International media swoons while the World Surf League stays invisible!
The sun should be shining very brightly this morning in Santa Monica, home of The World Surf League. The best day of professional surfing history just wrapped in epic conditions. The new champion, Gabriel Medina, is talented, handsome and theoretically marketable. He didn’t win by just hanging on. He won by destroying the competition. By sending a grown man with interesting nipples straight over the falls.
But another narrative is being squeezed through the lamestream media. The story of Mavericks, what an epic day it was and how there was no competition. Shall we read some headlines?
Surfers brave monster Mavericks waves, despite no competition (ABC 7 local news)
Despite Mavericks delay, surfers still ride 5-story ‘raw and rugged’ waves (SF Gate)
Massive waves arrive but a Mavericks contest is a no-go (The Mercury News)
Despite really big waves, no Mavericks surf contest this week (San Luis Obispo News)
Etc.
Surfline’s Marcus Sanders had the day’s best wrap (read here!). He was there, trying to corral surfers for interviews etc. and had a first-person view on the day. Let’s read a smidge?
And the spectral buoy readings would’ve never said in a million years that Lenny was one of the first to paddle and shred at 10am, or that he was joined by a crew of other young Hawaiians, including Nathan Florence, Billy Kemper, Koa Rothman, Danny Fuller and Torrey Meister, who were in the lineup from dawn to dusk, bobbing around on a little boat in between making giant drops and/or taking serious beatings alongside a solid-and-growing local crew.
Oh it was wild, and maybe the World Surf League was correct in not running but when some of the world’s best big wave surfers are out putting on a show and the world’s media is starving to witness the “biggest swell event in 10 years” doesn’t it beg for… an real, honest explanation? Maybe their model was right but… don’t you think the governing body of professional surfing would have tried to get ahead of the story a bit?
Or market it as an “expression session?”
Or have a make-shift contest where people vote at home for who went the biggest?
Or anything other than looking like Chickens of the Sea?
Yep clearly a conflict in marketing air time….. not good for World Title hype
A handful of mini-tours based on wave and/or maneuver types all rolled into one grand champion!
• Air tour
• Barrel tour
• Point break tour
• Big wave tour
• Quite Big Wave Tour Sponsored by Chicken of the Sea (QBWTSbCotS)
• Bathtub tour
• SUP Tour Sponsored by OWN (SUPTSbOWN)
• Riding “alternative retro” and/or hipster equipment tour
• Beachside modelling and/or headshots tour
• Footpath brawl tour
• Racist injury wildcard tour
• Ke11y surfs whenever and wherever the fuck he likes tour
• Watermen/Waterwomen/Mermen/Mermaids of the Year tour
I guess the cowardice of the WSL in not running the event destroys all hope I had for a Lefts-only Mavericks Challenge.
thats three contests in a row now that they have called it off because conditions were to good
Maybe better run it on da inside
Time for a rebel BWT where the #1 goal is to push the limits at all costs. Add some events at tow venues like the Right. And make it a proper WORLD tour, and not just a N America and Europe tour. The heaviest chargers would jump ship in a heartbeat.
The surfers keep telling us (over and over and over) how they barely make a living from it anyway, so it’s not like they’re financially dependent on the Dubbya Ass Elle. Are they?
Re the media being aware of this swell: just flew into San Diego for Christmas and 3 separate random people who clearly didn’t surf told me how big the surf was before I got from baggage claim to the rental car. All very specific: “8-12 feet in Carlsbad, and Torrey Pines beach bigger than 13 feet.” The People’s swell!
The optimism of The People was a sight to behold! So many interesting board choices in the parking lot. So many! Like I’m totally sure that fun shape is going to work super good.
But yea, fuck, I’ve rarely heard so much talk about waves and surfing than this week.
Intersting observation Jen. I just ran into a couple of friends from back in the day at my local from 25 years ago. They said the same exact thing about yesterday, most of the people out in the DOH+ surf were on completely inappropriate boards, sitting too far inside, getting washed in by the sets, paddle back out, repeat. Fun?
I went to make some photos, thinkin’ the light might get good, which is totally didn’t. Oops. The guys actually making waves were pros, with legit skills, or older-school locals who dusted off their step-ups. Otherwise, not so much making really.
Today when I went to surf, some of The People were turning around when they saw the sets and not paddling out — so maybe there’s been some learnings over the past few days!
So glad you touched on Jordan’s binary nipple system.. with two points so close in respect to one another, it’s no wonder why he went over the falls. The gravity must be immense.
Was Mav’s actually good? Or was it too messy? Did anyone on here see or surf it? Weird how virtually no footage has come out yet.
Why do they need helmets?
Or wetsuits?
Or a guide?
We could do it on the cheap eh?
Scene: park bench with painted sign on it, scruffy middle aged man relaxing in weak sun.
Group of fat tourists approach.
“ Scuse me? We’re here for the costa… er…coat-ta-teerink, or sumthin…?”
Man: “Ah yeah. Right you are. Coastateerink is us luv, you’ve come to right place.”
Big smile.
“Righto luv, that’ll be £50 each. Thank you.
… here’s your tickets.”
“Now, there’s the bit over there where the land meets the sea, yeah? Yeah thassit. With the rocky bit… the cliffs… yes.
Now luv, you and the group can leave your phones and valuables here on the bench with me, and I’ll keep them safe. Then, you and your luvly party will walk over and make your way down the cliff to the water.
Yeah… it IS a bit slippy. But jumping into the water is part of the fun, innit?
Naw luv, perfectly safe for me. Honest! You’ll have amazingly interesting time there along the rocks.
Yes of course, taking your shoes off is a great idea.
What? Wetsuits? Helmets?!?! Don’t be silly. Off you go. You’ve got your tickets.
Just keep shouting ‘Coasta-tee-rink!!!’ and be brave! You might see a seal!
Perfectly safe for me, I’m tellin’ ya. Off you toddle!!!”
Big smile… waving.
Old perv just there for the little kids.
An English cunt?
tautology
The big wave nut jobs couldn’t give a shit cause they are surfing big waves
Its only us poor widdle bubbas that are bitching
has to be a corpo/legal thing preventing it. that or snips has been snipped.
It’s time they got into the only sport that counts
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
That is so Monty Pythonesque, it is practically indistinguishable from the real thing.
I almost didn’t post this comment as I feared the autocorrect would ruin it!
Almost fucking stupid as ziplining.
Chas, you forgot…. they are not surfers!
Instead of calling the comp off when it gets big, just award the guys who want to surf the points & cash and let the others to be ridiculed on BG.
^^ Yes!!
And to qualify for any points/cash they actually have to take the drop on minimum 2 waves that are deemed to be legitimately not shoulder hopping
koa
“By sending a grown man with interesting nipples straight over the falls.” So funny.
was that the smoothest heat in ct history?
Smooth as his pits!
And tits! Both of them. Not a torso follicle between them.
Yet again… be ready/able too turn it into a tow event.
Right? If there are guys free surfing it, why can’t the have a contest?
Jaws, Fiji and Mavs all botched.
Sophie would have ran it.
An expression session, Chas? That is a positively fucking terrible idea. The last thing I’d want as a hardcore local or Hawaiian blow-in is for the WSL to pull the plug on the actual event but then attempt to hijack the freesurf session.