The Africa Project

The Africa project on Top Billing incase u missed it

2011-06-06T13:50:00.001+02:00

Hi all
Incase you missed the Africa Project insert on Top Billing recently or live on foreign shores,heres a look at what went down.

On the Edit side of things ,all sections of the film have been completed,it is now time to thread them together seamlessly to create the masterpiece.
I will be away shooting on other projects till August and on my return will complete the film as i hope to hit the road for the premiers in september.
So stayed tuned and look out for The Africa project coming soon

SABC's Magazine show Top Billing to feature "The Africa Project" Film

2011-03-14T20:59:00.000+02:00

The Africa Project recently Headed up to the late John Whitmore's farm in Elands Bay to shoot a sequence for the closing of the film with Jordy Smith and an original Whitmore hand shaped board, from the 60's .Joining us on our venture was the crew from Top Billing who shot an insert for an upcoming show while we did what we did.To Have my film featured on such an established show is a huge compliment to the last 2 years of hard yet exciting work,and i'd like to thank Jordy and john Whitmores Nephews Caleb and Shayne for their enthusiasm in making the shoot with the crew from Top Billing as smooth and easy going as could be.It was deffinately a big change for me having to now be infront of the camera for a day and tell my story,but all in all ,it went well.
Look out for The Africa Project on an upcoming episode of Top Billing in the near future to get a taster for the film.
A big thanks to Buddy Gaylard the director from Top Billing and Aiden Bennets the presenter for their belief in the film

Below are a couple images from the days shoot,enjoy

Jason

U2

2010-09-29T09:09:00.000+02:00

It ‘s been a couple days since my last blog,but seen as it was weekend thought I’d take it off.

Round 1 of the contest has come and gone and Jordy marched straight into round 3.

Round 2 is trying to get going but waves have been really small and tidal so after 3 heats the contest is on hold till possibly Thursday when the new swell arrives.

Theres still enough swell to shoot the shorebreaks of Hossegor and Jordy has been laying down and sticking some pretty mental turns.,see below.

The big news of the days past is that U2 where playing in San Sebastien Spain and hour away from where we are staying.

Quik France had organized tickets for all the event surfers,but with round 2 starting the next day quite a few surfers opted for the night in to be fresh for their heats.

This however worked in my favour and I was granted a free ticket to see one of the greatest bands in history.

We all experienced one of the most incredible nights of our lives,as this being the 32 anniversary of U2 being together and marking the end of their 1 year tour which started in San Sebastien,U2 certainly ended with a bang.

They played 7 en cores and blew everyone away.

Anyways gotta head down and shoot now,so will catch ya all on the next post

Aurevoir

Jason

Africa Project - The final chapter

2010-09-25T08:59:00.000+02:00

Welcome to Europe,more specifically Hossegor France which will be home for the next 2 weeks.

This is the final leg of ‘The Africa Project’ and we’re here to lock down number 2 in the world Jordy Smith’s section for the film.

People keep saying but France is not Africa,well theyre right,but Jordy is from Africa and thats all that matters.

You’ll be lucky to catch sight of Jordy riding a wave on his home shores as being apart of the world surfing tour his life is on the road year round .That is why I have come to France,to catch up with him,and document what his life surrounding competition is all about,and lets not forget he is in the running for the world title this year .

After 10 hours of flying I arrived in Paris only to be told theres a national airstrike,so no flights,no trains no nutting to biaritz my final destination.

I’ve learnt to deal with these situations over the years ,I guess this is what stemmed my love for traveling in the first place ,the excitement of the unkown .

So I just drifted with the flow of people thru the airport still buzzing that I was in Paris for the first time. Whats first on my list, the Eiffel Tower or a street café for a morning coffee.

Paul Dan was on same flight as me and as luck would have it we bumped into expat Martin Potter and the contest Web team who he is shooting for and scored a ride in one of their cars from Paris to Hossegor,which is an 8 hour drive,needless to say we had a flat tyre 1 hour into our drive(but who cares) we were coast bound.

On arrival I met up with Jordy and crew and we settled into our hotel.

