John John laying down some strong rail game at Haleiwa. Photo: Vans Triple Crown
Hawaii and the West Coast have plenty to celebrate to kick off 2021. Pumping swell has hit the islands in the past 24 hours and is currently making its way to California.
“Haleiwa was kicking wild and windy,” said Dane Gudauskas on Instagram. He was filming for the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which opted for a digital format this year, meaning contestants have from December 21st through January 15th to capture footage of their two best waves at Haleiwa, Sunset, and Pipeline.
Dane’s weapon of choice for his entry was an unlikely one: A 5′ 9″ twin-keel fish.
“The drops were hairy but when it locked it could drive around any section,” he said. “Yesterday had plenty of lump in the face making the speed hard to control, but I really think there’s something in riding that design with that much speed and that much canvas that could unlock something special if it all came together.”
Conditions allowed plenty of additional Vans Triple Crown submissions, including clips from Jack Robinson, John John Florence, Nathan Florence, Connor Coffin, and Coco Ho. You can check them out and vote for your favorite at the Vans Triple Crown site. Both Jack and John John looked dialed in as evidenced by footage the WSL posted yesterday (below), but, believe it or not, both posted even better waves (IMHO) to the Vans Triple Crown site. Stay tuned for more swell updates as the 2021 New Year’s Swell lands in California tomorrow afternoon.
If you capture any swell footage or frames you’re proud of and you’d like featured on The Inertia and/or our Instagram, feel free to email us or post on IG and tag @theinertia and #instaswell.
