Holly Beck Building a School in Nicaragua

Howdy,


My partners at Waves of Hope have been working for over a year to secure the proper permits to build a high school for students in Nicaragua. We finally have them! Now it's time to raise the money to give the opportunity of an education to a community that desperately needs it. See attached .pdf for more info or click here for the video version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIZneuwRFKg

 If you are interested in helping either with donations, time, or putting a group together to come down and build the school with us, please let me know!

The waves have been awesome of course. See attached photo from a session a few days ago. For the full sequence, click here: http://hollybeckadventures.com/2012/10/07/backside-tube-sequence/

We have begun improving our lot up on the ridge, starting with clearing weeds, planting trees, and installing a living fence: http://hipehabitat.com/2012/09/15/the-new-living-fence-on-our-lot-in-tierra-del-sueno/

We also started construction on our storage shed/garage/workshop building called a bodega down here.
check out the beginnings of the project here: http://hipehabitat.com/2012/10/07/teak-post-and-concrete-block-bodega/

We're off to El Salvador for a couple of retreats next week, then back to Nicaragua for prime time retreat season. I added an option for guys in Feb. Check out info and dates athttp://www.surfwithamigas.com/schedule

Cheers!
hb

Julie Flynn Gets Back in the Water in our Eco Wetsuit

A few months ago we received an e-mail from Julie Flynn who is ill and disabled as a result of chronic toxic exposures and the anthrax vaccine while working on Navy ships in response to Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom as well as the Global War on Terrorism. She used to be an avid surfer, lover of the ocean, surfrider member and marine environmentalist. Due to her illness she cannot wear products that contain petroleum because for her the contact causes seizures and she can lose consciousness. Most wetsuits are made out of petroleum but one, our eco-wetsuit. She has finally been re-united with the ocean and surfing. To learn more about her illness please visit: www.julieflynn.myevent.com

The words of Julie Flynn..."I wanted to thank you and Body Glove for allowing me to smile and feel like myself again if for only an hour!  It's taken me over two weeks to recover from my one hour session on the waves but I can't wait to do it again!  Body Glove has made a difference in my life!  THANK YOU!!!!!!!!"

JOB at the Wedge

Hawaiian pro surfer Jamie O'Brien made the trip from the North Shore to take part in Red Bull Wedge Sessions, a unique session aimed to showcase JOB's talents at one of the most legendary surf breaks in the U.S., the Wedge in Newport Beach, California. Just days prior to the session, the National Weather Service had issued a high surf advisory and coastal flood watch for Orange County beaches, so Jamie got the call and jumped on the next flight to the mainland.

Mujeres del Mar Surf Event

"When my sponsor, Body Glove, gave me the opportunity to make a contest in Puerto Rico, I thought about all the girls who want to learn to surf. So I created this event to transmit all the experiences I got from different competitions around the world. Women’s surfing has been growing around the world and I want to bring that growth to my Island, Puerto Rico. This event means another step for the surfer girls on the island. I want to make the girls feel important and show them the importance of what they are doing, surfing. People who surf know that is not an easy sport and requires a lot of practice, dedication and love to learn it. But in the end we learn how amazing it is doing the sports that makes up your life style. When I started surfing on my Island there were about five girls surfing everyday somewhere in the Island. But now we can see more than five girls on the pick at the same time. I want more girls in the water that love surfing and it is why I created Mujeres del Mar Surf Event. With this event we give support, dedication and love to all those girls who feel like surfing is in them. It is the second year that Body Glove is supporting the event, helping to the develop more women surfing on the Island. At the end of all stress, meetings, calls, etc. I can say that the event fills my soul with a lot of happiness and gets me full of positive energy, to see so many girls from all ages on the beach smiling, laughing, enjoying and of course surfing." - Maria Del Mar

Who is JOB: Switch Stance- Episode 15

Jamie O'Brien arrives back to Hawaii from his trip to Indo. Back at home Jamie picks up a new custom board by Robert Wyland and surfs switch stance. 

Want to wear the same boardshorts and wetsuit as Jamie O'Brien? Click here to check out our online store. 

Anthony Walsh- Tahiti GoPro Video

Anthony Walsh and Team Body Glove went to Tahiti for a boardshort photo shoot . While they were there, Anthony shot some incredible surf footage with his GoPro and put together a real nice video.

To view more of Anthony Walsh's surf videos, click here to visit his YouTube page and subscribe to his channel.

Garrett McNamara Takes a Trip to Nicaragua

Garrett and his manager, Nicole, took a trip to Nicaragua and here is a story from their trip. 

"Last summer the idea of a family occasion was being discussed. In the past this trip was always made to Costa Rica, but this year everyone decided to live a little and be adventurous so we headed over to Nicaragua for two weeks. This is not typically the ultimate surf destination for Garrett so fortunately we were blessed by the wave Gods with an amazing swell that had the outer reef at Popoyo breaking with some great back side barrels to warm up for Fiji. He had his SUP board so he was a happy camper. The consensus at the end of the trip was that Nicaragua was a beautiful untouched country with beautiful people. The only negative was the trash issue. These small little villages sitting in the middle of a coastal paradise are littered with trash… plastic bags, plastic bottles, candy wrappers etc.

