In this week’s episode, Duke Aipa (@aipasurf), son of the legendary Hawaiian Shaper Ben Aipa, joins us to share the backstory of his father’s inventions, the "Swallow tail" and "The Sting" style boards and discusses how he continues his dad’s legacy by combining elements of past and present to create innovative boards like the Dark Twinn, the Modern Sting and the Wrecking Ball. 

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and the Legacy of Ben Aipa

05:38 The Invention of the Sting

13:19 Duke Aipa's Unique Designs: The Dark Twinn and the Wrecking Ball

28:49 Finding the Right Foot Position on a Twin Fin

39:18 The Wrecking Ball: A Super Groveler with Unique Design Characteristics

41:14 Conclusion and Future Innovations

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In this week’s podcast episode, join me and Leah Dawson ( @leahloves ) as we dive deep about finding the magic spots on your board to improve your style in surfing and how to fix your stance for generating more speed.

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Chapters

00:00 The Art of Style: Becoming One with the Wave

04:42 The Progression of Women's Surfing: Opportunity and Experience

08:59 Studying Lineups: The Key to Catching More Waves

27:34 Mastering Paddling Skills and Efficiency

30:57 Unlocking Your Feet for Successful Surfing

36:44 Exploring Different Surf Craft

43:08 Developing Personal Style in Surfing

45:00 Finding Joy in Standing and Going Fast

50:15 Improving Posture and Maneuverability

51:14 Leah's Retreats and Courses

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In this week's podcast, the shaper behind Kelly Slater’s magic boards, @dan__mann, joined me to talk about the secrets of making boards that are high performance enough for the pros but also super user friendly for the everyday surfer.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:42 The Design Principles of the Dominator Boards

14:40 The Influence of High-Performance Shaping on User-Friendly Boards

26:09 The Role of Paddling Skills in Surfing

28:06 Finding the Right Balance: Volume and Planing Surface for Small Waves

39:03 Collaborating with Kelly Slater: Designing High-Performance Boards

53:09 The Importance of Physical Fitness and Paddle Speed in Surfing

55:53 Embracing the Process: Trying Different Boards for Optimal Performance

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@wooly_macpherson_surf_coach of Wooly TV, a surfboard reviewer and surf coach shared with us the boards that blew his mind. He dove deep into the tips on how to get better at surfing and how to find the perfect board for you.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:42 Story behind the Massive Wave

03:32 Early Surfing Experience

05:29 Growing Up in Mandurah

06:08 Free Diving and Surfing

06:31 Getting into Competitive Surfing

08:21 Struggles and Overcoming Hurdles

10:31 Mental Preparation for Competitions

13:44 Technique and Unlocking Potential

15:00 Importance of Paddling Technique

19:31 Takeaways from Paddling Technique

22:45 Choosing the Right Board

24:53 Importance of Volume in Boards

28:16 Bigger Framed Surfers and Board Recommendations

33:10 Performance Boards for Bigger Surfers

34:00 Favorite Mid-Length Boards

34:14 Surprising Boards: The Big Baron

38:15 The JS Baron Flyer Twin

40:15 The Slater Designs Flat Earth

50:04 Favorite Board for Small Waves: The Damn Animal

51:54 Most Popular Boards at the Surf Shop

55:25 Tips for Improving Surfing as You Get Older

59:02 Surfing One Wave for the Rest of Your Life: Snapper Rocks

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@antoineallain, a former competitive surfer and coach shared valuable tips with us on how to approach your bottom turns like a tiger and to explode into your top turns and many other interesting topics.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Anton's Surfing Style

08:40 Transitioning from Beach Breaks to Point Breaks

15:19 Mastering Airs and Competition Success

30:25 The Importance of a Good Bottom Turn

37:07 Etiquette in Crowded Lineups

45:39 The Role of Coaches in Surfing

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In this week’s podcast, I had the chance to talk to surfboard reviewer Thomye of @thomyesurfs who probably surfs waves that are the smaller everyday mushy beach breaks that a lot of us surf regularly. We talked about the surfboards that changed his life, how he optimizes his boards, and a ton of other helpful tips.

