Who doesn't love the sight of spitting perfection?
As reported here and here, California is currently in a period of great swellular potency. I’m happy to announce that I found redemption from yesterday’s flail by self-sacrificing in oversized closeouts. Nothing a few NPAC-induced cartwheels can’t fix!
But where do these massive NPAC swells visit before completing their journey to California? Hawaii of course!
Swells have been spinning off Japan like Beyblades and pelting the North Shore with favorable angles (W-NW) and winds (E-SE). The result is days on days on days of pumping Pipeline, with no end in sight!
The video below highlights the best waves ridden at Pipe and Backdoor during the recent run of swell. Some of the standouts and their attributes include:
Russ Bierke (0:14): 18 years old, whiter than Colgate, one of the top ten chargers in the world right now.
Masatoshi Ohno (0:38): sits low like Curren, utilizes longer board efficiently.
JJF (1:21): Exponentially more relaxed than all others, doesn’t catch any great waves but rides his to perfection.
Anthony Walsh (2:04): couldn’t stand taller, no GoPro?
Two randoms (2:10): Backdoor guy looks legit, still surprised he made it. Pipe guy rolled into the most amazing, off-balance fluke I’ve seen.
Slater (2:30): sits too far back on his board for my liking, gets a way better tube than I ever will.
Koas Smith/Rothman (2:40): Backdoor, giant stance, thigh stall. Ugly but effective.
Last rider (3:32): impeccable pumping technique, agile foamball recovery.
Who’s your fav?
Oh, and a surprise treat!
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Agreed. We like non-surf related articles based on surf related topics, and/or articles presenting previously unknown surfing related drama. I skim through or skip anything outside of that formula.
I know koa rothman charges, but his style is complete shit. How he has a sponsor is beyond me.
He gets some of the best waves at Pipe and Teahupo’o every year (including this year’s Wave of the Winter). Plus he’s Eddie’s son.
Wow Michael I never knew about the pipeline. So amaze. Such wave. Wow.
My guy Balaram has been getting a few nice ones.
Ballsack shreds!
I’ve been trying to accept your articles and keep a neutral standpoint…… but this has to stop. Michael, you’re a poor man’s Parker and your writing is limp at its best! (exclamation mark)
Please Chas, send grovelling emails, send crates of beer, buy him a phone and get Rory back.
I thought BG was all about the cream? Michael caries a smarmy tone that doesn’t stack up to the other contributors on here. Rory must be stoked you are making him look so good Mike.
And thank you for introducing me to a great new word!
Thanks for giving me a chance! (exclamation mark)
They’re just rolling you.
Pep talk:
1) You EARNED this chance, they didn’t give it to you. It’s free for them, so think of them as a bunch of moaning dicks whose opinions don’t matter, because, fuck it, you’re getting paid nothing, and they’re getting your thoughts for free. And by the way, its not a “chance”, its your opportunity to steal readers from Beachgrit before you quit in a blaze of glory, bring them over to your own site, and sell out to Quick for a cool-Dane-Reynolds-3-million.
2) NEVER apologize for what you’ve written, even if you know you’re wrong, your mom tells you you’re wrong, and a sinkhole is opening up around you with a voice from heaven saying “REPENT Ciarmello, your sin is causing the flooding in California”.
3) If they pick up some flaw in your writing, double down, triple down, sextetual down. For example, your next article should be Titled “I’m! so! Happy! That! I! Get! To! Express! Myself! With! Exclamation! Points!
Fuck! You! Commenters! They! Are! My! Favorite! Punctuation! Mark! Even! More! So! Than! Semi! Colons!”
4) If you wrote a perfect article, they would hate you more. Commenting exists for one reason and one reason alone. To be better/smarter than the writer. If you can’t give me a feeling of superiority, so that I can express that perceived superiority in terms hate speech, I’m going to stop reading them.
5) Insult them. If they have some ethnic background which is unprotected, you can use this as a starting off point. For example, you are part Italian, I presume, Dago face.
haha, thanks
I’ve given it some thought, just some mind you.
I’m not someone to criticise someones writing because Laird knows I can’t write. I can accept we all have different points of view and I don’t mind a good old online stoush. But I do take issue with an underlying tone and as Lorlac puts it, it feels smarmy.
(stoush staʊʃ/ AUSTRALIAN/NZinformal noun 1. a brawl or other fight.
“he is prepared to take risks, even a stoush with the Left if necessary”)
Perhaps it is presumptuous of me and perhaps Google Analytics disagrees but if the average punter checking in a few times a day on the Grit is anything like myself well then I can offer a few insights that may help those trying to satisfy a crowd that takes a bit more satisfying.
We are older, I myself am 42, we can surf, probably not as good as we once did but we can surf. We don’t talk about how good we can surf or how good we once surfed but we know surfing.
We are slightly (maybe more than slightly) jaded, bitter or angry. Our best surfing days are probably behind us and we accept that, we have moved on and in my opinion we are better for it. Believe me there were times that I would have cried real human tears should I miss a surf, now, whatever.
We realise that surfing had many opportunity costs through a lifetime chasing this selfish pursuit. Some of us accept this, others may deny it but deep down we know it’s true. Surfing is fun but it ain’t everything, I will stop surfing for my children if I had to, no hesitation, does this still make me a surfer? I don’t know and I don’t give a fuck. I don’t want to be the cliched surfer, yeah fuck that.
We all know/have known pro surfers, local hero’s or industry leeches and none of that impresses us. Most of them are dull, stupid, over rated or just plain fucked up, honestly I say this without an ounce of jealousy.
When someone comments ( I can’t remember who, sorry) on the surf diary story with a realistic breakdown of the surfing Dad’s day and a writer comments that this is his worst nightmare then you have lost your readers. This is reality for a lot of us and most of us wouldn’t change it for anything. Yes we still like to surf but we now like other things too. There are plenty of places people can talk about how hard they rip or who they know.
I don’t know, it’s not a bring back Rory thing for me, I don’t give a fuck who writes it as long as they understand who they are writing for.
Walsh, hands down my favorite gopro surfer.