Ground Swell, The Other Side of Fear

Experience the fear and inner turmoil behind surfing the world’s biggest waves. Monster Energy is proud to announce the upcoming theatrical release of the captivating Big Wave Surfing Documentary Ground Swell: The Other Side of Fear. 

Produced and directed by Paul Taublieb of Taublieb Films, a multi-Emmy Award-winning studio, the 75-minute feature film will hit cinemas across North America on January 14, 2023, in over 50 markets, and in international markets (Portugal, Germany, UK, South Africa and Australia) in February. 

Find a theater here: https://www.groundswellfilm.com/

Watermen's Retreat - A Waterfront Resort in Cape Hatteras NC

Looks like a relaxing and fun location in the Cape Hatteras area for Watermen News to visit soon. I do hope we can dock our JetSki's there.

Described by Real Watersports as; An Unmatched Experience - Watermen’s Retreat provides a fresh look at the waterfront resort experience. Watermen’s consists of 14 waterfront suites, a secluded cottage plus a range of budget friendly cabanas.

The goal at Watermen’s Retreat is to always exceed expectations and make the most of your time to unwind. The Watermen’s atmosphere is family friendly and inclusive. Watermen’s Retreat is not only for kiteboarders and surfers, it’s for anyone who enjoys being a part of the excitement and fun.

Watermen's Retreat guests enjoy, 5-star, sparkling clean accommodations with fully equipped kitchens, incredible views, and breathtaking sunsets. If you're looking for the “REAL” Cape Hatteras experience, stay at Watermen’s Retreat to maximize your vacation. Enjoy private kiteboarding launch access at REAL Watersports the #1 kiteboarding, surfing, and foiling school in the world, Wi-Fi internet access, washer/dryer, secure gear storage, and quick access to REAL Watersports and Watermen’s Bar & Grill.

To book your Watermen’s Retreat vacation today, call 252-987-6000 . You can also email us or book now.

Nazare: Love and pain on the world's biggest wave

 

Since it was first surfed, a little over a decade ago, the Portuguese town of Nazare has become the 

undisputed home of the world's biggest wave

As he looks out from his balcony, over slumped, drying wetsuits, Andrew Cotton can see it all.

The stretch of sand, the salt haze, a spike of cliff and a scarlet lighthouse.

Most of all, Cotton can see Nazare's waves. They are small today, relatively at least, but there is still a backdrop of bubbling white water and churning white noise.

When the swell is right and the surf is up, it is a different story on a different scale.

Nazare, a small town 60 miles north of Lisbon, is where towering waves - some the height of 10-storey buildings - crash to shore.

For generations of local fishermen, those conditions have meant danger and death. For Cotton they are a way of life and a living.

"Weirdly, somehow, I have turned it into a job, so when it is big, you go out there," he says.

"You go out there all day and do what you need to do."

When it is one of those days, Cotton doesn't need to even look. When the biggest, most lucrative wave in the world arrives, he knows as soon as he wakes, before his eyes open.

"Living here, I know how big the waves are by how much the windows are rattling," he adds.

"It can really be something else, you know? The ocean can be scary when there are no waves. When here is big… it can be petrifying."

Read more BBC Sports

Helicopter rescues Jet Ski destroyed by Giant Waves

 

As a big wave surfing legend, Kai Lenny sure must have seen some interesting things. Lenny has made big waves his passion, and this passion is not free of danger. If one wants to ride the big waves, one has to pay the price. This price might be broken bones, broken surfboards, or broken jet skis. The latter most happened with Kai Lenny, as he lost a beloved jet ski to the harsh tow at Jaws.  Fortunately, there are amazing Helicopter Pilots that can retrieve the carnage.

