Ocean Athletes Night

Mex1 on Sullivan's Island recently hosted Ocean Athletes Night on Thursday, May 30th. It was co-sponsored by Charleston Ocean Athletes, Force Kite & Wake, Cabrinha, and Pacifico. It was a fun evening with a big turnout of the local surf, wind, paddle, and foil community. We enjoyed Mex1's food and drink, watched local & global action films, talked story, and reveled in the camaraderie.

The community - that's what it's all about. We may have differences amongst us in terms of opinions, belief systems, and life experiences but one thing we share in common is our love of being out on the water. Charleston Ocean Athletes celebrates you. Ride everything. Ride anything.

I heard some great comments and feedback on the event such as "It was great seeing everyone", "It was awesome to have the community together like that", and "I am inspired to get out in the water after watching the films." That's why we put on this event.

Speaking of films, the local films that premiered at this event were a big hit. Here they are...

This new one from yours truly, Charleston Ocean Athletes:

Guiding Light Drones (Syd Meyer) premiered an exciting new kiteboarding short film:

In addition, we showed this little teaser of a new project that Charleston Ocean Athletes and Guiding Light Drones are working on together. Syd of Guiding Light Drones did a great job of filming and editing this teaser clip for a local womens' specific kiteboarding short film we're working on. Stay tuned for the premiere date announcement!

Force Kite & Wake also premiered a new short film of local kiteboarding and prone surf foiling:

And...we also showed this Charleston Ocean Athletes short film that premiered last year:

What a great evening! A big thank you to Mex1 and the other sponsors!

Follow Charleston Ocean Athletes and Mex1 on Instagram for future Ocean Athletes Night events.

The Charleston Ocean Athletes Short Film

On Friday, November 3rd, the Carolina Surf Film Festival kicked off with the Charleston premiere of the new Charleston Ocean Athletes short film. Running 15+ minutes, it was received with many positive reviews from the community. If you haven't watched it yet, here it is below.

I really enjoyed creating and editing this short film. Most of the footage was captured in 2022 and the first half of 2023, but there's also some older footage from recent years past. I used everything from a drone for the aerial shots, to in water footage with a GoPro and an old waterproof point & click camera, and also a Canon DLSR camera and my iPhone for footage captured from the beach. There was also some footage provided by others that I was able to include.

This film is meant to showcase the amazing talented athletes who dare to get in the water when most other human beings run away from the water (when the wind comes up and/or the waves get big). Everyone in the film lives right here in the local Charleston area. There are so many talented men and women out there on the water. I wish I could have captured all of them for this film. It's difficult to do an edit with time constraints and narrowing down the best footage captured. A lot of really good stuff didn't make the film. Perhaps to be shared another time.

I was inspired by past surf/windsurf films I've always admired such as Brian Caserio's Chapped & Surface Tension windsurfing films (the Mustard Plug Beer Song in the final credits is an ode to Surface Tension), Dana Brown's Step Into Liquid, and the San Francisco Chronicles which was an early 2000s documentary showcasing the windsurfing, kitesurfing, and surfing talent in the Bay Area at that time.

Me introducing the film at the Mex1 West Ashley (Charleston) location of the Carolina Surf Film Festival. It was the first film to kick off the two night festival and everyone who was there was still standing in the back when it started. Photo by Cody Mathews

I want to thank Chad Davis, the co-creator and owner of the Carolina Surf Brand and Carolina Surf Film Festival for including this short film. It's rare for a surfing film festival, which is usually inclusive of only pure surf movies, to include a film that has other ocean sports that are an extension of surfing. It also played at the Wilmington location of the Carolina Surf Film Festival.

The Charleston Ocean Athletes Instagram and Facebook pages regularly showcase Charleston area pure surfing and local surfing athletes. In addition, the Carolina Surf Film Festival always has a great slate of pure surfing movies. For these reasons, I chose to make this edit about the other ocean sports that are an extension of surfing, such as kitesurfing, windsurfing, wing foiling, SUP surfing, outrigger canoe and surfski paddling, and prone foil surfing. Charleston is full of these different ocean sport communities.

