On a sunny Saturday at the tail end of January, the waves on the North Shore were big. Really big. And when the waves get big, Mason Barnes is likely to be found trying to surf the biggest ones. Take, for example, his highlight reel from 2021. On this particular day, he found a staggeringly perfect wave.
Although the buoys were pumping out huge numbers, the day was way bigger than anyone expected. There were, as there are with outer reef waves, a lot of closeouts, but among them were also some incredibly beautiful ones. Barnes motored out early in the morning. He’s been surfing this particular outer reef for a very long time, and he knew exactly what he was hoping to get. Out there with him were Othmane Choufani, Ryan Seelbach, Twiggy, and Barnes’ safety, Colin Steinberger. Barnes was in accomplished company.
“I was riding my 9’0,” Barnes explained. “It was oil glass and I found that wave within 10 minutes of sitting in the lineup. It was the one of the best waves of my life, and I’m super grateful Colin managed to get the iPhone clip while looking after all of us. It was day I won’t forget.”
