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surfing Media

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Description: The Surfing, Kiteboarding, Windsurfing and Bodyboarding News Center.

 

Founded: 2007

 

Category: surfing

 

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"The Long Goodbye": A Short Film About a Surfer and His Wax As the famous Billabong slogan once declared, "Only a surfer knows the feeling." These words couldn't ring truer in this charming short film by Patrick Tom, a commercial film director and lifelong surfer from Redondo Beach. The film titled "The Long Goodbye" is a sentimental story that depicts one surfer's journey of how dewaxing a surfboard explores themes of memory, personal reflection, and letting go. The story follows a lone surfer in a tranquil, mid-day, sunlit setting as he struggles to come to terms with saying goodbye to the wax on his surfboard. Before he meticulously scrapes the old wax from his surfboard, the names of the many breaks he has ridden around the world flash across the screen, serving as visual touchstones of a beloved surf history and past - capturing the emotion of a profound long goodbye. The vintage melody "The Japanese Farewell Song" serves as the film's emotional musical anchor, with lyrics that echo the theme of departure while promising an enduring connection. A final symbolic moment arrives when the surfer compresses the scraped wax into a ball, marking it with the date and adding it to a jar with wax collected from only a handful of key moments. This reflective scene beautifully encapsulates the film's essence about beautiful memories and the passage of time. "This story is definitely me," said director Patrick Tom. "I connect with my wax. I've lived in four countries and surfed all over the world, so every layer, grain of sand, and fingernail mark triggers great memories of sessions I've had." "The Long Goodbye" is a tribute to memories we hold dear, offering surfers and non-surfers an introspective experience that transcends the sport of surfing, as well as revel in it. Production Company: ‪@liberum13‬ Director: Patrick Tom DOP / Cinematographer: Rene Von Gunten 1st Asst. Camera: Jimmy Gilgen Editor: Fatmackajoe Music: "The Japanese Farewell Song" Written by Freddy Morgan, Hasegawa Yoshida Performed by Kay Cee Jones Orchestrated by Lou Raderman

30/09/2025   |   video icon

Zoltan Torkos: The Kickflip Surfing Magician Zoltan Torkos - the surfer who treats a wave like a skateboard ramp - is a known name in Santa Cruz and on the internet. People call him "The Magician." He mixes skate tricks, showmanship, and a long local history on the water. He grew up in Santa Cruz, California. His family story is a patchwork: a father who came from Hungary, and a mother from an Italian-Scotch-Irish line of magicians. Zoltan says he learned to surf, skate, and perform at a very young age. His older brother pushed him into surfing, and the two brothers shaped his early days in the lineup. What makes Zoltan stand out is a simple idea: try skate tricks on a surfboard. He trained the same moves you see on a skateboard - kickflips, darkslides, finger flips - and adapted them to waves. Torkos is widely credited as the first surfer to land a true kickflip on a wave and to film it for public view. That effort drew big attention in the surf world and beyond. The kickflip moment became a small drama. In 2011, a contest bounty for the first kickflip on a wave led to debate about whether Zoltan's clip met the contest rules. Fans and critics argued online, and the contest sponsor eventually paid him. The episode helped burn his name into surf lore. Zoltan didn't stop at one trick. He brought the "darkslide" - a skateboard move where the board rides upside down - into surfing, and he kept inventing or adapting unusual moves. Publications often describe him as experimental and a little mysterious. He gives lessons in Santa Cruz and still rides the local breaks. His style is playful and deliberate. Torkos names new moves in ways that sound like stage acts. He likes to push the limits of what a surfboard can do in the pocket of a wave. That attitude attracted attention from surf media, from online outlets to TV series. Red Bull's "In Plain Sight" profiled him, and several surf magazines and websites have run features and clips on his work. Zoltan's self-presentation blends surf culture with performance. He embraces the nickname "The Magician," a nod to his family history of stage magic and to the theatrical side of his surfing. On his personal website and social channels, he posts videos of trick attempts, lessons, and short films. His footage is often the evidence people point to when they talk about who did what first in trick surfing. People who know him or who study the small currents of surf history see him as ahead of his time. For some, he is a local character who never chased mainstream fame. For others, he is an innovator who quietly changed the trick vocabulary for a generation of aerial and technical surfers. Articles that revisit his work often note the stubborn, patient grind behind each trick - hundreds of attempts, odd bruises, and a long stretch of experimentation. Quick facts you can check fast: Nickname: "The Magician"; Hometown: Santa Cruz, California; Notable firsts attributed to him: first recorded surfing kickflip on a wave, first darkslide on a wave, early wake-surf kickflip, and other flipped tricks; Media: featured on Red Bull's "In Plain Sight"; Zoltan's approach matters to surfers because he asks a basic question: what else can a surfboard do when a rider brings skateboard thinking to the ocean? The answer has rippled through trick surfers, aerial specialists, and filmmakers who chase new images on waves. Visit ‪@ZoltanTorkosOfficial‬ channel on YouTube.

