Summer Richley in Spanish Death Video
Our friends from Monster Children just published an amazing new video featuring the Deflow Family member Summer Richley. There’s no doubt about the girl. She’s not only absolutely skilled and super stylish on a longboard, but she ‘s also ultra creative and full of energy for life in general.
This is what you’ll get to see in the edit below from the talented Australian video maker Cole Walton and please, take some time to learn more about Summer and her world in the Monster Children interview here.
Follow Summer Richley on Instagram.
SUMMER’S FAVORITES
Dan Pascacio: Nowhere Place Video
Is it sill necessary to introduce Dan Pascacio? The guy has been pretty active for more than a year now. Duck Tape Invitational, Mexi Log Fest and many mind blowing clips on the Internet. The Mexican ultra skilled young logger has been killing it. And it’s also been an immense pleasure for us to welcome him to the Deflow Family.
So when he stopped by Basque Country during last summer, that was the right time to spend some time in the water with him. Cloudy days in Biarritz, longboard days at La Côte. And here’s the result. Filmed and edited by our amigo Oscar Valencia.
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DAN’S FAVORITES
Deflow Welcomes Ambrose McNeill
We are really stoked to introduce a new talented surfer and stylish single fin virtuoso from ANZ to the Deflow family, Ambrose McNeill. A mix of a strong charisma combined with technical longboarding skills in both carving and noseriding is why we get along with Ambrose.
In order to learn more about Ambrose, our long time friend and Deflow family member Clovis Donizetti asked him a few questions. Read the interview below and see a brief visual insight in Ambrose’s day to day life enjoying clean waves on the other side of the globe.
Follow Ambrose McNeill & Clovis Donizetti Instagram.
Clovis at home.
- Bonjour Ambrose! First of all, can you introduce yourself?
Bonjour Clovis, well my name is Ambrose McNeill, I was born and raised in the South Island of New Zealand in a beautiful seaside village called Sumner. Around seven years ago after traveling through Mexico, Indonesia and Asia and running out of money, I ended up on a friend’s couch on the Gold Coast in Australia and never left (the Gold Coast that is and fortunately not the couch). I now live at the southern end of the coast with my partner Montana, about 5 minutes away from some of the best right hand point breaks in the world.
- Why longboarding ? And how does it influence your approach to other crafts?
I came to surfing when I was about 15 years old after I became friends with some kids on my school bus who were surfers. These kids had longhair, wetsuit tans and for some reason they all rode longboards. After a lot of lawn mowing, piano practice and begging, my parents bought me an old 9 2 for my Christmas/Birthday present and so it began. It was only once I started learning to surf at the local beach that I realised that everyone rode longer boards because of the slow rolling waves.
Sadly, after 6 months of surfing I ended up snapping that first longboard and learnt the hard way that there are different surfboards for different conditions! Learning to surf on a longboard and being exposed to this culture early meant that I valued style and grace as the defining factor of good surfing. These two lessons remain at the forefront of my surfing approach today.
- You’re living in a tropical dream, could you détail to us the highs and the lows of living in a surfing dream ( to many not living there at least!)
Ha yes although I live near some of the best waves in the world – these waves are definitely some of the worlds most crowded. The crowds can be fierce and at times can bring out the worst in people (myself included) so you have to decide if you’re in the right mindset to surf in these environments – which sometimes I’m not. But as you know Clovis, there are still a few magical days each year where the crowd gets thin and you can surf the most dreamy warm water waves with friends. Those days will still keep me coming back for a while longer.
- Can you tell us about the single fin mingle, the concept, what you want to achieve with it, and why every loggers with some soul should attend it?!
The Single Fin Mingle is an annual longboard festival that I started in my hometown in New Zealand in 2015. I had spent a few years competing on the NZ longboard series and although I had a great time at these events they were focused on high performance longboarding which wasn’t my thing. Once I saw the highlight videos of the Duct tape invitational on the web I was inspired to put on a contest that celebrated all of the surfing, music, movies and art that myself and my friends enjoyed. Essentially the idea was to plan what I thought was a perfect weekend in my village and invite all my friends along for the ride.
Nine years later and the festival has grown exponentially with surfers traveling from all around the world to come to our little village. But the key idea remains the same, bring great people together and have a great time celebrating surf culture.
- What are your preferences in longboard designs, and what do you expect from a good one ?
Living in Australia I’ve definitely been influenced and drawn to the boards that are made here and my current quiver is all locally made. I’m always intrigued with different feelings but good speed in a board remains a non negotiable.
- You have great taste in a lot of mediums. but let’s talk about music, you play piano a bit and have jazz running deep in the family isn’t it?
