“I feel like when you surf, it's the closest thing to flying,”
Picture a crummy beach on the Argentine coast in the guts of winter, snow on the sand, the kind of cold that makes a brother bang the dang snooze button or, at the least, dive into an hour of death scrolling while the earth warms a little.
But there! Look! An ol’ man sprinting toward the water with the joy of a kid loosed in a buck-a-dance strip bar. The man is Leandro Usuna, wrapped in a bank of rubber, and nicknamed The Grinch cause of all the waves he’s stolen over the decades.
The Grinch is all het up ‘cause he wants to another swing at the Olympics. He hit Tokyo in 2020, missed Teahupoo in 2024 and if he gets into LA in two years time the daddy of two will be almost forty one.
“I’ve thought about it obviously. I’ve done the calculation. I’m like, ‘Whoa, if I do qualify, I’m going to be this age’, but then you look at (skater) Andy Macdonald (who debuted at Paris 2024 aged 51) and you look at these guys and instead of being like, ‘Oh, what are they still doing there, those old guys?’ It’s kind of like, ‘Wow, that’s inspiring’.
“Looking at him, I had not in one moment thought, ‘What is he still doing there?’ I looked at him and I was like, ‘He’s the coolest guy I’ve ever met. This guy is awesome! He’s still in the Olympics, and he’s still going for it’. So that’s the kind of message I want to give.”
The Grinch sure don’t hate surf, surprising, maybe, ’cause after thirty years most of us are infected with a light antipathy.
“I feel like when you surf, it’s the closest thing to flying,” Usuna says. “You feel so connected because you’re so in the moment and so in the present when you’re surfing a wave. You’re not thinking about the future or the past. You’re thinking about what’s going on in that moment. It’s like therapy. And just being in the water is everything for me.”
Also a very important teacher too, says the ol man.
“It’s the best way to learn about cultures and respect and the main codes in life,” Usuna says. “Just to be patient, respect one another, take care of each other. Live and love the simple things in life. I think you learn that from travelling and learn that from different cultures because they all have those same unique codes and values.
“The world’s big, but in surfing, it’s a small place too. Surfing makes it seem small because you get so connected to people from so far away through the sport. It’s a whole different food, culture, time. Everything’s different except the emotions you get from going in the water and surfing.”
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That’s the problem when you focus on beach presence instead of surfing
What a try hard
I once pitched the idea of a surf story blog to Ol Longtom
He listened, then got published in SJ and now he’s the best analyst in the game, should be working for a sports page.
Everyone has great surf stories and I’d rather read them over Real Estate or Sharks, but that’s my skill set so grain of salt. I always traveled with an eye on making the trips into stories. Adventure, discovery, experience
The world is a playground if you look up from your phone
saturday and sunday
It’s a weekend thing if it can be
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
AMERICAN MAN ATTEMPTS TO MAKE OLYMPIC SURF QUALIFICATION AT 54!
Fak, wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to compete for Syria à la Igarashi
He’s 56
Cant compete won’t win or come close What’s the point apart from a narcissist ride to small time fame. Maybe at 70+ I should wax up my board one final time.
So the gig was in Malibu adjacent yesterday, took the coastal road instead of the freeway because I wanted to see chaos and waves. Maybe I should say the chaos of waves and the VAL’s descending upon the once sleepy north county
Swell looked solid with nowhere to go as I rounded Magu. Just lines of water looking for a place to expend themselves.
None of the esoteric spots could work on the low tide, but County Line (POS) had a left breaking north against the point the had a dozen guys sitting way out to sea.
Leo had swing wide sets off the second rock which ruins the joint
Zero’s was actually running, 8′ faced set spinning as I passed. Haven’t seen that place good in ages and most likely what I saw was a mirage
Latigo, one of California’s many Crescent Heads was packed. Traffic slowed due to longboard weilding women clueless that their boards were in traffics way. That’s how I describe the entry level today, completely vacant on spacial awareness. Let’s blame the phone, shall we. Their worlds are so focused in their hand that once let loose, less conscious than newborn kittens. Chas would love this, the new demographic loves their paraphernalia. Changing ponchos, racks, you name it….. consumerism meets surfing.
