Everyone had to stay an awful lot of time at home this past year, including me. Anything that helps the mind escape nowness is great in these moments, whether it’s something to think back to or a light at the end of the tunnel. The surfing sphere was filled with affordances to do just that in 2020. Here’s The Duck Dive #5, a recap of 4 siiick things that happened in 2020 !
1. Who said no groms* allowed?
14 years old Joao Maria Mendonca snatches the bomb of the day from all the pros around him at Coxos, Portugal. Full video here.
It’s probably one of the dreamiest of all perfect barrels. There’s nothing we would change in this tube ride to make it better. The early morning sky’s reflection on the water and the glassy face of the wave is pure magic. The surfing is out of this world: when was the last time a 14 years old double hand-drag a barrel so perfectly, staying deep enough, long enough for the wave to spit twice like that? Never - insane stuff from this kid. Kudos to you Joao.
But the best part lies somewhere else... If you thought that his claim at the end gave away how stoked he was, you must watch his mentor telling the story behind this wave. It’s a cool way to realise that you don’t just wake up one bright morning, take off and get published by WSL, STAB, Surfer Mag… etc. This kid wants it harder than anyone else his age, he’s bloody mental. No wonder he gets the magic on days like this.
Again, Kudos to you pal !
2. Torren Martyn’s inspiring Kiwi adventures
This movie hit me as an ode to travelling - I’d hate to turn your bleak Sunday blues to a life-wrecking single trip to Auckland (or would it be life-saving?) so here’s a warning: it’s a dangerous one to watch when you feel like you life is slippin’ away because of an exhausting city-job that’s keeping you from exploring all the natural wonders you dream of seeing. Without further ado, Lost Track:
All jokes aside, it’s an absolute must-watch - definitely a reference in modern adventure documentaries. It is filled with awesome travel-energy and still makes me dream of road-tripping more often.
The way they geared up these 2 Royal Enfields shows one thing: they’re serious about wanting explore remote New Zealand, and surf it.
The full movie is weirdly immersive, almost magnetic. Torren’s commentating of their highs and lows somehow brings back a few memories from your own good ol’ days in the wild. He’s a mellow kind of guy, to say the least. So his storytelling and silky smooth surfing set a uniquely calm and soothing vibe to his videos. It’s is oddly satisfying to watch in the rawness of the New Zealand landscapes - like a pleasing contrast.
If you’re really lazy (and because I really want you to see this) here’s a shortcut to the movie’s best part - an aesthetic peak and perfect 3m surf - do give it a full 6 min.
3. Kai Magic Lenny
Kai Lenny made groundbreaking advancements in setting up his personal brand as the world’s best waterman. Being the most nominated surfer in the WSL’s Big Wave Awards was not enough, Kai had to re-invent the sport. Twice.
I remember watching this 10 times in a row and just not understanding what was going on. This had never been done before on a wave like Nazare, so it was a massive deal, it was completely abnormal. And yet, no excitement whatsoever shown from Kai: he just carried on his casual stroll on the 12m wave. I had to read through the Facebook comments to confirm that this was indeed historic.
Moving on to Magic Kai #2 -
The adrenaline of big wave riding was simply not enough. I don’t really know how to comment on that either… he’s inventing a sport here. I wonder where he’s going to take this and how it’s going to evolve, kind of like self-driving cars in their early days: “yeah it looks cool and all, but you try it first…”. Also, the POV of this wave is insane!
4. The return of the king
Q4 2020 marked the end of 2 consecutive knee injuries (fully-ruptured-ACL due to insane backflip kickout on a 3-meter wave kind of injuries). In December, John John won his long-awaited first pipe master’s - the most iconic stop on tour. It’s usually the last of 11 events - making it the pinnacle of competitive surfing, where decisive battles are fought, and champions crowned. WSL re-shuffled the tour rules and events after a long pandemic-related halt, so this was the 1st event of the 1st tour in the new competitive surfing era. The stakes were high, and the symbol behind JJF’s victory too.
One turn really encapsulated his return to the top (real video here)
There’s only so many things you can do on a wave, so when a turn looks a little more perfect, a little more speedy or more radical, the surfing sphere usually hypes up. “That long, that hard, that fast on that big of a wave… you can safely say he’s putting down some surfing that’s no one’s done before” argues some bloke with Mick Fanning for the WSL (so he’s got to be trustworthy).
Seriously though, this turn is so mean.
If you want more of it very much recommend watching this one and this one too. It’s a signature turn that everyone would love to see more of - so other pro surfers are working on it: here’s Griffin Colapinto openly trying his best, and Felipe Toledo also enjoying slicing Haleiwa. DM @TheDuckDive immediately if you see a better turn - I’ll wait. Until then, our king is safe, long may he reign over us.
IG of the week
“It’s like a washing machine for your heart and soul.” - from a Bob McTavish interview in Indoek’s book - On surfing. I’m in a discussion with them to import the book from California. They hadn’t planned on selling it in Europe but it looks like an absolute little gem to have in your living room (by my standards at least).
contenders for best turn: conner coffin on any right hand point break or dusty paine at haleiwa in 2014