I did grow up in a very musical household. My father, Malcolm McNeill, was a professional jazz singer and for as long as I can remember there were always songs being sung or music being played in our house. I had piano lessons for 10 years or so and still love playing today.
- What are the 3 albums you’d pick to get stuck deep in the NZ countryland?
Hmm that’s hard but here’s three albums I’d enjoy if I was stuck anywhere:
Malcolm McNeill – Skylark
Stan Getz and João Gilberto – Getz/Giberto
Paul Desmond – The Complete RCA Victor recordings
- Lastly, any influences past and current and some wisdom?
In surfing and life, you have to paddle hard to catch good waves. Enjoy paddling.
AMBROSE’S FAVORITES
A not so classic day in Hossegor
There are some days when everything goes well. The swell and weather forecast was initially not so good. But for some reasons, you wake up with blue sky and no wind. So why not to have a quick check at the surf. It does not look exceptional but it’s way better than expected. And for another mysterious reason, one of the most famous break line up around is empty. Nobody’s out! You text a few friends who are around. They all show up in the next 15 minutes. And that’s it. The magic happens and well, it’s a lot of fun, waves are pumping, your friends and you are ripping, even getting barreled.
That was a good day, at the right place, at the right moment. Here’s a result of a random day in Hossegor with Yael Peña, Erwin Bliss, Diogo Martins, and Issam Auptel.
Follow Diogo Martins, Yael Peña, Issam Auptel and Erwin Bliss on Instagram.
Classic day for Erwin in Hossegor who seems to know really well the area.
Definitively more fun than expected for Yael Peña!
Issam Auptel probably not regretting being out there…
Diogo Martins spending a few days in Hossegor and ripping not matter what.
RIDER’S FAVORITES
3POD MIX video project
3POD MIX video project is the last project from Guilherme Martins and the first edition is starring some of the Deflow family finest riders aka Diogo Martins, Issam Auptel & Yael Peña “having fun in shit waves in Portugal”. Watch video below and learn more about the project by reading Guilherme’s interview.
Follow Diogo Martins, Yael Peña, Issam Auptel and Guilherme Martins on Instagram.
. Hey Guilherme! How it’s goin’ bro?? We absolutely loved your latest video-project 3POD MIX. Tell us more about it!!
Thank you for the love! It was an absolute pleasure to make. The waves ended up not being ideal, but we sure had fun and got tipsy every now and then. I’d say 3Pod Mix is something we want to keep putting effort into, for the future. Film whenever it feels right and put it out for the fun of it.
. We can feel a really cool flow between all of you, guys. Can you talk about your friendship and the vibe ‘behind the scenes’ of your sessions and trips?
I’m not sure we really knew what we would end up with while filming. Everything came together so naturally thanks to our team manager, Guillaume Dartenuc, who, for some reason, decided to put us all together to film. I didn’t really know Yael and Issam at the time, but I was aware that we all had similar references. It was a fun 10 day trip staying at Diogo’s summer house, trying to find waves and making barbecues.
. Issam, Diogo and Yael… All of them are riders of Deflow and it makes us very happy to see so much camaraderie and union. It’s a kind of Dane’s Chapter11 hahaha. What’s your influences and upcoming stuff? Would you like 3POD evolve under that kind of collective essence way?
Guess I’d be riding Deflow gear too if I actually knew how to surf ahah. We wanna keep filming and putting videos out while we can, that’s for sure. A couple months ago, Yael built the website while we were sleeping, and we’ll be using it as a digital whiteboard to pin some fun behind the scenes and B sides moments from the trips. We all get more inspiration from what the skate and snowboarding fellas are doing. Dust box, cinquieme terrasse, rat ratz, melodi,… that’s what entertains us the most. Pretty physics and chapter11 if we want to get hyped up to surf.
. We also love your Instagram aesthetics which is full of analog photo and ‘raw’ stuff. Are you very into the analog-artie thing? Tell us about your personal interests!
I usually like to carry around an old point-and-shoot film camera my dad used to snap photos with, when he was my age. It’s perfect for the candid captures, and I also like to let everyone grab it and shoot whatever they want!
. Now talk us as filmer, photographer and surf fan please. What’s kind of content and rider are the most motivating to you?
I like that there are still some guys focused on the free surf only. The comps don’t really excite me. I’m more of sitting down and watching clips, and that motivates me to be standing up behind the camera for as long as it takes to get the clips. I really like everything Wade Carroll, Andrew Schoener, Hunter Martinez, Kai Neville, Dan Scott, Yentl, Guillem Cruells put out.
. Since we love your essence and opinion, we’d like to know what makes a Brand cool to your eyes. We’re open to your suggests!! Hahaha.
