Marty Thomas (left) an angel walking. Photo: Fox 13 News.
Marty Thomas (left) an angel walking. Photo: Fox 13 News.

Florida surfer hailed as hero after saving people and pets from Hurricane Helene’s brutal wrath

"He's an angel walking. He is the hero of Indian Rocks Beach now."

America’s eastern seaboard has had a real doozy of a hurricane season, thus far. Currently Kirk is whipping itself into a Category 3 storm in the Atlantic and though not predicated to make landfall, is sounding alarms for unruly swell and dangerous rip currents. He comes right on the heels of Hurricane Helene who caused widespread damage and death after blasting through Florida’s gulf and drowning the Carolinas.

In the darkness, though, a bright surfer light shone. Marty Thomas, from Indian Rocks, Florida, paddled out into the wrath and rescued 12 people and pets using only his surfboard.

Anne McIntosh, a 27-year resident of Indian Rocks, was in her home when the flood waters came in. “The beds were floating. The couch was floating. My brother and his wife were on the counters,” she says. “I was walking around in the back unit just thinking, ‘what am I going to do?’ And all of a sudden I hear a voice, and he’s saying, ‘We’ll get you. We’ll get you.'”

The voice of Marty Thomas.

The brave surfer pried the doors to McIntosh’s house open and paddled her and her giant St. Bernard to safety before heading right back out into the maelstrom to save many others.

The grateful woman and Thomas reunited, days ago, with McIntosh telling him, “He’s an angel walking. He is the hero of Indian Rocks Beach now. And you do it so gracefully. Thank you. And I love you for it. And you deserve all the good things in life.”

Thomas, ever chill, responded, “Thank you. I appreciate that. You’re pretty awesome yourself.”

The handsome silver-ish fox appeared to do his heroics on a SUP as a high-performance shortboard would not have been up for the task. I trust that you will hold space in your heart for our stand-up brothers and sisters for Marty Thomas’ sake.

Marty Thomas. Hero.
Marty Thomas. Hero.

At least for five days.

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Kauli Vaast for 2025 WSL wildcard
Olympic king Kauli Vaast for 2025 WSL wildcard!

Calls grow for Olympic gold medallist Kauli Vaast to be granted 2025 WSL wildcard

"It seems the WSL has its own little club of bullshit as usual. They hated him winning that thing guaranteed."

One of my kids asked a real good question the other day while daddy sank into his new Ligne Roset Togo corner piece, the fabric is that classic sandy coloured uede, a spur of the moment throw-a-lowball-offer-at-a-seller followed by panic when daddy gotta front up three gees.

“What’s worth more,” said kid, “a world surfing title or an Olympic gold medal?”

Brothers, I didn’t need to think. At least, not when the ghosts of Filipe Toledo’s two world title, scooped out of the mud of two-foot Trestles, are fresh in our heads. Johnny’s three titles are legit as hell, but nothing cuts through like Olympic Gold.

So when Liam McNamara, famous for his “deep and fearless, if ungainly, attack at Pipeline” and for getting belted on the beach by softly spoken Californian Jeff Booth at the 1992 Pipe Masters, suggested it made a helluva lot of sense for Kauli Vaast to be gifted a wildcard onto the 2025 tour, well, he got plenty of agreement from some of the sport’s heavy shooters.

“All right, so as I sit here today, I was thinking about Kauli Vaast winning the gold medal,” says McNamara. “Okay, so in order to qualify for the Olympics, you have to be one of the top surfers on the WCT or top surfers on the ISA. What about when you win the gold medal? Don’t you think it would be right for the WSL to allocate a wild card to the male and female champion if they weren’t already on tour? WCT Tour for 2025. This should be a rule. If you agree with this, share this video. WCT Tour for 2025. This should be a rule. If you agree with this, share this video.”

 

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Plenty of agreements from tour surfers, coaches and commentators, Yago Dora, Bede Durbidge, Strider, as well as former tour surfer Jeremy Flores as well as Backdoor Shootout and Da Haui founder Fast Eddie Rothman, daddy to Koa and Makua.

Jez Flores: Yes for sure. We’ve been on to it (making a petition). As you know, unfortunately we’ve seen this bullshit over and over again. We keep on pushing

Bede: Definitely makes sense. Biggest sporting event in the world then still not on tour. It would be hard for the punters to work out if they don’t understand surfing.

Yago: Cool idea.

And Fast Eddie: This is a no brainer guaranteed he should get a wild card, but it seems the WSL has its own little club of bullshit as usual. They hated him winning that thing guaranteed.

Makes sense to me, but so does draining a bank account for a chair I could’ve scooped up for a third of the price from one of those pirate websites.

And you?

