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Kelly Slater portrait detail

Kelly Slater: How It All Began

Posted February 6, 2022 by Dan Fitzpatrick

The GOAT, days from 50, won his 56th career pro event. At Pipeline, no less. Against a surfer half his age. If you, like us, are still numb from witnessing such a rare athletic achievement, maybe it makes sense to resurface the story of how it all began. It was 1990, and Kelly Slater was an unproven 18-year-old kid from Florida. He and the others who were there describe in their own words what happened next.

 

Live From The 2019 Pipe Masters

Posted December 14, 2019 by Dan Fitzpatrick

What a raucous finish to pro surfing’s 2019 season. Join us here for a live illustrated depiction of the Pipe Masters. (more…)

Issue 3 Q&A

Posted April 26, 2019 by Dan Fitzpatrick

Well this was fun. Stack Magazines asked us to talk through issue 3, and here is what we had to say.  (more…)

The Best Of 2018

Posted January 5, 2019 by Dan Fitzpatrick

Our Best Stories Of The Year, All In One Place. (more…)

Live From The Pipe Masters

Posted December 10, 2018 by Dan Fitzpatrick

We were live on the North Shore of Oahu for a raucous finish to pro surfing’s 2018 season. See here for an illustrated depiction of the Pipe Masters. (more…)

The Pipeline Sketches

Posted December 8, 2018 by Dan Fitzpatrick

Ignacio Serrano produced a remarkable illustration for our second issue that places the viewer inside a wave at Pipeline in a way that no photograph could. The Spanish illustrator relied largely on Internet footage and Pipeline research to construct the point of view. “I discovered a whole new universe of images that I had never seen before.” Explore his process below. (more…)

Behind The Cover: The Pipeline Issue

Posted by Dan Fitzpatrick

Surfing was a new subject for Taiwanese illustrator Yu-Ming Huang. Yet his image of Hawaiian surfer John John Florence is one of the most powerful depictions we’ve seen of the two-time world champion. We liked its emotional intensity so much we put the drawing on the cover of our second issue. (more…)

Behind A Famed Ride: Frame By Frame

Posted by Dan Fitzpatrick

Tom Servais’ November 1991 photograph of a Tom Curren cutback is one of the best known images ever taken of a surfer and a wave. But what came before and after? These 15 images provided by Servais help fill in that picture for those interested in how a skilled surfer navigates one of the world’s best waves. (more…)

Breaking The Surface: The Journey of a Beginner

Posted October 14, 2018 by Dan Fitzpatrick

What is it like to try surfing for the first time at age 52? Charlotte Slivka decided to find out. (more…)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Posted May 6, 2018 by Dan Fitzpatrick

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.

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The Audacious, Comical, Tragic and Potentially Redemptive Story Of A Small Town, A Pool And The World’s Best Surfers

Posted May 4, 2018 by Dan Fitzpatrick

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? (more…)

Kelly Slater portrait detail

Welcome To The Wave Pool Capital Of The World

Posted April 28, 2018 by Dan Fitzpatrick

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. 
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Want To Hear About The Time I Almost Died?

Posted January 7, 2018 by Dan Fitzpatrick

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.   (more…)

Alvar Sirlin illustration detail

Alvar Sirlin: Surfing Portraits

Posted February 4, 2017 by Dan Fitzpatrick

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 capture the sport at its most dynamic.  (more…)

album cover image

Our Trip To Trestles

Posted December 4, 2016 by Dan Fitzpatrick

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. (more…)