Spearfishing The Silhouettes

Photo: Perrin James

This article was originally published by the Atlantic Current.

By Cash Lambert

While the majority of South Floridians purchase dinner at a grocery store, there are some that clothe themselves with thick camouflage and, with an underwater gun in hand, jump into the oceanic abyss off our coast. Sometimes 60 feet down, and sometimes coming face to face with wild, biting animals, the product of their exploits awaits them on the dinner table…if they are successful. 

Once you see their white lips, get ready to shoot.”

Alex Schulze knows this. He’s 23, has a college degree, and this is not his first time spearfishing for Cobia in open water, but he’s reminding himself of the sight because after the Cobia’s silhouette lightens, its lips look nearly white, to Alex. Now he can see the scenario.

He’s kicking 30 feet below the surface, staring down down down into the blue Atlantic abyss and suddenly a few silhouettes appear, swimming up up up and he kicks harder to meet them, Riffe speargun with black bands cocked and loaded, aiming, aiming, waiting, waiting…

The boat’s engine roars to life and shoves him back into reality. The 21-foot Seacraft he’s gazing blankly towards needs to be loaded with afternoon supplies.

It’s noon on a Saturday in February and the feeling in the air is too tense for a typical Saturday in February. Cobia? Alex has no fear of the brown colored fish, even if he did see one later that afternoon heavier than the current 130 pound record (which he didn’t). Fearful of spearfishing and freediving 40, 50, even 60 feet? Nope, he’s done that. It is the sharks that has everyone – including fellow spearfishermen and friends Christian Rec, Mike Wood and Rob Ruiz – feeling a bit uneasy. They too have done this before, because it’s how spearfisherman put dinner on the plate in South Florida sometimes daily, sometimes weekly. But still. Bullsharks.

Bullsharks are lean and they are mean, but they are not fighting machines.

They are killers.

And on this trip, judging by the amount of chum that was just loaded on the boat, there will be many of them. And therefore, the group discusses over the hum of the idle engine that since there will be chum there will be many Bulls and because there will be many Bulls there will be many Cobia, who naturally follow packs of Bulls and use their protection and eat their scraps.

But Alex knows this too, so as the boat churns away into deeper water, he thinks of nothing but the scenery. Eclectic mansions dot the intracoastal owned by bons vivants and there is loud traffic in the channels. Everyone else is letting loose on this Saturday in February but not this group because these men are spearfishermen and they are going hunting.

They are going to war.

Photo: Perrin James

Even though the temperature is strangely warm, Alex shivers. The boat picks up speed out of the Palm Beach Inlet and the sea spray from the open ocean only makes it colder.

As the boat heads northeast, Alex scans the deck for a mental checklist: he sees the teak spear guns with black bands, buckets of chum, wetsuits, fins, snorkels, weight belts.

His eyes then reach the ice chest, and he knows that it is empty besides the ice that fills it and that shoves his mind into the dark sea below the bouncing boat. He’s visualizing it again: “Once you see their white lips, get ready to shoot.”

Thirty minutes later, the boat’s engine slows, the chum flies, and from a distance the scene looks like that of a miracle – a boat puttering in patches of red wine above the Jupiter ledge.

When suited up, Rob, Christian, Mike and Alex all look like characters out of a Minecraft video game because their wetsuits are green and blue in jagged formations. Their fins are dark colored, and their masks are black.

They are camouflaged and they are ready.

The boat is rocking, the wind is whipping, the engine is softly puttering, but it all disappears when each spearfisherman jumps in the water. It is quiet and cold on the surface and it is obvious that this is the calm before the storm. Alex blows bubbles and looks down. He can see down 40 feet easily, but it is nothing besides blue rays vibrating in the quiet.

“Once you see their white lips, get ready to shoot…” He knows, he knows. Flashers are deployed, and the group dives down stiffly, just as silhouettes are rising from the deep. Alex sees two Bullsharks in the distance, then two more, then…many. Maybe 8, maybe 10. All looking for the blood in the water. The men stay tight and close, and Alex knows the prize, the Cobia, are coming.

Alex begins to see white lips. A colony of Cobia, maybe 10, 12 are below and Rob takes the first shot. Alex hears the metal sliding through the water and knows there is blood and just like that the underwater world explodes. Rob kicks in calm and quick strides up up up and Alex and Christian and Mike turn into defenders against the blood drunk bulls trying to take a bite from the former Cobia groupie. They kick, threaten, swing, looking like participants in an underwater dance contest. Alex hears the engine roar to life above and by the time he reaches the surface for another breath the driver is hoisting the Cobia in the boat.

Now Alex is triggerhappy. As he slides into the deep, kicking down down down, he no longer feels cold. Suddenly, he sees white reflecting off the previously deployed flashers and he moves his aim with the Cobia.

Aiming, aiming aiming…he pulls the trigger. He hits meat. The world under the surface explodes again.

Bulls swoop in, but Christian and Mike and now Rob are there. Protecting. Defending. Alex kicks up up up and reaches the surface and screams “BOAT! BOAT!” and suddenly the driver swings the boat around and zips closer, hopefully deflecting a snorting Bull or two as the fish bleeds. The Cobia is flapping, but isn’t acting as wild as the blood drunk Bulls…yet.

As Alex pulls the Cobia within a few feet, the fish catches wild and twists and jerks and contorts and bleeds more. Alex is now at the surface and out of breath and the fish is hoisted up into the boat. Watching from the surface you almost get bored as the world and its inhabitants below show their true nature over and over again.

This happens until the team reaches their limit for the day and they climb back into the boat hot and drained and hungry and as they rest on board again the sun no longer hits their eyes. The breeze is cool.

Tonight, Alex, Rob, Christian and Mike will use the ride back to rest, then they will wash the wetsuits, clean and hose down the boat but there will also be spoils of war, specifically their limit of Cobia, and that is why the group will do the exact same thing in few days. That is why hundreds of other men and women across South Florida will do the same thing, day after day. This is their life. Danger is often their toil, and pleasure is often their result. And until that next trip, Alex will daydream of those slithery silhouettes that exist beneath the surface.

