Breakdown: SurferMag.com Takes a Closer Look at the 2006 SURFER Poll and Video Award Winners

5.) Layne Beachley: Coming out of retirement from competitive surfing this year, Layne's making another charge for the world title. Maybe six wasn't enough.

Breakthrough Filmmaker of the Year
Brian Conley for My Eyes Won't Dry: There's more to Brian Conley than meets the eye. At first, one may take him for just another blond haired, Southern California beach kid. And, to a degree he is. But, thereís much more to this Solana Beach native's act. More at home in the heaving barrels of Mainland Mexico than the crumbly reefs around his parents house, Conley's not only dedicated his life to pulling into giant pits, but as of late, he's also taken to documenting all the action in a very unique way. In picking up where George Greenough left off, armed with the tiniest helmet and board cams that money can buy, Conley's point-of-view filming, combined with his knack for editing makes him an obvious choice for Breakthrough Filmmaker of the Year.

Boost Breakthrough Performer of the Year
Bobby Martinez: The road to success is often pocked with ruts and ravines, and nobody knows this better than Bobby Martinez. His journey to the top of surfing stardom has not come easy. Raised in the barrios of Santa Barbara, while Martinez's best friends were busy gang banging and doing jail time, the talented goofy-footer found solace and an escape in the long walls of Rincon. After struggling through his early years as a professional surfer, heís proved to the world that he's one of the most elite waveriders on the planet today. The trick is getting him to see himself as such. "This is unbelievable," he said after receiving this award, "I just canít believe that any of this is happening." Well Bobby, believe it, you deserve it.

Video of the Year
Dane Reynolds - First Chapter: It takes a lot to win Movie of the Year, everything from cinematography to the action to the editing to the films eventual impact gets considered. So when it came time to decide on Movie of the Year, a debate raged through the halls of the Surfer Magazine offices for weeks on end. Movies were watched and rewatched and then rewatched again, until finally a consensus was reached. After all was said and done, First Chapter rose to the top because of itís innovative format, it's tight editing, it's art direction, and more than anything, because it ushers in the very progressive next generation of performance-driven surfing.
Other Nominees: Secret Machine Flow Campaign 2 Letting Go

Best Cinematography
Secret Machine: There's a fine art to crafting a truly unique surf film, and very few know this better than Sonny Miller, Joe G and Scott Soens. Seamlessly blending first-rate 16mm water footage and unbelievable surf action filmed from the land, as well as the creative sense to blend top-shelf art direction with a high-end soundtrack, the quality of Secret Machine is no longer a secret.
Other Nominees: Separate Volume Free as a Dog Mick, Myself and Eugene My Eyes Wonít Dry