Meet Surfing Life 325. On Sale Today.
In late June of 2015, something miraculous happened. Something so miraculous that we decided to dedicate almost an entire issue to it.
On the Winter solstice, a storm system larger than Australia formed in the deep southern Indian Ocean. It generated a swell of a magnitude and quality the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. We chased this swell, from it’s inception to it’s demise and everywhere in between. We analysed it, tracked it, surfed it, took photos of it and wrote about it and that, dear readers, is what makes up the majority of Surfing Life #325.
Guest Editor, and serious weather guru, Nick Carroll, takes us on a meteorological journey throughout the magazine as the storm, and associated swell, makes its way from below the African content around the base of the world to the Americas. There are incredible images and stories from Indonesia, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Nicaragua, Mexico, California and more. This magazine puts you in the driver’s seat on a journey halfway around the world to some of the world’s most iconic locations.
You’ll be worn out by then, but there’s more! Issue #325 also features our Tech Guide, showcasing the latest and greatest gadgets to make your Surfing Life easier, futuristic and infinitely more badass, and we also launch the Original Source Boardriders Battle with Snapper Rocks’ Sheldon Simkus.
Surfing Life #325 is the Swell Chaser Issue, get chasing!
And to whet the appetite…
The Swell That Smashed The World
This issue documents a single expression of energy; a deep storm that developed in the back half of June just south of Africa and carried itself all the way into the South Pacific, spinning off swells as it moved. In just under two weeks, this storm flooded the entire Southern and Indian Oceans and much of the Pacific with surf. Its effects were global, and so is our response. This is a round-the-world trip following one swell, the best and the worst days, the best and the worst rides, and the stories that we’ll never forget. Below is just a small fraction of where we go. Whet your appetite.
A World Of Great Expectations
We live in the age of mass media hyperbole. Things are now the best evers, greatest in x amount of time, etc, etc. And it exists for a reason, because we also live in an age where an increasing number of media outlets compete for dwindling advertising dollars. This is a look into what’s happening in surfing media, and how we can keep our bullshit radars on high alert.
Tattooing The Brain
Some call it the heaviest wave in the world. Some don’t. But no matter your stance, this round-the-world swell went straight for it. Here, Mark Mathews talks us through his three day journey in Western Australia chasing it – the best, and the worst, moments – that will forever be tattooed on his brain.
Curing Hangovers In The West
There’s a stretch of West Australian coastline much less frequented than the south-west. It’s a little less crowded, a little further north, and takes a bit more effort to get to. But on swells like this, well, it lights up. And with not too many takers. A man who knows this part better than most, and would never miss a swell of this size and power at home, is Kerby Brown. Here’s what he said.
A Return To The Classics
Bali’s good for a lot of things. It’s good for people watching and losing your mind over attractive Russians/Scandinavians/Germans. It’s good for pleasant holidays, but even better for terrible ones. Plus, it’s so good for surfing that you’ll find a world class spot every few kilometres along its coastline. But when a swell like this comes along? You best go with a classic. And there’s nowhere more classic than Padang Padang.
Lances Right: The Mentawais
From anywhere in the world, a mission to Indonesia requires a few planes, some terrifying car rides, and a leaky ferry or two. As surfers and surf media across the world scrambled to the archipelago’s southern shores, Sheldon Simkus, Kai Hing and our own Andrew Shield were already around the corner from the spot they wanted to surf – it’s just that they didn’t know yet.
The Deep South: Perfection Over Size
Big sharks, bigger waves, cold water, colder reception from the locals. This part of the world isn’t too friendly at the best of times, but when a storm and swell of this magnitude rounds the south-west of Australia and ramps up a couple of notches in the Great Southern Ocean, it becomes downright scary. That is, to all but a few hardy, prepared and slightly loony individuals that call this place home.
Newcastle Magnets
When one of these swells round the bottom of Australia and spins off into the Tasman Sea, just like the one in question, surfers on the east coast start to feel a little funny inside. Suddenly, after watching all their friends/peers/pros/desert-warriors score endlessly for the past week, there’s a chance that some of the energy will appear in their swell window. Enter: Newcastle Magnets.
A Return To The Tropics
But, despite what we say above, the majority of east coast surfers are destined to sit and wait, antsy, annoyed and irritated as they watch the perfectly groomed lines march their way up the coast, far on the horizon, bound for more south facing coasts. Like this one. Cloudbreak.
Barrels of Rum, Barrels of Fun
Nicaragua is a paradise of cheap rum and regatton booties that almost always blows offshore, thanks to a freshwater lake that takes up most of the country’s interior. There are waves all over the country and it’s only crowded in a few spots, completely empty in others, usually fun, sometimes bigger than fun, and it always cops swell from the North Pacific. Enter the swell of the millennia. Paradise.
The Right Side Of Town
Hawaii is paradise all year round, and it’s the type of paradise that doesn’t discriminate, whether you’re a group of 40-somethings that just want to sink Mai-Tais by the pool, or a pack of salty shred-dogs relying on the ocean to come party too. And oh, it knows how to party. Let us show you.
The Tech Guide
Technology advances at an exponential rate. We see more progression yearly than our ancestors saw in a decade, and their ancestors saw in a century. Looking forward into the future, old us will be far more befuddled by the technology of the day than your grandma is baffled by smartphones and Tinder. And it’s happening in the surf industry. We haven’t yet made the equivalent of the atomic bomb, but we’ve made some splashes – here’s what you do, and don’t, need to know about.
Oh, And There’s More!
We’re just not gunna give it to you. Not until you get this glossy piece of reading material in your hot little hands.
Online. At your local newsagent. Below.
