NY’s Balaram Stack snags the new cover of Eastern Surf Magazine. Sick shot ! Check out the whole magazine online HERE.
NY’s Tripoli Patterson teams up with NY’s Matt Clark to get the cover of the biggest surfing mag in Australia “Surfing Life” ! Buy the New Issue HERE.
Learn More
Will and Cliff Skudin with entries into the biggest paddle wave of the year in the Billabong XXL contest 2012/2013. Joining fellow New Yorker Kurt Rist who also was in the running for biggest overall wave that he towed into off the coast of Ireland a month ago. The top five were announced last week and the boys did not make the cut. This will be Kurt’s first entry, Cliff’s second and Will’s fifth. Its amazing to see New Yorker’s pushing the limits and surfing the biggest waves on the planet. Till next year boys, we know there is no slowing down now ! God Speed ! Stay as safe as you can. Jaws shots by Doug Falter
Learn More
NEW YORK’S Dylan Stott is not only a teacher all winter and surf instructor all summer. He is also a writer for international surf magazines like Surfers Journal and now a producer and editor of a short film called “Trendy New Atrocity”. Dylan teams up with lifetime friend NY’s Kurt Risk in this new film. They literally take the viewer in their hands and show you what a cold winter in Ireland is like. Mostly shot by Christian McLeod. James Katsipis also has some contributing clips. These guys are surfing deadly waves, they are not surfing over sand, more like shallow sharp reef. Any mistake in waves this cold and heavy is life or death. Congratulations to these boys on their first film and entry into the Ireland Film Festival. Check out the film below and pick up Dylan’s new article in Surfers Journal “The Road to Elysium”. Preview below. Good Work boys !
Alexis Engstrom wins the Womens Corona Pro in well overhead surf ! That makes it back to back Pro wins for this NY gal ! Taking home 5 thousand dollars, not a bad day at her home away from home. Looks like we will be hearing a lot more from Alexis this year as she lets her surfing do the talking for her. Brother Leif Engstrom came points away from winning the mens pro himself taking 5th overall and a thousand dollars as well. Thats one proud family! Congrats to the Engstrom’s ! Helping keep NY on the map ! Full story and photo gallery of the event at EasternSurf Mag online HERE make sure to check it out.
Learn More
A Nor’Easter named “Saturn” just sent some epic waves to our backyard. Below are some shots of a handful of New Yorkers, Flip Bellinzoni, Charlie Weimar, Mikey DeTemple, Zack Dayton, Joe Parrino, Nick Joeckel, Cliff Skudin, Austin Eckart, and more. NY photographer Matt Clark giving us a glance of Saturn from the water/land ! Mike Incitti, Paul brooke, and Rich Bolton also with some sick shots from land !
Forget the space suits all you need is a wetsuit. Think Earth is good ? Well Saturn is going off ! ! !
OK enough with the Saturn jokes.
This swell was long over due. LONG over due! These cold smiles and good vibes are just what we needed ! Looks like Saturn’s swell is still around so stay tuned as there might be a 2nd trip to Saturn ! Thank you wave Gods !
Check out the 2nd Trip to Saturn HERE
Check out the 2nd Trip to Saturn HERE
Learn More
02-17-13 Pipeline goes bonkers ! Starting the day off with light winds and building swell, a small crew of New Yorkers (Zack Dayton, TJ Gumiela, Brian Pollak, Ollie Favata and Will Skudin) put a full day in. The day was filled with epic wipeouts, closeout sets and a handful of crazy waves. With the swell nearly maxing out and the wind picking up over 25kts, it made for some of the heaviest Pipeline of the year. It is always a successful day at Pipe when you leave the beach in one piece. Way to hold it down for NY !
Shots by Addi Roberts, Doug Falter and John Jensen
Footage coming Summer 2013
Learn More
NY’s Zack Dayton is the quiet guy that lets his actions speak for him. He does not miss a beat out at Pipe and puts in more time then anyone ! We are proud to have him part of the NYSEA family!
Check out Full Sequence on ESM HERE shot by Kyle Burnett
Shot below by Pete Frieden
Learn More
For most people, going to Hawaii is about relaxing on beautiful beaches, sipping colorful cocktails and putting their worries behind them while they soak up the rays of the island sun. For a select group of big wave surfers like the Skudin brothers it’s more about prepping big wave equipment, studying and forecasting open ocean deep water swells and throwing themselves over the ledges of giant walls of water. Not to mention the intense wipeouts that comes with it, where seconds turn to minutes as they cling onto consciousness to survive.
There are many big waves around the world, but their’s only one with a name as fierce as its bite. Jaws. Located on the Northern side of Maui, Jaws is a deep-water reef break known for producing some of the biggest waves ever ridden. It is also known as one of the birthplaces of the sport of big wave surfing.
