Ocean Beach custom board mounted GoPro POV camera poleExperiencing the fun and welcoming vibe of SUP Downwinding and seeing how undiscovered it is I wanted a way to get the word out and share the stoke.  I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 40 years and had no idea there are surfable waves in the bay, and even after I discovered this I didn’t really believe it until I saw it.

Growing up I had the belief that the bay was dirty or gross and only for boats, definitely not a warm sandy beach for swimming kinda place.  My first summer living in Alameda introduced me to a different idea, one where there are thousands of empty waves every day right in front of a beautiful warm sandy beach.  For me the thing that really blew mind is that there is no one out surfing these waves, and when I tell other surfers this they don’t believe it.  The idea or dream of having endless uncrowded waves with warm welcoming people is real.

Downwind surfing is challenging to capture on video.  David John in Australia has been doing a great job of it with his homemade camera mount.  I have experimented with similar setups, and this time around I made a “selfie” pole for GoPro and other action cameras that is light weight and easy to attach and remove from boards.  The pole has evolved to be progressively more robust and durable for use in bigger surf.  I started making it out of carbon fiber and have since upgraded to bamboo and hemp as I want to use sustainable, renewable, and non-toxic materials.

Here is a video showing how I make these mounts:

 

I hope to get this mount into the hands of downwind surfers all over the world and document and map all downwind runs in the world, and by sharing this stoke we can put a healthier more harmonious vibe in the ocean.  Below are some videos from this unique POV as it has evolved.  The first video is the newest and as you scroll down they are listed chronologically with the oldest at the bottom of this page.  I hope you enjoy watching as much we as enjoy making these videos:

 

 

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Page 2 with the carbon fiber pole videos can be found here.