That quote above seems like a tall claim from Nathan Florence, but when you watch this Mentawai score fest with brother Ivan he might have a point. “Big blue perfect conditions,” says a sun-starched Nathan. “As many barrels, trading off, me and my brother trading off with just a few friends. Scoring picture-perfect waves in the Mentawai Islands seems like a cliché at this point. Since the 1990s, surfers have explored the 70 or so islands dotting the West Coast of Sumatra, one of the most aesthetically pleasing wave-rich regions in the world. It’s not exactly new territory. But, like most clic ..read more

Exactly 6-months ago, João Chianca suffered a serious head injury after a wipeout at Backdoor. The world number 4 was knocked out and rushed to the hospital, where he spent days regaining consciousness and then weeks after under 24 hour care when it was discovered he had a significant amount of bleeding in his brain. Just a terrifying injury.  While it's been a grueling ordeal and recovery, Chianca is back in the water and back in Top 5 form. Last month, he rampaged through the early rounds at the Challenger Series stop at Snapper, finishing in equal 5th. From there, he jumped a plane to ..read more

Nic Von Rupp, Skeleton Bay. Photo: Alan Van Gysen Two of South Africa's best surf creatives, photographer Alan Van Gysen and editor/director Will Bendix, are the duo making up the core of Now Now Media, and behind the ShootOut concept. This fresh idea has captured the imagination of many, and despite the term 'surf contest' this is quickly pivoted by the phrase 'anywhere, anytime, anyone.' After a successful event at Skeleton Bay last year, the ShootOut concept has rolled out into three events for the year, and it has every chance of growing from there. With support from Monster Ener ..read more

A barrage of waves recently slammed into Sumatra, officially kicking off swell season in the region. Given the quality and consistency of Indonesia, surfers could enjoy more barrels than Bintang from Nias to Grajagan this week. And just offshore of Keramajat Island, the frequented Kandui left lit up like a theater marquee. There were plenty of attendees punching their tickets for the show. Luke Swanson, milking lefts like it's his job.  Frame: Kandui Villas Mentawai Is there anything better in surfing than pumping full speed underneath section after section? Luke Swanson, easil ..read more

Peter Mel’s Mavericks’ accolades need no embellishment. He’s been one of the best out there for decades. But Peter honed his day-to-day chops on the plethora of reefs around Santa Cruz County. When Pillar Point isn't beckoning, the 54-year-old still turns heads when he sets his rail or looks under the hood of a cold, kelp-strewn runner. But even the Condor isn’t immune to age and the reality check it can bring to one’s surfing. That’s why he was intrigued by the Big Happy, Britt Merrick’s latest creation from Channel Islands Surfboards. CI’s Happy line has been filling shop racks for yea ..read more

You can (and should) catch the maestro Donald Brink shape a board from scratch at Salt Creek this weekend.   Photo: Jeremiah Klein Vissla has long prided itself as a creative surf company, one that backs creatives and free thinkers, and those not afraid to express themselves in unorthodox ways. And nowhere is that ethos more manifested than the Cosmic Creek Surf Contest & Music Festival, happening June 1 and 2 at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point. This weekend is the event’s 26th rendition. The two day event features a retro-board only contest and Saturday afternoon will h ..read more

Former Brazilian world champ, Italo Ferreira, has caused a sensational boil-over to take out the Tahiti Pro in all-time six to ten foot conditions at Teahupo'o, defeating event favorite John Florence in a high scoring final. Despite narrowly avoiding the mid-year cut and struggling to find form for the past two seasons, the Brazilian proved his heavy-water credentials yet again with a display that shocked the surfing world. “I really wanted to win here. I’ve been winning but (in) different kind of waves, not barrels,” he said afterwards. After a narrow win in a high-scoring tube shootout over ..read more

The 1993 world champ, Pauline Menczer Tom Servais Pauline Menczer didn’t win a dollar when she claimed her World Title at Sunset in 1993. In fact, she barely got any recognition at all. When the film Girls Can’t Surf was released in 2021, Pauline’s story resonated across the globe and she found herself in a spotlight she’d long been denied. From growing up in Bondi, one of the most hardened suburbs in Australia in the 1980s, to traveling the world on a shoestring budget without sponsorship support, Pauline is now known to have been one of surfing’s toughest and most resourceful competitors. On ..read more

Perfect heats, in surfing, are rare. Like a hole in one in golf; a round one, first blow knockout in the ring; a goalie goal in hockey; an inside the park home run. The sports analogies abound, but bottom line is, they’re nearly impossible. Key word: nearly. On Finals Day of the Shiseido Tahiti Pro, Gabriel Medina came as close as it comes to achieving the almost impossible, by surfing two excellent scores at pumping Teahupo’o in his Round of 16 matchup against Jake Marshall. First, the Brazilian three-time world champion locked in one 10; then, he backed it up with a 9.83. A heat total of 19 ..read more

After missing out on a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Gabriel Medina will be hungry for hardware at one of his favorite waves. He's won twice in Tahiti while on the Championship Tour and has made six finals, including the last four times he's competed there. Photo: Beatriz Ryder/WSL On Wednesday, the International Surfing Association, the body responsible for getting surfing into the 2024 Paris Olympics, released the opening round heats that will kick off at Teahupo’o in two months' time. Coincidentally, the ISA dropped the heats smack in the middle of WSL’s Championship T ..read more