To quote the film’s narrator, Take Shelter Productions is “surfing with f**king penguins.”
What? You need more description than that? It sums up the video pretty well. Let’s take a closer look at what Take Shelter Productions is about.
I’d hate to use the phrase “fish out of water,” not because it’s a cliché, but because it’s not entirely accurate. The Take Shelter guys are still surfing, which usually requires water, but they’re far from their comfort zone. For this video, they took their fun on tour, far away from the warm, sunny, and — as they say in the video — flat waters of Hawaii, to venture to the frigid, active waters of New Zealand. Okay fine, the metaphor works, but they’re still swimming in water, so I’m not using it.
Let’s take a look at this chilly masterpiece:
Brrr… from TAKE SHELTER PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo
Pretty impressive, right? And I’m not just talking about the waves they’re riding, I’m honestly more amazed by their tolerance for cold weather. You saw those penguins, right? That’s got to be a sign that it’s not smart to surf there.
Surfing isn’t all these guys are doing in New Zealand. Follow them on their exciting journey as they: attempt to chop wood, jump from moving cars, drink tea, and step barefoot in large piles of excrement (that part is around 2:20 for those of you who would like to skip right to it).
I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that I’ll never fully understand how surfing works, but this video continues to impress me no matter how many times I see it. How a group of people, who are used to surfing in Hawaii, could survive for even an hour, surfing in New Zealand is amazing to me. I relate to Hank, the hundred and forty five pound member of their group who “has gotten hypothermia on a rainy day in Hawaii.” Why are you doing this to yourself? Will a wet suit really keep you from dying in the ice cold waters of New Zealand?
Maybe I’ll never understand their logic. But as it says on Take Shelter Productions’ Facebook page:
“Don’t wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain.”
For those of you who like surfing, sharks, and incredibly big balls, you’re gonna want to see why Benji Brand has the biggest balls in the surfing world.