By Design: Examining the Jet Ski’s Giant Impact on Big Wave Surfing

 

“Oh, it’s had a humungous affect on the progression of big wave surfing over the past 30 years. No question. ”

This from Frank Quirarte, the renowned surf photographer and heavy water safety expert from Half Moon Bay, California who, having recently returned from an epic strike mission to Cortes Bank, definitely knows what he’s talking about. He isn’t referencing any particular surfboard design, breath-holding training method or inflatable vest. He’s not talking about different GoPro mounts, either. What Quirarte is pointing to as having arguably the single most significant influence on big wave surfing over the past few decades is the Jet Ski.

Peahi, Teahupo’o, Aussie bommies and slabs, Mullaghmore, Cortes Bank and, of course, Nazarè — all tackled at size with a hand on the throttle, and in each case completely redefining the parameters of what is considered to be rideable surf. Then there’s the paradigm shift when it comes to safety, with the introduction of precise teamwork and coordinated rescue protocol. Yet although having become ubiquitous in big wave lineups around the world, and the topic of much discussion and even controversy since gaining popularity in the early 1990s, the wider surfing world has been told virtually nothing about how and why these machines work, or, in fact, anything about their performance and design evolution. So let’s fix that right now. Read More

Eddie Aikau Surf Contest Won By Local Lifeguard

 

Luke Shepardson is more accustomed to saving lives than winning international surf competitions, but on Monday the on-duty lifeguard saw off some of the biggest names in the sport to claim victory at the prestigious Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational in Hawaii.

 Shepardson had to get permission from his boss to take time out from his day job to compete in the elusive event, which throws professional and local surfers together in huge swells and this week ran for the first time in seven years. The competition, known simply as The Eddie, is held only when waves at Waimea Bay consistently reach 30ft or bigger.

 John John Florence, the two-time WSL champion, won the last edition in 2016 and went close to becoming the first two-time champion, but ultimately lost out to Shepardson, who claimed the title in between dashes to and from his lifeguard tower on the beach.

 “I told myself, ‘I’m in it because I can win it,” Shepardson said. “It was super scary. The waves were huge, and it was a dream come true just to be part of The Eddie, just to be on the alternate list. I can’t believe it – it’s crazy. I’ve got to get back to the tower to make sure everyone’s OK until the end of the day.”

Shepardson, 27, scored 89.1 points out of a possible 90 to claim the title and $10,000 prize money. As he joined Florence and other previous winners including Kelly Slater, Bruce Irons and Ross Clarke Jones, he was hoisted up in celebration on the beach – still clad in distinctive yellow and red life-savers attire.

The winner evoked memories of the man the event is named after; The Eddie is held in honour of the late Eddie Aikau, like Shepardson a Hawaiian surfer and lifeguard – the first one on Oahu’s North Shore.

 Aikau saved more than 500 people during his career but during a journey in 1978 re-enacting an ancient route of Polynesian migration between Hawaii and Tahiti, the voyaging canoe he was aboard capsized. Aikau paddled away on his surfboard to raise the alarm and the rest of the crew were later rescued. But Aikau disappeared and his body was never found.

The event was first run in celebration of his life in 1985 at Sunset Beach and has been held just nine times since. Eddie’s younger brother Clyde Aikau won two years after the inaugural competition when it was held on Oahu’s North Shore for the first time. Clyde now supervises the event, which for the first time this year saw a woman, Brazil’s Andrea Moller, catch a wave, six years after female surfers were first named as alternate competitors.

 Anticipation that The Eddie would run this year had been building for over a week, with the contest briefly given the go-ahead before being put on hold. Big wave surfers from as far afield as Portugal have been consulting forecasters who closely track the huge storms travelling across the north Pacific for signs they will translate into the 30ft clean waves that the contest requires.

 As each day passed, and as more data came in from buoys hundreds of kilometres north of Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu, the 40 surfers invited for The Eddie scrambled to get their equipment, support team and mindset ready.

 “It felt incredible to surf in this event,” Kai Lenny, a top big-wave surfer, who finished in fifth place. “I know we’ve all had the Eddie Aikau posters in our rooms growing up, so to have the opportunity to actually go out there for Eddie and his ohana [family], the Aikaus, was a dream come true for me.”

