Check out Matuse Family Member Omar Etcheverry in this recent Santa Cruz video. Omar has been riding really well and flexed some of his local knowledge at last year’s Cold Water Classic where he took out some high profile pros with his frontside attack. Omar looking loose and warm in his Hoplite 4:3:2.
Check out the recent video on Johnny Monster’s recent wave riding exploits!
Check out the latest article on John V. Campbell and Matuse, Inc. at Surfline.com. John has a nice interview about how the company was started and what drives it fundamentally. Check it out by Clicking Here.
Check out the recent “A Day In The Life: Chris Del Moro” on Surfline.com. Matuse Family Member CDM pulled back the curtain a bit and allowed our good friend Todd Glaser to capture some images of a typical day spent in sunny San Diego. CDM is a talented surfer, artist and activist who spends his time creating art and inspiring change within his circle of influence. His work with Surfers for Cetaceans is one of the many ways he does his part socially to make the world a better place. Sure he’s a great surfer but he’s even a better person. Check out what goes on during a typical day for Chris Del Moro. Click Here to take a peek.
All Photos by Todd Glaser
On the North Shore of Oahu along the famous 7 mile stretch lies a road named Ke Nui Rd. An unassuming road that millions of tourists drive past every year along this beautiful coastline. The houses along this road house some of the best surfers in the world. One of these surfers is named Jamie Sterling.
You’d never know if you drove, walked or rode a bike past his house but inside lies the mind and training tools that allow Jamie Sterling to charge some of the biggest waves the oceans of the world have to offer. Just outside his home he has world famous surf breaks such as Sunset, Phantoms, Rockies, Pipeline, Off The Wall and Waimea as training grounds for his surfing skills. It’s a recipe that has produced one of the best big wave chargers on the planet. Jamie can translate his skills directly to almost any wave around the world and feel confident he can ride and survive the wave.
When you meet Jamie he is relaxed, intense and is well thought out with his words. You can see how this translates into to the way he lives his life. When you enter his home through his garage the first thing you see is a very long board rack with sticks ranging in size from 5′8″ to 9′. The big ones at the end are a bit scary as you envision how big the waves must be for him to ride those beasts. He has all the water toys one needs to stay active in the water no matter what the conditions. Hanging neatly are the Matuse wetsuits he recently used, care instructions followed to the “T”. Then you notice the medicine ball, yoga mat and some odd metal balls with thick handles welded to them. I ask Jamie “what are those?” as a little smile comes to Jamie’s face. “These are Kettle Bells” Jamie replies. Whenever I see that look in Jamie’s eyes you know he’s passionate about the topic at hand and will spill as much knowledge on you as you are willing to take.
Jamie explains that the Kettle Bells are one of the tools he uses to give himself a great workout and to keep himself physically tuned and ready for the next big swell. When the waves are small Jamie stays 
active working out with the Kettle Bells along with Yoga, running and SUP. Sterls gets into explaining how the the Kettle Bells really work with momentum, core stability, timing and control. They allow you to work on movements that greatly benefit activities such as surfing and fighting. The Kettle Bells were first developed in Russia for their military and special forces training. They are a fairly recent phenomenon to come onto the U.S. scene and seem to be widely accepted in the mixed martial arts community and now among many pro surfers. It’s no surprise Jamie has been training with Alex King and the Kettle Bells for a while now. Alex King introduced Jamie to the Kettle Bells and has worked the Kettle Bells into to Jamie’s weekly routine.
Jamie charges some of the biggest and gnarliest waves around the world. Simply surfing all the time 
isn’t enough to keep your body in shape to take the beatings waves of that size can dish out. If you want to stay healthy and expect some longevity in the sport of big wave riding you need to train. Jamie feels that Kettle Bells give him a edge over those who don’t use them as a cross training tool. “The waves are not always good but I still like to push myself everyday” says Jamie. After witnessing one of Jamie’s 1 hr workouts you can see how dedicated he is to improving his riding through any means necessary.
Sterls is eagerly awaiting the next big swell. You know he’ll be ready to go anywhere in the world at a moments notice. It’s a good thing he has the mental confidence of knowing he’s always ready because of his training in between swells. Keep an eye out for Jamie the next time you see media coverage on some massive swell somewhere. There’s a good chance you’ll see his name mentioned or a photo of him on some mental beast of a wave.
All Photos by Todd Glaser
Kelly wins Pipe and wins a 9th world title…blah, blah, blah. You can read all about it on one of the major surf sites. They have covered it well. Now that the contest is over the semi-hectic pace of the North Shore seems to be cooling down a bit.
The Pipe Masters was over so fast that many tickets were changed and traveling pros far from home made a quick exodus from the island back to their families and familiar beds. However, there is still a slew of pros, photographers, media and industry execs roaming the island because the winter season is only half over. This is easily confirmed by simply visiting any of the food eateries in Haleiwa during lunch. You will probably see your favorite pro or celebrity surfer ordering the same Hungry Hawaiian sandwich and macadamia-chocolate chip cookie you just ordered at Waialua Bakery.
Since the contest ended the surf declined a bit and the island was hit by some major rains. Flooding occurred on Kauai and Oahu which shut down many roads. The waters turned a deep reddish brown as rivers and creeks roared to life and fed the ocean with debris and bacteria. Locals were saying that they hadn’t seen rains that strong for many years. Many surfers took the time to hang with friends and family, take care of neglected chores and nurse deep cuts sustained during the previous weeks massive swells.