Not Just Good Surfers, Good People

There’s more to life than three-to-the-beach, surf contest results and a clean cutback.

Story from Patagonia.

When I pull up to Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem at Maui’s Ho‘okipa Beach Park on a sunny Saturday in May, it looks like a full-on party. The bounce house is jumping. Groms are chasing each other on the sand with whipped-cream pies. There’s a PA system announcing heat scores, and you can hear the laughter in the parking lot.

It seems much of the Maui surf community showed up for the annual event—a two-day surf competition featuring 400 kids, ranging in age from 4 to 15 years old, competing in the small and windy waves on hand.

Grom contests like the Menehune Mayhem and similar events—Live Like Sion Gromfest, Rell Sunn Menehune Surfing Championships, North Shore Menehune Surf Contest and others—are ushering in a new generation of surfers and changing surfing’s image for the better.

A few years ago, upon returning to the US from a surf trip in Nicaragua, I was detained in a windowless room and had my belongings searched for drugs. When I asked the officials why they chose to search me out of the sea of people at customs, one of them, while checking the back pocket of a pair of boardshorts and finding nothing but surf wax, responded “because you’re a surfer.”

Reputations aren’t given, they’re earned, and surfing’s outlaw history is true. “Back in the day, it was party on, as everyone knows,” says 74-year-old Dave Riddle, North Shore mainstay and veteran surf coach. “There was the saying back then: ‘Win or lose we booze.’ But that lifestyle is in the past now. That’s not to say people don’t still have fun—they do. But surfing is taken way more seriously today. And [surfers] are staying out of trouble.”

This change in surfing is due, in large part, to older generations taking on the responsibility of being role models to the groms.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

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Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem is a classic Maui surf contest with a purpose.

“The whole concept behind Menehune Mayhem was to create a surf event exactly how I wanted it when I was their age,” says Walsh, who was influenced by Shane Dorian’s Keiki Classic—another grom event that’s run on the Big Island for the last 25 years—which he surfed in as a kid.

One aspect that separates Walsh’s grom comp from your average surf event is that instead of just rewarding participants for their surfing skill, academic achievement is a cornerstone of the competition.

“The inspiration came from my mom,” Walsh says. “She was a teacher for 30 years at a public school in Maui, so I grew up understanding just how important that [education] is. The scholastic achievement became a way to reward kids for getting it done in the water and in the classroom.”

Over time, these awards grew from iPods, cell phones and laptops to $2,500 scholarships for Maui County high school seniors entering college. The goal was to not only reward the students but also to give them tools and resources to take the next step in their education.

“It is one of the most special scholarships I’ve ever received,” Louisa Buckingham, a Maui native, tells me over the phone. She attended the Menehune Mayhem for as long as she can remember, and the scholarship she received in 2019 helped her to pay for school supplies, textbooks and other items not included in her tuition at Georgetown University.

“The award empowers local kids to go beyond their comfort zone, learn from the mainland and bring those lessons back to Maui and incorporate them in the community,” says Buckingham. “I’m honored that the Walsh family would consider me for that.”

The effects of the scholarships have trickled down into the younger Maui surf community.

Walsh will be the first to tell you: The kids’ favorite part of the day is finally slapping a pie into his face. Ho‘okipa Beach Park, Maui.

“The GPA award at the Menehune Mayhem is always something we strive to achieve in school,” says Ty Simpson-Kane, fellow Maui native, Pe‘ahi charger and lifelong Menehune Mayhem participant.

Walsh’s contest is one of a few that promotes good grades. The North Shore Menehune Surf Contest—a grom event on Ali‘i Beach in Hale‘iwa that’s been going on for over 40 years—gives out a laptop or iPad to those with the highest GPA and positive teacher comments. “A big part of why our contest was established was to be a positive influence on our youth,” says contest co-director Ivy Blomfield. “All participants have an opportunity to turn in their report cards for consideration.”

And, if the kids want to take their surfing to the next step and compete in the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA), they’ll need to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA. “Failing in school is not permitted in the NSSA,” says Janice Aragon, executive director of the NSSA. Like the Menehune Mayhem, the NSSA awards annual scholarships to competitors with the highest GPA.

Aside from promoting athletic and academic achievement, these events are also teaching environmental responsibility.

“At the Menehune Mayhem, we are taught a lot about how to reduce our single-use plastics,” Simpson-Kane explains. “We see firsthand the issues that plastics are causing to our oceans every day.”

Walsh prefers to let the kids get their hands dirty and teaches plastic and pollution awareness in a hands-on way. Each Menehune Mayhem starts with a beach cleanup, courtesy of the groms and event coordinators.

“Instead of sitting them down and teaching the participants verbally, we try to teach them by example,” Walsh says.

Helping young surfers adapt to the mental stress of the contest scene is part of these events too.

Friendly competition is crucial—whether in the lineup or a game of tug-of-war.

In the past, altercations on the beach were commonplace in surf contests, with breaking a board or hurling verbal abuse at the judging panel being seen as a rite of passage for some competitors. Because Menehune Mayhem awards “outstanding sportsmanship,” these young surfers are learning how to be respectful in a contest jersey.

“It’s good to care about competing, but it’s important to control that passion and have respect for the competitors,” Walsh says.

I asked Riddle if there had been a lack of mentorship in surfing’s past, a time where the beach-bum lifestyle epitomized the sport. “There was some guidance,” he said, explaining that it came from team managers and local shapers who cared about the next generation. “But nothing like what it’s evolved into now.”

He went on to explain that although there are drugs and alcohol in surfing’s colorful history, “the kids growing up today, they’re not looking at that. They’re looking at guys like Kelly [Slater]. They’re looking at John John [Florence].” They’re looking up to surfers who are committed to their sport.

Surf contests like the Menehune Mayhem give kids the foundation to push the surfing and surfers forward, in and out of the water.

“Keeping them in the ocean keeps them out of trouble and will always give the kids something to fall back on and create positivity throughout their life,” says Blomfield (North Shore Menehune Surf Contest contest co-director). “The ocean is a natural resource that will be there to help them through anything.”

