No.1: SURFING Magazine, Feb. 2014
The big-wave edition. Hold your breath
To me, the group picture below exemplifies what many surfers who excel in big waves preach. Cliche as it may sound, this group photo of some of the best big-wave surfers in the world in 2014 shows us a cohesive community, a brotherhood and sisterhood of chargers. Even though there are much fewer opportunities to surf big waves, the pay isn’t nearly as good as other professions and there is so much work involved at this level, the ocean brought these like-minded individuals together and affected their lives in a profound way.
Think of it this way, you’ll never see a group shot of the World Surf League’s Championship Tour guys pose like this.
This issue of SURFING was all about big waves, the stuff that gets our hearts pumping and makes us breathe a little heavier. Taylor Paul was the editor of SURFING at the time, and more often than not, I enjoyed the thematic issue presented each month.
There’s a ton of insight throughout this issue, including hard data on breath-holding, board construction and the coveted 100-foot wave. But the interesting wisdom gleaned from this issue is just that, wisdom. Reading quotes from the best big-wave surfers alive revealed an almost zen-like approach to surfing life-threatening waves. They then were able to apply the lessons learned on the water and translate them to a more fulfilling life. Words like “thankful,” “humility,” “patience,” and “respect” appear repeatedly. It’s such a contrast from what I believe is the public perception of big-wave surfers, hellmen who have nothing better to do than load up on adrenaline and test their carbon dioxide tolerance.
But perhaps the most intense testimony here comes from Greg Long, written a year after he nearly drowned at Cortes Bank, a wave that breaks 100 miles west of San Diego in the open ocean. He was resuscitated in the water, then flown on a helicopter overnight to a hospital on the mainland. His dramatic, thought-provoking and honest reflection of a life-altering experience is worth your time. It reveals a man aware of his own life and mortality. And he’s grateful for it.
Quotable: “A big wave is a feeling. You can tell how big a wave is by the way your mind and body react to it” — Grant “Twiggy” Baker
Notable features:
Derek Dunfee shares his South African adventure at Dungeons with Grant “Twiggy” Baker
The Unsung: How big-boned Ben Wilkinson approaches his carpentry and uniquely powerful style on massive waves.