Kite surfer (pictured) with his word.
Kite surfer (pictured) with his word.

Literate kite surfer saves self by correctly spelling “HELP” on sand

The power of the pen.

Surfers and kite surfers generally have no beef, or at least not in Southern California. When the wind whips hard enough to billow their sheets, surfers are generally long gone, enjoying an afternoon cocktail, perhaps a fat washed mezcal that uses the drippings from a rack of slow-cooked pork ribs and an equal amount of mezcal that sits in the freezer overnight and includes a spicy habanero-tincture garnish. Or perhaps not. In any case, a kite surfer became in trouble up Santa Cruz way and leaned upon literacy in order to save himself.

The unnamed man, described as a “veteran windsurfer” by local news but also a “kite surfer” by national news and simply “surfer” by international news, became stuck on a beach surrounded by cliffs with a rising tide threatening. Not the good sort of “Rising Tide” produced by the World Surf League wherein younger girls learn to charge but the drowning sort.

Thinking quickly, our intelligent hero spelled the word H E L P out of rocks on the sand and was spotted by a passing helicopter which, in turn, alerted authorities.

“It was actually very windy out as well, probably 25-plus MPH wind,” Cal Fire Capt. Sean Ketchum told NBC’s Bay Area affiliate.

“It is an extremely beautiful place to work and live,” added Cal Fire Capt. Skylar Merritt. “That being said, it can lull people into a false sense of security around those cliffs. Those beaches are notorious for strong winds, rip tides and cold water.”

It was too dangerous to rescue the logophile from sea and so a helicopter came in and hoisted him to safety.

“It was a good feeling being there and being able to help just get him out of there,” rescuer Jesus Acosta declared, also sharing that the whole business felt like a scene from a movie.

Very cool.

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Griffin Colapinto (insert) alongside the Rodent Men hunks du jour. Photo: Instagram
Griffin Colapinto (insert) alongside the Rodent Men hunks du jour. Photo: Instagram

Surfer Griffin Colapinto now sex symbol alongside actor Jeremy Allen White, musician Matt Healy as “Hot Rodent Men” trends

"They’re actually the most physically desirable thing a man can be at this particularly disorienting moment in American history."

San Clemente’s Griffin Colapinto certainly has stitched together “a hell of a year,” to quote the great Matthew McConaughey. Currently sitting number three in the world, the Gandhi-like 25-year-old will be Olympic-bound in July then headed to his home break of Lowers to compete for a World Surf League championship.

A very real possibility of wins at both Teahupo’o and Trestles.

He might be inclined to hire protection at those two stops to shield him from a Beatlemania-like frenzy, young and old women throwing themselves at him, men too as he is now, officially, a sex symbol.

The New York Times is reporting that “Hot Rodent Men” is the look of the season “according to the tabloids.” The piece continues, “They’re actually the most physically desirable thing a man can be at this particularly disorienting moment in American history. Exemplified by the faces of actors like The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White and Challengers leads Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor; as well as the 1975 band member Matty Healy and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, hot ‘Rodent Men’ are a loose category that seems mostly to refer to men who look a bit like mice or rats.”

Willem Dafoe is also included in the group.

But how do you feel about this sudden revelation? When you look in the mirror are you greeted with a ratty look peering back with beady little eyes and a twitchy little nose? Pinched features and a general stink of poor morals? Count yourself lucky if the answer is “yes.”

Back to Griff, though. Colapinto has long shared his desire to be interesting, telling Olympics.com, “It’s funny, I always see people getting interviewed and it’s always so boring to me and I’m like, I don’t want to be the boring guy! I don’t want to do things like anyone else. If I have an opportunity to tell a story or something, I enjoy doing that and just show my true self.”

A fortuitous turn as “his true self” is now lust material.

Hubba hubba.

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Ethan Ewing and Jack Robinson for GQ
Ethan Ewing, left, all gussied up in Fendi and Cartier, and raw sex-bomb Jackie Robinson in Prada and Tiffany.

Fashion world goes wild for surf star Jack Robinson, “His surf-honed deltoids deliver a raw sexuality rarely seen in white males!”

Jack's daddy Trev, also his coach, told The Australian in 2010 that he was “hand-rearing a racehorse”.

The jaw-dropping physique and rodent good looks of the man dubbed by surf fans as Australia’s John John Florence have again come into relief following a photo shoot for the Australian franchise of Gentleman’s Quarterly. 