Speaking at the International Surf Therapy Symposium

The 2019 International Surf Therapy Symposium brought together an international coalition of over 300 surf therapy pioneers under one roof, and I had the honor to speak on a panel entitled “How Surfing Changes Lives”. Here’s a photo recap courtesy of Christina Cernik.

"Waves of Healing" Editorial Reviews

“Waves of Healing is a powerful and inspirational book—a must-read for anyone with a loved one on the autism spectrum. You will laugh and you will cry as author Cash Lambert passionately shares both the struggles and the triumphs of the autism journey as sand and surf become a form of therapy and healing for so many families.”
—Amy KD Tobik, editor-in chief of Autism Parenting Magazine

“Surfers and water-lovers have long talked about the mysterious healing power of the sea. With empathy, attention to detail, and skillful storytelling, Cash Lambert shows how real that healing power is, taking us deep into the struggles of living with autism, deep into the joyful stories of children literally paddling and riding their way to greater health and happiness. This is such a hopeful and potentially life-changing read.”
—Jaimal Yogis, author of All Our Waves Are Water and Saltwater Buddha

“Waves of Healing is a big-hearted story that will delight anyone who loves the ocean. Saltwater is a universal balm—Cash Lambert knows this deeply, and his commitment to sharing his experience in the surf with autistic kids and their families makes for an inspiring tale, beautifully told.”
—Susan Casey, author of Voices in the Ocean: A Journey Into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins

“As a firm believer in the many blessings of surf therapy for children on the spectrum, I was delighted to read Cash Lambert's uplifting and validating account of a season on the shore with Surfers for Autism. He writes with the head and heart of a surfer about the thrilling transformation that finds many children and families on the back of their shared surfing experiences—a must-read for anyone who accepts the healing power of stoke, and the rich, restorative energy to be mined from a community of like-minded souls.
—Daniel Paisner, co-author of Scratching the Horizon: A Surfing Life

“Perfect waves and empty beaches, the sport of surfing is easily romanticized, but at its core it possesses the power to change one's life. For those who struggle with autism, surfing can mean a freedom and joy like they've never experienced. Author Cash Lambert has taken the time to tell the story of this unlikely relationship. He tenderly makes the case for the healing powers of the sea, as well as how and why it can be so therapeutic for those on the autism spectrum. Waves of Healing will stoke you out, it will tug on your heartstrings, and it will make you reconsider what those with autism are capable of—and how one good ride can change everything.”
—Jake Howard, surf writer and editor of First Priority: A Father's Journey in Raising World Champion Surfer Carissa Moore

“Often, it’s difficult to understand the everyday struggles and small milestones that families raising a child with autism face, but Cash Lambert’s firsthand ride-along—both on land and in the sea—truly puts their lives into perspective. A deeply honest and eloquent account, Waves of Healing is a story of hope, and a discovery of what the therapeutic power of the ocean—and organizations like Surfers For Autism—can do.”
—Beau Flemister, former editor-at-large of Surfing Magazine and author of In the Seat of a Stranger’s Car

“Waves of Healing shows how a creative, nature-based approach is often the best way for healing and hope to flow into the lives of those coping with autism and into all lives. Lambert has written a book that is both important and profound.”
—David Athey, Professor of English, Palm Beach Atlantic University, author of Joan of the Everglades

Our Mecca: Oahu's North Shore

Nowhere else can you stand on the beach and have a front row seat to the world’s best surfers pulling into barrels at the world’s most exciting yet deadly wave – Pipeline – all only 30 yards from shore. Photo: Edwards

Breaking Down the Wonders of
the 7-Mile Miracle

This article was originally published by Freesurf Magazine on December 6, 2017.

By Cash Lambert

Mecca, defined as a center of activity or interest for a certain group of people, is one way to describe the fall and winter seasons on the North Shore of Oahu for the global surf community.

Our Mecca happens to be a 7-mile stretch of tropical land on the northern shore of Oahu. Located in the most remote island chain on the globe, and ideally positioned in the Pacific Ocean to catch the winter swells, the area between the town of Haleiwa and Sunset Beach is a surfer’s paradise unlike any other place on the planet. Nowhere else on earth can you find such a concentrated area of world class surf breaks. The locale is a virtual playground for surfers, littered with one epic surf spot after another and home to some of the most famous waves on the planet including the Banzai Pipeline, considered by many to be the most perfect wave on earth. Since the 1950s and 60s, the North Shore has become the gathering place for the majority of the surf world between the months of October and February. Year after year, this community inundates the small stretch of beach, eagerly waiting for what seems to be an inevitable forecast of perfect waves.

The North Shore is also where history is made in waves of consequence during the illustrious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. If that’s not enough, the North Shore this year also will be the site of the crowning of a world champion at the Billabong Pipe Masters, the last event on the World Surf League Championship Tour.

There are multiple factors why the 7-mile miracle is, well, a miracle. This includes a trifecta of ideal winds, uninhibited swell and the perfect slope of a seafloor all culminating in epic, world-class surf. What follows is a breakdown of these elements, combined with other unique aspects including the illustrious lineage of surf contests, the influence of ancient Hawaiian traditions and how the North Shore’s beauty is fiercely protected by its community, showcasing why the North Shore is, and forever will be, our Mecca.

Part I: Location, Location, Location

Whether it’s 2 or 20 feet, the North Shore is undoubtedly the most cherished surf zone in the world. Stretched along the 7-mile miracle is the big wave venue of Sunset Beach; high performance breaks such as Rocky Point; sand bottom beach breaks like Ehukai; the massive barrels at Pipeline, Backdoor and Off the Wall; mountains of seawater culminating at Waimea Bay and the outer reefs; long, stacked up lines at Laniakea; colossal walls groomed for power surfing at Haleiwa; fun-size longboard waves at Chun’s and Puena Point. All of these breaks see consistent high-quality waves throughout the winter season, and it’s all about location.

“Anywhere north of our latitudes is fair game as a breeding ground for swell,” said Pat Caldwell, a liaison for NOAA data centers and National Weather Service surf forecaster who lives on Oahu.

