'15 Years of J'Bay' - photo essay by Alan van Gysen
Fine collection of shots by AvG.
beautiful shots and what a set up,.........love the water shots and also love that elephant shot gawd love em.
Very fine indeed....some beautiful shots..
that shot of parko is just magic.
Bloody hell, that place is magic.
Parko = Class
And how good is that Heath Joske wave. So solid.
Impressive all around, AVG.
Interesting that the 2020 la Nina was "one of the best seasons in recent memory" at JBay compared to Victoria's surf coast.
Is that to be expected?
Awesome images! What a wave!
Spent 3 weeks there in June/July 95' and it was so good to finally get to a place you'd frothed over for years to find out it was every bit as good as the hype.
......and the cherry on top? Not a 'pro' to be seen the whole time.
Going through 'em again, and that 2018 shot of Jordy is incredible. The move more so than the photo.
I've had a look through these a couple of times.
Is there a more mind-surfable wave than J-Bay?
I think Bruce Gold is proof that living a stress free life helps with the ageing process.
The shot of Derek Hynd's finless thingo is interesting. He has put everything possible on it to substitute for no fin that he can think of to make it hold and have direction. My suggestion is a fin or 3.
different strokes for different folks Frog.
what he is doing is undeniably different and functional.
that it hasn't really caught on speaks to how difficult it is to do.
but when you see him at top speed on the full high-line drift or cornering off the bottom using the entire rail it's impressive to watch.
I guess weather it looks good or not is purely a matter of opinion. Personally I think it looks okay, but not good enough to get me to go finless. If he's enjoying the experience then that's all that really matters.
I've had a dabble.
it's definitely a unique feeling when you get that speed drift going.
dragless.
I know enough to appreciate it being done (well), and enough to know I'll probably go no further with it.
See Hynd surfing the Pass a lot.
he makes close to 100% of waves from end to end.
freeride76 wrote:I've had a dabble. it's definitely a unique feeling when you get that speed drift going. dragless. I know enough to appreciate it being done (well), and enough to know I'll probably go no further with it. See Hynd surfing the Pass a lot. he makes close to 100% of waves from end to end.
How was it on the knees? Looks like a lot of low squatting.
most of mine was done going right (backhand) so didn't feel too bad.
did have a go going left at Gnaraloo, that was a more debilitating/humbling experience.
I once took an old hollow paddle board (about 7'6" - the classic common old design) my dad made back in the early 70s out to a sucky left on a hot summer day. It was close to being finless - just a small keel. It was wild and fun to ride - so fast and semi out of control so I can imagine what DH feels in going finless. Sharp edges sure banged my shins about and I would have been very dangerous if anyone was near me. Once was enough though.
It is more the endless decade of poo stance and trying to overcome not having a fin by having things that act like fins, but worse, in every surf that is harder to understand.
J-Bay has been firing lately, as if to remind the World Tour what it's missing out on.
Groomed, six foot walls have been pouring down the point over the past week, coinciding with the traditional start of the contest waiting period.
Alan van Gysen has been making the pilgrimage to shoot the event - and the wave – for close on two decades. During that time, he has witnessed firsthand the iconic rivalries, dark horse upsets and era-defining performances. Oh, and Supertubes as good as it gets.
What better time then, for a dip into the archives? All captions by the photographer.
https://www.nownow.media/post/15-years-of-j-bay-photo-essay