I really like the way Deflow communicates! Aesthetics are important for me, as you can probably tell ahah… so that would have to be the priority. Other than that, I would say, cutting the crap is pretty much the most important thing. Stay true. Fortunately, Volcom gives us total creative freedom and that’s all we could ask for.
. Back to 3POD… Could you tell us a little more about the places and the waves you’ve been to? All the locations look pretty fun!
We filmed mostly around Caparica, Carcavelos, Ericeira and Sintra. We weren’t that lucky with the forecast so we had to play with what we had.
. Well Guilherme, we’re so glad to share a Little time with you so… We hope to know more about you and to have you back at Deflow Blog!
3POD mix 2 is currently being filmed!!Thank you for the chat 🙂
RIDER’S FAVORITES
Spellbound with Titouan Canevet
Our French Britany ambassador Titouan Canevet traveled to Ireland in order to explore its famous powerful breaks. Cold water, fun waves & friends always mean an amazing surf trip. Watch the recap video & see a few photos below.
TITOUAN’S FAVORITE PICKS
Happy Holiday Blake Neka & Legi Alonso!
Here we are… 2022 is almost over and while it’s gonna be time for most us to go through big family dinner, chocolate and probably too much wine… we thought it was the right moment to catch up with some of our favorite riders to talk about their past year highlights! Legi & Blake are really unique characters and incredibly talented surfers, and they got kind enough to respond to the few questions below!
Legi Alonso got busy flying over 2022!
. Hey there Legi! How have you been doing? Now that 2022 is about to finish, would you highlight one best moment / surf sesh / party from this year?
Highlight of the year…. I think I landed a floater in March. Or maybe it was in February. Nah, I did a couple trips to some cold surfing destinations in which I really enjoyed the calm of the places. Lately, I’ve been working on a printed fanzine (BLOOOD!) that finally came out this week ☺ About party… I’m too old and too ‘grinch’ to enjoy the company of many smiling people. I don’t have any friends either.
. We know you’ve been riding our products for a while now. For someone that hasn’t experienced our products before which 3 products would you recommend?
About the new stuff… I really loved THE TOWEL. It works nice as a pillow. The NEW PAD COLLECTION (4 – 5 pieces) is rad as hell too! They’re soooo beautiful and also have a very good grip. And still using LEGI ALONSO FINS for ‘everyday sessions’. They are very functional and fun for sharp turns and rotations and also I’m obliged to say by contract. In fact, I mention them even when I go to buy bread.
Recently welcome to the Deflow family, Blake seemed to enjoy this past year!
. Hey there Blake! How have you been doing? Now that 2022 is about to Finish, would you highlight one best moment / surf sesh / party from this year?
Hey guys! I’ve been well thank you.
One of the best moments from 2022 would have to be getting my first double spread in a magazine, cheerin on that one cause it’s quite rare to see yourself in a magazine these days. A surf session I always look back on is actually from a heat over in Krui, Indonesia. Legit some of the biggest waves I’ve surf and for a comp to be held in those conditions is nuts haha where i’m from i’m use to surfing beachy/right-hand point breaks that stay around the 2-4ft range, to surfing a 10-14ft left-hand reef break. I enjoy surfing big waves but that definitely got the heart racing lol.
One night that stands out to me is when the Gold Coast pro finished up and heaps of the boys were still in town from the comp and we all met up later that day at the Pav which is a joint right on the beach at Burleigh Heads. Kind of a scene there but good to go to every now and then. Anyway i had good time that night and flared up with the lads.
. We know you’ve been riding our products for a while now. For someone that hasn’t experienced our products before which 3 products would you recommend?
I would recommend people to try out the 3 PIECE TRACTION VOL. 2, ROCKET L and the WATERPROOF BAGS, they are super handy and durable!
FAVORITE PICKS
Welcome to Deflow, Blake Neka!
We are really excited to introduce Blake Neka to the Deflow family. It’s no surprise that we’ve always been supporting talented surfers with charisma, and well, a lot of style. And we’re not doing an exception with Blake. MUST SEE video & interview below!
. Yeah Blake!! We’re so glad to welcome you to our team! First of all, could you tell us about yourself so that our audience knows you a little better? Home spot, roots. Blah, blah, blah…
Firstly, I’d like to give a thank you and to the guys at Deflow for giving me this opportunity to be apart of the family. Well… my names Blake Neka I’m 21 years of age and living in gods country (Australia). I’m half Balinese and half Australian. I was born in Australia and raised in Bali for a decent amount of my childhood living in the village of Kuta and then moved back over to Australia for schooling. I’m currently based in a little town called Casuarina just south of the iconic Gold Coast but I like to say my home/local spot would be Cabarita Beach which is where I basically started surfing and spend most of my time in the water at. It’s not the best wave, just a fat point break, but I froth it.
