Igarashi (pictured) Tourettes-like. Photo: WSL
Igarashi (pictured) Tourettes-like. Photo: WSL

Surf fans ready for frenzied celebration as Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi draws nearer to joining Tom Curren, Corky Carroll, Rob Machado in “Pantheon of Style Gods” with third U.S. Open win in grasp!

Witness history.

The U.S. Open of Surfing has a long and storied history. First held in 1959 as the “West Coast Surfing Championships” before evolving to the Op Pro on its way to its current U.S. Open moniker, the contest is much loved by both fans and surfers alike, allowing the former to mingle in the “festival-like atmosphere” underneath the pier and the latter to practice their high performance moves on the enviable lumps n bumps of the mighty Pacific.

With such a place in lore, it would be assumed that many fine champions have hoisted the Wallex Cup over their heads, and that expectation is entirely true. Sunny Garcia, March Occhilupo, Richie Collins, Alejo Muniz, CJ Hobgood have all won. The greatest competitor of all-time, Kelly Slater has done it 2.5 times (2011, 1996 and as part of Team USA in 1992), Brett Simpson, growing more stately with age, has won twice but only Tom Curren, Corky Carroll and Rob Machado have the honor of calling themselves Huntington Hat Trickers.

Three wins each.

Alone together in the Pantheon of Style Gods.

And so you can understand the unique thrill being experienced by surf fans at this very moment as Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi has a shot and barging through that alabaster door and pulling up a miniature throne betwixt them all. Corky Carroll nodding his head lightly. Machado raising a bowl of açaí. Curren somewhere out back playing hopscotch with field mice.

Historic.

Igarashi, who is well-known for spontaneous Tourettes-like celebration is set to come up against Australia’s George Pittar in quarterfinal four later today or maybe tomorrow. It will be their first ever meeting. If Carroll, Curren and Machado shine upon him, he will come up against either Jeff Marshall or Eric Hanneman in the semis. Griffin Colapinto lurks on the other side of the draw, if Igarashi makes it that far.

Major.

And we should waste no time in going straight to the action. The women are currently in the water but the men will certainly follow. Surfline is calling for “fun” 2 – 3 foot faces with side shore winds.

Watch here.

Buy Kanoa Igarashi jersey here.

This story number 4996 has been brought to you by LinkedIn which would like to remind you that, over there, Erik Logan is still CEO of the World Surf League.

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It's funny cuz it's true. Photo: WSL
It's funny cuz it's true. Photo: WSL

World Surf League trolls former championship tour surfer Morgan Cibilic by ironically celebrating “Wave of the Day!”

"A round of applause..." (giggle, giggle).

The Wallex U.S. Open of Surfing brought to you by Pacifico is currently underway in Huntington Beach and the surf is, objectively, extremely poor. Oh, it’s really no thing. The beach festival is marked on the calendar months in advance, schedule packed with challenger serieses, longboarding tours, men’s, women’s and juniors divisions. Contests are run starting at 8:00 am and finish at 4:00 pm regardless of wind, weather or waves.

We surfers, we grouses of the sea, understand this and hold it against neither Wallex nor Pacifico. The World Surf League, which happens to be the governing body of the aforementioned challengers, longboarding, men’s, women’s, juniors’ apparently does, however, and took time yesterday to ironically mock former championship tour surfer Morgan Cibilic on social media.

The WSL account, which boasts 3.9 million followers, featured one of the poorer ripples of the day that Cibilic was forced to perform upon. He wiggled this way then wiggled that way on his backhand, the gutless two-footer gurgling around, until falling from his board in pure embarrassment.

“Wave of the Day,” according to the WSL and stifled giggles could be heard coming from its Santa Monica headquarters.

While the joke is funny, it is entirely rude to lay it on Cibilic who is, by all accounts, a fine young man with an endearing smile.

Will someone lose their job over the laugh or was it approved from on high? The World Surf League’s new twin lords Chief of Purpose Emily Hofer and Chief of Legal Bob Kane insult comics underneath it all?

Something to think about.

This story number 4995 brought to you by Archwell which would like to remind you that each of us can change our communities but all of us can change the world.

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Kelly Slater savages “criminal” Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in wildest vaccine takedown to date!

The Champ and his biggest scalp yet!

To describe Justin Trudeau, Canada’s boyish president and rumoured love child of Fidel Castro, as controversial is akin to asking if a bear completes his considerable toileting in the woods.

Trudeau, whom you read about earlier today in the Chas Smith tour de force, “Surf groupies giddy as Canada’s prime minster ‘Juicy’ Justin Trudeau announces he’s single and ready to mingle” has objected to honour killings being labelled barbaric, described Quebecers as “superior” to other Canadians, immediately fretted about the fall-out for the “marginalised” following the Boston terrorist attacks, has enjoyed the use of “blackface makeup” and went all-in during the COVID pandemic rivalling even Victorian premier Dan Andrews for slavish enforcement of emergency laws.