Jack Robinson, a twenty-six-year-old daddy of one, Zen, and husband of model wife Julia Muniz, appears in the magazine alongside fellow Australian surf Olympian Ethan Ewing whose baby face and “overwhelming ass” have long thrilled surf fans on both sides of the gender divide. 

Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing, wrestling
A little Greco-Roman hand-fighting, Ethan and Jack trussed in Gucci, Coach, Pharrell Williams and Tiffany.

 

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The mesmeric pull and fascination the world has for the two men is evident in a long profile by GQ, although it is Jack Robinson who steals the show and, as previously noted, his surf-honed deltoids deliver a raw sexuality generally only noted in big-dicked black guys and rarely seen in white males. 

Let’s read a little. 

By the time Robinson was 12, he was already being called the next Kelly Slater. At that point, he had won the West Australian state championship in the under-12 division—when he was just eight—and made the finals in the under-12, under-14 and under-16 divisions. He had surfed 10-foot waves at Hawaii’s famous Pipeline, could land aerial moves some pros couldn’t, and had signed a deal with Quicksilver before he was even a teenager.

But underneath the bleached-blond bowl cut and big smile, Robinson was dealing with the pressure from his talent, from his sponsors and from his father Trev, also his coach, who told The Australian in 2010 that he was “hand-rearing a racehorse”.

Examine the full spread, as they say, here. 

It isn’t the first time the world has thrilled to Jack Robinson’s “awesome abs and belly button”.

Two years ago, Jack and wife Julia appeared in a cover story for London-based fashion magazine Man About Town, channelling the iconic 1983 Bruce Weber shoot of a then teenage Laird Hamilton and movie star Brooke Shields. 

Jack Robinson and Julia Muniz reprise famous Laird Hamilton Brooke Shields shoot
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Greatest day of qualifying series surfing ever unfolds at Langundri Bay in Indonesia

Unfancied C-grade surf contest delivers as surfers rain ten-point rides in perfect six-to-eight-foot waves!

Ah, the Qualifying Series. The endless succession of four-man heats, populated by so many unknowns. The crappy conditions, the janky webcasts, the ‘who cares?’ of it all.

This is competitive surfing at its most disposable, unremarkable, instantly forgettable.

Forgettable, that is, apart from Day 4 of the Nias Pro 2024.

On the afternoon of Tuesday 11 June, Lagundri Bay and the enviable surfers of the Asian ‘QS put on a real show. The legendary Sumatran right cranked, producing relentlessly consistent and super-chunky six-to-eight-foot barrels.

It was late in the round of 64 when the absurdist heat totals started rolling in. Finely feathered cylinders of cleanest glass turned over on the reef and the QS boys made the most.

Unknown battler Shohei Kato had a king-size heat total of 18.83 and came second to Australian grom Saxon Reber, who had 19.43.

Two heats later, former child prodigy Kobi Clements got himself a 10 and an 8.

In the next heat, Aussie junior Tane Dobbyn got knocked out of his heat with a measly total of 18.10. Ahead of him were super rhymin’ compatriots Joh Azuchi (19.77) and Jin Suzuki (18.60). Then Aussies Axel Curotta (19.63) and Kyuss King (18.70) took out another bonkers heat.

Forty-year old CT legend Josh Kerr, now better known as daddy to superstar gromette Sierra, snuck through his heat with a relatively pedestrian 15.80. Kerr surfed all the way through from the Round of 128.

Honestly, is there any other ‘QS event on the schedule where a surfer of Kerr’s standing would bother putting himself through that kind of competitive surfing meat grinder? Oh, and Kerrzy came second to Tully Wylie of Jan Juc (VIC), who had 18.90.

Still, Lagundri Bay and her lovers hadn’t yet done their best work.

Heat 4. Lennix Smith, 16.30. Dylan Moffat, 16.80. Zane Assink, 18.90. Xavier ‘Double X’ Huxtable, perfect 20.

 

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Now, to be fair, these were not exactly Championship Tour 10s. I’m sure the CT head judge Luiz Pereira would have adjusted the scale pretty quickly after things started heating up, and I didn’t see much of the ruthless foamball wrasslin’ and rodeo that was required for high 9s and 10s at the recent Teahupo’o event (although that might’ve been in part due to lacking the camera angle looking into the tube on some key rides).