Post from The Guardian by Mike Hytner

Who’s Driving the Ski? This Is Where Big-Wave Rescue Teams Come From

 

Drake Stanley jets Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker to safety. Photo: Abe Alarcon.

Big waves have a certain mystique to them, at least when viewed from the beach or via the internet. When you get into the thick of things, with tons of water moving around, the mystique can fade pretty quickly. Now add the typical lineup chaos you might experience at a crowded break like Malibu or Pleasure Point, and shit gets downright horrifying.

With more and more people getting into surfing in recent years, surprisingly – or not – there’s also more and more people taking on the waves of Maverick’s, Jaws, and Nazaré. And unlike your local beachbreak, the crowds at big-wave locations can produce some truly life-threatening scenarios. I caught up with several rescue teams to learn about what these storied locations look like from the perspective of the rescuer, and the efforts being made in recent years to manage the crowds of chargers who come to test themselves on some of the biggest and gnarliest waves in the world. I basically wanted to find out where these rescue teams come from and why they do what they do. Read More

Pipe Masters could get green light Tuesday, WSL reminds people to watch from home

Pipe Masters could get green light Tuesday, WSL reminds people to watch from home: A high surf warning is in effect for most of the state’s north and west facing shores through Monday evening. Surf heights are expected to reach 30 feet on north-facing shores and 20-feet on west-f…

Shaped: The Waterman, Dan Mann

In the almost 30 years since I first met Dan Mann, he has been a professional surfer, a lifeguard, a champion paddle boarder, and more and more these days, a world renown shaper…thanks to his recent collaboration with Kelly Slater.

John Weisbarth April 22, 2020

So You Call Yourself A "Waterman"? Thrill Seekers & Risk Takers - The Movie Salty Crew

THRILL SEEKERS AND RISK TAKERS May 1, 2020
The unknown is shrinking, but it still exists. Introducing the latest Salty Crew movie.

Follow the crew in a search for their own frontier. As they surf, fish, and adventure along the way. Inspired by the thrill seekers and risk takers who have gone before them. The Salty Crew team passes through Alaska, British Columbia, Mainland Mexico, Western Australia, New Zealand, and back home to Southern California. Starring Matt Meola, Lucas Dirkse, Levi Slawson, Damien Hobgood, Duane Diego, Jerome Forrest, Nate Yeomans, and David Ochoa.

Fishpeople | Lives Transformed by the Sea

 Fishpeople tells the stories of a unique cast of characters who have dedicated their lives to the sea. Featuring Kimi Werner, Eddie Donnellan, Dave Rastovich, Matahi Drollet, Ray Collins and Lynne Cox. Directed by Keith Malloy

Epic Big Wave Surf Foiling in Nazare w/ Laird Hamiton, Terry Chung, Luca...

Moving at a speed where your mind slows things down to gain control... In early 2020 Laird Hamilton, Terry Chung, Luca Padua and Benny Ferris were out with top surfers across the globe in Nazare Portugal to surf waves that come about rarely, if ever. After extensive experimentation with setups and technique, this group was going to go after the breaks in Nazare in a different way, on surf foils that allow for an unreal speed on the water and an entirely new experience. Documented by Patrick Wieland, on custom classic foils engineered by the team at Lift Foils.

Read the Full Story

How Diving Can Improve Your Surfing, with Mark Healey

Hawaiian waterman explains the benefits of descending beneath the surface

Surfline January 29, 2020

These days, the virtual world is nearly as tangible as the good ol’ fashioned terra firma. There it is, constantly in our pockets, awaiting our scrolls and likes and hashtags. But Oahu’s own Mark Healey lives in the real world, unplugged à la The Matrix. He’s in the sea – surfing, diving, and fishing. He’s on land – hunting wild boar. He’s in the air – or, rather, he’s breathing it in ways to help him in his pastimes above. He’s a man of the physical world in all its material forms; although his Instagram account is still a solid follow. Just sayin’.

