"I'll take a 20-foot wave everyday for the next ten days."
Surfing’s modern renaissance is entirely undeniable, even to the grumpiest of locals, the grouchiest of saltwater kinks. Our game is officially in the Olympics, Duke Kahanamoku re-incarnated as a handsome Japanese-by-way-of-Huntington Beach boy, more participants splashing around than ever before and on Mr. Pipeline foam boards, purchased exclusively at Costco.
Very famous people carrying this mantle including Jonah Hill and star of new Hulu documentary Adam Neumann.
You may remember the latter as the very rich founder of WeWork, investor in Laird’s SuperFoods and big wave maven, once breaking a finger on an 18-foot wave.
The most important man in surf?
BeachGrit’s Derek Rielly, forever ahead of the game, called it two years ago.
But only recently was it revealed that Neumann actually controls 20-foot waves.
New video of him in front of a room, preparing for an upcoming appearance, telling the group, “I’m preparing for the world show right now so I hope my hair is good. Ok. This is harder than 20-foot waves. (room laughs). You know why? Because I control the 20-foot waves. I’ll take a 20-foot wave everyday for the next ten days.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNTBjmTjEit/
Then he does a little bottom turn with his hand.
Extremely cool.
Though what is the most extremely cool thing you have ever revealed about your own surfing?
In high school, I once told a girl at Christian summer camp that I was sponsored by Coos Bay’s local surf shop because they gave me a t-shirt.
It was actually a dive shop that had two used surfboards.
I bought the t-shirt.
Controlling 20-foot waves much more extremely cool.
The bigger the party, the bigger the scam.
Yeah, I went about 25years with zero surf media after Tracks went shiny.
My wife often introduces me as “used to surf.” Not sure which is worse, the “used to”or the “surf” part.
is he describing himself doing the hokey pokey and not falling over? i’m proud of him. he didn’t appear disabled in the photo.
As a useless porky old kook sans youthful superpowers, my surfers’ swagger is long gone and I keep my head down.
I don’t talk about BG lest people ask who I am on there and I’d have to dissemble rapidly.
It’s a double life I live.
I’m the only person I know that reads this shit. I forwarded the video of the crackhead yelling fuck you Kelly Slater to all my mates that surf and none of them responded or ever brought it up again. I thought it was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen
Same
I copped seven stitches in my thigh from a finchop when I was about 20. Went to a party that night wearing boardies so the bandage was visible. Told cute girl it was a shark bite.
I told the government I couldn’t get a job, so they paid me to surf for a year and a half,
Oi oi oi!!!!
What was to be my first ever job as a teen was at the local fruit shop. But the day they wanted me to start I lied and said I couldn’t go as I had VIP tickets to Surfest finals. It was finals day, but I didn’t actually have the tickets. I just didn’t want to work. Thus was the end of that job.
Speaking of which, looking much more contestable out the front today – expect the Comp to run. And of course it’s my first day back at work in almost two weeks.
Wind and swell both look better than day one. JET SKIS in the water!
Yeah just watched for a bit there’s a few stray 4 footers. Shame it didn’t arrive earlier as the winds have been great. Big bank of cloud to the south but it’s meant to remain light
Where did this swell come from? overhead!
Fruit’s not going to sell itself!
Looks like glorified shore break on the Dixon cam.
WeWoke
He even adopted the Quiksilver business model for WeWork. A true Modern Surfer
The best I can do is say it’s like a virtual Kellys Cove parking lot on a foggy summer morning, and everybody is waiting for the wind to switch, and the tide to change.
Ive tried explaining BG to people but I stopped. It seemed to put their impression of me in a poor light.
It’s about 3 years now since I ever heard about DR, Chas, BG Stab etc, I think Google put me onto it thru my WSL viewing
I was in a fog of booze when I found it, so no data available.
Greenhorn. Young buck. Yet you are coming along and aging grumpily. Nice work, Bexy-son. You keep people on their toes. I always get a chuckle from your quick wit.
Thanks GH
We share a similar sense of humor.
Not to everyone’s taste but too bad.
Rookie
Always
I got the ‘featured comment’ here once.
Does that count ?
Now you got it twice.
Wow
I can’t believe it
The best thing that’s happened to me in over a year
In celebration I’m cracking a breakfast beer and will head on down to the shops and tell everyone about it.
That’s some top notch modding Mr. Fins.
chas, did your t-shirt have the word “staff” written on it?
my wife caught me reading beach grit articles. correction. ex wife.
You point out it was just JenSee and Longtom articles, though?
I only look at it for the pictures.
Sometimes you don’t get the hero you want, but the hero you deserve.
I once received a bag containing a tailpad and three air fresheners in the mail, and my girlfriend, surprised because I never order anything ever for myself, asked me what was in the package. I proceeded to tell her what it was then claimed that I was sponsored.
“Oh, so it’s from that site you spend too much time on?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“They must really feel sorry for you…”
“They actually sent it because I left a review on iTunes for their podcast.”
“Wow.”
She turned away and walked into the living room, turning on the TV.
“Still sponsored,” I mumble-joked as she ignored me.
The super powers of girlfriends and grandparents as well, seeing right through the BS.
Bondi-Sexual?
You haven’t shown her your BG art portfolio?!? Guaranteed juicy sex for a week straight, after you share all your pictures with her.
One time I showed her something I did, I can’t remember what it was, and she asked,
“And people like this?”
“I’m guessing so. It got a lot of upvotes..”
“Twelve?”
“That’s a good number on this type of post, since it’s only going to get like 11 comments or something probably…”
“This isn’t some weird white supremacist site, is it?
“No, I mean, it is a surf site, so…”
“I just know you can’t help but be a troll sometimes. Make sure no one ever finds out who you are.”
“OK… so you don’t want to see my Saints of Surf Journalism Collection?”
“You’re embarrassing.”
there’re only 12 of us! It was unanimous Mrs Fanningstadt!
So she did see some Otto and NickDee comments after all?
Every single time I have ever revealed to anyone that ‘I surf’, whether at work, with friends or even in a surf environment, it has led to some of the most embarrassing conversations of my entire life.
best to never admit to surfing when in the company of non surfers. kind of like admitting to wearing ladies undergarments.
You start trying to explain to everybody at Thanksgiving dinner what an off the lip is when you’re in your forties, and they look at you with sympathetic eyes quietly planning to cut you out of the will.
Going camping up the coast of CA next week to surf. Co-workers said whattya gonna do? I said hike and stare at a campfire. Much easier convo.
I treat surfing like drug use.
Sure, having a bong on your coffee table or your entire quiver in your living room is cool if you’re 19. But after your early 20’s it becomes sad and pathetic.
I just tell people I SUP and then they never want to surf with me, or ask me about the waves, or converse with me at all. Of course I don’t SUP or own a Stand Up Airplane Wing but it scares off most folks and offers me some sense of alone time. 2 thumbs up for SUPing.