Surf today was anything but great but that does not stop Jordy from hitting it hard ,he’s always amped.He thrives on onshore lips.

The Quik Pro contest Starts tomorrow and with big swell forecast things look to be epic,so log in daily as we enjoy a slice of Europe with Jordy Smith

Greg Ewing,the official stills photog on the project decided he was getting married during this time(congrats buddy) so I am here without his magical still images so will be bringing you frame grabs from the vid I shoot.

Below are couple from today

Enjoy

Off the back of the trip

2010-06-15T20:12:00.000+02:00

Well we're back in good old S.A , the part of Africa we call home and looking back at where we have just been and what was captured,it can only be said , we had an epic trip.

Reunion was everything and more that i wanted from it as a location for the film,it sets itself apart from all the rest in a unique and interesting way which you will see in the film.It's actually mindblowing

The last couple days on the island started with a trip to the moon,(the volcanoe ) and then 2 days just shooting the right in the south.With so much footage from St leu it was nice to bank some more progressive punting at the right to really round off the surfing in this location of the film.

Anyways i just wanna thank the crew for being apart of another insane trip and look forward to the next one.Look out for Greg Ewings incredible images and Story by Andy Davis in an upcoming issue of Zigzag surfing magazine

I'm now on the South Coast for the next month shooting water for the film Blue Crush 2, so once this shoot is over i will keep you posted on our next African adventure.

Till then, see ya in da water
Jason

Short and Sweet

2010-06-07T19:27:00.001+02:00

Dale Staples

It's been a long day so i'm gonna keep this post short and sweet,as a bit of shut eye is calling,knowing we have a 5 am start to head up to the volcanoe tomorrow.
We spent the morning shooting from the water until the wind came up round 12pm and then headed to a blow hole i had been to 7 years ago.
It's a full on lava tube setup,the ocean packs the cave underneath where you standing and then proceeds to explode 50 metres into the air for up to 10 seconds.We got some incredible footage and pics,there really is no end to the beauty of this volcanic island.
Anyways i'm off, catch ya'll on the morrow
Jason

In all her glory

2010-06-06T18:24:00.000+02:00

St Leu has not stopped churning waves down the point for the last 4 days but this morning was special.The direction was bang on and 4 to 6 foot waves were on offer all day,it's not often you get a swell with a 19 second period.
It's quite a phenomenon to witness the beauty of this wave in all her glory.We definately got what we came for,but i think the boys are now amped to go right,so we gonna hopefully get back to the right we scored at beggining of trip when swell backs down on tuesday

Yesterday with the wind up in the arvo,we headed up to the waterfall to shoot some scenics and just kick back.
All in all a great weekend

keep logging back in,see ya
Jason

Whats in the Bowl

2010-06-04T17:14:00.000+02:00

Dave Weare Making the swim worth while

Well i can tell you whats in the bowl,3 hungry surfers spent the whole day unleashing in the St leu bowl as 4 to 5 foot waves peeled down the reef from sunrise till sunset.The magic of this wave surfaced today and is just the beggining of whats to come.

Myself and Greg took to the water today to capture some water footage,this place seriously has the cleanest water outside of Tahiti.Truly amazing being out there.

Dan unfortunately pintched a nerve in his back after doing a cutback , so will prob be out for a few days

Anyways we hopefully gonna hit up the volcanoe and waterfalls this weekend,and with another push in swell tomorrow ,fun should be had by all.

laters
Jason

The ocean woke up

2010-06-03T20:19:00.001+02:00

Dan Redman Unleashing

Bonjour from Reunion
Well today we woke up to the signs of a building swell at the famed St Leu and the boys got a couple waves under the belt,however the predicted 6 to 8 feet swell we were expecting was late.

We then headed off to surf a more barelling wave further north,but the wrath of local bodyboarders seem to frustrate the guys,allthough dale snuck a few barells under the radar(he allways seems to find the barell).
It was all in all a pretty unfruitfull day footage wise, but the good news is by sunset St Leu was 6 to 8 feet which hopefully lines up for some epic surf tomorrow.
The ocean has awoken and i am going to sleep now.
see ya tomorrow
Jason

Leading up to the swell

2010-06-02T16:43:00.000+02:00

So Dan's boards arrived and after a traditional Reunion meal at a local restaurant we headed off last night to the airport . A 1 hour round trip turned into a 2 and a half hour nightmare lost in the city. The lower highway was closed and we were sent deep into the abyss. Anyways long story short,we only got home after 12 and thats the reason we never posted a blog last night.