 

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And unfortunately (because this is the ‘QS after all) there’s no highlight reel, no condensed heat replays, and not even individual heat videos. If you want to catch all the action you’ll need to tune in at 5:57 and watch through to the last heat of the day 5 hours later.

The only truly skippable half hour is Heat 15 from the Round of 64.

Still, across those 10 heats there were 16 surfers with heat totals of at least 18 points. Four 10s. Twenty-seven 9s. You could do worse things with an afternoon than watch a succession of talented surfers get the waves of their lives.

Day five has started and the swell still looks pretty damn good

Will you tune in and brave the shame of following third-tier professional surfing?

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Mitch S. (pictured) dead last.
Mitch S. (pictured) dead last.

Penultimate ’24 World Surf League Broadcaster Power Rankings

Drumroll, please.

The 2024 World Surf League Championship Tour only has two events remaining, three if one counts the ill-conceived Lower Trestles Finals Day, and it has certainly been almost exciting at times. The Tahiti Pro and the El Salvador Pro especially. The women, of course, have thus far stolen the year but the men ain’t doing too shabbily either. On that side of the draw, eight, maybe nine, surfers are battling for a spot to take on John John Florence in soft Southern California right handers for the crown.

Again, almost exciting.

But it is time to power rank our guides for the year, the broadcast team who has coalesced into the best in World Surf League history since 1976 circa 2015?

I’d argue yes and without further ado:

1. Strider Wasilewski: Raspberry, and his role floating in various channels and lineups, has officially transcended surfing and should now be considered alongside broadcasting greats the likes of Greg Olsen and Vincent Edward Scully. Wasilewski is perpetually thrilled and can get barreled with the best of them making his annoyance at unridden gems priceless.

2. Kaipo Guerrero: While certainly polarizing, Guerrero’s highwire linguistic act is quickly becoming “must-see-tv.” The former model spools out metaphor after metaphor, folk etymology after folk etymology, spinning them into such a heady web that surf fans, at home, have zero idea how he will be able to find his way out. He does, though, inevitably leaving the aforementioned surf fans breathless and happy.

3. Chris Cote: Equal parts play-by-play and color, Cote has rounded into a treat. While calling professional surfing might look easy, trust me. It is. I’m sure I’ve told you about the time that I called a one-star women’s event in France alongside Paul Evans? In any case, Cote makes the easy look easy, which is difficult. He makes no apology for being toxically positive nor for being a fan and as his opinion presents more and more, the hater watching at home actually gets to chew some meat on a bone.

4. Felicity Palmateer: As the lone woman in various reclaimed pallet studios, Flick has a load to carry and, in her first full season, is doing admirably. Oh sure, she becomes too emotional from time to time but what woman doesn’t? Just kidding. A little throwback humor for you now that cancel culture has, itself, been cancelled. She almost gets critical, from time to time, and if she let her jerk flag fly more often might reach Raspberry levels of excellence.

6. Ronald Blakey: As the handsomest on the team, and brother of Vaughn, he should be by far the best and yet he rolls into “narrating history” voice too often. There is no reason that Blakey should not be in the booth at every event except laziness and so we must blame him for more than we should.

5. Jesse Mendes: Well who saw this coming? Mendes’ cardboard persona, generally pointless, was the exact balm epic Teahupo’o needed. The Brazilian’s insights into barrel wrangling proved interesting and valuable. While one event does not a broadcaster make, Mendes showed potential in Tahiti and that, in and of itself, is shocking.

6. AJ McCord: Completely serviceable, McCord brings a sense of professionalism to an otherwise largely…. non-professional group. She asks the questions in her post heat interviews quick and isn’t cloying. The only real downside is her lack of usage during long lully events. Not her fault, but suggests she doesn’t know all that much about surfing and will soon climb to bigger sports.

7. The Bonsoy Brew Break.

8. Bailey Ladders Leaderboard.

9. The “Stay Tuned” screen.

10. Greenwashing.

11. Madonna since she once dated Kaipo.

12. Joe Turpel: The “voice of professional surfing,” Turpel’s buttery drone has become synonymous with the World Surf League. While his encyclopedic heat knowledge flashes every so often, he seems overly-content to blather on and on and on and on filling the air with empty. If Hollywood ever remakes The NeverEnding Story, Turpel will certainly be considered as The Nothing. There is, likely, no redemption for the man and he can thank his stars for Mitch Salazar.

13. Unisex Shiseido models.

14. Mitchell Salazar: I have to assume he isn’t getting paid but still.

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