WSL Comps Are Coming Back
Do you care? Should you? Ed note: the following is the 634th installment of our new weekly email chain called the Stab Fwd. If you’re into it, subscribe here. Within a week, we’ll be watching the Pipe Masters. The waiting period opens on December 8th and it looks like it could be firing. It’ll be the first CT since the last Pipe Masters, a full year ago. Remember that? Gabriel, Italo, the final? Was that the year of the acai bowl incident? No? Who cares. We’re back! Up until this year, I don’t think people — myself included — realized how much impact the WSL has on surfing. Yes, it gives us heats to watch/judge/yell at/complain about/adore. But it also brings the world’s best surfers to the world’s best waves at the best times of year and attracts enough lenses to make sure that nearly every session will be documented. Not only do the surfers get good waves to freesurf—they get a crowd that will push them in the water. It’s a recipe for clips and photos and stories and entertainment. I missed that. And while surfing is and always will be nothing more than the fireworks that captivate our brains every time we stand up on a wave, it’ll be nice to have more stuff to watch and talk about when we come in. Watch: Episode 1 Of Vans Stab High, Non-Chlorine, Presented By Monster Energy Live(ish) from the Mentawais. Yeah, we already emailed you this. But here’s the thing — it’s really good. And there are two types of really good surf edits in today’s world. Those you watch immediately, and those you set aside a chunk of time to kick back and enjoy. I recommend this as the latter. Watch: Episode 1 Of Vans Stab High, Non-Chlorine, Presented By Monster Energy Live(ish) from the Mentawais. Yeah, we already emailed you this. But here’s the thing — it’s really good. And there are two types of really good surf edits in today’s world. Those you watch immediately, and those you set aside a chunk of time to kick back and enjoy. I recommend this as the latter. The Art Of Fun I think that soft tops come with a lot of responsibility. If you ride one, you have an obligation to have fun in the water. And you’re not allowed to be a dick. Like, could you imagine a soft top guy getting all aggro and trying to fight someone for burning him? The math just doesn’t work out. So, if you want to feel obligated to enjoy yourself in the ocean, here’s our guide to getting soft. Got any dings? Read this article if you want to experience a brief wave of guilt next time you drop a board off at a ding repair shop. Do you want a new favorite surfer? Rio Waida is the best. He’s a super nice kid and the type of person that genuinely and obsessively loves surfing — an approach that appears to be paying off. It’s a good call to chuck him on your favorites list now before he makes the tour (within three years tops). If nothing else, it’ll give you a reason to watch the QS. Care for a daydream? Do you remember V1 Surf Camps? The ones with cockroaches, free breakfast and bad names? The rooms were dirty, but fine, and the owner was rarely around but always seemed to be in a frenzy when you crossed paths. He’d nervously interrupt your lunch to ask if you were enjoying your stay with sweat lining his brow and eyes that seemed like they’d seen a little too much of the inner workings of a prostitution ring. If all went well, perhaps you’d leave with a free beer koozie. Anyway, we’re on like V3 or V4 Surf Camps and we should all be grateful for that. Check out this place, House of Somos, in Costa Rica if you’d like to drift away from reality for a moment. When was the last time you got properly throttled? I’m a big fan of the First And Last series. People often forget that Dion Agius invented the internet thirty years ago with globe.tv/dion, so it was nice to catch up with him — and I loved the story behind his last throttling. On that note, you got any good ones? I’ll publish my favorite here next week. One last thing: Calling someone off a good one and then pulling back should be an offense punishable by the law. Click here to subscribe to the Stab Fwd.
Do you care? Should you?
Ed note: the following is the 634th installment of our new weekly email chain called the Stab Fwd. If you’re into it, subscribe here.
Within a week, we’ll be watching the Pipe Masters.
The waiting period opens on December 8th and it looks like it could be firing. It’ll be the first CT since the last Pipe Masters, a full year ago. Remember that? Gabriel, Italo, the final? Was that the year of the acai bowl incident? No? Who cares. We’re back!
Up until this year, I don’t think people — myself included — realized how much impact the WSL has on surfing.
Yes, it gives us heats to watch/judge/yell at/complain about/adore. But it also brings the world’s best surfers to the world’s best waves at the best times of year and attracts enough lenses to make sure that nearly every session will be documented. Not only do the surfers get good waves to freesurf—they get a crowd that will push them in the water. It’s a recipe for clips and photos and stories and entertainment.
I missed that.
And while surfing is and always will be nothing more than the fireworks that captivate our brains every time we stand up on a wave, it’ll be nice to have more stuff to watch and talk about when we come in.
Yeah, we already emailed you this. But here’s the thing — it’s really good. And there are two types of really good surf edits in today’s world. Those you watch immediately, and those you set aside a chunk of time to kick back and enjoy. I recommend this as the latter.

Yeah, we already emailed you this. But here’s the thing — it’s really good. And there are two types of really good surf edits in today’s world. Those you watch immediately, and those you set aside a chunk of time to kick back and enjoy. I recommend this as the latter.

I think that soft tops come with a lot of responsibility. If you ride one, you have an obligation to have fun in the water. And you’re not allowed to be a dick. Like, could you imagine a soft top guy getting all aggro and trying to fight someone for burning him? The math just doesn’t work out. So, if you want to feel obligated to enjoy yourself in the ocean, here’s our guide to getting soft.
Read this article if you want to experience a brief wave of guilt next time you drop a board off at a ding repair shop.

Do you want a new favorite surfer?
Rio Waida is the best. He’s a super nice kid and the type of person that genuinely and obsessively loves surfing — an approach that appears to be paying off. It’s a good call to chuck him on your favorites list now before he makes the tour (within three years tops). If nothing else, it’ll give you a reason to watch the QS.

Do you remember V1 Surf Camps? The ones with cockroaches, free breakfast and bad names? The rooms were dirty, but fine, and the owner was rarely around but always seemed to be in a frenzy when you crossed paths. He’d nervously interrupt your lunch to ask if you were enjoying your stay with sweat lining his brow and eyes that seemed like they’d seen a little too much of the inner workings of a prostitution ring.
If all went well, perhaps you’d leave with a free beer koozie.
Anyway, we’re on like V3 or V4 Surf Camps and we should all be grateful for that. Check out this place, House of Somos, in Costa Rica if you’d like to drift away from reality for a moment.

When was the last time you got properly throttled?
I’m a big fan of the First And Last series. People often forget that Dion Agius invented the internet thirty years ago with globe.tv/dion, so it was nice to catch up with him — and I loved the story behind his last throttling.
On that note, you got any good ones? I’ll publish my favorite here next week.
One last thing:
Calling someone off a good one and then pulling back should be an offense punishable by the law.
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