“Anywhere north” includes Japan to California, the Aleutian Islands and everything in between. Distant storms kick up swell that crosses hundred of miles of open ocean with no land masses to slow its path.

When swell begins to funnel towards Oahu’s northern shore, other factors contribute to the quality of these waves, including the wind.

“We have a dominant trade wind pattern and light variable patterns,” Caldwell said. This produces offshore winds, which delays the breaking of waves, grooming, and allowing them to group into sets.

What also makes the location ideal is that the North Shore typically is not in storm tracks. While big swell barrels towards places like California and Washington, the stormy weather comes along with it. Meanwhile, Hawaii – and Oahu’s North Shore – will often experience the swell, while remaining far away from the storms.

There’s something else beneath the surface of this special place. Before striking reefs throughout the North Shore, all of this pumping swell – groomed by quality winds – then meets the seafloor.

“That shapes the surf; that’s what makes the breaks,” Caldwell said. “With the volcanic geological history, there’s so many variations in the seafloor shape. There’s lots of ridges and troughs in the ocean floor that became surf spots – think of every surf spot as a bump on the sea floor – so we’re blessed with that irregular topography of seafloor to give us a variety of wave shapes.”

Besides the volcanic geological history Caldwell alluded to, freshwater runoffs also shapes the reef. The late Sean Collins, founding Surfline.com forecaster once said, “The best surf spots along the North Shore are all located close to a channel in the reef, created by freshwater drainage from shore.”

This runoff cuts and shapes the reef, or rather, volcanic rock. Reef or coral cannot form where there is an abundance of fresh water runoff. This is significant because over time, the coastal shelf has been carved down from the shoreline to the bottom of the seafloor, much like a perfect slope that the energy can ramp up and that can accept the ocean’s uninhibited energy to the fullest.

That’s where the North Shore’s power comes from, and why a 2 foot wave in the shorebreak can give you twice the beating as a wave in places like California or Florida. It is also why you can stand on the golden shoreline at Pipeline and have a front row seat to the awesome and deadly wave breaking a mere 30 yards from shore. Had there been not as much freshwater runoff, the coastline might have formed upward and out towards the horizon, resembling that of Tahiti or Fiji, with barrier slabs of reef far off shore.

All of these factors, when combined, create the incredible swell seen on the North Shore every winter. Caldwell summed it up best saying, “We are blessed.”

Part II: The Genesis of Historic Surf Contests

Besides the 7-mile miracle, the North Shore has also been monikered the proving grounds. When the buoys reach 10 feet or bigger, it’s as serious as life or death. If a surfer wants to prove himself here, it starts first with surviving the perilous conditions and crowded lineups, followed by handling waves of consequence, whether it’s navigating the massive tubes at Pipeline or Backdoor, or scratching to get out of the way of a monstrous clean up set at Sunset Beach.

The professional surfers who wish to stand out must test their fortitude at contests such as the Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa, the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach and the Billabong Pipe Masters at Pipeline. These three events have become known as the Triple Crown of Surfing.

But a winter season jam packed with contests, including the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the formerly named Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau and others, hasn’t always been the norm on the North Shore.

While competitive surfing was already in full swing on Oahu’s west side with the Makaha International Surfing Championships starting in 1954, the first surf contest on the North Shore – the Dick Brewer Surfing Championship – wasn’t until 1963. The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational followed in 1965, taking place at Sunset Beach. In 1968, with a $1,000 prize up for grabs, the Duke became a professional event.

In 1971, a new contest began at Pipeline: the Hawaiian Masters. Created by world champion surfer Fred Hemmings, the prize purse was just $1,000. While today’s officials areas are housed inside massive scaffolding, the officials area for the Hawaiian Masters consisted of 10 metal folding chairs and a card table. Also, according to “The Encyclopedia of Surfing,” “fewer than 50 spectators were scattered across the beach.”

In 1983, the Triple Crown of Surfing kicked off, combining these events – the Pipeline Masters, Duke Kahanamoku Classic and World Cup – into the Triple Crown, the format seen today, along with a myriad of other contests from the Hurley Surf Club Pro Junior, to the Wahine Pipe Pro.

“We were going to end up right where we are today, in terms of the whole super-sized competition scene on the North Shore, regardless of when exactly it got started, or who started it,” said Matt Warshaw, former Surfer Magazine editor and the author of “The History of Surfing” and “The Encyclopedia of Surfing,” discussing the evolution of surf contests on the North Shore. “The North Shore was already surfing’s Mecca before Brewer ran his contest, before the Duke, before the first Masters. It was just a matter of time until we got a contest structure in place to go along with that. Tip your hat to Fred Hemmings, Randy Rarick (the contest director of the Triple Crown until 2012), Kimo McVay (creator of The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational) and Fred Van Dyke (director of the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational) for building the foundation. But take away those four guys, and somebody else would have done it.”

Since then, iterations of the VTCS on the North Shore garnered progressive surfing, more fanfare and far more prize money collectively: The 2017 Vans Triple Crown prize purse is more than $1 million. Today, the Hawaiian Pro and the Vans World Cup of Surfing are the proving grounds for Qualifying Series warriors testing their talents against an international field to boost their ratings and qualify onto the CT, and the Billabong Pipe Masters is the final CT event of the year.

Part III: The Scene

The surf world flocking to the North Shore to compete in the world’s best waves every year makes it simply the place to be during the winter season, the site of gatherings and parties. The most notable celebrations took place in the early 2000s, a lawless era known as the “Wild West.” Since then, times have changed.

“It’s a lot more serious now than it used to be,” said Dave Riddle, who began surfing the North Shore in the ’70s and serves as a Volcom team manager. “There’s always been seriousness to it, but now it’s refocused into something that is incredibly important to a lot of people on a lot of levels, especially with the Triple Crown. What I’m seeing now is less of a party atmosphere, and that’s not to say there’s not a party going on because it certainly is. But because the companies have come in and maintained beachfront properties, it’s benefited the athletes.”

