Phuket, Thailand Surf Trip

Temples and Waves 

Thailand, the land of coconuts, spicy food, amazing people and, above all, there are the waves. Oh yeah, there are the waves!  I spent 2 weeks in the Phuket countryside at a place called Nai Thon Beach! Nai Thon is a quiet little beach town in the middle of nowhere. Really, in the middle of nowhere! If I were a tourist, not a surfer, I might have been scared. But hell, I am a surfer and we find the stoke everywhere it is. We hear all the time how ‘amazing the locals are’. Have you ever wondered about that statement…wondered if it were true?

 


OHM catching a wave.

Well, if you surf with locals around the world, you know it’s true. The locals at Nai Thon Beach actually take turns acting as lifeguards, not just for the locals, but also for the foreigners coming there to surf. They take turns when the waves are up and are always on it. I had the pleasure of spending most of my time there surfing, making friends, eating local food and sharing waves with some amazing and generous people.

The first day I went for a swim with my camera I met a guy named OHM. A Nai Thon resident, with roots going back generations, he is as inventive as he is fun to be around. OHM makes his living renting boards and selling a tasty homebrewed beer and freshly chopped coconut. What more could a hungry, tired surfer ask for.

I gotta tell you, chilling with OHM was a real pleasure. Over the next few days, he showed me the local surf scene. He seemed to have as much fun showing me the local life style as I had rolling with it. It pretty much consisted of surf all day, eat some spicy Pad Thai, cool your burning mouth with OHM’s homebrew, then do it all over again the next day. Oh, and don’t forget, listening to some locals playing guitar while your belly is still rumbling from that amazing, spicy as hell, $3 Pad Thai. Kicking back and looking around, all I could see was Stoke!!!

 Surfing Local 

To be a surfer in Nai Thon, or anywhere in Phuket Province, you need the right storm to get things moving. Sometimes that means you also need to have some patience. August is their low season and I came at the right time, having surf almost every day!!   

The water was so clear I got some amazing shots.
This is OHM taking a break.

 When the surf is down, you run to one of the other local gifts from Mother Nature, PHI PHI Island (Say Pee Pee), but that’s another story. And, yeah, we will tell it. It’s enough right now to say I had the pleasure of being in the middle of the surf culture in Phuket, Thailand. A place that will always make me grateful for what is given to us if we just open our eyes and look. The people there are rich and warm and welcoming.  If you ever need a stoke recharge and you are willing to embrace the local culture, not the tourist culture, head for Phuket and Nai Thon beach. Have a local brew with OHM and tell him Cory says hey.

 

For the full photo essay of our surf trip to Phuket/Nai Thon beach visit www.corypphotography.com .

  

Newest Production Crew Member



Cameron (far right) waiting as Cory Patterson sets up for the interview of Bob 'The Greek' Bolen in his Huntington Beach Shop

Cameron is a sound guy. He’s been working clubs and studios in the Sacramento region since completing his internship at 98 Rock. When you first meet Cameron, you might think he is a little bit quirky. He does not say much. But, what I discovered, was he does not need to chatter away like the rest of us. When he has something to say, it always seems to be spot on. Kind of stops everyone in their tracks for a beat or two with a ‘hmmmm, yeah, you’re right. I never thought about it quite like that’. I think it’s because, being a sound guy, he is always listening. He has that look on his face like he is hearing things the rest of us just don’t hear. You know, like Universal Truths or something. Well, that might be going a little too far.  I’m not exactly sure what channel he’s tuned into, but what I can tell you is that the sound quality of his recordings are crystal. 50 YoS is happy to have Cameron on board.

 

50 Years of Shaping Interviews Begin

                                                                                 Beginnings

Rusty Whitlock

 Cory Patterson, Keith Halterman and the BW crew were in Carlsbad, CA last week to begin interviews for the documentary, 50 Years of Shaping, The Journey of a Surf Family. In true Aloha spirit, the Whitlock family opened their homes, their shop, RW Surf, but most of all, their hearts, to us. 
                                                   

Pic of the back of the shop

Cory Patterson, the project’s Director, has spent hours over the past year filming – work in the shop, board shaping, surf lessons, and, of course, lot’s of surfing. But this trip was about the story. Rusty, the centerpiece of the story, was not feeling well, but he came up to Carlsbad from Mexico, anyway. I’ve spent hours with Rusty on the phone, but this was my first face to face. And, yeah, I was a bit awed. It’s not every day I get to hang out with surf royalty.