Now, the fifty one year old has fallen foul of Kelly Slater following revelations Ontario man Garnet Harper, a thirty-five-year-old father of five, died after medical authorities refused a kidney transplant because of his non-vax status, despite his own brothers offering to donate their organs.

Harper was diagnosed with stage five kidney disease in February 2022 and died in May, 2023.

Slater shared the video, below, along with the comment, This is criminal, Canada” and tagged Trudeau.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Eric Moutsos (@ericmoutsos)

Slater, who suggested the term condition “Stockholm Syndrome” where hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors be renamed Melbourne/Australia Syndrome following after that country’s heavy pandemic laws, has long pleaded the case for bodily autonomy as well as the danger of pushing relatively untested vaccines onto populations.

Slater has told of friends dying from the vaccine, either from side-effects of suicide. Even his mum Judy Moriarity “thought she was dying and fears her quality of life has changed in the past few days for good,” wrote Slater.

He added, “And for people saying listen to the doctors, I’m positive I know more about being healthy than 99% of doctors, but I wouldn’t trust me. But most of my covid info comes directly from doctor friends, many of them in disagreement with the official ‘science’.

His stance hasn’t been popular, the Champ regularly attacked by the mainstream press.

Peter FitzSimons, a star columnist for broadsheet The Sydney Morning Herald, mauled Slater in a brutal opinion piece.

A few of the choicest cuts,

Ummm, Kelly. Do you get this is not just about you, but about the community you are a part of? That getting the vaccine is not just about keeping yourself safer, but also limiting the likelihood of you passing it on to those less healthy than you.
You don’t get that? OK, if you must, do go on.
If something happens to me it’s on me, not someone else.”

(See above. You risk passing it on! Seriously, how hard is this?)

The next bit from Slater is all about how 99.7 per cent of all people who get COVID are fine, so what is the big deal, particularly when “this is clearly a disease of obese, unhealthy, and elderly”.

This is too obvious a nonsense to spend any time on it. The healthy people who go down to COVID are too myriad to dwell on.

And as to 99.7 per cent being fine, that is just – what that’s word again? – bullshit. In fact, globally, a little over two per cent of those who contract COVID die from it – so you’re about 700 per cent out. But it is not just those who die that count. What about those, having survived, who are still suffering from it, including fatigue, foggy brain, and difficulty in breathing!

Anyway, let’s get back to Kelly Slater so he can unload this pearl.

“And for people saying listen to the doctors, I’m positive I know more about being healthy than 99% of doctors, but I wouldn’t trust me. But most of my COVID info comes directly from doctor friends, many of them in disagreement with the official ‘science’.”

Hello, United Nations? World Health Organisation? The medical establishment around the world?

Yeah, look. Call off the jam. Despite the 735,000 now dead in America from COVID and the millions around the world, turns out it’s no big deal at all! Yes, you heard me! Kelly Slater the surfer knows more than 99 per cent of all of you, and he not only won the world surfing championship 11 times – so he should know a lot about medicine, I think? – but is supported by some doctor friends! So I guess it’s all a hoax after all!

I know. Go figure.

Enough. I am not sure I can stand repeating any more of his staggering hubris.

Ironically, Slater has since  been proved largely right.

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Whisky sauna and married Kolohe!

Lavish San Clemente compound of former world title contender Kolohe Andino complete with “whisky barrel-shaped sauna” lists for under $2 million!

It's the sexiest joint you've ever seen including shower rooms and a fleet of bath tubs!

The childhood home of Californian Kolohe Andino whose phenomenal, beautiful, natural skill wasn’t allowed room to breathe on the world tour which led to his premature departure earlier this year, has been listed with hopes of around $1.895 million. 

Having been granted a tour of the joint myself, I can attest to the grandeur of 2239 Avenida Salvador. From the stunning American kitchen with its acres of bench space, the walk-in shower (hello!), two big bathtubs, a sauna that’s shaped like a whisky barrel, the vast entertaining area with fireplace to the three-car garage and all just a short electric bike ride to the home of the WSL Finals, it’s a house that delivers in multiples. To add even more sparkle, it has hosted a raft of surfing stars over the years including the famous Ho family from Sunset Beach, Hawaii.

Per the selling lit, 

Very desirable Southeast San Clemente location sitting on a rare flat/level 7,380 SF canyon lot with a large, serene & private backyard. Enter the front door to find vaulted open-beam ceilings along with picture windows allowing for incredible natural light. Continue to the kitchen that is open to the family room and dining area with breakfast bar seating. French doors open the living area to the peaceful backyard canyon setting, lined with mature trees and open land views. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, bonus room featuring beautiful ocean views, fireplace, and wet bar, formal living room, and family room featuring fireplace. Master suite features French doors to a private deck overlooking the canyon, walk-in shower, soaking tub, dual sinks, and a walk-in closet. Two of the 3 secondary bedrooms offer access to a private deck, lending coastal breezes and open space views. Attached tandem 3 car garage (3rd car area of garage is currently being used as office/exercise room), parallels a full bathroom with walk-in shower and backyard access. No HOA/Association dues, Lower base Tax area, No Mello/Roos! Just minutes to San Clemente golf course, world class surf, San Clemente’s historic pier, local boutique shopping and dining, and Dana Point Harbor. Great Opportunity!!

