A vivid account of a wave unlike any other, featuring Luke Hynd, Tim Bisso and Gearoid McDaid.
“My passion in life is to find the best breaks in the world, and combine them with the best swells the earth can offer.”
That is photographer Ted Grambeau explaining how, just a few weeks ago, he found himself standing on a remote East African coastline, shivering as the sun rose and the fog lingered, camera in hand. All surfers dream of this mantra – only few have the gift of living it.
On Sunday 9th July 2017, O’Neill would like to invite everyone to join a paddle out in celebration of Jack O’Neill’s life and adventures. From Santa Cruz to Cornwall, O’Neill will honour the legacy of Jack O’Neill with numerous paddle outs worldwide simultaneously (11AM Pacific – 7PM UK).
Honouree paddle outs are scheduled in the United States, Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, France, South Africa, Australia and Japan. (More info to come)
In the UK edition, those wishing to pay tributes to the pioneer of the wetsuit are encouraged to meet at Great Western Beach, Newquay at 6.30pm, in the water at 7pm. For further information please visit the UK Facebook event page.
Most recognisable for his eye patch and his beard, Jack’s desire to surf longer drove him to create an innovative suit that allowed surfers to be the first in the icy waters of the San Francisco Bay and the last out. Playing around with materials to create a barrier between the body and the ocean, Jack’s first suits were built of unicellular foam material that he bought from a local surplus store. The invention was monumental. It made it possible for surfing to be a year-round activity in cold water areas and welcomed a new mass of people who previously didn’t surf. Those first suits led to more surfers, more fans and the eventual acceptance of surfing in popular culture.
A series of memorial paddle outs will take place worldwide to celebrate the legacy of Jack O’Neill, a man who, through sheer passion changed the face of surfing forever. Thanks to the wetsuit, surfers are now riding waves in some of the coldest waters across the globe.
On Sunday 9th July, Jack will be honoured with a UK paddle out at Great Western Beach, Newquay, Cornwall. Thought to have been the UK’s original surfing beach, Great Western Beach and the slope leading down to the sand was a popular hangout of the inaugural surfers of the 60s.
Jack O’Neill, surfer, ocean lover, boating enthusiast, wetsuit pioneer, balloonist, and founder of the iconic worldwide surf company O’Neill, passed away in Santa Cruz, California, of natural causes at the age of 94. The family of Jack O’Neill, O’Neill Wetsuits and O’Neill UK would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank You” to all who have reached out with thoughts, prayers, sympathy, remembrances, stories and pictures since the passing of legendary waterman Jack O’Neill on Friday 2nd June 2017.
JUL 9
Jack O’Neill Paddle Out – France
Sun 19:00 UTC+02
Plage De La Chambre D’amour, Anglet
Anglet, France
JUL 9
Jack O’Neill Paddle Out – Holland
Sun 19:00 UTC+02
Scheveningen Beach Stadion
Scheveningen, Netherlands
JUL 9
Jack O’Neill Paddle Out – Belgium
Sun 19:00 UTC+02
Surfers Paradise
Knokke-Heist, Belgium
JUL 9
Jack O’Neill Paddle Out – UK
Sun 18:30
Great Western Beach
Newquay
Also Thurso – if anyone has details forward them on
JUL 9
Jack O’Neill Paddle Out – Canada
Sun 10:30 PDT
Cox Bay
Tofino, BC, Canada
JUL 9
Jack O’Neill Paddle Out – Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Sun 11:00 PDT
Santa Cruz/pleasure point, California
JUL 10
Jack O’Neill Paddle Out – Australia
Mon 7:30 UTC+10
Freshwater Beach
Manly, NSW, Australia
JUL 10
Jack O’Neill Paddle Out – J-Bay, South Africa
Mon 8:30 UTC+02
Point Beach Jeffreys Bay
Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa
Nic Von Rupps ‘The Reef Road’ is an out of the usual Surf Film, a fictional narration about people like us that wander into the wild, with some of the best sessions of the year in Nias and this recent swell at Kandui (Gotta Watch the end bit in Kandui)
Nic says;
“While chasing waves around the world, I often meet a bunch of different people… Most of the times surfers like me, sometimes they are just random tourists…But I get to meet some crazy fellow travelers collecting stories wherever they go through, or even gnarly backpackers living the journey in their full essence!
The more I travel, the more I’m sure… I’ll always find someone that really surprises me! Sometimes I just go by myself… Wrongly thinking that I’ll be the only one on that mission! Well… This is a story about those who dare lonely into the wild… Just like we surfers would!”
Tom Butlers farking scary story of his Nazare wipeout during his WSL Big Wave Tour event.
“Pushing for an invite into a Big Wave World Tour event was lots of fun and was my goal for about 2 years. Being part of the 24 man international invitees at the first ever Nazare challenge left me feeling very proud and hungry to do well in the event.
“Perhaps a bit too hungry. The heat didn’t start great for me. I like to steady the nerves and get off to a fast start catching a good wave within the first 5 minutes of a heat. This is how most good events start for competitors. From there on you build on that first score. Time went by during my heat and I hadn’t caught a good wave. Through frustration and adrenaline, I turned and went on a big ugly wave and took a heavy wipeout!
“The result was 5 days in hospital, I suffered a Pneumothorax and nearly lost my left ear. Until you go you don’t know! Many lessons have been learnt from this incident. My love for the sport is at an all time high and i’m really looking forward to returning back to Nazare to tackle the monster at the end of this filming series. For now…
Enjoy the breakdown of my Nazare challenge experience, plus watch a few completed waves from past big wave seasons surfing Nazare.