 

 

 

 

Interviews and More Interviews

 We spent most of the first day with Rusty, piecing together his story, taking him back in time with hours of questions. We heard stories about a time when the surf industry was in its infancy. The pioneers of the 50’s had opened the doors for young adventurers like Rusty and his friends. He grins
a little as he tells us ‘we just wanted to surf’.

 

They were just a bunch of young surfers who went on to become surf legends that we all know today…names like David Nuuhiwa, Herbie Fletcher, Jackie Baxter and Randy Lewis, to name a handful. One of my favorite stories Rusty shared that first day, was about ‘stealing our boards back from Camp Pendleton’ after they had been confiscated by the Military for getting a little too close to the beach. Seems like the Marines kept a chicken coop full of boards they were confiscating from the local boys. You’ll have to watch the documentary to hear that one! And, we heard some great stories about Bob ‘The Greek’ Bolan, Rusty’s first sponsor. It was a brand new Greek board that Rusty had to ‘repatriate’ from the chicken coop! Bob and Rusty are friends to this day.

Rusty’s story is set during a time when the industry we know today was growing. The innovators of the sport and the growth of competition were evolving. Rusty was an intimate part of that growth. We look forward to sharing these amazing stories with you.   

 

Selection of RW Boards

 

 

 

Full Part with Chris Hartkopp

Opening Shot of 'Full Part' at RW Surf Shop in Carlsbad, CA

Cory Patterson has been spending time at RW Surf Shop shooting for our upcoming documentary 50 Years of Shaping. He hooked up with Christopher Hartkkopp filming with RW team riders for the documentary. Chris is a 3 time National Danish surf champ and has traveled all over the world, including CA where  Cory P, Cory W and Christopher spent some time chasing waves up and down the southern coast of CA. Cory P got some great footage of Christopher blowing fins all over the place. Check it out at BoardWarrior.
Chris Hartkopp in Full PART
 

  Thanks. Stay stoked.

 

 

A Man Walks Into a Surf Shop....



Over a year ago, I walked into this surf shop down in Carlsbad, CA, not knowing what I was in store for. My name is Cory Patterson and I’ve been surfing my whole life and I’ve been filming and photographing surfing for years. Walking into RW Surf, I was met by Cory, who I learned was the oldest son of Rusty Whitlock. I was given an introduction to the Whitlock’s by BoardWarrior, who I do some filming for.  My friends at BW thought I might enjoy getting some pics and catching some waves with their old friends at RW. It was an amazing day. We went out and shot some pics, went surfing and shared stories.

 


Keith Halterman, Cory Whitlock,
Cory Patterson, Rusty Whitlock
 


Well, mostly I just listened, absorbing story after story of all this surf history, like I was reading a book. On my surfed out drive home, back to LA, I called my friend Keith (BW’s videographer). Stoked about the day, I told him we need to start documenting this shop immediately. We need to get the history recorded before it’s lost. So, over the course of the past year, I have been shooting with the Whitlock’s, while working with BW to develop a great story we are calling 50 Years of Shaping; The Story of a Surf Family.

The stories this family shares, about living and growing up on the North Shore, pro surfing careers, tragedy and rebuilding, injury and unbelievable comebacks, both inspire and amaze. Through it all, never forgetting that Rusty keeps shaping one of the best surfboards out there. He has been innovating and creating boards, with his own hands, since 1963. Not in a big production factory, but in a one man shop. A shop that has surfing in the corrugated tin walls, shavings on the floor and the smell of resin and fresh salt water in the air.

Rusty and Cory working in the shop.

Through a lifetime staying true to the soul of surfing, Rusty is, to this day, one of the nicest most stoked out dudes I have ever come across. The whole family lives for surfing, doing what they can to keep themselves surrounded by surf culture and the ocean, no matter what life throws at them. But never losing the kindness and the ability to be a real human being in and out of the water. You won’t find flash or trendy here. They are just who they are and that is it.

With Hollywood and corporate surfing trying to sell an image of what a surfer should look like and surf like, Rusty and RW Surf live their own truth. Surfing is freedom. A way to express yourself as a person, as an artist and not giving a flying fuck about what the next 30 dudes in the lineup think of you. Remember earlier on I said "They are just who they are and that is it". Cory said in one of the 50 Years interviews….’we live a million dollar lifestyle, without the million dollars.’ That, my friends, is the soul of surfing. Well, at least in our eyes.

Rusty has been shaping boards for 50 years!

 Documentary in Development

The Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds to complete this documentary will be live in late May. Watch for it. You’ll be able to see a short trailer of the documentary that we hope to release by early next year. We’ve said from the beginning that this is story that needs telling, and we are going to tell it!, So, keep your eyes peeled and keep your stoke.  

  

RW Surf Board