Surfing, Skateboarding, Music, Photography, Travel, Culture and general antics of the youth on the run.

Dear Youth Swimming at Pipe: Quinn Matthews

Quinn Matthews pipeline what youth surfing

Editor’s Note: Every time Quinn does something (anything), it’s probably his first time. And while I think he’d swam and shot at Pipe before, these were definitely the biggest waves he’d ever swam in. Which lends for good reading, especially when you line it up with the results you see below. Quinn wrote this and delivered the photos from Pipe you see below.—Travis 

Pipe is scary. After playing basketball, barefoot, with Nate Lawrence for a few hours I walked over to the Hurley house at Pipe and the waves were firing. I got my water housing ready with Nat Young as he was putting on his last new Rockstar stickers and prepping his board to surf big Pipe. We watched a few sets come in to tried to get the timing right and agreed just to paddle out together after the next set. Then Nat sprinted ahead, paddled out and left me as I was pulling my wetsuit top on.

Since the current right off the beach is so strong you have to jump out at Backdoor and by the time you swim about 15 feet out past the current, it’s already pushed you 50 feet down the beach. I lucked out and there was a long enough break to make it out without copping one of the wide ones on the head. Once you’re out in the lineup the different rips and currents can be doing anything from pulling you out to sea, pushing you into the inside or sucking you down to Rockies. Besides that there was about 15 other photographers you have to jockey with to be in the right spot in order to not get anyone in the front of the picture. Which doesn’t often happen for me since I’m from California and relatively new — which puts me toward the bottom of the pecking order. But still you have to try and sit in front if not beside them sometimes. Then a wide set or Third Reef set will roll through the lineup and everyone makes a break for the channel. But since people are stupid, the other photographers sometimes try and box you out so you can’t get out of the way, or swing their housings around out of the water which will hit you, or me in my hamstring. But sometimes it’s nice to have other photographers out there, Jeremiah Klein for example brought out snacks that he shared with everyone.

Getting in is my least favorite though. You can’t see the sets out the back from water level so it’s just hoping that there’s enough of a break in the waves to make it in. My legs were cramping too, which made it even harder to swim in. I normally get sucked down to the end of Ehukai and get washed in from the white wash, other people probably do it better but that’s the easy way. —Quinn Matthews

Creation curation dear youth what youth surfing

Dear Youth Creation > Curation

“It’s easy to attack and destroy an act of creation. It’s a lot more difficult to perform one.” ―Chuck Palahniuk

Adolescents Surfing Dear Youth What Youth

Dear Youth The adolescents are coming

Tomorrow we’ll be unveiling a new series we’ve been working on called The Adolescents. The idea behind the series is to illuminate and introduce you to some of the younger surfers we’ve been watching and getting psyched on. Kai Neville has been grooming and documenting the elite in surfing through his filmmaking for a while…

Dani Loureiro CS Louis Dear Youth What Youth Surfing Traveling

Dear Youth: The Wishkah Bridge A pilgrimage to find Nirvana by C.S. Louis

There are probably several fanatical accounts citing the significance of the Wishkah bridge on the Internet. And hopefully this will inspire you to check them out over a can of beer alongside some righteous tunes. I am not capable of delivering as thorough a report because I have not yet done such research, and arrived…

Nate Lawrence Surfing Dear Youth What Youth Indonesia

Dear Youth We back at it

“Well, I’m out of here on Saturday,” Nate Lawrence just told me. Another round of trips are leaving and waves of new projects are hitting the road. 2013 was incredible. And if you want you can see for yourself here, but we can’t stay idle for long. Kai and Nate have plane tickets, rental cars…

Panther Vision Ozzie Wright Jamie Heinrich Volcom Surfing Music What Youth Dear Youth

Dear Youth: Prepare for Panther Vision

I’d say that’s all we can do. Attempt to prepare you. Although there’s not really any way to do that. But this is your warning shot for our new monthly series of celluloid called Panther Vision presented by Volcom. The series was created exclusively for What Youth by Jamie Heinrich — who’s a creative freaking…

Kai Neville Copenhagen Project Arto Saari Dear Youth surfing Skating What Youth

Dear Youth The Copenhagen project today at noon

This is a photo snapped by Blake Myers of Kai Neville shooting film of Arto Saari, who is shooting a photo of Kai, while a tourist takes a photo of all of them. Rad. The Copenhagen Project will begin streaming right here today at 12:00 noon PST.  Tonight we’ll be premiering the film, releasing What…

Caffeine Nicotine Travel Surfing What Youth Dear Youth

Dear Youth From the terminal

These artifacts detail a long-winded sitting. With an interesting man. Who had a lot to say. The setting was perfect. The lighting signifies that it was conducted in a place where the mind runs more freely, spurred on by caffeine and nicotine. The latter not something we condone, but something we realize is a necessary…

West Australia Creed McTaggart Jay Davies Taj Burrow Dear Youth Surfing What Youth

Dear Youth: Taj Burrow, Creed McTaggart and Jay Davies farewell session in the West

We made our beds at Taj’s house this morning. Packed up and toasted the forever legendary one himself for his hospitality, gracious pours of red and for sharing his home break this week. Taj, Creed, and Jay spent most of the morning trading pits in the cerulean blue that you’ll only find in the western…

Jeremy Asher Lynch Remind me to forget Dear Youth What Youth

Dear Youth Be present

“A creator needs only one enthusiast to justify him.” The surrealist sexual painter/photographer Man Ray said this. And we think it’s important to remember today especially. As we all drown in our own inboxes, gasping for validation and appreciation amongst the swarms of hornets online and in social media, it’s nice to remember that a…

Jeremy Lynch Alex Knost Surfing Advice Dear Youth What Youth

Dear Youth More friendly advice for a lot of young men (and women and iPhone users)

“We spend our time searching for security and hate it when we get it.” John Steinbeck wrote that line in his essay “Paradox and Dream”. I’m sure you’ve read it.  Anyway, we like that line. It relates to our lives in the water. In America. On the Internet. In this industry. We’re all searching, battling…

Pinnytown Surfing Road-trip Dear Youth What Youth

Dear Youth: Take us back to Pinnytown

Last month we went to Copenhagen, Denmark to film The Copenhagen Project. The boys at Monster put us up at The Tivoli hotel (which is pretty much like the Disneyland Hotel) and let Arto Saari be our guide. We spent 8 days traveling like a wolf pack on bikes to all the known and unknown spots…

Noa Deane Surfing This is Us France Dear Youth What Youth

Dear Youth: Noa Deane in the French flats

This day got away from us a bit. It was the last smidge of swell during our trip to France and we had to milk it for everything we could. Only problem was that we dipped into the wine a bit early. 16 hours of daylight leaves one a bit discombobulated with regards to things…

Sign up for letters from What Youth


By enabling this page, you are acknowledging and accepting our privacy terms and conditions.