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Surfline Man goes to Hossegor
Surfline Man inks French gal in Hossegor.

Surfline Man replaced at Surfer magazine by bots, flees to world’s #1 surf destination!

Just like that, Surfline Man’s dreams of super swank surf industry insider life evaporated like that big swell on the Surfline forecast…

When we last saw him, Surfline Man stood in his garage, staring into the void and imagining his new life as the editor of Surfer Magazine. Alas, the path to dream jobs never did run smooth. His stupid fin box still needs organizing and he is not even the editor of Surfer Magazine right now.

What the heck? Why can’t anything go right? Surfline Man is so dang frustrated.

Surfline Man should know so much better than to trust the evil Trey, who decided that he didn’t need a super expert surfer to run the magazine. Instead, Trey is doing it himself with the help of a bunch of dumb robots. Just like that, Surfline Man’s fabulous dreams of super swank surf industry insider life evaporated like that big swell on the Surfline forecast last week.

No job, no swell. Surfline Man needs a vacation.

That’s it! Surfline Man is so totally going on a surf trip. Where should he go? Surfline Man looks up at the world map hanging on his wall and suddenly feels a little dizzy. There are so many places to go surfing in the world. Surfline Man needs help and he needs it so fast.

Google understands. Google knows what it’s like to need help. What’s the best place for a surf trip? A Travel and Leisure link shows up at the top of the list. Surfline Man feels totally confident taking their recommendation. The top hit on Google is always the best one!

Hossegor is the best surf destination in the world. Surfline Man is not about to argue with this assertion. Surfline Man is not actually sure where Hossegor is, but he is definitely going there.

Surfline Man figures out super fast that Hossegor is in France. Also, they speak French there. This feels inconvenient. Why can’t the best surf destination in the world speak English like everyone else? Whatever. It’s fine. Surfline Man can totally learn French.

Surfline Man downloads Duolingo to get ready for his awesome trip to Hossegor. He’s not sure why he needs to know the words for cow and farmer, but you never know what a guy might need to say on a surf trip. He might need to buy a cow for important surf trip reasons. It’s good to be prepared for everything.

Even without advanced French talking skills, Surfline Man feels confident he can find the beach. Surfing is the universal language, baby!

After watching like ten Youtube video demonstrations to get it just right, Surfline Man packs his boardbag super perfect. Boards, wetsuits, leash, an extra leash, so many fins — he’s got it all. His boards look so cozy in his new Florence board bag. Surfline Man almost wishes he could climb in there with them. Surfboards, they really are his favorite thing in the whole world.

Surfline Man got a little lost at LAX, but he made it to his flight on time. Now he has so many hours to relax and viola! He will be in France.

Did he say that right? He’s so certain he said that right. Surfline Man can’t wait to try out his awesome French on the locals. They’re totally going to love him.

When Surfline Man wakes up, he’s already in Bilbao, which isn’t exactly France, but it’s really close. The plane ticket was cheaper, and it’s way more adventurous to go to two different countries on his surf trip.

There’s just one problem. His precious boardbag that he packed so perfectly is nowhere to be seen. All his favorite surfboards, his wetsuits, his surf wax, and everything — they are not waiting for him in Bilbao.

The airport people keep talking to him in Spanish and Surfline Man did not learn Spanish! He did not think he would have to talk to anyone in Spanish. Eventually, Surfline Man is forced to face the facts. His boardbag is not here. It is somewhere! But it’s definitely not here.

This adventure thing isn’t easy, but surely, the best destination for surfing in the world will have a surf shop. Surfline Man loves surfboards, so buying another one will be so much fun! Really, he should have thought of this idea from the start.

Leaving the airport, the signs show words with so many confusing spellings and Surfline Man isn’t entirely sure he’s on the right road. His rental campervan is not as nice as his Sprinter at home, but he is prepared to tough it out. A surfer has to make sacrifices to score good waves, and Surfline Man is so ready for good waves.

When at last Surfline Man pulls into a campground somewhere on the coast, it’s past midnight, pouring rain, and pitch black. He definitely should have pulled the headlamp out of his bag before he left the airport. He’s getting so much valuable surf trip experience right now.

Surfline Man can’t wait to scrub off the road dirt, but to his dismay, the shower is coin-operated. His wallet contains one scruffy, American 20-dollar bill and not much else. There should totally be a phone app for this.

Still dirty, Surfline Man eats his Cup Noodles, tucks himself into bed, and listens to the rain beat on the van’s roof. He did not plan for rain. He really wanted to shower. Surfline Man tells himself it’s all part of the adventure. No one expects a traveling surfer to be clean. It can only get better from here.

