I spent most of last Thursday morning watching Josh shaping my new board. From his hands sprang an amazing Long Fish Simmons, mixing the best elements of the Skip Frye design with some of his own design touches. She looks great and all the details make sense – I’m sure it’s a keeper!
Josh Hall finally arrived in Lisbon on 22 November to kick off the Portuguese leg of his European shaping tour. Thankfully, the following day dawned bright and blue – a welcome change from the rain and clouds of the previous week, and perfect conditions for a trip along the coast.
Our final fortnight in Portugal was a blur of surf, fishing, barbeques, bonfires, good company and good bottles of wine, all crowned by three days of modest drives through Spain via the medieval university town of Salamanca to stormy Bilbao to await passage home aboard ‘The Pride of Bilbao’.
The idea of getting a shaper from California to Portugal is nothing new – previously I’ve collaborated with other factories to get the likes of DJ Kane, Jeff McCallum and Malcolm Campbell over to Europe – but I’ve never sorted one out on my own. Until now!
I had the best surf of the trip so far this morning; in fact, I’m at a stage on my surfing path where I’m able to say I had the best surf of my life this morning!
Sometimes I feel compelled to leave my work and start something new, something I love, instead of something well paid. I guess this happens to most of us, but who has the courage to see it through? We all have good excuses not to; I know I do – I have to support a family.
Underneath the Golden Gate Bridge
A nostalgic glance back at San Francisco surfer Jimmy Holt
Mentawai Dreaming
Mark Sankey and Alexa Poppe uncover the isolation and challenges of the Mentawai Islands, and consider the challenge of balancing tourism and sustainability.
The life of Jai
Jai Lee's personal struggles and addiction to noseriding have twisted his creativity
El Mar, Mi Alma
A visual love song to the surf blessed land of Chile.
Be Breizh!
Mark Sankey and Alexa Poppe explore the underrated delights that Brittany has to offer.
Taiwan untouched
Neil Armstrong gives us a taste of what to expect.
Pismo Beach. For better or worse
Dan Hamlin and Jeff Pfost contribute a photo essay on Kelly Slater's worst wave.
Tyler Warren Experiments
Tyler Warren pilots a steady course through the hype.
Castles made of sand
Sam Widdows swaps London for Nicaragua, and finds an entirely different tube ride.
Dont Jump Off the Pier
A brief history of surfing in the north-east of England.
Forty Bonzer Years
Malcolm Campbell lists fourty notable things to represent the forty years of the Bonzer.
Mission: possible
Portugal explodes onto the global big wave circuit.
