Very few things can make a surf clip more enjoyable than music that genuinely fits the style of a surfer. One of those things is footage of perfect G-Land. 

Conveniently, this clip of Jesse Mendes has both. 

The former CT talent — and Tatiana Weston Webb’s husband/cheerleader — was one of few people who went to G-Land this year prior to the CT event.

In this case, the early bird got the worm, and the premature arrival was rewarded with all-time conditions and bombing swell.

Regarding the swell, and how the clip came together, Jesse explains: 

It was pretty natural how everything happened, there was no plan to make a clip between me and Bruno [Zanin]. It all started when we met in G-Land, he was there to shoot the Pupo’s and I was there to support and surf with Tati. Luckily, we were the only few surfers that decided to go for the swell before the event started. It ended up being one of the best days of our lives, spent sharing 8-foot  waves with only 7 of us — friends of 15+ years—  out. After those 2 days, we realized we had some nice clips and that’s how this edit, Tropik, came to life. 

I decided to put some more effort into the project even though I barely had time in my hands. I had a few important WSL regional QS’s back home that I had already signed up for, but I was pretty unmotivated to leave perfect waves to go surf tiny beach breaks with a prize of maybe 1,500 points if you win the event. So, I decided to pull out of those events and go to Krui to surf just for fun… that being said, the Krui QS5000 was also happening during this time, and even though I wasn’t planning on it, I decided to sign up.

Long story short, I signed up for the event 4 days before it started, and managed to win the event. Can’t complain, I got to surf amazing waves and get to know a new place. 

Anyways, this is 3 weeks in Indo, lots of sun and lots of waves. Hope you like it.

We liked it. Nothing like mixing mad skills with a bit of serendipity.

Jesse spends his time in the Indian Ocean getting very, very, barreled. Paired with some high-quality clippage from Bruno Zanin and an upbeat-yet-grungy soundtrack, Tropik is pure sensory satisfaction.

Wavepools may be fun, but they are damn hard to build. Especially in a state as dry as California. 

That was the takeaway from La Quinta’s town hall meeting this week when the city council denied a zoning change that would have allowed the CM Wave Development to build a sprawling 600-home complex and hotel complete with a wavepool bristling with Kelly Slater Wave Co. tech, according to the LA Times. 

The developers behind the proposed $200 million project covering 386-cares near Coral Mountain requested a zoning change to alter the project from the residential housing and golf course proposal. All five La Quinta City Council members on Wednesday unanimously denied the zoning change. Mayor Linda Evans said she liked the surf park concept but thought it needed to be built elsewhere in La Quinta, according to the LA Times. 

“I think this is a cool project,” Evans said. “But I don’t think it’s in the right location. And maybe the timing isn’t great because of the drought.”

Following the six-hour meeting, Garrett Simon of Meriwether Cos., a partner with CM Wave Development, told the LA Times it would “evaluate our options.” Supporters of the project lauded the increased tax revenue the park would bring to the city, while critics pointed to the drastic statewide drought and questioned the practicality of building a 12-acre basin to store 18 million gallons of water. 

Interestingly, the Coachella Valley Water District already endorsed the development’s annual water use, 900 acre-feet a year. John Gamlin, president of CM Wave Development LLC said the wave basin would use about 26 million gallons a year. That’s far less than the inland desert’s myriad of golf courses, which use as much as 1 million gallons a day.

Coachella Valley’s cities, farms and the slew of golf courses rely on hydration on the Colorado River and groundwater. Some of the state’s largest rivers and reservoirs are at historically low levels thanks to a 23-year megadrought that’s only gotten worse due to global warming, according to one study. Many SoCal water districts are facing increasing pressure from the feds to reduce water use.

KSWC is also planning to bring its tech to the N-land Surf Park in Austin, Texas. Kelly’s company bought the property for an undisclosed sum in 2019, but there’s no timetable on when we’ll see another Surf Ranch in the capital of Texas.

With Surf Ranch 2.0 on hold, Coachella Valley surfers will have to look for other freshwater lineups. The Thermal Beach Club, described as a 20-acre surf lagoon, has been approved by Riverside County supervisors. There are two other wavepools are in the works, DSRT Surf in Palm Desert (Wavegarden tech) and the Palm Springs Surf Club. The former hasn’t been approved and PSSC is still under construction and should be open in the near future (though that hasn’t stopped Mason and Coco Ho).

For a comprehensive guide to all open and planned wavepools around the globe, visit wavepoolmag.com

In general, surfers are freaks. We comprise a minuscule fringe of the population that chooses to not only sustain, but enjoy being wet for an extended period of time every day. To be exact, the average aquaphile spends two and a half hours per day, 108 days out of the year in some state of submersion (bathing not included). That’s an estimated 5% of our waking lives, to give some perspective.

But if we’re freaks, we’re discerning ones, and proudly so. We know exactly when and where it’s appropriate to be wet. While hacking the face of an actively cresting wall of water? Naturally. Twenty minutes post-emergence while you scramble to make that zoom meeting on time? Tsk tsk. 

