BEACH CULTURE WORLD TOUR
So what is Beach Culture exactly? Over to the Action Man himself for his very own explanation. Brian Talma – “Beach Culture is anything that revolves around the ocean. From picking up driftwood and creating art out of it to windsurf, kitesurf, paddle surf and any water sport. Beach culture is a way of life! I tried to change the way people think in Barbados about how they can make a business like a surf school or photography out of Beach culture. Beach culture revolutionizes the mind! It is a way of life where your passion is driven by what happens on the beach and out on the water.”
With the athletes given Brian’s guidelines for the competition format, we all headed down to the centre at the crack of dawn for our first taste of the action. In Barbados the wind tends to be stronger from 7am until midday, so we were all at the beach, bright and early to catch the premium conditions. So with the objective purely to have fun and to be prepared to put your reputation on the line by trying any other sports, all the riders hit the water for the early session.
Brian’s judging guidelines don’t involve man on man heats, with three waves and two jumps to count; at the BCWT it’s more about having an awesome session on the water but also coming back with the pictures to prove it. ‘Wydle style’ and ‘de Action Man’ were first out on the reef, but to our surprise Youri snatched a rig out of Brian’s centre and joined us in the waves. Fair play to Youri, he was surprisingly handy on the windsurf kit, throwing loops and smacking lips as if it was his main sport. Brian and Fiona were determined not to be outdone and were picking off the gorgeous turquoise waves and ripping them apart in the morning sunshine.
Since I was judge, I felt it my duty to make the long swim with my camera to keep an eye on the proceedings and make sure no crafty tricks were going down. Brian seemed to have the advantage by utilizing his big board and the 6.2m and was having a blast in the waves. You can just tell by the way he navigates his way around the water at Silver Sands that he knows this reef like the back of his hand, knowing which waves to smack and when he has just the right gust to nail a jump. At 50 years of age, Brian really is the Caribbean’s very own version of Robby Naish; an all-round waterman that is still ripping just as hard and still having a tonne of fun on the water with just as much passion for the sport as when he started.