Anybody who's ever slid down the face of their first wave, or likely, anyone who lived through the 90's remembers the iconic surf film, Point Break starring Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swazey, Gary Busey and a cast of other characters who make up this 'cops & robbers', 'live free or die' surf classic where Special Agent Johnny Utah (played by Keanu Reeves) goes undercover to investigate a series of bank robberies successfully executed by a group of masked 'president's men' while falling for the lure of adrenaline and excitement around surfing created by a Californian surf demi-god called Bodhi (played by Patrick Swayze).

In fact, if you're a surfer, chances are you've viewed the film MULTIPLE times in homage to the edgy, live-by-their-own-rules surfer lifestyle portrayed in the film and Special Agent Utah's fall from grace into an underworld stacked with novelty and freedom, the lure of a bigger adrenaline rush and a girl whose affections (and surfing ability) keeps Utah in check from doing his job.

So, when John V. Campbell introduced me to the concept behind his recent photoshoot for a newly launched wetsuit brand, I was intrigued to hear the tale.  Below - in classic Campbell style - he tells us how his envisioned photoshoot became an full-on tribute to the film including actor John Philbin from the original Point Break on site, to the exact style plane used in the movie. 

This is Part I of John V. Campbell's online series. Stay tuned for upcoming interviews, antics and out-of-the-box thinking around all things wetsuits, surfing and - of course - art.

On Nov. 15, 2024, a tight-knit crew rendezvoused for what was the most serendipitous photoshoot that I have ever directed. The group consisted of five cast members, one highly-trained Dutch shepherd, a photographer and myself.

The purpose of this shoot: Showcase our new best-of-the-best wetsuit via 00 BY XIIIG (aka “13G”) – while also paying homage to actor John Philbin’s timeless role as Nathanial in the original Point Break. 

Real ones know — but for the rare few that don’t - John Philbin’s character in Point Break is the infamous ex-president who resembles Errol Flynn (when he’s not robbing banks wearing a Jimmy Carter mask). His hair is flawless as he delivers the line, “Lawyers don’t surf.”

Long live Nathanial. Our plan was to recreate his final scene.

That final dramatic moment takes place on the tarmac of an airfield, late in a southern California afternoon. At that point in the film, Special Agents Johnny Utah and Angleo Pappas are en route to make the collar. BoJesse Christopher’s Grommet (aka LBJ) has already been redirected to the big wave park in the sky.   

Nathanial, Bodhi and Roach are preparing their chutes, while a T-210 Skylane with blue stripes awaits departure. 

When Johnny Utah arrives, Nathanial totes a tactical shotgun underneath a canvas bag. He’s wearing jeans, tan cowboy boots and a white G-Land tee shirt that the director, Kathryn Bigelow, had specially made in advance of filming (Philbin says that over half of the shirts were exploded with blood packs). 

And then, a cloud of gunsmoke from the business end of Gary Busey’s FBI service revolver, is the last thing Nathanial and his white tee shirt ever see. 

Vaya con dios.

…

While referencing Point Break’s legacy, the photoshoot and campaign also pay tribute to a shoot I did in 2007, in which one of my best friends and longtime creative running mates, the late, great Mikala Jones, was front and center in the frame, arms extending outward (Big love, respect and MJ All Day). 

All things considered, I could not think of a better person than Stefan Kocev to step into Mikala’s shoes for this particular shot. 

Like Mikala, Stefan is preternaturally gifted in everything he does. Like Mikala, no matter how impressive his accomplishments, skill sets or accolades, Stefan maintains a quiet confidence, steadfast generosity and a spirit of unfailing sincerity. 

Moreover, Stefan is a teacher’s teacher. Whether he is leading a dojo in a martial arts practice, providing camera equipment and photography tips on the fly, or training elite working dogs like the Dutch shepherd that accompanied us on this particular shoot.

As Philbin said with gusto as he got out of his car and stepped onto the tarmac, “Stefan is here?”

…

There is no doubt we nailed the last scene from Bigelow’s classic film, Point Break. On top of this fact, based on the fortuitous series of events that happened throughout the photoshoot’s process, I am certain that Mikala had his energetic hand in it too.

The location of our shoot to replicate this scene was Brown Field in Otay Mesa, Calif. 

For those not local to San Diego County, Brown Field is an expansive airfield due east from Chula Vista, directly bordering on Mexico. 

From the late 1980s through the mid-1990s – back in Benito Santiago’s heyday as a catcher for the Padres – Brown Field was frequently discussed as a potential relocation site for a new major commercial San Diego airport. This didn’t happen and the place now feels like it is frozen in time. Today Brown Field is used for a bit of everything: from beginner flight lessons and skydiving excursions to private jets and the occasional government aircraft landing for fuel. 

Selecting this as our location occurred via happenstance. 