Our friends at Slowtide know this and are staunch advocates for the be-wet-when-you-want-to-be-wet-and-not-when-you-don’t-want-to-be initiative, and we back it. The good folks behind the Costa Mesa-based brand have been designing goods that support this cause for years now. To further the endeavor, they have recently launched their most robust offering to date in the fight against inappropriately-timed moistness – the Waterproof Changing Poncho.

Imparting all the practical goodness of their much-loved Lightweight, Extra-Warm, and Quick-Dry Ponchos, this new offering takes car park comfort to new heights, bringing DWR (durable water repellant) technology into the already warm, fuzzy mix. Not only will this waterproof outer shell repel the elements around you, the plush cotton interior and über-functional hidden access pocket also keep everything inside blissfully unaware that such a thing as weather even exists. 

Additionally, this high-tech, low-impact banger of an avant/aprés-session accessory is made from 100% sustainably-sourced cotton and meets the rigorous Oeko-Tex Standard, meaning it’s made without any of the harmful or allergy-inducing chemicals often found in the garment textiles. 

Now available in a discreet inky hue and two inclusive sizes, this impervious outer layer has us picky moisture addicts starting our holiday wishlists extra early. Can’t wait? Get yours now.

For the last six months, our editor at large, Ashton Goggans and the No Contest crew—Sam Moody, Giulia Avila, Duda Saracura, Jim Prola, and Drew Little—have been working with the heads over at Red Bull Media House on a new series for Red Bull TV: No Contest Off Tour, an evolution of our long-running collaborative World Championship Tour behind the scene show.

For the first season of No Contest Off Tour, they’re headed to six very different surf scenes, the first of which might be the most influential and friendliest surf community in the world: New York City.

This week they’ve been in New York, showing the film at two of the episode’s featured locations, with a handful of the show’s stars: Chris Gentile and Joannie Capetta from Pilgrim Surf Supply and Benny’s Club; and Balaram Stack, Dave Juan, and Mike Nelson, of UnSound Surf, on Saturday

Scroll through for a look at Tuesday night’s scene at Pilgrim Surf and Supply’s dazzling new location at 33 Grand Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which saw a few hundred heads tossing back tins from Brooklyn Brewery well into the night.

The new Brooklyn location has only amplified the community events Chris and the staff of Pilgrim are famous for. Tuesday night’s premiere brought out surfers from all five boroughs, not to mention dozens of the epic bridge and tunnel squad who came up from Jersey for the night.

Special thanks to Red Bull Media House for throwing the event and to Chris, Dan-O, Tree, Sammy, and the entire Pilgrim Surf + Supply crew for hosting the event.

The first three episodes on No Contest Off Tour drop on Red Bull TV and here at Stab on September 29th. The series’ teaser drops this week. If you’re in the area, don’t miss Saturday night’s premiere at UnSound:

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Gabriel Medina’s cousin. 

Rodrigo Saldanha is one of those guys who will make you turn green with envy. Not just because of his skill on, above, or behind the lip, but because he knows how to be in the right place at the right time. Namely, three months in Indo with pandemic-sized crowds last year. And with this much talent, the juice is usually worth the squeeze. 

This might be young Rodrigo’s best work to date. Edited by Bruno Zanin, his Indo reel will make your head spin before you scratch it. Sure, at 18 years old (17 at the time of the trip) he’s still got room to grow, but he can already land full rotations and get very, very barreled going left or right. He’s also got plenty of guts, as evidenced by his attempt to board an derailed locomotive at 4:12. 

Most surfers book their ticket to this archipelago to reserve tube time, but Rodrigo seems just as comfortable boosting over the reef as he does getting drained at overhead Nias.

Watch Now You Know above and remember his name. You’ll probably hear of him again.

You could probably use a few days off your phone, eh?

So could we. 

What better way to spend a weekend than connecting — in real life — with other surfers and surf icons from around Australia, to chat about surfing, health, and sustainable forms of living? 

Seems pretty worthwhile to us.

From Oct 21-23, our good friends at Ain’t That Swell are putting together their first ever Swellness Camp, and there’s some big names on the docket. Tom Carroll, Nathan Hedge, Brad Gerlach, Laura Enever, Asher Pacey, etc. We could try to explain, but Smivvy probably does it best:

Ain’t That Swell’s inaugural Swellness Camp will bring together some of the surf community’s biggest names to share their techniques for living, loving, surfing, and surviving. Using everything at our disposal we aim to provide guests with the ultimate guide to feeling swell and send an army of DIY healers back into their respective communities armed with the latest tools for surviving and thriving in a complicated world. Free tickets will also be given to select financially disadvantaged and/or down on their luck individuals, as per our ‘Golden Ticket’ program, to make sure the right people get the help they need. This is The Swellian’s – Jed and Vaughan – attempt to give back to the community that has supported them thus far and leave a resoundingly positive imprint on the minds and bodies of all those that have been kind enough to come on the journey with them.