So heres whats been happening.Yesterday we hit up the same right and the boys gained some more air miles,on return to St Leu a few waves were peeling down the reef and a couple of the guys and myself headed out and enjoyed a few magic waves.So good to be in the water again.

Romain our local friend who just happens to be an amazing surfer,guided us up to the middle of the island at 6 am this morning ,on my request to shoot some magical landscape scenes for the film.
The boys, Greg and myself were blown away at what we saw,it was like standing on top of the world looking down on a scene from Loard of the rings.Truly one of the most breathtaking views i have ever witnessed.

On return back to our camp it was clearly evident that the predicted swell was showing some forerunners,and with the buzz about the island and what we can see from the maps,it looks like tomorrow morning is going to be funneling 6 to 8 foot lines into the magical St Leu bowl.
This is just the start of the first of 3 swells that will run the coarse of the next 6 days.
Needless to say,Dave ,Dan and Dale are super amped. Will keep you posted on what these swells bring.

Over and out.
Jason

Welcome to Reunion Island

2010-05-31T18:20:00.000+02:00

So the Africa Project finds itself on the island of Reunion.Reason being,well we felt like a bit of tropical perfection after countless Strikes up the frigid west coast lately.

Africa is blessed with incredible waves and this place is no different.

We arrived late last night and surprise surprise,one bag full of boards never arrived,who's the lucky winner....... Dan Redman.He was pretty relaxed about it... o well i'm on holiday anyway he explains.

Myself and Greg were clearly not amused,a surfer on borrowed boards aint what we came to shoot,but Dan was promised his boards would be here in 48 hours,we'll see. O he nailed a solid clip on one of Daveys boards.We're all very proud of him.

We woke up this morning and with St leu flat as we expected,local surfer Romain Cloite took us to the craziest punting wave you have ever seen,the one from Modern collective with Jordy and crew.

It was only 3 maybe 4 feet but super fun and sent the boys flying.

Swell is expected to be bigger tomorrow and wed at same spot so it's game on in the air departement, before St leu shows it's true colours from thurs till monday if charts stay the same.

check in daily to follow our journey.

See ya.Jason

Giant Tubes

2010-04-26T20:03:00.000+02:00

Greetings from the east coast of Africa.Well, when i said in my last post we were hunting giant tubes,that was what we were dreaming of at the time.
We woke up on day 1 to a 12 foot plus swell rocking the coastline and just to much water moving to even think of attempting to shoot the coast,so myself and Sean Holmes hit up the protected Durban basin were the piers were dishing up perfect 4 foot runners along an amazingly lined up bank.As a Filmmaker it's always good to get in the water and get a surf under the belt and out the way,it clears the mind,besides Franki Oberholzer being the most knowledgeable person on the waves in the area said "boys tomorrow is going to be all time".
To say Frank was right would be an understatement,we were greeted at first light to 8 to 10 foot gaping tubes and honestly some of the hollowest waves i have seen since my trips to hawaii 10 years ago.
Myself and Greg Ewing set up shop and captured a memorable session on what locals were saying, the most incredible barells they had ever seen here.

The charts look good for a couple more days this week so will keep you posted on what we find

Below are 2 shots of Franki Oberholzer feeling out his front yard.
Look out for the stills A grades from Gregg Ewing in an upcoming issue of Zigzag,they will blow your mind,as for the video footage,it's getting locked up in the volt till it's time to edit .
Over and Out,o waite,did i mention we scored 8 to 10 foot barells-Jason Hearn

A glimpse into the larger side of life

2010-04-23T17:35:00.003+02:00

I write to you from Cape Town International,i am en route to a strike mission somewhere along the South African coastline,where if the maps are right,we are about to capture some truly incredible waves with a crew of top S.A surfers.It's giant tubes we are hunting and the swell is there,so lets prey the winds play ball.You can follow this mission daily here on the blog so be sure to check in,but before you leave for now check out below for a taste of what last winter dished up on the big wave side of things and with a fresh winter just beggining,theres loads more to come.Speak soon.Jason Hearn

Looking back in order to move forward

2010-04-05T17:31:00.003+02:00

Hi all.

