While the official start to summer is still a few days away, a series of powerful storms has sent long-period swell radiating across the ocean, lighting up famous surf zones from Tahiti to Hawaii to California. And while surfers have celebrated the run of waves, the swell has also delivered a reminder of the ocean's destructive power.

A recent video from Hawaii captures that reality in dramatic fashion.

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The footage shows a gigantic wave towering over a row of beachfront condos, momentarily appearing taller than the buildings themselves. As the wave detonates against the shoreline, whitewater surges across the coast, highlighting the increasingly fragile relationship between oceanfront development and a dynamic coastline.

The scene is both mesmerizing and unsettling.

For residents, it's also familiar.

The stretch of shoreline – the Keauhou-Kona Surf and Racquet Condominium complex in Keauhou – featured in the video has repeatedly made headlines during major swell events. Over the years, large surf has battered seawalls, accelerated erosion, and threatened structures built just feet from the ocean. Each new pulse of swell seems to reignite concerns about the future of some of Hawaii's most vulnerable oceanfront properties.

During this incident, the wave impact was enough to rip shingles off the rooftops. And it’s not the first time this has happened, as mentioned.

Back in 2022, during Hurricane Darby, a similar scene unfolded.

Related: Historic SoCal Swell Rips Away Beaches and Topples Lifeguard Tower (Video)

This latest event comes as elevated surf continues impacting coastlines throughout the Pacific. In California, the recent swell triggered severe beach erosion at locations including The Wedge and Crystal Cove, exposing buried infrastructure and toppling shoreline structures. Similar stories have emerged across Hawaii, where high surf and elevated water levels have eaten away at beaches and tested coastal defenses.

For surfers, the swell has delivered memorable sessions.

For coastal communities, however, the same energy can be a source of concern.

As long-period swell generated thousands of miles away reaches shore, its effects extend far beyond the lineup. The towering waves seen in Hawaii serve as a powerful visual reminder that the ocean isn't just a playground—it is a force capable of reshaping coastlines, one swell at a time. With El Niño on tap this season, stay tuned for more.

Related: King Tides Pummel Multi-Million Dollar SoCal Beachfront Homes (Video)

"Hey listen, we've got something big in the pipeline that's coming to Encinitas. We've been building a new type of community gathering, education, and activation space that we are calling The Sea House — to give San Diego a permanent home for celebrating everything that's great about ocean culture."

He added, "You already know this but Seatrees was founded by a couple of surfers who just wanted to protect and restore the ocean playground and support their local community, so we couldn't think of a better partner for our monthly surf culture events than SURFER."

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Boom. A few short(ish) phone calls later, a plan was set: SURFER would host our magazine release party there. The night was a huge hit and featured legends like Bing, Bird, Kassia, Todd Glaser, and many more. But that wasn't all. We made a plan to host a monthly event — film nights, concerts, board swaps, talk stories, and maybe even some late-night mezcal sessions. Next on the agenda is a film night and gallery showing with Morgan Maassen, July 9.

Fun Fact:Back in 2012, Seatrees (then known as Sustainable Surf) was recognized with the "Agent of Change" prize at the SURFER Poll. In recognition of their efforts, they were handed a check by none other than Mr. Gerry Lopez.

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Since then, a lot has happened. Their name change from Sustainable Surf to Seatrees marked a pivot to new horizons that began not long after winning the award. They've officially partnered with the Rob Machado Foundation (hello legend) and will be co-hosting events there throughout the year. For their work beyond California, one look at their YouTube and you'll find a bona fide library of professional videos detailing their restoration partners around the world.

What you won't see is just how hard it is to pull off these kinds of projects. They're a small but mighty team, and each one of them is an absolute weapon in the fight for oceanic justice. Their work is supported by a dynamic range of partnerships — diverse brands from Samsung to Burgeon Beer, locally-led restoration groups everywhere from Florida to Fiji, and the work of scientists like Professor Stuart Sandin of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

In addition to the monthly SURFER events, The Sea House has been hosting weekly events and living up to its slogan: Where Ocean Culture Lives. A few weeks ago, it was a film screening with ambassador Bodhi Pahtil, who shared a moving documentary about coral restoration in remote Papua New Guinea. This Thursday brings a screening of another coral restoration project, this one in the Golfo Dulce of Costa Rica.

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All of these threads intertwined recently at The Sea House when a group hosted by Samsung came together for a two-day summit focused on California's kelp forests and marine biodiversity. The group of journalists and filmmakers were briefed by Professor Sandin and Leah Hays on the nature of the collaboration between Seatrees, Scripps, and Samsung. Thanks to a unique 'ocean mode' setting, divers can use the Samsung phones to accurately collect data from restoration sites. You can see the full backstory on this technology in the video below, or read more about it here.

What's Happening with California Kelp Forests

Of particular interest to me is the project coming much closer to home, right here in California. Ask any surfer who's been around more than 20 years and they'll all tell you the same thing: there used to be much more kelp. For an ignoramus, this is inconsequential. For a surfer, diver, fisherman, or simply any friend of the ocean, this is bad news.

Kelp forests are the beating heart of our coastal ecosystems. They are the engine of marine biodiversity. Without them, things just start to fall apart. Scientists at Scripps are well-positioned to deploy methods to revive our kelp forests. Ironically, there's one giant hurdle standing in their way. Government bureaucracy.

To be fair and diplomatic, the California coast is blessed to have so many protections via a myriad of government agencies — from the Coastal Commission to the Department of Fish and Wildlife to the Fish and Game Commission. The coast is absolutely worth protecting.

To be blunt and honest, the same agencies that are supposed to protect the coast stand in the way of enacting real change. There's no reason California shouldn't be leading the world in marine restoration. If you're still not convinced that the kelp forests are worth fighting for, take a quick look at the video below (or anything for that matter) from Henry Cooper, one of the attendees of the Samsung x Seatrees summit.

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Luckily, there are a few pockets of strong kelp forests left in Southern California, most notably in La Jolla and Laguna Beach. Both are located within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and make the case that biodiversity is strongest near kelp forests. That doesn't mean there isn't debate over how MPAs should be handled. The truth is that it's not a perfect system — but it's better than nothing.

Looking forward, The Sea House will serve as a space to gather and organize in support of California's coast, and to explore ways to develop new restoration projects right here at home. Below is a look at the kelp forest south of Nazaré, done in partnership with the Hope Zones Foundation.

"Getting permits for restoration in California is incredibly difficult, but we're hopeful that the tide is starting to change on that front. We've been building partnerships with restoration groups around the world for the last 10 years. We know what it takes for this to be a successful project that can scale around the state in a way that benefits all stakeholders — surfers, divers, fishermen, tourism, and industry. We just need permission to get started," Stewart said.

Keep an eye out here and on Instagram to stay in the loop about future Sea House events. You can sign up for the Seatrees newsletter and donate here.

Related: Coral in Focus: If You Can See It, You Can Save It

USA Surfing has announced a partnership with San Clemente-based Kamaka Responsible Development (“Kamaka”), naming them the title sponsor of the 2026 USA Surfing Championships. As part of this monumental multi-year commitment, a state-of-the-art wave pool currently under development in Utah will serve as the official American Training Center for the USA Surfing National Team when it opens its gates in late 2027.

Take a peek:

The choice of location might raise eyebrows among coastal purists, but the next-generation technology running the park explains the strategy. Powered by Endless Surf's advanced pneumatic wave technology, the pool will have the unique capability to replicate the exact wave conditions of Lower Trestles in San Clemente—the designated ocean venue for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

For years, the global surf community has debated utilizing artificial wave pools on the Olympic stage. However, during the sport’s first two historic debuts at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, the events ultimately remained at the mercy of the open ocean. This inland facility represents a major paradigm shift, allowing coaches and athletes to supplement unpredictable ocean sessions with consistent, repeatable opportunities to test strategy and maximize performance.

“Kamaka's commitment gives the next generation of U.S. surfers the ability to train on demand against conditions they'll face in competition,” said USA Surfing coach and two-time US Open winner Brett Simpson. “That's the kind of investment that changes the trajectory of the sport, making it an exciting tool for American surfers preparing to take on the world's best.”

Related: $750 Billion Largest Waterpark in the Middle East Adds World-Class Wave Pool (Video)

It's also not the first wave pool coming to the landlocked Beehive State; there's also Zion Shores, coming some time in 2027, powered by PerfectSwell.

As for Team USA's private training facility, Jackson Sheppard, President and Co-Founder of Kamaka, echoed this long-term vision for the sport's pipeline.

“This is more than a sponsorship; it's a long-term commitment to the future of American surfing," Sheppard stated. "This is a transformational moment for U.S. surfing. We're proud to invest in the 2026 USA Surfing Championships, the athlete pipeline, and a state-of-the-art National Training Center that will shape the next generation of our country's top surfers, building on our gold medal success.”

With the countdown to LA28 officially underway, Team USA’s secret weapon won't be floating in California saltwater, but tucked away near the mountains of Utah.

Related: California's Newest Wave Pool Is Finally Filled with Water. When Will it Open?

Too many. I’ve become numb.

Likely, it’s due to the advent and proliferation of drones, turning any average individual into an aerial documentarian, but also, providing a new perspective on the ocean, and how many shark “encounters” go unnoticed every single day. But there’s one clip that has been making the rounds for weeks now, published by myriad media outlets, and eliciting a response unlike all the other clips. But why? Let’s take a look.

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The original video comes from Nick Bertocchini of Lodi, California – a wedding photographer, occasional drone shark videographer, and high school theology teacher. The footage comes from Aptos, California, the small hamlet just south of Santa Cruz.

In response to the video being posted and reported on everywhere, Bertocchini decided to post it himself, and to add a little context:

“I guess I should officially post this video… it has gone ‘viral’ since @ksbw_8 posted it and it has now been shared by their nationwide affiliates. The people who sarcastically comment ‘wow! A shark in the ocean!’ are dumb.

“Of course it’s in the ocean… I’ve spent a lot of time flying my drone watching sharks around surfers and this was one of the only times I was actually nervous. I tried to warn the surfer, Rex, who I talked to afterwards, by revving the drones motors. And moving to the side of the shark. It’s something that has worked in the past in alerting surfers of sharks. Usually the sharks are slightly curious and move on quickly but this one seemed a little more investigative than usual. Glad no bites were exchanged! So much fun watching these amazing sharks!”

Related: ‘Double the Sharks’: Southern California Faces El Niño-Fueled Great White Frenzy

But what is it about this particular video? Is it that the shark noticeably takes a pass in the direction of the surfer? That the surfer suddenly notices what’s happening, then decides to paddle away? That must be it. Most of the time, the drone videos show surfers who are blissfully unaware of the creatures they’re sharing the water with.

And plus, everyone’s got shark fever – with the abnormally warm patch of warm water off the Pacific and the incoming El Niño, experts are expecting a “sharky” summer in Southern California. Fair warning: many more drone shark clips to come.

Related: $300k Raised for Young Mother Who Lost Arm in Great White Shark Attack

However, the U.S. Embassy in Nassau has issued a stark warning that should cause every coastal traveler to think twice before participating in certain beachside activities. In a public service announcement video posted to the embassy’s official social media channels, U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas (and former NFL player) Herschel Walker directly urged American tourists to steer clear of local jet ski rentals.

The security alert follows a disturbing trend of incidents involving unregulated watercraft vendors operating on the country’s most popular stretches of sand, including Cabbage Beach, Junkanoo Beach, and Saunders Beach. In the PSA, Ambassador Walker detailed the severe threats that prompted the travel advisory, warning travelers that renting from these beachside operations poses a "serious risk of injury, death, and sexual assault.”

🚨 SAFETY ALERT: Ambassador Herschel Walker has an important message for Americans visiting The Bahamas: Jet ski rentals pose a serious risk of injury, death, and sexual assault. U.S. gov't employees are banned from renting them — and you should avoid them too.

Watch. Share.… pic.twitter.com/zgxSTEjdmh

— U.S. Embassy Nassau (@USEmbassyNassau) June 15, 2026

“I need to warn you about some serious dangers associated with renting jet skis and small watercraft and swimming at beaches where jet skis and small watercraft are being operated in shallow waters, particularly around Nassau and Paradise Island,” Walker stated in his direct address. “We've lost American lives to preventable accidents. Multiple visitors have been hospitalized.”

The embassy noted that since August 2024, at least six U.S. citizens have suffered severe injuries from jet ski accidents, with three requiring emergency medical evacuations back to the United States. Even more alarming are reports of targeted sexual violence. According to the advisory, multiple American women have been sexually assaulted by predatory operators who solicited them for rides before driving them to isolated islands near Nassau.

Related: Jet Skier Slams into Grey Whale at ‘Very High Speed’ (Video)

“Many watercraft are unsafe and operators are unlicensed and uninsured,” Walker explained, highlighting that law enforcement oversight remains sporadic at best. The threat is considered so severe that U.S. government employees are officially prohibited from renting or riding jet skis on New Providence and Paradise Islands.

While the embassy is collaborating with the Bahamian government to address these systemic safety flaws, the current mandate for tourists is clear: stick to paddling your surfboard. “For now, consider all the risks before you get on a jet ski in the Bahamas,” Walker warned. “Your safety matters.”

Just a casual reminder:

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Related: 20ft Sydney Slab Chaos As Jet Ski Surfer Plows Through Packed Cape Fear Lineup (Video)

Heavy claim. But let’s add a bit of context, shall we? This comes, mostly in jest, from the recent run of waves – the “swell of the decade,” per some – which slammed the California coast, and after a session at the ‘Bu featuring pretty much every single Angeleno surfer in the water simultaneously, searching for their own piece of the super swell pie.

Of course, as it always does, chaos ensued.

“What a wild Malibu session,” Rothman says after battling the crowd. “My funnest wave was with the Malibu legend, Andy. I took off and he told me to go. We just surfed the wave together. We did that once two of three years ago, and we just do it every time."

He adds: “The surf scene and culture here, it reminds me of Snapper Rocks [Australia]. Zero rules for surfing. Everyone feels very entitled to go on the same wave. Even on the local guys, which blows my mind. People just put helmets on their kids out here, and push them in. I would take them anywhere else in the world, but this wave. Your kid is safer surfing Pipe, than this wave right now. The end of Pipe, sandbar area – safer than Malibu. Pipeline is safer than Malibu.”

Related: Surfer Tries to Shoot Malibu Pier During 'Swell of the Decade' (Video)

Moments later, as if on cue, or more likely from the magic of video editing, the ambulances arrive. Someone needed rescuing during the swell chaos at Malibu.

“This is crazy,” Rothman says. “Someone just got fully saved at Malibu. Like unconscious when they came in, but I think he’s conscious now. It’s chaos. Southern California super swell is no joke. Guys are getting flexed. It’s not something you’d think would happen at Malibu.”

The crowd factor, obviously, adds an element of danger to Malibu. Dropping in on other surfers, colliding with them – it’s common practice. Not something you see at many surf spots. But from an actual wave standpoint, is Malibu more dangerous than Pipeline?

Absolutely not.

Related: ‘Swell of the Decade?’ Southern California’s Big-Wave Bender in Photos

Hey Dibi: My son just landed his first sponsorship and now he feels a lot of pressure to perform. How does he keep his enthusiasm for surfing without letting the stress kill it? - SurfMom2
When kids turn their "hobby" into a "job" it changes their relationship to surfing forever. Some kids are competitive from the start, they seem to take the responsibility of sponsorship in stride and feel it's a helpful step in a long-term goal. Other's not so much, they are perhaps better off pursuing other avenues for compensation and surfing for the pure love of it. I hope you can help him choose wisely.

Hey Dibi: After a brutal wipeout, I'm really psyched out to get back on a board, any suggestions? - BigGIup
There are quite a few fantastic training regimes created by big wave riders that incorporate breathing, underwater strength training with various other water safety techniques that should help rebuild your confidence to get back in the break.