Through podcasts, the internet, and the convergence of science with ancient healing techniques, humanity has arrived at a golden age of self-help and biohacking. We will package all of this up neatly and deliver it to our guests. For three days Swellness guests will literally live and breathe good physical and mental health before returning to their respective surf communities and continuing to spread the good word and, more importantly, good action.

Each morning will start with a round of Wim Hoff breathing and Ice Baths followed by a group meditation led by two-time World Champion, Tom Carroll. From there Bra Boy, big wave maniac and former UFC fighter, Richie Vaculik, will put us through a brutal workout, followed by breakfast, and free time for our guests to luxuriate in our film or meditation space, or scour the abundant coastline of Crescent Head for waves. The afternoon will feature seminars, films and bands.

Swellness Seminars will feature the likes of two-time world champion, Tom Carroll, discussing the science of meditation and the wisdom accrued over the course of his remarkable career. Californian surf icon, Brad Gerlach, will be talking about the ups and downs of his time on and off tour, including a spell of depression, while also taking us through the finer points of his cutting-edge Wave Ki program.

Australian Surfing Hall of Famer, Jodie Cooper, and skitz slab queen, Laura Enever, will talk us through their brand of stoic resilience and how to survive and thrive in a challenging world.

Former World Tour icons, Dean Morrison and Nathan Hedge, will join the likes of Tom Carroll for seminars covering everything from Drugs, Depression, Addiction, Meditation, Toxic Masculinity, and the Road to Recovery.

A representative from the Veteran Surfers Association will deliver a seminar on surviving PTSD and how surfing has enriched the lives of ex-servicemen. We will have a plant medicine expert to bring us up to speed with the latest science on the efficacy of mother nature to heal and help us prosper.

Underground surfing icons, Jarrah Tutton, Asher Pacey, and Josh Ku, will talk us through the art of hunting, gathering and permaculture, while also preparing a fresh kill over the fire (deer and various species of fish, we’ve been told).

There will be a live Podcast on the Sunday, film screenings, bands, the lighting of the ceremonial Swellness torch, and many more feel good shenanigans.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMADDDDDDDDD

Tickets on-sale now here.

Meditation with Tom Carroll, technique with Brad Gerlach, food collected and prepped by Asher, and some seminars from Hedgy and Dingo? 

Sounds like a no brainer to us.

Yesterday, 50 miles south of Surf City’s ISA World Games, the largest all-female surf event came to a close after three days of competition.

Each year, Oceanside’s rickety pier hosts over 100 female competitors for the Super Girl Pro — an event unlike any other both in size and scope. It’s all women, all the time.

Being a QS 3,000, event winners receive $8,000 and valuable points toward their Challenger Series qualification. It’s also a major flex to win the SGP, because the prize pack includes a killer pink cape.

This year, San Clemente’s emerging star, Sawyer Lindblad, took home the check and the coveted back-warmer. Sawyer’s cobblestone-smoothed approach carried her past long-time NSSA sparring partner, Bella Kenworthy, and into the finals against the defending Super Girl Pro champion and former World #2, Caroline Marks.

Like most SoCal pier sessions, the final was off to a slow, mushy start — however, Sawyer’s redirection skills, along with a swift punch to the lip, clinched the highest score of the heat (7.5) and the win.

The 17-year-old is now the youngest Super Girl Pro winner in the event’s history. Sawyer’s victory secures her first-place position on the North American QS standings, and the pink cape hints that she will use this momentum to soar through the Challenger Series and onto the CT.

…or it’s just a dollar-store gimmick.

Either way, we jelly.

From 1990 to 2005, more than 2,200 climbers summited Mount Everest for the first time. But Erik Weihenmayer was the only man who didn’t see a thing on his way up. 

Like mountaineering, you’d think sight would be as vital to surfing as tires are to cars. But Pete Gustin has shown us that seeing is not a precursor to believing. Pete was born with a degenerative eyesight disorder, meaning he slowly lost his vision as he aged. Now he only sees light and dark shades, but that hasn’t stopped him from surfing. 

So how the hell does he do it? Serial vlogger, YouTube powerhouse and one of Stab’s first premium members Casey Neistat met up with Pete in his Southern California home to answer that question. 

Pete’s response: “In essence, surfing is all about feel. It would make it a million times easier if I could look forward and anticipate. That’s the hardest part. I don’t know what the wave is going to do. I’m just reacting. But if all my reactions are fast enough and I feel good, then I rode a good wave.”

Pete’s main hustle is doing award-winning voice-overs for movie trailers and commercials. He’s damn good at it, and as you’ll see in the clip, he edits them by himself and can do it without looking at the screen. In fact, he’s so good he’ll be doing the voiceover work for some of Stab’s content in the upcoming Vans Pipe Masters in December. 

You can catch more behind the scenes of Pete and Casey’s discussion and session below. If you didn’t catch it, Pete writes, shoots, and edits most of his content. Wild. 

“The ocean talks,” Pete says. “It’s pretty loud today. I just gotta learn how to listen.”

We could all take a page out of Pete’s playbook.