A couple of days ago, on January 29th, 2013, Jaws came alive with a large northwest swell and light winds. A team of east coast surfers, New York’s Will and Cliff Skudin and North Carolina’s Rob Brown, met up with professional photographer Doug Falter and NYSEA creative director Frankie Principe. They jumped islands from Oahu to Maui to take part in what turned out to be a historic session.
NYSEA Caught up with photographer Doug Falter and the boys to get their words on what happened that day.
NYSEA- “So Doug, explain your experience at Jaws?”
Doug- “It was a great experience. We rolled up just in time as the sun was rising. We had time to check the surf and examine the break. Cliff, Will and Rob hit the water and put on a great performance. I was blown away by the waves these boys paddled into and stoked to document it.”
NYSEA- “Cliff, We heard the paddle out was pretty intense as well as the wave. Take us through it.”
Cliff- “Yeah, the shore break was insane. There were massive walls of water sucking up onto huge dry rock reef. At first sight we thought it wasn’t possible but we knew what we had to do. We ended up timing it right and getting out after a couple really close calls. The wave itself is amazing with so much power and speed. One of my waves caught up to me and mowed me down. I haven’t been worked by that much power in a long time. All in all it opened my eyes to an amazing wave that definitely lives up to its name. I watched my brother get two amazing waves as well as Rob Brown paddle into a bomb that got him too. I am stoked to be with the crew I was with that day. No matter what it’s always a good session if you end the day safely. Can’t wait to go back.”
NYSEA- “Well thanks a lot boys. We wish you the best of luck in the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic on Saturday. Bring it home for NY!”
Learn More
NY surf photographer Matt Clark wins Surfline’s photo of the year !!
When NYSEA gave Matt Clark the nickname the “Wizard” it was for a reason. This guy does magic with his camera like a wizard does with his wand. We are so stoked for our brother. Thousands of photographers competed in this event and he just won !!!!!
This is an incredible life accomplishment for any surf photographer. We really couldn’t be more proud !!
Enough from us — check out his full interview right HERE on Surfline. Check Matts website HERE !!
Learn More
New Yorker’s in Eastern Surfing Magazine feature online HERE check it ! Brian Pollak, Balaram Stack and Ariel Engstrom
Learn More
NY tow team Kurt Rist and Dylan Stott in Ireland today ! Kurt surfing, Dylan driving. So sick !!
Mullaghmore Jan 27th 2013 from Tam Mullen.
Read More about Kurt and Dylan’s Ireland missions click HERE
Learn More
What is New York to You? Is a NYSEA web series that introduces you to family and friends of NYSEA. Some of them may not be from New York, but they have a special relationship with the state and of course the NYSEA collective. There is no better way to get this series rolling than to start with our close friend Travis Beckman. Travis discusses his times spent living and surfing on Long Island. He has New York in is blood, and it shows in his surfing.
Shot and edited by Ben Potter. Cover photo by James Katsipis.
Learn More
When most New York surfers plan a winter trip or pick a place to call their home away from home, it is normally somewhere south or west, places like Hawaii, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, California, some place away from the cold and inconsistent surf.
For NY’s Dylan Stott and Kurt Risk, it’s fair to say they march to the beat of their own drum, a Celtic one with some bagpipes too. These two guys head to the cold heavy waters of Ireland and patiently wait out some of the biggest swells in the world. You cant just go to Ireland, paddle out and get the waves these guys are getting. It takes years of experience, wave knowledge and dialing in your equipment. We are not just talking about a wetsuit and board here. We mean hiking gear, jet skis, helmets, life vests, rescue and life saving equipment, and yes, boards. Lots of boards, of every size. This is not just a surf trip, it is a life sacrifice. Both Dylan and Kurt teach surfing in their hometown in NY all summer, then they head east over the Atlantic in the fall to wait on the Celtic beast to awaken ! One of the cleanest and biggest swells of the year just came through. From what we’ve heard and seen, it looked like they opened 2013 with a couple of dream sessions. Raising the bar and pushing the limits.
NYSEA caught up with them for a little chat after the swell.
NYSEA- You and Kurt have a great friendship, how does that carry into the surf?
Dylan – Kurt is like a brother to me. He’s a couple years younger and we’ve had a friendly rivalry going for years now. This session was special. We have come far since I was the lifeguard at the local beach and Kurt was a punk grom… it’s sessions like this that allows us to see how far we can go.
NYSEA- You have come a long way from the small NY waves you grew up on. How special are sessions like this to you?
Kurt- I grew up surfing little square tubes my whole life in NY, now I’m actually surfing big square tubes here in Ireland, and it’s just a dream come true !