It's been a while since my last post - just been super busy with a reality TV show called "Way of the Warrior".

Anyway, winter - and best of all, wave season - is upon us, which means I can now start planning and shooting the rest of the destinations for the film. We have just finished sewing up the next location which will be one of the Indian Ocean islands off the east coast of Africa, home to incredible waves, good food and crazy landscapes. Dates are booked for the end of May, so super amped. I will however be hitting up the South Coast and a few new locations up the West Coast before the next major trip, just as soon as the swell maps give us the OK. Just adding to the incredible footage we already have of those 2 locations, as they're just a stone's throw away.

I will also be editing and posting some new teasers soon. Also, look out for the feature on our Morocco trip in an upcoming issue of Zigzag surfing magazine.

So before we move forward with the Africa Project Film for this year, lets take a behind the scenes look at our last location, Morocco. Below are some images from the memory bank.

ENJOY

Sensory Overload

2010-01-27T00:36:00.001+02:00

It’s been a few days since our last bog and with good reason. With a poor outlook for surf we headed up North to what is said to be the best wave in Morocco, in hope of finding more swell. We were greeted with 3-foot waves but not amazing surf. Our wondering minds of what lay ahead for us in Marrakech our last port of call for the trip, got the better of us and we hit the road, totally oblivious to what we where about to experience

After 15 years of travel I can honestly say Marrakech is the most amazing city I have had the privilege of experiencing with my own eyes. All of us were completely blown away by this colourful maze at the top of Africa. It was to say the least, a complete sensory overload, a place where words play no part and only images can possibly describe it . You need at least a week to scratch the surface of this place, we had a day and got to work immediately.

Just outside Marrakech lie the Atlas Mountains aliened with snow. We shot up there first thing in the morning and believe it or not; we all enjoyed a 2-hour snowboard session. I think this is the only place in Africa where you are surfing the one day and 5 hours later you are carving down the mountain on a snowboard. Truly amazing.Frankie and Shaun were stoked!

Broken and tired we charged back down the windy mountain pass with the hope of catching the Golden light to shoot some scenes in and around the market square and deep within the alleyways of the Souks for the film and the book. Greg and myself barely had a spare minute to breath as we combed the markets and alleyways searching for portraits and scenes that capture the vibrancy of this incredible city.

9pm that night, with a ton of incredible images in the bank, it was time to put the camera’s down and blend into the market to enjoy a traditional Moroccan meal, sip on a few beers and reflect on what was possibly one of the most incredible days you could ever wish for. Below is a taste enjoy...

Driving Miss Daisy

2010-01-23T02:58:00.000+02:00

Today was an absolute mission for surf, with a lot of the swell too big for the reefs and the wind too sideshore for the points. We spent most of the day driving, picking off a few nice lifestyle shots along the way.

We ended up back at the spot we’ve been calling ‘Trestles’ for another late afternoon surf just before the sun went down. Met up with a long-time friend of mine, Ross Elliot from England, who drowned his key and his car was basically immobilized as a result – and all this in probably the dodgiest ghetto area in this part of Morocco. The carpark emptied out and three of us decided to wait with him for the rental car company to bring him a replacement key. More than two hours later and no sign of them. By this time a crew of local kids had gathered around the car. As the minutes ticked away the crowd outside grew steadily, with things getting heavier as hands started to grope inside the car, with one guy trying to pickpocket Ross’ phone and wallet.

We were picked up by his friend just in time, right about the time things were getting a little too hot, and found ourselves at the dodgiest police station in Morocco. Anyway, all was well at the end of the night, with the moral of the story being: don’t surf with an electronic key.

The realities of travelling through Africa definitely presented themselves to us tonight.

