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In today's show Scott and David discuss the pivot away from surfing for Stab In The Dark and investigate and speculate on the rift between Kelly and the Merrick's, reflect on Biolos' transition from anti-contest shaper to poster boy for competitive surfing, celebrate the break out star of the series, wish for a more selfless Slater, analyze the benefit of a rigid foam blank, and gawk at one of the...

In today's show Chas and David mark an exponential growth spurt across the entire Challenger Series and try to pinpoint the catalyst, reveal the subtle juke from JJF regarding naming his kid, ponder if it's ever acceptable to have your dad fight your fights, celebrate the man who brought surfing to it's simultaneous highest and lowest points, and discover that even the coolest amongst us is still...

In today's show Bob McTavish attributes his biggest design epiphanies to the evolution of the surfboard fin, and each of those to a personal relationship that sparked his inspiration. He shares how Dave Rastovich altered his perception on hydrodynamics, reveals the unfathomable generosity of Bill Bahne, the ingenuity of Tom Morey and Carl Pope, explains how the Sydney ferry and Greenough's tuna fi...

In today's show Chas and David learn the embarrassing reason that dog owners evolve to look like their pets, celebrate JJF's decision to stay off Tour and blueprint how the WSL could entice him back, discover that Influencers don't know what a barrel is, unlock the "sports board" as a new genre, reminisce on the "Playboy" era of the ASP, and learn why napkin dispensers are a blight on the environm...

In today's show Scott and David introspect on whether their surfing will ever improve again or whether the act is even about riding waves any longer, they then delve into Slater's underperformance in SITD, the poor surf and the inevitability of it ending in a wave pool, and the boys disagree on whether JJF latest announcement will bode as a net gain or loss for surfing collectively. Plus Barrel or...

In today's show David and Chas learn a life lesson about forming snap judgments, question Kelly's truest motive with Stab In The Dark, learn what will be lost if JBay gets cancelled, discover that Pedro Scooby is the least disgusting part of his new McDonalds ad, learn which pro surfer is a doppelgänger for Stevie Janowski, and decide whether you should take fitness advice from Shane Dorian. Plus...

In today's show surf biz stalwart Randy Hild details the various false starts at Roxy prior to the inception of their industry-disrupting female boardshort, the tension between scaling and brand authenticity, which parts of the Golden Era were fake and inflated, how a serendipitous Swap Meet discovery led to him becoming an inadvertent surf history archivist, and why 1953 Makaha would be his ultim...

In today's episode Chas and David muster the courage to face their biggest childhood foes, they influence Kai Lenny into prone enlightenment, introspect about their desires to shame surf influencers out of the lineup, ask ChatGPT to help consolidate their quivers, and determine if it's ever okay to take a mint board on a surf trip. Plus Barrel or Nah?! Enjoy!

In today's episode Bob McTavish explains how one of his most iconic designs came to him in a dream and Joey Cabell's influence in it, he shares the inception of the swallowtail, his afternoon spent with Duke Kahanamoku, the epiphany he had at Rincon in 1967, why he renounced competition for a mortgage and children, climbing out of suffocating debt with an assist from the cast of Jackass, the board...

In today's episode Scott and David delve deep into the shapers personalities and tensions competing for the crown at Stab In The Dark X, character clashes, old rivalries revitalized, attempted marketing campaigns thwarted, and a shocking amount of design variation within a tight 27.5 liters, plus Kelly offers insights into recovery and optimization, and a 25 year old DJ takes December's Wave of th...

In today's episode Bob McTavish shares stories from surfing in an era prior to foam cores and surf wax, charts the path from dropping out of school to surf, to being homeless with only $10 to his name, to stowing away on a ship to Hawaii for the North Shore winter, the jail time that resulted, and he reveals the only two surfboards he's ever purchased in his life. Enjoy! 

In today's show Chas and David examine the Blood Feud between former surf comic Jonathan Wayne Freeman and Simmons acolyte @Hydrodynamica, seeking to understand the moment wherein ideology rewires what one's eye's witness, they seek enlightenment in pursuit of Kelly Slater's ayahuasca journey, discover their own narrative arc paralleling that of The Grinch, feel the pang of frothstration, and unco...

