Help bring the gift of surfing to Madagascar with Samson Valesoa Ialy

Seafolk ± Samson Valesoa Ialy, founder of the non-profit, Union Surfeurs Anvironemental des Fort Dauphin & Louie-Joe Findlater.

Location ± Madagascar

We caught up with our friends Samson, and Louie recently at the Deus ‘Lodge of Heavy Leisure’ before they fly back to Samsons home town in Madagascar to deliver much needed surf kit to support the local kids & community. Locals and non-locals alike can help the community in Madagascar by donating spare equipment, to continue to bring the gift of surfing to Madagascar.

Samson has been a Dorset surfer for nearly 20 years now but he keeps his ties strong and his heart on the island. His surfing & ocean journey started in Madagascar. Although black Africans weren’t allowed on the beach (enforced by elders and embedded culture) as they could be abducted by pirates for hundreds of years and into modern day. Curiosity however got the better of him. On his local beach he met some French travellers, to hear him talk of the first time he saw a white man, the fear, the exhilaration at what they were doing on the ocean. Windsurfing and Surfing! With the help from these and more travellers, Samson taught himself to surf and windsurf on borrowed boards. At only 11 years old, he was living in a cave on the beach and making bracelets & necklesses to sell to the organised tours that eventually visited his village or the odd tourist that appeared on his beach. Samson had only one pair of shorts & t-shirt and he had to stand naked in the cave while washing his clothes and waiting for his clothes to dry.

Through his teens Samson encouraged many of the other kids in the village to start surfing, much to the dismay of the village elders! Fast forward a few years and he built a surf shack on beach to house the equipment he had collected. Within the very poor community, this simple surf school helped get the kids off the streets, gave them faith and gave them an education in the ocean.

“Surfing gave them a purpose in life”
— Samson Valesoa Laly

Samson and Louie are heading back to Madagascar on the 10th of January 2025 to deliver donated surf kit that is very hard to get locally and also too expensive for the local residents.

Samson is therefore asking the UK surf community to donate anything they have ‘spare’ to help the Madagascar community.

So look in your garage and storage to see what you have that you can donate to the kids & young adults. It doesn’t matter how old the kit is, they will find a use for it.

They need surfboards (shortboards, minimals, foamies, bodyboards), boardbags, spare or old leashes, fins, tropical wax, wetsuits, rash vests, bikinis, board shorts and surf clothing. Even surf stickers for the Groms would be gratefully received.

Samson & Louie will be at Deus Lodge - Saturday 4th January 10am til mid-day - 23 Argyle Road, Boscombe, BH5 1BP for any drop offs or you can also drop any gifted surf gear to The Wetsuit Centre Warehouse. Unit 4 Station Approach, Ashley Road, Bournemouth. BH1 4NB on or before January 4th appreciated.

To further support the community beyond surfing, the local kids ‘earn’ the use of the surf school by helping with beach cleans and doing work for the community. As well as teaching surfing, the school teaches beach life saving skills including CPR.

They are truly Seafolk and have our huge admiration. Thank you Samson and Louie, more on this story to come. Check in with www.surfbornnaked.com

James Aiken on the Jurassic Coast talking Iceland, Re-wilding and more.

Seafolk ± James Aiken, adventurer, creative, waterman.
Location ± in-between waves on the Jurassic Coast, UK.

It was a special day with brisk offshores & fleeting autumnal sunshine. We talked Iceland, re-wilding for mental health and more, whilst looking off a cliff.

James, you seem to be a fan of vast areas of water, whether frozen or fluid, what drives you to these places ?

I realised quite early on that I was going to focus on the North Atlantic and not just the ocean, but the countries surrounding it. I used to read about expeditions and adventure and I also like history. Thousands of years ago people travelled across land and sea, and I was just in love with that.

Through my 20’s and 30’s I pushed my ‘comfort zone’ until I did the single-handed Atlantic crossing and more recently the coast to coast ski across Iceland (21 days).

“Getting to know an area, the feeling, the history, the connection with nature. It helps to make it a smaller place mentally ”

Captured by James on Drone.

“I don’t call it ‘survival’, I think it’s more .. immersion .. I voluntarily walk into the wilderness. ”

You’ve taken a different track to re-wilding, your angle is re-wilding of people for mental health rather than the environmental side things ?

Yeah, we are living through a mental health pandemic and it’s accelerating. Male suicide is only getting worse and worse. Words can only do so much. We need to get outdoors, take in the natural world, get physically fit, both of which help the mental game. I’m just trying to lead quietly by example, the only way I know how.

On the Oaken Yarn, Solo Atlantic Crossing by James Aiken.

Did you see the Volcano that was going off while you were crossing Iceland ?

It was south of me, but one of the areas I skied over had risen 10 centimetres from the magma pressure building underneath it.

How do you keep your composure when you might have those wild invasive thoughts like, OK, what happens if ?
.. and did you ever get cold feet ?

haha on proceeding with the expedition or actual cold feet ?

There was a moment, when the local people were like, ‘well, f**k. Good luck’ from those that work in the ski shops! So I’m proud to be one of around three people that have skied that far across Iceland in recent times.

And no! your socks were amazing, not just saying that, no blisters, so good, must be the wool content or something.

But yes, there are risks; you just have to do everything you can & accept some level of risk. There was one moment crossing a snow bridge over a river, I think it was probably a 50-50 situation, if I go over this, and it collapses, there's no way I'm getting out. The sun had just set so the temperatures were plummeting, I was keen to make camp for the night. I had a little scout around for a safer crossing, but that was the one, I hit it with some speed, just enough to try and get it in one.

Setting up camp by James Aiken.

In terms of inspiration, you mentioned the history of exploration. Do you read the old adventure books to get an insight into how things once were ?

Yeah, I do that, but I really like the deep history of what was going on, those Indigenous tribes, thousands of years ago. It would have been very maritime & nautical. The islands of Scotland, are so connected with all the other islands.

With long treks up to Orkney, from places like Stonehenge on the pilgrim trails .. have you ever been to Orkney, Skara Brae? Seen any waves up that way ?

Yeah, theres a couple of points, left and right. I've surfed the left. It was quite a big storm swell. The neolithic site is so epic, it's been there for like 5,000 years. It's so hardcore out there. If you went out there in the van, you'd think it was hardcore, but go out there in an open top boat, that’s next level.

Thank you James Aiken - follow James on his Insta for more adventures.
If you’re in need of some warmth check in with our Icelandic tested socks.

Northerly Postcards with Ashley Powell

Seafolk ± Words & Photos by Ashley Powell @powellsupply featuring Jamie Frost @paper_eyes_
Location ± Scotland

Travelling to far places, feeling out of reach, has always been an exciting adventure. Each time we go back we notice how we have grown and changed since our last visit. On this trip, we stumbled upon new locations and felt drawn to revisit old favourites.

Being in places like these - the vast and wild landscapes, always gives us a sense of solitude and freedom. It's a chance to breathe, take it all in and let our creativity flow.

When we mix that with our love for surfing .. it's pure magic.