And one of Healey’s favorite side hustles – outside of his main muse, surfing – is diving. He’s become a well-respected free diver and award-winning spear fisherman, which, in an era when simply packing a bomb at Pipeline or hucking air reverses on repeat has become blasé, is important. You need to be more than just a good surfer to be recognized. You need to be an eco-warrior or a musician or a mixed martial artist or (in Healey’s case) an all-around “waterman.” And, more importantly, it also helps to have something else to do when the waves go flat.

But the best part is, Healey’s hobbies help him when big swells do arrive. And diving in particular. So, for another edition of our ongoing series on cross-training, we picked Healey’s brain about what it’s like to go beneath the surface, and how it helps when he comes back to the lineup.

Hawaii-born Jason Momoa makes a splash on "Aquaman" movie

It’s fitting that Jason Momoa is catapulting to international stardom in a movie titled “Aquaman.”

Like the comic book superhero he portrays in the Warner Bros. DC Extended Universe blockbuster that opens here Friday, the Hawaii-born actor is a true waterman who learned the ways of the ocean from his ohana and a close-knit network of mentors.

Also like his half-human, big-screen alter ego, Momoa, 39, is a product of two distinct and vastly different cultures.  Read More 

SAS Water Safety: Wipeout Wearable: Quiksilver’s Inflatable Vest May...

SAS Water Safety: Wipeout Wearable: Quiksilver’s Inflatable Vest May...:   Surf brand Quiksilver partnered with diving equipment manufacturer Aqua Lung to develop an inflatable flotation device. The Highline Airli...

HAWAIIAN WATER PATROL ALL GROWN UP - Watercraft Journal

 

The Hawaiian Water Patrol (HWP) was founded by former Honolulu City and County lifeguards Terry Ahue and Brian Keaulana. What started out as a couple of guys on jet skis performing rogue water rescues, finally became a legal entity in the mid 1990’s. This was after scores of tickets were issued to Keaulana for launching his jet-ski. It didn’t matter that he had saved lives while off the Hawaiian Islands.

Ahue and Keaulana realized that they should engage in putting together a book of professional guidelines and standards. Prior to becoming an official organization the two men purchased a couple of skis and brought some other skilled lifeguards on board to run rescue at professional surfing events. Soon after, they built a rescue sled for transporting surfers and victims of water related incidents to safety. This method cut down on the amount of time it took to safely bring someone in from a dangerous situation.

The HWP was soon hailed as the top dog of water rescue and Hollywood approached them for stunt and safety coordination. The lifesavers even became members of the Stunt and Screen Actors Guild and that’s when their operation turned into a money maker!

According to a recent piece on surfline.com, Ahue and Keaulana became certified Hollywood stunt and safety coordinators. Technically, the group operates as “Ocean Risk and Management”, a subcontracted private business hired for any water event, film, or surf contest. The Hawaiian Water Patrol has come a long way since its rogue rescue days! The crew is always learning and staying up to date with and creating the latest rescue techniques. Like a fine wine, it gets better with age.

Shared from the Watercraft Journal

Mick Fanning Awarded SIMA’s 2016 Waterman of the Year Honor

What more can we say about Mick Fanning that hasn’t already been said in the past 12 months? The world watched him escape an encounter with a shark mid-heat and never looked away – from losing his brother during a week that decided the world title, to his triumphant climb into the title race to begin with – just about everything Mick experienced in a very public light had to tug at your heart strings. Then he announced early in 2016 it had all added up to taking a much deserved year off from competition. Inevitably, the world still pulls for Mick, even if he’s not going to wear a jersey most of 2016.

Come August, Mick will be honored in Laguna Beach, California as the 2016 Waterman of the Year for SIMA’s 27th Annual Waterman’s Weekend.

“Mick has overcome some major hurdles in his life while working his way to the top of the sport” reads a press release announcing the honor. “From personal losses to suffering a complete hamstring tear in 2004 that sidelined him for six months. Then in 2015, while battling for a fourth world title, Mick infamously battled a shark in a heat during the J-Bay Open. Throughout it all, Mick has always shown the heart of a champion and represented surfing in the most positive way.”