Hey Dibi: Now that surfing is in the Olympics, do you think it's good for the sport? - GoldMda128
It's hard for me to think of surfing as a sport, I grew up in the era of surfing as a lifestyle. Surfing in the Olympics has a lot of challenges, as it is so determined by nature, unless it takes place in a wave pool and that seems to be a different discipline altogether. Perhaps there will be a gold medalist in the future who can't paddle out.

Related: Hey Dibi: How To Stay Clean When The Party Train's Rolling

Hey Dibi: Surf media used to be about storytelling and adventure, now it feels all about hype, clicks & influencers, do you think there's still room for real journalism? - Tlk1stryX
I think that great storytelling is such a gift, fifty words and a photo will never take the place of good narratives. I believe the challenge that most journalists face is how to get their stories out as the landscape has changed. There has never been a time when writers are so able to selfpublish and promote their own work, it's not the same as it was, but in some ways it feels like it's more up to the individual who's willing to put in the time and effort your voice will be heard.

Hey Dibi: With boards, wetsuits, and travel getting more expensive, is surfing becoming a rich person's sport? - Short$$
Grocery shopping has become a rich person's sport recently, so everything else has risen accordingly. It's less than some activities and more than others. But like with all cool activities, there's tradeoffs. Maybe you don't travel for a while and surf local, care for your equipment so it last longer. Ride a trade in rather than custom. Going to the beach is free, enjoy it!

Hey Dibi: I've been chasing waves for years, but lately I just don't feel the same stoke, how do I break the rut? - SurfChaIlenged
I remember coming back to California from Hawaii, and Herbie was in a complete surf funk, he started making high performance longboards to go fast and hang high, and claimed "The Thrill is Back".... Maybe it's new equipment, maybe it's a new challenge, like everything we do in life, things can get stale, mix it up, look at if from a new direction, the joy of discovery makes it fun again.

Related: Hey Dibi: Is The Ocean The Fountain Of Youth?

A video shared on Instagram captures the cove in an almost unrecognizable state. Huge waves surge into the bay, exploding on the shore and transforming the idyllic swimming beach into a cauldron of whitewater. Then, the situation takes a serious turn.

Several swimmers are swept away from shore and carried beyond the breaking waves by a powerful rip current generated by the swell. As the video rolls, the stranded swimmers can be seen bobbing outside in turbulent seas while onlookers watch powerlessly from the cliffs above, and the beach below. Check out the clip:

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Fortunately, Laguna Beach Marine Safety was already on high alert during the run of dangerous surf. Moments later, a lifeguard rescue boat arrives on scene, navigating through the rough ocean conditions to reach the swimmers.

Per the lifeguards:

“The victims were carried beyond the surf line by a powerful rip current. A lifeguard reached the victims and assisted them aboard Wave Watch, where the crew safely transported them shoreward.

“Because of the large surf, the vessel remained outside the reef while the crew timed the swell and waited for a safe opening. Once conditions allowed, the victims were brought closer to shore and transferred safely back to the beach.”

Related: ‘Swell of the Decade?’ Southern California’s Big-Wave Bender in Photos

Comments included:

"Ummmm why are they swimming?!"

"This is no joke people. I had 3 lifeguards rescue me out of there 5 years ago. I definitely thought I was going to die. You panic and hyperventilate out there."

"Laguna guards are second to none!"

The footage serves as a stark reminder that even Southern California’s most picturesque beaches can become hazardous when powerful long-period swells arrive. Crescent Bay is typically known for calm water, snorkeling, and family beach days—not towering surf and open-ocean rescues.

This rescue was just one of many amidst the week-long spell of dangerous conditions across Southern California, where lifeguards have responded to hundreds of ocean emergencies linked to strong rip currents and oversized surf. Officials have repeatedly warned beachgoers to exercise caution, noting that long-period south swells can create deceptively powerful currents even at beaches that rarely see significant wave action.

As the lifeguards wisely advised and added:

“Rip currents can move swimmers away from shore quickly, especially during large surf events. Before entering the water, stop by a lifeguard tower and ask about current ocean conditions. We are always here and ready to help.”

Always listen to the lifeguards – always.

Related: 20ft Swell Slams SoCal Harbor Creating Rare Wave for Surfers (Video)

Hunter, who went viral recently for his attempt to shoot the pier during the historic south swell at Malibu (see below), has built a free-surfing career that, in all honesty, could be a book in itself.

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We caught up with Jon and Hunter to learn more about their backgrounds and what led to Chasing Dreams.

Hunter's Story

"I grew up in the South Bay (Westchester) right outside LA. From a young age, I was always drawn to the water. I rode my first wave at 10 years old and still vividly remember that feeling. I’ve been chasing it ever since. Looking back, it’s funny how that one wave completely changed the direction of my life.

I was far from the typical “sponsored kid.” My parents didn’t push me to compete, I just surfed with my friends because we loved it. We took turns filming each other & I’d reach out to anyone who might publish our clips or sponsor me. I did whatever job I could to stay close to surfing, eventually getting my foot in the door with a few companies while lifeguarding in my teens.

My path to making a living in surf was unconventional. I skipped the four-year university route, got my associate's degree through community college, and took an internship with the WSL, which turned into a full-time role as a social media coordinator. 

I was traveling the world, running global campaigns, and getting close to the best surfers on the planet. It was an incredible education. WSL gave me the tools to understand marketing, edit fast, and build stories around athletes at the highest level. I put my surfing dreams on hold for that opportunity. At 23, I had a moment: “I’m spending all this time building other people’s dreams, why not my own?” I left the WSL, and it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made.

I built my free-surfing career from scratch through content creation, brand partnerships, and filmmaking. There was no roadmap for me. I followed my gut, stayed true, and kept showing up. You have to believe in yourself before anyone else will. I share my story in hopes it reminds someone to keep chasing what they love."

How Chasing Dreams Came Together

Jon Pickle's story shares the same starting point. The two grew up together in the South Bay. Pickle was one of the rippers at El Porto Hunter looked up to as a kid. He went on to become an award-winning movie trailer editor and a father, and during the pandemic, after eight months without work, he found himself looking for surf-themed children's books for his three-year-old son Wolfe. There weren't many. The idea for Chasing Dreams started there.

The book is semi-autobiographical, rooted in Hunter's own journey. The two designed the artwork in-house, self-published, and partnered with the Surfrider Foundation — a portion of every sale goes directly toward protecting oceans and coastlines.

"The ocean inspired every page of this book," Hunter says. "It felt right to give something back to protect it."

"Surfing gave me a framework for life," he adds. "I want kids to find that feeling — whether it's surfing or something else entirely. I just want them to keep chasing what they love."

Chasing Dreams is out now. You can grab a copy at chasingdreamsbook.org.

Related: Surfer Tries to Shoot Malibu Pier During 'Swell of the Decade' (Video)

Oh, it was on.

That was the beginning, for me at least, to last week’s season-opener swell in Southern California. Simultaneously, there were countless other stories unfolding in real-time. Some very similar to mine, and some very different. That’s the way things go with swells like this, with all the hype, the buildup, the anticipation. It had been forecasted for at least a week prior, slamming Tahiti, and igniting Teahupo’o. So, Southern Californians knew something big was coming. How big? How clean? You just never know until you go.

Someone who had a very different experience than myself was Santa Cruz surf photographer Ryan “Chachi” Craig. While I was already stationed in Southern California, ready for the swell to arrive, Chachi was fresh off a trip to Chile, debating a flight to Mexico, scrambling to get his equipment together and formulate a gameplan.

“I ended up just saying ‘fuck it. I'll stay in Cali,’” Chachi said. “It looked like it could be an interesting swell here, so I finally pulled the trigger. On Monday, I did an all-night drive to The Wedge. I left Santa Cruz at 11:30 at night, drove straight to The Wedge, and got there for sunrise. It was pretty big but a little messy, but definitely a lot of long interval swell. I was completely exhausted, so I decided not to swim and saved that for the next day.”

By now, you’ve seen plenty of scenes from The Wedge; but Chachi’s images show a different side to it than the typical vloggers in the surfing space. You see the crowd, the emotion, the raw power frozen, in time through still photography.

Related: The Biggest Wedge Ever? Chaos and Carnage from Historic 20ft Swell (Video)

His next stop? Chachi continued:

“Then I went up to Malibu for the afternoon, and realized I had never really shot Malibu. It was a pretty cool scene, like, so many people on the beach, but all like in good spirits…even though there was 50 people on every wave. It was pretty wild to watch.”

And the swell wasn’t over.

Chachi went on: “After a few hours of sleep, I drove back down to The Wedge. I got there for sunrise again, and it was already south winds, which is a little bit of a bummer. But there were still some crazy waves. I would say the shape was a lot better, but it was more ripped out with the south wind.

"Then I went back to Malibu zone and actually, and shot this crazy backwash. Then, I did another all-night drive to get to Santa Cruz. I actually slept in my car in Paso Robles for, like, two hours because I was about to fall asleep while driving. [Laughs.]”

In the end?

“It was kind of weird swell,” said Chachi. “I don't really know what to make a it. I don’t whether it was good or not…but it was definitely big. No denying that.”

And the season is just getting started.

Related: 20ft Swell Slams SoCal Harbor Creating Rare Wave for Surfers (Video)

According to researchers at the California State University Long Beach Shark Lab, Southern California is shaping up for what could be an unusually active season for juvenile great white sharks. The reason? A combination of abnormally warm ocean temperatures fueled by an ongoing marine heatwave in the Pacific and the arrival of El Niño conditions.

"We predict it's going to be a very sharky summer," Dr. Chris Lowe, director of the CSULB Shark Lab, previously said about the upcoming season. And more recently, he explained more about what people can expect as we head into summer.

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“So, when you see an El Niño coming, you predict there will be double the sharks,” asked a broadcaster in the video above from ABC News”

To which, Lowe replied: “Exactly.”

Fortunately, the sharks most likely to be encountered along Southern California beaches aren't the giant adults that dominate headlines. Instead, they're juveniles—young great whites typically ranging from a few feet to several meters in length that use the region's shallow coastal waters as nursery habitat.

Southern California has become one of the world's most important nursery grounds for juvenile great white sharks. The warm, protected waters provide ideal conditions for young sharks to grow, while an abundance of prey—including fish, stingrays, and other marine life—offers a reliable food source.

Related: Horrific Shark Attack Caught on Camera at Florida Naval Base (Video)

According to Lowe, warmer water temperatures allow the young sharks to expand their range and remain in coastal areas for longer periods. Researchers have documented growing numbers of juvenile great whites along beaches stretching from Santa Barbara to San Diego over the past decade, a trend that appears likely to continue this year.

Just recently, a curious, larger shark was spotted via drone circling a surfer just south of Santa Cruz. Check out the footage below.

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The increased shark activity doesn't necessarily mean increased danger. Despite thousands of documented shark sightings annually, attacks remain extremely rare. In fact, juvenile great whites primarily feed on fish and rays rather than marine mammals or humans.

So, what’s a surfer or swimmer to do this summer season?

“We know there’s safety in numbers,” Lowe said. “Statistically, it is very rare for someone to be bitten if they are in a group. But they’re more likely to be bitten if they are by themselves. So, swim together, surf together…it’s more fun anyway, and it’s safer.”

Regardless, if you’re alone or not, they’re out there. Lowe added:

“I always tell people that if they spend any amount of time in the water off Southern California, I guarantee a white shark swam by you and you didn’t even know it.”

Related: Great White Shark Swallows Camera in Wild SoCal Encounter (Video)

A much smaller group chases waves created by collapsing glaciers.

In his latest vlog, Blair Conklin heads deep into Alaska's rugged wilderness in search of one of surfing's rarest phenomena: glacier tsunami waves. The unusual waves are created when chunks of ice break away from a glacier—a process known as calving—and crash into the water below, sending ripples and surges across nearby fjords.

It's a fringe form of surfing; very few have ever successfully rode glacier waves. And yet, there are those who go to extremes for the experience. The waves are unpredictable, difficult to access, and often found in some of the harshest environments on Earth.

That, of course, is exactly why Conklin wanted to try it.

Narrating the video, the Laguna Beach, CA native eloquently explains:

“When waves are formed in the ocean, they can travel thousands of miles then release all their energy on the shore. At this particular glacier, it can take 400 years or more for that snowflake to reach the end of the glacier, to where it cracks into the ocean. You’re riding a form of energy that has been stored for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.”

Related: 50-Foot Seas, Ice-Cold Water, and a Bear: Blair Conklin's Alaska Adventure

The journey took him far from crowded beaches and familiar surf breaks. Surrounded by towering mountains, icy water, and active glaciers, Conklin and his crew navigated Alaska's remote backcountry searching for a calving event large enough to generate a rideable wave.

They didn't score the giant glacier tsunami many dream about.

But they did score waves. In fact, this is the second episode documenting the journey into the wilds of Alaska; check out the first one below:

Several times during the trip, massive chunks of ice broke free from the glacier face, sending surges across the water. The resulting waves may have been modest by most standards, but they were more than enough to ride. Conklin managed to surf the rare phenomenon, adding another unusual chapter to a career built around novelty-wave exploration.

The experience also highlighted just how wild glacier surfing can be. Beyond the frigid water, surfers must contend with floating ice, rapidly changing weather, remote locations, and the possibility of much larger calving events occurring without warning.

For most surfers, a session involves checking a forecast and paddling out.

For glacier surfers, it means waiting for a mountain of ice to fall into the ocean.

It's one of the strangest waves in the world—and one of the rarest. In Alaska, Conklin found exactly what he was looking for.

Related: Massive Iceberg Collapse Creates One of the Biggest Glacier Waves Ever (Video)

The Surfrider Foundation's LA chapter and a coalition of community partners are hosting a paddle out at Tower 20 in Santa Monica from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is open to anyone who wants to show up, no boards necessary, and families and kids are welcomed and encouraged to join. The more, the merrier.

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The threat that is bringing everyone together isn't new, but it has become very real in the past year. Offshore drilling has loomed over California for decades, with periodic federal pushes to expand leasing in our waters. Thankfully, resistance has not been futile and surfers have been at the front of that resistance going back to the founding of the Surfrider Foundation itself in 1984 and beyond.

While paddle outs are traditionally associated with memorials, they have become a useful tool for ocean activism in Australia. A while back I spoke to Drew McPherson, of Surfrider Australia, who explained how local surfers used paddle outs during the "Fight for the Bight" campaign that helped pressure oil giant Equinor into abandoning its plans to drill in the Great Australian Bight. Tens of thousands of supporters paddled out at beaches across the country, and the visual had a far bigger impact than standard protests with picket signs and chants. To be sure, there was plenty of that as well, but the act of going in the water made a difference. A paddle out isn't a complaint, it's an active celebration of what is at risk.

Recently, Surfrider hosted a paddle out in Santa Barbara to help make the case against the federal government's renewed interest in offshore drilling. This weekend they'll be in LA but the message is the same, "California's coast is too special to drill,". They couldn't be more on the money.

California's beaches generate billions of dollars in annual economic output, support millions of livelihoods, and host some of the most-surfed waves on earth. They also remain one of the last stretches of U.S. coastline that hasn't been opened to widespread offshore extraction. The point being made by the paddle out, let's keep it that way.

The details:

• What: Paddle out to protect the California coast
• When: Saturday, June 20, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Where: Tower 20, Santa Monica
• Hosted by: Surfrider Foundation LA + community partners

If you're in the LA area this is the easy ask. Show up. Bring a board if you can. Enjoy the beach. Make some new friends and help safeguard the very thing we love most, the ocean.

Related: "Won't Even Look Us in the Eye": OC Supervisors Vote to Continue Herbicide Spraying in Secrecy

A dramatic video circulating online captures a harrowing rescue at the infamous Oahu surf spot after a woman was swept into the impact zone by powerful waves crashing against the lava-rock coastline. The footage shows the woman struggling in turbulent water as surging whitewater rebounds off the cliffs, creating the chaotic conditions that have made China Walls one of Hawaii's most dangerous ocean playgrounds.

As the situation unfolds, a nearby surfer immediately recognizes the danger.

