Recently got a new toy for even more stoke, a miniature waterproof digital video camera. Manufactured by Oregon Scientific, the ATC2K is intended for use in extreme sports such as snowboarding, mountain biking, and certainly surfing. The camera comes with enough velcro and silicone straps and mounting gizmos so you can attach it to helmets, handlebars, and more. While not spectacular, the video quality is quite reasonable, 640 by 480 pixles at 24 frames per second. The cost is not too tall for most budgets.

What the ATC2K lacks out-of-the-box, is batteries and a memory card. Two AA batteries power the camera, and a 2 Giga Byte Secure Digital memory card is good for one hour of video at the highest resolution.

Super Bowl Sunday was the first chance to give it a go. I drove deep into the bowels of DogLand, the Top of The World, in order to scout the best place for waves and the first live-while-surfing DogMan video. What a surprise when I got there; the stormy conditions and out-of-control ocean precluded any chance of getting in the water. Howling winds tore the surface of the water into non-stop roiling whitecaps. It was so bad that you couldn't see the underlying ground swell. Dark ominous skies and wind-driven drizzle combined with cold temperatures to complete the miserable conditions.

I videoed an overview of the horrible situation, realizing I wasn't going to get wet in the salt water. About to drive home in defeat, I had an idea. How about fastening the ATC2K to the front bumper of my surfmobile, and video the drive through DogLand? It was better than nothing, so that's what I did. Along the coast highway, through the west end of Surf City North, and up the slope into the Santa Cruz Mountains I drove, capturing the trip on digital memory.

Back in the warm confines of my mountain home, I stoked the wood burning stove, tuned into the Super Bowl pre-pre-pre-pre-pregame show, and booted the computer. With rain drops slapping the south windows as a background soundtrack, I edited the footage (bit-age?) into a short, 6 minute video. My specialty is still images, so I'm a beginner at video editing. With practice, I'm sure to improve.

To keep the resulting QuickTime file at a resonable size for downloading, I scaled the image to a tiny size. But you can get the sense of the drive through DogLand by viewing it. Sharp observers will certainly spot the parking and look-out locations along the highway for many DogLand surf breaks. One fortunate circumstance, there wasn't much traffic on the highway due to the miserable day. So the video has a maximum view of the wide open road instead of someone's tailgate.

Weather looks to be improving for the coming weekend, and swell promises to be abundant. I'm already planning the initial video sess in the water. If you see a complete kook wearing a bicycle helmet in the water, and the helmet is sporting an ungainly tubular extension on top, then you've probably found me. In this case, try to surf straight at me as I paddle through the impact zone so we can get the best shots. But don't hit me!! If you are really good at it, snap a mondo hairpin turn right in front of me and hoist a huge arc of spray through the air. This will make a great clip for a future DogMan Chronicle.

CU Out There,

DogMan