Here is where we start! Come see how a set a fins is made at the Futures Fins factory at Huntington Beach. Futures's Drew, left, and, right, Chas Smith.

Watch: Made in the USA! Your Guide to Great American Surf Co’s!

By Chas Smith

6 years ago

Can you imagine anything more American than Futures Fins from Huntington Beach?

New Jersey changed me. You may recall that I was there earlier in the year in order to coordinate our Fairytale Wetsuit shoot featuring the wonderful Tommy Ihnken though, before leaving I will admit that I wasn’t thrilled.

The Garden State doesn’t have the best reputation, see, and I never liked Zack Braff. I thought it was going to be bad, slow, ugly with bad, slow, ugly food and bad, slow, ugly people.

I could not have been more wrong.

An energy crackled in the air. Crackled off the boardwalk, through the streets, from The Stone Pony where Bruce Springsteen first played. I fell in love with New Jersey and its everything but mostly its pork rolls and, in turn, fell in love with America again.

Behind those industrial walls in a bland industrial park, Futures feels like a cross between Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and a Detroit, Michigan Ford plant. Dreams are being dreamed in the front. Dreams are being milled in the back.

This country, to many, seems a train wreck but it’s also a grand train wreck with Bruce Springsteen crooning blue collard anthems and Americans drinking Coors and Coors Light and those Americans manufacturing. Americans like the ones at Futures Fins in Huntington Beach manufacturing fins that make your board go better.

Behind those industrial walls in a bland industrial park, Futures feels like a cross between Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and a Detroit, Michigan Ford plant. Dreams are being dreamed in the front. Dreams are being milled in the back. Brett Simpson’s American spirit floats and inspires and Brett Simpson’s actual body (feat. his spirit) shows up from time to time as well. It is, truly, a wonder to watch the time, the effort and the skill put into these fins.

True labors of local love.

And can you imagine anything better? Anything more American?

Watch this little tour and if you don’t feel inspired then get the hell out with all the other draft dodgers and flag haters.

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Technology: The modern poetic mysticism of served internet advertisements!

By Chas Smith

6 years ago

The World Surf League is gifted a new moniker!

At this point we are, every one of us, very used to being served advertisements as we wander the vast digital world. Even though I am co-owner of a robust website chronicling the joys of a surfing life, I know very little about how it all works. There is an instant marketplace, I think, where brands or products bid for on site real-estate and that real-estate can also be sold outright.

The World Surf League made a robust media buy ahead of the Pipeline Master in Tender and Loving Memory of Andy Irons. It purchased advertisements across surf media, from Stab to The Inertia, from Surfer to Surfer Today with only li’l old us being left in the instant marketplace, where Gamestop and Volvo bash each other for access to your eyeballs.

Oh, I don’t mind being forgotten by the World Surf League for I, like some ancient Chinese mystic, enjoy reading the served advertisements like tea leaves. You of course know the served ads reflect both you, your personal browsing history, and the collective zeitgeist of the website you are visiting. The sage can peer deeply into this bowl and discern greater truths about the universe and greater truths about himself through this process.

Yesterday, for example, right after it was announced that the World Surf League had suspended a hard-working young man for doing what surfers on the North Shore do, I was served a Chicken of the Sea advertisement right where the World Surf League advertisement would have gone had they purchased the slot like they did everywhere else.

Chicken of the Sea is a canned tuna brand here in the United States but now it is also the official byline of the World Surf League and/or the World Surf League’s new title sponsor.

The World Surf League
“Chicken of the Sea”

It has a ring, no?

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Pipe Trials winner Ryan Callinan turns several shades of colour lighter as he falls, like all of us, under Ms Hodge's spell.

Ryan Callinan Wins Pipeline Masters Trials at “Schizophrenic” Pipe!

By Derek Rielly

6 years ago

Australian wraps fabulous year; Hawaiian with South African accent qualifies for main event…

In onshore four-foot waves reminiscent of summertime Australia, Ryan Callinan has won the Pipe Masters Trials and, therefore, entry into the main event.

Ryan, who is twenty-six, negotiated, cleanly, two tubes, finishing a wonderfully successful 2018 where he placed fourth on the qualifying series and second as a wildcard at the Quiksilver Pro in France.

You may remember Ryan as a rookie on the tour in 2016 where he struggled, terribly, to replicate his dazzling surfing (as seen in Kai Neville’s movies) and where he finished 34th and was relegated back to the bush leagues.

Runner-up to Ryan, the South African/Hawaiian, Benji Brand, will also compete in the main event.

