We had a bit of a swell here in Los Angeles today and while it wasn't anything crazy, it was fun enough!
It felt good to get on the sand again and see waves over waist high.
Thanks for watching. I'm Brad Jacobson and I'll sea ya on the sand.
Music (in order of appearance): Fasion, The Fly Guy Five, Dusty Decks (last 2 songs).
SURFING Los Angeles in the Winter of 20-21 "Endless Winter"
Winter time in the South Bay region of Los Angeles is always the best time to surf due to swell directions. The 2020-21 winter surf season saw plenty of ups and downs.
This is my recap of the surf here in the South Bay where we're always hoping for the longest winter possible, the Endless Winter.
Thanks to all of the surfers who let me chase them around. I hope you enjoy this movie. I'm Brad Jacobson and I'll see you on the sand.
Music: Desert Cruising In A Dub State Of Mind, Rafi B Levy, Trio Particular and Dialgo
Watch this before heading out to try surfing. It's just the basics but it will give you a bit more of an understanding of the surf equipment you will be using.
Have questions? Ask away in the comments and I'll try to answer as best as I can.
Thanks for watching! I'm Brad Jacobson and I'll sea you on the sand.
In this episode I cover 10 things that drive surfers crazy.
Surfing is insanely fun but there are a few things about it that will make you question your sanity.
Can you relate to any? What were some that I missed? Let me know in the comments and I'll add them to the next one.
Thanks for watching! I'm Brad Jacobson and I'll see ya on the sand.
Music (in order of appearance): Henyao, Roy Edwin Williams, Walt Adams, Henyao,
Most people know of Bethany Hamilton and her incredible story of recovery from a tiger-shark attack that took her left arm 12 years ago in Hawaii. They may have seen her movie "Soul Surfer," or on shows like "Oprah," "The Tonight Show" or "The Amazing Race 25," where she finished among the top three with her husband, Adam Dirks. What most people don't know, however, is just how well Bethany Hamilton can surf.
On Jan. 4, the new mother handed her 7-month-old son, Tobias, to the family babysitter, then tow-surfed into several 40-foot waves at the legendary big-wave spot named Jaws, also called Pe'ahi, in Maui, Hawaii. While only a handful of other females and a select group of males have ridden waves at Jaws, those who witnessed it firsthand say Hamilton is one of the best surfers to ride that wave -- ever.
She not only rode the giant waves without falling, but she did so with so much style that she earned herself a World Surf League nomination for Ride of the Year. Hamilton talked with us about what it was like to prepare for surfing big waves, the challenges of being a new mom with one arm, and why she can't wait for people to see her upcoming film project, "Surfs Like a Girl."
Courtesy of Aaron Lieber
I've been preparing for days like this since I was a young grom growing up in Kauai. My mom and dad charged big waves when they were younger, and my brothers pushed me into bigger waves where we grew up. Trying to tag along with my older brothers, I slowly grew more confident and comfortable. I've always been adventurous as well, from cliff jumping to freediving, and I love challenging myself. Bigger waves are a great way to push myself to do more.
Being healthy and living an active lifestyle is also really important to me. If I could give advice to little girls, it's that you should never compare yourself to other people. Instead, focus on being healthy and find a passion you love and be consistent with it.
I am grateful for all God has given me on a daily basis, and I surf as much as I can. I think going out and surfing is the best training for actual surfing. If I am having a good session and out for five or more hours, sometimes my brother will paddle me out a sandwich in a Ziploc bag and a water. Besides surfing, I also do a lot of training with TRX bands and various breath-holding exercises. I like doing breath holds while watching the show "The Office," because you have to hold your breath without busting up laughing.
Marrying my husband and being a mom are the best things I have ever done. I adore my husband and he's so supportive of me. Then having Tobias, who is part my husband and part me, has been the new highlight. The best part is now Adam and I get to share the adventure of starting a family together. Nothing can stop me with those two by my side.
Courtesy of Aaron Lieber
I had Tobias in the summer, so I have been lucky that I had a lot of time to train and prepare for Jaws. After giving birth, my abs were separated, but exercises like planks and hollow rocks helped me get back in shape. I think carrying Tobias has also made me stronger.
Being a mom with one arm, I had a little fear in how I'd do certain things, but I knew I'd figure it out.I use my feet to stabilize him while I change his diaper, and I have figured out different ways to carry him around.
Now that I am a mom, I definitely cherish my life even more. While in heavier surf like Jaws, it's always in the back of your mind. I obviously want to live another day as a mom, so falling was the last thing I thought about while surfing there. I was honestly just excited about catching and riding the next wave.
