Benji Brand

We Had The Cameras Rolling In Tahiti As The World Tour Faced Massive Teahupo'o | No Contest Ep7

You can't get much luckier than the World Tour did this year in Tahiti, when the trials and finals days were greeted with huge, perfect Teahupo'o. For STAB's Ashton Goggans and the rest of the No Contest crew, Stop #7 of the 2019 WSL Championship Tour was pure gold. From the nuclear tow sets during the Tahiti Pro trials to the lesser known breaks hiding around nearby corners, this year was as good as it gets for pro surfing. If you watch one No Contest episode, this is the one.

2019 Padang Padang Highlights

Benji Brand received a personal invitation from Mick Fanning to compete in the 2019 Rip Curl Cup at Padang Padang. And on the best day of the year thus far at The Balinese Pipeline, Brand did not disappoint.

In grinding six-to-eight foot Padang Padang barrels, the rapidly ascending 23-year-old South African who cut his teeth growing up on the North Shore of Oahu, topped a field of 16 of the world’s best tube riders with an electric all-day performance to claim the Cup.

The Top 10 Surf Clips From The Month Of June | SURFER Magazine

It’s wave pool fever in this episode of Clips Of The Month! Out of the ten available spots, four of the best waves ridden in June came from a chlorinated wave tank in the middle of Waco, Texas–including the winner, Kevin Schulz’s loony backflip, which many are calling the best air ever landed in a pool. Other highlights from Waco include Ian Crane’s backside stale-three, Mason Ho’s frontside Judo and Curren Caples’ skate-inspired backside punt, which all made the cut. Of course, the ocean is still a thing, and you won’t find a ramp in Texas to rival the one Julian Wilson hits in Australia in spot #2. Until wave pool tech starts pumping out sections like that one, the only place you’ll find Wilson doing a 6-foot slob is in his natural habitat. Click play for a 2-minute look at the best surfing that went down last month.

Mick Fanning's Picks | Rip Curl Cup 2019, Padang Padang, Bali

We asked @mfanno to pick 4 surfers he wants to see compete at the #RipCurlCup Padang Padang. This is what he told us…

The countdown to Rip Curl Cup has officially begun!

As Close As You Can Get to Flawless Teahupo’o Without a Board | SURFER

Last month, with one of the best swells to hit Tahiti in years on the way, cinematographer Andrew Kaineder packed his water housing and RED camera, prayed to the reef gods for protection from the sharp coral and set off to document the magnificent swell. It was indeed the same window that featured Matahi Drollet and his Tahitian friend Lorenzo Avvenenti claiming two of the best waves ridden last month in our “Clips of the Month” countdown.

Here Kaineder offers a moody look at a pulsing swell, creating a masterful Tahiti edit scored with an original soundtrack from Onic Studio. The piece above features locals Matahi Drollet, Tamau Tininrau, Tereva David, Mateia Miquily, Eimeo Czermak sharing the lineup with visiting surfers Kiron Jabour, Russell Bierke, Barron Mamiya, Billy Kemper and Benji Brand.

Wave of the Winter: Top Ten 2019

IM // POSTCARDS FROM PARADISE // HAWAII

Welcome to the 7-mile miracle. Oahu’s North Shore harness’s an energy unlike anywhere else in the world. Warm, crystal blue water and a coastline that catches winter swell like a net. The Northshore is a place of legend and beauty. There is no wonder why it has been a land of pilgrimage by all sorts of adventure seekers for the past century. Join our affiliates in our next episode of Postcards from Paradise live from these fabled shores.

Starring: Benji Brand, Anthony Walsh, & Alex Smith

MUSIC: CURRENT AFFAIR - SEXTILE, SIENNA

What perfection looks like at Teahupo'o 2018's first swells. | Sessions

The South Pacific jewel shines as winter's first swells show up in style. Teahupo'o has laid relatively dormant over the past few years, an occasional show of strength here, a day or two of pumping swell there, but something looked different when the maps lit up for the first time in 2018. The crew were a combination of local chargers, while an underground posse of Hawaiian and European hellmen made their way to Papeete for the swell too.

RUM PUNCH

Amp Sessions: Jeffreys Bay

Experiencing a solid run of swell at Jeffreys Bay should be on every surfer’s bucket list. Back in June, Pat Gudauskas, Tanner Gudauskas, and Dylan Graves, along with a good portion of the 'QS, were able to enjoy J-Bay during a lengthy and perfect run of swell. From the maxing mornings with stiff offshores, to the warm midday glass-offs, watch South Africa’s preeminent point break in classic form.