2004 Women's World Champion Sofia Mulanovich drops into Oceanside for a handful of waves...

On a random day in Oceanside last summer I rounded the corner and saw one of my favorite surfers walking across the sand. It's not often that you see 2004 ASP Women's World Champion Sofia Mulanovich surfing your local spot and lucky for me I just happened to have my video camera with me. These onshore waves don't look particularly difficult to surf but the sandbars were really messed up and everyone else that I saw out there was either getting caught behind on closeouts or simply ran out of gas when their waves mushed into nothing. Sofia on the other hand made the waves look rippable and fun. With a new crew of young rippers on tour, Sofia's name doesn't pop up as often as it used to but to my eyes at least, she's blowing the tail out the back better and more critically each and every year.

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Kamalehua Keohokapu at Oceanside Pier

Popular surf media would have you believe that it's a small, elite group of surfers that are at the forefront of modern day high performance surfing on both long- and shortboards. However, walk up to virtually any spot and you'll discover underground rippers that are pushing the limits each and every day. Local girl Kamalehua Keohokapu flat out rips! She turns around and goes on the latest of drops and where most surfers would straighten off, she'll square off the bottom and just blast the oncoming section. With JettyGirl stickers on her truck and a warm Hawaiian smile on her face, any day spent shooting with Kamal is a wonderful day indeed!

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My Friend Claire

In the US, summer officially kicks off in the third week of June. The JettyGirl calendar runs on a slightly different schedule though. My summer begins each year when I get the first phone call from my favorite Western Australian, Claire Bevilacqua. Yesterday was that day and I jumped at the chance to meet up with Claire in Newport Beach.

This may end up being incoherent and rambling but here are a few words that pop into my head when I think about Bevo...

RAW: I love that what you see with Claire is what you get. If she's sad, you know. Happy, you know. Irritated, you know. Amped, you know. If my photos stink, she'll tell me. If we score a good one, she'll make me feel like a hero. Maybe it's an Australian thing, I don't know, but what I do know is that Claire's raw honesty makes her refreshing to be around.

REAL: Face it, JettyGirl is not Transworld, Surfer, Surfing, even FOAM for that matter. We don't have their clout and the mainstream advertisers that claim their pages couldn't give two hoots what we're doing. However, when Claire runs across the sand to pass out an authentically warm hug, I don't feel like our little publication is playing second fiddle to anyone. And the "real" thing about Claire is that she'll deal with me wherever, whenever and without regard to who may be watching. I won't name names here but it's incredible how many surf stars act like they're your friend but will turn away from you instantly if "cool" people are around.

PASSIONATE about pushing women's surfing to the next level: So many times when I'm shooting, the surfers seem to have a safe "three to the beach" approach to our photo shoots. While it may be "good" surfing, it's hardly exciting ...I can practically eat a sandwich with one hand and casually shoot away with the other. There's no way I can do that with Claire. The second she stands up and starts generating speed, I'm doing my best to follow focus because I know something amazing is about to take place. I hear a lot of people talk about getting scores, etc. but Claire is the only one I've heard (repeatedly) claiming that she wants to entertain the fans. Claire may or may not ever become world champion, but along with Melanie Bartels and a few others, she has advanced women's surfing in considerably more ways than she's given credit for.

I'm sure there must be a generally accepted maximum word limit to blog-writing so I'll give this entry a rest. I could write a book about my thoughts on Claire but to summarize, in a surf world containing its fair share of phonies and forced-upon-us-flavors-of-the-month, Claire Bevilacqua is the real deal, a superstar and one of my favorite people on the planet.

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Ten Toes by Kelly Nicely

It happened at midday (of course) but the best completed 10 I've ever seen came under the toes of North Carolina's Kelly Nicely. Quirky and seemingly disorganized at times (especially when it comes to locating a bar of wax), Kelly has pulled off what few people I know have ...a double major leading to two science degrees, a successful science career, and a nice home in San Diego County, all the while continuing to put in top notch performances in the water. Great surfer, even better friend.

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Kyla Langen on a Cool, Yet Warm Morning

Sometimes the presence of a human being ruins a scene. But every once in a while we add to it. Kyla Langen is a great example to me of how we can properly co-exist with our natural world. On this dreary yet oddly warm morning, Kyla pauses for a stretch before paddling out for some cold ones.

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Sometimes, A Photo Really Does Say A Thousand Words

I've been complaining lately because I strained something in my hip. I truly have no idea the depth of challenges other people face. Two remarkable individuals, Summer Romero and Danielle Burt.

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A Summer of Sofia

I think I ran into Sofia Mulanovich exactly four times last summer so it's probably a bit overambitious to claim last July and August as the Summer of Sofia. To me though, it could have been something as little as one chance encounter and I would have titled this entry the same.

Sofia is a legend, pure and simple. The entire country of Peru stands behind its first ASP World Champion and although it's been a few years since that title, Sofia's stature in the surfing world continues to grow and grow. I have always been a fan of hers and ever since JettyGirl was launched in 2006, I've hoped that our paths would cross one day. In 2009, it finally happened...

Chance Encounter #1 - One of my good friends, a Puerto Rico legend himself, was out here last summer when the film "Dear and Yonder" rolled into town. I knew he had a crush on Sofia and we had heard that she would be at the premiere. Like a couple of dorky, star-struck teenagers, we approached Sofia in front of the La Paloma and asked if my friend could have his photo taken with her. She graciously accepted and my friend was on Cloud 9 the rest of the evening.

Chance Encounter #2 - While standing on the beach at last summer's US Open, Sofia approached me before a warm up surf and said something to the effect of, "Hi Chris, I'll be staying here for a while so let's get together and shoot." What??? Sofia Mulanovich knew my name? Actually, looking back at it now, that's the only thing I remember about the contest.

Chance Encounter #3 - Surprisingly cold Lowers. I had sent her a text message that we'd be at Lowers and lo and behold who should show up but Sofia, Paige Hareb and Ornella Pellizzari. One of the biggest differences between shooting regular rippers and surfers from the WCT is the sheer speed in which they surf with...and it's especially apparent when I'm shooting from the water. On Sofia's first wave I knew I'd need to step up my game as she blew above the lip, rotated and disappeared down the line before I had a chance to focus the camera.

Chance Encounter #4 - This one was planned. After Sofia left me a voicemail, we decided to meet up in Oside. After a 15 minute session we decided to pack up and caravan down south a bit. Hours and untold miles later we ended up at a ridiculous spot in Carlsbad. Knee-high and blown out, the girls made the most of it but the highlight of the day was when the lifeguard kicked Sofia out of the water for swimming in the surf area...which at the time was only populated by Paige and Ornella.

There you have it, the Summer of Sofia. No double-page photo spreads, no in-depth interviews, no earth-shattering revelations, but to me the summer was huge because I was finally able to meet one of my favorite surfers of all time. And in contrast to the bitter disappointment of meeting legends who are actually kooks with good PR people, Sofia is the real deal...an incredible ambassador for her country, a fun-loving soul, and truly one of the best surfers I've ever seen up close and in person.

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