The Sea Of Japan Fires (Briefly), And Somehow Dylan Graves Was There

Japan is the kind of trip most people plan for months, maybe years. Hell, here at Stab we’ve spent most of our year preparing for Stab High in Shizunami.

But Dylan Graves isn’t most people. He packed a few boards, a backpack, and hopped a flight for three days. No real plan. Just a nose for the weird and a narrow window to maybe — maybe — score a mysto slab in the Sea of Japan (aka the East Sea, if you lean Korean in your sociopolitics).

Usually flat. Mostly frigid. Sandwiched awkwardly between the mainland and the Koreas, it fires once in a blue moon. As someone with a knack for finding the weirdest waves in the unlikeliest of places, Dylan’s curiosity was backed by a call from local tube lord Keito Matsuoka.

Along for the ride were Tosh Tudor and Wade Carroll. They scored on the Pacific side, where scoring is usually expected. Then, with barely 72 hours in the country, they decided it would be a good idea to spend about 10% of that time driving across the country to chase a wave that might not even exist.

They arrived at a place that looked eerily like the South Coast of NSW — both in and out of the water. And somehow, against all odds and logic, it was on. They surfed, and once again, decided it was a good idea to pack up, turn their backs on quality surf, and leave. To the mountains.

For the closeted snow bros, the last three minutes of Dylan’s vlog might satisfy your kink a little. For the others, Dylan’s vlog might just give you another excuse to thoroughly plan a Japan trip — or at least a reason to daydream about it.