components.

Click here to see where to find this product.

Carrots Are Not Just for Salads

Magic carrots. Photo: Wikipedia

The Magic Ingredient: Carrot oil is a natural way to repair and hydrate your skin. It’s rich in antioxidants (beta-carotene) and essential vitamins (B,C,D,E), which help rejuvenate skin, and reduces the risk of premature aging.

The Benefits: In addition to rejuvenating the skin, carrot oil can also remove buildup in the pores and improve your skin’s firmness. As well as gives your skin a natural tan.

The Right Choice: Carrot oil is a great option for your face, because it tones, repairs, and improves the appearance of your skin without added chemicals, which can cause harmful effects.

Click here to see where to find this product.

Check out more from Nora at noratobin.com.

"It opened my eyes to how quickly an absolutely pristine, totally natural place can become a mess." Image: Ferdi Rizkiyanto

In the mid to late 1970s, we were permitted to build a temporary camp with some bamboo tree houses and a shack to cook in. The lack of human presence made the beaches – the only area we frequented – absolutely pristine. We brought our drinking water in glass bottles, the only containers available at that time. We dug latrines out in the jungle and burned all of our garbage. When the coming of the monsoons heralded the end of the surf season, we left.

When we returned the next year, it was like no one had ever been there. Once, we discovered a mound of rubber slippers in a little nook of one of the rocky sections along the shore. Except for some broken pieces of wood that could have been part of a boat or some huge teak log with sawn ends, there was nothing else to indicate the hand of man. The wood we salvaged to use for our camp and the slippers came in handy to walk out on the exposed reef if we got too impatient to wait for the high tide to come in. I remember how, back in Bali, instead of using tape to secure a package, tied coconut leaves or vines served the purpose. The natural simplicity of G-Land camping made me endeavor to leave as few tracks and as small a wake as possible, in a figurative way of living.

We enjoyed that simplistic surf-camp lifestyle for about three more seasons. Then one year, the water came in plastic bottles, not the glass ones anymore. In the ferry towns of Banyuwangi and Gilimanuk on the Bali side, we noticed that food sold to those awaiting the ferries, previously wrapped in banana leaf, now came in plastic bags. When we got to the fishing village of Grajagan, we saw the shoreline littered with plastic garbage. A fishing boat dropped us ashore on the far side of the bay and, at first, it looked as though the area around our surf camp was as devoid of humanity as ever. Later on, when we walked further up the beach to paddle out to the break, where the high tide swirled the flotsam and jetsam, we hung our heads in shame. By nautical definition, flotsam is the floating wreckage or cargo of a ship; jetsam is something jettisoned to lighten a ship’s load. Either would seem to have a place washed ashore on this Robinson Crusoe-like beach, but what we found was neither. Instead, it was simply trash, almost entirely of plastic packaging of some sort. Clear or colored, it seemed infinitely more dirty and unwelcome than the rubber slippers from season’s past. When we asked our camp boys to help us gather this rubbish and burn it, they looked at us as if we had completely lost our minds.

The splendid waves of G-Land never seemed to change and we enjoyed surfing them over the next twenty years. It was a surf paradise beyond compare. And it opened my eyes to how quickly an absolutely pristine, totally natural place can become a mess. Plastic is a problem for all of us. It creates toxic pollution during its manufacture, use and disposal. Recycling is not a solution, every bit of plastic made, still exists. Join the Plastic Pollution Coalition and learn about this epidemic. Maybe it’s not too late.

The philosophy of Surfism attempts to explain existence in terms that correspond to surfing. It analyses the creation of form in surfing and compares it with structures found in language, thought, evolution and being. The patterns and processes found in surfing are used to represent a range of cognitive functions to form an intricate model of the mind.

About the book: Surfism: The fluid foundation of consciousness.

The key to the Surfism model is the surfboard. This is touched on in Chapter 1, where the mental condition of low latent inhibition (common in designers with high IQ) is seen to be equivalent to a highly responsive surfboard. Surfing manoeuvres are central to the concept of emergence, discussed in Chapter 2, where the interplay between spatial and temporal relations is represented by the x,y,z axes of surfboard rotation on a wave. In Chapter 3, the response of the surfboard is likened to the articulation of words, where the obstruction of airflow against articulation points within the vocal tract is likened to the angles of penetration required to manoeuvre a surfboard. In Chapter 4, the ability to visualise the design of a surfboard is attributed to a form of synaesthesia, which has also been implicated in the development of language. Chapter 5 introduces the notion of a spatio-temporal continuum, to represent an implicit variability within language structure and spatial perception. Chapter 6 delves into the source of situated presence, which sets the stage for a radical reinterpretation of reality, presented in Chapter 7. In Chapter 8, surfboard design is viewed as the product of consciousness extending itself into the world. Finally, the spatio-temporal field of the self is discussed in Chapter 9, culminating with the idea that surrendering to God is akin to free-falling down the face of a wave while taking a late drop.

