Today's Los Angeles Times celebrates an awkward pose. A suable offense? Let's discuss!
Do you think you looktres amazing when you surf? Knees bent just so? Torso in the ideal state between rigid and flexible? Eyes laser focused on the section you are about to decimate?
But have you ever seen how you really look?
Oh the initial shock can be disastrous! Rear end flying like a flag! Back rounded like a hillock!
Over ten years ago I went on a surf adventure to Yemen with two marvelous friends. It was grand in every single way until I returned home, the slides were developed and I saw myself drunkenly groping the waves.
The horror almost put me off surfing forever.
So let us take this unnamed surfer seen in today’s Los Angeles Times (pictured above). The story is about a surf resort in Nicaragua selling a surf package in honor of Bruce Brown’s Endless Summer. Let’s read a touch?
If you’re of a certain age, it seems like only yesterday that the iconic surf film “The Endless Summer” was released to rave reviews. But it’s been half a century since filmmaker Bruce Brown followed Robert August and Mike Hynson on their wave-chasing surfing trip around the globe.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the documentary’s nationwide release, Nicaragua’s Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa is working with travel outfitter Tropicsurfto offer special surf safaris in 4x4s, with each surfing tour tailored to fit the skill level and physical conditions of participants so they can catch that perfect wave.
It all seems very fine but what if you were this unnamed surfer caught in an embarrassing pose used to illustrate?
He may be very skilled and the photographer snapped at just the wrong moment and did not have the wherewithal to know good from awkward surfing. Or the photographer may have had a vendetta against and wanted to shame him in 1/4 page color. Or the surfer might not have been as good as he thought he was.
Whatever the case, would you sue a publication for printing a poo-stance photo of you or would you celebrate your everyman appeal, shouting “Free Adriano de Souza!” to the heavens?
We rage about Chinese-made boards but maybe, just maybe, the People's Republic really is an earthly paradise!
Chinese cops taking chops out of boards in wind slop? What the fuck is going on here?
Earlier today Alex Greenberg posted a video to his youtube channel of what appears to be a group of some sort of Chinese official, maybe cops (?), at Xi Chong Beach, in Shenzhen, China, hacking a vicious chunk out of a local surfer’s board.
Quality handsaw, right there. Cuts through the poor fucker’s ride like a hot knife through butter. Most effective surf deterrent I’ve ever seen.
There’s a running commentary from the cameraman, but I can’t understand a word of it. What language is he speaking? Is it Italian? Whatever it is, I don’t know what the fuck he’s saying.
I think I hear the word police in there toward the end.
I reached out to Alex to see if he could shed some light. Nice guy, he got right back to me.
As for back story: I did not take the video. I’m in a chat group with surfers from all over China, (I live in Shanghai) Someone posted this video among others of officers destroying boards. Over 100 people in the group chat writing in Chinese. my Chinese isn’t that great. Anyways what I can gather is that the local officials are sawing people’s boards they deem not experienced enough to surf. Or the officials are sawing anyone’s boards at this one beach break.
Another theory is that since there are some heavy typhoons approaching the China coast the police don’t want people in the water.
China is a strange place when it comes to enforcing laws. it’s hard to explain unless you have experienced it.
I am trying to get an answer about what legit happened. Then I can share that info.
More videos? Hacking up kooks’ sticks when they’re a problem? Delicious! Gimme more!
I’ve asked Alex for the other videos mentioned in his email. If I can get my grubby little mitts on them ya’ll will be the first to know.
Tow surfing may have just been re-invented! Let's celebrate!
Tow surfing is super out. Right? Like, yuck. Like, frowny-face. Like, girlfriend please. Much of it, I would imagine, is Laird Hamilton’s fault. Right? Like, that guy. Like, lame. Like, OMG was totally last decade.
But man and ski carried so much promise! We were going to ride 100 ft waves! We were going to be super prog and shreddy even on mutants! We were going to force the earth to submit to our will!
And then it all disappeared. Or mostly disappeared.
It seems as if the craftiness, and steel backbone, of the big wave surfer is being respected very much more than simply letting go of a rope, whenever there is an option these days. Take for example Maui’s Jaws. Tow was the only show five years ago. Now it is paddle.
Also I think that having noisy, exhaust spewing beasts in our pristine environment roils even the hardest spirit. It’s not right. It’s not natural.
But now look at this new thing, out today. Look at this man being towed across an open bay (lake?) by a drone. Could this a re-imagining of the Strapped Generation? Could this help us to ride 100 ft waves without filling the air with smoke and noise?
Does Laird Hamilton watch this footage and think, “Oh. My. God.”
Even more, though, just picture taking your new tow drone out on a small day at your local. SUPs would cower in your wake and if they dared paddle on you might get decapitated.
The joy!
