Erin….
Ben Larg & Max Cooley travel to Ireland to score a once in a lifetime summer swell. Guiness, Steaks and barrels ensue… Filmed and Edited by Oscar James
Infinite Difference 02 Featuring Victor Bernardo
Now based in Oceanside, California, Victor Bernardo has stepped away from the traditional competition circuit to embrace freesurfing. Working closely with shaper Matt Parker, he experiments with alternative board designs while bringing creativity, style, and a deep connection to the ocean into his sessions. Known for his technical flair — especially in aerial maneuvers and backside surfing — Victor also uses his platform to speak about overcoming prejudice and to highlight surfing as a true expression of identity and authenticity.
Dissecting the variable differences in shape, style, approach, and how they came to be with Matt Parker
A series by: Matt Kleiner
Words by: Matt Parker
Produced by: Album Surf
FIlmed by: Matt Kleiner // Kaique Photo – Kaique Silva // Maldivessurfphotographer – Hupa Ibrahim // Fromaseaview – Zakaria // Ian Grose // Liquefy Maldives -Ayaz Ibrahim // Ayoub Abouizza // Yaamin Parte // Renato Do Val // Yugo Romanelli // Now Now Productions – Alan Van Gysen // Ian Tavares // Rafaski // Nicolas Gaillard // Ivan Tanjung // Gustavo Camarão // Brendoshootz // Mike Townsend
Llywelyn Williams AASP World Tour Champion
Llywelyn “Sponge” Williams has been crowned AASP (Adaptive Association of Surfing Professionals) World Tour champion after winning the US Open Adaptive Surfing Championships in Oceanside, California. Steve White caught up with him to and out more about his win and future plans.
Words: Steve White Images: SurfChaserPhoto
In a nail-biting final, a buzzer-beater wave saw Sponge leapfrog Australia’s Mark “Mono” Stewart into first place in the Men’s Kneeling division.
Sponge was well positioned to claim his first Tour title going into this competition following victories at Byron Bay and Waikiki. But the gold medal looked far from certain in the final’s opening stages in Oceanside.
Henrique Saraiva (Brazil) and Masafumi Kobayashi (Japan) registered early scores on the glossy 3ft waves. Next in focus was Mono whose rail work quickly moved him to the top of the leaderboard. Scoreless and rooted in 4th place after eight minutes, Sponge finally stuck a few solid carves going right to open his account with 7.73.
Mono looked to have things sewn up in the dying seconds, then as the buzzer sounded Sponge sped down the face of a right-hander, linking two top-turns with a nice carve to earn 9.5.
A combined total of 17.23 secured the Abersoch local his third US Open Adaptive Surfing Championships gold and his first AASP World Tour title.
Sponge returns to Oceanside in November for the ISA World Para Surfing Championships, where he will attempt to win his fourth Para Surfing crown in a row.
Reacting to the win, Llywelyn said:
“It’s been a mission for a while now but to get the title is brilliant. I’ve taken first in every contest I have entered over the last nine years, taking my podium finishes to 55 with 25 golds. I’m extremely happy to secure my first AASP World Tour title.
“It was a difficult heat as I was watching all morning knowing that the sets were coming. I went through 15 minutes of catching nothing so the pressure built towards the final ten minutes.
“It came down to needing another wave in the last 24 seconds. A wave came for me but it faded as I paddled in, but there was another behind it; it felt like forever for it to reach the line-up. I turned and paddled, terrified as I saw the ten-second countdown on the beach clock, but I managed to pop up before the buzzer knowing this had to be the one. I rode it to the beach and scored a 9.5; it was perfect.
Looking forward to the rest of 2025, Sponge said:
“I’ll be heading with the High Fives Foundation to surf the wave pool in Waco at the start of October. Then I’m at Saunton to compete in the British Kneeboard Championship, which is a competition without disabilities.
“Then I’ll be representing Wales for the 2025 European Para Surfing Championships in Vigo in Spain, before heading back to California for the ISA World Para Surfing Championships to represent Wales with my manager, Sarah Gibbons.”
Williams’ manager, Sarah Gibbons said:
“To win the AASP World Tour title this year means everything to us. We’ve both put 110% into his surfing career and he’s fought so hard for this title.
“He never gives up and the last two years of competition are testament to this. Last year he caught winning waves in the last minute or so of his finals, moving him from third to first, and this year was a buzzer beater again.
“We’re looking forward to coming back to Oceanside in six weeks when Sponge will defend his World Championship title for the fourth year in a row. Training starts now.”
The British National Kneeboard Championships takes place in October at Saunton Sands, date TBC.
The European Para Surfing Championships takes place at Patos Beach, Vigo, Spain, 14-19 October.
The 10th edition of the ISA World Para Surfing Championships takes place at Oceanside, California, 2-7 November.
Carve Magazine Issue 229
Carve Magazine Issue 229
The new issue is out. You can get it delivered to door for by hitting this link here.
Autumn is a season of change – and we felt it this year with a procession of autumn swells marching across the Atlantic, delivering powerful surf to most UK and Irish coastlines. As we say goodbye to the fun and sun of laidback summer, autumn brings the energy. It’s the season to hit the road at home and plan ahead for longer explorations. Surfing and swells open new horizons – there’s always something exciting around the corner.
In this issue we celebrate surfing at home and abroad: road trips, reflections on classic times, and wave-chasing adventures. In the days of cheap flights and hit-and-run sessions, longer sojourns into Europe and beyond took a back seat – but they’re making a comeback.
Memories are truly cemented through on-the-ground travel. Photographer Jop Hermans found this in the empty line-ups of the Scottish Highlands and the wilds of Ireland. Meanwhile, Martin Dorey and his wife set off from Cornwall by e-bike, tracing the coastline of France and Spain to Portugal. And Lara Waves went further afield to uncover the surf and culture of Colombia.
In Rewind, Alex Williams digs out the files from the legendary Euros classic event in Scotland. More than just contests, these events built long-lasting friendships and delivered unforgettable times. I guess that’s the beauty of surfing: the common thread of chasing fleeting moments that stay with us forever. The lure of new horizons and dreams that can be chased on any budget – by any one of us, at any time.
Pretty special, eh? Welcome to issue 229.
Steve
editor
The Brains in the Barrel – Dr. Cliff Kapono
Dr. Cliff Kapono is not your average surfer. A Native Hawaiian, professional wave rider, and molecular bioscientist, Cliff fuses science, culture, and a deep love for the ocean in ways no one else does. Director Ben McQueen travels to Hilo to uncover what drives Cliff’s mission, capturing powerful moments and reflections from legends like Gerry Lopez, Rob Machado, Tony Alva, and Arto Saari. The result is an intimate look at a man forging a unique path—both in the lab and out in the lineup.
Through his nonprofit MEGA Lab (Multiscale Environmental Graphical Analysis Lab), Cliff is leading a global push to map one million reefs by 2030, enlisting citizen scientists from all walks of life—surfers, divers, skaters, and anyone who feels the pull of the ocean. As the only pro surfer using his platform and Ph.D. to protect marine ecosystems, Cliff is proof that purpose, culture, and curiosity can fuel real change.
Trop Cher Now Playing
Hossegor is as heavy and consistent as it gets in Europe. The sandbanks here shape waves that are fast, hollow, and unforgiving—more like mini-Pipeline than your average beach break. On a solid swell, the barrels get thick and intimidating, with heavy lips that punish any hesitation. Check out this latest edit by Adam Norris to see just how good Hossegor gets when it turns on.
Shot and edited: Adam Norris of Offshores Photo.
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