The Surfism model of the psyche presents a host of surfing scenarios, which place the individual’s perspective within a dynamical system of totally integrated variables reflecting that individual’s experience of the world. However, the ego is not viewed as an integral feature of the mind’s perceptual apparatus, at least not beyond its core function to manage the tension between spatial and temporal relations. The surfer’s reflective mind is viewed as a problematic feature within the model, possibly reflecting the real-life problems caused by the ego controlling one’s direction in life.

For more on Dan Webber’s book, click here: Surfism: The fluid foundation of consciousness

Lee-Ann Curren has mixed feelings about life on tour. Photo: Quiksilver

Indecision is refreshing, isn’t it? It’s real. So often we’re fed post-heat interviews, magazine spreads, and press-conference babble from pro surfers hell bent on heat performance and tour rankings. Or, on the other side we see anti-competition gypsies swearing off surfing events for life. Black and white never seemed so clear. But Miss Lee-Ann Curren, 22 years old, ain’t cut from that sorta’ cloth – and how sweet it is. 

Surfing Ain’t Life  

Lee-Ann spent 2010 on the ASP World Tour. She missed an event through injury but still finished 14^th, a pretty decent result for her first gig in the major league; a little girl’s dream, perhaps. Perhaps not. “Growing up it was my dream to be on tour; I eventually qualified, but after spending that year on tour it kind of made me think,” says Lee-Ann down the phone line from Bali, in her saturated French accent. “Surfing on tour doesn’t [always] mean good waves. I mean, it was a great experience and all … but perhaps I don’t want it as much as before, I don’t think. It’s hard to say. I still love competing, … it’s just different now.” 

Surfing Ain’t Need to Be the Future, Either

“In the past I’ve tried to be super surf-focused, but I guess I wasn’t really happy doing things that way,” says Lee-Ann. “Roxy doesn’t mind that I’m not a contest machine. I’ve tried that but I don’t think it’s for me. I still love competing in good waves and making rounds, though, which is why I still do it.” The future? “I don’t really know; perhaps I’ll give it a few more years and see how it goes. I’d love to be able to surf good waves and do the contests I want to do.”

She Digs Australia, Especially WA, Though Maybe a Little Less This Year

“It wasn’t my best start,” Lee-Ann freely admits of her Australian results earlier this year. She surfed the Roxy Pro trials, Newcastle, and Margaret River, where she skittled out in her second heat in tricky conditions. “I was hoping for a better result in WA. I got some good scores in the first round, but the waves got difficult to surf after that because of the wind. I only needed a small score to progress but I couldn’t get it,” she said. “But I really like coming to Australia, I’ve been here every year for while now. I especially like Western Australia as it reminds me a lot of California with the good waves and really dry climate; I’ve always had really good trips there.”

Naomi Newirth and Lyndie Irons founded ACACIA Swimwear. Photo: ACACIA Swimwear

ACACIA Swimwear is the brainchild of two friends, Naomi Newirth and Lyndie Irons.  Making the company work has not been easy, but they have prevailed with a time-honored mix of hard work, determination, and beautiful creations. I had the chance to speak with Naomi on goals, inspiration, and their swimwear.

Hi Naomi!  Thank you for taking the time to do this interview.  Congratulations on the success of ACACIA Swimwear. 

Of course, and thank you!

I attended your most recent trunk show on Oahu.  I turned the corner and your table was completely covered surrounded by ladies.  Even though it might have been a little stressful in that moment, you really have to be proud of your accomplishment. 

That was crazy. I remember seeing you there! I think that was close to one of our busier trunk shows. We had another one in Huntington Beach during the US Open last summer that got pretty hectic, so I tried to keep this one a little more orderly.

What were your top three goals when you originally launched your line?

First, I wanted to stay true to myself and the designs I believed in.  Next, I have always loved traveling and never wanted to let that go.  Luckily for me, my work requires and allows me to continue to travel.  Finally, I always want to continue to be inspired. Lyndie and I would love to get to a place where ACACIA can give back to the cultures that inspire us.

What was the best advice you were given at the beginning, which you still use today?

Be prepared to work hard but remember to pace yourself.

What inspires you to create?

Life, nature, travel, different cultures and life styles, loved ones, the beach and ocean. Part of my heritage is Native American, and I have always been inspired by their textiles and beadwork.

You just launched you new collection a few weeks ago; how does it feel to have another collection launched and already in magazines?

It feels fantastic! Leann Rimes wearing ACACIA for four days in a row was amazing. We also have some upcoming interviews that will be out soon, along with some swimsuit issues coming up! The start of this year has been great, and we are excited for what is to come.