“I used to really hate Pipe,” says Benji here, “but I’ve grown to love it. I see it’s where the epitome of surfing and barrel-riding is. I used to be terrible out there.”

“They’re humble warriors, they throw themselves under the hood, left and right,” said Joe Turpel.

Ross Williams, moonlighting as a commentator with his star pupil still out of the game, described Pipe as “schizophrenic”, which it clearly was.

Clean, windy, small, biggish.

Looking far better tomoz.

Pipe Invitational Final Results:
1 – Ryan Callinan (AUS) 9.67
2 – Benji Brand (HAW) 5.47
3 – Torrey Meister (HAW) 4.67
4 – Soli Bailey (AUS) 2.80

Pipe Invitational Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Torrey Meister (HAW) 8.30, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 4.84, Ian Walsh (HAW) 3.76, Takayuki Wakita (HAW) 1.30
SF 2: Benji Brand (HAW) 13.14, Soli Bailey (AUS) 7.43, Noa Mizuno (HAW) 6.87, Ethan Ewing (AUS) inj.

Pipe Invitational Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Takayuki Wakita (HAW) 5.87, Ian Walsh (HAW) 4.90, Makai McNamara (HAW) 3.87, Imaikalani Devault (HAW) 3.47
QF 2: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 7.47, Torrey Meister (HAW) 6.20, Nathan Florence (HAW) 5.87, Kalani David (HAW) 1.86
QF 3: Benji Brand (HAW) 9.77, Noa Mizuno (HAW) 5.20, Billy Kemper (HAW) 3.87, Joshua Moniz (HAW) 2.17
QF 4: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 16.50, Soli Bailey (AUS) 10.40, Finn McGill (HAW) 5.00, Justin Becret (FRA) 4.74

Pipe Invitational Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Makai McNamara (HAW) 9.13, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 7.97, Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 3.00, Bruce Irons (HAW) 2.83
Heat 2: Imaikalani Devault (HAW) 5.06, Nathan Florence (HAW) 3.53, Sheldon Paishon (HAW) 3.43, Kiron Jabour (HAW) 2.83
Heat 3: Torrey Meister (HAW) 10.94, Ian Walsh (HAW) 4.73, Ian Gentil (HAW) 4.60, Barron Mamiya (HAW) 1.77
Heat 4: Kalani David (HAW) 6.33, Takayuki Wakita (HAW) 5.24, Mason Ho (HAW) 5.13, Michael O’Shaughnessy (HAW) 5.06
Heat 5: Noa Mizuno (HAW) 6.83, Soli Bailey (AUS) 6.46, Wyatt McHale (HAW) 4.10, Hank Gaskell (HAW) 2.66
Heat 6: Joshua Moniz (HAW) 11.26, Finn McGill (HAW) 7.17, Lahiki Minamishin (HAW) 4.40, Evan Valiere (HAW) 1.87
Heat 7: Justin Becret (FRA) 9.17, Benji Brand (HAW) 8.63, Jack Robinson (AUS) 8.44, Kyle Ramey (HAW) 3.40
Heat 8: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 11.00, Billy Kemper (HAW) 4.97, Dusty Payne (HAW) 3.87, Koa Rothman (HAW) 3.84

Billabong Pipe Masters Round 1 Matchups:
Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Frederico Morais (PRT), Kelly Slater (USA)
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS), Yago Dora (BRA), Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 3: Italo Ferriera (BRA), Joan Duru (FRA), Keanu Asing (HAW)
Heat 4: Filipe Toledo (BRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Caio Ibelli (BRA)
Heat 5: Julian Wilson (AUS), Tomas Hermes (BRA), Seth Moniz (HAW)
Heat 6: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Connor O’Leary (AUS), Benji Brand (HAW)
Heat 7: Wade Carmichael (AUS), Griffin Colapinto (USA), Ryan Callinan (AUS)
Heat 8: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Michael February (ZAF)
Heat 9: Michel Bourez (PYF), Ezekiel Lau (HAW), Ian Gouveia (BRA)
Heat 10: Conner Coffin (USA), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Jesse Mendes (BRA)
Heat 11: Kolohe Andino (BRA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Heat 12: Willian Cardoso (BRA), Michael Rodrigues (BRA), Patrick Gudauskas (USA)

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Meanwhile, Michael Rodrigues' Instagram has been pulled, but not before this PR-approved post that said, in Portuguese and among other platitudes, "I reject all acts of violence against me, or against any other living being. Nothing justifies the aggression I have received, so I feel obliged to take all reasonable steps to ensure that unfortunate events such as these do not recur, with me, or against any other athlete and/or person.