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Dropping his surfboard without hesitation, the man sprints toward the shoreline and into the hazardous wash zone. Timing his movements between incoming waves, he reaches the woman and pulls her toward safety as more whitewater explodes across the rocks.

The rescue was quick, but the stakes were enormous.

Related: 50-Foot Seas Fuel Rogue Wave Chaos in Hawaii (Video)

Located on Oahu's South Shore, China Walls is famous for its picturesque setting, heavy wave action, and unforgiving coastline. Even on smaller days, waves can surge unexpectedly onto the rocks before rapidly pulling water back toward the open ocean. During larger swells, the area can become especially treacherous.

Just around the corner sits Spitting Caves, one of Hawaii's most popular cliff-jumping locations. The area has been the site of numerous rescues, serious injuries, and fatalities over the years as visitors underestimate the strength of the ocean and the complexity of the currents.

Professional surfer Jamie O'Brien once described China Walls as the "most dangerous surf spot on the South Shore," a reputation earned through decades of close calls and tragic incidents.

As always, per HHHNewz, this served as yet another reminder to be always heed caution dealing with the ocean, especially in dangerous conditions:

"This is another reminder to never turn your back on the ocean, especially near rocky shoreline areas like China Walls where waves can surge up quickly. Even on days that look manageable, one bigger set can knock someone down, pull them across the rocks, or sweep them into the water."

Related: Giant Wave Launches Hawaii Canoe Crew During Massive South Shore Swell (Video)

Way back in 2009, O’Brien looked at big-wave surfing and thought it was way too serious. “My clips were basically answering the question: ' How do we put the fun in this?’ He said. “And the public just seemed to love being in on it.”

15 years later, he has around 1.4 million subscribers who have combined to watch 522 million views across 1,015 videos. When it comes to YouTube and surfing JOB is the GOAT.

There’s no doubt the Islands are the surfing spiritual home when it comes to YouTube. JOB was effectively a UGC Jonny Appleseed, seeding the idea to the next generation of Pipe chargers that the old competition and sponsorship revenue model need not apply.

Nathan Florence has been particularly successful, using a very simple template. He chases the heaviest waves on the planet, and packages up the adventures in a no-frills travelogue edit. It’s not rocket science, has terrible fonts, but it's led him to amassing more than half a million YouTube fans, and shooting well above the moon. No wonder his brother John turned his back on the rather difficult task of trying to win a fourth World Title and tacked, literally, into the world of content creation. His Vela series has seen him edge north of 236K subscribers as he heads downwind into lucrative new waters.

The eldest Florence brother is quickly catching up on his good mate Koa Rothman (256,000) and has overtaken fellow Pipe charger Koa Smith (198,000), while Kai Lenny’s multi-faceted waterman antics have scooped up 162,000 followers.

Away from the North Shore, Ben Gravy has spent a decade chasing novelty waves, fresh locations and views. It’s seen him create a career based more on unique destination and storytelling rather than pure surfing talent, and carve a unique space in surf culture. Topping out over the 200,000 mark, it has also no doubt provided a pretty decent living.

More middle-of-the-road is Noah Wallis. In Surfing with Noz, the Sydney surfer and surf coach does surf tutorials, wave breakdowns, and vlog-style travel pieces, using a GoPro as his main weapon and angle of choice. A recent how to wax a surfboard in 30 seconds clip scored more than 1 million views, which says everything, and nothing, about this slice of the surf world.

In the how-to space, Canadians Gabriel Lanoix and Alexandre Vassilatos have cornered the lucrative kook market with Barefoot Surf. Their instructional, technique, etiquette and travel videos target beginner and intermediate surfers who wish to progress to the next level. Who’d have thought the art of the pop-up could help gain 241K of YouTube fans?

But all these pale in comparison to Pete Gustin. You’ll have heard of Gustin; he is one of America's most recognizable voiceover artists. However, he is also a keen surfer, who happens to be legally blind due to Stargardt's disease. His BlindSurfer channel documents his life surfing, skating, and overcoming barriers, which has garnered a massive 2.5 million subscribers. Which, for a surfer who largely catches straight-handers, is pretty impressive.

Related: The Biggest Wedge Ever? Chaos and Carnage from Historic 20ft Swell (Video)

The latest stop on the novelty-wave specialist's never-ending quest took him to Canada's Petitcodiac River, where he chased the elusive phenomenon known as a tidal bore—a wave created when an incoming tide pushes upriver against the natural flow of water.

The setup sounded promising. According to Gravy, the incoming tide surge measured roughly 20 feet, transforming the river as seawater rushed inland. The actual wave, however, was another story. Turns out, even 20-foot tides don’t make 20-foot waves.

Rather than a roaring wall of water, the tidal bore resembled little more than a moving bump sliding up the river channel. For most surfers, it would hardly qualify as a wave at all.

For Ben Gravy, it was perfect.

Armed with one of his trademark oversized soft-top surfboards, Gravy paddled into the tiny surge and somehow found enough energy to glide along its face. As always, the wave itself wasn't really the point. The adventure was.

“This thing is a true modern miracle,” Gravy marveled.

Related: 20ft Swell Slams SoCal Harbor Creating Rare Wave for Surfers (Video)

The Petitcodiac tidal bore has become a local attraction in New Brunswick, drawing spectators eager to watch the river suddenly reverse direction as the Bay of Fundy's famously massive tides surge inland. The Bay of Fundy is home to the highest tides on Earth, making it one of the few places where tidal bores of this scale can occur regularly.

Naturally, Gravy wasn't content with simply riding the wave.

In one of the video's highlights, he managed the river-surfing equivalent of shooting the pier, timing his ride perfectly and gliding beneath a bridge as the tidal bore rolled downstream. It wasn't quite Malibu Pier, but it gets points for the novelty factor.

The wave won't be appearing on anyone's list of the world's best surf breaks anytime soon. But that's never been Gravy's mission.

While most surfers spend their lives searching for perfect waves, Gravy continues searching for interesting ones—and somehow keeps finding them in the most unexpected places imaginable.

As Gravy always says, “for the dream!”

Related: Ben Gravy and Zeke Claim ‘Historic Biggest Ferry Wave on Record’ (Video)

Leah Stewart, 35, lost her arm after being mauled by a great white shark while swimming at Coogee Beach, near Sydney and the iconic Bondi Beach. According to Australian media reports, Stewart suffered catastrophic injuries during the attack and remains on life support as doctors continue to monitor her condition.

The incident shocked beachgoers and sent ripples throughout Australia's surfing and ocean-going communities, even reigniting calls for a shark cull.

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In the days since the attack, support for Stewart has been overwhelming. A GoFundMe campaign created to assist with medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and support for her young family has raised more than $300,000, with donations continuing to pour in from around the world. The fundraiser describes Stewart as a devoted mother, beloved teacher, and passionate ocean lover whose life changed in an instant.

Related: Man Wrestles 300-Pound Great White Shark with Bare Hands (Video)

The crowdfunding effort reads: “Leah is a dedicated and loving mother, a passionate teacher, and a Coogee local who loves the ocean. Tragically, on June 13th, whilst on a morning swim close to the shore, within the flags on Coogee Beach, Leah was attacked by a shark and has sustained severe and life-threatening injuries with multiple bites across her arms and legs, lacerations and fractures throughout her body, and extreme blood loss.”

Charlie Verco, a volunteer lifeguard, is being hailed as a hero for helping Stewart following the attack. "She was in quite a bit of shock," Verco said after helping her to shore amidst the mauling. "She ended up losing consciousness. I just kept her head out of the water."

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The attack comes amid a troubling year for shark incidents in Australia. Just months ago, the Sydney region experienced a series of four shark attacks within a 48-hour period, involving bull sharks. The incidents left one child dead and another victim, a surfer, without a leg. Those attacks reignited public debate about shark safety, beach protections, and the increasing number of encounters occurring near populated coastlines.

While shark attacks remain statistically rare, stories like Stewart's are a sobering reminder that the ocean always carries an element of risk, even in familiar waters.

For now, the focus remains on Stewart's recovery. Friends, family, and strangers alike continue to share messages of support while contributing to a fundraiser that has become a powerful reflection of the compassion that often emerges in the wake of tragedy.

As donations climb and hope remains, an entire community is pulling for her.

Contribute to Stewart’s recovery via GoFundMe here.

Related: Horrific Shark Attack Caught on Camera at Florida Naval Base (Video)

Authorities have confirmed that both women swept into the ocean near Panther Beach in Santa Cruz County last week have died from their injuries despite extensive rescue efforts. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office identified the victims as 21-year-old Harshita Nair and 20-year-old Mahial Sran, both of Fremont, California.

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According to officials, the women were believed to have been sleeping near an area known as "The Keyhole," a natural archway between Panther Beach and Yellow Bank Beach, when rising tides and powerful surf swept them into the water. The incident occurred during a period of hazardous ocean conditions that included elevated surf, strong currents, and dangerous shoreline conditions along the California coast.

Related: Missing 5-Year-Old Girl Found in Massive Laguna Beach Surf (Video)

Emergency crews launched a massive response shortly after receiving reports of people in the water. Approximately eight rescue swimmers entered the ocean in an effort to save the victims. One woman was recovered near Panther Beach, while the second was located farther down the coast near Yellow Bank Beach. Both were pulled from the water and transported to hospitals as rescuers performed lifesaving measures.

OCEAN RESCUE: This is the fifth rescue we’ve performed in a month along a 1-mile stretch of coastline, from Yellow Bank Beach to Bonny Doon Beach.

Santa Cruz County Volunteer Fire Captain Kyle Breton explains what happened, and the dangers of being caught on the beach when the… pic.twitter.com/b4nUltPWzs

— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) June 11, 2026

"Both of these patients, we believe, were originally sleeping right at the keyhole, which is an area that we're finding catches people unaware," Santa Cruz County Volunteer Fire Capt. Kyle Breton said following the rescue. "The tides come in, and in this case, they swept out two sleeping patients."

Despite the heroic efforts of first responders, both women later succumbed to their injuries. Officials noted that this was the fifth rescue along the same one-mile stretch of coastline in the past month, underscoring the dangers posed by the area's caves, coves, cliffs, and rapidly changing tides.

For surfers, beachgoers, and coastal visitors alike, the tragedy serves as another sobering reminder that even seemingly calm stretches of shoreline can become deadly when powerful surf and rising tides combine.

Related: Heroic Lifeguard Rescues Swimmers in Massive Shorebreak (Video)

DSRT Surf, the Wavegarden-powered surf park under construction in Palm Desert, recently shared a major milestone on social media: the lagoon is officially full of water. While an exact opening date has yet to be announced, the project remains on track for a grand opening later this summer, bringing one of the world's most advanced artificial waves to the California desert.

For surfers who have been watching the project evolve from a massive excavation site into a nearly completed surf destination, seeing water in the basin is a sign that the finish line is finally in sight. Take a peek, and imagine waves rolling through.

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Once operational, DSRT Surf will feature Wavegarden Cove technology capable of producing up to 1,000 waves per hour. The system can generate a wide variety of wave types and sizes, allowing beginners, intermediates, and advanced surfers to ride waves tailored to their skill level. The technology has become one of the most widely adopted wave pool systems in the world, earning a reputation for consistency, reliability, and high wave counts.

Related: 1,000 Waves Per Hour: California’s Newest Surf Park Reveals Grand Opening

Pro surfer and aerial innovator, Josh Kerr, who is a partner in the project, said:

“What excites me most is the opportunity it creates for so many surfers to experience consistent, high-quality waves in a destination setting. It gives people a reason to come out and spend time in a beautiful area like Palm Desert.

“Personally, I’m really looking forward to using it myself and having my daughter Sierra train there as well. I think it’s going to be a tremendous asset for surfers of all levels and a special addition to the region.”

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But surfing is only part of the vision.

The development is being designed as a full-scale lifestyle destination, complete with restaurants, bars, event spaces, accommodations, and recreational amenities intended to attract both surfers and non-surfers alike. In many ways, DSRT Surf is aiming to become a desert resort built around wave riding.

But what about the water? Isn’t this region pretty parched already?

According to the team: “The surf destination will be a net-zero water user because DSRT Surf will be converting 23 acres of adjacent, non-playable golf tur at Desert Willow into drought tolerant and native desert landscaping as part of the DSRT Surf development plan. The conversion will reduce annual water usage at the golf course by an amount greater than the surf lagoon’s total annual use.”

There you go; problem solved.

For now, the countdown continues. But with water finally in the pool, DSRT Surf's long-awaited opening appears closer than ever.

Related: Pharrell Williams’ $350 Million Wave Pool Is Teaching Hundreds of Kids How to Surf

2026 may just be the year 'Riss gets her rizz back. Not only did she take down veteran competitor and fellow world champ, Tyler Wright, she's put the wildly talented Gen Z contingent — Caity Simmers, Luana Silva, Erin Brooks, Carline Marks, et al. — on notice that she's far from finished. Will this be the year she gets her sixth world title? We're certainly excited to see what happens next.

On the men's side, Leonardo Fioravanti's victory was emotional — more than a decade in the making. A first for Leo means a first for Italy, and it's about time a new country entered the chat. Before the season started, I'd hoped to see guys like Leo, Ramzi, and Rio make their way to the top, to switch things up and keep it interesting. On Saturday at Punta Roca, Leo did exactly that.

Moore Back-to-Back

For the five-time World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, El Salvador marked her 30th career CT victory and her first in Central America. Moore beat two-time World Champion Tyler Wright in the women's Final after a back-and-forth exchange that came down to the final five minutes.

"I'm literally baffled," Moore said. "When I saw Tyler in the locker room, I just said, 'This is like the old days, this is awesome.' It's really cool to see the veterans make a push this year, make some Finals, and take some wins."

Moore credited her run partly to having her husband on board as a trial coach for select events this season — a setup that, in her words, "seemed to work out at this one." She's now headed to the VIVO Rio Pro with her family in tow.

Fioravanti's Breakthrough

For Fioravanti, the win was a decade in the making and brings Italy it's first-ever CT win. The 28-year-old has been close before, including a heartbreaker at Pipe last year, but on Saturday it all came together.

Despite a slow start against an in-form Marco Mignot in the Quarters, Leo got it together at the back end of the heat. Once he switched on, he was precise, powerful, masterful. The momentum changed after an incredible ride that earned him a 9.00, the event's highest score. From there it was on to face World No. 1 Italo Ferreira.

He opened with an 8.33 on the first wave and never gave up the lead. The win catapulted him to World No. 3 in the rankings.

"It doesn't feel real," Fioravanti said. "This sport is so hard, and I've dedicated the last 10 years of my life to getting this win. I've come close a lot of times, and it feels unreal. That Final at Pipe last year really broke my heart, but I never gave up. My moment would come, and I just kept believing in that."

Italo, on One Leg

Ferreira, who'd been carrying a knee injury into the event, called his run a matter of faith.

"The first days after, I couldn't even walk. I just prayed that I would come back. Then it was not about performance — it was about fate. God gave me a lot of energy to keep going and stay on top. The stitches are still here, but they will come out in Brazil."

Despite the injury, Ferreira posted back-to-back CT Final appearances and held onto the yellow leader's jersey. He heads to home waters at the VIVO Rio Pro still atop the rankings.

Related: 'Code Red': WSL Finals Day at Raglan Halted After Mysterious Attack

Over the past several days, videos from Capistrano Beach in Dana Point have shown powerful waves slamming directly into oceanfront homes worth millions of dollars.

In some clips, seawalls disappear beneath surging water while waves crash against decks, patios, and foundations. Combined with elevated surf from the recent swell, the unusually high tides have transformed normally tranquil stretches of coastline into front-row seats for nature's fury.

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King Tides are the highest astronomical tides of the year. They occur when the sun, moon, and Earth align in a way that maximizes their combined gravitational pull, temporarily producing exceptionally high high tides and exceptionally low low tides.

While the phenomenon is completely natural, King Tides can exacerbate coastal flooding, erosion, and wave impacts when they coincide with large surf events—as Southern California is experiencing right now.