How does it feel to have popular athletes and celebrities supporting your brand?

It’s wonderful. Having celebrities wear our suits is always a plus. Leanne Rimes invited my mother and me to her private show for a PGA tournament on Maui, and was very generous with her time. She loves our suits and is very supportive.

We are huge fans of Coco, as well! She is our close friend and absolutely the sweetest.

Since your company is attached so closely with the professional surfing community, have you considered having a professional surfer as the face of your company?

I hadn’t thought of that, but the current face of ACACIA is a born-and-raised Maui girl!

Where is a place in Maui to go if you want some peace and time for reflection?

There is nothing more peaceful, healing and rejuvenating than the ocean. I live on the north shore of Maui , and when I want peace there is nothing better than walking Baldwin beach.  When I really need to slow down, I spend the weekend in Hana.

What is the best advice given to you, in the last seven days?

Take time for yourself every day.

Fresh produce is plentiful in Hawaii, but in other places it is not easy to find healthy food.  What three things would you suggest people add or do to their diet to help with a healthy lifestyle?

Eat simple, eat what is local, and, if you can, grow a garden.

Can you share a funny or special memory about Andy Irons?

That’s a hard one. All my special funny memories, I feel like are the ones where “you had to be there.” I won’t explain this one, but every single time I hear the word “dessssperaaaate” it makes me laugh and think of him.

Photo: ACACIA Swimwear

Pretty instantly I was elected to the executive committee of the Surfrider Foundation, Ventura Chapter, I was the youngest person in the room and I was all for it.

Andrew Fish has been an active contributor to Surfrider chapters in California and Massachusetts for years, and recently set sail to help figure out a way to make our ocean a bit more hospitable (cleaner) for all of us. He boarded a sailboat in the Canary Islands to gather data on plastic pollution in the ocean’s gyres. He answered a few questions for us before his journey, and stay tuned for an update from the trip.

Katie Willis Morton: Tell me about your trip!

Andrew Fish: In short, it’s an expedition across the Atlantic, approximately 2,800 nautical miles from the Canary Islands to Martinique in the Caribbean. At least once per day we will be towing a tool called the “Travel Trawl” to sample for plastic particles in the ocean. We will slow the boat, drop the trawl, and drag it for an hour or more to collect the samples. Depending on wind conditions, I expect to take 20-30 samples along the journey. With each sample I will note the location, boat speed, direction, wind conditions, and store them in jars until the samples can be analyzed after the trip. From what I’ve been told, I can expect to find a shocking amount plastic in each sample, even though I’ll be hundreds, if not thousands of miles from any land.

KWM: What is your background and history with Surfrider?

Within a few days of receiving my college diploma—in land-locked, Colorado— I packed up my belongings and headed west to Ventura, CA to manage a surf school there. Each day, our surf camps started with a beach cleanup and the kids would fill 1-3 trash bags on just a short stretch of sand. It isn’t until you start picking trash up off the beach that you realize how much crap is really out there; that’s when I really tuned in. I soon attended my first Surfrider meeting at the Ventura Public Library, which happened to be a celebration for the Surfrider Foundation’s 20th anniversary. I’ll never forget it, Glen Henning, one of Surfrider’s founders giving a presentation about the beginnings of the organization. I was the youngest person in the room so when they mentioned an election was coming up for a seat on the executive committee of the chapter, I was all for it. Pretty instantly I was elected to the executive committee of the Surfrider Foundation, Ventura Chapter. I didn’t know what I signed up for, but that seems to be how I do things (this boat trip is no exception, I don’t even know how to sail!)

So there I was, sun burnt and barely out of college sitting on the executive committee of a Surfrider chapter with an environmental engineer, a mathematician, a school teacher, and world-renowned environmentalist. Though I felt like a fish out of water, it was amazing way to start my relationship with the Surfrider Foundation.

The environmental issues in Ventura at that time were complicated and ran deep within the local community. For so many years they had been dealing with local and state governments on the same two projects, a beach restoration project at Surfer’s Point, and the removal of Matilija Dam.

My experience in Ventura taught me that while working on the environmental crisis can be a daunting and time consuming mission, it can also be creative and fun. The Surfer’s Point project is an example of this, for after 15 years of Surfrider efforts, the project finally broke ground in July, 2011. Still, we are hoping to see the removal of Matilija Dam.

KWM: What has inspired you to take this trip?

AF: Plastic – and specifically – plastic pollution is a topic I’m connected to both personally and professionally. That, as well as my love of surfing and the ocean inspired me to take this trip. I see this as a chance for all those interests to come together. Hopefully the data I will be gathering will have a positive impact on solving the problems of single-use plastics pollution that is killing the oceans.

