Championship Tour surfer Ezekiel Lau joins the podcast to talk about the wild past year of his career. He describes focusing all his energy on the upcoming Challenger Series finale at Haleiwa, how different it is to prepare for Haleiwa vs Pipe, the expectations put on him as a local Hawaiian surfer, and requalifying for the CT after a year away. He looks back at his journey to becoming a pro surfer, growing up in a non-surfing family in Honolulu, getting pushed by his father to compete, learning the surf industry, and the uber-talented class of surfers he grew up competing against. He dives into his time on The Ultimate Surfer, why he applied for the show, the risks of appearing on it, who his biggest threats were, and how winning the show helped his career. He also talks about going to Kamehameha schools, navigating the industry shift from magazines to Youtube, filming Snapt 4, making improvements to his surfing, harnessing his power, and what surfer he thinks is the best ever at Pipeline.

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Former Championship Tour surfer and current WSL Senior Manager of Tours & Competition Travis Logie talks about the massive changes in pro surfing over the past few seasons. Hear straight from the mouth of the inventor of the Rip Curl WSL Finals format how he came up with the idea, how it became a reality, and how he thought it worked in its first year. He describes the new three-tier system in pro surfing, with the Championship Tour, heightened Challenger Series, and regional Qualifying Series, and how it will impact the sport going forward. He then dives into his own long career as a pro, from growing up in Durban, South Africa, getting a late start in surfing, winning the ISA games, and eventually competing for ten years on the CT. Travis also touches on stories from the golden days of the Quiksilver team, his wild re-surf at Teahupo’o against good friend Jordy Smith, explosive talents like Jordy and Dane Reynolds, and which young South African surfers to watch out for."

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Irish marine social scientist and big wave surfer Dr. Easkey Britton talks about the We Are One Ocean campaign and the 30x30 petition that calls on world leaders to protect 30% of our shared one ocean by the year 2030. She dives deep into Blue Health and the countless proven mental and physical benefits of being in the ocean, from the healing effects of the water on PTSD, anxiety, and depression to the impact of cool water immersion on the nervous system. She details her family’s roots in surfing, explores her competitive career and how she got into big wave surfing, and breaks down the Irish surf scene. Then, in this week’s “Top 5” segment of the podcast, Easkey breaks down the top five ways that the ocean can benefit your health.

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In the latest “Break Room” episode of the podcast, host Dave Prodan speaks with a panel of fellow WSL employees that work across the league. Get insights from inside headquarters on the Championship Tour’s “offseason,” the Challenger Series, and WSL PURE’s We Are One Ocean petition. To start, the crew describes what they’ve been working on since the World Champions were crowned at Lower Trestles, how the offseason is getting more packed than ever, and the fast-approaching start to the 2022 season. They discuss all things Challenger Series, break down the France and Portugal events, pick out their favorite moments so far, and make some predictions for the event at Haleiwa that will decide next year’s class of CT surfers. They then talk about WSL PURE and what the league has done in the conservation and sustainability spaces over the past season, the We Are One Ocean petition and campaign, and the upcoming takeover of the UN Biodiversity social accounts. Then as always, the Break Room answers a wide array of listener questions spanning topics such as Julian Wilson’s future on tour, big 2022 predictions, mental health in surfing, the Metaverse, and equal pay.

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Writer, journalist, and former professional surfer Jamie Brisick talks about the many phases of his life in surfing. He starts by telling the story of his entrance to the sport, growing up in Los Angeles in the Valley and earning his spot in the lineup at Malibu, using surfing as the way to escape suburban mediocrity, competing as an amateur, and having big dreams to pursue surfing as a career. He details his experiences as a pro surfer, discovering the very real delineation between amateur and pro, traveling to new places around the world, enjoying the characters at the fringe of the sport, seeing the difference between pro surfers then and now, and working through the challenges of life after the tour. Finally, he discusses his long career as a writer and journalist, how he finds inspiration and creativity, filling the void left by surfing with writing, studying youth culture in Japan on a Fulbright Scholarship, processing tragedy through writing, and his upcoming film “Becoming Westerly.”

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Three-time WSL Longboard World Champion Honolua Blomfield talks about her recent World Title win at Malibu. She describes what it was like to clinch the title at such an iconic wave, her first time surfing Malibu at age 10, feeling support from the longboard community there, and what another title means for her personally and career-wise. She dissects her mentality during competition, how she feels less and less pressure as the years go on, her mathematical brain, and being fierce while appearing calm. She talks about growing up on the North Shore, competing in both shortboard and longboard events, getting sponsored at a young age, and being influenced by her tight surfing family. Honolua also touches on moving to California, her current quiver, the origin of her name, and her goals going forward.

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The Ultimate Surfer competitor and Puerto Rican pro surfer Alejandro Moreda about his surfing origins, growing up on the “Hawaii of the East Coast,” charging big waves, and adjusting to small wave contests once he decided to leave and pursue the tour. He describes his early years on the Qualifying Series alongside Dylan Graves and Brian Toth, banding together around a dream, eventually signing on with Billabong, and earning his place on the North Shore. He looks back at the bittersweet 2010 Rip Curl Search event in Puerto Rico, his relationship with Andy Irons, and how the loss of AI changed him. Finally, he breaks down his time on The Ultimate Surfer, from the intense interview process to his time on set to what the show has meant for him and for the kids back home that are aspiring to be surfers.

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Channel Island Lead Shaper Britt Merrick talks about carrying on the Channel Islands legacy, working with pro athletes, the most bizarre boards he ever shaped, surviving the pandemic, dealing with tragedy, sharks, and the CI team moving forward.

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In the all-new “Break Room” episode of the podcast, host Dave Prodan speaks with a panel of fellow WSL employees that work across the league. Get insights from inside headquarters on the title-deciding Rip Curl WSL Finals, the Challenger Series, and more. First, the crew revisits their predictions for the Finals, awards pizza to the winning team, chooses their standout performances, and shares stories of how the event went off from an employee’s perspective. They then recap the US Open of Surfing, assess the insane talent level on the Challenger Series, dive into the young generation of women who are shaking up the sport, and discuss whether or not any of the young talents could potentially turn down a spot on tour if they qualified this season. The Break Room says goodbye to longtime producer Ryan, who shares the podcast’s origin story, looks back at his favorite (and least favorite) episodes, and describes his experience working with Dave Prodan. Finally, they answer listener questions on a wide array of topics like who would chair Kelly Slater up the beach for his next win, drug testing on tour, The Ultimate Surfer, female surf coaches, a mysterious “voice doppelganger,” and more.

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Championship Tour star and Huntington Beach local Courtney Conlogue joins the podcast to talk about the US Open and her comeback 2021 season. The two-time US Open winner discusses the iconic event held in her hometown, how it holds a special place in her heart, and using her local knowledge to her advantage. She describes competing after taking a year off from surfing while recovering from three concussions in seven months, shares how revitalized she felt in Mexico when she clinched her spot on tour next year, and gives her thoughts on how the Rip Curl WSL Finals played out. She talks about waves of consequence on tour, the strike mission she took to Tahiti this year, surfing Pipeline with Carissa Moore and Keala Kennelly, and the importance of having a tour that challenges its athletes. Courtney also touches on the first board she ever bought, being in the spotlight at a young age, the effects social media has on today’s youth, and what she would have done if she didn’t pursue pro surfing.

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