Adam tube- Adam Lambert, this was my first time surfing with Adam. The kid has a great style and a complete game in the water. Stoked he is riding our boards. He was riding the RFE510.

Lynn Shell was ripping on his RFE602. Co-Owner of Outerbanks Boarding Company in Hatteras, and one of the best surfers over 50 in the world.

Lynn-slash. Once the waves got good, Lynn was the last guy out of the water.

CR-lipper. Here's Chuy, Firewire's Marketing Director and test pilot on the new Spitfire 508. "I only ride this board as a quad. The set up is so fast it's seems nuts to change it. Unless I was surfing a left point. I feel backside surfing needs a pivot fin to complete the turn".

CR-pit, Chuy again on the FFE602. "This board is great in everything over 4 feet".

OK...That's it!
I want in on all R+D testing trips to Mehicco from now on...
That looks so much FUN! Where was that? or will you have to kill me if you tell.
It is official...Chuy has achieved "Best Job on the Planet" status!

Lynn...Sweet surfing for an old bloke like me mate. FYI, I am riding the same board FR FE602.
Rest of my quiver is the 5'8 dom, 5'11 El Fuego (the artist previously known as Firefly) FE603, FE606P and the 606 Addvance...I used to be a 2 board quiver guy, a shorty and a step-up...now I need a truck to go surf!).

So Lynn...Would have gone wave for wave wit you bruddah! Maybe even knocked you off your "best surfer over 50 in the world mantle" in waves like that....mmmm maybe not, anyway... it would be fun trying...It's ON!!!

P.s

Tried my RF5'8" Dom with the Vector fins (with hatchet back fin) at DBah yesterday... went insane...drivey and really free feeling. Chews...try it and give me the quad vs 3 comparison...

Mark, glad you guys killed it, looks like it was a blast! You have friendly winds all trip? Nev and Lynn, enjoy the best surfer over 50 status while you have it, Chuy MUST be just around the corner from taking over right?

chuy is still a grom, barely over 40.

Looks like a fun trip!

Nev,

wasn't that you shooting line up shots of Hanalei bay recently before paddling out? Perhaps it was the other Nev who designs all our boards and surfs for a living. sorry if I got them confused.

Haha burned

Yeah...got a few bombs off the boys...soooo much fun(?.. maybe terror is more apt a description of what it is like to paddle into an 8ft Honolua bowl with the following crew watching... QS, CT, seriously hard core locals, and Brahs waitin to whoopya on their boogers...
If there was a seniors tour for surfing Chuy's a sure bet to be in da money when he turns the big 50, which is donks away for the perpetual frothing grom. If MP was able to pull himself away from his Apple , he would have blown doors down there...How's that photo posted here awhile back of him carving off the top in around 1980, and then more recently, the exact same turn...Cool.

If that smacked of pissing in the CEO pocket...It was and is.
But he deserves it...

MP you are amazing in your role of leading this exciting and sometimes (ha! that is an understatement!) challenging company, and everyone who knows you would say resoundingly "too roight maate".
(The fact that you surf so well is just a bonus.)

I'd better translate for all the non-Aussies on the forum. When I first heard the term 'pissing in someone's pocket', I immediately thought it was an insult - I would never want anyone doing that to me!!

Turns out its a positive comment and thanks for the props Nev. I know its self serving to speak well of our own company on our forum, but the facts are we've got an incredible group of committed surfers throughout our company and the passion for FW on this forum makes us want to build even better boards.

Maybe that's the secret for success???

You guys get a chance to put any of the El Fuego (Firefly) diamond tails through their paces down there?

we have not recieved any yet, only the swallows and I've been loving mine for the past few months. Based on how the Spitfire rides, very close to a diamond tail DM, I think the DT El Fuego is going to rock.

these R&D trips are no good without an average kook testing the boards on behalf of all the mortals out there....i hereby throw my hat in the ring as said kook.....if i can ride em, then anyone can...!!!

hows that shot of Chuy hitting the lip...impeccable positioning of both board and body...pure class...

Agreed Corepersonaltraining!!!! one average joe (at least) should be invited to this test piloting trips!!!.Good point jejeje

This is awesome! And yes, we should do a forum poll and send one kook. One kook is good.

Firewire Fish Fry or whatever. We could all bring our FWs and Mark brings some demo boards. Trade, play, and have fun. Sounds pretty schweet!

?

Nev I dont know about you, but I suspect you and other who contribute to this forum might think this way from time to time. I am nearly 40 and while I mentally feel 17 I am starting to notice I dont recover as quick as I used to, 3-4 hours is about my limit (I sometime have to doggy paddle back in, wimpering, my arms are so stuffed) and I have given up on ever doing a rodeo clown BUT.... I am surfing shorter boards than I ever have (maybe a tad wider) , I love my surfing more and more each year and I know one day it will just be out of the question physically so I make the most of it now in between family and work commitments. The day I cant paddle out anymore will truly be one of the saddest days of my life but I will take some comfort from the fact that I did occasionally turn up late to work after having a killer session on sunrise, I took off early from work because it was pumping, I didnt go to work because it was pumping, I spent my money on boards and not drugs etc, I witnessed amazing surfing from others, I saw aspects of nature that others never get to see, I scared myself shitless in big surf but loved every minute of it, I did things in the surf that I was impressed with even though noone saw it and most importantly I got my exercise from doing something I love.... not from mindless running on a treadmill indoors watching cable tv. I think its called having a passion.

