Tag: Surfing

Whales steal spotlight (again) at legendary Hawaiian surf spot

Footage showing humpback whales breaching while a young surfer drops into a wave at Waimea Bay is reminiscent of an even more extraordinary scene in 2014.

The accompanying footage shows an 11-year-old surfing at Waimea Bay, but perhaps more impressive is the sight of humpback whales breaching in the background.

“Young Kalama Stratton is putting in his time at Waimea Bay with a few whales breaching out the back,” The Inertia described Tuesday on Instagram.

Two distant whales are shown leaping, one after the other, as Stratton drops in at the legendary big-wave destination on Oahu’s North Shore.

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A post shared by The Inertia (@theinertia)

The clip is somewhat reminiscent of an extraordinary scene memorialized 10 years ago up the coast at Pipeline.

The top image, captured in 2014 by J.T. Gray of North Shore Surf Photos, shows a humpback whale mother and calf riding a wave just beneath the surface.

“The whales were 75 to 100 yards east of Pipeline and playing for a while, then swam to about 10 yards outside of the lineup,” Gray explained at the time. “A set came in and the bodyboarder caught the first wave, and the humpbacks caught the second.”

Image captured in 2014 by ©J.T. Gray/North Shore Surf Photos

While humpback whale sightings are common at this time of year, the gregarious mammals are rarely spotted in the surf.

Said Gray:“Whales frequent Hawaii in the winter months, but never that close to shore.”

Surfing flounder ‘hangs fin’ to the hit tune ‘Wipe Out’

“Flounder spend the majority of their lives on the bottom of the ocean but every once in a while they come to the top to catch a wave and hang fin.”

An East Coast photographer has shared footage showing a flounder masterfully riding a wave to the tune of surf music.

Mark Smith Photography described the scene via social media:

“Flounder spend the majority of their lives on the bottom of the ocean but every once in a while they come to the top to catch a wave and hang fin.”

The accompanying music is the hit version of “Wipe Out” by the Surfaris.

In 2021, rare footage showing sea lions riding massive waves off California was matched to the same tune. That clip is posted below.

Watch: Dolphins share large waves with California surfers

The acrobatic mammals seem to enjoy surfing large waves as much as their human counterparts.

Bottlenose dolphins, like surfers, love to ride big waves – even if that means sharing the waves with surfers.

The accompanying footage, showing dolphins leaping next to surfers at Rincon near Santa Barbara, was shared Friday by Surfline, along with the  clever intro:

“If you get dropped in on at Rincon, it was most likely on porpoise.”

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A post shared by Surfline (@surfline)

Surfline used the footage, credited to Nick Liotta, as part of its prediction for more large surf to slam the region Saturday, courtesy of a powerful west-northwest swell.

The main surfer in the footage might have been Spencer Fanticola, who commented below the video: “Best wave of my life.”

Shark upstages surfer with perfect ‘el rollo’ just beyond lineup

A surfing publication has shared footage showing a hydrofoil surfer being video-bombed by a leaping shark in Australia.

A surfing publication on Thursday shared footage showing a hydrofoil surfer being video-bombed by a leaping shark.

The footage shows Adam Bennetts artfully carving turns at Australia’s Wategos Beach when the shark leaped free of the surface and spun just beyond the lineup.

“Who do you think got the highest score? Bennetts asked via Instagram. “That el rollo from the shark was pretty sick.”

The footage, accompanied by the tune Reggae Shark, was captured in July by Ben Tayler. Surfer featured the clip Thursday.

Wategos Beach is in Byron Bay, New South Wales.

Join Riversport OKC for these 13 outdoor adventures

It’s time for adventure.

The North Canadian River used to flood Oklahoma City. So, in the 1950s, the Corps of Engineers redirected the flow, leaving a dry ditch. 

“We used to joke that we mowed the river two or three times a year,” said Mike Knopp, executive director of Riversport, a nonprofit foundation encouraging people to get active outdoors. “You stayed away from the river. It was right through the heart of town, so it did a lot to divide the community.”

But since a $53.5 million project brought back seven miles of river in 2004, the renamed Oklahoma River has become a major draw for local and international athletes. The enormous Riversport complex is at the heart of this shift. “We wanted to infuse a more active outdoor culture in OKC,” Knopp said. “We don’t have an ocean. We don’t have mountains. So we wanted to try to create these experiences.” On a hot July day, I experienced Riversport. Here are 13 adventures you can try with Riversport OKC.

A wide river in a city.
The Oklahoma River. / Photo by Teresa Bergen

Watch: Surfer in Australia rides wave with large shark on board

A surfer in New South Wales, Australia, was captured on video riding a wave with a seemingly dead shark on his board.

A surfer in New South Wales, Australia, was caught on video riding a wave with a seemingly dead shark on his board.

Kristin Grace, in her TikTok post, described the bizarre scene as an “Only in Australia” moment. Grace explained that the shark was dead but provided no other details.

9 News Australia shared the footage, stating, “Sadly the shark had died before the surfer found it.”

Surfer reported that sharks are common in Australia,”So, it’s no surprise to see ‘em; but this next clip is a little…different.”

The footage was captured at Yamba Main Beach and shows the surfer riding a paddleboard on his knees with the shark carcass pointing toward shore.

The shark species was not identified.

10 photos of very good dogs riding waves at the World Dog Surfing Championships 2023

These dogs are so good at surfing.

Dogs: They’re just like us.

Or at least some of them are when it comes to riding the waves on a surfboard.

Because a bunch of dogs put on their wetsuits and googles and climbed on boards to compete in the annual World Dog Surfing Championship on Saturday, August 5 in Pacifica, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area.

MORE: The best photos from the 2023 Wesminster Dog Show

Some dogs ride with their humans along with them, while others can handle the waves by themselves, and then there’s a photo below of a group on a surfboard.

Enjoy, these are so fun:

Great white shark, Tough Guy, ‘lurking’ at Mavericks surf spot

A tagged great white shark nicknamed Tough Guy has shown up at Mavericks, a renowned big-wave surf spot near Half Moon Bay, Ca.

A tagged great white shark nicknamed Tough Guy has shown up at Mavericks, a renowned big-wave surf spot near Half Moon Bay, Ca.

“Tough Guy is lurking in the lineup at Mavericks! Tell your friends who surf this break,” Michael Domeier, who runs the Marine Conservation Science Institute, cautioned followers Wednesday via Instagram.

Tough Guy, a male white shark that has been detected near other Central California surf spots, measured 12 feet when he was tagged in 2021. Domeier stated that “he’s probably 14 feet now.”

Mavericks is an offshore break that attracts surfers from around the world, primarily during the winter when north swells deliver massive waves.

Reads one of the comments beneath Domeier’s post:

“Confirmation that not only does Mavericks get insanely large [during]  gargantuan swells. It also gets insanely large White Sharks. Making it the most dangerous place to surf on the planet when these two factors are in play.”

–Generic white shark image courtesy of Michael Domeier/MCSI