Swell Lines Mag

Bodysurfing yarns woven ‘tween crest and trough

Volume 4 Issue 5

  • Volume 2 Issue 2

      a. The History of Blackball at Wedge b. 240fps c. The Science of Tropical Cyclones d. The Night Womp  e. Dawn

  • The History of Blackball at Wedge

    The following article is an historical account of the Blackball Flag and its significance to the bodysurfing culture at Wedge. The referenced Ordinance and Resolutions are attached to the bottom of the article for those who seek more information. Feel free to contact swelllinesmag@gmail.com to provide more information or personal accounts referenced throughout the article.…

  • 240 FPS: Short Film by Misfit Pictures

    Pierce Michael Kavanagh is a lifelong bodysurfer with a deep appreciation for the Ocean. In the premiere of his short film, director PMK shares the fast-paced world of the womp at a speed our feeble human brains can process. Enjoy it on repeat. 240FPS from MISFIT PICTURES on Vimeo. Pierce is also the director of…

  • The Science of Tropical Cyclones

    Tropical cyclones are incredibly powerful and dangerous natural phenomena. Every year, coastlines all across the globe are impacted by these tempests. When the storms move toward land, heavy rain, strong wind, storm surge and tornadoes all contribute to their destructive power. Depending on location and strength, tropical cyclones are called tropical depressions, tropical storms, hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons,…

  • The Night Womp

    The last shards of sunlight retreat beyond the horizon. Darkness gives chase and the few remaining surfers coast to the safety of dry sand. The nocturnal wompers begin to stir. Their playground is open for business. Some of them play in the leaked photons of pier spotlights. Others do the water dance under the light…

  • Dawn

    The best time of day. As long as the alarm conspires with your brain to allow you to experience it. Stumble out of bed in the dark. Don’t kick anything. Out the door, grab your fins-towel-wetsuit. Morning chill. Beautiful, crisp sky. Orion and Jupiter march toward the sea. The wind is offshore. The buoys jumped…

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Scenes from a very special run of swell. Merry everything. Find your happy little corner. WBC 2025 is on. We hope everyone creates lasting memories with the big bodysurfing family. Thanks to Scott, Casenelli and all of the awesome volunteers who keep this tradition going. Yew! June was solid with consistent combo swells and windows of clean conditions. July began with 6 days of pumping SSW swell. An excellent start to Summer! We met Mark in the water during a massive swell at a local North County San Diego beachbreak. Today our bodysurfing family is saddened to learn of the passing of Fred Simpson. Fred Simpson played a major role in shaping modern bodysurfing performance, culture and equipment. He was a fatherly figure to many young guys scrapping for waves at one of the most famous surf spots in the world. He also designed a fin built to perform for wave surfers. As a vessel of bodysurf and surf knowledge we have lost a titan. He was humble, kind and always willing to share his wealth of experience with us. While he loved Newport, he would often be seen roaming the Oceanside Pier on the Sunday of the WBC championships watching the performers and talking about technical bodysurfing. We wish our wedge family peace in their time of grief and we wish his family the same. Feel free to share memories here and read our two articles about Fred on Swell Lines Mag. 🖤💛 Thanks 2024…here’s to a swell-filled 2025 for all! Pocket rider.

Categories

The History of.

How to.

All-Time Sessions.

Salty Fins.

The Science of.

Sandy Pages.

Glassy Feature.

Ocean Verse.

Tripping Fins.

Visions of the Month.