Come swoon at which is number one!
We are all, together, almost there. The end of an entire year. The beginning of a fresh one. And with this comes many reviews and listicles. The best of what was, the brightest of what is coming. BeachGrit, as an anti-depressive place, generally steers away from “Best of…” and the like but when the most consumed energy drink on our planet speaks it is important to listen.
Red Bull has just compiled the “7 best surf competitions in the world” and there are many surprises, not limited to the inclusion of 10 surf competitions.
First, and a surprise, is the Tudor Nazaré Tow Challenge. While tow surfing comes in and out of fashion, amongst surf fans, it is apparently back in and on top. Many bravos to Garrett McNamara.
Second is the Quiksilver (mysteriously spelled Quicksilver) Jaws Big Wave Challenge. When it runs, the action can, coincidentally, be caught on Red Bull TV.
Third is the entire Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, even though it has been turned digital and is not a surf competition, but fourth is where the real shock comes.
The World Surf League’s own Finals Day there on Lower Trestles cobbled stone.
Wow.
The US Open of Surfing, in Huntington Beach, claims fifth, Mavericks sixth even though it hasn’t run in forever, the second jewel of the Vans Triple Crown a stand alone seventh, Red Bull Magnitude, whatever that is, eighth, Red Bull Foam Wreckers ninth and Stab High closing the door in the ten slot.
So what do you feel about the list? How many of those events do you mark on your calendar and receive like presents on Christmas morning?
Not to be rude, but for my money it is one of the very worst complications of professional surfing events ever created. Here’s mine.
- Pipeline Pro (due the dumbing down of the Pipe Masters)
- J-Bay Open
- The Eddie (when it runs)
- Teahupoo Pro
- Mundaka (RIP)
- Backdoor Shootout
What are yours?
David Lee Scales and I, in any case, did not discuss any of this on our weekly chat which will leave it as a wonderful surprise for you. Something to curl up to on New Year’s Eve and while away the hours leading to midnight.
Happy day.
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If Chas had any motivation he would interview the girl that got attacked at Salmon Creek by an eighteen foot great white. She climbed on its back to get away from its teeth. She works at a surf shop up there in Bodega Bay.
apple with logitech wave keyboard…gone thru some many software revisions over the years…took me an hour to find what I promised. this shot of rory expresses his confusion, and mine. https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx….
did the H Bay incident really have a connection to the paddle out zone? Genuinely curious about that one .. as for shark zones, paddled out to Monster Hole a few times (breaks way out beyond Sebastian Inlet) … don’t think they’ve ever run contests there, but it has to be one of the spookier paddles in the northern hemisphere
https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx….
SuperGirl Pro Surf-Oceanside
I was lucky enough to be on the beach for the 2016 Eddie and I can’t imagine a comp that could better closing out Waimea Bay and JJF in his prime charging fuck outta it.
dude i grew up with was in a kahuna’s front yard and took some sick pics of JJF…I took some screen shots of the event. will post as I find ’em…
Please do!!
I was in the corner near the stairs on the pipe side.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Shitty pic with my iPhone 5 or
Maybe 6 at the time. But I got some killer ones. If DR or Chas want, I could put together a little piece with good pics and a vid of the kam highway being inundated after the comp had ended. It got bigger on sunset that day.
best photo of this decade…
watched the live stream and agree it was epic, must have been unbelievable in person … and just remember everyone charging when there was no hope of making the shoulder
I’ll never go to a better “sporting” event. Ever.
Fins to the left!
You are forgetting the first rule of Beachgrit- no more than one hundred words!
At the other end of the contest quality scale, a couple of yrs ago Ben Gravy won a local New Jersey comp, against almost a dozen of his local New Jersey mates.
As the sponsor he got to take the winning prize of his pineapple themed short pajamas and drink holder back home again too.
I didn’t watch any more of his youtubes after that…
1. Red Bull Cape Fear
the “flush twice, it’s a long way to the Olympics switch stance el Porto potty pro”
tm
me & jocko have one thing in common and one thing that’s not…dropped acid and surfed switchfoot…he was surfing Waimea…I was surfing Zippers.