We used to love to surf there at low tide afternoons with all the sorority girls frolicking on the beach. Hippy hunting ground, but the wave itself is just a takeoff into a deep channel.
Malibu was so crowded that the lineup extended almost all the way to the pier. Never seen that before. Spied 4 waves spinning down the point and it’s so photogenic, but you can’t watch because the morons jockeying for parking are as dangerous as terrorists or cartels. Once again, a lack of spatial awareness combined with a SUV equals chaos. Women parallel parking their SUV’s is full obstruction.
The fire damage to the coastline is profound. So many memories, poof gone. Fickle secret spots exposed by the light of day.
Arrival at the event location reveals entire hillsides rotting. I grew up trolling these hills and everything is gone. Kept thinking that there must be insane pools hidden in the wreckage, I know a few, but how to evade the Sheriff and trespass? Palisades is a waste.
Did not go up the highlands and check Dust Bowl lads.
North wind blew fresh then cold and emptied the lineups visible from the club. Traffic leaving reminds everyone why they hate Malibu
Interesting portrait of an area I’m familiar with only through media. Thanks for writing something….anything. Certainly beats reading dogshit news before the sun rises.
BTW- No one can ever accuse me of being a fan of Crescent Head, yet even I’ll be surprised if California has “many” waves the equivalent. Crescent looks to be like Malibu and isn’t that one of Cali’s jewels?
Malibu was destroyed by El Nino in ‘83, no longer exists
Crescent Head is photogenic
There are 4 points within 10 miles of my house that are much better, but we can debate your point any place south of my position, correct.
nice one Hip.
That lack of spatial awareness is gnarly hey- every one too busy starring in their own movie is also a factor.
ain’t that the truth
Idk, always found that if you sit well inside when sets are breaking wide at Leo, you can find some fun inside runners with the right direction and tide.
True, but I was driving by at 65 MPH
It’s still just a turn wave, but fun
connecting one there from behind that rock all the way to the shore is a good feeling, but I need more volume to do that in this day and age than I used to require.
Join the club
Thing is, with the right entry rocker and bottom, it’s ok
tip of the pint to Blowin and SC last night
you boys gave me some great laughs for my last 3 beers of the night, cheers
I was in the same state and likewise enjoyed some confected outrage at the end of a pleasant Sunday arvo.
However I woke up at midnight to the horror of realising I’d gotten the World champ stats wrong myself. The count for individual title holders stands at :
Brazil 5
Australia 16
PS…Thats the first and last time I ever ask Google search assist for anything. Useless.
https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/the-complete-list-of-world-surfing-champions
I refuse tech help for two reasons
Gotta keep this old wheel spinning in my head to ward of dementia and I don’t trust Big Tech one bit and if being wrong is the worst outcome of testing my internal rolodex, so be it
’mericans need former NFL player Brandon Marshall to take over coaching tbe u-10s in San Clemente, to finally undo the catastrophic damage done by the jumpsuit wearing PT and IC.
A bright future ahead if the yanks add a bit of ….spice to the surf scene. Shane Beschen knows what’s up. No descendant of his will ever have blonde hair or blue eyes again. Solo latin spice, and a Hawaiian upbringing .
If you’re not training at 2am, when all of the mexicali gangsters are asleep, what are you even doing with your childhood?
https://youtube.com/shorts/KHus9kQlxjI?si=6m7qs-YVK0cNIFsI
So A Hot Tip. A Re Air is A Weasels Jar Fart
So what…41 is not old when your squad is thin.
All of yous please do yourselves a favour and watch this cuz it’s funny as fuck!! Despite the blandness of the new Seppo tour its a relief to see true Strayan cunts are still alive but have just moved on to different careers hahahahaahaha
Thats great.
Soooo good ay hahaha
Could be Colonel Clinks grandson
He should concentrate on digging up rare earth minerals…way better payout
Fossil fuels. So many Dinosaurs & Forest fossils … Umm. Magma Burning Rocks.. Securi…,,
They’re evil…and we use their products
Pretty much. The Jurassic Park moviesbdidnt redeem the Fossils we use as oil n that..
like a more handsome Mick Campbell
Dipped in gold
I can not WAIT to watch the contest tomorrow
It’s Knot Happening. Buckle up for a Strung Out Demoralising
I was practising my pop ups down the beach, i was going great guns till the chick woke up and started screaming !!!
