"A friend anyone would want at their side."

When news that Kevin Costner’s next film project was to be a surf-themed thriller, surfers around the world felt a jolt of excitement but quickly tried to temper each other’s expectations. For every Point Break, you see, there are ten Point Break 2s. Movies that so butcher the very idea of this surfing life so badly that it becomes embarrassing to be seen anywhere near the ocean with anything resembling a board.

Headhunters, in any case, follows Costner’s Lazer “a washed-up American ex-pat with a mysterious past who finds himself living in Bali, Indonesia. Lazer recruits a group of surfers led by Bima, a local photographer, on a journey to an uncharted island to pioneer a ‘perfect wave.’ To their surprise, the island is home to an ancient tribe of headhunters guarding the land at all costs. What ensues is an adventure turned survival story of epic and bloody proportions on a tropical island which once seemed to be paradise but is actually closer to hell.”

Promising and yet things seemed to have already taken a turn for the worse with a real bitchy mole on the Hawaiian set sharing, “He’s been quietly trying to get in the surfing community for years and hasn’t even got a foot in the door because they think he’s lame and a Hollywood star who should stick to dry land. Surfers don’t like these amateurs infringing on their waves. Plus, he’s locked in this ‘I’m cool in my new life’ mode, and they’re saying, ‘Who does he think he is?’”

And also, “This is the way Kevin does things. But he’s got a long way to go, and he may never reach his goal because, let’s face it, he’s a lousy surfer.”

Well, in a likely attempt to shore up Headhunters surf bonafides, producers announced, today, that up-and-coming Australian star Sam Corlett has been cast as part of the adventure-seeking surf group as Sam, “a hard-charging Australian surfer with a friendly, approachable nature, who has a fearless edge, especially when it comes to tackling heavy waves. While he may seem rough around the edges, he’s grounded, quick to crack a joke, and easygoing — a friend anyone would want at their side.”

Corlett burst onto the scene in Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla. As an out-and-proud vegan, he was uncomfortable wearing leather on the Irish set but was “provided with Desserto based body armour, a type of artificial leather made from cacti.”

More importantly, though, he hails from New South Wales’ central coast and does surf.

Mick Fanning-esque, no?

Will Corlett be able to shut down naughty “Kevin Costner is a kook” talk on set with his languid style or will the film continue to devolve?

More, certainly, as the story develops.

“I kind of like pirates.”

A beachcomber stumbled upon a grisly find whilst enjoying an afternoon stroll on Rat Beach, which tucks right into Rancho Palos Verdes Estates. A skull and some bones. The wanderer called 9-1-1 immediately, the Palos Verdes Estates Police responded, directly, which in turn called in the Los Angeles Medical Examiner and confirmation was made.

Human remains.

While there was information available on age or gender, surfers immediately began wondering if they perhaps belonged to a interloper who dared paddle Southern California’s one-time most terrifyingly localized waves.

Lunada Bay.

But you have, of course, long followed the story of the notorious Bay Boys. How they sat in a stone fort down on the beach and made visitors feel extremely uncomfortable by changing into wetsuits with less-than-appropriate care, throwing rocks near people and yelling.

Months ago, a case was brought against two Bay Boys including Sang Lee who had been busted for sending a rambling email to other Bay Boys in which he called himself a pirate and said he would “die by these rules.”

According to reporting:

The honorable plaintiffs attorney Vic Otten asked Lee, “Is it true that you believe Lunada Bay belongs to you and a select group of people?” Lee responded, “No, I don’t think so. It has a special place in my heart. We try to clean up the area…” then said the wave was not “world-class” merely “better than average.”

Next, Otten asked him about the “rules.” Lee answered, “What are the rules? There’s no rules. I don’t know why I said that…” before adding “I don’t know, maybe I was drinking.”

In regards to the “pirate” reference, Lee replied he called himself one because, “I kind of like pirates.”

Pirates?

Skull and bones?

Could the Bay Boys have been up to more than half-frontal exposure and rock missing?

More as the story develops.

While Rescue: HI-Surf “brings gridiron energy to Hawaii’s North Shore,” The Floor is thought to be more appealing to a younger demographic.

Surf fans have not had much to look forward to, this bleak World Surf League Championship Tour offseason. Sure, there was the announcement that Abu Dhabi had been added to the circuit thus putting Tyler Wright’s very life in danger, but other than that, excitement has been difficult to muster.

Difficult to muster until the the new television drama Rescue: HI-Surf premiered during the end of September, lighting up the ratings and showcasing the acting talents of Makua Rothman, amongst other North Shore notables.

Well, the aforementioned surf fans were already preparing snacks etc. for the program’s over-sized episode that was set to premier directly after Super Bowl LIX on February 9th 2025.

As juicy a slot as there come.

Alas, in an extremely rare switcheroo, Fox is swapping Rescue: HI-Surf out and replacing it with Rob Lowe-fronted gameshow, The Floor. While producers had declared Rescue: HI-Surf “brings gridiron energy to Hawaii’s North Shore,” The Floor is thought to be more appealing to a younger demographic.

According to Deadline, the move also has to do with Lowe hisself. “Lowe,” it reports “also star and exec producer on Fox’s outgoing drama 9-1-1: Lone Star, has a deal with the network and has emerged as one of its top talents — active both on and off-screen, including on the promotional circuit. Additionally, The Floor is fully owned by Fox; Rescue HI-Surf comes from Warner Bros. TV, which is co-producing with Fox Entertainment.”

Surf fans back to moping whilst lighting candles for Tyler Wright’s wellbeing.

Snacks dutifully put away.

Anti-anti-depressive days.