Related: Historic SoCal Swell Rips Away Beaches and Topples Lifeguard Tower (Video)

The effects have been felt beyond Dana Point. In Long Beach, elevated water levels flooded portions of the shoreline and caused localized coastal damage as waves pushed farther inland than normal. Across the region, beaches that had already been stripped of sand by the recent swell found themselves even more vulnerable to the ocean's reach.

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For surfers, Capistrano Beach carries a rich history. The neighborhood was once home to surfboard pioneer Hobie Alter and legendary surfer Philip "Flippy" Hoffman, two figures whose influence helped shape modern California surfing. Their backyard playground was the same coastline now being battered by waves and tides working in tandem.

A history of the aptly-named Beach Road, which parallels Poche Beach, notes:

“The stories of those days remain as well when Poche was the unofficial social club, think tank, and surf spot for legendary big wave surfers Walter and Philip ‘Flippy’ Hoffman, filmmaker, Bruce Brown, surfboard foam inventor Gordon ‘Grubby’ Clark ( a former turnaround resident), world famous surfer and surfboard designer Hobie Alter (for many years a resident) and Surfer magazine editor Pat McNulty…

“In fact, it was right at Poche that Hobie Alter and pals spent countless hours testing, redesigning and perfecting the Hobie Cat, which would become the world’s most popular sport sailboat.”

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The good news for homeowners is that King Tides are temporary. Current forecasts show the highest tides easing after the next few days, with the event expected to diminish by the end of the week. Until then, Southern California's coastline remains on high alert as swell, tides, and erosion continue to reshape the shore. Batten down the hatches.

Related: 20ft Swell Slams SoCal Harbor Creating Rare Wave for Surfers (Video)

Cho was born to a Mozambican mother and a Korean father in South Africa. The family moved to Tofo when he was 12, and two years later, he started surfing after a tourist loaned him a board. The small surf and holiday town sits on a thin peninsula that juts out from the mainland roughly 1000 kilometres north of Durban. You’ve no doubt seen images and clips of its best-known point, Tofinho, which feeds off solid southern swells generated by storms formed in the Roaring 40s in peak seasons between May and August. They are gift-wrapped around its sand-covered reef, with two takeoff zones providing rippable walls and long barrels through its tropical turquoise waters in the peak south swell season of April-August. 

“The last few years we’ve had poor sand on the points, to be honest. They never had the chance to replenish after a number of cyclones smashed us each summer,” said Cho. “This year we’ve had no cyclones, and the sand looks amazing; it could be epic.”

Cho has already posted clips showing the powerful natural footer mixing smooth tube riding and big carves. His surfing is best seen in Chasing the Unicorn, a film which traces the history of surfing in post-war Mozambique.

He holds down the line-up, not only as the finest surfer to come from Mozambique, and the first to surf on the QS, but as one of its key players in trying to create a local culture and legacy. Articulate, hard-working and selfless, few surfers are better suited to the role.  

He runs the Tofo Surf Club, a sister foundation to the Durban-based Surfers Not Street Children, a program that has been changing homeless and deprived African kids’ lives for more than two decades. Both programs fuse surfing, mentorship and care by using dedicated local teams of experts in the community. 

The Tofo chapter has now been running for eight years. Some of the kids that came into the program had lived a childhood in an environment dominated by poverty, violence and addiction. They are now working in hospitality and tourism, and have maintained a love of surfing. “Not only are they doing really well, but they are helping create and feed a local surf culture. To have opportunities in life and a love of surfing is what the surf club here mainly is for,” said Cho.  

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Traditionally, the line-up at Tofo was made of expats, the odd posse of keen surfers and pros chasing dedicated swells and escaping the cold Cape Town winters. Most tourists are South African holidaymakers, drawn in by the cheap living, bath-like water, sunny skies, and marine megafauna like rays and whale sharks. Due in no small part to the Tofu Surf Club, though the crowd is now made up of local kids who live to shred the point, as well as the beachbreaks to the north of the town. 

The area was set for a further boost when the Capítulo Perfeito, the invitational barrel riding event based in Portugal, was set to run its first international version near Tofo. Due to be held at the increasingly less secret wave known as “The African Kirra,” it was the lack of cyclones over the summer that meant the wave didn’t get the bigger east swells the draining right-hander requires.  

Mini was one of the local invites, but will now have to wait until next summer to compete against a selection of the world’s best tube hounds. In the interim, he led a Mozambique team to its first-ever African Games held in Angola, where they finished a remarkable second. His goal now is to raise funds to get the athletes to their first ISA World Games, with the ultimate dream of qualifying for the Olympics. 

“I want to help have surfing become recognised in Mozambique as a legitimate sport, but I also want to create a pathway for the next generation to follow. It’s a light and dreamy place to be a surfer, but there have been plenty of heavy obstacles in our path. We just need to keep moving them.”

Related: It Started With a Photograph: A Return to Blouberg, Seventy Years On

What lay in its wake was sorry-looking patches of brown brush and grass that, to visiting surfers, may have looked like natural dune grass, but in actual fact was simply just the land’s answer to patterned baldness and an excess of cattle farms.

Spend enough time hunting waves up and down the Pacific coast of Central America, and you’ll recognize it easily enough—there are plenty of beaches still looking like this, though, similarly, they didn’t used to. (That history is thoroughly detailed by the Guardian’s excellent firsthand reporting on this heartening success story.)

What changed for Costa Rica’s Playa Hermosa and later on Nosara, was thanks in no small part to a spark of romance. A Costa Rican university student named Max Tattenbach, who used to make his way to Playa Hermosa to surf, had begun bringing his girlfriend—who didn’t surf—in tow. A day at the beach would have been all well and good for her, if only not for the lack of shade.

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In a fantastically passionate gesture, lovebird Tattenbach told fellow lovebird and soon-to-be wife Mrs. Tattenbach that he would sow the wild seed of native flora all about the beach so as to provide her shade while he scored atop the bosom of the other great love of his life, Mother Ocean.

From that moment or thereabouts in 2009, Tattenbach garnered community support and founded Costas Verdes.

What started in Hermosa indeed spread south to Guiones, a fun-for-all beach break (to wit: mind the stingrays and do the shuffle) that’s become something of a free-for-all—but at least the howler monkeys are back swinging from the trees of which they were once crassly robbed by none other than our shameful race. But no need to digress further.

And where both local and visiting homo sapiens can both certainly agree, whether they find that incessant, banshee-like bellowing coming from the treetops charming or not, is on the added value of shade, as well as a pleasant stroll through cool, tidy, winding little paths through dense woods that border on deep jungle. The channeled foot traffic also makes for an excellent point of commerce for local vendors who are no longer forced to beat their way up and down the once-shadowless beach in the sweltering sun.

Fast-forward nearly two decades, and Tattenbach and co. have planted more than 100,000 native trees across 34 beaches.

But Costas Verdes doesn’t want to stop there. The nonprofit’s project manager for three years and counting, Gerardo Bolaños has big plans.

Still, he has an ambitious goal for Costas Verdes: to plant 300,000 trees across 100 beaches. “Our success story in Guiones shows the world that bringing back a coastal forest ecosystem in such devastated land is possible,” he says. “But it can only be done together as one.”

And that means financing. Costas Verdes hopes to raise $295,000 this coming year, mainly through donations, tree-planting tours—at $70 a pop–and general merch sales. That may seem like a pretty penny, but it’s nothing next to the hefty bank accounts that are building and patronizing the area’s booming beachside hospitality industry.

Another challenge, says Bolaños, is securing the active involvement of coastal communities and sustaining commitment beyond the initial kickstart. “People have their own lives. We need maintenance, follow-up, funding,” he says.

But what’s a stolen moment for some surfside shade, if not a healthy forest and planet? The more visiting surfers—hitting Hermosa and Guiones in droves and as much as ever—who can lend a hand or a handful of colones, the more reforestation, naturally. Onward and upward with the trees.

Related: How Humans And Mangroves Can Fend Off Climate Chaos (And Storm Havoc)

We caught up with the doctor to learn all about Catalyst Cream and why it may be one of the most practical tools you can add to your kit.

First of all, what is Catalyst Cream?

Catalyst Cream is a physician-formulated recovery cream developed on O'ahu's North Shore for the demands of heavily used bodies. Originally built for surfers, athletes, watermen, laborers, and active people who want to recover more efficiently, the formula was designed around ingredients traditionally associated with connective tissue health, post-activity comfort, circulation, hydration, and healthy inflammatory balance — supporting the body's natural recovery processes rather than simply overpowering sensation temporarily.

Tell me about the common surf injuries you see and what is the nature of the pain?

Surfing creates a strange kind of wear on the body because most of it doesn't happen all at once. It accumulates — sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly.

A lot of surfers aren't walking around saying, "I blew my shoulder out." Catastrophic injuries absolutely happen, but they're usually not what takes most people down. It's usually more like: "My body just kind of feels worked over, all over, all the time."

You can usually tell how good the surf has been by how slowly everyone gets out of their trucks the next morning, or how slowly everyone is moving around Foodland.

The body absorbs an incredible amount of repetitive stress in surfing. Thousands of paddling repetitions. Constant end-range spinal extension. Rotational force through the ribs and shoulders. Ankles, knees, and hips adapting to unstable surfaces wave after wave. Then add wipeouts, long hold-downs, travel, poor sleep, repetitive impact, and years of accumulated wear.

At a certain point, the issue usually isn't one dramatic injury. It's that the body starts struggling to keep up with the amount of demand being placed on it. That's when people start noticing persistent tightness, tissue irritation, inflammation, stiffness, reduced recovery capacity, and the feeling that they're carrying fatigue longer than they used to.

And surfers are notoriously good at pretending none of it exists.

On the North Shore especially, bodies don't get much of an off-season. People organize their lives around movement and swell. If the waves are good, most people paddle out anyway — or fly somewhere where they are. There's a joke around here that people from the North Shore won't drive to town for a swell but have no problem flying across the world for one.

That's really the environment Catalyst came out of — heavily used bodies that needed recovery support strong enough to keep pace with the lifestyle surrounding them.

Related: The Winter Surfing Playbook: Train Smarter, Recover Faster, Surf Longer

How does Catalyst Cream help address pain and support healing?

The philosophy behind Catalyst was simple: the body isn't asking to be ignored. It's asking for support.

A lot of recovery products are designed primarily around sensation. Intense cooling. Intense heating. Temporary distraction. The goal is often to dominate the nervous system strongly enough that you notice the sensation more than the tissue underneath it. But sensation and recovery are not the same thing — and I've seen a lot of people get hurt far worse from covering up the body's signals and continuing to push under-resourced.

Recovery is an active rebuilding process. Your body is constantly remodeling itself around the demands placed on it — restoring connective tissue, managing inflammation, regulating hydration, replenishing minerals, and adapting to stress. Those processes require resources. That idea became the foundation of Catalyst.

The formula starts with grass-fed tallow — not because it's trendy, but because it's biologically compatible with human skin and tissues. Rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, along with supportive fatty acids, it creates a nourishing recovery environment while integrating naturally into the skin.

From there, supportive minerals, sulfur compounds, botanicals, and connective tissue-focused ingredients were intentionally layered together. DMSO, a tree-derived compound, has long been valued in recovery settings involving heavily stressed soft tissues and for its ability to rapidly penetrate tissues. Magnesium supports muscle relaxation and neuromuscular function. MSM provides sulfur compounds traditionally associated with connective tissue health. Arnica has a long history of topical use for bruising and post-impact comfort. Vitamin C and copper were included for their roles in connective tissue and collagen-related processes. Rosemary, noni, and gotu kola have traditionally been used to encourage circulation, connective tissue integrity, and tissue comfort.

Even the menthol was approached differently — it provides immediate cooling and comfort, but it's far from the entire point. Every ingredient was selected because it served a functional role in the recovery environment the formula was designed to create, vetted over decades of use.

And importantly, Catalyst wasn't designed to replace good recovery habits. Saunas matter. Mobility work matters. Strength training matters. Sleep matters. Cold plunges, massage, hydration, nutrition, movement quality — all of it matters. But many of those practices primarily stimulate recovery processes rather than directly contributing supportive compounds involved in rebuilding tissues.

You can stimulate recovery all you want, but construction still requires building materials. That's where Catalyst fits in. Most surfers use it after sessions, after training, before bed, or during stretches where physical demand starts outpacing recovery. Others apply it before surfing on areas that tend to tighten up — shoulders, neck, ribs, upper and lower back, hips, knees.

The goal isn't temporary relief. The goal is helping the body maintain the resources and recovery environment it needs to keep adapting well over time.

Catalyst Cream is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease or injury. It is a recovery-support product designed to complement active lifestyles and the body's natural recovery processes.

Related: Hip Mobility: The Secret to Staying Deep in the Barrel

If someone has a good movement foundation, how can Catalyst Cream keep them feeling good and get them back in the water quickly after an injury?

Good movement quality is still foundational. You can't out-cream poor mechanics, chronic overload, terrible sleep, and ignoring recovery completely.

But even people doing everything right still accumulate stress. The surfers who stay healthiest long-term are usually the ones who respect recovery before the body forces them to. They understand the body adapts incredibly well when it's given the right environment and resources.

If someone overloads a shoulder after six hours of paddling, tweaks their low back during a heavy swell, or strings together multiple days of surf and training without enough recovery time, Catalyst helps reinforce the tissues going through that stress.

A lot of surfers describe the experience as feeling less stiff, less beat up, more capable of bouncing back between sessions. And in surfing, recovering even slightly better every day compounds dramatically over a run of swell — and over years.

Because eventually recovery stops being about comfort and starts being about access. Access to movement. Access to the ocean. Access to the parts of life that make people feel most alive.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Most surfers spend years chasing better boards, better waves, and better swell forecasts. Eventually you realize your body is the piece of equipment making all of it possible.

Nobody ignores maintaining their board after heavy use. Dings get patched. Wax gets reapplied. Broken leashes get replaced. The human body is no different.

Catalyst wasn't created in a boardroom trying to capitalize on wellness culture. It came out of working with heavily used bodies on the North Shore — surfers, athletes, watermen, fighters, laborers — people whose lives are deeply tied to movement.

The goal was simple: create something that helps reinforce the body's natural recovery processes so people can continue surfing, training, moving, and living at a high level for a very long time.

Related: The Forgotten Foundation: How Your Foot Impacts the Health of Your Knee, Hip, and Entire Surfing Chain

As for the latter, the lifeguards can take a lot of credit. There were untold numbers of rescues amidst the large surf, which for those who are unfamiliar with the unrelenting power of the ocean, can quickly turn dangerous.

On social media, a dramatic video is circulating that shows exactly how fast things can go wrong. Filmed at an Orange County beach during the peak of the swell, the footage captures a group of beachgoers being repeatedly hammered by powerful shorebreak waves in the shallow water near shore. Then, a heroic lifeguard springs into action. Watch the Instagram Reel https://www.instagram.com/p/DZkv1qzNDtU/?hl=en.

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At first, the scene appears manageable. Then a larger set arrives.

One after another, thick walls of whitewater crash directly onto the group, knocking people off their feet and dragging them through the turbulent wash zone. Several individuals appear unable to regain their footing before another wave detonates on top of them.

Within seconds, a nearby lifeguard springs into action.

The harrowing clip shows the unidentified lifeguard – a nameless savior – charging into the surf and assisting those caught in the impact zone as wave after wave continues to pound the shoreline. It's the type of rescue that rarely makes headlines but unfolds countless times during major swell events up and down the California coast.

Related: 20ft Swell Slams SoCal Harbor Creating Rare Wave for Surfers (Video)

In the comments, the lifeguard was applauded:

“We don’t pay those lifeguards enough for what they do.”

“Heroic lifeguard!”

“Superhero in red shorts! Hope he got them all.”

The footage also serves as a stark reminder that the greatest danger isn't always far offshore.

