Watch: Andrew Jacobson In “Wash”

With each passing minute, we’re living, dying, and taking advantage of the present. In essence, we’re trying to figure it the fuck out.

Andrew Jacobson, the star of the above edit called “Wash” is from Malibu, California. A region synonymous with luxury cars, trust funds, 18-dollar Moscow Mules, a pointbreak, Nobu and the age of Kardashian.

Andrew, however, is a blue-collar 22-year-old from a family of LA lifeguards. He’s born and raised, part of the old, er, soul…if you will.

With a 6’5 noodley frame, he’s an unlikely charger, who knows his way around a cave, works as a lifeguard, a surf instructor and receives supplementary income as a professional surfer. As most can’t survive today’s climate on the ability to navigate a tube and the space above the lip alone, Andrew knows how to pull the udders, and will ‘till they’re dry. So, days before his 22nd birthday he started a roll of strike missions (that resulted in this short film) after rumblings of a possible “swell of the year” seeping into a famed stretch of African sand.

You must be this tall to ride the ride.

“I was sitting at my house and Danny Fuller was like ‘Andrew, what the fuck are you doing? Go to Namibia right now’,” he tells Stab. “I was like, ‘what do you mean? I can’t just up and go to Namibia.’ Then, I looked at flights and there was one four hours from the time I was on my computer. So I called up my friend Jake Kelley to see if he’d be down. He was immediately on board and basically sold the trip as my 22nd birthday present to myself, at which point I just pulled the trigger and booked it. I decided I was going to say, “yes” to more things this year, and this trip got the ball rolling. Thanks to Danny and Jake for inspiring me.”

“I even used a GoPro for the first time!”

Turns out, he could just up and go to Namibia.

“So, I flew from LAX to Newark, New Jersey, then had to make it to JFK airport in New York. I don’t know how I made that flight. I got there and my board bag was too big. They took all my boards out and wrapped them in blue saran wrap. They flew them all separately. I thought they were done.”

“We got to Namibia and didn’t have a 4×4. This random guy let us rent his car. We went out the next day and the car broke down in the middle of the desert. After one car drove past us a group of boogie boarders stopped and gave us a ride. It was my 22nd birthday, we posted up and surfed all day and left the car in the desert overnight which we later had to tow. The dude was so pissed. I even used a GoPro for the first time!” he laughs. “It was special for sure.”

Andrew has a travel budget courtesy of Vissla, but in order to get around this year he broke past the amount allotted to him for travel. “This is my third year as an LA lifeguard,” he says. “I also teach surf lessons to make some extra money and save up. My travel budget isn’t huge by any means.” Which is a mundane sentiment to the average surfer who saves up all year to go on a two week trip to Bali, but, in the world of professional surfing, it’s a way to keep the dream alive. Like, what would any surfer rather be doing in their early 20s other than traveling the world, making strike missions, and being on the best swells at the most desired locales? “While I can do the surfing thing I just want to take advantage of every chance I get to travel and do it. I’m not on the QS grind. I don’t want to focus of the whole contest deal. I just want to use my money wisely and surf good waves.”

“I just want to surf good in good waves.”

“After Namibia, I was so psyched on traveling and surfing,” he continues. “I got back and five days later flew to Tahiti and Dillon Perillo, Luke Davis and Layne Stratton. I booked it the same day I flew. It ended up being one of the best sessions I’ve ever had.” The evidence lives at the ten-minute mark of this short film

“I’m trying to make this last as long as it can.”

To which we’ll raise a glass and laugh over spilt milk!

“It ended up being another one of the best sessions I’ve ever had,” says Andrew. “It was the third time I’ve been there, all the good waves in the clip were during one morning.”