This benefit, according to Riddle, is a sense of responsibility. “Because of that, surfers feel an obligation to do well. Instead of saying ‘I lost my heat and I’m going to party and have fun’ – it used to be more like that back in the day – they’re obligated to get the job done,” he said. “It’s gotten really serious. We’ve got kids in Hawaii that they get these special slots in the contests that they don’t get anywhere else, and it’s a chance to build up points. Everyone wants to take advantage of those situations.”

What adds to the scene is that everyone is watching. With the majority of the traveling surf community living in the small area between surf breaks Log Cabins to Rocky Point, you get the feeling that whether you get a good wave or a bad one, everyone saw it either in person or on social media. Maui’s up and coming professional surfer Cody Young, 18 years of age, said, “The whole entire industry is here watching as well as guys that have already proven themselves, so you want to get that good wave. Plus we’re all living next to each other here so whether you’re just freesurfing or in a contest it seems like you’re always competing.”

Part IV: “Connections to the Past”

Even though the North Shore is the epicenter for the world’s best surfers riding the world’s best waves and celebrating along the way, there is more to the region than just surfing.

The North Shore is home to many sacred locations associated with Hawaiian cultural practices and historical events. For example, the largest heiau, or place of worship, on the island of Oahu is located on the North Shore: the Pu‘u o Mahuka Heiau, which overlooks Waimea Valley, signifying just how sacred the northern shore of the island was, and is to Native Hawaiians. There also is Waimea Valley, which historians believe was first inhabited as early as 1092 AD, and is known as the Valley of the Priests and the Loko Ea fishpond in Haleiwa, which once helped sustain its community by providing food resources like native fish and seaweed.

Take a stroll through Waimea Valley and you’ll see beautiful trees, free-flowing streams, colorful peacocks and meet Alika Bajo, a cultural practitioner and blood descendent to Waimea Valley. “You drive along the coastline, and don’t realize that this place used to be this, or that,” he said.

According to Bajo, born in 1960, there is an element that makes the North Shore entirely different from other areas of the world, and even parts Oahu.

“What makes us a jewel is our connection to the past,” he said. “We have a passion for it, and hold on tightly but also loosely. You have to have a hard enough grip to retain it, but loose enough to evolve.”

His advice to those who travel here for the winter surf season, echoed by other Native Hawaiians in Waimea Valley, is this: “Please come and enjoy our island, and please be open to knowledge. We embrace all peoples from around the world, and we ask please give us a chance to teach about our culture, heritage and way of life. We want that desire of wanting to learn so that you can see life through our eyes, how we used to look in our past and how we look in our present, and if you do that, you can truly understand what it’s like to live on the North Shore. Immerse yourself in our culture.”

Part V: “Keep the Country Country”

Although change is inevitable, organizations and individuals who had big plans for development on the North Shore have been met with a community insistent on protecting it’s raw and pristine nature.

“Any time an area has this natural beauty, there’s a lot of pressure to develop it, and there’s always going to be a demand for people to live there and buy properties there,” said Doug Cole, Executive Director of North Shore Community Land Trust, or NSCLT, an organization founded in 1997 by North Shore community members who wanted to be proactive in conserving the place they care the most about.

To date, the NSCLT has played a role in helping raise more than $60 million to conserve more than 4,000 acres within its mission area from Kahuku Point to Ka‘ena, including 1,000 acres at Kawela Bay and Kahuku Point, 1,100 acres in Pupukea Paumalu State Park Reserve and 1,800 acres in Waimea Valley.

Interestingly, the organization conserves these areas by taking the development approach and flipping it. “We work with the landowners and try and help them achieve their goals through conserving their land rather than fighting them when they try and develop it,” Cole said. “It’s less of a fight and more of a partnership. We’re proud of what we have achieved, but there’s still tens of thousands of acres to go. We go to community meetings, present ideas for conservation and vision and gain support.”

While the NSCLT has played and continues to play a major part in preserving the North Shore, the community as a whole is to thank as well. “Everybody is brought together by a shared appreciation for the place and the beauty of it and the experiences they have in the ocean,” Cole said. “I think that it brings our community together, unifies us in the desire to protect the place and keep it relatively undeveloped. For the same reasons as community members that love it, people all over the island have come to love having a place like the North Shore, and it’s not just people who live here that care. It’s also people that care from all over the world. Everyone can instantly appreciate the North Shore, and can quickly get behind the effort to protect and preserve it.”

Our Mecca

The waves, the contest action, the parties, the culture and history and community protecting all of it: whether you call it the 7-mile miracle or the proving grounds, there is no other experience like spending the winter season on the North Shore. That’s why it is, and forever will be, our Mecca, a pilgrimage worth making every year.

pau

American Surf Magazine Launches Digital Platform

Surf City, USA — American Surf Magazine (ASM) has officially launched its digital platform — AmericanSurfMagazine.com — to promote “surf coverage from sea to shining sea”, including American surf competition, American surfers, and the American surf culture at large. 

“I couldn’t be more excited about the launch,” said Cash Lambert, Founder and Editor in Chief of American Surf Magazine. 

Before starting American Surf Magazine, Lambert has worked in editorial roles with Eastern Surf Magazine, SURFING Magazine, and more recently as the Editor of Hawaii’s Freesurf Magazine. 

“We are excited to build content for American surfers that will educate, entertain, and inspire.” 

The digital platform seeks to cover a wide spectrum of surf competitions, from local grom contests to regional Eastern Surf Association (ESA) contests, the National Scholastic Surf Association (NSSA) Championships, Team USA competing internationally, the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour and more. 

The platform will also cover surf communities across America, including the West Coast, the East Coast, The Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, even river surfing, and more.

American Surf Magazine will also cover:

• in-depth profiles

• features

• industry news

• gear reviews like surf helmets, surf gloves, wetsuits, watches, hoods, hats, beach wagons, surf leggings, wetsuit hangers, wetsuit cleaner and more

• surf literature

• travel

• fitness

• Surf Guides, such as river surfing

• environment

• grom reports

• surf films and surf documentaries

• product reviews like portable surf showers, surf changing mats, beach tents, beach wagons, beach coolers, beach pillows and more

• safety reviews

• and more

The website is just one facet of the media company. Citing the vital role that print surf magazines have played in the surf community historically, American Surf Magazine aims to have a print magazine in the near future distributed nationwide.