Fanning joins a list that includes last year’s Waterman of the Year honoree, Stephanie Gilmore, as well as legends like Tom Carroll Tom Curren, Andy Irons, Gerry Lopez and Bruce Brown, to name a few.

Also being honored during the 27th Annual Waterman’s Weekend are big wave surfer Ramon Navarro as the 2016 Environmentalist of the Year, with the Lifetime Achievement Award going to Simon Anderson. The two-day fundraising event is expected to will support the SIMA Environmental Fund. The Waterman’s Ball itself attracts more than 600 people each year as is expected to raise close to $400,000 to benefit 18 different ocean conservation groups.

Greg Long at Puerto Escondido • 2014 Ride of the Year Award Winner / Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards

Different day paralleled in  greatness, BWWT champ grabbing rail on his backside for a healthy dose of

Puerto Escondido,. Photo: Billabong XXL | Edwin Morales

 

Greg Long (San Clemente, California, USA) is a Ride of the Year Award Winner for this wave at Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico. Video by Mike Mortimer. A finalist in the 2014 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards on May 2. For more info see the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com

 

Second Place: Shawn Walsh (HAW)
Third Place: Grant Baker (ZAF)
Fourth Place: Shane Dorian (HAW)
Fifth Place: Billy Kemper (HAW)

 

More from the 2014 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards coming soon.

 



Surfing Elite in California for Friday's Bilabong XXL Big Wave Awards; Live Webcast Set

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - (May 1, 2014) - Anticipation is swelling as the best big wave surfers on the planet gather in Southern California ahead of the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards this Friday, May 2. The gala ceremony will sweep into the Grove Theater in Anaheim where the greatest rides of the last year will be celebrated and over $120,000 in prize money will be awarded to event champions. Nominees run the gamut from established superstars like Hawaiian Shane Dorian and Californian Greg Long to emerging performers like Andrew Cotton of England and Gautier Garanx of the Basque Country of France.

Surfing in Alaska with photographer Scott Dickerson - GrindTV.com

When one mentions the term “boat trip,” visions of the Mentawais and swaying palm trees fill the minds of surfers. Well, most surfers. For a certain dedicated bunch, a boat trip is a chance to scour un-surfed coastline in a region better known for heli-skiing than surfing. Meet Alaska-based surfer and photographer Scott Dickerson. Dickerson and his pals have turned their focus away from palm-fringed beaches and toward soaring bald eagles and snow-covered peaks that dip into the Gulf of Alaska. Aboard the good ship Milo, these guys are on the front line of surf discovery in Alaska. Here’s their story.

What are some of the challenges to surfing in Alaska? It seems like the first one would be getting to the surf spots.
Most people assume the cold and extreme weather conditions would be the biggest hurdle to surfing in Alaska. If only it were that simple! Really the only time that the cold temps slow us down is when it’s so cold that freezing spray makes boating unsafe. Otherwise, as you suggested, the biggest challenge we face is accessing the waves, which are mostly tucked away in the endless miles of rugged wilderness coastline.

Have you ever had any encounters with the local wildlife, like orcas, bears, et cetera? Do you guys carry rifles to protect yourselves?
Everyone seems to like the idea of Alaskans being chased by hungry grizzly bears every time we step outside. It works good on reality TV, and fortunately that’s where it stays for the most part. We certainly take precautions to avoid unpleasant interactions with the local critters further up the food chain, but honestly your own surfboard in a closeout barrel is a lot more likely to cause you problems on a surf trip here than a bear. Occasionally sea lions will chase us out of the surf, and nobody really likes seeing killer whales up close when you are in the water. Bears don’t swim very often and we don’t spend much time on land, so we mind our own business. Camping is a different story …

Read more; Surfing in Alaska with photographer Scott Dickerson - GrindTV.com