A group photo with friends (who all shred on the water) who came out in support - the picture is missing a few other friends who were also in attendance. I really appreciate everyone who came out. Photo by Cody Mathews

I hope you enjoy this film as much as I enjoyed making it. I'm always open to feedback and creative ideas to make this website, the social media channels, and the films better. If you have content relevant and suitable for Charleston Ocean Athletes, please share with me...I would love to see it and I may even include it on Instagram/Facebook or in a future project. Please feel free to DM me on Instagram or email me (see email address in "About" section). Better yet, please say "Hi" to me on the beach and introduce yourself if you see me out there capturing footage.

Charleston Ocean Athletes short film credits:

Video & Editing by Mac Barnhardt

Editing Assistance by McIntyre Barnhardt

Other video provided by :

William Barnhardt

David Buckley

Jonathan Coleman

Brad Hyatt

Jess Mokuahi Key

Eddie Roedig

Justin Schaay

Scott West

Athletes (in alphabetical order):

Mac Barnhardt

David Buckley

Dave Cavanaugh

Charleston Paddle Club

Jonathan Coleman

James Corgill

John Cutter

Morne Diedericks

Darren Finan

Chili Graves

Peter Hess

Robert Hess

Morgan Hurley

Brad Hyatt

Scott Hyland

Jess Mokuahi Key

Bart Liebmann

Eric Mims

Josh Parker

Eddie Roedig

Ben Roth

Justin Schaay

David Schar

Grant Scheffer

Trey Sedalik

David Thorvalson

Scott West

Noah Zittrer

Music:

Buku Front to Back

The Kills Cat Claw

Cutty Gold Clean My Hands

Local H Heroes

The Power Station Get It On (Bang A Gong)

Levi Matthan Honey (B)

The Dead Weather I Cut Like A Buffalo

Mustard Plug Beer (Song)

A photo with my beautiful wife, to whom I owe a great deal of credit for her love and support. Photo by Cody Mathews

Aloha and Cheers, Mac

What Does The Ocean Mean To You?

The ocean means so much to our local community. Whether it's simply taking a walk on the beach, going fishing, or as ocean athletes riding the waves and wind. Some people call their time around the ocean as "church". Some believe it "heals" them. Many of us are here in the Charleston area because of the ocean. How much have you thought about what the ocean means to you? I recently asked for some submissions and received these responses:

Eddie : The Ocean’s vastness is like the Gospel. A reminder that it’s not all about me.

Anonymous:

The ocean ~ it's hope, community & so much fun. I feel rejuvenated everytime I go, worn out in a good way. It's lifechanging too. I live according to it's ways now, adjusting my routine as much as possible it's tapestry of wind & waves, freedom & strength that gives me hope. Feel very fortunate to be part of our playground that was here my whole life, but I didn't see it. So glad I found my home.

Tharin Walker:

Unconquerable challenges, unlimited horizons - even though my own paddling goals are pretty modest, it's good to know what's out there.

Jay Upchurch:

“ Water is the essence of wetness. And wetness is the essence of beauty.” - Zoolander

Newt:

It’s my refuge to escape the terrestrial world, to be with and without my thoughts.

Adam Clark:

It’s the place I feel most alive. Even on the flat days, it seems to respire.

Billy Lempesis:

Mind, Body and Soul. All three in harmony.

Beach Remnants LLC:

Everything. It brings balance & puts life into perspective, it's the perfect playmate, the best gift giver, and is soothing in every way.

Dom Martone:

An escape, mesmerizing, so much unknown about it.

McIntyre Barnhardt:

Peaceful, powerful, mysterious, healing.

I searched for some famous peoples' quotes about the ocean and found these:

Anthony Kiedis (lead singer of Red Hot Chili Peppers who loves to surf):

The ocean is full of life and peace. It’s supercharged with energy. Full of ions and activity.

Gerry Lopez (Legendary surfer, Mr Pipeline himself):

There is a spiritual-ness when you actually get in harmony with something as natural as the waves and the ocean, and yeah, it is definitely a religious experience.

Laird Hamilton (Legendary waterman, innovator):

The biggest sin in the world would be if I lost my love for the ocean.

Jacques Cousteau (the late great diver, filmmaker, environmental activist):

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.

Pablo Neruda (poet) - from the "The Sea":

I need the sea because it teaches me…

What does the ocean mean to you? Send us your answers via email link below ("Contact Us") or DM us on IG or FB.