“Like a sheep trapped in a maze designed by wolves.”

I believe in purity and goodness and there’s something about Dylan Graves’ total beauty, the restless and lonely independence of manner, the proud serenity in the way he moves, that make a man fall in love over and over and over again.

Although Dylan Graves is of middle age, he’s no fat, shiny, liver-coloured man, but an example of who we can be if we don’t fall into the trap of remaining in our velvet cages of couch, device, home.

The adventures of Puerto Rican Dylan Graves in his pursuit of the strangest waves on earth have been assiduously documented on BeachGrit, a website that may be counted as Graves’ biggest fan, first in his ongoing series Weird Waves and, now, as he traverses the world solo.

Click here, here, here, here and here.

And here.

Here.

Here, too.

And, here, where it all began

In his latest instalment, Dylan Graves travels to the New Zealand city of Dunedin, a wild, windswept, cold-as-hell Scottish-Maori metropolis that stretches from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the Otago hinterland.

Dylan Graves immerses himself within the local surfing community, surfs as many different waves as he can during his stay and lionises the local surfers with the best clips of their lives.

“Definitely as core as it gets, here,” says Dylan Graves. “All the locals willing to do the mahi as many times as it takes to get the treats. And you can’t help but be all in on that vibe when you’re here. Yes, it might be cold. You might have to drive far, sea lions may confront you, penguins may be elusive, but you have screensaver views everywhere, and a good crew of people, all pushing each other, trying to be the best version of themselves, in or out of the water. Rain, shine or sea lions, this crew is on it. Gloves optional.”

"Someone just brought the dream backyard to reality."

Not all wave pools gotta cost fifty or a hundred mill, take years to finance, plan and build, eat up power and water, spend a significant time getting fixed and sting customers a couple of c-notes for an hour of fun. 

In the Arizona desert, a trio of pals have combined skills and resources to build a wave pool, called The Wave Source, that disrupts, the paradigm that tanks are for the monied only. 

Ben Gravy, a high-end intermediate surfer and novelty wave maestro from New Jersey whose pivot from drinking to daily vlogging saved him from a life as a drunk has revealed a little wave pool that took four months to build, is made from off-the-shelf nuke reactor parts and rarely breaks down. 

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Gravy writes,

About a month ago I received a random dm about visiting a wave pool that was built in a guys backyard. The pictures weren’t very impressive & I had no way of telling how big the waves were, but as the novelty guy of course I agreed to visit. When I arrived in Arizona & got to experience the first set my perspective changed immediately. It was a massive layout with 3-4ft perfect waves pumping through on command. I’m honored to tell Tony, Ash & Justin’s, amazing wave pool story today, through my platform. 

The goal, says one of the three in the video, either Tony, Ash or Justin – who knows! – them whites all look the same etc, was to create a pool quickly, cheaply and make it available to all surfers and not just the monied few.

The founders say the joint uses two-thirds less power, rarely breaks down and if it does, they can swing on down the road into town to buy whatever part is busted.

Blair Conklin, a deadly sweet skim and softboard clown, got himself a piece. At one point he uses the winch tow-method popularised by my ol pal Sam Mac back in KL in 2004.

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Yeah, it ain’t Slater Abu Dhabi or Slater Lemoore or even Wavegarden Tullamarine, but don’t tell you can’t see y’self frolicking in these little wedges.

Medina teases, "Does Kelly Slater deserve the strawberry of love?"

In one of the lighter moments featuring Gabriel Medina and Kelly Slater, the Brazilian has thrilled surf fans by feeding the greatest surfer of all time a Morango do Amor, or Strawberry of Love, a delightful Brazilian treat t

hat captures the essence of the country’s vibrant dessert culture.

The Strawberry of Love is and indulgent candy that features fresh strawberries enveloped in a creamy white brigadeiro—a traditional Brazilian confection made from condensed milk, butter, and white chocolate.

Have you ever tried a Strawberry of Love? The brigadeiro’s velvety texture contrasts beautifully with the fruit’s tartness. Each strawberry is then coated in a crunchy sugar shell, adding a crispness that elevates the experience. The combination of creamy, crispy, and fruity elements makes it thoroughly and irresistibly delicious.

Medina, who is thirty-one and currently off the tour due to a busted titty, feeds the almost-sixty year old Slater the Strawberry of Love who worried that Medina might be trying to drug him.

The pair then enjoy a surf session at the private wave pool, Beyond the Club Sao Paulo, Medina is repping and which is described by Wavegarden as “the world’s largest and most powerful surf park, a Wavegarden Cove with 62 modules, spanning 27,000 m2.”

Essential.