Video: Surfing In Russia

Russia might be the last place you’d ever think to go surfing but surfers are nothing if not adventurous. In pursuit of the perfect wave, they are liable to go just about anywhere on the planet – from the frigid Arctic waters of Scandinavia to Pakistan’s perilous Makran Coast. So when they show up on the remote volcanic coasts of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, is anyone really that surprised?

These guys from SURFER Magazine are particularly dedicated to their favorite sport, crashing through isolated Siberian forest in a military-grade off-road truck to find unexplored shores. On the way they find enough hot springs, friendly locals, pristine rivers and wild forest to satisfy anybody’s adventure travel cravings, even if sweet shallow barrels don’t get you stoked.

Photo Of The Day: Surfing Near San Francisco

“Sometimes in the morning, when it’s a good surf, I go out there, and I don’t feel like it’s a bad world,” Nobel Prize-winning chemist Kary Mullis famously said.

Today’s Photo of the Day from Flickr user Jason Rodman captures the essence of that quote. Somewhere north of San Francisco, a lone surfer prepares to enter an ocean devoid of worries and distractions. There aren’t any surf-worthy waves, but if you look hard enough you can glimpse the ripple of one on the horizon. It’s a photo filled with hope and possibility; a photo that evokes the spirit of the sport.Do you have any great travel photos? You now have two options to enter your snapshots into the running for Gadling’s Photo of the Day. Upload your shots to the Gadling Flickr Pool, or mention @GadlingTravel and use hashtag #gadling in the caption or comments for your post on Instagram. Don’t forget to give us a follow too!

[Photo Credit: Flickr user Jason Rodman]

Video: surfer rides 90 foot wave in Portugal, breaks world record

It’s one thing to go to the beach to catch some waves in Portugal, but it’s an entirely different thing to catch a 90 foot wave successfully, breaking a world record. And that’s just what surfer, Garrett McNamara, did. McNamara broke the world record for the longest wave ever surfed when he caught this 90 foot wave off the coast of Portugal. The largest wave claimed to have been surfed before this one was 80 feet, and there’s no solid documentation to back up that the 80 foot surf actually happened. Although little documentation, other than this video above, has been released regarding McNamara’s feat, as far as I’m concerned, this little video clip above is pretty decent documentation. Watch this video if you’d like to sit in awe for a minute or if you’re simply interested in scoping just how big some of those waves off of Portugal’s coast can get.

California man sets new record by surfing for 26-hours straight

Surfer Bill Laity earned himself a spot in the record books last weekend by setting a new endurance mark for the longest continuous surfing record. Laity, who lives in San Clemente, California, set the record off Huntington Beach, where he rode the waves for a very impressive 26-hours straight.

To make his historic ride Laity had to apply to the Guinness Book of World Records and obtain permits that would allow for night surfing. He started planning his attempt back in September after previous record holder Thomas Cannon managed to surf for 24-hours in a row back in August.

Before he even hit the water last Saturday Laity could tell he was going to be in for a challenge. Rain started to fall early that morning, and the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning. That led to cold conditions while out on the waves and forced him to don a different wetsuit on his first break.

The Guinness Book allows for a five minute breather for every hour surfed, and Laity went for 10 hours straight before heading into shore for the first time. During that break he put on a warmer suit, which set him up for another 12-hour stint on his board, which measured just five foot, seven inches in length. During his second break Laity managed to eat some lunch, then drag his weary body back out onto the water for four more hours of surfing.

Previous to this attempt, the longest that the 37-year old Laity had surfed was five-hours straight while visiting Hawaii.

[Photo credit: Brent Hilleman via The Swell Blog]

10 ‘great’ surf wipeouts

From sandy beaches to indoor water parks, surfing is a popular sport worldwide. Needless to say, funny surf wipeouts are just as popular… and oftentimes far more amusing!

See below for some of the best surfing wipeouts anywhere. And remember: if you’re visiting the beach this summer, maybe you should take some surfing lessons before you wax your board. Just saying.

This poor guy is cut down hard and fast by a small but painful wave.


Wave: 1. Windsurfer: 0.

This is why you shouldn’t try to windsurf a big wave. On second thought, maybe it should be… Wave: 100. Windsurfer: 0.


Talk about some major air! This surfer literally “explodes” onto the surfing scene. (See what we did there?)


Not only does the surfer get thrown from his board but it appears as if he may get whacked with it as well! Watch it in slow-mo and decide for yourself.


He shoulda worn a face mask, I guess.

Never get too cocky about skills: it could be you bouncing off the water, on your face, in this video.


Riding the top of the wave, a surfer is tossed from his board into one unforgiving wave.


This enormous wave engulfs several surfers — board and all!


This surfer drops off his board and almost takes out another surfer during his free fall!


Be glad you’re not the guy running this surf ride! On the other hand, I’m pretty sure the dad in this video defies the laws of physics on several occasions.


And finally, check out this roundup of surf wipeouts, including one that caused a horrible neck injury.