. When we look at your surf we really appreciate your rail and air game and also your barrel technique. What aspects of surfing motivate you the most?
Appreciate your words! I do really respect unique styles and flowy rail work in surfing and just guys/girls doing their own thing, in their own way and killing it. Having a techy air game helps too :)).
. Art, skate… What things do you consider part of you beyond surfing?
I like to think I’m somewhat artsty/creative. Most of the time I enjoy editing my own stuff like grades, crops and all that fun stuff when it comes to making clip/stills. However, I use to be somewhat of a filmer/photographer for a solid year and a bit due to me injuring myself and unable to be in the water for 12-13 months, so I just toke up filming my mates surf and getting some coin on the side if others asked to do a session. From then on I’ve just had an interest in filming/editing and appreciate a lot more all the work these filmer/photographer put into their craft.
. You’re also team rider of some big brands. Talk us about your sponsors and your relationship with all those Brands!!
My most recent pick up was Chilli Surfboard which I’m super cheerin on, honestly best boards I’ve had in awhile and super excited to be working the crew there. I’ve been with RVCA for about 2 years or so now and they’ve been so good with me. Backing however I wanna take my surfing, if its competition or just free surfing travelling and putting out content. Which I love. Wouldn’t wanna be with another company. I joined the Nixon team 3 year ago and they’ve been none stop support and supplying me with the best surf/classic watches you can get your hands on atm. Very grateful for all my sponsors and wouldn’t be where I am today without them.
. So… Talking about sponsorship, what does it mean to you to become a member of the Deflow team?
Honestly so grateful to be giving this opportunity to be apart of such a unique brand. Love the way you guys put yourself out there and the audience you attract, definitely what I look for in a brand. Fins, traction, board covers etc are a massive part in a surfer life so to be apart of a company like Deflow and to have all of that covered with quality product is ideal for me if I want to be surfing at my full potential :)) Can’t wait to see what the future holds.
. Your whole content and aesthetic is pretty refined and nice. What are your next creative projects –as a surfer and on a personal level?
Definitely like to try and make my content somewhat interesting for people to see and not just your average sweaty surf clip/stills. I enjoy putting out what I like to see in others account like BTS stuff, quirky little edits/pics and just showing a bit more personality. For me as a surfer I really wanna start putting out a couple more proper edits and not just short 1 minute clips for insta, so hopefully next year I can travel around a bit and start stacking some clips and eventually drop a few edits. Maybe, even work on a pad with you guys in the future would be a goal.
. As we said, we’re very happy to introduce you! So, what would you like to contribute to Deflow in the next few years?
In the next few years i’d love to obviously get the best content out for you guys and drop some short films but to also get Deflow well known out here in Australia would be unreal, cause there’s only a select few traction companies that really put into the aesthetics side of their product and you guys are definitely up there with the best at doing so!
. Talking about the Brand/surfer relationship… What moved you to join our team and what aspects or Deflow motivate you the most?
Like I said before I really appreciate the aesthetics and quality you put into your product from fins to board covers everything is super nice. You guys seem to keep your team tight too and select a certain few that give off similar vibes, everyone on the team have their own thing going and killing it which is sick to see and i’m super grateful to be a part of that family.Like I said before I really appreciate the aesthetics and quality you put into your product from fins to board covers everything is super nice. You guys seem to keep your team tight too and select a certain few that give off similar vibes, everyone on the team have their own thing going and killing it which is sick to see and I’m super grateful to be a part of that family.
. Finally… Could you make a TOP 5 of your DEFLOW favorite products?
Hahahah. In no particular order I’d have to say: Erwin Bliss Signature grip pad, L Rocket fins, Twin + 1, 6”6mm Pro Tech leash in white, 3 Piece traction VOL.2.
. Well Blake, thanks for your time and for your enthusiasm. We hope to hear more from you soon! Welcome aboard buddy!!!
My pleasure! Honoured to be apart of the Deflow family and excited to be working with you guys. Cheers, Blake
BLAKE’S FAVORITE PICKS
Tequila Blackout with Laura Coviella
Laura Coviella spent 3 weeks in the Mentawaii Islands, Indonesia to surf perfect waves. The result is this incredible and dreamy video edit that shows how powerful her surf is getting, and obviously still really engaged!
Laura’s favorite picks
Erwin Bliss in '22:22' video
As always, you’ll find incomparable creativity combined with modern surfing in this last edit featuring the Deflow family member Erwin Bliss filmed and edited by Yentl Touboul for Wasted Talent. ’22:22′ is a true ode to Erwin’s surfing style and you’ll surely list this edit in your new faves. Watch video below and find extra pics from the talented photographer Nils Puissant.
Erwin’s favorite picks