While experienced surfers were chasing large waves at spots throughout Southern California, many beaches were experiencing violent shorebreak conditions capable of injuring even strong swimmers. The energy concentrated in just a few feet of water can be surprisingly powerful, especially during long-period swells generated by distant storms.

The rescue comes amid a sobering week for Southern California's beach communities. Just days earlier, 5-year-old Amada Mia Brown was swept out to sea in Laguna Beach during the same run of dangerous surf. Her death has underscored the risks associated with extreme ocean conditions, and highlighted the need for ocean awareness.

When in doubt, don’t go out. Listen to the lifeguards. Heed the warning signs.

Related: Missing 5-Year-Old Girl Found in Massive Laguna Beach Surf (Video)

During the recent historic swell that lit up coastlines from California to Mexico, the famed Mexican beachbreak predictably delivered gargantuan surf. Massive lines marched into Playa Zicatela, producing giant barrels, heavy wipeouts, and the kind of organized chaos that has earned Puerto Escondido its reputation as the "Mexican Pipeline."

According to many surfers and locals on hand, the swell was among the largest to hit the region in the past decade. That’s saying something, considering past swell events.

Nathan Florence was there to witness it firsthand. In his latest vlog, the Hawaiian charger documented a lineup packed with elite big-wave surfers, mountains of water detonating on the sandbar, and a seemingly endless stream of carnage. Throughout the session, surfers found themselves caught inside by rogue sets, while others endured brutal wipeouts attempting to thread some of the biggest barrels Puerto has offered in years.

“I drove off the bottom, two big pumps, super deep, driving through the barrel, and the spit pushed so hard,” Florence recounted one wave in particular. “It propelled me forward. Usually, the spit can blow a path through the foamball, and give you a clear exit. But then the spit doubled-down and blew me off my feet. I went flying. My back absolutely scorpion-ed. I thought I broke my back again. I slept on it, but I’m still pretty sensitive.”

Related: 20-Foot Puerto Escondido Surf Swallows Local Photographer's Truck (Video)

Florence described the event as one of the most significant Puerto Escondido swells he has seen, with many locals echoing the same sentiment.

Among them was longtime Puerto Escondido photographer Edwin Morales, who has documented the wave for years. After photographing the event, Morales shared images of enormous freight-train peaks marching toward shore, expressing amazement at the scale of the surf. For someone who has spent countless mornings documenting Zicatela's biggest days, that reaction carried weight.

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“Trust me, it’s not AI,” Morales wrote from a post on June 8th. “Today, Puerto Escondido looked unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Massive peaks, relentless offshore winds, and waves so big and powerful they felt straight out of Nazaré.”

As always, Puerto Escondido proved why it remains one of the most feared and respected waves on Earth. For those lucky enough to witness it, however, this was Puerto Escondido at its finest—raw, powerful, unpredictable, and arguably the biggest in 10 years.

And there’s more on the way; stay tuned.

Related: Ride of the Year? 20ft Puerto Escondido Activates ‘Survival Mode’ Surf Session (Video)

But perhaps the strangest wave of all appeared inside Dana Point Harbor.

As 20-foot sets slammed Orange County, massive waves began spilling over the Dana Point breakwater. Instead of dissipating, some of that energy wrapped into the harbor and created a novelty wave that quickly attracted adventurous surfers looking for something completely different, something a little less precarious than the usual haunts.

Footage captured by BEEFS TV shows riders taking off on waves breaking in a place that was never designed for surfing. The scene looked almost surreal. Fishing boats, docks, and harbor infrastructure sat just yards away as surfers carved across waves generated by one of the largest swells Southern California has seen in years.

Per BEEFS: "Historic 20' swell and waves pound the Southern California coast on June 9th 2026 and this is some of the madness that went down! Surfers ride one of the weirdest novelty I've ever witnessed and waves take out parking lots! Hope you enjoy this raw documentation of the coastal carnage and wave power! Mother oceans power is fascinating!"

Related: Historic SoCal Swell Rips Away Beaches and Topples Lifeguard Tower (Video)

The unusual setup was just one byproduct of a swell that left its mark across the coast. At The Wedge, relentless surf caused rocks to tumble from sections of the famous jetty while exposing long-buried pipes beneath disappearing sand. Further south at Crystal Cove, powerful waves toppled lifeguard towers into the ocean and swallowed a Bobcat tractor as severe erosion chewed away at the shoreline.

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The Dana Point harbor wave may have been a novelty, but its location carries deep surfing significance.

As most learned local surfers will know, before Dana Point Harbor existed, the area was home to one of California's most legendary waves: Killer Dana. The powerful right-hand point break was considered Orange County's premier big-wave spot during the 1950s and 1960s, attracting many of the era's best surfers. Long rides wrapped across the point until the construction of Dana Point Harbor by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers buried the wave beneath tons of rock and fundamentally changed the coastline forever.

Killer Dana may be gone, but during Southern California's latest historic swell, surfers found a way to ride waves in Dana Point once again—even if it happened in the most unexpected place imaginable.

Related: Legendary Shaper Timmy Patterson Resurrected After Drowning in Huge California Swell: ‘He Didn’t Have a Pulse’

On Saturday evening, family and friends gathered at Treasure Island Beach near the Montage Laguna Beach resort to remember 5-year-old Amada Mia Brown, who was swept out to sea during the powerful surf event. Her body was recovered days later approximately a quarter-mile from where she disappeared.

The incident occurred as large swell and dangerous ocean conditions pounded Orange County's coastline. Lifeguards throughout the region issued warnings about strong currents, large shorebreak, and hazardous conditions as waves surged well above typical summer levels. At the vigil Amada’s father, Aaron Brown, mourned his child.

"Once we got there, and I saw how big the waves were, I knew that the chances of us finding her were very slim," Brown said.

The vigil brought together loved ones who shared stories, music, flowers, and memories of a little girl whose life ended far too soon.

"She was full of life, a sweet little baby," Brown said, remembering his daughter. "She wasn't afraid of water. She definitely wasn't. I'm just sad this happened; she didn't deserve it."

Related: Missing Girl Swept Out to Sea During Gigantic 20ft Southern California Swell (Video)

As the sun set over the Pacific, the gathering focused not on the tragedy itself, but on celebrating Amada's life.

"We've just been listening to her favorite songs, and remembering how sweet she was," Brown said. "We're remembering her life, and trying not to focus on the fact that she's gone. It's definitely helping me get through it."

Scenes from the dramatic rescue attempt can be viewed below:

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The same swell that drew crowds to beaches and surf breaks across Southern California has now become linked to one of the region's most heartbreaking stories of the summer.

For those gathered at Treasure Island Beach, the waves have since faded. The memories of Amada, however, will remain.

The tragic incident should also serve as a reminder, a warning, that the ocean holds the power. Always be safe, especially during large swells, and always know your limits.

Rest in peace, Amada Mia Brown.

Related: Missing 5-Year-Old Girl Found in Massive Laguna Beach Surf (Video)

It’s so massive, in fact, that it’s larger than the country of India. Fun geology fact: India is the world's seventh largest country (behind Australia) in terms of landmass.

The discovery, published in Nature Geoscience, was made using seismic imaging and advanced geophysical data that allowed researchers to peer beneath the Antarctic ice sheet and crust. The study reveals a vast region of unusually thick and ancient rock extending across much of East Antarctica.

Researchers estimate the buried structure spans millions of square kilometers, making it comparable in size to major landmasses such as India or Western Europe. If exposed at the surface, it would rank among the largest geological features on the planet.

The megastructure is believed to be a craton — an ancient, stable core of continental crust that has survived for billions of years. These cratons form the foundation of Earth's continents and often preserve clues about the planet's earliest history.

Scientists say the finding could help explain why parts of East Antarctica have remained relatively stable despite dramatic changes in climate and ice cover over geological time. Understanding the structure beneath the ice may also improve models of how the Antarctic ice sheet responds to warming temperatures.

Related: Massive Iceberg Collapse Creates One of the Biggest Glacier Waves Ever (Video)

To put its scale into perspective, the hidden formation is large enough that it could contain multiple U.S. states, the entire country of France, or even several Germanys within its boundaries. Yet it has remained completely concealed beneath kilometers of ice.

The research offers a rare glimpse into a landscape that has been hidden from view for millions of years and highlights how much of Antarctica remains unexplored.

Even in the age of satellites and advanced imaging, the frozen continent continues to reveal extraordinary secrets. What else is out there to discover?

Related: 100-Foot Glacier Collapse Triggers Giant Waves (Video)

As powerful surf marched into the coast, beaches from Newport Beach to Laguna Beach experienced dramatic erosion, exposing infrastructure, swallowing equipment, and reshaping stretches of shoreline in a matter of days.

At The Wedge, one of Southern California's most famous big-wave spectacles, the damage was impossible to miss. Massive rocks tumbled from sections of the jetty as relentless waves pounded the structure. Elsewhere, long-buried metal pipes emerged from beneath the sand, a visible reminder of just how much beach disappeared during the swell.

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The erosion wasn't limited to Newport.

Just a few miles south at Crystal Cove State Park, powerful waves chewed away at the shoreline, undermining lifeguard towers and sending at least one tumbling into the ocean. A Bobcat tractor parked near the beach also fell victim to the encroaching surf after rising water and collapsing sand left the machine stranded and eventually swallowed by the sea.

Related: A Historic 20-Foot Swell Is About to Hit The Wedge — and the Beach is Almost Gone

For beachgoers, the destruction offered a rare glimpse beneath Southern California's carefully manicured coastline. What is normally hidden beneath layers of sand suddenly became exposed as wave after wave stripped beaches to their foundations.

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And the story may not be over.

Forecasters are now watching a series of King Tides expected to arrive in the coming days. While King Tides are a naturally occurring phenomenon caused by the alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth, they can dramatically elevate water levels during high tide events. When combined with lingering swell energy, the result can accelerate coastal erosion and increase flooding in vulnerable areas.

For surfers, the recent swell delivered memorable sessions and some of the largest surf Southern California has seen in years. But once the crowds leave and the waves subside, the scars left behind tell a different story.

The ocean giveth, and sometimes it takes the beach with it.

Related: The Biggest Wedge Ever? Chaos and Carnage from Historic 20ft Swell (Video)

In fact, it was a TV show on Netflix from 2024 called La Palma, and Hollywood has been capitalizing on the “big one” catastrophe scenario for decades. But lately, it's been a topic in real-life, albeit this time by armchair, alarmist social media creators.

The theory centers on La Palma, a volcanic island in Spain's Canary Islands. According to a widely publicized 2001 study, a catastrophic collapse of part of the island could trigger a massive Atlantic Ocean tsunami capable of sending waves as high as 80 feet (some say much bigger) toward the eastern shores of North and South America. It would, in theory, devastate everything – including the millions of people on the U.S. eastern seaboard.

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It's a terrifying scenario, for sure.

The problem? Most scientists no longer believe it's valid.

In a detailed review of the hypothesis, the U.S. Geological Survey says the original model relied on a key assumption that doesn't match what geologists have since learned about volcanic island collapses. The theory assumed a single, massive chunk of the island would suddenly slide into the ocean at high speed, generating a gigantic wave. More recent research suggests these collapses occur in smaller, incremental stages rather than one catastrophic event.

The USGS notes that improved tsunami modeling has also changed the picture dramatically. New simulations indicate that even a worst-case collapse scenario would likely produce waves on the East Coast in the range of roughly 3 to 7 feet—not 80 feet, or 100-to-300-foot as the social media “scientist” says in the video above.

Hazardous? Absolutely. Civilization-ending? Not even close. And plus, the science shows that this world-shattering disaster is highly unlikely.

Per the USGS: “Collapses of Canary Island volcanoes are rare, occurring on timescales of hundreds of thousands of years, and should be preceded by signs of flank instability: increases in earthquakes and ground surface deformation.

“Canary Island volcanoes also erupt regularly—La Palma last erupted in 1971 and 1949—and slope stability analyses conducted at La Palma indicate that the structure is stable. The volcano would have to grow significantly before a collapse was likely.”

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_CZu1GRGZyc

That's not to say volcano-generated tsunamis aren't real.

The USGS points to the 1883 eruption of the volcano 1883 Krakatau Eruption, which generated a deadly local tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people. More recently, a supposed 1,500-foot mega-tsunami hit Alaska – the second largest ever.

Related: 1,500ft Mega-Tsunami Hit Alaska, Second Largest Ever (Video)

For all of us, it’s a humble reminder of the ocean's incredible power and the ease with which dramatic theories can spread online. Mega-tsunamis make for attention-grabbing headlines, but according to the USGS, the infamous Canary Islands scenario simply "doesn't carry water."

Pun most definitely intended; nice one, USGS.

That doesn't mean the Atlantic is risk-free. It just means East Coast surfers probably don't need to start paddling for the Rockies anytime soon.

Related: Catastrophic Mega-Tsunami Will Devastate West Coast, Experts Warn

For a coastal hillbilly, like me, who grew up in a double-wide and shared one bathroom for the whole family, then went on to have multiple roommates in college and well into my twenties with the same situation, this was the ultimate sign of luxury.

Four showers. One room. Mind-boggling.

There was one outside, steps away from the beach at Punta de Mita, to wash off the sand post-surf; dual rainfall arrangements in the bathroom for you and the mister or missus or whomever to get steamy together; and another one in the back patio.

Not to mention the private pool, and backyard open-air bathtub, all isolated from the outside world and covered in the emerald foliage of this idyllic peninsula on Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit. This, however, the shower situation – to me, at least – was the ultimate signature of an extravagance experience. And yes, I showered in all four of them; and yes, prior to that experience, a shower was just a shower. But now I know true luxury.

This was not going your average dirtbag surf trip. In fact, far from it. And that was absolutely true during my stay at the ultra-luxe lodgings of the W Punta de Mita resort.

I expected all the usual accommodations: a welcome cocktail, multi-thousand thread count sheets, 24/7 on-call service, five-star food, and all the typical trappings of a high-end hotel. But for some reason, it was the high volume of showers that really got me.

Once again, four. All to myself. But I digress. Enough about the damn showers. Let’s get on with it, shall we? Here’s all you need to know about your next surf trip to Punta de Mita.

Where to Stay in Punta de Mita

Finding the perfect balance between high-end luxury and authentic surf vibes can be a challenge, but the W Punta de Mitanails it flawlessly. Tucked away along the Pacific coastline, this chic resort captures the essence of Mexico with its striking Huichol-inspired design and bright, energetic aesthetic. From the moment you walk down the colorful mosaic walkway that mimics a vibrant Mexican serape, you realize this isn't your average cookie-cutter hotel. The rooms are beautiful, breezy sanctuaries boasting private patios, plunge pools, and surf-themed decor that perfectly sets the tone for an adventurous getaway. Plus, the property offers direct beach access, making checking the morning surf completely effortless. If you are looking for a spot that blends world-class hospitality with an incredibly laid-back, coastal energy, this is exactly where you need to drop your bags.

The Hidden Surf Spots Near Punta de Mita

The Riviera Nayarit coastline is a true paradise for wave riders, offering an impressive variety of breaks suitable for every skill level. Right down the coast, you'll find La Lancha, a gorgeous, consistent reef break that serves up smooth, rolling waves perfect for cruising. For those seeking a vibrant town atmosphere alongside their session, the nearby surf enclave of Sayulita is an absolute must-visit. Sayulita features a busy, beginner-friendly sandbar beach break that always delivers plenty of fun, peeling waves. Generally, you can expect long, forgiving rides across the region that are incredibly well-suited for practicing your turns. While some breaks can get moderately crowded during optimal tides, the pure diversity of the local breaks ensures that you can always track down a fun peak to claim for yourself.

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The Best Punta de Mita Surf Season

Timing a surf trip perfectly is an art form, but fortunately, Punta de Mita receives consistent swells all year round. However, the experience shifts dramatically depending on the exact months you choose to visit. The prime peak season runs from May through September when massive Southern Hemisphere swells fill into the bay, turning the area's point breaks and reefs into high-performance playgrounds. If you prefer a more relaxed pace with smaller, cleaner waves, the winter months from November to March are exceptional. During this cooler low season, northwest swells wrap beautifully around the point, offering exceptionally glassy, chest-high waves that run for hundreds of meters. Deciding when to book ultimately depends on your experience level, but every single season brings its own distinct brand of coastal magic.