I made good decisions in the water. At Jaws, I had the right gear and an awesome rescue and safety team with Dennis "DK" Walsh and his brothers at my side.
Catching a 40-foot set wave, I was so stoked, thankful, and it was the best feeling. Then to have my husband and dad watching and some of the best surfers in the water around me was a dream come true.
Luckily the winter is just getting started. I just can't wait to surf more big waves all over the world.
I'm making another movie, "Surfs Like a Girl." I hope I can show people I am more than a one-armed surfer. I'd love for people to be stoked about me for all of my abilities, and I hope to get other girls excited about going for their goals and dreams, no matter what's in their way.
Josh Kerr, once pigeonholed as a small-wave aerialist specialist, now hailed as a formidable all-rounder, fended off various titans of the big wave world to win the Todos Santos Challenge and thereby claim his maiden victory on the Big Wave World Tour.
The waves were big-ish but not particularly inspiring; Josh by contrast was on the small side but electrifying throughout, storming through the rounds with high heat totals to scoop the US $18,750 prize money. The WSL say “biggest victory of his career” — although if you wanted to be pedantic you might point out that he earned $20k for each of the two QS events he won almost six years ago, and $40k when he finished 2nd at Margaret River in 2014. Not that he was complaining:
“To walk away with a win — I feel like one of those dogs with his head out the car window. I was smiling the whole time I was paddling around in the Final.”
A few days ago Kelly Slater confirmed he would be taking part in the event, which automatically quadrupled interest in the whole thing, but then he pulled out a day or so later — suffering maybe from a lack of interest, or maybe fear of the big Todos Santos waves, although probably not the latter because he’d just been surfing Jaws a few days earlier and surfing it rather well. Still, a few dozen extra people probably tuned into the webcast for thirty seconds in the expectation of seeing Kelly. Result!
So far, July has been a pretty dang good month for insanely entertaining giant waves. A few days ago, we ran into another pretty nuts video fromThe Wedge. That was crazy. This one might top it. This video in particular shows just how crazy the Wedge can get… and just how crazy a few of the people who surf there are. Stand-up guy, we don’t know whether to applaud you or call an asylum.
If there were any doubts, Brad Domke has put them to rest. Big wave skimboarding is here to stay and impress. Prepare to watch the biggest wave ever ridden on a skimboard.
The Floridian skimboarder has ridden what is widely considered the largest wave ever on a skimboard. Domke took off on a massive barreling ride at Puerto Escondido, Mexico, in early July, alongside Shane Dorian.
While riding big waves on a surfboard is no longer a secret, holding the line on a finless skimboard is a different story.
Brad Domke's hollow wave at Puerto Escondido not only is the biggest skimboarding wave of all time, but it also opens a new chapter in the history of the sport.
It's time to invest in skimboarding. There are more and better skimmers, agile and established tours, steady and sustainable brands. The International Surfing Association (ISA) may play a key role in the development of skimboarding.
Today the wind was just nuts. It looked like victory at sea out there and I just watched it until a couple of guys decided to give it a try. If I had my 7'4 with me then I might've given it more serious thought and could've ended up paddling out, but I didn't. Over the hour that I spend shivering in the relentless wind I saw two guys catch just one wave each. Each wave was at least double over head and made me happier that I was on dry land and not fighting the current and choppy surf for survival.
One of my favorite places in the world is a little town in Italy called Levanto. I think the last time I was there was in July of 2009 and it's one of the few places that I could see myself never leaving. Back when I was there the surf was really small but I had heard of some of the locals talk about when the surf gets big, double over head and bigger. I did some searching on the internet and found a few shots of the surf in Levanto, Italy… Check it out:
Here's a few more shots of Cinque Terre, the 5 cities just to the south of Levanto. Check it out:
Scary wipeouts,
never-ending wave hold-downs, steep drops and inevitable bail-outs. Big wave
surfing can be painful and, sometimes, your life is in serious danger.
Big wave surfers have learned to prepare for the big occasions. Their daily
job requires a perfect balance between physical health and mental
preparation.
You are not born a big wave rider. You may become a big wave rider.
There's too much at stake when you're traveling down the wave face at 50 mph
(80 km/h) and, in your back, a massive wall of water chases you at full
throttle.
Brock Little, Laird Hamilton, Shane Dorian, Garrett McNamara, Grant Twiggy
Baker, Grant Washburn, Greg Long, Ian Walsh, Jay Moriarty, Jeff Clark, Mike
Parsons, Peter Mel, Ross Clarke-Jones are some of the
best big wave surfers of all time.
They share the commandments of the big wave surfer. So, what have they got
in mind, when it's time to paddle for the biggest ride of their lives?
