"I think you’d better know that my current motto here at the mag is..."
The sun rose in Southern California, this morning, with the region’s Subaru-driving 7S Superfish enthusiasts near ecstasy. Certainly there was reason for sads. Kelly Slater, a great hero even though he has recently allied with toxic male Kid Rock, has been forced into the elimination round at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach with the end of an illustrious career one Connor O’Leary x Carlos Munoz loss away. And new favorite surf scribe Emily Morgan had been brutally disappeared by Surfer magazine’s new robot regime but a bright light still emanated in their very souls.
High vibrations.
For Buddha-like Sam George had, once more, dawned the door of surfing and outdoor enthusiasm’s safest space, The Inertia, in order to officially cancel secret spots.
Back in 2003 I got the call that just about every other surfer in the world dreamed of: an invitation to join the Quiksilver Crossing, and a berth on the Indies Trader as it made its way down the largely unknown coast of Nicaragua. Granted, I was editor of SURFER magazine at the time, yet it was still to be like no other surf trip I’d ever experienced. Not exploring a remote coast by boat — I’d been fortunate enough to do that a number of times before — but for being asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement before joining the ship.
“While the basic route is outlined,” read the project’s official website. “no specific references are given in regards to surf spots. Everyone connected with the project respects keeping known and unknown surf spots a mystery.”
Everyone but me. Seeing as how on my watch at the top of SURFER’s masthead, my editorial policy concerning exotic travel stories was to place the trip on a map without necessarily drawing a map, I took exception to this particular ethic.
“That sounds great,” I said, in discussion with Martin Daly, the eminently colorful and opinionated skipper of the Indies Trader. “You want us to reveal the place, promote the place to the benefit of Quiksilver’s brand, but not say where it is. I think you’d better know that my current motto here at the mag is, ‘Death To Secret Spots.’”
After the world’s most important explorer George owned Daly, the piece meanders sensually through a history of exclusion, un-chill behaviors, etc. and back to the preeminent guru’s original position that “secret spots” are bad but, and here’s the orgasm… he wants fellow safe spacers to weigh in. Wants to nestle their voice next to his.
Hit the comment section and let us know how you feel about constantly being shown sponsored surfers riding perfect, empty waves and not being told where they are. Are you inspired? Irritated? Indifferent? Here’s your chance to speak your mind, with your opinion perhaps being one of those featured in the upcoming ”Death To Secret Spots: Part 2”. So stay tuned.
Glory be.
