Ian Walsh, Lance’s Right, like, a couple of hours ago…

Sunday, June 12. “Today rates as one of the funnest days of surfing ever,” says Ian Walsh of the day y’see pictured here. Four-to-six feet at the Mentawais’ premier wave. What made today so special was the fact that the usual three-boat minimum that sits at Lance’s Right was reduced to Red Bull’s Minor Threat trip (see previous posts for details). Ian wasn’t the only one who had a dreamy day. Kolohe Andino and Connor Coffin, both 17, said it was their greatest day of surfing ever. Obviously, for the good ol’ boys who rule Pipe – Bruce and Jamie – the session was great but it wasn’t as momentous a day.

Jamie took an 11-foot SUP down the face of a six footer that ended in a bogged rail and a ride over the falls. “I got in nice and early, all stoked, started my bottom turn,” says Jamie. “I felt like I was on a 30-foot wave ’cause the fins were plastic and they kept redirecting me to go straight as I was trying to turn on ’em. I was concentrating and was pushing on my toes so hard. I still thought I was gonna get under the lip but I couldn’t get it into the barrel. It exploded the paddle. Ripped my trunks down to my knees and I thought my ass was gonna get ripped on the reef. I broke the standup paddle board.”

Ian and Kolohe clocked the most time in the brine with 10-plus hours. “That was one of the top 10 days of surfing in my life,” says Ian. “We had not one other boat out, it was sheet glass all day long until it went offshore and that made it even better. You could really get to know the inside of the wave out there. There was a lot of heavy petting of the tube. I had a leash that was the size of a noodle, a buckled board and it just kept on trucking. You just keep on, keeping on, little buddy.”

To check out more of Ryan’s photography, head to his site.