"I look forward to taking this on like a set wave at Newport Peak.”
The one-time BeachGrit habitué and heritage surf journalist, Nick Carroll, has been named as Surfline’s Australian editor, a position that opened up after the surf forecasting giant bought Coastalwatch for one million dollars in 2019.
Carroll, who is sixty-two, was, until recently, a regular in BeachGrit’s comment section, his authoritative, older bother-style tone, often uncharacteristically candid, producing some of his best work in recent years.
“Nick’s passion for spending time in the water is matched only by his reputation for telling great stories,” Surfline’s CEO, Kyle Laughlin, said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited for Nick to bring his exceptional talents together to lead Surfline’s editorial team in Australia.”
“I feel fortunate to be given this task, which basically commits me to paying even more attention to the surf than I already do,” says Nick. “Surfline feels like a natural fit; I’ve worked with many of the crew over time and I look forward to taking this on like a set wave at Newport Peak.”
Carroll’s long-form stories for BeachGrit were an enjoyable change of pace for readers tired of the surf news network’s shallow click-baitery and obsessions with Erik Logan and Great White sharks.
Carroll’s purist approach to a sport he’s been immersed in for fifty years were clear in,
Nick Carroll: “Tom is generous with me, yet I’m rarely generous in return.”
Long read: Nick Carroll on the “crazy fucking ultra-marathon” Molokai-to-Oahu paddle race!
Board review: Nick Carroll on the “Scramjet!”
“Riding Kelly Slater’s Pool Cured Me of a Vague Existential Horror!”
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Ha. Met an American guy in Bali one day. He was an English language professor at a uni in Japan. He demonstrated the sempai thing for me. A group of 5 Japanese guys just rocked up at the warung looking over the waves. They get out and he points out their ‘leader’. He’s the guy that has to do every thing first before the others can. They can’t wax their board until he has waxed his etc.
They are about to head out, when the US dude asks in their lingo where they are from. Establishes that he is a Professor at the uni not too far from their town. He then invites them over for a pre-surf lemonade. Buys the round and then every time he is about to take a sip of Sprite, backs off and kicks off with more conversation. It was driving them crazy because they couldn’t take a sip until he had, and more importantly they couldn’t go surfing until he had finished his drink.
Culture is funny.
I loved you too NikD. But war separates lovers as it does families, nations, and all else!
I consider the Grit to be shallow click-baitage. Not shallow click-baitery. Noun Not verb
Well I would have taken the job too.
Surfline is shit though (look at the comments on their facebook page). Coastalwatch was good in a way, but almost died when it dabbled with the paywall. People wont pay for something if they can get it free. Look at Stab, it will slowly die and we only come to this site because it’s free (let Chas and Derek work out how to monetise it without a paywall).
Good luck Nick.
It’s been an act for a while around here. Even at the Gold Coast a couple of weeks ago, it didn’t feel like the place my son and I surfed a couple of times, had the same desire not to put up with bs as I remember. We swooped in and picked off some pretty good waves from the ‘locals’ and didn’t even get any stink-eye.
lol I should write one about me meeting Surfline Man in a lineup…and seeing myself!
Its actual swell height. So its the non VAL measurement. When vals are like,”bro it was 9ft and thumping!” Its usually like 4-5ft actual swell height
Nah, he’s taking over here too. My new home has a closer travelling route to the beach so oI’m getting to see more of the pre-cursor VALs waxing up their soft tops to surf the onshore waves later in the day. Then there’s all the cool guys snaking in a session at the secret spot which is visible from the main road with multiple car parks…
And finally another piece of the puzzle falls into place , like i have always said NC has been the backdoor voice for the commercial side of surfing sinse he fucked Tracks.
Perfect fit for the VALs , fuckoff and dont come back.
nick is a sell-out cunt who sells out for merch. scum.
Guilty pleasure when BG writes an article as if it were being written on another site. Good stuff.
ya know like ” I toally sarf!” or ” yeah bro, shred the gnar!” …fer sure!
first chas and now Derek, what’s with sudden focus on little people?
Surfline with a BOLD prediction in their 2021 Pacific Summer Outlook for HI and CA: “…in the case of Summer 2021, more Southern Hemi swells.”
I, for one, had no idea that we could expect south swells this summer!!!
…and look for some N, NW, W swells come September…til like April-May(be).
Now those are some Surfline-level predictions there Mr. Stick Man.
It all makes sense now. Surfline calling for 10ft. Actual conditions 5ft.
Nick has started using the Hobbit scale.
In the app you can choose between face height and actual surf height. Face height is usually double the size and the default setting.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
I read that as the waves were ‘feet high’ or ‘face high’.
nice sparrow tattoo on your neck you fucken twink
Can’t believe anybody would pay a million bucks for coastalwatch? 1 new article a month ,Nick carrol commentry , and moderated forum chat. new brand same smell
Why did Nick stop contributing? Surely it ain’t about longtom
a) time
b) too many nasty comments. I can take a joke and there’s nothing more fun than a bit of banter, but I fucken hate anonymous kooks who just say humorless nasty shit to you all the time. Especially when they evoke your family. That makes me want to kick someone’s head in and who needs that? The world’s enough as it is.
Ah right. I understand totally. I’d just like to take a step backwards to marvel at the fact that you personally took the time to reply to my question. Thank you
Stok-ed
I like hate Nick Carroll but hate hate Surfline.
Conundrum.