Watch: Mason Ho and Dustin Barca Take On The Matador In El Salvador

While filming for his terrific comeback full-length, Snapt 3, Logan Dulien got wind of a mythical El Salvadorian sandbar, that occasionally and briefly emerges from a croc-infested rivermouth, creating one of the most square, mutant sandbank barrels in Central America. 

Needless to say, it didn’t take much to get Mason Ho and Dustin Barca’s bags packed, despite the wave’s disappearing act.

“I didn’t know exactly how good the wave was til I got there,” Mason tells Stab. “I’d seen some clips on Chucky’s phone, and it was more than enough to make me leave the island quickly.”

They were met by Floridian-turned-Central American ex-pat, Kyle Garson and friends, with skis fueled up and perfect swell direction and size for the wave to turned on. 

Stab: Had you scored this wave a few times before this trip?

Logan Dulien: The wave only lasts a week sometimes. Barca had come once before when the wave was working, but he got hurt and had to fly back. The day after he left, the wave just went off. I showed him some of the footage from that swell, and to Mason, and they both immediately said they were in.

We went early, and had to go find a Home Depot and built a scaffolding down there to film, because the wave breaks out in the middle of the ocean.

So, tell us about the crocodiles. The wave seems nuts in its own right, but were you guys mainly doing step offs because of the crocs?

No one paddles the wave, really. Even the locals are super sketched about all the crocodiles—just like in West Oz, everyone’s educated about Great Whites, down there they know about saltwater crocs.

Bayou Boys, Dustin Barca and Mason Ho. Photo by Dulien. 

Is that hard to block out of your mind?

It’s the only thing on your mind. We’d see them coming down the river, big guys, 12-footers plus, just dinosaurs—and you know they’re there.

“The croc thoughts were a bit scary,” admits Mason. “But I was thinking, if I fall and hit one I’d be stoked for the story. I saw a BIG one right in the middle of the take off zone [laughs].” Photo: Rory Pringle.  

We have a general idea of where the wave is*, but from the clip, it looks like such a remote little, lucky sandbar in the middle of nowhere El Salvador.

The place looks like you’re on a bayou, so everyone was joking around, talking in a southern slang. We had to wake up at like fucking 3:00AM every day, just to get all the way out to the wave and launch the skis. I kept trying to get Mason to go wake Barca up, and he’d be like, “Yeah, uh, nah.” [Laughs]. They started calling it Snapt3AM [laughs]. 

Barca racing a thick one. Photo by Pringle. 

Why did this get cut from the original film? 

We just had so much footage, and I really wanted to make sure we didn’t blow up the spot. The sandbar’s gone now, also, so it’s not a big deal. 

How’s your banger (at 1:54)! Is it as heavy as it looks? 

That was the one. I couldn’t believe that wave. 

Yeah, you should, um, let us know, next time that bad boy turns on, eh?

….

*Not true. We have no fucking clue where this wave is.