Koa Rothman, “That was the biggest bullshit call from the WSL. A bunch of fucking corporate pussies!”

By Derek Rielly

6 years ago

"I reject all acts of violence against me," says Michael Rodrigues.

Yesterday, there was a commotion over a minor wrestle between the Hawaiian Tanner Hendrickson and Brazilian Michael Rodrigues.

Words spoken, hands up, fight, snuggle, resolution.

In its usual North Shore way, both men would’ve gone home, cracked a beer and lit up dinner with a vaguely compelling story.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrRW5_dA43Q/

Of course, this is 2018, not 1975, and therefore Rodrigues called the police shortly afterwards and the WSL disqualified Hendrickson from the Pipe Trials.

According to WSL rules, Tanner’ll get served with a five gee fine.

((i) Monetary Fines and Disqualification.
First Offense: $5,000 USD and automatic disqualification from remainder of the Competitive Event. Disqualification may be waived in a “mutual combat” type situation.
Second Offense: $10,000 USD and automatic disqualification from remainder of the Competitive Event.
Third Offense: $15,000 USD and automatic disqualification from remainder of the Competitive Event.)

Koa Rothman, Backdoor Shootout winner, son of Fast Eddie, bro of Makua, master of popular vlog This is Livin’, summed up popular sentiment with his now trending hashtag, #letthemswing.

Earlier today, I called Koa, who’d just lost his round one heat at the Pipe Trials, for further comment.

“That was the biggest bullshit call I’ve ever seen from the WSL,” said Koa. “Tanner works a normal job at home, flies over here, doesn’t have a sponsor, gets in a fight, beats up someone who wanted a fight and gets kicked out of the contest. It was a fair fight. The Brazilian had his friends there and they ran away. It’s not like any of Tanner’s friends jumped in. The kid put his hands up. It was a fair fight. What if Tanner got beat up? Would he have been kicked out then?”

Koa pauses, winds up a little.

“A bunch of fucking corporate pussies run that show (WSL). It was a terrible, terrible call.”

I mention the relative civility of the fight. No blood, no breaks.

“I’ve seen guys end up in hospital for days,” says Koa. “That was not even close to a bad fight. Everyone’s a pussy. It’s not even the WSL’s business. It’s no one’s business. It’s the two people fighting’s business. They think they own these surfers…

“Are they fucking out of their minds? And the pussy called the cops.”

I express surprise.

“Yeah, a bunch of pussies. That’s all it is.”

#letthemswing.

Let them swing.

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@kook_of_the_day @brothersmarshall

Revealed: BeachGrit’s Instagram a secret cabal of extra-stoked adult learners!

By Chas Smith

6 years ago

Advice for our newest friends!

Not one month ago I was shocked to discover that BeachGrit‘s Instagram account, our only real social media, was actually a sleeper cell of easily triggered social justice warriors. I had assumed, I suppose, that BeachGrit had a certain voice that attracted a certain derelict and that this derelict man, woman, child understood that surfing is best when it’s dirty. You can imagine my surprise, then, when not one month ago I posted a screen grab from the cult classic Surf Nazis Must Die featuring a girl wearing a swastika tattoo on our Instagram and was lit up with “Unfollow!” “Uncool!” “This symbol is NOT cool!” Etc.

Ooooee the hell fire rained hot!

@mrbluesky11 summed it up best:

The average surfer is a possessive cunt. They surf better, they are the coolest, ‘only locals culture’. You know what fuck you. Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to live by a good spot and your father, or your circle of friends, were surfing so you got into it. Fine! clap clap! That doesn’t make you special you cunt (to you average surfer). Other people discover it later in age and get hooked too. Where’s the sin? Aren’t we living in a free world? The average surfer is a cunt, buy a piece of ocean, you cunt, and surf all the waves you want, cunt. But don’t give me the look if i get in the water in a foreign spot which is your local one, smile instead, try to know me instead of acting like a dork. We may enjoy a beer later and have a laugh.

But there are tens, maybe even hundreds by now, of similar posts, declaring the joys, passions, stoke of adult learning and casting very mean stares for daring suggest people, especially adults, should not start.

My retort? I give you a wonderful gift, dear adult learner. The gift of harassment. For if you are not vibed, yelled at, vibed some more, vibed again, made fun of, mocked, snaked, mocked again, vibed, sprayed, mocked then you will never ever ever know the true joys of surfing.

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Eat beach grit spam!