A surf trip has a funny way of exposing the tiny things you forgot. Not your board. Not your passport. The weird little item that suddenly becomes more valuable than gold at customs, in a jungle rainstorm, or after six straight hours in tropical sun looking like a rotisserie chicken with fins. Some surf trip […]
Category Archives: Field Notes
Who is Colleen Mehlberg?
Editor’s Note: Looking back on this interview 21 years later feels a little like opening an old tide-stained journal. I was around 25 at the time, freelancing in the surf world and still competing myself when I met Colleen Mehlberg in San Clemente. She was younger, still in high school and preparing for college, but […]
Lauren Sweeney: Where Talent Takes You
Editors Note This piece was originally published in Surfshot Magazine in May 2007. Much of this work existed before permanent archives, and over time, stories like this slipped out of public view. I’ve been revisiting my early work to rebuild that archive and return these stories to where they belong, visible, discoverable, and on the […]
A Morning with Jen Smith
Editor’s note: In the years since this interview, Jen’s story has unfolded in ways neither of us could have fully predicted. She went on to win two World Championships, cementing herself as one of the most accomplished longboarders of her generation. But like many careers in surfing, the arc wasn’t linear. Sponsorships faded, competition took […]
Looking Back: The Day I Met Ornela Pellizzari at Trestles
I was surfing Upper Trestles, feeling like I was surfing pretty well. I had a good session and I was feeling good about it. Then I got out of the water and looked back at the lineup. There was a girl out there, around my age, absolutely shredding. Turn after turn, throwing full rooster tail […]
A Long Wave West: Trust, Timing, and a Life Shaped by Surfing
In this conversation with Holly Beck on Surf With Amigas, I trace the long arc of my surf life, not just where it began, but how it carried me forward. I grew up in Florida with a single mom and a lot of energy, always moving, always outside, and surfing became a natural fit, a […]
Putting New Gear to Work, and Showing Up for Community
Lately, I’ve been in a season of upgrading my camera body and lens kit with a clear intention: to focus more deeply on video storytelling. Not just sharper footage or better low-light performance, but stories that feel lived-in, human, and worth returning to. The LGBTQ+ Lumberjack Christmas Tree Pick-Up felt like the perfect place to […]
Answering the Call: My Journey to the ISA World Masters Championships
I wasn’t expecting my life to shift on an ordinary Saturday evening — but that’s exactly what happened. I was sitting at home, settling into a quiet weekend, when a text came through asking if I could represent Team USA at the ISA World Masters Championships. It stopped me in my tracks. There are plenty […]
Life Lessons Through Surfing
Surfing has taught me so much about life. 1. Perseverance – 90% of surfing is paddling. Some days the waves are relentless and if you want to make it to the outside to catch waves, you have to keep paddling, you’ve got to kick, you’ve got to duck dive deep, and keep going. 2. Patience […]