Powers of Three: Heart, Soul and Insanity on Ireland's West Coast
photos courtesy of Powers of Three
Steve Ackerman
posted 2009-06-12
Relentless Energy announce the official release of Powers of Three -
a ground breaking big wave surfing documentary
For most of us, when we think of big and heavy, the intense breaks of California, South Western Australia, Hawaii and Tahiti immediately come to mind. However, there is a small group of people who never choose the easy way. People, that big and heavy conjures images of a different sort. A kind of place where most would dare not go, to ride waves that others dare not surf.
During the cold winter months, there is a small stretch of coastline that provides an unpredictable and seemingly random selection of waves with all of the scale, power and weight that can easily compete with what the rest of the world has to offer. Named Aileen's, Lauren's, and Riley's, their brutal nature is truly concealed behind a thin veil of charm.
The Relentless site explains it best, "The names are an act of deceit perpetrated by a twisted sensibility. There is nothing human or approachable about these waves. When they decide the time is right, up they rear, as if from nowhere, like the malevolent but hypnotically beautiful monsters that they are."
It takes an incredible amount of heart and soul and a certain level of insanity deep within for any surfer to ride that magic carpet on a monstrous swell. That feral plunge down the face of a giant, at the mercy of the raging sea surrounding you. Now take that wild ride in the frigid temperatures of North Atlantic as the immense 25-foot swells pound against the west-facing, jagged Irish coastline. Directly in front of you, a wall of sheer cliffs soaring as much as 700 feet above you.
Photo courtesy of Powers of Three
Throw in the agonizing struggle to cope with the unrelenting weather conditions of Ireland's cold-hard winter, with temperatures as low as 2 degrees and winds as high as 50mph. Add all of this together and you will certainly have an unbelievable experience, both in and out of the water. Get all of this on video, you will have almost everything you need to create a masterpiece.
A surf film first and foremost, this powerful release from Relentless, 'Powers of Three' serves as a testament to both the trials and tribulations of three extraordinary men and the all too often, harsh convergence of man and nature. The three driven artisans, Fergal Smith, Tom Lowe, Mickey Smith, and the Relentless crew have recently spent many months on Ireland's unforgiving coastline battling a cold Irish winter to document one of the heaviest waves in the world. A truly compelling story emerged that would prove to be an experience of a lifetime.
Photo courtesy of Powers of Three
The film clearly portrays the power and intensity of these massive swells and the sheer will and determination of those individuals who dare to ride them. However, not without the extreme danger and potentially deadly consequences that can occur at any given moment. Lowe, Fergal and Mickey tell the story of Lowe's shoulder accident during a taping of the film. The conditions felt a little heavier that day so the waves were hitting a little harder than they had been. But Lowe had hoped to get that one last ride in before calling it a day. Lowe had a few good rides earlier, just not the one he had been searching for.
 |
 |
 |