Related: How to Spend 48 Hours in Cabo San Lucas

What to Bring, What to Leave Behind

Packing for a Mexican surf adventure is surprisingly simple once you understand the local conditions. Because the region's waves are mostly mellow, peeling point breaks, a reliable longboardor a high-volume fish is your absolute best bet for maximizing your time in the water. When it comes to apparel, you can completely leave your thick neoprene wetsuits at home. The water here remains delightfully warm year-round, typically hovering in the high 70s and 80s, meaning boardshorts and bikinis are all you will ever need. However, the tropical Mexican sun is famously intense, making high-SPF sunscreen (we recommend Sun Bum), a durable rash guard, and a sturdy surf hat absolute non-negotiables to prevent painful burns. Keep your gear light, focus on sun protection, and you'll be fully prepared to handle the elements.

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Where to Find the Best Food After a Long Surf

A legendary surf trip requires equally legendary fuel, and the local culinary scene definitely does not disappoint. Right on-site at the W Punta de Mita, you can indulge in fresh coastal flavors at Chevycheria, a beachfront venue serving tangy ceviche straight from a repurposed Chevy truck, or enjoy bold Asian street food at Spice Market. For a special evening, book a private seven-course dinner at Mesa 1, situated on an island in the center of a spring-fed lake. Additionally, there’s Venazú, serving up delectable dishes all day long.

 Just outside the resort gates, the local dining is just as spectacular. Head down to the popular beachfront at El Anclote to visit La Rústica Mita for wood-fired pizzas, or secure a table at Tuna Blanca for a refined, upscale Mexican seafood experience right on the sand as the sun goes down.

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What to Do When the Surf Goes Flat

While the world-class waves are undoubtedly the main attraction, the surrounding Riviera Nayarit region is bursting with incredible adventures for your dry days. Treat yourself to a day at the AWAY Spa, and experience relaxation in a secluded, tropical paradise.

If you are visiting during the winter months, booking a guided boat tour for whale watching is an absolute essential, as majestic humpback whales frequently breach right in Banderas Bay. Thrill-seekers can head into the lush jungle for a high-flying zipline canopy tour or rent an ATV to explore the rugged backcountry trails. For a more laid-back afternoon, spend a few hours exploring the bohemian streets of nearby Sayulita, wandering through its vibrant artisan markets and picking up unique Huichol beadwork. Whether you choose to paddleboard around the Marietas Islands or relax with a beachside massage, you will never run out of things to experience.

The Riviera Nayarit has it all.

Related: Escape the Craziness of Cabo; Explore the East Cape Instead

Check out the W de Punta de Mita resort here for your next luxury surf trip.

The coastline is quiet. And there's a good reason for it; no-one wants to tackle the paddle-out. There will be dozens of duck-dives under solidly overhead whitewater, across a kilometer long close-out. Every now and again though, a somewhat organized unbroken line marches from the horizon. It hits a sand-bar and cracks in two, a wobbly, somewhat weird left and a slower right with a little section to drive over and then touch the lip, escape unscathed.

Three people have pulled up, looked, gone home. Yet, I'm stood here thinking, 'that looks like a good workout, and maybe get into one of them.' Joke's on me, because it both was (physically) and was not (mentally) a good workout. The one wave I caught, after a 25 minute ordeal, went exactly as I expected; short ride, open face, little touch of the lip before falling to the flats with the white water detonating both left and right of me, for as far as I could see. And theres three-miles of beach here.

Related: How to Train for Surfing: 12 Essential Land Exercises That Actually Work

Anyway, I got out and looked back. It looks worse from eye-level. My little surf watch gadget flashed up, revealing I'd burned a total of 692 calories. Not bad for a cross-shore side quest. It did make me think; there really is no other workout like surfing.

Step foot into any gym and you will see the same thing. Kettlebells swinging, treadmills churning, dumbbells pushed, chests pressed, and so on. The same repetitive programme to up a certain muscle set. But surfing is one of those past-times that demands strength, endurance, mobility, balance, coordination, reaction speeds and mental fortitude, all-in-one. It is hard to replicate in the gym, but there are myriad surf-specific workout programmes out there that can help during down-times.

Plus, surfing comes with that ever-changing natural landscape. Which sounds very poetic, but it certainly adds another dynamic to the rather hit-and-run nature of the gym.

Full-Body Upper-Cut

Here's a really obvious statistic about surfing; you spend 60 percent of your time paddling. Paddle fitness cannot be understated – and there is a difference between being run fit and paddle fit, these are two wildly different types of movements. When we boil surfing back to that, this means that what you're actually doing focuses around endurance.

Paddling uses your shoulders, upper back, lats, triceps and your core is constantly engaged. Unlike cranking out reps in the gym, paddling requires all these major muscle groups and stabilizer muscles working together.

How many waves do you think you catch in a session over an hour? 10, 20 – being realistic? That's 10-to-20 pop-ups over an hour, the pop-up requires power, like a split-leg burpee and locking your legs in place.

This is all before actually surfing. Then, the legs compress, the core stabilises, hips rotate, power through turns. Find us an activity that uses as many muscle groups in harmony as this.

The Ocean Doesn't Care

Predictably unpredictable, the ocean really doesn't care what your training regime is or how hard you've been giving it. Waves are still going to break and it's still going to kick you around every now and again.

While a gym session can be performed in safety, the ocean will drop a 10-wave set on your head and send you packing. Done.

It's this sort of variability that plays into the training side of surfing too. The body is never in a predictable rhythm – you're changing and moving with the conditions of what the ocean's slinging your way. This creates both aerobic exercise (endurance paddling) and anaerobic exercise (duck-dives, pop-ups) meaning you're getting all kinds of benefits from the body never entering into the same motions.

It's a Mental Game, Too

As above, during said close-out steam-roll session; it all felt a bit like losing. One and done amongst an uncharacteristic summer-storm can make you feel a bit off. That's because calorie burn and workouts and moving my body, aren't the reasons I surf. When you paddle out on days like this one, you know it's going to be one of those victory-at-sea moments. And you're chasing the feeling of surfing through it all.

The mental olympics that come before and after that are part of the workout too. It's a lesson in flipping the script. Was that a good surf? No. Had I surfed more waves than the three people who turned up and went home? Yes, by one.

In this modern life of face-stuck-in-screen moments, it's rare to not have notifications snap you back to virtual land. Surfing removes all this. It's the natural out of office location, one where you can enter a sort of flow state, a term first breathed into existence by Hungarian psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in the 1970s.

He said: “flow is most likely to occur when we find the perfect balance between our current abilities and the difficulty of the activity at hand. If a task is too easy, it fails to absorb our attention, so we become distracted, and our thoughts may wander to other preoccupations. If it is too hard, we start to feel stressed by the task itself. It is only when we meet the sweet spot in between that we find the optimum level of engagement – and all the pleasant feelings that come with it.”

To sum it up; flow is a meditative state. Amongst the noise of modern life, you could argue surfing enters into that rhythm. The detox of the mind, the removing of pressures of society. An internal mental cleansing is almost mandatory these days. These moments happen no matter if you're a beginner, been surfing all your life or any other ability-level nuance. Perhaps that's the real reason why surfing is a workout like no other, because it helps sort out your internal state.

There are other past-times and sports that can do this – but there are few that can make you feel something like being in the ocean. And long may it continue.

Related: How To Surf Forever: Surfing's Ultimate Yoga Poses

For instance, earlier this week, we reported on a fight that reportedly happened at Waikiki – one of the most beginner-friendly surf spots worldwide – in which a tourist was punched by a local, following an altercation. The tourist even filed a police report.

But wait; the plot thickens. Footage has emerged of the altercation.

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Guerrilla news outlet HHNewz, aka Isaac Scharsch, posted the Surfline cam rewind footage supposedly showing the incident in the water. The tourist is on a surfboard, the local on a SUP. It’s unclear what led up to it, but the tourist jumps at the local first, leaping from his board and tackling the SUP surfer off his board. Then, a scrap ensues.

Scharsch explained:

“In the earlier video, a tourist was seen speaking with officers and lifeguards after reporting he was assaulted while surfing. At that time, the suspect was not located, and the tourist was seen writing a statement.

“The new Surfline footage appears to show the tourists making the first physical move toward the local man before the situation escalated.

“This is an important reminder that short clips do not always show the full story. Initial reports can change as more footage and information come in.”

Here’s the earlier footage, showing the tourist speaking with police, just for reference:

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At the time, the reporting from Scharsch was as follows:

“A tourist reported being assaulted while surfing in Waikīkī. Video from the scene shows the tourist speaking with officers and lifeguards after the incident. He was also seen writing a statement for police. From what was visible in the footage, there did not appear to be any obvious blood or visible bruising.”

Related: Tourist Punched in the Face While Surfing Waikiki (Video)

Make no mistake, this is still a rare occurrence in surfing. But altercations do happen – even in the unlikeliest of places, like Waikiki. As Scharsch reminded:

“No one owns the ocean, no one owns a surf spot, and no wave is worth fighting over. Whether you are local, visiting, experienced, or new to the water, respect goes both ways. When you paddle out, respect the lineup, respect the people around you, wait your turn, communicate, and do not let ego turn a surf session into a fight.”

Related: Teens Arrested in Brutal Gang Fight on Oahu’s North Shore: 'He Would've Died' (Video)

Amen.

It shows a man straddling a great white shark on a Nantucket beach. Spectators watching in disbelief. The shark thrashing in the shallows as the angler grabbed hold.

To many viewers online, it appeared to be a case of animal cruelty.

The reality was much different.

The man in the video was veteran shark angler and boat captain Elliot Sudal, who had accidentally hooked a young great white shark while surf fishing on Nantucket's south shore near Nobadeer Beach. According to Sudal, the shark measured between 8.5 and 9 feet long and weighed roughly 300 pounds. It was the first great white he had encountered in more than a decade of fishing the island's waters.

"By no means expected this to happen," Sudal told ABC News after the incident. "Definitely not."

Video of the encounter quickly spread across social media, showing Sudal pulling the shark into shallow water, climbing on top of it, and removing the hook before dragging it back into the ocean by its tail. To the untrained eye, the scene looked chaotic. But according to Sudal, every move was intended to minimize stress on the animal and ensure a quick release. The entire process reportedly took about 15 seconds.

Related: Horrific Shark Attack Caught on Camera at Florida Naval Base (Video)

"I was excited and stressed," Sudal said. "It was just crazy. I was hugging it."

Sudal has spent years catching, tagging, and researching sharks around Nantucket, logging more than 1,000 catches of species including sandbar, dusky, and sand tiger sharks. Despite that experience, he described the great white encounter as humbling and unforgettable.

The incident also serves as a reminder that Nantucket and nearby Cape Cod remain among the most active great white shark habitats on the East Coast. This time, however, the story wasn't about a shark attack. It was about an accidental catch.

"Out of 2,000 sharks, I caught one great white,” Sudal sad. “This is the first one. This is the most taboo shark. This is endangered. You have to do everything perfect. You have to open the mouth a little bit, get the hook out, and then just do everything you can to get them back safely. Like, generally, I tag them so we can track them or take a blood sample. But with a shark like this, it's, you know, catch, release."

Luckily, after a struggle, things went as well as they could – given the drastic circumstances.

"I'm just really, really glad that it just went smoothly and perfectly," Sudal said. "We were able to get her back [into the deeper water], and the shark was safe."

Related: 8ft Shark Mauls Surfer in Honolulu with 'Serious Injuries' to Lower Extremities

"They won't even look us in the eye."

That's how Brent Linas, one of the founders of the Creek Team, described the Orange County Board of Supervisors during a vote on Tuesday that effectively disregards the groundswell of grassroots efforts to stop herbicide spraying in the county's creeks. Item S-10A, a measure that would have restricted the spraying campaign, was voted down by Supervisors Don Wagner, Doug Chaffee, and Janet Nguyen. With the bill dead, Orange County Public Works can now resume the chemical campaign across the county. To make matters worse, they don’t even have to notify the public as to when, or where, they will spray.

Pesticide exposure — and glyphosate specifically — has become a defining issue for the MAHA movement, which has framed it as a national health concern. Orange County, one of the most conservative counties in California, just voted in the opposite direction.

If you read my earlier piece, or have been following along on Instagram, you know the Creek Team has been documenting the spraying since this February. An estimated 150,000 gallons of herbicide go into Orange County creeks annually — including glyphosate (Roundup), triclopyr, imazapyr — sprayed twice a year, every year, in the name of flood control. Most of it ends up in the ocean. Most surfers, citizens, and visiting beach goers, had no idea this was happening. Thanks to the Creek Team, now they do.

In a few short months they have built a viral campaign with zero fundraising efforts and effectively created one of the most thorough grassroots public health campaigns to ever hit Orange County. What happened in the chamber on Tuesday is its own story; despite hitting a nerve that doesn't just resonate with locals, but aligns directly with one of the four main points of the MAHA movement, all who attended this week’s vote were barely acknowledged.

The Creek Team showed up at 9:30 AM alongside representatives from Surfrider and Coastkeeper. Roughly 25 people who'd been organizing around this for months, plus over 500 letters of support that had been submitted in advance. They waited eight hours to speak. 

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Although the supervisors are treating them with disrespect, this story continues to gain steam with media outlets. In addition to SURFER, Creek Team has been featured on FOX, LA Times, and multiple local outlets like the Voice of OC.

Rather than properly acknowledging their concerns, the bureaucrats focused on another issue: a $3.7 million corruption scandal tied to former Supervisor Andrew Do, whose daughter was indicted last year for misappropriating COVID-19 relief funds. 140 people came to speak on that. While that is no small sum, it makes up merely .02% of the county’s $11 billion annual budget. The concerns brought by the Creek Team coalition affect countless people, whether or not they use the beaches. Anyone who eats locally caught fish could be ingesting a slew of toxic chemicals thanks to the county’s foolish approach.

By the time S-10A came up at 5:30 PM, the board had decided each speaker would get one minute. The standard is three minutes. They made them wait all day only to sabotage their right to speak. Brent, who'd been working on this for nearly one year, refused to wrap his testimony in 60 seconds and was removed from the podium. To recap, for simply speaking for 90 seconds — after waiting eight hours — a Sheriff was sent to intervene.

While the other Creek Team members spoke the Supervisors wouldn't even make eye contact with any of them. The vote came shortly after. Wagner, Chaffee, and Nguyen all voted no. It should be noted that Chaffee deliberately switched the order of items that day in attempt to drown out the Creek Team. See the video below for the full recap.

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Unfortunately, this is part of a larger pattern that goes way back. The Orange County Board of Supervisors hasn't held a public town hall on this issue since the first one late last year, which was, by most accounts, a disaster for the board. The Creek Team had come prepared with data, with documentation, with footage. The supervisors hadn't. After that, the town halls stopped.

Brent's first attempt to breach the issue was met with ridicule, essentially treating him as if he was some bum who knew not what he speak. That was the moment that lit the fire that built the Creek Team. The same fire that's brought hundreds of letters and the participation of two of the largest coastal advocacy organizations in California. And the same fire that the board, on Tuesday, met with a 60-second timer and a series of declined gazes.

What's lost in the vote, beyond the activists' effort, is real. Orange County's creeks drain to some of the most heavily surfed beaches in California. The chemicals being sprayed don't stay in the channels. Manual vegetation removal — a more honest approach that respects what these waterways actually are — was a pilot program getting traction. Neighboring San Diego County does the work without the chemicals, and the difference is something anyone can get behind regardless of their political views. 

If the Creek Team has done anything it’s to show that the people have spoken and clearly said, ‘We don’t want poison sprayed where we live, play, and eat. Not now. Not ever.’ 