30/09/2025   |   video icon

Sandro Dias Drops Into the World's Tallest Skate Ramp | CAFF, Porto Alegre Brazilian skateboarding pro Sandro Dias made history, breaking two Guinness World Records after dropping in from Centro Administrativo Fernando Ferrari (CAFF), a 22-story building in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. During the project, named Red Bull Building Drop, Dias hit a speed of 103 km/h, skating from a height of 70 meters with a drop of 60 meters, which was measured from the lowest point of the ramp to the platform. He surpassed the records he had set during training sessions leading up to the day of the drop, when he achieved a drop-in nearly six meters lower, and reached a top speed of 90.8 km/h. "The most important message I want to share is never give up on your dreams. This is a dream of more than 13 years that we've just achieved now, pushing the limits," Dias reflected after the final drop. With this feat, created in collaboration with Prada Linea Rossa, the 50-year-old Red Bull athlete brought to life a long-standing urban legend: transforming the building into the "Ultimate Skate Ramp" - a dream that has been shared for more than a decade through memes, fingerboard recreations, and even a spoof viral YouTube video 16 years ago. Through G-force, speed, and airbag safety training, the feat was the result of precise planning and calculated risk. Sandro trained with a 40-kilogram vest on a modified mega ramp and hit 136 km/h in airport tarmac speed tests. To step onto each platform, Dias was lowered numerous times from the building's rooftop using rappelling equipment - a harness and a rope secured at the top - assisted by experts, fully exposed to the elements. Throughout the feat, Dias carried out a total of four attempts, all successfully executed on the first try. The skater's final descent had never been attempted during training, underscoring his mental and physical fortitude as he ventured into uncharted territory. Officials from the Guinness World Records were present on site to verify Dias' feat and the records he set, awarding the Brazilian a certificate for "the tallest drop into a temporary quarter pipe," and one for "the fastest speed skateboarding on a temporary quarter pipe." To make the descent of the world's biggest ramp possible, plywood panels were constructed along the building's outer curve. The concrete surface beneath was weathered and cracked from years of exposure, making it unsafe for skateboarding in its natural state. The temporary overlay not only protected the building's façade but also allowed Dias to ride a smooth line from top to bottom, while fully utilizing the building's shape. Multiple safety measures were implemented to counter the potential risks associated with the feat, including MotoGP-style air fences - inflatable and energy-absorbing barriers designed to slow down riders in crashes - along the sides of the ramp. Additionally, 1,800 foam cubes were placed at the end of the ramp, allowing Dias to come to a safe stop. Dias's body equipment also included a full-face helmet and a spine protector, neither of which is traditionally used in skateboarding. Dias began an extensive physical and technical training program for the feat in January 2025. From G-force conditioning to wind-speed monitoring, the preparation was a mix of precision planning and calculated risk. Dias trained with a 40-kilogram weighted vest while dropping into a modified mega ramp to adapt his balance to the strain of G-forces. He also conducted speed trials on an airport runway, becoming accustomed to riding at more than 136 km/h on his skateboard. The skater added: "I prepared myself a lot for this. It wasn't easy, and the training was way tougher than this. That's why I was so confident." During Red Bull Building Drop, Dias endured a maximum G force of 3.9 g, making him weigh around 280 kilograms, which is also the weight that he experienced as the maximum ground reaction force - the push the ground sent back to him during the descent. The distinctive curved design of the CAFF building has long drawn comparisons to a giant skateboard quarter pipe, earning a reputation among locals as "the Ultimate Skate Ramp." For years, it fuelled speculation in Porto Alegre's skate community, inspiring memes, stories, and even a doctored video that showed a rider dropping down its side. Until now, it had remained just that: an urban legend. For Dias, the milestone went beyond any contest or record, serving as both a contribution to skateboarding's evolution and a tribute to its heritage. Tony Hawk, regarded as one of the sport's greatest figures, also hailed Dias' achievement. "If you look at the history of skateboarding, it continues to progress. It continues to keep getting better," said Hawk. "We keep pushing the limits of height, of speed. And now Sandro has jumped ahead about five times everyone else. You can go even bigger than we ever imagined." Footage: Red Bull

26/09/2025   |   video icon
 
 

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