Anyone who knows Garrett will understand that after this small wave trip he really didn’t have an interest in returning. The only way he was going back was on a mission. So when the family started talking about a return trip this summer Garrett was admit on having a purpose and making a difference. The best way to create change is through the youth. The idea developed into going into these small fishing villages and talking with the local children about the life cycle of trash, teaching them that everything thrown on the roads will end up in the ocean. So that was the plan and that is what we did. We also organized a cleanup with the village so we could “practice what we preach” with the kids. On the first day we had over 150 kids come and collect over a ton of trash and the second day we had about 100 kids come and collect and equal amount. All of the children who participated received new hats and slippers and the most popular item was their personalized poster from Garrett. It was definitely a success and we were amazed when we returned home to find an email from the children of the homemade rubbish bin they made out of recycled bottles!!! The way we look at it is if we activate at least one kid and he ends up in office or creates a business that provides a trash service and a recycle program we hit a home run!!! 

Celebrating International Surfing Day

Check out this video from SME celebrating International Surfing Day, June 20th, with a special thanks to all the fathers out there who got their kids in the water.

James Harold in Costa Rica

Pro wakesurfer, DJJamesz aka James Harold, heads to Costa Rica. James and his wife Ashley decided to 4-wheel drive into Witches Rock. After an hour and a half of driving through crazy roads in the jungle they make it and find some great waves...

Who is JOB 2.0 Episode 7- Surf and Harpoons

Jamie O'Brien escapes to the Big Island for a camping trip with his buddies. During the two week trip, Jamie lives off the land providing fish for his group and hiking through beautiful forests to remote waterfalls.

James Harold is first to try Disney's newest Wavepool

James Harold aka DJJamesZ got to try out the typhoon Lagoon Wavepool at Disney World. After 4 months of remodeling he would be the first test pilot. Where else can you get over 400 hundred waves in 3 days all to yourself and have no crowd? Only at Disney, the happiest place on earth!

Seal Beach Surfing Championships

The Seal Beach Surfing Championships is on for this weekend!!!! The 21st & 22nd will go down in Seal Beach legendary surf history! Make sure to get your entry forms to Seal Beach Lifeguard Headquarters as soon as possible. Spaces are filling fast, don't miss out on your spot!

Come down Sunday to witness the Body Glove Best Trick heat.

Brennan Aubol wins the 16 and under CFS at 9th Street in Huntington Beach

Congrats to Brennan Aubol who won the 16 and under CFS this past Saturday at 9th Street in Huntington Beach!!!

Body Glove's Imaginarium Video

Transworld Surf invited Body Glove to their photo/video contest, IMAGINARIUM. Along with 3 other brands, we set out to advance the creativity of surf photography. Check out our video here

Drop Zone: Fiji Available on iTunes August 15th!

Redondo Beach, CA – July 26, 2011 – Starting August 15th, 2011 the second installment of Body Glove’s award winning Drop Zone series, Drop Zone: Fiji will be available for purchase on iTunes.

Drop Zone: Fiji produced by Body Glove, PADI, Air Pacific, Sport Diver Magazine and TransworldSURF and featuring Holly Beck, Cheyne Magnusson, Alex Gray, Maria del Mar and WCT surfer Bede Durbidge, aired in over 100,000 homes on FuelTV will be available for download on your desktop, laptop, iPad and smart phone.

“Our purpose is simple,” said Body Glove’s VP of Marketing, Scott Daley, “we want to show a whole new generation the awesomeness of surfing and diving. Releasing the Drop Zone: Fiji on iTunes opens this film up to the world and showcases what amazing athletes we have and the incredible hospitality of the Fijian people.”

This award winning film follows four world-class surfers-turned-divers on an adventure through the waters surrounding the island of Fiji. The crew heads out in search of pristine dive locations and chases down some of the most epic surf on the planet. They head to Tavarua to surf the world famous Cloudbreak and SCUBA dive with bull sharks, vibrant fish, and friendly turtles. The lush environment provides rich entertainment and spawns an unlikely new duo. Through this remarkable journey, the crew gets to know the true Fijian culture by interacting with the islanders as well as the environment they have truly come to recognize the value of.

For more information on Drop Zone: Fiji or Drop Zone: Tahiti go to the Drop Zone Series Fan Page. You can find additional information on Body Glove athletes and products at www.bodyglove.com.

Holly Beck April Update

Body Glove's Holly Beck lives a radical life. Here is the latest from our favorite globe crossing surfer girl.

April's update isn't quite as cheery as usual. On Thursday of the first week of two back to back ladies surf and yoga retreats I was sliding down Central America's most active cinder cone volcano on a piece of wood at 76km/hr when i bounced, caught my heel, and did two flying rolls, coming to a stop at the bottom with a very messed up left foot and ankle. It was an opportunity to check out the medical care in Nicaragua (clean but not very thorough). They told me my ankle wasn't broken, so I wrapped it up and hopped on one leg through the second retreat - still paddling out (but not standing up), horseback riding, and cheering for the ladies. Now that the ankle swelling has gone down, I'm pretty sure the ankle is not the only problem and I probably have at least one broken bone in my foot.