“While our surf community has many qualities that set us apart — we ride different types of boards, we surf waves of different skill levels, some compete while others are just weekend warriors — American Surf Magazine exists to say that we are all united by surfing,” says Lambert. 

With the launch, American Surf Magazine is now open to contributors and advertisers as well as surf and beach gear for reviews.

To learn more, visit AmericanSurfMagazine.com.

American Surf Magazine Features Waves of Healing

American Surf Magazine featured Waves of Healing as one of “The 10 Best Surf Books to Read Today".

Is surfing actually therapeutic?

This is a question that Author Cash Lambert had after attending surf therapy events on Florida’s coast and seeing lives transformed by the simple act of riding a surfboard on a wave. To find an answer, he spent a year with a group of families who took their children with autism surfing.

His research is found in Waves of Healing: How Surfing Changes the Lives of Children with Autism.

The book includes the struggles children with autism face — the struggle to stand on a surfboard, the struggle to communicate, the struggle to make progress in a world which accepts “normal” and rejects all else. But they’re also stories of breakthroughs, of authentic joy and unbridled excitement as they learn to see their world from a whole new perspective — standing tall atop a surfboard, and riding a wave all their own.

What makes it one of the best surf books? It's an equal balance of beauty and emotion as you watch children with special needs progress in their surfing skill.

See the full article here.

Hammering and Forging the Character of Sebastian Zietz

Falling of the World Tour crushes dreams and breaks careers, but Sebastian used it as motivation, re-evaluating his strengths and weaknesses. Photo: Rowland / WSL

This article was originally published by Freesurf Magazine on November 25, 2016

By Cash Lambert

You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.

Henry David Thoreau said that, and I know what you’re already thinking: the poet and philosopher, who lived in the 1800s, has nothing to do with surfing, athletic prowess, or anything close to today’s culture.

But, as time moves in its only direction – forward – the past frequently comes back to life in multiple areas: fashion, thought, ideas and so forth and interestingly, this quote couldn’t better signify the life and times thus far of Hawaii’s own Sebastian Zietz.

Growing up, many create an identity based on their location and its surrounding culture, but not young Sebastian. In his most formative years, Sebastian and his family lived as vagabonds. He moved from idyllic Kauai and road tripped to Maine at age 10, returning 4 years later. That’s when, after having seen more forests, deserts and road signs than most his age, he inebriated himself in the Kauai lifestyle.

They say in life there’s two kinds of people in this world: hammers and nails, and if this is indeed true, Sebastian is certainly the former. Year by year, he began to hammer hammer hammer away at his surfing skill: sharper turns, processing wave selection faster. Contest after contest, his calloused hands slammed the proverbial hammer harder harder harder, forging a career out of surfing. Today, Sebastian sits on the precipice of requalification on the prestigious World Championship Tour.

Through it all – the highs, the lows, the grinding, the winning, the years – Sebastian not only forged himself a career; he also forged himself into a character. Fans, athletes and sponsors alike have nothing but positive things to say about the beloved 28-year-old. He’s someone of pure stoke, someone you’d like to have a beer with, someone who livens up WSL webcasts during interviews and someone who despite negative situations, chooses to see things in a positive light.

You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one. Henry David Thoreau may have said that, but Sebastian Zietz has lived it. Here’s how, in 5 different times of Sebastian’s life.

Sebastian Zietz is grabbing rail with a smile spread across his face. It’s December 2012, and he’s being carried across the beach on a bright green surfboard from a team house to the Vans Triple Crown podium in front of Pipeline.

It was an unprecedented entrance into an awards ceremony for an unprecedented run of results. After, frankly, a subpar year on the World Qualifying Series, Sebastian locked in and finished 1st in the Reef Hawaiian Pro in tricky Haleiwa conditions, 3nd in the Vans World Cup of Surfing at daunting Sunset Beach and 5th in the Billabong Pipe Masters.

He held the trophy high, was handed a lucrative check, had his name inserted into the likes of past winners, including Derek and Michael Ho, Sunny Garcia, Andy Irons and Joel Parkinson, and if that wasn’t enough, he was allowed entry into the following year’s World Championship Tour.

Was it truly rags to riches? Not necessarily, but it would have taken an incredible amount of time, energy and finances to continue grinding on the WQS to achieve as many points as his Vans Triple Crown win allotted.

“Winning the VTC, it definitely requires some luck,” said Sebastian, looking back on his win. “Wave knowledge is critical for sure.”

What helped Sebastian Zietz navigate from falling off Tour to becoming second in the world in just 4 months? A grand collision between preparation and opportunity. Photo: Ryan Miller

The contest series, often known for breaking boards, bones, confidence and careers instead made Sebastian’s career in 2012. Made him a topic of discussion amongst the surf media, made him the hottest name in surfing.

His victory lap on the green surfboard became immortalized, a photo forever depicting the dream of winning the Vans Triple Crown. On the podium that year could have been Joel Parkinson. Could have been John John Florence. But it was frothing Sebastian. And no matter where his career went in 2013 and beyond, into the record books or into the depths of the rankings, the win could never be taken away.

Sebastian Zietz once snapped on Andy Irons. It’s true.

But first, the backstory. See, when Sebastian was 4, his family (he had 9 brothers and sisters) moved to Kauai and it was only natural for young Sebastian to slide into the beckoning waters of Hanalei Bay every day.
At age 10, Sebastian entered in full grom mode. But the family suddenly picked up and made a cross country move, and the story sounds like something straight out of a Jack Kerouac novel. Extended members of the Zietz family had passed away in Maine, so family flew to California, bought a Winnebago and began the trek.

Once in the icy northeast, they continued living out of the van, later buying a sailboat and sailing it from the winter haven of Maine to the Sunshine state. The family wanted to stay on the East coast, so Sebastian’s older brother, Billy, made a pitch to let Sebastian live in Kauai with him.