The sheer joy!
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San Clemente's Brett Simpson, an unfancied surfer while on tour, played the part of the white unicorn at Trestles! Unbelievably magical. Fairy tales do come true! | Photo: Peter King
In this episode of #TourNotes, and which you can access via the WSL site at the bottom of the page, is a tribute to the Hurley Pro, an event that soared hither and yon, upwards and sideways and through a torrent of tears and hissed accusations.
First, he swats Matt Wilkinson, the early leader for the world title in round two.
Second, he almost doubles John John Florence’s heat score to give the current number one a second-last place.
Third, Michel Bourez is similarly despatched in round five.
It takes eventual contest winner Jordy Smith to extinguish Simpo’s flame in the quarter finals.
“It took the Lowers Giant to get me. Sucked the air right out of me!” says Simpo.
This #TourNotes is not memorable for those things, but these: we see John John gamely shake the hand of Simpo after losing what he clearly thought was an unloseable heat; a not very gorgeous boy is set up to ask Kelly for John John’s autograph and, best of all, Miguel Pupo makes fun of Michel Bourez and his ghastly backside hop: “When I saw that Bourez air, I think it was…cute. (It made me) remember when I was young and I pulled my first air”.
Filipe, meanwhile, is busy with baby showers and his Fantasy Surfer team.
Four essential ingredients! You won't believe what they are!
One evening, not long ago, I got drunk with a couple lawyers and a journalist employed by our local paper. POG and vodkas, loads of gossip. Very fun.
The journo, a gorgeous and intelligent young woman who is, sadly, happily paired off, was complaining about the censorship she deals with at her job. Because our local paper ain’t hardly a hard news. More like the Springfield Shopper.
A bit tipsy, we chatted about the state of journalism and our very different roles within that world. She’s a committed soul. Got a degree and everything. Truly believes she can make the world a better place. I’m a bit more jaded. Don’t know if objective “truth” exists at all. If it does, damn sure I won’t recognize it.
She called me a “citizen journalist.” I think it was meant as a compliment. I didn’t take it as such. It’s a term I don’t much care for. Like “blogger.” Don’t call me a fucking blogger.
After looking up the meaning of boffin, I skimmed it. In summary: surfers need to be fit.
Duh. Closes with:
There is no ideal body type for surfing — this is a reason why surfing is such an inclusive sport. I have worked with successful athletes that are short and stocky, to tall and lanky and everything in between.
Feel-good nonsense, of course. Two body types work best. Short and skinny, or short and stocky.
Yeah, couple tall dudes always around. But they’re freaks. Being big ain’t good for acrobatic shit. Just reaching stuff on the top shelf. And paddling. Long-ass monkey arms are good for paddling.
Got me thinking, though. Could you build the perfect pro surfer? What would it take? What would they need?
But the honest-to-fake-god truth is that, if you want to be more than an above-average surfer, you need to start shredding before your balls sprout their first hairs. And you probably want to have an early puberty too. Growing in leaps and bounds in your late teens and early twenties fucking sucks. I speak from personal experience. A late in life body change will fuck your shit up forever.
Lily white life:This might be US specific. I don’t know. Not terribly familiar with race relations in other countries.
But here in the good ol’ US of A we did a fairly effective job of keeping the darker races away from the ocean.Especially in the OC, home to California’s surf industry ghetto and, to this day, one of the honkiest places on Earth.
Even better if you’ve got a highly educated mother who quit her career to raise the kids. Motivated, frustrated, devoid of personal interests. She’ll be more than happy to waste her weekends driving up and down the coast and sitting around, waiting for her offspring’s next heat.
Cultivate a lower than average intelligence:I’m not saying all pro surfers are dumb, only that it’s easier to attain laser beam focus on a solitary pursuit when there’s not much rattling around upstairs.
Outside interests are a death knell for blooming talent. What worse for an NSSA dominator than to discover a love for music, or painting, or reading? All of them are time sucks. Keep you out of the water thinking about more than sliding your next wave.
Thankfully, we have the home school system. You can yank your kid from school, keep those blinders on. Make sure that he’s cursed with chasing a dream he declared during childhood.
A love for Christ:So many Christian surf groups out there. Jesus-themed clothing companies sprout and die like weeds. Great for early career sponsorships. Free gear, some stickers. Maybe a few bucks for contest entry.
Yeah, the god shouters’ll never capture enough market share to finance a title campaign, but they can lend legitimacy to young talent. Stickers on the board, word of mouth referrals. A rep for being easy to manage, while lacking critical thinking skills, is a boon to any team manager. Pass the plate after chanting to the void, maybe wrangle enough to finance a boat trip, complete with church sanctioned photographer. He loves nothing more than shooting pics of moist young hairless boys. It’s his art!
