Arto Saari’s North Shore Photo Journal
Behind the scenes of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
In 2001, Arto Saari won Thrasher’s Skater Of The Year award.
That may or may not mean much to you, but it means a hell of a lot to your friends who skate. Arto is a legend in that space. He went through all the madness of the turn-of-the-millennium skate scene and came out the other side.
Arto is 40 years old now and has been living on the North Shore of Oahu with his family for over four years.
“I’m from Finland, so Hawaii always had that paradise appeal to me,” he says. “Then I caught the surf bug at the ripe age of 35. I’d been living in California and never really had the urge to try surfing, then my friend Kalle Carranza pushed me into a wave while I was at wedding in Mexico and I fell in love it. It fully hooked me, which motivated me to be here. I also wanted my kids to grow up closer to nature.”
Arto is also an incredible photographer, one who posses the rare ability to capture images that have a sense of gravity about them. We feel lucky that surfing has captivated him, which is why Arto will be shooting photographs for Stab this Hawaii season.
Below is a batch of his photos from the past month or so on the North Shore.
More on the way.
Few surfers exercise command over their speed like John John Florence — especially at the notoriously hard to surf stretch consisting of Log Cabins and Rockpiles.
A typical surfboard review this is not. Jack Robinson, your 2022 Stab In The Dark surfer, in the lights.
Clyde Aikau, Waimea Bay, 2021.
Emi (Erickson) would go.
The Waimea waiting game.
If you know, you know. A moment with underground shaper Laroy Dennis.
Owl Chapman once famously suggested that surfers should prioritize putting love back into surfing. At 71 years old, he’s still heeding his own advice.
Comments
Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.
Already a member? Sign In
Want to join? Sign Up