Over the past several months, I, along with my fellow Huntington Beach local Sam Archaga, have been working diligently on collecting a cache of footage from around Orange County that we could ultimately use for a short edit that we’re now calling Fixe.
The process, of course, proved frustrating, but gave us a bit of valuable insight. We inhabit a cultural landscape characterized by competition and the notion that bigger is better. Naivety would not be to deny this, but to let pass by the opportunity to acknowledge where we, as surfers, come from. With the recent flood of the high octane, death or glory type of surfing, it seems an all too appropriate (and necessary) time to remind ourselves that we surf for a very simple reason: because it’s fun.
For the vast majority of us, it’s not about a paycheck, being the best in the lineup, or gaining some kind of divine connection with our environment. That’s not why we invest so much time and effort into this sport and it’s sure as hell not why we’re driven to remote breaks around the globe. We surf because it’s fun–because it puts a smile on our faces (most of the time).
At a certain point, it becomes necessary to put cynicism to rest, douse the fires under our feet, stop fighting on the beach, and put surfing back in its place as pure sport. Enjoy the short film, above are a few stills from our time spent shooting.