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Chapters

00:00 Getting Started in Surfing

04:51 The Importance of Consistency in Surfing Progression

08:09 The Impact of Equipment on Surfing Performance

12:31 Plateaus in Surfing Progression

13:26 Choosing the Right Surfboard

14:52 Surfing Small Waves

19:38 The Impact of Volume on Surfing Performance

27:21 Finding the Right Volume for Your Surfing

29:47 Favorite Boards for Small Waves

31:13 The Mashup and Baked Potato Boards

31:42 Comparison between the Mashup and Baked Potato

34:07 Preference for the Mashup over the Baked Potato

35:01 Preference for the FT over the Baked Potato

36:27 Preference for the Quad Setup on the FT

38:16 The Benefits of Experimenting with Different Boards

39:13 The Negative Impact of Riding a Bad Board

40:12 The Influence of Kelly Slater on Surfing

43:02 The Importance of Filming and Analyzing Surfing Footage

46:23 Overcoming Fear and Learning to Do Airs

50:14 Tips for Older Surfers

54:04 Favorite Mid-Length Boards

57:24 The Positive and Negative Impact of Kelly Slater on Surfing

01:01:15 Dream Wave and Surfing with Friends

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Clayton Nienaber, the surf coach of @ombesurf joins me in this week’s podcast to reveal the key to unlocking better surfing by understanding the mechanics of a wave and learning about speed, power, and flow.

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Chapters

00:00 Starting with a Passion for Surfing

04:15 Transitioning to Board Shaping

07:41 The Importance of Making Mistakes

10:28 Understanding Surfing Levels: Freeze, Flight, Fight, Flow

13:22 The Relationship Between Speed, Power, and Flow

19:11 The Power and Energy of Waves

21:04 Surfing with Speed, Power, and Flow

25:13 The Importance of Early Bottom Turns

28:07 The Combination of Rider Input and Wave Power

30:36 Transitioning Between Different Board Designs

40:16 Choosing the Right Board for Different Waves

42:10 Using Cameras to Analyze Wave Performance

44:35 The Importance of Reading the Bottom of the Wave

45:38 The Process of Learning to Surf

47:00 Understanding Different Parts of the Wave

48:56 The Debate: Head Up vs Head Down When Paddling

58:01 Using Surfskate to Improve Surfing Technique

01:05:39 Teaching Sensation Rather than Replicating Surfing

01:09:04 The Showdown: Head Up vs Head Down Paddling

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In this podcast I interviewed Dave Allee the founder of @almondsurfboards and talked about how with the right attitude and the right equipment, even 2 ft can be firing, which is their company ethos. It’s a super interesting discussion about the right craft for small waves including midlengths, longboards, and single fins.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and the Importance of Equipment

03:47 Origin Story of Almond Surfboards

05:45 Getting Started in Shaping

08:07 Transitioning to Alternative Boards

10:03 Benefits of Riding a Log

14:47 Influence of Newport Beach on Almond Surfboards

21:45 Regional Differences in Board Design

24:10 Choosing a Longboard

26:32 The Surf Nice Longboard Model

27:29 Sizing the Length of the Board

29:24 Choosing a Board for Beginners

31:19 The Benefits of Single Fins

32:10 Transitioning to Smaller Craft

36:00 The Philosophy of Mid-Length Boards

44:04 The 5'4" R Series Foamie

47:15 Working with Andy Nieblas

51:05 The Perfect Wave

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On this week’s podcast we have Matt Parker of @albumsurf, the creative shaper behind some of the most innovative alternative surfboards out there including asyms, twins, fishes, and more. @albumsurf has an incredible team of riders including @victorbernard0, @asher_pacey, @margomargs, and @josh_kerr84. Join us as he shares his journey into shaping and the process of creating unique boards for each of these unique surfers.

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Chapters 

00:00 Introduction and Alternative Boards

06:18 Understanding Asymmetrical Boards

14:21 Factors to Consider in Board Design

23:09 Choosing the Right Board

30:45 The Journey of Shaping

37:29 Building a Reputation and Shaping for High-Level Surfers

43:49 Shaping for Josh Kerr and Asher Pacey

45:43 Shaping for Margo

47:09 Designing Boards for Female Surfers

49:05 Boards Holding Female Surfers Back

50:03 Creating Boards for Coco Ho

51:23 Designing Boards for Women

53:47 Mistakes in Ordering and Picking Boards

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Victor Bernardo (@victorbernard0) is one of the most talented free surfers in the world with a silky but explosive style and in this podcast we dive deep into how he developed his style and technique,  the boards he rides from @albumsurf, and his journey through surfing. 

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Early Surfing Years

03:40 Growing Up in Brazil and Surfing Near Sao Paulo

08:00 Surfing Culture in Brazil

12:13 Getting Into Competing

16:10 Natural Talent and Hard Work

17:27 Working with Coaches

21:18 Impact of Coaching on Surfing Style

24:59 Influences on Surfing Style

28:15 Transition from Competing to Free Surfing

30:42 Collaboration with Album Surf

34:03 Experience with Asymmetrical Boards

39:49 Riding Twins and Adjusting to Different Boards

42:05 Transition to Living in the US

45:06 Living the Dream

48:30 Support from Sponsors

50:44 The VB Secret Menu

56:31 Competing with Alternative Boards

57:43 Advice for Everyday Surfers

59:19 Shout Outs

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