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Water, Light, and Time
Words and photos by Shane Peel

From remote-controlled flash unit photography producing a blasted window into night surfing, to helicopter views that do nothing to dampen the intensity of the wave at Ours, and long miles for waves in PNG, Shane Peel delivers a photo feature with intense diversity, and deliciously foiled surf-scapes. Prepare the credit cards…this one will have you planning the next journey.

Soundings V

With the advent of four-fin setups on big-wave boards in the past number of years, and a generally increasing threshold for what constitutes giant surf, we thought it time for a look at the design particulars of current-day rhino chasers. Assembled roughly by region (South Africa, Hawaii, and California) and focusing on paddle-in equipment, this edition of Soundings explores the concepts behind the boards that take surfing from a seaside activity to something more akin to seafaring. Interviews with Dick Brewer, Randy Cone, Kirk Bierke, Dave Van Ginkle, and Gary Linden.

Paradise Lost: The Johnson/Okes of Sombrio Beach
By Stiv Wilson

The story of the changes on southwest Vancouver Island bring to mind the great song “Paradise,” by Tom T. Hall—the one that goes, “Well I’m sorry my son but you’re too late in askin’…Mr. Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away.” Although the coal trains have stayed in Appalachia, the surfers of the Northwest can relate to the lines “They stripped all the timber and they tortured the land…” There’s still surf though, and Stiv Wilson guides us through a unique environment that provided a surfing home to the Johnson/Oke family for many years.

Alo-ha!
A conversation with Paul Strauch, Jr. and Steve Pezman

Gifted but mild-mannered individuals who don’t seek the spotlight— existing softly amid those who loudly call for recognition—are too often overlooked. This could be said of Paul Strauch Jr., a truly remarkable surfer for over four decades who quietly exudes the qualities of Hawaiian aesthetics and humble leadership that puts our sport and culture in its best light. As a Hawaiian surfer, with all that connotes, Strauch has been a hugely respected figure among knowledgeable aficionados and his greatest surfing peers for all those years—a form of recognition undoubtedly more satisfying to him than a constant flow of high-profile surf media acclaim. —S.P.

Beyond the Barrier
Words and Photos by Sean D. Ruttkay

From out on the West Coast it’s easy to think of the nation’s right side as a vague smattering of sand bars and some granite outcroppings up north that get a wave once or twice a year, but the reality of course is more nuanced. Join Ruttkay and company as they negotiate weather fronts, the Intracoastal Waterway, and contend with Blackbeard’s ghost—all in the pursuit of spitting peaks in North Carolina.

Unidentified
By Tim Baker

“Who’s the greatest surfer in the world? It’s a question always likely to inspire debate. Is it contemporary pro tour hotshots like Kelly Slater or Mick Fanning? Or all-round watermen like Brian Keaulana or Laird Hamilton? Or timeless stylists like Tom Curren or Joel Tudor? Or ageless masters like Shaun Tomson or Michael Ho? Or even perennial ambassadors of stoke like Skip Frye or Rusty Miller? What if I were to suggest it might be a former lifeguard from Australia’s Gold Coast, who combines many of the attributes of the aforementioned, but whom the vast majority of surfers have never heard of?”

Pound for Pound—Pipeline is Still the Place
Photography by Jason Murray

Every move at Pipe, from waxing up to paddling out, is observed, evaluated. Surfing becomes a public act, a participatory event with the call and response of the surfer’s takeoff and the crowd’s hooting. Yet for all the frenzy it’s easy to imagine the allure of the place: the bowl feathering far ahead, the lip shuttering over, and everything else falling away—easy to imagine a quiver of pintails and winter season after winter season given wholly to the pursuit of that moment of perfection.

Running the gamut of the surfing experience, from high-production to the homespun, The Journal embraces (or at least acknowledges) every form of wave riding. Appreciate a broader view? Consider subscribing.

Christian Beamish
Associate Editor
The Surfer’s Journal