And it does. Surfline Man awakens early to gleaming sunshine. Humming a Jack Johnson song, he makes instant coffee and eats a protein bar. By mid-morning, Surfline Man reaches Bidart where he finds a super cute cafe. He tries out his French, but from the look on the face of the woman behind the counter, he is totally doing it wrong.

When she switches to English, he asks for a coffee and cheese sandwich. Hopefully, it’s organic, but Surfline Man isn’t about to ask. The coffee is tiny, but Surfline Man is happy all the same. He’s sitting on a terrace, in France, with the most perfect view of the ocean, eating a sandwich that’s super French! This is already the best trip ever.

Later, Surfline Man pulls into Hossegor and heads straight to a surf shop. He needs a new surfboard and he needs it right now. Again his efforts to talk French go totally wrong, but Surfline Man manages to buy a surfboard and wetsuit. The shop does not have his favorite fins, but he can totally survive this setback. He even remembers to buy a leash and wax. He’s so pro at this buying surfboards thing.

With his new surfboard in hand, Surfline Man heads straight to the beach. He’s going to surf in the Atlantic Ocean in France! When he arrives, it’s windy and the tide looks so very high. But Surfline Man has a new surfboard and he’s determined to ride it. He snaps the fins in place and attaches the leash.

Oh. He forgot to buy a traction pad. Surfline Man is totally not going back to the shop just for that. If Mason Ho can surf without a pad, Surfline Man can, too!

The waves are nothing special, but he’s surfing, man. He’s surfing in France. Surfline Man is so stoked right now. He even manages to order dinner — some sort of fish thing — without looking like a fool. Things are definitely looking up.

The shower in his hotel room doesn’t do much, but it’s better than nothing. Surfline Man tucks into bed early. There’s a swell coming tomorrow, and he’s going to be so ready!

Bright and early, Surfline Man heads to the beach with his brand-new surfboard. It’s firing. Surfline Man has never even seen surf this good. It’s like straight out of Instagram. He can’t even believe how much he is scoring right now. Surfline Man is going to get so barreled! He just has to figure out how to get out there. There aren’t even any lulls at all.

Taking the plunge, Surfline Man fights his way through the shorebreak. He only has to bail his board like twice, so he’s feeling super confident. He begins to paddle just in time to take a set wave square on the head.

He tried to duckdive! He really did! But somehow it didn’t even work. Surfline Man rolls over and over and his ass slams into the bottom. It’s so shallow. He did not even know it was so shallow.

Just as he surfaces, another wave comes and Surfline Man is like, so fucked right now. Wave after wave, into the spin cycle he goes, again and again. Eventually, Surfline Man feels a solid bump and realizes he’s washed ashore. He quickly looks around.

Did anyone see that? As a Californian, Surfline Man has a reputation to uphold. He can’t fail, not now, when he’s finally made it to the world’s best surf destination.

Surfline Man realizes he has traveled some distance from where he paddled out, and slinging his board under his arm, he walks back up the beach. Get any good ones? At least that’s what he thinks the surfer next to him is saying. Yeah, man, so fun out there! Surfline Man forces a smile. He can’t let the locals know that he is totally not succeeding at surfing.

At least, not yet. When the other surfer paddles out, Surfline Man watches and follows closely behind him. Suddenly like magic, he is out in the lineup. The ocean so helped him! The ocean loves him so much, it made sure Surfline Man made it out to the lineup so he could get barreled. Surfline Man is feeling so lucky now. Surfline Man reminds himself to chill and wait his turn.

Finally it’s his time. Surfline Man paddles as hard as he can. He springs to his feet, just like he practiced so many times in his garage. He’s surfing! But just as quickly, he’s not surfing at all. He’s falling and it feels like forever.

Again, he’s underwater, so sightless and so lost. Hopefully, he can find the surface again. Come on, ocean! Help a guy out!

When he finally surfaces, Surfline Man grabs his board and paddles super hard toward the horizon. Somehow, his duck dive works this time and before he quite knows how it happened, he’s back at the peak again.

Surfline Man is totally getting this surfing thing down. The next one is totally going to work out for him. Surfline Man can feel it!

But the next one doesn’t work at all. Nor the next one after that. Surfline Man is beginning to despair. He can’t bear to give up, but his arms are getting so tired. He should have gone to the gym like way more often before he came on his rad surf trip adventure. He definitely needs a faster pop-up right now. This surfing in France thing is not as easy as he expected.

Then a peak swings toward him. He’s going to make this one. He can feel it. He’s like so into the rhythm now. Surfline Man points his board toward the beach and paddles with everything he has. With sudden, superhuman strength, he gets to his feet faster than he ever has before in his entire life.