1. Never take off on the first wave of a big set. It's
hard to resist a good-looking wave when you're waiting for 10 minutes and
adrenaline wants to pump your whole body. The problem is that, if you
wipeout, you will take the entire set on the head;
2. Let the whitewater control the movement of your body.
If you get caught by the wave or if you wipeout, don't resist the power of
the whitewash. You'll lose energy and oxygen. Let yourself go in fetal
position;
3. Always wear a buoyancy vest. A floatation vest can
save your life and get you to the surface during life-threatening hold-downs;
4. Control panic, let fear do its job; Panic attacks are
characterized by a fear of disaster or of losing control even when there is
no real danger. You don't want that. On the other side, fear is a basic
survival mechanism. Fear
is good and should be driven to big wave management;
5. Bail out the smartest way possible. Know the ocean
bottom and visualize the behavior of the wave behind you before bailing out;
6. Learn to wipeout. Always jump away from your board,
avoid head dives, protect your brain, keep cool and open your eyes
underwater;
7. Never go out all by yourself in a big wave surfing day.
If things go wrong, you won't have a jet ski saving your life. Paddling out
alone is probably the worst mistake a big wave surfer can make.
8. Study currents, ocean bottom and wave peaks before paddling out.
Knowledge is power. Before paddling out, take your time and gather as much
information as you can about the big wave spot, and you will reduce your
anxiety levels.
9. Learn to track swells and how to read weather charts.
Surf science will help you pick the spot, the day and the right time to
battle the wave titans. There are great
surf forecasting books in the market.
10. Practice Yoga and Pilates, improve your eating habits and
increase your lung capacity. Stretching and increasing
the amount of air your lungs can absorb is as critical as
setting a relaxed mindset for riding giants.
You know Belharra, right? That big wave magnet near Jean de Luz in the French Basque Country? Well, a storm named Hercules hit it overnight. Shane Dorian, Jamie Mitchell, Benjamin Sanchis, Twiggy Baker, Justine Dupont, Greg Long, Anthony Walsh, Peyo Lizarazu and plenty more came in wild for kicks. Peyo whipped some of the morning’s best waves, but it quickly became a paddle-only session as the tide dropped (Belharra favours the lower tide).
Quiksilver France guru Nic Dazet was in a boat in the channel. Stab spoke with him while still in the boat, during which Nic interrupted himself frequently to whoop in real time as the team in the lineup scratched or whipped into bombs. He also told us more about the session after it’d wrapped. “Peyo Lizarazu whipped into the best tow wave of the day, but then it turned into a paddle-only session,” Nic says. “(Shane) Dorian got the sickest one paddling, a left. It wasn’t the biggest, he just timed it perfectly. Benjamin Sanchis went right on the same one and fell. Jamie Mitchell did the sickest air drop on the biggest one of the day, easy 30 feet, but then ate shit.”
As an aside, Twiggy Baker and Jamie almost didn’t make it out there this morning. They rolled down to the water at pitch black to find their ski underwater. Luckily it worked out and they made it to the lineup in time for Jamie to almost make said air drop and allow us the pleasure of the photo you’ll see above.
While eating a cepes omelette at them Hendaye harbour after the session, Shane and Benny discussed Jamie’s wave:
Benny:What size you think Jamie’s wave was? Shane: It’s hard to tell, but that wave was over 60 feet for sure. It wasn’t the biggest wave I’ve seen today, but it was a really good one. Even for towing, it was a big wave. Benny: Yeah, that wave had more wall than most of the sets today. You saw how hard it is to be in the right spot to catch the wave? Sometimes you have the feeling you’re at the right spot but if you end up a bit on the shoulder you miss it. Shane: You don’t want to be behind either, you really need to be on the top. The wave is so fast that if you were anywhere but the peak you can’t catch it. I wish I got to have get more tries. Benny: Too bad it wasn’t breaking yesterday, we could have had two sessions in one swell. Shane: It’s a great spot to paddle, you can definitely catch some huge waves there…
“This was the first real paddle session here,” says Nic. “A lot of broken boards. But then the wind come on strong and the sets died off. It was still decent Belharra.”
Even if a little underwhelming. But, how could it not be in an age of ultrahype because the internet?
Chuck Patterson is a former pro Freeskier, a professional Waterman, and one of the most fearless humans we've ever met. After a brief experiment with skiing on waves several years ago, Chuck's passion for the idea was re-lit after watching Mike Douglas and Cody Townsend ski the waves of Maui in 2009. In January 2011, Chuck followed the biggest swell of the year to Maui, to see if he could see if he could successfully ski Pe'ahi or 'Jaws' -- one of the most powerful waves on earth.