This one photo sums up the seriousness of Nathan’s situation. A huge effort by three Brazilians saved his life.
At Desert Point on June 16 things went very wrong for Nathan Bartlett. Luckily some quick thinking and CPR skills from three Brazillains saved his life.
Photographer Kako Lopes explains:
“Nathan was probably the best surfer in the swell, he had already picked up many tubes over two days. At around two o’clock in the afternoon, I was coming in to surf and I saw Nathan trying to get into a good wave, but he was very late. He didn’t make the drop. It was only after two waves that I could see that the board was floating by itself. It was already distant, I saw that the bodyboarder Renan Farias came paddling hard towards the board and went too.
“Renan was the first to arrive, then me and Usman. Renan grabbed Nathan, we started to swim to the sand, but it was very difficult because of the current. That’s when we saw a fishing boat that Pete Frieden was photographing from. We paddled out. Nathan’s face was disfigured, he was pulseless, going purple and full of water, I saw we did not have much time. As Renan swam beneath him I decided to try the first massage (CPR) and see if he would support it. It worked.
“I started to paddle with one hand and massage with the other. Lots of water came out of his mouth. There was blood everywhere, the saddest scene. It took us about five minutes to get to the boat. I did not stop the massage at any time, from there came several surfers, we had difficulty putting him on the boat. I went up on the boat and followed the massage, so he gave the first breath, I could see that the space in the lung was too little, the breathing too short, I turned him to the right side, I stopped massaging and I started to pray.
“We took him to the nearby bay, took him out of the boat and put him in a warung. At that moment he woke up, recognized me, held my hand tight and asked me not to leave him. Then his brother and his friends arrived. We put him in the car and left for Mataram (closest town to Deserts). There he was cleaned and got stitches. After two days he was taken to Bali, where he had proper examination.
“Thanks to God, Nathan is recovering well, the cuts were deep and very close to the eye, but he did not have any problem in the eye. He was without brain damage and the lung is improving gradually. He broke his nose, but yesterday in Australia they did the last surgery on his nose. Today he is at home with his wife and two children, one two months old and the other two years old. Amen.
Legends! Such quick thinking and great work definitely saved a good man’s life. Well done all.
Byron Bartlet, Nathan’s Brother posted:
“So glad to see my brother @nathbartlett123 alive and well after taking a bad wipeout at desert point last week. My family is forever grateful for these three heroes rite here @rodrigocardoso94 @kakolopes @renanfarias95 for rescuing him and literally saving his life 🙏🙏🙏. Also thanks to @guybarts @rexakalenny@ivanhales @_balaram @usmantrioko and anyone else who helped my brother. #thankyou #desertpoint #family
“Apnea and rescue courses are essential for any surfer. We think it will never happen to us, but surfing is a very dangerous sport and that risk is closer than we think.”
Would you know what to do if your friend or another surfer got into this situation? It happens.
Rip Curl has officially announced the 16 surfers invited to compete in the Rip Curl Cup 2017, to be held on the best day of waves at Padang Padang between July 10 and August 10.
Among the world’s best surfers preparing to push the limits of tuberiding in pursuit of the prestigious title are: 3x World Champion Tom Curren (USA), North Shore charger Mason Ho (HAW) and former WCT superstar and style icon Bruce Irons (HAW). Among the surfing luminaries representing Indonesia are defending Rip Curl Cup Champion Mega Semadhi, Indonesian surfing ambassador Rizal Tandjung and two-time Indonesian Champion Lee Wilson.
Going by the numbers, there’s no question 2017’s lineup of invited surfers is one of the most potent ever assembled: a 3x World Champion, five WCT event Champions and four Indonesian National Champions are among the all-star lineup of surfers vying for the 2017 Rip Curl Cup at Padang Padang.
In addition to Curren, Ho and Irons, goofyfoot barrel mercenaries Damien Hobgood (USA) and Clay Marzo (HAW) will also be making their return to the Rip Curl Cup, hoping to better their finals appearances from last year and claim The Cup. Meanwhile, reigning Rip Curl Cup Champion and pride of Balinese surfing Mega Semadhi said he’s looking forward to a rematch with the big names, no matter how it plays out.
“Padang Padang is one of the best waves in Indonesia,” Semadhi said. “It’s the perfect spot to share with some of the best tube riders in the world. When you get that combination of wave quality and talent for one special day, everyone is always going to leave stoked no matter where they end up finishing.”
Following is the complete surfer lineup for the 2017 Rip Curl Cup:
International Surfers:
1. Tom Curren (USA)
2. Mason Ho (HAW)
3. Damien Hobgood (USA)
4. Bruce Irons (HAW)
5. Kai Otton (AUS)
6. Bruno Santos (BRA)
7. Clay Marzo (HAW)
8. Jack Robinson (AUS)
9. Jacob Willcox (AUS)
10. Ryan Burch (USA)
Note: Only eight international surfers will receive a spot in the event. Entry granted on first-come, best-dressed basis.
Indonesian Surfers:
1. Bol Adi Putra
2. Raditya Rondi
3. Mega Semadhi
4. Rizal Tandjung
5. Pepen Hendrik
6. Garut Widiarta
7. Lee Wilson
8. TBD (winner of local trials)
The final remaining invitation will go to the winner of the local trials, to be held at Padang on the best day of surf conditions from July 1 – 7.
