Verde

Surfing can be like a sanctuary-- a safe place you can go to and forget everything else that is going on. For some people surfing becomes their whole life and they choose to spend all there time looking for the perfect wave. For me surfing has always been something that I do alongside all the other things that are going on in my life. It helps me calm down, inspires my work and how I relate to other people and most importantly it makes me happy. When I put together a clip I connect to the feeling that I get from surfing and try to express it in a way that others can relate to. Enjoy!

Off the Grid

The first thing you realise when you get off the boat on the Mentawai Islands is that your phone has lost any kind of connection to the outside world. The first few days you may nervously wonder around the island with your smartphone in hope for at least one bar of reception so that you can tell your family that you are still alive, but except if you have one of these old (and really powerful) Nokias you are lost! It usually takes about 3 days until all facebook/instagram checking compulsions cease, but once you've gone through the initial withdrawal period the experience is liberating. Finally you get to read that book you've been procrastinating and you actually get to know the people around you. Surfing the perfect turquoise waves on one of the countless islands adds the final ingredient to the exhilarating experience of being in the present moment. Enjoy!

Frühaufsteher

Frühaufsteher is the german word for 'early riser'. Being both a surfer and photographer makes it is pretty much essential to be able to get up before the sun rises any time the swell charts look good. It's not hard because at night I dream of swimming in the ocean, then I briefly wake up just to drive to the beach and continue those pleasant thoughts and movements with my eyes wide open.

Stepping out

Surfing, climbing, shooting or whatever helps you to step out for a moment

Rubber Hoods

Fall is one of the most amazing times in the Northeast of England. The forests and meadows create a colorful carpet that stretches across the rolling hillsides and the first bigger swells light up the perfect limestone reefs all along the coast. For this clip I did some filming along the Harian's Wall where parts of the movie 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' was filmed hence the title. Enjoy!

Purely Belta!

It's been eight month since I moved to Newcastle and I am slowly getting accustomed to the 'Geordie' dialect. One of the phrases that I've recently learned is 'purely belta' or simple 'beltas', which is a generic proclamation of joy. Although, most Geordies would probably be using this phrase in the context of partying like "The Toon were purely belta on Saturday, like!", for me it relates to the joy of surfing and exploring the beautiful countryside around the North East. Enjoy!

Barreled Before Breakfast

The winter is over and on the North Sea coast of England that means many flat days. I filmed this clip when there were still some last spring swells around and it was worth getting up early in the morning to catch that barrel before breakfast. BBB-Enjoy!

Barreled Before Breakfast from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

Thorsá

Last march I did a trip into the most northern part of Scotland and surfed some of the waves that I've been dreaming of for a long time. At the time the temperatures were still freezing cold and rivers transported melted snow into the lineup. The waves were pumping though and I am already looking forward to returning to Scotland (with a slightly thicker wetsuit)

Thorsá from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

Fire of the North

The north east of the UK offers great surf potential with numerous points and some quality reefs on offers. Unfortunately good swells are inconsistent and so it only happens rarely that the sleeping jewels awake from their sleep. I shot this clip on one of these rare occasions where all the conditions came together perfectly and golden waves peeled along one of my favourite breaks. Enjoy!

Fire of the North from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

Bribery and Friendship

When I last visited Morocco in 2013 I remember being stopped by the police three times for going 10 km/h too fast (something we call Spielraum in Germany) and when they showed me the nice handwritten receipt I was like: right on! at least they are getting people to slow down and paid my 35 Euros. I was already wondering how locals would pay these outrageous prices but did not dare to "tip" the policeman. This holiday I had a conversation with my friend Lando about the topic and he told me that no one pays for their ticket...well someone should have told me earlier. Anyways, when stopped again I managed to pay 10 instead of the 35 Euros. The second time I made a bit more of an effort, I stepped out the car did a bit of shit chat asked about the family and made a new friend and most importantly I did not have to pay my ticket. I recommend to make some friends in Morocco, it always pays off :) Shokran!

Bribery and Friendship from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

Low Expectations

If there is one thing that I've learned as a channel surfer than it is the value of keeping expectations low. I usually check the beach cams before going for a surf to see whether it's worth the drive. If the conditions look favorable I quickly grab my suit and my board and hurry to my car. However, in my car I am already mentally preparing myself to arrive and find a flat lake. If you arrive and the waves are glassy and the wind is light offshore it makes the pleasure even bigger.

Low Expectations from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

Dutch Glass

This day was completely off my radar as I thought that it was going to be flat. When I checked the cams in the afternoon some first little bumps started showing up. Since my camera lady was not available and the wind seemed to be favorable I decided to take along my GoPro. Although the waves were pretty small I had a great session and stayed in the water until sunset. For the editing I played around with a templet that came with the new GoPro Studio upgrade. Enjoy!

Dutch Glass from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

Frantic Days

Here a little clip in black and white, which I think fits Holland pretty well, since the weather is often rainy and the water has a brown/yellowish colour...

Frantic Days from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

Still Wild - South Sumatra - Part 2

Here the second part of my travels to Sumatra. Again big thanks to the camera men Alex, Ingo, and Manuel...

Krui 2013 - Part 2 from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

Still Wild - South Sumatra - Part 1

First clip from this years trip to South Sumatra. Big thanks to Manuel for letting me use his GoPro (mine broke on the first day) and filming in the lineup!

Krui 2013 from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

Tudo bem?

Tudo bem? from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

Aguardiente

A typical day in Portugal means getting up late and having some delicious custard filled pastry with a coffee, going for a surf, having an extensive lunch involving meat and more deserts, followed by a nap/ or going for another surf. In the afternoon one could have a portion of grilled sardines before a last sunset session, after which it's dinner time. At this point I was usually too full to enjoy another value meal, so I had to prepare myself with a clear liquor called "Aguardiente" which can be translated to "burning water" and is stronger than anything I ever drank in my life. Anyways, given the essence of the burning water in my portuguese routine I thought it would make a nice title for this clip. Enjoy!

Aguardiente from Sebastian Potthoff on Vimeo.

New King on the Block

After Queen's day Matthias and me drove to Noordwijk to clear our heads in a couple of clean little waves. Enjoy!

In the doghouse

As soon as the first warm sunrays hit the lowlands of Holland everybody is out and about enjoying the beaches. I especially enjoy watching all the people with their dogs. Seriously I enjoy the beach very much, but if I see those cute short-legged creatures jumping though the sand their is no comparison. If you don't enjoy the lousy surf action in this clip, I hope you at least enjoy watching the main actors (and the song, which I think fits pretty well) ;D!

Unterkuehlung

Yesterday Matthias and me pulled up on a big tourist parking place close to Noordwijk. The place is a bit hidden behind some dunes and around this time it is pretty deserted. We looked at the empty fish restaurants and Matthias said: "Dude we a we are really lucky to live in place where others usually go on vacation, but the best thing is that we will be gone when they arrive ;-)". True that....