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coffee convo Hwilsin tour talk writing WSL

SNAPPER ROCKS DAY THREE

2006 Barra. 2010 Lowers. 2017 J-Bay. 2019 Keramas. Could this year’s Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro join the upper echelon of most high performance surf events ever? I think after today, the argument is there. I just got home from judging a contest of my own and pulled up the webcast to see Ethan Ewing throw […]

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coffee convo Hwilsin tour talk writing WSL

PARKER COHN WINS VANS JACKS PRO QS4000

The beauty of a QS event, am I right? 1-2 foot, onshore, mushy, terrible slop that basically nobody wants to surf; Surely nobody wants to watch. Except for me. And Parker Cohn. I skipped the recap from Saturday (R64 + R32), so we’ll briefly catch up on that before we get into Finals Day down […]

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coffee convo Hwilsin tour talk writing WSL

RED LIGHT / GREEN LIGHT

No Jacks Pro(QS4000). Yes Margaret River(CT Event #2).  Like Red Light / Green Light. Ironic. ‘Surf City’ Huntington Beach, one of the busiest beaches on the West Coast, my home town which is surfed all year round, all day long, closes down the water due to a (supposed) shark sighting. The reported sighting was Thursday […]

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coffee convo Hwilsin tour talk writing WSL

JACKS PRO DAY TWO

Some wind on it again today, but seemed like maybe a little more push, and definitely more broken up. Peaky and fun, even through the bumpy conditions. As expected, score lines were up, and the talent level has definitely started to rise. Here’s what went down on Day Two at the Jacks Pro. From the […]

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coffee convo Hwilsin tour talk writing WSL

LATE/NEVER/BETTER

Better late than never. Never late is better. We work with what we’ve got. Bumpy and wonky. Windy and messy. No lack of swell but messy conditions. Nervous rookies. Local knowledge shines. A Wildcard with intent. A revenge heat in the midst of a newborn rivalry. Dying swell, better conditions. Battle of the Bru’s (again). […]

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coffee convo Hwilsin tour talk writing WSL

HOT WATER

Ironic. I guess that is just the way life works sometimes. I’ve sat here posting for years whinging about the WSL, and now here I go about defending them. Satiric. In my defense it is not so much the WSL I’m backing, but the judges. Those are my people. And from the outside, it’s understandably […]

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coffee convo Hwilsin tour talk writing WSL

‘TIS THE SEASON

Tears of joy and tears of heartbreak; yes its Qualifying Season. The last event of the North American ‘QS’ year wrapped up in Barbados just last week, and now the Challenger Series season is about to come to a close at the Bioglan Newcastle Surfest in less than two days. That means we’ve got new […]

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coffee convo Hwilsin tour talk writing WSL

THE FIELD

The countdown is on – 1 Hour until the start of the Lexus Pipe Challenger. I was browsing around trying to find a surf cam (I quit paying for Surfline a while back) and it still looks dark, but I’m pretty sure it’s pumping. Looks like a proper swell. I haven’t written a prediction piece […]

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coffee convo Hwilsin tour talk writing WSL

WAVE POOL INFO

“I’ve seen bigger waves in a toilet.” It’s that time of year again! The most hotly debated contest of the WSL’s entire existence is upon us. Not only is this event back at a wave pool, this one is located in Abu Dhabi, an area where human rights are held precariously. It is such a […]

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coffee convo Hwilsin tour talk writing WSL

A WARM WELCOME BACK

Pete Mel and Strider trade verbal jabs on the live broadcast. My grom is asleep. I sip my cold Pacifico. Day One at Jeffrey’s Bay was a warm welcome back from my boycott. If you are a reasonably responsible person living in the US, chances are you did not stay awake through the wee hours […]