We covered the beach economics in the first piece and it’s worth bringing up again. California's coast generates $520 billion in annual economic output and four times the tax revenue our National Parks bring in. We only spend $85 million a year on beach nourishment. The argument that environmental work is too expensive falls apart fast when the math is on the table. Reform is desperately needed to preserve the value of our precious resources. Doing the work right is cheaper than gambling with people’s lives and well-being. 

Brent's video about the vote ended with an open question, ‘what should we do next?’

That's a question for Orange County to answer and they would be unwise to ignore their residents who care about whether the water they swim in has glyphosate in it. Or those homeowners who live along the creeks. Or the parents who want to give their kids a chance at a life safe from The Creek Team has done the work of bringing the issue to the board. The board has shown its hand.

The vote is over. The campaign isn't. We'll keep you posted as the story unfolds.

Related: Orange County Has a Poison Problem and It's All Draining to the Beach

So much so, that the Aliso Beach parking lot in Laguna Beach was fully inundated by seawater from the incoming behemoth swell. And that also meant, a whitewater rapid flowing through the famed Aliso Creek river wave. So, naturally, Blair Conklin gave it a go.

The Laguna Beach native, novelty wave specialist, soft-top impresario, and 3x world champion skimboarder gave the creek wave a crack during one of the heaviest flows he's ever seen, and one of the largest swells to hammer the West Coast in recent memory. And after one wave, skimming across a torrent of water, he barely made it out alive.

"I thought I was about to die," Conklin said afterward. "I literally thought I could've died. I thought I was going out to sea."

Conklin arrived at Aliso Beach around 4:50 a.m. to find the parking lot fully flooded from the combination of massive surf and rising water levels. The creek was swollen, the ocean was surging, and with all that water, the berm gave way.

There was so much water, the creek broke naturally; nobody had to dig it out.

As the creek burst toward the Pacific, a powerful standing wave quickly formed in the narrow channel. Conklin wasted little time jumping aboard and attempting a ride. What followed was one of the wildest (and quickest) creek sessions ever documented at the famous novelty wave.

Conklin caught one, held on for dear life, then got out of there before getting sucked into the open ocean where god knows what could've happened amidst the huge swell.

Related: Legendary Shaper Timmy Patterson Resurrected After Drowning in Huge California Swell: ‘He Didn’t Have a Pulse’

But he made it out unscathed.

"That was crazy scary," he continued. "I didn't even know where I was, or which way was up or down."

He made it safely back to shore, shaken but smiling.

From there, Conklin hit other hotspots during the historic season-opener swell on the West Coast, like the Wedge and other novelty spots. But it was no walk in the park. Per his YouTube video caption, things were pretty hectic – even for experienced wave-riders:

“40-50ft swells that formed from a massive storm in the South Pacific traveled thousands of miles before hitting southern California. By the time it reached our coast wave heights exceeded 25 feet at certain beach breaks.

“Conditions were very dangerous for even the most experienced surfers and lifeguards. Rip currents inundated most beaches and many were rescued by the best lifeguards. Some lifeguards didn't feel comfortable in these types of conditions. The water level of the Aliso Creek was the highest I had ever seen.

“[This swell] will go down in the history books.”

Related: Missing 5-Year-Old Girl Found in Massive Laguna Beach Surf (Video)

That was thanks to the massive swell that walloped the West Coast, officially kicking off the summer south swell season, with many calling it the “swell of the decade.” When Malibu turns on, strange things start sounding like good ideas.

And for Los Angeles surfer Hunter Jones, all that swell, the hype, the excitement meant attempting one of surfing’s most notorious maneuvers — shooting the Malibu Pier. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan. See below:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0PvngiGF0Ik

The goal is simple in theory: ride a wave, race toward the iconic structure, and thread the needle through the pilings before the wave closes out. In reality, it's a high-speed gamble with very little margin for error. A mistimed section, a wobble, or a bad line can send a surfer straight into wood, concrete, and decades of Malibu history. Shooting the pier has long been considered one of California surfing’s most dangerous rites of passage.

Jones recently documented his attempt in a video breakdown, walking viewers through every tense second of the ride.

“I think I just caught the biggest wave I’ve ever ridden at Malibu,” Jones recounts. “It was lining up. This was my one chance [to shoot the pier]. So, I’m pumping and getting ready for it. But then I feel the wave kind of backing off. I just didn’t have enough momentum, so I dove off.”

As he approached the pylons, Jones lost speed and purposely wiped out directly in the danger zone, while still attempting to evade the pier. Suddenly, the mission changed from making it through the pier to avoiding a violent collision with it.

Related: Legendary Shaper Timmy Patterson Resurrected After Drowning in Huge California Swell: ‘He Didn’t Have a Pulse’

The footage shows a chaotic scene as whitewater explodes around the structure. Somehow, Jones emerged unscathed.

“Everyone was like, ‘that’s probably the gnarliest thing I’ve ever seen,’” said Jones. “It was the biggest backwash they’ve ever seen. All the lifeguards were like that’s so gnarly.”

His surfboard wasn't as lucky.

Related: Missing 5-Year-Old Girl Found in Massive Laguna Beach Surf (Video)

The board snapped clean in half during the incident, becoming another casualty of Malibu's legendary swell. Jones later recovered the remains and recounted how close the whole ordeal came to ending much worse.

All that matters, according to Jones, “I’m still in one piece.”

Just for good measure, here’s the iconic clip from years ago of (who else?) Laird Hamilton on (what else?) a SUP, successfully shooting the Malibu Pier.

The statue’s sculptors, Brian Curtis and Thomas Marsh—who also created the West Cliff male surfer—say the woman is “not modeled after anyone in particular,” per the Santa Cruz Sentinel, but meant to pay respect to such local pioneers and icons as Jane McKenzie, Betty Van Dyke, Rosemari Reimers Rice, Robin “Zeuf” Janiszeufski Hesson, Brenda Scott-Rogers, Sarah Gerhardt, and Ashley Lloyd.

Related: What If Your Best Surfing Is Still Ahead Of You?

Previously, plans were laid and approved for a proposed location at East Cliff and Manzanita drives, but amidst opposition—concerning environmental impacts and dangerous traffic—alongside a Capitola eagerness to play host to the feature, the new location is looking more advantageous for all. Capitola, after all, can now count itself as the eastern end of the Santa Cruz World Surfing Reserve, which as of last year spans the roughly seven miles between Natural Bridges State Park and Capitola.

“Having our female surfer stand proud on the [western] end of the reserve, while the male statue stands watch on the [eastern] end is a perfect symmetry!” Kaila Pearson, a member of the project’s advisory council, said of the reconsidered location. The statue is privately funded and administered through the local nonprofit County Park Friends. The first presentation to Capitola City Council is slated for July 14.

“We want her in a space where she’ll be celebrated,” Kari Lochhead, who is spearheading the installation project, told the Sentinel of her and other collaborators’ plans to see the statue erected near the “dirt farm” region of Santa Cruz, but in Capitola. “There’s a lot of activity around that space. That means a lot of people and a lot of kids will see her and hopefully be inspired by her.”

Related: Surf Fight Captured on Camera in Santa Cruz (Video)

Having met the Burkes years ago on Barbados, I got to watch first-hand as they put on a masterclass at Soup Bowl. Whether it's onshore and crumbly (typical) or offshore and insanely mesmerizing (as we see in the film), the boys have put in their time and it shows. Josh works the wave like he's been doing it his whole life, in other words, he makes it look easy. Rest assured, it's not. Keep an eye on the end section — it's a man-eater.

The lifestyle and perspective granted from life on the Caribbean isle make him a unique surfer. Humble, yet confident. Refined, yet explosive. Of his peers, his surfing strikes me as a cross between Ethan Ewing's polished rail work and flawless power surfing, and Al Cleland's stocky and solid frame that exudes raw nonchalance when charging in heavy surf.

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"This film represents years of travel, hard work, and unforgettable experiences," said Josh Burke. "In addition to the film title meaning, I wanted potential sponsors to know there is an available spot on my most valuable source of marketing exposure — my surfboards. I wanted REAL ESTATE to reflect not just the waves I've surfed, but the places, people, and moments that have shaped my career."

Jacob did a brilliant job of weaving footage from multiple continents alongside elements that are distinctly Bajan and, as it should, Josh's rides at Soup Bowl steal the show. The turquoise water. The perfect shape. The wild rides. It'll have you dreaming of being in the slot, just like him.

"Working on REAL ESTATE was about creating something that felt genuine to Josh's story," said Jacob Burke. "We wanted the film to be more than a surf edit. It's a reflection of the lifestyle, the sacrifices, the adventures, and the passion that drive professional surfing."

The film marks another big step for Burke's, they keep the bar high. All the while raising up the status of Barbados as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage. Together, they blaze an epic trail that serves as inspiration for the next generation of Caribbean surfers aspiring to compete on the world stage.

Personally, I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Related: Jacob Burke's "A Fish Out of Water" Is a Masterclass in Staying Home

The tragedy began around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9th, near Treasure Island Beach. The young girl, identified as Amada Mia Brown of San Bernardino, was walking along the shoreline with her mother and brother when a powerful, ten-foot wave slammed into the coast, dragging all three into the turbulent ocean. While heroic bystanders managed to swim out and pull the mother and son safely back to the beach, the five-year-old was quickly carried away by intense rip currents.

Rescuers battled treacherous conditions for over 30 hours, including low underwater visibility and relentless high surf, expanding their search grid across 90 square miles. According to a press release from the city, early Thursday morning, aerial surveillance spotted the girl's body roughly 250 to 300 yards offshore from Christmas Cove, about a quarter-mile north of where she initially went missing. Long Beach Marine Safety crews responded to the coordinates and recovered her body.

Local and federal officials expressed profound sorrow over the tragic outcome.

Related: Missing Girl Swept Out to Sea During Gigantic 20ft Southern California Swell (Video)

Laguna Beach Mayor Mark Orgill said in a statement: “This is one of the most heartbreaking incidents I have witnessed during my time serving this community. Our hearts go out to the young victim's family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss.”

"I am incredibly proud of the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by our Marine Safety, Fire, and Police personnel, as well as every agency that assisted in this effort. These men and women put themselves in harm's way, entering the same dangerous ocean conditions in an attempt to bring this young girl home to her family."

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The U.S. Coast Guard, which heavily supported local lifeguards and the Orange County Sheriff's Department in the recovery effort, shared in the community's grief.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the child's family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," said Capt. Stacey Crecy, commander of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach.

High surf warnings remain in effect along the Southern California coastline, serving as a somber reminder of the ocean's unpredictable power during heavy swell events.

Rest in peace, Amada Mia Brown.

Related: Legendary Shaper Timmy Patterson Resurrected After Drowning in Huge California Swell: ‘He Didn’t Have a Pulse’

While most of the mainstream focus was on spots like The Wedge – for the obvious “wow” factor – some sought surf elsewhere; those spots that don’t normally break, and take a special kind of swell to bring them to life. This was that kind of swell with so much energy in the ocean, and that’s exactly what legendary longtime Orange County surfboard shaper Timmy Patterson and his son Keone did. They found a rare wave, and it was huge. So, being the qualified surfers they are, they grabbed their biggest boards and headed out.

But things went awry when Timmy found himself caught inside on a never-ending set of massive waves, and it was up to his son Keone to save his dad’s life. Timmy drowned during the incident, but he was brought back to life – literally – right there on the beach. So, we decided to give Timmy and Keone a call at the hospital to hear the story.

“It’s a pretty fickle wave,” explained Timmy about the rare surf spot, which will not be named here. “Only once every three or four years does it get fun. It was pretty big out there. Then, there’s just these cleanup sets that are so big. It’s like, ‘holy shit.’ Like double the size – at least – as the other waves. Like 20, 30 maxing out waves. Nonstop.”

As for the incident?

“It was good size,” said Timmy. “I had a good drop on a big bomb, then cartwheeled off of it. I paddled back out, and I was going to get one more. Then a cleanup set came. I think the fifth wave got me. I couldn’t get under it. It sucked me so far in.”

Related: Missing Girl Swept Out to Sea During Gigantic 20ft Southern California Swell (Video)

Keone realized something was wrong. He was on the outside, then caught one and headed towards his dad. Here’s his account of what went down:

“I got the first one of the set, and I airdropped and just got so flexed. I could see him on the inside getting worked. So, I whipped around and started paddling towards him. We hit the point of no return, and it was like double-overhead shorebreak with a side wave breaking off the jetty. It was fucking gnarly. It was all rocks, too. So, I just pulled off our leashes. He was riding a 9’2” and it was just dead weight. I pulled him onto my board. I was just trying to get us through the situation; I was just trying to get him breathing again.”

Finally, they got close enough to shore where the lifeguards could come and assist.

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“I turned purple,” Timmy hazily recalls. “I was barely conscious, and I just barely remember this, but one of the paramedics was saying, ‘You gotta fight for this, man.’ Essentially, you have to fight if you want to stay alive.”

“We got on the beach and he didn’t have a pulse,” added Keone. “They started giving him CPR. I just kept hearing ‘no pulse! No pulse!’ It was about five minutes before his heart started again.”

Thankfully, Timmy was resurrected. It wasn’t his time. They revived him on the beach.

Orange County Lifeguard Chief Jason Young led the resuscitation efforts, once on shore, essentially bringing Timmy back into the land of the living.

“When they did compressions, they cracked a few ribs,” Timmy regaled from the comfort of his hospital bed. “That’s the proper way to do it. That’s how you know it’s working. So, I’ll be recovering from five cracked ribs, then there’s some lung damage, and I need to get my heart checked. All things considered, I feel pretty good. The ribs are painful! [Laughs.] And I have to cough to get all that gross stuff out of my lungs.”

And, of course, he was grateful to his son – not to mention the surf community that rallied around him during the incident. Timmy, as you might already know, shapes boards for some of the world's best, like Olympic gold medalist and world champ Italo Ferreira.

He even shaped the humble writer who is penning this story his very first custom surfboard at 10 years old. And like all young surfers, I cherished that board. I think it slept beside me in my bed, with me caressing it, that first night I brought it home.

All to say, Timmy is a beloved and iconic name in surfboard shaping, far and wide.

“If Keone wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be talking today," Timmy said. "I’m super grateful for this surf community. I’ve gotten so many messages and prayers. This community we have is pretty special. It’s helped out tremendously. I just can’t wait to get back into the shaping room and doing what I love to do.”

For now, Keone is going to do most of the shaping. And that’s fine with Timmy. “He’s actually got some pretty cool ideas,” he said. All Timmy has to do is sign his name.

Here’s to Timmy; we’re all glad you’re still with us.

Check out Timmy Patterson's surfboards here.

Related: The Biggest Wedge Ever? Chaos and Carnage from Historic 20ft Swell (Video)

A new study, based on computer modeling, says that mangrove forests are suddenly beginning to sequester less carbon, and that, perhaps, efforts to restore and better their habitats could be futile. The meta message: Yes, “Mangrove Forests Fight Climate Change—But Climate Change Is Fighting Back,” reads a recent Inside Climate News headline highlighting the findings of a modeling study just published in the journal Earth’s Future.

So do we throw up our hands and surf our way into the apocalypse, which we’ll deal with later, whenever it arrives? Why not? There’s enough doom and gloom about these days to point us in that fatalistic direction.

On the other hand, the study, titled “The Importance of Scale in the Future of Mangrove Blue Carbon Under Sea-Level Rise,” focuses on carbon alone, only one small piece of a much larger puzzle. The scope of the study also remained within areas where mangrove forests lie in low land behind beachfronts, and/or back up onto—and are stifled by—human development or simply, through little to no fault of human civilization insufficient hydrology.

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When there’s no natural irrigation in areas like the aforementioned, says Michael Stewart, founder of the nonprofit organization Seatrees, which works to reforest and protect mangroves, coral reefs, kelp forests, as well as seagrasses and other estuarine habitats around the globe.

“The major point that the study pointed out was not necessarily that mangroves were doing a bad job,” Stewart tells us, “but that coastal infrastructure (roads, buildings) was built right up to the mangroves, and would therefore keep the forest from being able to adapt and move inland if needed.”

