Brad Domke’s Craziest Rides
Brad Domke has become an Internet sensation for his big-wave skimboarding heroics. He surfs waves that most people wouldn’t dream of catching even if they were blessed with a finned board.
Here he is charging some of the craziest waves of his life fins free. Keep up the entertaining work, Brad.
Shawn “Barney” Barron Passes Away
Earlier in the week a heart attack took the life of a legendary surfer at the devastatingly young age of 44. Barney was best known for his incredible works of art and his skilful aerial surfing. His good friend Pete Mel labelled him as an “innovator in his surfing, his art and personality”. Barney was also heavily involved in the early days of Volcom and the brand’s image surely wouldn’t be the same without him. He will be sorely missed.
Take a peek at the clip below and reflect on the life of one of Santa Cruz’s icons.
Mark Healey Goes Mad at Puerto Escondido
People in the know are calling this week’s swell at Puerto the ‘swell of the century’. Locals and pros alike were labeling it as the biggest swell they’d ever seen at the famous Mexican beachbreak and Mark Healey reckoned it was twice as big as he’d ever seen it. There will undoubtedly be more footage to come out of this insane swell, but here are the two best videos so far. The first clip is of Heals himself catching the wave of the day and arguably the biggest wave ever ridden at Puerto. He high-tailed it from the Punta de Lobos XXL event just in time to make it to this swell and was rewarded with one of the best big wave rides of the year. The other clip is of Pedro Calado’s horror wipeout which is surely the front-runner for wipeout of the year at this stage. Scary stuff.
Tracks Clip of the Week – Jack Freestone Walks the Talk
Jack Freestone has long been touted as a future world champion. Despite not yet reaching the WSL’s top 34, Jack has created some of the best freesurfing clips in the world. His section in Cluster was a standout and his latest web clip will blow your mind. World Tour judges love combos and Jack has them dialled. Just check any of 0:53, 1:09, 1:39, 2:26… the list goes on. The guy is on point and if he can reproduce this kind of surfing in contests, he will go a long way.
Filipe Toledo Wins the Oakley Pro Lowers
Filipe is on an absolute tear right now. He was easily the standout at the Quik Pro Gold Coast and rightfully won the event, he made the cover of an Australian surf magazine (unheard of for a Brazilian), he’s been releasing crazy web clips and now he’s won at Lowers. If there’s anyone you want on your fantasy team for the Oi Rio Pro, it’s this guy.
Check the highlights below.
Michel Bourez Breaks His Hand
We probably won’t see Michel at the Oi Rio Pro this year due to a broken hand and vertebrae that required surgery after copping a heavy wipeout at Teahupoo. According to his Instagram, the Spartan is looking at a minimum of six weeks out of the water. The always in good spirits Michel must have been in a huge amount of pain when he took this photo but still managed to see the lighter side of things saying “that drop was worth it though”. Here’s to a speedy recovery for one of the Tour’s most loved surfers.
Untouched by Perry Gershkow
Videographer Perry Gershkow has spent the last six months compiling footage of Santa Cruz’s new crop of talent. The filming for this short took place all over the untouched central-west coast of the US and the final product is a beautifully composed piece of surf and skate videography which perfectly captures the vibe of that part of the world.
For a refreshing escape from surf footage, check the slo-motion, perfectly stomped tre-flip at 3:15.