Fan, you have just described me to a 't' only difference is I am 42 and I can relate to 100% of what you just said. I have never drunk tea or coffee, never had a cigarette to my lips and never tried ANY drugs but.... I have lost a job because I went for a surf and given up many occasions to go for a surf so I guess the surfing "drug" has ruled my life as well. I too am enjoying my surfing more than ever.

Phew, I thought I was waisting my life....glad to see there are others out there who have it as bad as I do. I was even sitting out the back the other day thinking I would much rather die drowning in a big hold down than in a car accident. Might change my mind at the time. Maybe we should surf together some day goanna?

FW nailed it...send that passage in to tracks...gotta win a leggy etc...

goanna..theres three of us "t's"....two of us even surf the same waves..

FW...i was thinking the "rather die out here" thing recently at overcast solo haven when i got double buzzed by a biiiig one...kept surfing for another hour then paddled over the bay to the club..!!...we are supposed to know better in our 40's aren't we???

if i jammed my rapidfire in the sharks mouth, maybe the carbon rods would wedge its mouth open..!!

this has nothing to do with the R&D trip...i have been involved in yet another thread hijack....

another thing, the way I was struggling before I got my Dom then Firefly I would probably be on a mal surfing semi retired by now. I could hardly catch any waves on a normal shortboard. These boards recharged me and have given me a new lease on my surfing life.
I'm happy to catch up for a surf anytime in between work, kids soccer etc, etc

You know that place in life when you know, that you know, that you know...
Well that's is where we all are guys. We are so lucky to have found this thing called surfing.
I know that I know, that I'll be fit and surfing my brains out when I am in my nineties... Another 40 years of this!! It makes me so stoked just thinking about that.
I watched a 96 year old lady personal trainer on the TV the other night. She'd been a dancer ALL her life. She NEVER let age dictate what TYPE of dance she did. Did the same dancing as what she did in her 20's! Just like us! These new boards allow us to not get lazy and keep up with the groms. I know I am, at least in getting my share and feeling good about what I can do on a wave, according to my natural ability.
You said it so well Fan, goanna and Dave Exactly how I feel.
I was out the other night,on my amazing 511 El Fuego, glassy 4ft barrels with my son, absolutely crazy sunset, vertical rainbows from under storm clouds on the horizon, brids, dolphins, crystal blue green to black water due to fading light. Shimmering bands of reflected lighttwisting and rolling over your shoulder whilst sitting on the tube. It was straight out of Inner most limits of pure fun"
who else get's to experience that?
I know I am going to be experiencing this for a long,long time to come...
Our boards make it a bit more easy and a lot more fun.
Yeeewwww!

Now that's some serious writing there Nev! It was awesome meeting you last May. Maybe next time I'll get a chance to surf with you.

Cheers, Danny

I start this little story with a bit of aprehension because I know this is not the right thread to be putting forward this type of stuff (maybe it is?) so maybe Mark P or whomever can take the last couple of threads and start a new thread to keep the original thread on track. Maybe call the new thread "Why I love surfing"...Anyway, here goes my story. I have had back problems since 92 but kept surfing. I had three ops but none of them really worked but...I kept surfing. In May 08 I was told I urgently needed back surgery as I had no disc left between one of my back joints and my bones were grinding on each other...but I kept surfing. After interviewing about a dozen surgeons I found one in QLD on the Goldy (I live in NSW on the Central Coast) who operated on me in Oct 08. I had flown up to see this guy and was so impressed I asked him to operate on me as soon as he could. We went to surgery 3 days later. Despite being heavily medicated on morphine I knew I had to squeeze in as many surfs as I could whilst I was up on the Goldy. I went and saw the great people at FW and Nikki lent me a 5'8 HP Quad Fish. I didnt take boards up with me because I thought I was going to come home but I ended up staying up there to be operated on. Luckily for the 3 days before the surgery there was a nice clean 2-4ft swell so I rode that board at Dbah every day. I would surf my guts out everyday not knowing if I could ever surf after the radical surgery I was about to have. I had my last surf at Dbah on the Friday and walked up the beach and said to myself that could be the last wave I ever catch. I was pretty devastated. I returned the board, grateful for Nikki's help. The surgeon cut open my stomach, removed the contents, routed out where my disc was and replaced it with a carbon fibre cage and put my stomach back together and sowed me up. I rehabed for 3 months before my Dr gave me the all clear to surf again,.....with no restrictions. I now surf without any fear of hurting my back. I have taken some big beatings and nothing, not a twinge or ache. Its not until you face the prospect of not being able to surf that you realise just how important it is to you and maybe thats why as you get older you consider the alternative to being able to surf.

Cheers FW-Fan. I can imagine a realization such as the one described is a difficult one that puts a lot things in perspective. glad you were able to recover and beat the injury.