Jesse Mendes Missed A QS Event For This - Stab Mag

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Not a bad way to spend your off-day.

Jesse Mendes Missed A QS Event For This

Well worth it.

elsewhere // Sep 26, 2022
Words by Holden Trnka
Reading Time: 2 minutes

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.

Making the terrifying look…inviting?

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.

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