September 3, 2010, 12:13 pm : It’s Good to be King for a Few Days, and Other Thoughts from the Hurricane Danielle and Earl Swells
Filed Under: Imagery, News, Surfing, Travel TalesDiscussion: C[0]mments
So I have come to understand that this blog, this piece of WWW real estate is completely self indulgent. Sometimes. Because I do aim to serve up really good interviews and photos that all of you really can appreciate. But I have come to realize that when it comes to spinning a good surf yarn, a lot of the surfy stuff that spews forth is related to me and my stories and cohorts.
Rodanthe. Not huge, just hollow and perfectly fun
Yet, I am not apologetic for this. You see, even with social media making our sport to be something that should be instantly shared via YouTube and Facebook, the results of which have led to instantaneous sensory gratification for all surf fans, the essence of the experience remains the same. A surfer, their board, and waves.
Unknown airing one out between first and second groin, Buxton, NC
It’s that simple. Getting the feeling doesn’t originate from sitting on those sites to see what your buddies or the ripping pros have scored, it comes from getting it yourself. And that means that experience, knowledge and luck have come together at once, to form a pure stoke. The kind which keeps your face smiling for more than a couple of days. The kind that you can go back to when your in the midst of a long spell with no surf.
Waking up to this doesn't suck. Didn't take enough time to shoot a good set before paddling out
The consensus on Danielle’s waves is that most of the East Coast did not see stellar or even good conditions. Too much wind, smaller swell than forecast in many areas… One place that got the goods was the Outer Banks. At the first part of the swell, the East facing side dealt with the same onshores that plagued much of the rest of the Eastern Seaboard. The South Side was annoyingly devoid of any really good sandbars, making for racy closeouts along most of the beach.
Throwin a top turn at the lighthouse on a fun but sloppy day during Danielle swell
Then things changed, specifically the wind. Danielle’s energy kept flowing into the Outer Banks, and winds varied from slack to light onshore to light offshore for three days. And the barrel fest started. For some reason I won’t speculate on here, the best sandbar I found was directly in front of the house we were staying in. Not far from S Turns, but in a lot of areas including there, the sand was flat and closeouts were the norm rather than the exception.
Rodanthe, mid afternoon. It was this uncrowded all day. Where was everyone?
Wednesday was the biggest day, but Monday and Tuesday were pure quality, ranging from 3-6 feet with some bigger peaks. Wednesday’s well-overhead peaks were makeable about 10% of the time, but by then it was time to pack and get out of Dodge instead of driving around to look for that ideal sandbar somewhere else. Oh well, some other guys did do that, and got the goods Wednesday, which I am sure will be well chronicled in the mags, but I’m riding one of those major stokes from what I reaped from that sweet little sandbar right out front.
Earl has also been weird in terms of swell. It seems that Long Island should have gotten bigger than it has been. Looking at the surfcam, it doesn’t look like it’s too much overhead in Western L.I. Montauk looks bigger, but kind of ragged. Hopefully my old home gets the goods from Earl before he jets by. And of course, let’s hope the rest of the Northeast is spared from any major damage or loss of life.
But damn it felt good to get amazing and uncrowded waves in Rodanthe for a few days. The smile still hasn’t waned.
August 6, 2010, 11:47 pm : Unsound Pro Goes Biggins with Nike 6.0 Backing for Jr. Pro
Filed Under: Events, News, SurfingDiscussion: C[0]mments
For the first time the Unsound Pro will have a webcast…for the Pro Jr. contest. Well, it would be cool to spy the Unsound Pro itself on live webcast, as this is the most unique of contests. The Unsound Pro has become an enduring icon to the New York surf scene.
Read the full dispatch at Eastern Surf’s website : http://www.easternsurf.com/thisjustin_080610/
It is due to the hard work, perseverance and goodwill of Unsound owners Mike Nelson and Dave Juan that this contest carries the onus of showing the surfing world at large that, by golly, there are waves in New York, Janus. It is also important to note the paddle out in memoriam of 9-11-2001, and fundraising for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Here’s to another great year of waves, especially since Nelson is looking to get more video in the can to finish his latest project.
copyright Mike Nelson
Yes indeed, the waves have typically been insane for this special contest.
May 1, 2010, 11:06 am : Clay Marzo on Nightline
Filed Under: Biography, News, SurfingDiscussion: C[0]mments
Good short piece on Clay Marzo, well known in the surf world for his supernatural ability, and also for having Asperger’s Syndrome. Nice to see ABC pick up on his story and get it to the masses.
April 27, 2010, 9:39 am : German tow surfer happens to claim Billabong XXL Win
Filed Under: Events, Interviews, News, SurfingDiscussion: C[0]mments
By his own admission, Sebastian Steudtner didn’t aim to win the Billabong XXL Award for biggest wave ridden. Media are full of references to his German background and the fact that he learned to tow surf before he could paddle in. In this Surfline interview: http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/who-is-sebastian-steudtner_42900/, he makes no bones about his unorthodox rise to this prominent victory.
Others (including Christian Fletcher, per his rant as the award presenter at the ceremony) are trying not so subtly to call him out for his lack of a traditional paddle apprenticeship. But anyone that commit to and surf a wave this size deserves the respect of anyone who has never done it. Which is 99.99% of us. Just ask Ken Collins what happens if you eat it on a wave of consequence at Jaws: http://www.surfline.com/surflinetv/ken-skindog-collins.
Check out Steudtner’s 66 foot winner:
April 11, 2010, 11:22 am : Kelly Slater Still Schoolin’ the New School
Filed Under: News, SurfingDiscussion: C[0]mments
For those casual fans of surfing, scoring an 8.93 out of 10 in a World Tour contest means the surfer has surfed that wave exceptionally well. 9 time World Champ (why do all other surf media say “former 9x World Champ”? His crowns aren’t going to suddenly disappear) Kelly Slater just won the Bells Beach Pro, which is the longest running pro surf contest in the World.
Slater proved his continuing ability to bust out innovative surfing when needed, throwing up this aerial in the final. The mark of a champion and true competitor; the ability to dig down for their best performance when it is needed most. And he is doing this at the age of 38, several years senior just about everyone else on the World Tour.
Check the video of that aerial: