In today’s show Nick and Hannah share tales from a world where everyone surfs, redefine our perception of “core”, find vitality from VALS, attempt to fill the void of women in surf media, and survey data that shows how drastically surf culture has shifted. Enjoy!

In today’s show surf media raconteur Sam George explains how a nomadic childhood fostered his spirit of resilience, the “terrible” mistake that led to him leaving Surfer Magazine, why being lost in Casablanca formed his wayfaring lifestyle, the gift to a teenaged Josh Brolin paid dividends decades later, and he reflects on the 695 different locations he has surfed. Enjoy!

Today Justin Jay chats with professional big-wave surfer and one of the most respected watermen on the planet, Kai Lenny. He’s mastered stand-up paddling, windsurfing, kitesurfing, and foiling—pushing the limits of what’s possible on waves of consequence. The two discuss his relationship with Zuck, his relief efforts after the Maui fires, building a multi-disciplinary career, and staying grounded through it all. Enjoy The Plug with Justin Jay on all podcast platforms.

In today’s show former pro surfer turned writer Jason Borte shares stories from writing Kelly Slater’s autobiography, offers insights into Pharrell’s new wave pool, recalls riding the dot com boom and bust in surf, gives tips to artfully time an exit, and reveals why Virginia is for lovers. Enjoy!

In today’s show inventive surfboard shaper Bill “Stretch” Riedel five decades of keystone moments in design revolution, breaking his neck and becoming patient one for a radical life saving procedure, how success can bankrupt a business, and why nostalgia and ego are the antithesis of progression. Enjoy!

In today’s episode filmmaker Nathan Oldfield shares why he doesn’t watch his own films, how staying attuned to one’s self requires active work, why melancholy is fuel, silliness is sacred, and how connecting to personal grief has deepened his work as a high-school teacher. Enjoy!

In today’s show shaper and college professor Gary Larson reveals who he believes is the greatest shaper of all time, the design feature that defines a great surfboard, how looking back provides direction for innovation, and discusses the weight of stewarding a 75 year shaping legacy. Enjoy!

In today’s show Snapt filmmaker Logan Dulien shares the details of how he spearheaded the effort to take down the crime syndicate who was targeting SoCal surfers, reveals the wild earnings from his heyday as a tour manager, and discusses the importance of curating a surf film in the modern era of immediacy. Enjoy!

In today’s episode Conde Nast’s former visual editor shares how an early experience caddying for Lisa Anderson sparked a career change, a passion to share the transformative experience of surfing with non-surfers, lessons gleaned from twelve writers about twelve iconic surfers, and how time spent in the ocean might be key to whole body restoration. Enjoy!

In today’s show Rusty shares the flashpoints in his career that defined this shaping. Taylor Knox reveals Rusty’s role in his interest in surfing and later in his wild success on the rail. And Jojo Roper recounts his history run from Peahi, to The Eddie, to Maverick’s and how none of it would have been possible with Rusty. Live from The Belly Up, it’s Talk Story with Rusty and his tribe. Enjoy!

In today’s show Kolohe Andino chats about the weight of expectation, why satisfaction can threaten ambition, how having children highlights the absurdity of professional surf pursuits, his idea for a restructured Tour, and why groms will always be the fertile core of surfing’s soul. Enjoy!

In today’s show, the 23 year old who just rode a potential record-breaker at Maverick's talks us through the wave itself, the prep, the media maelstrom that followed, the unique board that Stretch built for him, how 100’ surf is only accessible via a team of people, and why he didn’t celebrate the historic ride. Enjoy!

Today’s episode is hosted by Brad Gerlach with Occy as a guest! Recorded at Niyama Resort in the Maldives, Brad and Occy analyze Occy’s technique to provide basic truths about head and hand placement and body positioning to unlock your next level of surfing. Enjoy!

In today’s show San Diego’s surfboard and surfwear icon Rusty joins us to explain how his MIT mathematician father’s missive to follow his passion led him to art school and then to surfboards, learning how to push past moments of self-doubt, the secret unlock to Occy’s ’84 Thruster, the perils of licensing deals, and why some of the best design developments come from mistakes. Enjoy!

In today’s show surfing’s foremost historian reveals the pro surfer who saved his life at age 12, the gift of finding 50 year old surf footage from his youth, the unsung heroes lost to surf history, how history is shaped by those who elect to share it, and why is more important than ever to cement archiving surf history.

In today’s episode Holly Beck recounts her rapid rise into professional surfing and disillusionment, becoming an inadvertent model, expatriate freedoms, the fallacy of reality TV, and the holistic healing inherent to surfing. Enjoy!

Pipeline aficionado Liam McNamara joins us to discuss how growing up in a commune on welfare informed his approach to surfing on the North Shore, the single financial decision that salvaged his career earnings, how shepherding Hawaii’s youth rectifies past misdeeds, and why his last session at Pipe was nearly his last day on earth. Enjoy!

In today’s show we hear from Jersey board builder Brian Wynn about how he built a career on doing what no else wanted to do, the fastest way to expedite one’s learning curve, why staying small is recession safe, and how ice hockey staves off burn-out. Enjoy!

In today’s show our current and 2x longboard champ joins us to discuss how achieving a life goal can dilute future ambition, why pro longboarders net negative $ on Tour, the WSL’s reason for not acknowledging her as their youngest ever world champ, the ongoing influence of Terry Martin, and how she co-founded a women surf news media outlet. Enjoy!

In today’s show double-board certified M.D. Paul Saladino joins David and Brad Gerlach to discuss how to reverse chronic illness through diet, why plants are bad to eat, our culture’s obsession with optimizing performance, and how surfing has redirected his lifestyle choices. Enjoy!

In today’s show, world-renown photographer Chris Burkard explains that earning access to opportunity taught him the value of saying “no”, how a surf trip to Iceland inspired him relocate his family, why three days of darkness helped him unbury his core truth, and why his best work is still created in the ocean. Enjoy!

In today’s episode Richie charts the rise and fall of Wave Tools, why shaping his own boards hindered his title hopes, how a radical lesson in humility transformed his worldview, why he never understood the concept of “soul” surfer until he quit surfing, his regrets attempting to raise a professional surf daughter, and why his next chapter will be focused on attempting to feel joy. Enjoy!

Polarizing professional surf icon of the 80s/90s, Richie Collins, reflects on the benefits and consequence of being raised by a local enforcer, learning to live up to the family reputation and then taking it too far, the inescapable dread of regret, why he doesn’t surf anymore, and the deep value of knowing one’s family history. Enjoy!

Surf biz stalwart and magnate Eric Crane explains the virtue of starting at the bottom, reflects on the dangers of never saying “no”, give thanks for almost losing everything, attempts to integrate family life with blind professional ambition, and discovers why being a balanced human makes him a more competent CEO. Enjoy!

Today Dick Metz details his friendship with Rabbit Kekai, explains how his real estate empire was built from one vacant lot in Aspen, why buying back the Hobie stores (four times) was more profitable than selling them, and how archiving surf history through surfboards has become his life’s greatest work. Enjoy!