I think he’s getting flying mixed up with consuming high grade coca leaves highs
How’d the Wizard of Oz go last night?…
Great movie…on the correct drug regime
Drugs had no Affect on Obelisk
Gérard dee par dooo ! Supèrb
That shot makes it look like he has just stuck his head in a can of orange paint?
He’s a massive cunt in the water from my experience. Who isn’t?
Argies are gnarly to surf with.
Last time I was in G-land there was a pack of them there- I made friends with them and they “blocked” for me.
They are used to blocking for war criminals too mate
blows me out how many around here
Noosa chocablock too… Safety in numbers it seems…
Weak cunts thinking surfing is a team sport.
Like the Bronzed Aussies
gayest fucking name ever, btw
That’s why they fit in so well in the USA. It was their spiritual home.
9.5 score
Excellent, not gifted like the Strayan c
Hahaha like I said I must have made a mistake. I just remember the number 37 and the tester sounding surprised when she mentioned I was above average
You asked AI for the evaluation!!!!
Sweet move
Hahaha na I did it years ago, can’t remember where
not a schedule reader myself, but when does the kick ass tour stops begin? half the season is over and Saquerema of all places hosts the first tube ride of the season
No tubes at Bells (fat cow)
No tubes at Marg’s Rights
You know what, fuck it, the “league” is not professional in any way
BRING BACK ELO!!!
3 years gone RIP
Saw so many people avoiding tubes throughout this year just to do turns or Airs. They don’t realize mix it up with a tube or two… You still have time to the other routine. If you know what you’re doing…your score will rise.
Still no male world champ from California since Curren in 1990 despite them having the same population as the whole of this country bahahahahahahahaahahahahaaha
California has 39 million people and is the 4th largest economic entity in the entire world –
Australia has 27 million people and is the 12th largest economic entity –
So yes, California is a under achiever as most of the USA World Titles are by Florida surfers – Ke11y Slater and Lisa Andersen
and CJ*
an
Thats because we spend too much time thinking about how many Australian dollars we will get for our dollar to care about a world title.
Lol nice
Exactly
Do you know the conspiracy?
No. Care to enlighten?
They were sent to America to homogenize professional surfing in the States. They were plants…. put into a position to sow sterility and weakness in US surfing.
Mark Warren must have deferred
Worked like a dream except for Tom and Ke11y
Maybe.
I think more likely that wearing those jumpsuits to Australian pubs probably would have necessitated spending more money on dental work than a career in surfing might have provided. Moving to USA was like a health plan.
Their “curriculum” was fundamental and rigid
And based on single fin acumen
Unpopular in the water
Tip Tap Pinball scores make sure you walk off your board onto sand (I fucking hate the “complete the ride”) bullshit of the end section of a fucking shit wave.
Somehow that became Australia’s ceiling and the brown kids across the globe try harder
Much
Good luck to brown kids trying. Little Australia making up a third of the entire World’s top tier surf league without trying ain’t too bad.
Little?
I would look up the math of Brazzo compared to the Island of Oz, but it’s pretty obvious
The lucky and superior nation are not up to snuff, limited
Like Ian and Peter coming over to teach competition
Brazil population 214. Million…Men’s World surf champions : 5
Australia population 28 Million…Men’s World surf champions: 16
Obvious you say…How’s that maths working out ?
https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/the-complete-list-of-world-surfing-champions
Hahahaha what a load of shit, yous didn’t need any help in becoming a pack of Seppo softcocks it just comes naturally. Without Old Baldy the amount of world titles you’ve won would actually be fucking pathetic considering how rich America is and how it is the centre of the surf industry
The only Aussie of that era with ANY chance, Herring, melted down and out SC
Ke11y ran roughshod on the Momentum Gen
History began before your phone
You do know that Occy and Sunny won Lifetime Achievement Awards only because Ke11y went John John
If it wasn’t for Andy (Also American) Ke11y would have 14 titles
And none of them would have titles if Mark Richard’s back hadn’t gone out. Reckon he’d still be winning if he’d found a decent chiropractor.
