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Eli Olson, tactfully negotiating a backwash groove in Pipeline’s rifle bore. Photograph by Shane Grace. A major nor’easter slamming New England. “This moment looks serene,” says photographer Brian Nevins, “but the wind was violent, and the incoming surge nearly swallowed those shoreline homes. For me, it’s always the romance of winter surfing that sticks, not the frostbite.”
John Platenius and Curtis Parker, checking the surf in British Columbia while streaming a friend’s ’QS heat in California. Photograph by Jeremy Koreski.
“This Canary Islands beach is usually sprawling with holidaymakers,” says photographer Luke Gartside. “When 50 mph offshore winds whipped up a Sahara-style sandstorm, only one couple decided to put on matching pac-a-macs and go for a walk.”
Baja initiation for Tasmanian rubber tramps. Photograph by Nick Green.
“The mana [spiritual energy] inside this barrel was insane,” says Moana Jones Wong. “I truly believe this wave was given to me by my ke Akua [god], my kūpuna [ancestors], and my ‘aumakua [ancestor gods]. It was the most spiritual experience of my life and is forever engraved in my heart. This wave was Pipeline telling me I belong there.” Photograph by Ryan Craig. Great White North cottagecore: Blair Forsyth in the backyard, pulling into a strange brew. “This spot breaks only a few times a year,” says photographer Jeremy Koreski. “Blair made the most of this day and got so many good ones.”
Brooks Cottong, fully involving a G&S Hot Curl’s 60/40 rail on Oahu’s South Shore. Photograph by Shane Grace.
“Jai Glindeman is one of the few young competitive surfers with naturally great style,” says photographer Jimmy Wilson. “He doesn’t try to ‘maximize’ every ride. This isn’t a contrived high line. He’s simply using the best part of the wave to reach the section he wants with speed before laying down an incredible turn.”
Filmmaker Chris Bryan, sighting up Noa Deane at Cape Solander. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen Cape treated like an air wave,” says photographer Sam Venn. “The incoming swell hadn’t quite arrived yet, and it was a little wobbly—and I think that made it appealing to Noa. He kept hitting these ramps, boosting super high, and almost landing on Chris.”
A trio of European ephemera and novelties through the lens of Luke Gartside. Local fisherman Adam “Bearman” Griffiths, taking a break from selling his catch at Cornwall’s harbor market to slide the fickle breakwall. “There are centuries of accumulated debris in that shallow seabed—lobster pots, tangled nets, and shopping carts,” says Gartside. “It’s dangerous.”
“Portugal has numerous beachbreaks down little dirt tracks,” he says. “The vagaries of big tidal swings and fast-moving sand rule these spots. If it looks like this when you rock up, you’re too late.”
“This English novelty is a favorite among the groms,” Gartside says. “They’ll line up on the wall’s base ledge and take turns jumping into its surging wedge. A mistimed takeoff means getting dragged along the barnacle-crusted concrete and, even worse, losing your place in line.”
Town surfer Noa Mizuno, beckoned to Country by trade-groomed west swell. Photograph by Shane Grace.When winter heavies pulse, Pascuales-raised Rolando Stanley Ozuna sunbirds from Mainland Mexico to Maverick’s. Photograph by Fred Pompermayer.
[Feature Image Caption: “I swam out at the Right [in West Oz] during the biggest storm of the year,” says photographer Kim Feast. “It was 20 feet and windy—the wildest combination of conditions I’ve ever witnessed. The sun would peek through the rolling fronts and light up these incredible sculptural moments. I definitely shouldn’t have been out there. It took all my ocean experience to stay safe and return to land.”]
