No complex formula here, we gathered some of our favorite recent photo submissions, plied the photographers to give us a little insight into what makes them so special, added a few illustrations a la Bob Tema, and there you go, 14 pages of gold and a great way to kick off the issue.

By Jamie Brisick

An Australian national champion in 1970, the creator of the man-on-man contest format, an unsung hero of both the Shortboard Revolution and the Bronzed Aussie era, Peter Drouyn has seen a lot come and go in surfing. But these days, living as a woman named Westerly Windina, his perspective on things continues to evolve.

Book and Film by Yvon Chouinard, Jeff Johnson, and Chris Malloy

40 years ago, Yvon Chouindard and friends pointed their van due south for a season of surf exploration and alpine climbing in Patagonia. Inspired by that trip, a crew deployed last year in a gambit part homage, part original adventure.

By Chris Dixon

During a winter of memorable big-wave moments, a stellar crew, including Greg Long, Grant “Twiggy” Baker and Nathan Fletcher, pirated a 105-foot Westport and had themselves a high-seas, no-tow adventure 100 miles off the California coast. Come to find out there’s a lot more history in the vault at Cortes Bank than one would have figured.

Born and bred into the illicit Santa Cruz harbor scene, there was little question that Josh Mulcoy would grow feeling comfortable “taking off behind the jacks.” But as the son of outlaw “Harbor Bill,” his appreciation and affinity for the break runs considerably deeper than most, which is why his sponsors know better than to send him on any photo trips when the sandbar comes alive.

In 1941 Ship Bottom, New Jersey, wasn’t exactly a surf Mecca, but as Gordon “Mike” Howes remembers, it was a little slice of heaven. Clambakes, summer hijinks, and a Duke-inspired board called the “Flaming Arrow” were all centerpieces of this seldom seen period in East Coast evolution.

Inspired by Captain Goodvibes, Mark Sutherland offers up a critical rendering of his life and times in the art world, how he came to work with filmmaker Andrew Kidman, and what finally led him to a gig as a Retained Firefighter for the New South Wales Fire Brigade.

Don of the Black Surfing Association, Tony Corley’s been at the center of African American’s involvement in the sport for the better part of three decades, and while his fire for social justice still burns hot, these days he prefers to remain under the fray, riding his waves in the tranquility of the California Central Coast.

By Miles Masterson

When it comes to big-waves in the Southern Hemisphere, South Africa’s Dungeons remains the most infamous of aquatic penitentiaries. But beyond white shark riots and the solitary confinement of rogue 40-footers, Grant “Twiggy” Baker has been able to carve out a name for himself—elevating himself, the local Capetown crew, and the wave itself to international acclaim in the process.

One more breath before the book ends. Photographer Lance Slabbert gives you a grouper’s eye view of a few good turns.