For Surfrider’s local Massachusetts chapter, plastic has been a big topic in 2011. We’ve had to pick up 8 million plastic discs after a New Hampshire sewage plant overflowed and are always working to update the Bottle Bill to include a deposit on all plastic bottles, not just a few select ones.

On the discs, I attended organized cleanups with Surfrider, but also picked them up – by the hundreds – on my own before/after surf sessions from Maine to Rhode Island. I’ll never forget how shocked I was to find them on Martha’s Vineyard this summer, more than 4 months after the spill. The only positive thing about the discs is that without them covering our shores, we never would have heard about the thousands of tons of sewage the came from plant with the discs.

Now the Bottle Bill, this is Surfrider’s biggest campaign here in Massachusetts. Our chapter is a coalition member alongside MASSPIRG, The Massachusetts Sierra Club, and a list of about 45 other groups that are in favor of the expansion. To us, it just doesn’t make any sense that a Coke bottle is worth 5 cents but a Vitamin Water bottle isn’t. They are the same bottle, same material, and the only difference is that Vitamin Water doesn’t fit into a beverage category that existed when the Bottle Bill was created in 1983. It’s actually quite simple, the bill needs to be modernized, which will drastically increase recycling rates of single use plastic bottles.

The event was called The Great Recycle, and more than 15,000 beverage containers were recycled.

Plastic waste is causing a seven-billion-pound problem in our oceans. 

As surfers, we probably all know by now about the Pacific garbage patch, an area of widely dispersed trash that The New York Times says “doubles in size every decade and is now believed to be roughly twice the size of Texas.” Most of this debris, which is estimated to be around seven billion pounds, is plastic waste.

According to the Research Triangle Institute, since water temperatures and algae in the ocean prevent its decomposition, “Every little piece of plastic manufactured in the past 50 years that made it into the ocean is still out there somewhere.”  And there’s enough plastic waste floating down the Los Angeles River to fill the Rose Bowl two stories deep.

Recycling helps keep trash out of the ocean. It’s about choosing to recycle.

Patrick Jammet, director of national field marketing for HONEST tea beverages, “It’s about making people more aware of recycling as a solution to reduce waste.  And it comes from positivity and excitement around recycling.

On April 30^th, HONEST Tea erected the world’s largest recycling bin in Times Square, New York City.

The event was called The Great Recycle, and more than 15,000 beverage containers were recycled.

The ocean needs a refresh. Events like this one help make that happen.

We’ll be adding new images regularly, so check back soon!

Pipe blur. Photo: Mike Smolowe

Photo: Mike Smolowe/msmolowe.com

This beautiful shot is by one of The Inertia’s favorite contributors, Mike Smolowe. (We love ‘em all, though!) Check out more of his work at msmolowe.com or find him on Twitter at msmolowe.

Keala Kennelly charges gigantic Puerto Escondido. Photo by Ryan Struck. View his work here at RyanStruck.com and his blog, TheNewSurf.com, here.

More wallpapers on Page 2.

]]> http://www.theinertia.com/surf/download-theinertia-com-wallpapers/feed/ 2 http://www.theinertia.com/music-art/tom-gabel-of-against-me-to-become-a-woman/ http://www.theinertia.com/music-art/tom-gabel-of-against-me-to-become-a-woman/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 20:16:27 +0000 The Inertia http://www.theinertia.com/?p=18014

Against Me!'s Tom Gabel, pictured on the far right announced his decision to become a woman. Photo: Fat

Surprising news in the world of rock n’ roll surfaced yesterday as Tom Gabel, lead singer and guitarist for Against Me!, revealed to The Rolling Stone his intention to undergo a sex change and become a woman.

“I know our fans and it may be too much for some of them to take, but I know that a lot of them are open-minded and welcoming,” Gabel told The Rolling Stone. I hope they’ll come on this journey with me.”

Gabel plans to change his name to Laura Jane Grace and begin taking hormones to initiate the transition. Despite the change, Gabel intends to continue his marriage to artist Heather Gabel.

“For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news,” Gabel told The Rolling Stone. “But she’s been super-amazing and understanding.”

The revelation has given new meaning to a song called The Ocean which was released on Against Me!’s fourth album, New Wave, in 2007. Lyrics and video below:

If I could have chosen, I would have been born a woman
My mother once told me she would have named me Laura
I’d grow up to be strong and beautiful like her

“I’m going to have embarrassing moments, and that won’t be fun. But that’s part of what talking to you is about – is hoping people will understand, and hoping they’ll be fairly kind.”

Read The Inertia’s Interview with Tom Gabel and view Heather Gabel’s Artist Portfolio here. Look for the full feature in the Rolling Stone out Friday.