Unreal, how COOL is my job?!!! After this winter surf season, pretty darn cool, I'd say. I was lucky enough to experience the 2009 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing from the inside after Oceanic Cable agreed to do live broadcasts of the three jewels; the Reef Hawaiian Pro @ Haleiwa, the O'Neill World Cup @ Sunset Beach, and the Billabong Pipeline Masters. I was assigned to coordinate the project. The Triple Crown is the undisputed pinnacle of international professional surfing, so for me it was something akin to hanging around in the team locker rooms at the Super Bowl.
Triple Crown Executive Director Randy Rarick and I became friendly while working together at the Duke's Oceanfest and we kicked around the idea of the live TV thing. Being sort of the closet surf junkie of the company, I'd been advocating surf-related cable programming for years and my boss finally got tired enough of my nagging to explore the idea more seriously. There were two special considerations that made this season ideal for launching the project; it was an El Nino winter, which typically produces exceptionally huge, consistent surf in Hawaii, and the tight 2009 ASP World Championship race was coming down to the Pipe Masters, the last pro tour rated contest of the year. How could things have been any more ideal for television? When the two parties finally convened, the mutual benefit was obvious to all in the room; wider exposure for the Triple Crown, and great programming for Oceanic digital cable subscribers across Hawaii (over 200,000).
Once the handshake was done, Oceanic had a mere week and a half to build fiber connections to each venue, setup transmission equipment and networking, organize staff, issue media releases, and pack a quick lunch! Along with our viewers, we were surprised at the high quality of the TV picture and the professional live narration and production really kept viewers' interest during and between sets. We even managed to squeeze in the Quiksilver Eddie Aikau event on December 8th, which added to the already hectic logistical madness.
Eh, but no complaints here! I had an exceptional experience, learned a lot about web and television production, transmissions, and networking, not to mention being able to hang backstage with surfing's greats of the past and present. Oceanic will be working with ASP Hawaii to provide live coverage of the Hawaii regional 2010 World Qualifying Series events, sort of the Q School of professional surfing, so watch for announcements.
The Video/TV mobile trailer began to buzz as day one of Reef Hawaiian Pro began. Here, it's all hands on deck as the video production crew tests and fires up the machine. (Photo: D. Luke)
Here's my end of the trailer with the transmissions work station I'd be staring into for the next 4 weeks. I shared this tiny space with the web crew and editors. (Photo: D. Luke)
The Reef event started in crossed up 3' mush. Officials elected to kick off the opening rounds as the surf forecasts for the coming week were less than stellar. The waves were small, but conditions cleaned up throughout the day. (Photo: D. Luke)
The Reef competitor's area, where surfers suss out the conditions, make equipment choices, and talk heat strategy. (Photo: D. Luke)
Brazilian techies Mano Ziul and Robson Machado of Beach Bytes man the webcast station. Mano's webcast innovations have helped the ASP share their events live with the global surfing community and have made professional surfers household names worldwide. (Photo: D. Luke)
The surf at Haleiwa really turned on for the main event as 5'-8' NW swell fanned into Ali'i Beach. This is Triple Crown veteran Sunny Garcia on a peeling wall in the Quarterfinals. (Photo: D. Luke)
Ever wonder what it's like to stand on the winner's platform? Well, here you go! (Photo: D. Luke)
Reef Hawaiian Pro champ Joel Centeio proudly flies the Hawaiian colors as the beach crowd goes wild. (D. Luke)
Two days later, we moved to Sunset Beach for the O'Neill World Cup. This is the million dollar view from the VIP lounge in top floor of the event tower. (Photo: D. Luke)
Sunset Beach, December 3rd ... 15'-18'+, breaking a mile out to sea, and washing through on the bigger sets. Again consulting the forecasts, officials called the event on for the day, much to the horror of the younger pros who were scheduled to surf their heats that day. This is where the men are separated from the boys and why the Hawaiian events are so vital to the world tour. (Photo: D. Luke)
The surf got so big the next day, that the shorebreak took out the stage, began undermining the main tower, and stripped the beach of sand. Yikes! (Photo: D. Luke)
Everyone's stoked when the Hawaiian Water Patrol shows up on big hairy days. They keep competitors safe in huge conditions and give them the confidence to charge. (Photo: D. Luke)
In between the closeouts, there were a few nuggets. This wave looks deceptively tame from afar, but don't be fooled, it's four times overhead and it steamrolled a few competitors on the inside. (Photo: D. Luke)
Former World Cup winner and Sunset Beach stalwart Myles Padaca comes in from the early morning warmup session.