And the swell, she came

2010-01-21T23:52:00.001+02:00

As predicted, a new swell hit the coast early this morning and we were at Boats by first light. Unfortunately, and as is often the case with new swells, the direction of the first of the lines was just a little wide for the points up north. There were some good 6 to 8 foot sets coming in, and the boys dropped into a couple of bombs at Anchor Point – but they were a little flat faced and hard to surf.

Frankie broke two boards in as many surfs, Shaun boosted some fins out the back and Rudy, back on his own equipment, laid it on the rail. All in all, though, it was a pretty unrewarding day in terms of footage as the waves were just a little too flat on the face to allow for the kind of surfing I want to showcase in the film.

On a more positive note, I got to get in the water today and share a couple of waves with the boys on sunset – just another day in the office. Let’s hope the swell straightens itself out and we get some clips in the bag tomorrow.

Above is a shot of Frankie unleashing just before he snapped a board.

Looking North

2010-01-20T23:51:00.003+02:00

Today was another slow one for waves. We checked the slab early but it was not doing its thing, so Denny suggested a spot up north that might be worth a look. We piled everything in two 4x4’s and headed out into serious off-road territory. At the end of a trek across drier, more deserted terrain than we had seen thus far was nothing but small, onshore and unexciting surf. Nonetheless, the journey itself was worth it simply because we got to see a new part of the area, as well as a large herd of camels grazing on leaves by the roadside.

We returned to the slab which, even though it was not really barreling, offered up a few air sections which the boys cut loose in before we headed off to a beach café for a coffee and chocolate crepe. We rounded off the night with another classic meal courtesy of Mohammed, the chef at Moroccan Surf Adventures.

On another positive note, after 6 frustrating days of borrowing clothes and equipment, Rudy’s boards and bags arrived on sunset – and luckily for us, just in time for tomorrow’s 3 meter swell which looks set to light up all the points in the vicinity.

Down time

2010-01-20T00:54:00.002+02:00

As we say, “there’s no rush in Africa” and after four days of incredible waves we decided to take that approach this morning. We hit the road around 10:30 hoping to get the slab but after sitting through the low tide and with the swell just too big and just off direction, we headed back, checking each point in turn. There were waves but after what we’d had in the last few days the boys decided to surf a mellow beachie while myself and Greg went to shoot some lifestyle around Tamraght, our local village.

Going through the alleyways and narrow streets around sunset with the calls of the mosque echoing around us really allowed us to step away from the surfing side of this country and capture the essence of authentic Moroccan living. The afternoon light here is really something to behold.

Why so much surf?

2010-01-18T22:29:00.001+02:00

Today Denny took us to a secret spot down south – a left and right breaking reef he found exploring a while back. And again we scored, making it four for four. The spot was absolutely going off in both directions and with the tide on its way in the conditions became really rippable. All the boys killing it and Greg Ewing and I shot some stuff from the land before I went to shoot in the water.

I can’t believe how much surf this place gets. Either we’ve just been incredibly lucky every day, or this really is an incredible spot that anyone who loves long right-handers and the occasional left should come visit.

We’re all absolutely broken tired right now and from looking at the forecast, we’re going to get a foot larger swell tomorrow. It just doesn’t stop…

Go to http://www.morocsurf.com if you want to score some of these spots for yourself.

Lefts..? In Morocco..?

2010-01-17T22:06:00.003+02:00

We headed off to the slab this morning and to our surprise the swell had actually jacked quite a bit and it was just way too big for it. Our guides reckoned that there was a spot just up the road that sometimes works on a big swell so we went to give it a look… And there in front of us was an 8-10 foot barreling lefts – in Morocco, the land of right-handers.

The boys gave it a go and there were a few big drops and some big pits, but we had just missed the tide and with that much water moving around the session was over before too long.

Denny and Abdullah (http://www.morocsurf.com) then took us to a full-on local spot that is kind of under the radar – and we absolutely scored! This spot was like a Moroccan version of Lower Trestles with incredibly fun and rippable rights peeling their way down the sand and reef bottom. The guys put on quite a show for the stoked groms on the beach, and the locals were especially stoked when Shaun gave them a board he snapped landing an air-reverse.