NYSEA- Right on boys, we are stoked you are healthy and happy, looks like the swell models are even bigger next week. We are proud of and stoked for you guys. Good luck next swell, keep us posted. GodSpeed !
All Shots by Dermot O’Mahony
“It was a previlage to watch some big barrells get caught by those both paddling and towing! The wipeouts didn’t make for bad entertainment either!”Dermot O’Mahony
Dylan racing a thick one
Kurt dream view
Dylan setting a high line to make this beast
Kurt getting spit out of the Guinness factory !
Dylan on a set wave and as deep as it gets
Kurt getting ready to hit the gas
Learn More
Only 12 Surfers on the Planet made it to the next innersection movie ! 0ne of them is New York’s Leif Engstrom !!! Two years in a row, he has cemented his spot with the best in the business ! Congrats Leif ! Making NY proud ! Video by Calvin Knowlton , Photo by James Katsipis
Learn More
New York Surfers are known to fly south in the winter. TJ Gumiela, Leif Engstrom, Cliff Skudin and Tyler Maguire headed south after hurricane season came to an end, or what they thought. After a couple weeks surfing fun waves, Hurricane Sandy popped up. The crew was faced with the “should I stay or should I go ?” NYSEA caught up with TJ Gumiela for a few questions:
NYSEA- When you saw Hurricane Sandy, what were your thoughts?
TJ – ”First I was thinking of heading home. All our local friends told us we were crazy for leaving, so last minute we all decided to stay in PR. As the waves built we drove around checking spots and its kind of ironic the best place we found to surf was Sandy Beach. We ended up getting some fun bigger waves. After we got out of the water, We started hearing how bad it was getting back home in NY and then nothing. No calls, no messages, nothing. We couldn’t get in touch with our families. I have never felt that feeling before, just waiting by the phone for someone to call. It was nerve raking. Finally, I got through to my mom, she told me everyone was fine, but the water destroyed my house and our cars. Surfing then took a back seat to everything else and we started focusing on getting home to help.”
“Its amazing to see the way everyone has come together and help each other, it will take time but we will be back to “Life Before Sandy”.
Cover shot by Matt Clark
Learn More
NYSEA is proud to take part in this project with transition productions and help bring awareness to relief efforts after Sandy.
Director/Producer of “East Coast Rising” Ian Dempsey is a NJ native, he put all his efforts into this short film right after sandy.
His films have been seen all over the world.
On behalf of NYSEA, Thank you Ian for using your talents to help bring donations into our towns/citys.
Learn More
Bomb equals Big Wave in surf terminology, for those who didn’t get the feature headline. NY’s big wave hellman/brothers Will and Cliff Skudin team up with Hawaii’s Kealii Mamala and friends for an epic New Years Eve big day in Hawaii. NYSEA caught up with Will to get the scoop on what happened out there:
NYSEA- Take us through your last day of 2012.
Will- ” To be honest, I am just stoked to be healthy and alive right now. A 40 foot face set cleaned us up early in the day and really rattled my cage, holding me under for a long time. After that we all regrouped got refueled and went back at it. It was a really great vibe in the line up. I was surrounded by my friends from all over the world. The southern boys Mark Yonkers, Rob Brown, Jon Mincher, and Mickey Hooks didn’t miss a beat. Hawaiians Kealii Mamala and Mikey O’shaugessy were leading the charge. I witnessed so many crazy waves and wipeouts but a couple really stood out. Rob Brown had a vertical drop on a set wave where his feet nearly left the board, he ended up making the wave, it was insane. Kealii’s barrel that he almost made was insane. Cliff always pushes me out there, he really got in a good rhythm and it rolled off on the rest of us. When I am out there its an amazing feeling, there’s no past or future just the mission on hand. Sometimes its the high of the high or the low of the low. I guess when you get that close to death it brings you so much closer to life. To each there own, but for me this is what I live for. Thank you God and everyone for such an amazing last day of the year, Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013 ! ”
All shots by Chad Christensen. Special thanks to Chad for getting into the mix with the crew!
All shots are frame-grabs from video. Footage coming Summer 2013!!
(Click on first photo to open photo gallery)
Learn More
NYSEA and Matt Clark team up on a New Jersey photo feature.
Surfers- Brian Pollak, Balaram Stack and Joe Parrino.
“Another perfect day that came as unexpected as the best presents often do. The freezing temperatures kept stiff bodies out of the water this day and the howling offshore winds grabbed quite a few surfboards and blew them right back off those cascading lips. Throwing yourself over the ledge was one of many obstacles you had to overcome and a floating telephone pole that bobbed through the lineup was another obstacle you needed to avoid. Another perfect day to be remembered from the state with healing wounds.” Matt Clark
Learn More
