Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
What happened the very first time surfers competed in a wave pool? Hint: It did not go well. Those who were there describe the scene in their own words.
Author Archives: Dan Fitzpatrick
The Audacious, Comical, Tragic and Potentially Redemptive Story Of A Small Town, A Pool And The World’s Best Surfers
Pennsylvania Amish country was the unlikely setting for the first-ever pro surfing contest held in a wave pool. Was it a comic low point for the sport? Or a glimpse of the future?
Welcome To The Wave Pool Capital Of The World
Kelly Slater’s wave pool is as much a curiosity to his new neighbors in this small California town as it is to the rest of the world.
Want To Hear About The Time I Almost Died?
Will Skudin used persistence and preparation to forge his place in the world of big-wave surfing. Along the way he wrestled with the same vulnerabilities we all face in the water: fear, anxiety and self doubt.
Alvar Sirlin: Surfing Portraits
Alvar Sirlin is a New York illustrator well known for his soccer portraits in Howler Magazine. But he is also a recreational surfer who can be spotted on the beaches of Long Island, N.Y. when the conditions are right. Here is a look at his sketchbook, which serves as a showcase for Alvar’s ability to […]
How To: Picking The Proper Wetsuit
Knowing what wetsuit is appropriate for certain conditions can be confusing for anyone, especially beginners. So we asked Body Glove, which made its first wetsuit in 1953 using neoprene, an insulating material found in the back of refrigerators, to walk us through the basics. Wetsuit designer John Federoff was our guide.
The Physical Demands Of Surfing
Surfers have a laid back reputation. But Physiologist Olivier Farley, who has a PhD in the science of surfing, has documented the extreme physical demands of the sport by studying what surfers do when they are out in the water. Surfers need lots of arm strength and aerobic endurance to perform repeated short powerful bouts […]
Our Trip To Trestles
Baseball has Fenway Park. Football has Lambeau Field. In the world of surfing a Southern California wave named after a railroad bridge occupies a similar place of honor for those who love the sport. We visted during the Hurley Pro in September. Click here for a view of what we experienced.
A Trek Through Trestles
Thousands travel to Trestles each year to surf its world-class waves and experience one of the last untouched sections of southern California coastline. We asked California photographer Chris Ortiz to take a visual tour of this iconic American place.
Great Moments At Trestles
Many of pro surfing’s greatest moments occurred at Trestles. Illustrator Alvar Sirlin brings four to life.
Editor’s Note – The Trestles Issue
Fifty miles north of San Diego is an expanse of ocean front, sand and cobblestones named after a railroad bridge. How did this spot, called “Trestles,” become the most important place to surf in the continental United States? We thought it would be fun to explore that question in this debut of Twenty, a magazine […]
How Trestles Works
We asked Dr. Falk Feddersen to explain why Lower Trestles is one of the world’s great waves. Not only is he an oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, but he is a surfer who has paddled out at Trestles roughly 10 times.
Surfer in Chief
Why Richard Nixon Is Responsible for One of The World’s Greatest Waves
How To: Onshore Workout
Kevyn Dean of DSC Performance Physical Therapy and Fitness trains some of the best surfers on the professional world tour and serves as medical director for the USA Surf Team. We asked him to offer advice to beginners or casual surfers who are entering the water for the first time. He advises establishing proper movement […]
Go Deeper on Kelly Slater’s First Pro Win
Go below the surface of Kelly Slater’s first pro win with this addendum to “A New Beginning.”
A New Beginning
Kelly Slater, just days before his 50th birthday, won his 56th career pro contest at the Pipeline Pro in Hawaii. He is, by any measure, the most accomplished professional surfer in the world. It is difficult now to imagine him as an unproven 18-year-old in search of his first pro victory. But that’s who Slater […]