Smiles all round, cooking waves, and it’s only day 3. This place is amazing…

The swell just keeps coming

2010-01-16T23:51:00.001+02:00

Morocco is all about the pointbreaks, sure, but today we got to sample one of the lesser-surfed slabs in the area. Our guides took us to the spot at just the right tide and Frankie, Rudy and Shaun all got shacked. The swell was supposed to drop through the day, but it just kept rolling in and we ended up surfing Boilers again this afternoon – more fun at a Moroccan right hand point.

Conditions are looking good to catch the slab working again tomorrow, and with a new swell set to come in around mid-day it looks like it’s going to be another good one. What originally looked like a small, slow conditions for the beginning of the trip has turned out to be non-stop surf all day so far. Here’s a pic of Rudy getting one.

See you again tomorrow.

You've been delayed

2010-01-16T00:30:00.004+02:00

We finally arrived at our destination here in Morocco at 4am this morning, some eight hours behind schedule. Thanks to an air traffic controller strike in France, our plane was delayed in Madrid for most of the day, eventually making it to Marrakech airport at 10:30pm. We were met by our driver, Muhammad, who promptly took us on the minibus ride from hell: the road between Marrakech and Agadir is regarded as one of the worst stretches in the country. Large trucks pass each other at high speed regardless of corners or blind rises, with each driver showing little concern for whatever might be happening in the oncoming lane. It was a nerve-wracking experience that some of the guys were fortunate enough to sleep through, but I got the full experience due to not being able to sleep at all on the 4-hour drive.

After meeting up with Denny from Moroccan Surf Adventures (http://morocsurf.com)we were in bed shortly after 4, and then woken up only two hours later to go looking for waves. Below is a shot of what greeted us for the day. You gotta love Africa...

It begins...

2010-01-13T12:23:00.001+02:00

Greetings to all and welcome to the official blog of the Africa Film Project. Over the coming months you’ll be able to stay up to date with what’s happening with the movie, where we’re filming, how the trips are going, and everything else we feel you should know leading up to the release of the film.

But what is the Africa Film Project? Well, once we had finished The Path – our last movie, shot in Hawaii – the obvious question was ‘what next?’. Indonesia, the Maldives, Fiji and similar places have been done countless times so we wanted to try something different, but that also interested us. I'd always been intrigued by Africa’s surfing potential, but for the whole of my twenties I traveled the rest of the world with the idea that because Africa is home, it can be traveled anytime. Now after 10 years on the road and having permanently moved back home, there is no better time to check out Africa and all it has to offer. Our continent has never really been documented in-depth from a surfers point of view, so the project is going to offer something genuinely new and unique The world needs to know what an amazing continent we have, with so much history, rich and diverse cultures, incredible waves and of course a wealth of talented surfers rising onto the world stage. All these things mixed together are the perfect ingredients for an incredible film project which will span a full two years.

So, Africa just seemed right... As we say, “where the path ends, the journey begins”. The Africa Film Project is our next journey following on from The Path, and will take you to all 4 corners of our unique and exceptional continent. Joining me are some good friends and colleagues who share my passion and vision. On a filming side Eldon Van Aswegen my partner at Whitestone Productions and on a stills side senior photographer on the project Greg Ewing heads up the crew along with Caleb Bjergfelt, Richard Johnson and Alan Van Gysen. Stoked to have these guys on board so lookout for their images in Zigzag Surfing Magazine who are the media partner and distributor for the film.

Below is little insight into what we have experienced so far. Watch this space as we head off to Morocco later toady and will be updating you along the way. I hope you enjoy it.

Jason Hearn – 13th January 2010

The Africa Project Intro Teaser

2010-01-13T11:49:00.002+02:00

South West Africa Trailer

2010-01-13T11:43:00.000+02:00

West Coast, South Africa Gallery

2010-01-13T09:57:00.001+02:00

South West Africa Gallery

2010-01-12T20:03:00.001+02:00

South Coast KZN, South Africa Gallery

2010-01-09T13:49:00.004+02:00

Dakar, Senegal Gallery

2010-01-08T11:26:00.003+02:00