In 2009, I went skydiving for New Year’s Eve – right on the Tijuana border. Though I hadn’t been there since that jump (yes, tandem), I initially thought I found the spot via my first Google search (turns out the former operation is no longer in business). 

Not knowing this was an entirely new skydiving company, I rang the office line and immediately began to describe Nathanial’s last scene from Point Break – in addition to CKTH’s new best-of-the-best wetsuit campaign. 

Midway into my vision board, the woman who answered informed me that “everyone there” was connected to the actual skydiving instructors from the OG film including the guy wearing Churchill fins when Johnny Utah does his first jump with everyone into the water. She also said they still had the exact same model of plane from the film on the tarmac, blue stripes and all. 

Arriving later that day to scout the location, I never ended up meeting the woman from my phone call, but I did meet the charismatic owner of this new skydiving business.  Without going into unnecessary details, I’ll simply confirm that the gal from the phone call is also coincidentally still a frequent friend of Point Break’s main female lead.

After several trips around the tarmac to scout everything in closer detail, the owner and I scheduled a time and date to bring it all to life.  

… 

Fast forward to the day of the shoot. 

There was an assembly of miscellaneous aircraft, cars, trucks, hangers and barrels of fuel. Brown Field had a buzz to it. 

There were two rooms attached to our designated set of hangars, both extremely memorable. One was adorned with old skydiving posters, sun-faded into a mosaic of bluish white hues. The other contained every variation of wrench, nut, screw and bolt imaginable. Logos for Champion Oil covered its walls.

Much like the OG Point Break film’s broken-in aesthetic, Brown Field’s well-worn environment feels more like a live jazz show than an orchestra. That said, there is also a very clear role for every instrument in the mix.

In the same way, our cast’s Wabi-Sabi game was strong. 

As Nathanial, John Philbin obviously nailed the look: Errol Flynn-esque facial hair. Blue jeans and the perfect tan boots. And, of course, he’s wearing one of the special G-Land tee-shirts. He’s a trained professional. 

The Surfrider Foundation’s Environmental Director, Zach Plopper, wielded a 1990s Qualcomm Globalstar satellite phone for this shoot. His name was now “Agent Mike Castillo.”  Native Hawaiian and recent PhD from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Jordan DiNardo, channeled a different character of her own invention, “Navigator Zero.” a.k.a. the getaway pilot. 

Stefan, representing in the new 00 BY XIIIG Hoodless 4/3MM, as himself. 

Sammy Johnson of the WSL wore a green flight suit – as “The Guy Behind the Guy.” 

The stage was set. Two different handpicked aircraft were expertly towed into the frame by the airfield. Similar to Nathanial’s final scene, a packed parachute was included. 

Now if we could just get the sun to cooperate. 

…

Cumulus clouds stretch across the horizon. There are flickering bursts of daylight. Nearby Otay Mountain climbs to almost 3,600 feet. To the southeast is Tecate Peak – and further to the northeast are the Jamul Mountains. A stiff desert breeze moves across the vast concrete expanse — mixing with the cacophony of engines running. 

Meanwhile, Stefan is looking up at the camera – sitting atop a large stepladder.  Unfortunately for him, the sun beams directly into his eyes. 

To make things doubly worse, the overall lighting for the entire shot is still mostly obscured by the clouds. Waiting around is never good for the vibe on set.  But then a switch suddenly flipped and the clouds broke. Somehow, all at once, the camera and crew were covered in a perfect and steady afternoon light. 

Incredibly, at the same moment, we received word that we could time our main photo with an impressively low flyby from a visiting US Navy F-18 Fighter Jet. 

As if it was pre-planned on the vision board, we timed the image of the jet flyover perfectly. 

And without getting into too much additional detail, a US Army Blackhawk Helicopter also touched down, just adjacent to our photoshoot – eventually becoming part of the campaign. 

Whether someone made a special call for us or not over the airwaves, I am not sure.  That said, the timing of the sun, the clouds parting, the F-18 and the Blackhawk— all appeared perfectly like a Swiss watch. Without getting over my skis, it seemed too perfect for any part of it to be “random.”

All gifts from above. Right on queue. 

By day’s end, we had also captured images of the latest XIIIG Liber Jacket prototype – from the rooms with the Champion Oil posters on the walls to the other with the sun-faded skydiving posters. 

…

With the late afternoon light finally fading on a surreal experience, Stefan’s highly-trained Dutch Shepherd (which is very possibly the most formidable canine that I have ever met), sauntered off-leash towards me.  Although the dog and I had not spent much time together, he gave me a quick “boop” with his nose, and then kept moving. 

Like our motto, ad meliora means onto better things.  

Fittingly, back in 2007, the OG inspiration for Mikala extending his arms was the iconic 1990’s Michael Jordan WINGS poster – which bears a quote from William Blake: “No bird soars too high, If he soars with his own wings.” 

Big ups, special thanks and much appreciation once again to all parties involved.