Foam Symmetry : Eveline Van Brande
We were greeted with an infectious smile which sat slightly above the collar of her puffy down coat as she resembled warmth from her ankles on up. Despite the benumbed February temperatures her presence brought a familiar warmth to the dawn. Minimal swell barely lapped the shallow sand bar, yet she was still keen to suit up. She paddled out as we kicked into position. Water housings clutched and ready to fire, we joked lightly, and without words, realized that our common love for the ocean was quickly apparent. Our smiles now mirrored hers.
Eveline Van Brande scraped into a clean knee slapper and glided effortlessly as she casually made her way to the nose hovering above me, got scared, and jumped off. She’s as comfortable balancing on the tip of her board as she is hiking overgrown back country trails, so unfortunately, it was I who had spooked her. She was more concerned about her 10” single fin grazing me than a uniquely framed image. I assured her that I would clear when approached and began to realized how considerate and selfless she is. She made the most of the cold dribblers until we decided to call it quits, warm up and review the images over some acai breakfast bowls, laughs, and honest conversation. Adam and I drove away that day more than content. We were fulfilled. Not by surfing. Not by the images. But with developing a new friendship with a rad human who also just happens to gracefully kill it on a board.
This first encounter with Ev was only two years ago and the more we’ve shot, camped, sailed, hiked, and built upon our friendship with this beautifully strong woman, the more I’m inspired and intrigued. I’ve realized that she is more interested in hanging out than posing for the lens and continues to put relationships above exposure. If the waves, wind, or circumstances don’t line up, we still have fun by diving into each others minds as we discuss surfing, traveling, future adventures, potential partners, dumb stuff that’s funny and doesn’t really matter, and matters that hold substance. Her smile continues to spread warmth.
Eveline isn’t one to talk about herself or to share stories that uplift her ego. In fact I’m trying to remember if I’ve heard her complain or bad mouth another…not that I recall but it’s late. Quite simply, she’s humble and will probably want me to delete a majority of what I’ve written, but these are the points that resonate with me. I toyed with writing how gracefully she surfs no matter the conditions. Or how smooth her style is never breaking composure even when she pearls. Or how she has no idea how talented she is and gets slightly embarrassed when we assure her that we love shooting with her. How, in my mind, she’s the ideal role model that encompasses adventure in and out of the water, the Cali spirit, humility, strength, and the beauty of surf culture. Or how she can belt out a mean Justin Bieber impression (I may help out a bit here). One thing is for certain, I look forward to watching this young woman continue to grow and to take those large steps that will not only benefit the loved ones close to her, but also the planet we have responsibility for. If you ever have the chance to meet Eveline in the line up, on the trails, or anywhere else, I encourage you to say “hello” and get to know her. Maybe even ask her to do her best seal impression. Her story and insight are worth listening to with acute ears which I’m certain she would better share in her own words:
“Every day I am reminded of the pure and raw beauty of my home. While Belgium was the country where I was originally born and raised, California has now been my home for the last ten years of my life. The endless amounts of secret coves, beaches with perfect point breaks, and empty trails that lead through diverse mountain ranges with perfect rock formations, waterfalls, and mystical canyons, keep me inspired every single day to continue to seek out the beauty in this world, to explore it’s wild places, and soak up all the knowledge that the earth has to offer for us.”
“When my family and I left our small farm home in the countryside of Belgium and moved to California, it was inevitable that I picked up surfing shortly after moving here. Ever since, it has been the foundation and cornerstone to which everything else is my life has been shaped. It was surfing that first showed me the raw beauty of our great outdoors, and further strengthened my love for the outdoors, adventure, and everything that the garden of our natural world encompasses. It’s vital to the survival of our souls to seek out the stillness in nature, and to spend time alone in the elements. We can only ever attempt to try to understand the great, uncontrollable, powerful force that is Mother Nature.”
“The ocean and our great outdoors has provided me with the places and moments where I am constantly self-discovering who I am and what we stand for in this life. Those are the places where I find fulfillment and go to set straight the brain and the senses, feelings, and thoughts running wild in my head. To seek out this solitude and peacefulness in the outdoors make me feel so free in the moment, free of distraction with no background noise of that busy, over stimulating life. We thrive in nature, and spending this time outside is more important to me than the trivial pursuits of life and wasted meaningless minutes. I have never found anything as pure and simple and that can compare to the clarity you can get from spending just a few minutes with Mother Nature. She sure is someone you don’t ever want to turn your back on.”
“Our natural world that we live in is dwindling at an unimaginable rate, so keeping my heart above my head, I continue to treat these places that I have grown to love with complete reverence and will always continue to love this bewildering planet that is Earth who has given me everything without ever asking for anything in return.”
“Fight for the things you love. Fight for wild nature.” Kristine Tompkins
- Shane M. Passantino
& Eveline Van Brande