“The fix,” says Stewart, is to “restore the hydrology connection (digging out blocked channels) between these areas and the ocean, so that the tide flows in and out like it normally would and doesn't simply get trapped.”

These are no small undertakings, to be sure, but Stewart points out that they do have historical precedence: “Infrastructure can and has been moved (including managed retreat efforts like the city of Ventura has done at C-Street/Surfers Point) to allow the natural systems to better do the job that they were designed to—by millions of years of evolution,” notes Stewart, adding that having been around for the last 50 million years, mangroves are “one of the oldest forest systems on the planet.”

In all likelihood, they’ll figure it out on their own. But by giving them their due space and lending a hand, they’ll do all that and more: Mangroves “provide protection against storm impacts for local communities, habitat for a wide variety of biodiversity (land, sea, and air), they are the nursery for many important marine species, they improve and are the foundation of local fisheries…” and so on, says Stewart.

A case in point for how humans can make way for mangrove forests can be found in Seatrees’ Marereni, Kenya project—which, incidentally, is also producing the world’s first marine-based biodiversity credits specifically for mangrove forests. (Per Seatrees: “The credits are registered on the Blockchain for transparency, and an interactive dashboard is available to the supporters of this project.”)

The mangroves have, can, and continue to contain multitudes. Here’s to humanity having the good sense to make way for nature.

Learn more about Seatrees, and how and where you can help their efforts, here.

In December of 2022, Andrade, a Fire Rescue Capt., was tow-in foil surfing off Hanalei with a group of friends—which, fortunately for him, included none other than one of Hawai‘i’s most accomplished and celebrated living watermen, Archie Kalepa who, far from the first time in his life, played no small part in saving that of another.

“I saw Maka catch this beautiful bomb from the outside,” Kalepa told Hawaii News Now shortly after the harrowing accident. “And then I seen all the skis take off… We realized, OK … something serious happened.”

The tip of his foil wing had caught his neck. “I knew that it was bad because as soon as I went underwater the ocean was pouring down my throat,” Andrade recalled, the 26-year fire department veteran adding that he’d “never seen so much blood in [his] life.”

In short, Kalepa and company got him atop a jetski’s rescue sled and brought him ashore, holding his throat shut so he could continue to breathe, and, per Kaelpa, a trauma medic happened to be on the beach with supplies at the ready “by the grace of God.”

Though Andrade didn’t offer many details of how the injury came to pass, anyone who’s ever gotten so much as even a glance at a foil doesn’t need to employ much imagination to register exactly what happened.

The first order of business after the accident was, obviously, stitching the poor guy’s throat, trachea, and nerves back together, no doubt sparing him his life.

But healing all that complex hardware was another process. “My nerves [grew back] wrong. They were crossed,” Andrade said. “So this surgery, they had to cut those nerves out and they did four nerve grafts. So it’s like back to square one.”

In early May, he made his way to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee for the surgery, where the medical team documented the rare, six-hour surgery.

“We were able to require the nerves to the diaphragm that helps move the lungs, and then also require and strengthen the vocal cords to another nerve,” Vanderbilt U Otolaryngology associate professor Dr. Sarah Rohde told HNN. Dr. Rohde’s Colleague Dr. Alex Gelbard added that “Those nerves grow imperceptibly slowly, and they have to travel some distance from the branches that we spliced in.”

The Vanderbilt team says it’ll take at least six months for Andrade to see results, but then again, what with him already speaking enough and willing to give an interview, their work speaks for itself.

Technology is a trip, indeed—but so are foil fins. Fire Rescue Capt. Andrade is lucky to be alive, and speaking again, no less. Whether you’re riding atop or in and amongst the ever-increasing fray of them, watch yourself.

That's why a recent incident in the lineup has caught a wee bit of attention.

According to a social media post that has since gone semi-viral, a visiting surfer says he was assaulted while surfing Waikiki and later filed a police report over the encounter. Allegedly, according to guerrilla news outlet HHHNewz:

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“A tourist reported being assaulted while surfing in Waikīkī. Video from the scene shows the tourist speaking with officers and lifeguards after the incident. He was also seen writing a statement for police. From what was visible in the footage, there did not appear to be any obvious blood or visible bruising.”

The person taking the video can be heard saying: “Bruddah got beat up in the water. Bruddah got cracked out in the water.”

HHHNewz added: “From the information currently available, the suspect was not located.”

While details surrounding the encounter remain limited, or whom was at fault, the incident has sparked discussion throughout the surfing community about etiquette, localism, and visitor interactions in one of the world's most famous surf destinations.

The situation stands in stark contrast to Waikiki's long-standing reputation.

Related: Teens Arrested in Brutal Gang Fight on Oahu’s North Shore: 'He Would've Died' (Video)

Long before surfing became a global industry, Waikiki was the center of Hawaiian wave-riding culture. Hawaiian royalty surfed its reefs centuries ago, and in the early 1900s, legendary waterman Duke Kahanamoku helped introduce the sport to the rest of the world from these very shores.

Today, Waikiki remains one of the most approachable surf zones anywhere on Earth.

The area's famous breaks—including Canoes, Queens, and others—offer long, rolling waves that are ideal for beginners. Every year, thousands of first-time surfers paddle out there, taking lessons and catching their first rides on the same reefs where surfing history was made.

That's not to say conflicts never occur. But if anywhere, with multiple people on one wave every day, Waikiki is a pretty rare place for a surf fight to go down.

Like any crowded lineup, disagreements can flare up when waves are scarce and crowds are thick. But serious physical confrontations remain relatively rare compared to the millions of surf sessions logged at Waikiki each year.

For most visitors, Waikiki remains exactly what it's always been: one of the safest and most welcoming places in the world to learn how to surf.

Related: Giant Wave Launches Hawaii Canoe Crew During Massive South Shore Swell (Video)

That's the lesson a group of motorcyclists learned the hard way in a viral video from the Maldives that has been making the rounds online. The footage, reportedly shared by big-wave surfer Nic Von Rupp, shows riders cruising along a narrow coastal road when a powerful wave suddenly surges over a seawall and engulfs the street.

Within seconds, bikes and riders are scattered across the pavement.

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Some are knocked completely off their motorcycles. Others scramble to stay upright as whitewater pours across the roadway. It's the kind of unexpected ocean ambush that looks more like a scene from an action movie than a typical day in paradise.

Fortunately, no serious injuries have been reported. But the video is a reminder that on low-lying islands, there isn't always much separation between daily life and the sea.

That's especially true in the Maldives.

While the Maldives isn’t particularly known for rogue waves, it is one of the world’s most coveted surfing locations, with impossibly perfect surf spots.

Related: 500-Year-Old Fort in Middle of the Ocean Still Stands: ‘Nobody Can Destroy It’ (Video)

Located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the nation is made up of roughly 1,200 coral islands spread across 26 atolls. The average elevation is just a few feet above sea level, making it one of the lowest-lying countries on Earth. During large swells, storm surges, or unusually high tides, ocean water can quickly find its way onto roads, beaches, and even residential areas.

For surfers, however, those same swells are what make the Maldives a dream destination.

The island chain is home to some of the dreamiest spots on the planet. Waves like Pasta Point, Sultans, Honkys, and Jailbreaks have attracted traveling surfers for decades, offering long, mechanical walls breaking over crystal-clear reefs. The consistency of the Indian Ocean swell window has helped turn the Maldives into one of surfing's premier tropical playgrounds.

But as the viral video demonstrates, life in the Maldives is inseparable from the ocean.

Some days your scoring postcard-perfect tropical barrels; some days a rogue wave comes out of nowhere and sends motorcycles flying. That’s the Maldives.

Related: 50-Foot Seas Fuel Rogue Wave Chaos in Hawaii (Video)

NOAA has announced that El Niño conditions have formed in the tropical Pacific Ocean and are expected to strengthen through the second half of 2026, potentially becoming one of the strongest events in decades. The agency issued an official El Niño Advisory on Thursday, ending months of anticipation among meteorologists and forecasters.

According to NOAA, there is now a 63 percent chance that sea surface temperatures in the key El Niño monitoring region will exceed 2.0°C above average later this year—a threshold that would place the event in the "very strong" category and among the most significant El Niño events since record-keeping began in 1950.

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"Every El Niño is not the same; each one is unique with its own imprint on our weather," said Ken Graham, director of NOAA's National Weather Service. "Advanced monitoring and an improved understanding of El Niño patterns allow the NWS to better predict and better prepare the public and our core partners for what is to come."

For surfers, those words carry plenty of intrigue.

Related: What Is El Niño? Everything to Know About the Climate Phenomenon

Historically, El Niño winters shift the Pacific storm track southward, often producing a more active pattern across the eastern Pacific and delivering larger, more consistent swells to many parts of the West Coast. Southern California, in particular, has experienced some of its most memorable winters during strong El Niño years, with frequent storms, powerful surf, and increased coastal erosion. Hawai'i can also see periods of enhanced North Pacific swell activity, while the Eastern Pacific often becomes more favorable for tropical cyclone development.

Of course, bigger surf often comes with consequences.

El Niño years can bring damaging coastal flooding, beach erosion, dangerous rip currents, and powerful storm surf. NOAA also notes that high-tide flooding risks can increase along portions of the West Coast during strong events.

Whether this develops into the much-discussed "Super El Niño" remains to be seen.

But after months of rumors and speculative forecasts, El Niño has officially arrived. And surfers around the Pacific are already watching the horizon.

Ready, set, go.

Related: El Niño vs La Niña: How Pacific Mood Swings Reshape Surf Seasons

For the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu, it has become an existential threat.

A recent video highlighting conditions in the tiny island country offers a sobering look at what many scientists consider the front lines of sea-level rise. Comprised of nine low-lying coral islands scattered across the Pacific Ocean, Tuvalu sits just a few feet above sea level at its highest points.

Now, the ocean is slowly reclaiming that ground.

According to the NASA: “By 2050, Tuvalu could see an order of magnitude increase in the amount of flooding that occurs relative to the past decade. • Beyond 2050, future sea level rise will cause a large increase in the frequency and severity of episodic flooding in Tuvalu within the 21st century.”

NASA added: “Across all future scenarios and under the assumption of no additional protections, Tuvalu will likely experience more than 100 days of flooding every year by the end of the century.”

The impacts are already being felt.

Tuvalu is also one of the most remote and least-visited countries in the world. Check out the video below to see what a vacation to the island looks like:

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Saltwater is contaminating freshwater supplies, coastal erosion is eating away at shorelines, and increasingly powerful king tides regularly flood roads, homes, and infrastructure. For a nation of roughly 11,000 people, there is little room to retreat inland because there is no inland. Much of Tuvalu rises only a few meters above the ocean.

Yet Tuvalu is not surrendering.

The government has launched ambitious adaptation projects, including plans to create raised, flood-resistant land and strengthen coastal defenses. Officials are also using advanced mapping technology to better understand how rising seas will affect the islands in the decades ahead.

Prime Minister Feleti Teo recently offered a blunt assessment of the challenge ahead: "If the rise in sea level is not arrested, then the forecast for Tuvalu is quite doomed."

Related: America’s Most Remote Island: ‘Only 40 People Live Here’ (Video)

Some residents are also considering migration. Under a climate agreement with Australia, Tuvaluans can apply for a special migration pathway as the nation confronts an uncertain future. Thousands have already expressed interest.

Still, many islanders remain determined to stay.

Years ago, Tuvalu's foreign minister delivered a speech while standing knee-deep in seawater, declaring: "We will not stand idly by as the water rises around us."

For Tuvalu, that wasn't a metaphor.

It was a dire, and very real, glimpse of the future.

Related: Inside Earth’s Most Remote Island: ‘Almost Untouched by Humans’

And the swell delivered. It was huge, peaking at spots like The Wedge in Newport Beach, CA, with glory and chaos, wrapped up into a milieu of spectacle. But was it the biggest The Wedge has ever been? Depends on who you ask. Koa Rothman thinks so.

Upon viewing Rothman's latest vlog from the notoriously mutant wave, one thing is certain: it was absolutely gigantic. There’s no denying that. Check it out:

Titling his video, Rothman wrote: "THE WEDGE BIGGEST ITS EVER BEEN… 20ft+ CALIFORNIA SUPER SWEL [sic] 6/9/26."

Classic. Gotta get those clicks. Keywords and all.

Anyway, Rothman dropped into the madness as an early-season run of Southern Hemisphere swell marched into California, lighting up every south-facing break along the coast. At The Wedge, the swell transformed the notoriously unpredictable wave into a mutant spectacle of towering wedges, closeout peaks, and heavy-water beatdowns.

Related: A Historic 20-Foot Swell Is About to Hit The Wedge — and the Beach is Almost Gone

"The Wedge is kind of pumping," Rothman said as the swell began to build. "Tomorrow is going to be bombing." That turned out to be an understatement.

By the time the swell peaked, social media was flooded with claims that it was the biggest Wedge session ever. While longtime locals will point to legendary swells from decades past, many observers agreed this was among the largest and most consequential south swells to hit Southern California in years.

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Forecasts called for surf in the 8-to-10-foot range at many south-facing beaches, with larger sets pushing well beyond that. At The Wedge, where wave energy can double and triple through unique shoreline refraction, the resulting peaks were downright frightening.

The swell itself originated deep in the South Pacific, the same powerful storm track that ignited Teahupo'o, Tahiti, before marching into Hawaii, Mexico, and eventually California. Earlier in the run, Surfline reported seas exceeding 50 feet near the storm's core.

Related: Missing Girl Swept Out to Sea During Gigantic 20ft Southern California Swell (Video)

Rothman's footage captures the full spectacle: massive drops, impossible-looking wedges, and plenty of carnage.

But it wasn't just surfers taking notice.

Crowds packed the Newport Beach shoreline, as they always do, to watch the show, with many comparing the scene to a big-wave contest. The Wedge has always occupied a unique place in surfing—a wave as famous for its wipeouts as its rides.

So, biggest Wedge ever? Or overhyped?

The incident unfolded near Treasure Island Beach as a massive South Pacific swell lit up surf spots across the region. While experienced surfers were scoring memorable waves from San Diego to Malibu – but the Wedge was really the star of the show; more on that to come – lifeguards and first responders were dealing with the swell's darker side: dangerous currents, powerful shorebreak, and rapidly changing ocean conditions.

According to authorities, emergency crews responded around 8 p.m. after reports that several people had been swept into the water. Rescue personnel from multiple agencies launched an extensive search effort involving lifeguards, rescue boats, drones, and helicopters. As of Wednesday, one young girl remained missing. Here's video:

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"The search is ongoing," officials said as crews continued scanning the waters and shoreline around Laguna Beach. Video from the scene showed helicopters circling overhead while emergency vessels combed the surf zone through the night.

“Based on preliminary information, a mother and her two children were swept into the ocean by powerful water conditions while near the shoreline,” Laguna Beach Marine Safety officials added in a news release. “Tragically, an adolescent female remains missing.”

Related: 20-Foot Puerto Escondido Surf Swallows Local Photographer's Truck (Video)

The tragedy comes as Southern California experiences one of the strongest south swells in recent years. At Newport Beach's Wedge, wave faces reportedly exceeded 20 feet, while many south-facing beaches saw surf in the head-high range with larger sets. The National Weather Service issued warnings about dangerous surf, rip currents, and hazardous swimming conditions.

For surfers, the swell has delivered a rare run of powerful summer surf. Crowds packed beaches throughout Orange County to watch the spectacle, and seasoned watermen reveled in the long-period lines marching in from the South Pacific.

But incidents like the one in Laguna Beach serve as a sobering reminder that large surf doesn't discriminate between surfers and beachgoers.

"It's coming in big," veteran surfer Andre Botha told FOX 11 while describing the swell. "You can feel the energy when you're in the water."

For one family, that energy turned into a nightmare. Prayers that she turns up okay.

Related: A Historic 20-Foot Swell Is About to Hit The Wedge — and the Beach is Almost Gone