I had a GoPro camera mounted to the nose of my volcano board and actually captured the whole wipeout on film. See attached frame grabs and this link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXOLTb2w9Ig

I'm out of the water for a few weeks, but I did have some time to put together a few little videos to remember the times when I was able to surf. Here's an ode to my favorite Rusty Surfboard, the Dwart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8xgg7biEEM

Here's a video about my learn to surf philosophy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcEUpG2nLRY

More content coming soon (since unfortunately im gonna have too much time on my hands in the next few weeks) Send healing vibes!
: )
Holly

Catching up with Holly Beck

Latest post from Holly Beck

Hello friends!

I just finished up an intensely exciting and action packed two month adventure that included stops in Hawaii, Portland, an Oregon to LA coastal road trip, the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Costa Rica, Bocas Del Toro Panama, and finally a few weeks in Nicaragua. I'm now back in LA for a week trying to process, recover, and prepare for the next leg of adventures which begins on Feb 19 with a Sector 9 trip to Ecuador, followed by Thailand and then Nicaragua.
Unfortunately my computer, external hard drive, camera, wallet filled with cash, and passport were stolen in Costa Rica. No bueno! I'm still replacing things and catching up after not having a computer for the last month.

My women's surf and yoga retreats are really taking off! I recently hosted a group of 10 ladies from all over the world along with a yoga teacher and photographer (see attached photo). I have a few retreats coming up the last week of March, first week of April, and again later in May. Check out my website for details: www.surfwithhollybeck.com/schedule

Now that I have a computer again i've been busy updating my blog and youtube with photos and videos from my recent adventures. Check out my blog for new posts and videos! http://www.hollybeckadventures.com


Thanks for your friendship and support!
Holly

Explore. Connect. Inspire.
http://www.hollybeckadventures.com
http://www.surfwithhollybeck.com
http://www.facebook.com/hollybeckadventures

Holly Beck, Chandler Parr and Friends in Fiji

Body Glove surfers Holly Beck and Chandler Parr joined friends Mary Osborn, Jennifer Flanigan and Kaley Swift on an epic surf and dive trip aboard the beautiful Tui Tai in Fiji. The girls surfed their brains out, spent time under water, did some stand up paddled, explored waterfalls, drank kava and hung out with the amazing Fijian people. Check out the great Surfline Feature story with captions by Holly Beck.

Holly Beck Update Before Heading Home

From the mouth/keyboard/pen of Holly Beck

Good Morning!
I hope you had an awesomely sunny, red white and blue 4th! It was my last weekend in California for a while and I caught up with my friends from Body Glove in Hermosa Beach. We just got back from Fiji filming another Drop Zone where we surfed epic Cloudbreak, swam with manta rays, and dove with bull sharks!

Check out my blog for stories and a few photos from Drop Zone Fiji. The film will premiere sometime in November.
http://hollybecksurfs.blogspot.com/2010/07/drop-zone-fiji-journal-entries.html
For more stories and photos from the rest of the crew (Alex Gray, Cheyne Magnusson, Bede Durbidge, and Maria Del Mar)
http://dropzonefiji.blogspot.com
Body Glove also finally released the short film "We Love Sharks" by Scott Smith which shows me getting a chance to be a part of tagging a whale shark, travel adventures in Mexico, and outside of the cage with great whites. Awesome experiences!
You can watch the 17 min film here:
http://tv.bodyglove.com/tv/116/
I was also featured in the Athleta catalog recently. Surprisingly, they didn't airbrush away my logos! If you didn't receive the catalog in the mail, check it out here!
http://athleta.gap.com/
Finally, in less than 48 hours I will be headed back home to Nicaragua! I can't wait!!!
I'll be co-hosting a surf, yoga, volunteering trip with SYRV.org August 30 - Sept 6. We'll be surfing, doing yoga, and helping to complete the community center which will allow the local village access to sewing machines, computers, after-school programs, and clean water! Join us!!!
More info here: http://surfwithhollybeck.com/Giving_Back/Entries/2010/6/30_Surf_Yoga_Volunteer_with_SYRV.org______Join_us_8_30_10_to_9_6_10.html
That's all for now!
if you want to be kept up to date with photos and videos more regularly, become a fan on facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/HollyBeckAdventures

Drop Zone Fiji Blog Part 2

The Drop Zone Fiji crew of Alex Gray, Cheyne Magnusson, Holly Beck, Maria Del Mar and Bede Durbridge have all made it home safely after an amazing trip surfing and diving in beautiful Fiji. Check out some of their crazy stories and photos of surfing Cloudbreak, flipping boats, diving with Bull Sharks, rock water slides, pirates, Kava, fishing and more at the updated Drop Zone Fiji Blog at http://dropzonefiji.blogspot.com/.

Stay tuned for many more photos, videos and the epic Drop Zone Fiji DVD coming soon.