Who’s that cute lil man in the tube?
Got a little Brady vibration to it, yes?
Jump on the electro-bike and swing on down to Lowers and watch Griffin beat Filipe in 2023 GF!

The place has been listed for three months now, which suggests there ain’t a lot of taste in that part of California. A house of this magnitude, near beach, for under two mill?  Where’s the line? 

Apart from not reaching the stellar heights that were predicted for him as a teenager, Kolohe, who is now twenty nine and five years into marriage with the stunning Madison Brooke-Aldrich (Maddie’s account of Kolohe’s Christmas Day proposal, is proof that virility isn’t just measured at the root of the belly where the phallus rises) will be remembered for helping get the Surf Ranch Pro onto the tour. 

“After watching footage, Kolohe goes, ‘Why isn’t this on tour…well think about it!’” remembered Slater in his excellent documentary series Lost Tapes. “That’s when the conversation became real.”

Ironically, Kolohe’s initial enthusiasm would turn to sad when the contest did manifest, Kolohe accusing the judges of “playing mind tricks” and rewarding safety surfing and sitting in a barrel that carried with no risk.

Click here to examine all sixty nine photos of the house and to make your offer! 

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World #4 surfer Conner Coffin quits professional surfing after being dumped by tour and major sponsor!

Thoughts and prayers and maybe a tear or two for the Santa Babs style maestro!

Lovely Conner Coffin, the tiny thirty year old from Santa Babs whose gender-bending “cute fem boy” looks make any hot-blooded man want to kiss his eyelashes, has officially quit professional surfing after his early elimination from the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach. 

Coffin, who was a world title contender in 2021, lost in the round of 32 and made his decision public shortly thereafter. 

“It was so cool, my brother came down, got my fiancé and family…a lot of people who have been a part of my life and competitive surfing career,” Conner said. “Super special. It kinda started here in Huntington Beach, surfing NSSA [contests]. And this [the US Open of Surfing] was the first big contest I surfed in. I think Hurley gave me the wildcard. Then, I won the Pro Junior here a couple times. A lot of really good memories. It’s kinda weird, but I’m super stoked.”

It’d been a wild two years for Conner, dumped by Rip Curl, his sponsor of five years, and losing his spot on the tour in what he described as “waist-high shit Winkipop.”

Despite his milquetoast manner, Coffin has rarely shied away from controversy. Following the cut from the tour, he savaged the World Surf League’s chief strategy officer in a wild interview.

Per Chas,

He describes how his tour fate was decided by “waist high onshore shit Winikipop.” How the waves were garbage, more or less, the first five events, crushing livelihoods. Dealing with the hatred, amongst his professional surfers, about the cut. “It sucked. I hated it honestly. Big price to pay…” he ends with as Prodan giggles uncomfortably, eyes wide, mouth, framed by well-manicured beard lightly agape, then tries to re-spackle the Wall of Positive Noise by calling this year’s G-Land “really good” before casting blame on magazines of yesteryear for poorly representing the early “dream tour” as all fantastic.

After the premium surf website Stab used “racist tropes” to describes Coffin’s chances, or lack, of winning the 2021 world title, he fired back, Stab, thanks for your continued ‘premium’ journalism, you could spell my name right. It pissed me off for a few minutes, but then I thought about all of the times people have doubted me, said I wasn’t good enough, said I can’t do something that I wanted to do and how I’ve always channeled it and combined that with passion, hard work, and love to accomplish my goals. In posting this, I hope it encourages you guys to use negativity and spin it into a positive and don’t let anyone get you down or keep you from achieving your goals!”

Although the honied era of multi-million dollar contracts is long gone, surf fans can rest easy lest they be worried of his financial future for mammy and daddy Coffin , Rich and Krista, operate a high-end construction biz, delighting in “creating architecturally significant homes”.

The last time we saw ‘em on these pages was one year ago when they listed their one-third share in 101 acres of gorgeous Hollister Ranch dirt, a beachfront enclave that counts blockbuster filmmaker James Cameron, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and minstrel Jackson Browne as owners.

Coffin made his first appearance on BeachGrit in 2015 when he read a short story from the New Yorker called “I will slap you”, admitting the piece fit him well considering he’d once slapped the photography great Tom Carey during a heated showdown.

“I’ve slapped men twice your size and density,” says Coffin.

Essential.

 

 

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