OMG! He’s doing it! Surfline Man is totally in the barrel!

Surfline Man barely has time to celebrate before the lip smashes down on him. Back into the washing machine he goes, but this time, Surfline Man doesn’t even care. He flew to Spain, then drove to France! He bought a new surfboard! He got so super barreled! Surfline Man is the best surf traveler ever.

Walking up the beach, Surfline Man is so proud of his surfing. Evil Trey can keep his stupid magazine. Who needs magazines anyway! Surfline Man knows how to surf in the barrel, which is so much more core and awesome and stuff. He can’t even wait to tell all his friends back home. They’re going to be so jealous.

Surfline Man saw visions, man!

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Kelly Slater (right) being a lucky mascot.
Kelly Slater (right) being a lucky mascot.

“Lucky mascot” Kelly Slater set to compete against soccer stud Gareth Bale, football legend John Elway in important golf championship

"I like to go to the golf course because I can choose the few people I want to be around."

Surf star Kelly Slater’s life, since fathering a son, has been nothing if not a wild blur of luxury and excess. One moment he’s in France, the next Rome and finally, when you think it cannot get anymore fabulous, he’s on his way to Scotland in order to play an important golf game on the world’s oldest course.

St. Andrew’s, called the “home of golf” since the game has been played there for hundreds of years, is hosting the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship this coming weekend and Slater will be there, playing for glory in the team division. He is partnered with a professional with the last name Jones, though no further information is given about him. Welsh soccer stud Gareth Bale and American football legend John Elway are also in the draw. Mick Fleetwood may be as well.

Slater, in any case, has been on two winning teams, previously, and, according to reports, is considered a “lucky mascot.”

The 11x surfing champion once told journalist Graham Bensinger, “I like to go to the golf course because I can choose the few people I want to be around. It’s quiet and it’s just me and the game. It’s another challenge and I like challenges.”

He later added, “Golf and surfing are kind of ultimate challenges. They’re really almost opposite each other. Surfing’s all movement, energy, nature and whatever. And the golf course is kind of just sitting there waiting for you to make yourself look bad.”

There was some hope that the 57-year-old would find some time to name his aforementioned baby boy this month, but it has now faded.

Back to “the few people” Slater wants to be around, though. Who do you think is currently on that list?

JD Vance?

David Lee Scales and I mentioned him during our scary halloween special. I think you’ll find it enjoyable.

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Homeowner sued after beachfront house falls into Pacific.
Sunset Beach house going real cheap.

Sunset Beach man hit with eye-watering fines by state of Hawaii after $2 million house falls into ocean

"Absolutely Insane. The State of Hawaii officials could’ve prevented this! But they did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING."

If you’ve been following BeachGrit’s real estate pages, you’ll be aware of the terrific bargains to be had at Sunset Beach, that “famously complex Hawaiian surf break located on the North Shore of Oahu; regarded by many as the center of the surfing universe from the 1950s to the ’80s.”

In 2020, you could’ve bought Freddy Pattachia’s sprawling beachfront compound there for a little over two mill, which had been saved by Freddy in 2013 when half of it fell into the drink. 

Fred’s daddy, Fred Snr, told Hawaii News Now at the time, “We’ve asked for help and no help came … We were telling them that if we don’t get something soon we’re in dire straits. At 10:30, the pool fell. It collapsed … We lost our entire beachfront. It took a chunk out 100 feet wide by 50-feet deep. That’s close to 5,000 square feet.”

By 2020, howevs, the pool was gone, the front of the joint is shored up, and you could step straight into a front-row seat at the North Shore’s third best wave.

Now, Sunset is back in the news after it was revealed homeowner, Josh VanEmmerik, is being sued by the Hawaiian state government after his house did a Freddy and collapsed into the ocean. 

VanEmmerik, a thirty-one-year-old bar owner from Kailua, bought the house three years back for a million bucks, glitzed it up, and re-listed it for two-and-a-half mill, although shortly before erosion ate it up the price had been dropped to two mill. 

In an attempt to save the joint, VanEmmerik surrounded it in sandbags, concrete and rocks, although he was quickly cited for “unauthorised erosion control measures.” 

In 2022, VanEmmerik had been fined $15,000 a day until he removed a homemade concrete barrier and, last year, he was fined seventy-seven gees after another attempt at stopping the mighty North Shore swells from eating up his pretty house.

“Private landowners take a risk when they allow structures to be so close to the shoreline,” said Deputy Attorney General Danica Swenson. “The people of Hawaii are now confronted with the consequences of property owners’ failures to take heed of the ocean’s warning signs of erosion.”

Locals ain’t real happy, as you might imagine to share the beach with the detritus of a collapsing house.

 

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