40 TRAVELHAWAII
Ideal conditions
The shoot itself went very well. As I said before we
were lucky considering that the previous months were
not particularly windy. We have always found ideal
conditions for both freeride and wave during previous
trips. In particular, Ho’okipa never let us drop a shot –
every day waves were between 2.5m and 3m, it’s a
real windsurfing playground.
Our heli images are spectacular! We paid more
attention to this because everything happens in a short
time frame (one hour) and getting it wrong would
mean throwing about 1000 € down the drain. You
need to have a detailed plan with defined slots and
share it with all riders. All equipment should be rigged
on the beach and ready to use as you cannot miss a
second. Everyone must know in advance exactly what
to do minute by minute. The goal is to limit errors as
much as possible.
Helicopter
We also had to decide when to call the helicopter and
where to fly. Every spot has pros and cons. For
example Kanaha is often too crowded and there is a
risk of not getting free space. In the end we opted for
Kihei (south shore), which wasn’t as full.
Before the arrival of the helicopter I felt the same
feeling as when I was preparing for a competition heat.
I was thinking about the programme and I was hoping
everyone would have understood where they needed to
be. Then, at the arrival of the helicopter, everything
went by in a blur. During the middle part of the heli
shoot one of our riders (who shall not be named!) did
get it wrong, so we had to adapt. In the end though it
was successful and amazing.
A classic rule
With all the main brands in Maui at the same time
everyone is doing the same thing: getting prepared to
present new products. These can all be seen on the
beach, but everyone knows that images should not be
leaked. Obviously this is the classic rule, which is often
not respected. I happened to see on FB photos of new
gear RRD that we had to remove.
Social media is a beast – information and images can
spread like an oil slick. It’s hard to keep on top of
everything. Watching all day long via smart phone and
checking every single post and comment is the only
way. We do our best to handle RRD’s brand image. The
rule is always the same: to produce marketing material
and show it only when the product is officially released.
We have to be the first to showcase it.
uk
WIND
SURFING