“My brothers Billy and Max, they have had the biggest influence on me,” Sebastian said. “I moved in with Billy when I was 14… the only reason he took me in was to help me have a future in surfing. At the time he wanted me to succeed more than I did. I still look up to them.”

Sebastian picked up where he left off on the surfboard, and a fiery side began to show.

“At Pine Trees, yeah I snapped on Andy,” Sebastian said. “I was totally out of line but I was just frothing to catch a ton of waves.”

How did A.I respond?

“He slapped my head! The next week I actually won my division at the Irons Brothers contest,” Sebastian continued. “As he handed the trophy to me in front of all the parents and kids he said ‘F@#ker’! I will never forget that moment.”

Another moment Sebastian won’t forget is after turning 16, he again moved, this time under the same roof as Dustin Barca. “He lived in a 5 by 10 laundry room, that was his nest,” Barca said in an interview with the WSL. “There was greatness in the kid.”

Sebastian Zietz looks frustrated.

It’s 2015, and the year marks his third year on tour, three years removed from winning the coveted VTC trophy.

His first year on Tour looked promising, you know, the new guy getting his feet wet: he finished 16th.
The following year, 20th.
And 2015, 25th.

It was at the Hurley Pro at Trestles in 2015 that Sebastian looked frustrated, and man, there was reason to be. A controversial interference call sent him home, and as he was packing his bags, the WSL grabbed him for a live interview.

Now, this could have been the perfect opportunity for Sebastian to lose his cool and light the place up!

I mean, the guy was in dire need of a solid result. During the contest – perhaps it was the conditions on hand or his Top 40 fire playlist – he was feeling that swagger, surfing loose and surfing confident.
But then, his heat with Michel Bourez.

“…Twenty seconds to go [in the heat], and as we paddled over a wave I thought I was going to get another wave in the time limit, but I don’t know if the beach announcer’s time was off, I don’t know so I was paddling hard to get a wave,” he said, his demeanor stern. “I didn’t know what Michel was doing, I was paddling so hard to get wave…I didn’t know what Michel had gotten on wave before, it wasn’t the greatest wave but Michel is such a powerful surfer and could’ve gotten a good score with cutbacks. I paddled for the wave way too long, didn’t hear the horn at all I was just thinking paddle… I’m happy for a good performance, I’ll go to Europe and perform.”

The WSL reporter noted that despite his frustration, Sebastian still went up to the judges and spoke with them, even shaking their hands.
Sebastian’s response: “That was one of the better heats I’ve surfed all year, I got some good boards under my feet. There’s no hard feelings, it was one of these weird things, my mistake, I should have let Michel go on that wave. I’ll take it as a positive. I surfed good, I wish I was still surfing but hopefully Michel rips the rest of the contest.”
Pure professionalism.

What helped Sebastian Zietz navigate from falling off Tour to becoming second in the world in just 4 months? A grand collision between preparation and opportunity. Photo: Ryan Miller

At the end of the year, Sebastian’s frustration would continue. After surfing his heart out at the Pipe Masters, he lost his final heat by .21 points, narrowly missing re-qualification.

Sebastian Zietz is on a jetski, and he just heard he’s ranked number two in the world.

His reaction? “Woah, RADICAL, yeah number 2!”

You’d think a lot had happened in between Sebastian following off Tour in 2015 and him suddenly thrust limelight at cold Margaret River, Australia, in April of 2016. But in such a short time span, not really.
“The 2016 year started with me just being really focused on my surfing for the WQS,” he said. “After the wildcard into Snapper Rocks and taking out Mick Fanning in Round 3, I was invited to a few more CT events. With Taj Burrow retiring and all the injured guys, I’ve been really lucky.”

He capitalized on that luck at Margaret River, winning heat after heat, sliding into the quarterfinals as a darkhorse, the semifinals as a ‘good for him’ story and into finals – against Julian Wilson – as an underdog.
“I’m just trying to put on more of a show this year,” Zietz told the WSL after being chaired up the beach victorious at Margarets. “I had such bad wave selection and heat strategy last year, I know I can do better.”
Indeed, 2016 has been a better year. Even though Sebastian isn’t on the CT and has competed due to both injured and retired vets leaving slots open, he scored a 13th in Brazil and a 9th in France, among others.

“After my win at Margaret’s, I’ve been feeling the pressure to get results to qualify,” he said. “I put pressure on myself for the QS at the beginning of the year and ended up doing pretty bad at the first couple events. I was stoked to get into the events on the CT, so I was just letting it flow. That seemed to work a lot better but after winning Margies, I felt the pressure to have one of my best years.”

Sebastian Zietz may be feeling the pressure, but he’s smiling.

It’s mid-October of 2016, and although he sits at 13th on the CT, he still needs a solid result at the Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal. A solid finish could ease the tension as afterwards, he heads back into familiar but challenging territory: the 2016 Vans Triple Crown.

Four years post his incredible celebration to the podium, Sebastian still serves as an example of what winning the Vans Triple Crown can do for one’s career.

“I’m still reminded of the Vans Triple Crown win in 2012 every time I go home and see my house, my truck and my jet ski,” he said. “All the things I would have never been able to have without that win.”

There’s a good chance that win also was instrumental of him starting Fit Lab Kauai. “A lot of people invest in the stock market or real estate, but the gym gives back to the community and that’s what matters to me,” he said. “Cycling is apart of my training, so being able to jump into a class on Kauai is pretty sick. We didn’t have anything like it on the North Shore.”

When Sebastian’s feet hit the golden-laced sand on the 7-mile-miracle, from Haleiwa to Sunset Beach and everything in between, including Pipeline, he’ll be riding an updated quiver. “I’ve been riding a lot of Channel Island Protons,” he said. “My two victories and my perfect 10 at Pipe were all on Protons. I’ve been trying to dial in a perfect shortboard.”

And in late December, as he dials up his Protons the night before a heat at the Pipeline Masters, what will drift into his mind after hammering and forging during the 2016 year? What thoughts will he use for motivation?