It’s been a couple days since the last heavy rains and some sun finally broke out and the water turned from brown to a green color that looked closer to California waters. It wasn’t the usual clear Hawaiian water color but the locals were stoked to finally see the brown go away. The Matuse Family Members were quick to take advantage of the small but fun waves and get there hair wet after being out of the water for 4-5 days. Matuse Family member Todd Glaser has been on hand to document all the surf sessions. All photos to the left are courtesy of Todd Glaser.
Mikala Jones tested the new Matuse short-arm Chapter 1 top the other day and was lovin it. Mikala grew up right in front of Rockies and knows the wave inside and out.
Daniel Jones, Mikala’s younger brother, also had the advantage of growing up right in front of the famous break. His high speed attack is proof enough of the time he’s spent surfing his backyard.
Flynn Novak lives at Mikala and Daniel’s house and has also spent quite a lot of time at Rockies. Though Flynn is mainly known for his Pipeline prowess, he has Rockies wired — especially the lefts.
Jamie Sterling is in town and lives right across the street from Mikala, Daniel and Flynn. Since there are no humongous swells on the charts, Jamie is cruising while waiting for mother nature to tell him where he needs to be next.
It looks like the swell is on the decline and more rain is forecasted this week. We’re hoping for a small bump on Wednesday to keep us out of the flat zone. Fingers are crossed the sun comes out and swell comes up soon. Aloha.
WiLDCOAST Press release
IMPERIAL BEACH, CA (Friday, December 12, 2008) – WiLDCOAST is excited to welcome Zach Plopper as coordinator of the Wildlands Conservation Program. Zach will be working to conserve undeveloped coastal land along the Baja California Peninsula and to maintain public access to some of Mexico’s most remote and spectacular coastlines.
“I am super excited to work for Wildcoast and apply myself to the preservation of coastal wildlands in Baja,” said Zach. “It’s going to be hard work but the rewards will be spectacular since I will be able to play a role in preserving what makes Baja so unique in partnership with the fishermen and ranchers who live there.”
Since his grom days, before he traveled the world on the WQS circuit, Zach has always been enamored with Baja California’s spectacular desert beauty and world-class waves, making it a fitting place to apply his knowledge, skills and experience professionally.
“Given Zach’s extensive travel experience as a professional surfer, his fluency in Spanish, his experience in surf journalism as contributing editor to Surfshot Magazine and frequent contributions to Transworld Surf, and his academic background, he is a perfect fit to help WiLDCOAST preserve one of North America’s last wild undeveloped surf regions,” said WiLDCOAST Executive Director Serge Dedina.
This year Zach received his M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA and carried out his thesis on conservation approaches for preserving the Pacific coast of Baja California. He received B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning from UCSD.
During his surfing career, Zach made his mark competitively with several WQS quarterfinal finishes and was crowned the 2003 NSSA Collegiate Men’s California State Champion. Zach can be found surfing in films such as Puddles in the Sky, Havoc, Refuge and Field of Vision. Zach represents Matuse wetsuits, Glas Apparel, Xanadu, Da Kine, Dragon and Surfride as a sponsored rider.
Through collaboration with Mexican federal and state agencies, landowners and fishing cooperatives, and by using the most advanced technology in GIS mapping and remote sensing, WiLDCOAST seeks to preserve some of Baja California’s most threatened coastal habitats and ecosystems. This program receives financial support from foundations, individual donors, and a grant awarded by the SIMA Environmental Fund from proceeds of the Waterman’s Ball.
About WiLDCOAST
WiLDCOAST protects and preserves coastal ecosystems and wildlife in the Californias and Latin America by building grassroots support, conducting media campaigns and establishing protected areas. With four years of receiving 4-star rankings from Charity Navigator for outstanding financial and operational management, WiLDCOAST is one of North America’s leading coastal conservation organizations.
For more information about how you can help preserve our coastal heritage check out www.wildcoast.net or contact [email protected]
Surfline.com recently interviewed Derek Dunfee about his holiday session at Mavericks. Derek made the trek up to Mavericks during Thanksgiving weekend and feasted on some gigantic ledges. Derek took a pretty bad wipe out on his first wave of the two day session. Although it was a good beating Derek lived through a much worse one last February.(Click Here to view the video wipeout.) His time paddling into waves out at Mavericks over the last few years allowed him to quickly shake it off and score some of the best waves of his life. Derek arguably caught one of the biggest waves of the swell. Click Here to check out the interview and the images.
Check out the recent co-lab project between Univ and Matuse. The Frogman wetsuit utilized the Matuse Chapter 1 top in combination with logo designs by Univ. Univ is a trend setting urban clothing store located in the coastal community of San Diego. Univ creates their own line of shirts along with other unique brands offering an ecclectic line of apparel for the discerning individual. The co-lab project is covered on univ-shop.com and also on boardistan.com. If you want one of these highly limited pieces visit Univ ASAP to grab one. You’ll be glad you did.
Univ: 1053B South Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, California. Tel. (760) 942-UNIV.
Matuse Family Member Johnny Maher has a profile/interview on Surfline.com. Johnny’s recent big wave escapades have received more attention since he’s been nominated for Billabong’s XXL Ride of the Year award. Johnny Maher scored a bomb in Puerto Escondido this past summer which put him in the running for the prestigious award. Matuse Family Member Todd Glaser shot all the photos of Monster which shows off some of Johnny’s wave prowess. We’re super stoked to see Johnny getting some recognition. We knew he had the skills. It was just a matter of time before the surfing media took notice of this talented and cool individual. Click Here to check out the surfline.com coverage.