He’d be on title 28 by now.
Did you know his original chiropractor was from California? The Septics fucked over MR just like they killed Phar Lap.
Old Baldy was an absolute freak who changed surfing forever and despite him being a massive cunt good on him. Without the GOAT padding your numbers you pack of soft wankers have contributed fuck all despite your wealth and numbers.
All that is left of the “2% gang” are Griff and Cole and there isn’t a chance of those two mental midgets winning yous another world title. Like I have said fucking good on the Brazzos cuz they work hard and deserve their success but including off tour stuff we are still easily the biggest force in world surfing where as the good old US of A means pretty much fuck all. Good onyas for beating us at wogball though xx
Caity is more interesting to watch for me personally than griff or kolohe. Jake Marshall needs more people around him to raise his profile and is pretty underrated, though admittedly I am finally just rooting for him this year.
But outside of competition, some of my favorite free surfers have to be the Australians. Noa Deane and Bryce Young come to mind. I can’t think of one Brazilian free surfer I want to sit back and watch. Some younger Americans I enjoy like Parker Cohn or Watanabe but the system to push them isn’t there. I do think the Aussies need waaaaaay more gumption (looking at you Sweet Cheeks) to crawl back over the Brazilians, considering the gnarly amount of talent there is. For right now the Italian has a better chance of winning a world title based on sheer will than our north straddie prodigy.
I now put Sweet Cheeks in the same category as Dane in that I love watching him surf more than any cunt in the world but have accepted he will never win a world title. I still reckon if asked 90% of surfers would love to surf like him over anyone else so he is a winner in my eyes brother xx
Careful! You’re sounding like a Seppo now!
I agree 😉
Mick Campbell and Slater was the closest title race in history of the sport.
That was 1998 (?) so maybe six years before the phone.
Hippy trying to blame the nothingness of the Seppos efforts on tour on the bronzed Aussies is the funniest thing I have read on here in ages hahahaha. Coming from a seppo cunt who grew up with a maid and nanny just makes it even better haha
I think how rich we are actually hurts us. Costs too much to live near the beach so a huge chunk of people are hamstrung from the start.
Same here too now Rich
Do you rember what California surfing was like before they showed up? People were riding 7’6” pintails in head high waves with beaver tail wetsuits. The best surfer in California was Mike Purpus.
old guys
ruledrool…The Japs started little Tokyo in Rainbow bay 30yrs back but only surfed in twos and threes, then the Brazil nuts moved in in packs… Seems now it team Argentina. Some assimilate but most move on…. Goes to show we really have the best waves/weather and nicest vibes. Shame when they mistake kindness for weakness and think that they are slaying it!..
There’s a monied enclave of them, Aguirre adjacent, in my neck of the woods. Tall poppy treatment would be good. Argentinos can be notoriously big-headed.
Me mate, I am lovely company to share a lineup with if you love laughing and writing cunts off haha. Beware of the surfing ranga, they are a dangerous breed and who can blame them looking like that?!
That’s the only way! And fuck you’re right
You ever noticed it’s the “ Good vibes, bro” crew who are the biggest cunts to surf with?
Fake. Fake. Fake.
One particular memory: Hanging with a trio of Brazzos who were also staying at Scar Reef . I’d somehow avoided surfing with them despite them being the only other surfers around. One day they said they were going down Supersuck and do I want to jump in their car ? Sure, I said. On the way there it’s all Bob Marley, Shakas and good vibes, bro. Get in the water and they’ve all morphed into absolute spastics who simply could not respect anyone else in the lineup….including each other. All three were at some point guilty of multiple episodes of egregious shit fuckery which involved screaming matches. . Two of them blew up at each other.
Then we got back in the car and the entire trip home was Bob Marley, Shakas and “Good vibes, bro”.
Fuckwits
Super bank is making you guys so cynical
Bob Marley is directly related to creating some of the biggest, manipulative pricks you know in you’re life.
Don’t worry about a thing my little BograilCutback, ‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Nooooo!! Not you too!!!
Shocker
Yeah . When I started traveling my surfing got better and my eyes opened up. I hope he makes it. Yew!