PA announcers Kaipo Guerrero and Rocky Canon try to decipher the big wave carnage for the throngs of beach spectators. (Photo: D. Luke)
California expatriate Shane Beschen rode an undersized 4 fin quad. He broke his leash after a nasty wipeout, and emerged on the beach exhausted and boardless. The Water Patrol found it in the rip and brought it in. (Photo: D. Luke)
Media Gone Wild; there was little that happened that wasn't filmed, photographed, described, or interviewed by the gaggle of media crews on hand at the beach. It's a real scene. (Photo: D. Luke)
Perenial VTCS beach announcers Skill Johnson and Beau Hodge are real pros at what they do, and very cool guys too. (Photo: D. Luke)
Oceanic created an optional second channel, HD1250, that included squeezed back video, real time scoring, and sponsor logos. It was a hit with our viewers. (Photo: D. Luke)
The Vans Triple Crown means heavy traffic, thousands of people, and much needed revenue for North Shore retailers. (Photo: D. Luke)
Young Carissa Moore of Hawaii blew minds with her radical performances at beefy Sunset. Her victory in the Gidget Pro served notice to her competitors, whom she will be joining on the ASP Women's world tour in 2010. (Photo: Courtesy of Paulo Dias/Fuel.com)
The first day of the Billabong Pipeline Masters dawned with sheet glass conditions and 6'-8' barrels. The morning pre-horn sessions were real dog fights as all the trialists scratched and kicked for every lump that appeared. (Photo: D. Luke)
Fuel TV was also broadcasting the Pipe Masters live to television viewers in Australia, Europe, and Brazil. This is the Noa Productions SAT truck sitting on the lawn at the Pipe house we worked out of. (Photo: D. Luke)
The chow tent was always busy with hungry competitors and event staff partaking of the unreal healthy grinds and Rockstar Energy refreshments. (Photo: D. Luke)
The much hyped mega swell of early December 2009 woke the dragon at Waimea Bay, and undrground big wave chargers like Californian Greg Long were there to take it on in The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau on the 8th. Oceanic tied into the satellite uplink and provided the epic event live to our many stoked digital customers. (Photo: Courtesy of Paulo Dias/Fuel.com)
The unassuming Long captured the victory, $55,000, and the imaginations of millions watching around the world. It was sport and live sports programming at it's absolute world class peak, and we were lucky to be a part of it. (Photo: Courtesy of Paulo Dias/Fuel.com)
Big Screen Eddie TV! I can't believe we pulled off the live broadcast ... I'm still pinching myself! (Photo: D. Luke)
By Hawaiian standards, the surf for the Pipeline Masters was small, but it more than made up for it in perfection during the competition. (Photo: D. Luke)
Hanging out in the Masters VIP area with Gerry Lopez and friends. One of the premium perks I enjoyed was being able to mingle with the world's best surfers and the sport's living legends. (Photo: D. Luke)
Shaun Tomson once told me that Kelly Slater is the greatest athlete alive in the world today. If he isn't, he's easily one of the most popular. (Photo: D. Luke)
Beautiful girls come out in force for the Pipe Masters to see and be seen. Hey, no worries! (Photo: D. Luke)
A priceless Gerry Lopez hand shaped Lightning Bolt surfboard trophy for the winner of the Billabong Pipeline Masters. The artwork is a rendering of an iconic image of Lopez at Pipe taken in the 70's by noted surf photographer Jeff Divine. (Photo: D. Luke)
Pipeline perfection in the afternoon with Andy Irons eyeing the barrel. Andy hadn't competed all of 2009 until the Triple Crown came around and he'll be back on tour in 2010. (Photo: D. Luke)
Australian Mick Fanning clinched the 2009 ASP World Tour championship about halfway through the Masters and our viewers got to see it live as it happened. It was a special moment for a special surfer and a great representative of our sport. Good on ya Mick. (Photo: D. Luke)
Surf fans crowd towards the Billabong stage as the 2009 ASP Men's World Champ, the 2009 ASP Women's World Champ, the 2009 Vans Triple Crown Champ, and the 2009 Billabong Pipeline Masters Champ are recognized ... whew! (Photo: D. Luke)
The ASP Web and Video production group came to visit with us at Oceanic to tour our Mililani facility and see how we deliver the live feed to our surf hungry customers. We hope to collaborate with them on more projects in the future. (Photo: D. Luke)
The world's best surfers in the best waves makes for dramatic theatre and great television. We at Oceanic Time Warner Cable hope you enjoyed the broadcasts and we hope to see you next winter! (Photo: D. Luke)Big Aloha to Norman Santos, Rick Colletto, La'a Wigen, Vernon Kato, and the Oceanic crew, Randy Rarick, Marty Thomas, Sean Wingate, Bernie Baker, Skill Johnson, Beau Hodge, and Jodi Young Wilmot of the Triple Crown, Glen Moncata and Mark Warren of Quiksilver, ASP webmaster Mano Ziul , Executive Producer Jordan Velarde, Paulo Dias of Fuel.com, Doug Palladini of Vans, Moz Mirbaba of Windowseat Pictures, Shon Tomlin of Fuel TV, ASP web announcer Dave Stanfield, Lang Sheppard of Stuntdog Productions, and a hundred other great people who helped make this possible for us.
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