“My win at Margaret River was the proudest moment,” he said. “I need to work on consistency for sure… I’m pumped for the rest of the year, and my next goal is to win the Pipe Masters.”

pau

Listen: Guest on the “Get WealthFit” Podcast

I was honored to be a guest on the ”GetWealthFit” Podcast —previous guests include Danica Patrick, Dennis Rodman, Kevin Harrington and more — discussing surf therapy and becoming an author.

Listen to the full interview right here:

"Slow down and every once in a while, talk to someone whether it's at Starbucks or in line next to you. You'll be surprised and, more importantly, inspired by who you meet."- Cash Lambert You can't judge a book by its cover.

Void Magazine Features "Waves of Healing"

Void Magazine allowed me to contribute to their annual “Do Good” magazine issue, where I wrote about how surfing is changing lives — no co-pay required.

The first time I saw surfing change the lives of children with special needs, I was standing with a surfboard on the sands of Jacksonville Beach. 

While it seemed like an ordinary beach day—waist-high swell filled the area just south of the pier as beachgoers flooded the wooden walkways—what was happening in the water was anything but ordinary. 

On this day, a nonprofit organization called Surfers for Autism offered to take children with autism surfing. If you aren’t familiar with autism, it’s a developmental disability that sees children struggle against difficulties with social skills, repetitive behaviors, and communication. This condition irrevocably changes the life of the child and the lives of everyone around them. According to the CDC, it affects one in 59 children. 

But at this surf event, those with an autism diagnosis were not walking statistics. Instead, they were surfers. 

Earlier in the day, families filled the beach, creating a makeshift city from their tents. Reggae music pumped out of the loudspeakers and surfboards lined the sand.

After a volunteer meeting, surfing—and the miracles—began. 

Here’s how it worked: an army of volunteers stood in a line parallel to the beach, and were introduced by SFA staff to participants. Some children were excited; others looked nervous and quiet, and some were in absolute meltdown, crying and sending sand in all directions. 

But none of that mattered once they entered the water, hand in hand with surf volunteers who called Jacksonville home. 

When the right wave came, volunteers pushed the participants atop surfboards while chanting phrases like “up up up!” and “You can do it!” 

Children diagnosed with nonverbal autism—who had rarely said any words to even their parents—were suddenly cheering and saying things like “I did it!” and asking for more with phrases like “Another wave!” Participants who were previously screaming on the beach in fear were suddenly calm, relaxed, and smiling. Some children were riding waves into shore as if they’d been doing so for years. Families and other volunteers formed a loud cheering section on the beach. Mothers and fathers cried. 

The surf session lasted all day. Speaking with the parents during the event, I realized there was more to the unique relationship between surfing and autism. This wasn’t just a fun event to attend on the weekends—surfing was therapeutic for these children. And there was no copay required. 

An avid surfer myself, I began to wonder exactly what made surfing therapeutic. What’s more, I was curious as to why a select group of families attended each Surfers for Autism event during their “Surf Tour.” Since the organization’s genesis in 2008, there have been 10-13 events up and down the Florida coast and these self-proclaimed groupies didn’t miss an event. 

The inaugural Jacksonville Beach event was in 2010. I spent the next four years with the organization, seeking to understand how surfing is therapeutic from a scientific and a personal level. I went to therapy sessions, birthday parties, and became part of this eclectic surfing family. All the while, I wrote down what I heard and experienced. 

I tell these families’ stories in Waves of Healing: How Surfing Changes the Lives of Children with Autism, published by Hatherleigh Press and Penguin Random House, which was released this year. These are stories about the struggles children with autism face—the struggle to stand on a surfboard, the struggle to communicate, the struggle to make progress in a world which accepts “normal” and rejects all else. But they’re also stories of breakthroughs, of authentic joy and unbridled excitement as the children learn to see their world from a whole new perspective — standing tall atop a surfboard, riding a wave all their own.

In my research, I learned how surfing can affect children with autism, how it can have a tremendous impact on parents and how it can unite a community.

In the book Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do, scientist Wallace J. Nichols explores scientific studies on why water is therapeutic, which I stumbled upon for the writing of my book. Here’s a short excerpt: 

Nichols writes: “There are all kinds of theories about why this happens. The water is stimulating visually, which fulfills some children’s sensory needs; water provides a safe and supported environment’ that surrounds the body with ‘hydrostatic pressure’ that ‘soothes and calms’ (as another expert said, it feels like the ultimate hug). Learning new motor skills like swimming, surfing or paddleboarding can have ‘a broad-ranging impact on the nervous system,’ according to William Greenough at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois: “There’s increased blood flow to crucial neurons, and the reshaping of abnormal structures in the front brain. But beyond that, surfing may be a vehicle to an emotional breakthrough, a way of reaching under the mask and perhaps connecting to kids like these.” Trying to balance and ride waves also provides them with a clear focus and keeps them in the present moment. 

Not only is surfing life-changing for those with autism. It also transforms the lives of parents, something I saw firsthand. You see, thanks to these organized surf events, for the first time families have a support network, someone to relate to and discuss their challenges with. On the beach in Jacksonville, as well as at other events, commonality was found, and bonds were born. 

I also saw communities rallying around these events and children with special needs. In city after city, food and water were donated for the families. Policemen and firefighters parked their cars in the beach parking lots so the participants (with sand covering their feet) could look inside and even finger paint on the exterior. Plus, local surfers were teaching their passion to participants and sharing in their excitement. To this day, many families have framed photos of their children standing alongside these volunteers on the beach. 

My book is not a story of the past. It is a story that, like one’s surfing ability, continues to evolve.

Here’s what I mean: Surfers for Autism has held its annual Jacksonville Beach event for a decade and expects to continue the tradition, inviting familiar and new faces to the beach each year. Attend an SFA event and you’ll find participants who had their lives changed by surfing years ago are now helping others with the same diagnosis experience therapeutic feelings, serving as volunteer surf instructors. Or you can attend other surf therapy events. Thanks to this rapidly growing trend, there are now dozens of surf therapy organizations along America’s coastlines.

As long as there are waves, there will be people riding waves of healing. Some of them though, need your help.