A stroll around Byron Bay

• By Larisa
• 3 Comments

Walking around Byron, one is capable to find and lose themself, to dream, to wander, to fulfil the spirit with salty ocean breeze, fulfil the body with a sense of peace; one can easily load the mind with special vibrations mixed with art, music, flavours and a flow of spirituality and mysticism that seems to be in a mode of permanent search of a happy place for the soul.

Byron is magical, scenic, and full of big wide beaches enriched with lots of vegetation, cliffs and a vast marina life for the delight of anybody connected with the ocean. Any swell works well at Byron but big southeast ones display probably the best shows when they come and decide to honour the bay.

Byron is an honest land that represents well a surfing culture in Australia that is alive and delivers joy; people slides alright and many are connected just fine with the pure joy of being one with the ocean playing games on top of a board, sharing waves with dolphins and having a laugh until the last rays of light.

The Byron Bay Surf Festival was on a few weeks back for 3 days, presenting an amazing array of large traditional Indian style tipis and yurts showcasing over 20 Australian and overseas feature artist and photographers. The Festival this year made us go back in time and I felt like living for a day in a combination of Indian village with a hippie community from the 60’s. No joke; it was perfection!

This @sweetocean_ was lucky enough to see art from national and international artists, to hear local musicians, to listen storytellers and dreamers trying to make a better world through smart and compassionate thinking. It was great to see Patagonia always displaying good products that are made with love, respecting our land. Sanuk was there too giving away free smiles and happy times.

The Byron Bay Surf Festival was without a doubt a celebration of the surfing world essence from its imaginaries, dreams and a sensibility for our sweetocean that is in deep need of respect and understanding in order to be preserved for the joy of generations to come.

Highlights

The Torpedo People
http://www.torpedopeople.com/
Come Hell or High Water, Keith Malloy’s debut film explores the history and progression of the sport of body surfing and the pureness that comes from riding a wave. Primarily shot in 16mm, the film takes a unique look at the culture, beauty and simplicity of the sport while capturing the stories and locations important to the community of body surfing.’

While Malloy is most widely known for his time in the water as a surfer, his exploration into the world of body surfing began some 10 years ago when he wanted to reconnect with the ocean and did so through body surfing. It’s about taking a breath and kicking your feet in the big blue sea.

Uncharted Waters – Film Premiere - http://vimeo.com/62268934

Directed by Craig Griffin, Uncharted Waters is a feature length documentary about legendary Australian surfer Wayne Lynch. It traces his upbringing in the seaside town of Lorne on Victoria’s southwestern coast and his turbulent experiences as a ‘conscientious objector’ on the run from conscription and the Vietnam War. Ultimately, it is about an extremely gifted individual with an intense connection to the Southern Ocean, whose approach to surfing has been a spiritual journey often putting him at odds with the surfing subculture and society in general. The screening included a Q&A with the man himself.

Bella Vita – Film Premiere – http://www.bellavitafilm.com/

Here comes a new journey, a story of adventure, in a land of beauty, where family means everything; where tradition is respected, and a new generation moves ahead. A surfer’s journey (Chris del Moro) through Italy unlocks the door to a modern world of culture, tradition and passion. Featuring his good friends Dave Rastovich and Lauren Hill, a film by Jason Baffa (Singlefin, Yellow, One beach and California day) made with passion using two 35mm cams and a few other toys with a long time friend and collaborator Scott Kassenoff.
A truly beautiful introspective and personal look of Chris’s life and his continuous search and discovering about love, unity and existence.

Many Talks
DEREK HYND | STATE OF THE ART
BELINDA BAGGS | THE INVOLVEMENT DREAM
KEITH MALLOY | THE PLEDGE OF THE TORPEDO PEOPLE
PRESENTATIONS 2012 | SHOCK WAVES – BOOK LAUNCH

Many Activities
Expression Sessions
Shapers Exhibits
Surfie Workshop
Ancient Olo demo
Disabled surfing demo
Surf Yoga
Start me up | youth art and busking comp

 

Tags | #byronbay #nsw #australia #surffestival #BBSF #surfculture #beachculture #art #music #spirit #ocean #conservation #torpedopeople #bellavita #surf #byronbaysurfestival