In today's show David and Scott share the historic and untold stories shared by PT and Shaun Tomson at Surf Expo, dive into the influential showmanship of Peter Drouyn, spill spoilers from the upcoming Stab In The Dark x Kelly Slater, review day one of Da Hui Backdoor Shootout, and survey what boards and brands sold best in 2025. Plus Dukes and Kooks! Enjoy!

In today's show David and Chas pick up the pieces from NYE and embark on the New Year with intel about Tom Curren's hair dye, a new crown and title at Pipeline, a major shift from CT Champs that devalues legacy surf brands and spikes value in one surfer-owned brand, Jack Robinson offers you financial advice, shapers offer religious guidance, and we all learn difference between "butt hurt" and butt...

In today's show Scott and David pay homage to the pervasive Hoffman family legacy in California surfing, breakdown the massive sponsor disruptions in the top tier of men's surfing and what it reveals about surf industry economics, discuss the savvy and bias agenda to select a "Best Of The Year", and bid a final farewell to the surfing great's who kick out in 2025. Happy New Year and enjoy!

In today's show David and Chas recap the glory of Christmas and ponder the possibility of The Lost Week, count the number of times they've executed what they intended to do while surfing, survey two recent surfing Blood Feuds, perplex over Curren's hair color, Julian's shift to LGBTQ-friendly leisurewear, and map a winning plan for NYE. Plus Barrel or Nah?! Enjoy!

Surf photographer and photo editor Jeff Divine's imagery has largely framed our perspective on North Shore surfing from the 70s and 80s. Today he shares stories from the era defining Expression Session in 1971, reveals that he didn't befriend Gerry Lopez until a decade after they had helped build one another's careers, he discusses how the inception of clothing brands altered surf mags editorial s...

In today's show Scott and David attempt to identify which surfer had the most impact in 2025, note new potential surfing world records, analyze the pattern of symbiotic worldwide surfboard design evolution, dive deep into Reno Abellira's largely under appreciated contributions, and celebrate this season's unofficial Triple Crown winners. Plus Dukes and Kooks! Enjoy!

In today's show David and Chas discover why bodyboarding reigns supreme over surfing, learn the virtues of not getting paid, pro surfing gets litigious, JJF brands Pipeline and lobbies to become Mister, a pro surf Catfish stands trial for wanton domestic abuse, and learn why your mail carrier deserves a parting gift. Plus Barrel or Nah?! Enjoy!

In today's show board builder Max Stewart explains the inverse relationship between product quality and business growth, tales from early days at Hayden Shapes, how Tom Carroll has informed how he takes custom orders and why he factors your personality into the order card. Enjoy!  

In today's show dingleberries Chas and David learn about Kelly's suspicious (alleged) scrubbing of the Internet, Bethany's threat from the WSL, Sterling gets Curren to finally run his mouth, the boys learn how surf music becomes iconic, why Chinese wax jobs are here to stay, and which vehicle value is too great to bring to the beach. Plus Barrel or Nah?! Enjoy!

In today's episode the Encyclopedia of Surfing's Matt Warshaw discusses the risks of having surf history chronicled by a single man, who's gotten short shrift on the EOS, how much and how little has changed in surf culture since the first magazine, an examination of pioneering female surf photographers, the first surfer to go at Backdoor,   and why he got screamed at (and run over) on his most rec...

In today's show David and Chas review the nearly released Surfline footage that potentially captured UFO activity, predict the implications and wonder if Harry Bryant tapped into the resource, they learn how Dale Webster soothed a weary cord lord's Great White trauma, provide the ultimate holiday gifting guide, learn the beneficial chemical reaction of triethyl citrate, and explain the precise and...

In today's episode Scott and David learn why a swing might be the perfect gateway toy to learn to surf, Tanner Gudang keeps a thread of energy alive five decades on, Hugh Jackman violates an ancient surfing code and the WSL applauds him, MFeb narrows it down to the final four, and a 58 year man fends off the Grim Reaper at full sized Nazare. Plus Dukes and Kooks! Enjoy!

In today's episode Jordan Rodin joins us to chat about life lessons and hazing gleaned from Derek Hynd, make a case for heavier surfboards, explain his 5 year hiatus from getting barreled, why you should be stripping down used boards and reshaping them, what famous sculptors of centuries past can teach us about surfing, why sometimes the smallest movements can translate to the biggest things. Enjo...