"It really is beggars belief that people are giving money to a self-centred human, me me me."

Our brothers and sisters across the pond are extremely cross, this morning, with one of their own. It might have begun as a normal day, one week or such ago, for Sam Brenchley as he zipped up his wetsuit, rubbed wax on his board and paddled out at Fistral Beach there in Newquay. Little did he know that he was hopping on a wild rollercoaster that would dump him into the very fury of his countryman.

As things happen, Brenchley became bonked on the head with his board and knocked right out or as he tells it, “On Monday I suffered a whack to the head from a surfboard and the impact caused me to black out. I was unconscious in the water for a few minutes until an off duty lifeguard managed to spot me and drag me to shore and proceeded to bring me back to life, the air ambulance did a great job in airlifting me to the hospital where I was well looked after, unfortunately my wetsuit was cut off me on the beach for safety reasons and now I longer have a wetsuit.”

He then proceeded to direct the sympathetic to a GoFundMe with the goal of raising £350 for a new wetsuit.

Rage followed.

One of the men who saved Brenchley’s life commented, “This is very disheartening to see. A donation to the air ambulance is more suitable than a wetsuit!”

Another chimed, “Was fully expecting this to be raising money for the air ambulance, not asking for strangers to donate towards buying you a new wetsuit.”

Still a third slammed, “It really is beggars belief that people are giving money to a self-centred human, me me me. How much did the air ambulance cost? I think you need a reality check.”

Things got so bad that poor Sam swapped the fundraiser to one for air ambulances, explaining, “I want to thank the air ambulance for there incredible service and to the people on the beach that found me and and saved my life, to say I’m full of gratitude right now is an understatement.”

I was unaware that the UK was same same as USA wherein individuals are forced to pay every dollar of exorbitant healthcare procedures on top of paying exorbitant taxes all while paying exorbitant insurance premiums and forced to beg friends and family.

Well, I guess, boo to Sam.

Give to the air ambulances here.

The People's Voice.

There are the Academy Awards, the Emmy Awards, the Grammy Awards but maybe in this, our digital future, none is as important as the Webby Awards. Founded in 1996, the online award is the most important for those who operate in this space.

“From humble beginnings,” the Webby Award website explains, “The Webby Awards has become the undisputed top honor for Websites and Mobile Sites; Video & Film; Advertising, Media & PR; Apps & Software; Social; Podcasts; AI, Immersive & Games; and new this year, a dedicated suite of honors for Creators! And just as the Web is a critical tool for every area of life today, The Webby Awards remains the most important and relevant award honoring achievement in interactive media.”

BeachGrit, it must be noted, has never been nominated. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Taublieb has, though, and today his Olympic surf documentary Teahupo’o Surf Camp is a finalist for the most august People’s Voice Award.

The documentary trailed Alan Cleland Jr. from Mexico, Hawaii’s Cody Young, Costa Rica’s Leilani McGonagle, Peru’s Lucca Mesinas, Sol Aguirre also from Peru, New Zealand’s Billy Stairmand, and Tiara van der Huls from the Netherlands as they chased five-ring fortune.

Notably absent from the cast was Brazil’s Filipe Toledo who had the distinction of once scoring a 0.00 heat total at The Place of Skulls.

In any case, the documentary is currently first place in voting besting “Evolution of the Black Quarterback, Full Court Press, Beyond Flags and Invisible Game.

Swing in and lend your support here.

"The only way to keep the community safe from you is to keep you locked up.”

Four months ago, or thereabouts, the very small surf world was exposed to the ugliest surf-adjacent story of the year. World Surf League surfer and popular Sunshine Coast surf coach Connor Lyons, 26, had been charged with the indecent treatment of children spanning a fourteen month period. The tales were disturbing and yet police granted him bail on the strict conditions that he have no contact with children under the age of sixteen, no attending venues frequented by children and no coaching children under seventeen.

Well, the current number 48 on the World Qualifying Series used the free time to sprint to his mother’s house and furiously delete a trove of child exploitation material from a device. He admitted his actions to police and shared that he also looked at child pornography online and had been engaging in forbidden contact since 2018. He was subsequently locked back up over the pleas of his lawyers, who claimed he needed help.

Magistrate Rodney Madsen, however, disagreed, telling Lyons, “there’s absolutely no way you’re getting bail. There’s probably nothing any magistrate could do to make you less of a risk to kids.The only way to keep the community safe from you is to keep you locked up.”

The total charges against him ballooning to 29, the most serious carrying a 20 year prison stint.

Hours ago, the case was quickly settled as Lyons appeared via audio-visual link from custody, dismissed his lawyers and plead guilty. He will return to court this Thursday for a committal hearing wherein the judge will decide his fate.