Report: Neighbour Of World’s Least Inviting Wave Also Not Very Inviting

“There’s a 50/50 chance the wave is going to hold up.”

The end of October marks the end of the most surf sponsorship contracts since surf sponsorships began, thanks to the expiry date inked into the majority of ABG (Quik, Bong, Roxy and RVCA athletes) contracts.

From November 1, 2023 you can expect to see surf teams slashed, hefty pay cuts, deals becoming regionalised and a very different set of KPI’s measuring which pros are doing a ‘good job’. 

Like Red Beards (the granite-bottomed left slab in this clip), there’s a 50/50 chance you’re getting whipped into a closeout and turning into an industry meat crayon. 

Happy days. 

Ned Hart is an interesting case study – a one-man content machine who’s garnered the support of Florence, GoPro and Monster Energy in recent years. His strengths lie in surfing and documenting waves most people want nothing to do with and sharing it with as many people as possible. 

Prediction: a future-proof strategy far more resistant to the current industry forecast i.e. ‘tomorrow is worse’.