News
It’s the weekend and a category 3 or 4ish hurricane is spinning its way up the western coast of Baja gracing some spots and leaving others in ruin. But at the moment, it’s just gracing our area; the waves were fun, the angle was steep, and the water was shallow, what else do you need? More events and news happened within the last couple of weeks than would be possible to sum up in these mere tiny paragraphs but definitely noteworthy nonetheless, so let’s talk about it. There was a devastating fire in Maui; as mentioned earlier, Hurricane Hilary is sending it up the coast as we speak, the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro happened, and Shaun Manners starred in a freedom filled furfing film (a month ago).
Maui Fires
Maui, the beautiful windy paradise that boasts dense forests, thriving tourism, idyllic waves of consequence, and a palpable spirit, suffered the loss of many people, as well as its historic Lahaina Town due to a raging, fast-spreading fire. The fire blew in with high speed winds on August 8th and engulfed the town. Many news sources say that there are more than 100 dead as a result, however, the true number is unknown at the moment.
In the aftermath, Kai Lenny, big wave conqueror, showed up on the Stoked Bloke Show with Barton Lynch and discussed how he believes that there were more like thousands who had died in the fires, rather than the low numbers that are being reported (See Below). The road into town had been blocked, and the Coast Guard had been stationed nearby as well to stop people from getting into Lahaina (not really sure what the thought process is behind this). But it made it difficult for people to get supplies to those who needed them and to support a community in shambles. However, Kai, and other surfers including Albee Layer and Matt Meola, had taken matters into their own hands to deliver supplies — even if they had to evade the Coast Guard at times. This was a truly tragic disaster and our hearts go out to the Maui community.
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Hurricane Hilary
Hurricane Hilary is making its way up the coast at this very moment. The hurricane was originally a category 4 but has recently been downgraded as it storms (literally) into cooler northern waters. It is supposed to make landfall by Sunday, Aug. 20 in Northern Baja. It’s also bringing along pumping swell for that very same day to some Southern California regions that work on an SSE. Rain, wind, and a healthy supply of hysteria will accompany the storm. We hope everyone stays safe; click here to track the storm.
On A Brighter Note…
The SHISIEDO Tahiti Bro
The SHISIEDO Tahiti Pro took place during the week at a playful Teahupoo. (Well, playful for the legends of the sport who get spit out of pits and tame the drains; I wouldn’t have made one drop, obviously.) However, there were definitely some good days and amazing waves surfed during the swell window. Check out EVERY EXCELLENT WAVE ridden by the boys at the contest. This showcases a couple sick ones from the usual suspects: Gabe, John John and a few others.
The final showdown-duel-seshs, for both the men and the women, definitely scratched the entertainment itch. Gabe Medina battled it out with Jack Robinson in the final for a nail muncher. Gabe went on any and every wave; it was a cardio workout just watching him. Jack, slowly and methodically, waited for the set waves, which ended up being the more effective tactic — yea, spoiler alert, Robo robbed rad ripper Gabe with a last minute, and much needed, 7.83. This combined with his other 7.83 to best Gabe’s 8.17 and 6.83.
On the women’s side, the final was less dramatic. The waves were a bit stormy and lackluster, but cleaned up a little near the end. So it’s no wonder that neither Caroline Marks nor Caitlin Simmers scored higher than a 5.33 during their match up. Caroline Marks seemed to get one cleaner wave that had a wall, and she was able to pull off A SINGLE turn, and that seemed to be the difference maker. Good on her for making the most of the crumby sesh and finishing the job, and hats off to Caity as well for charging in all of her heats.
Cult of Freedom
This has been out for a while — maybe even a month — but I don’t care, I’m sharing it anyway. If you haven’t seen this edit yet, I’m not sure you’ll ever be quite trendy enough for this blog. Kidding. But give it a watch.The colors, quality of waves and the wide range of vastly different music genres throughout the edit will make you want to break out the ol’ vintage black and white Sony, sell you Tesla for a beater truck, and surf … really well. Enjoy.
— Barney Beadette