Yacht surfs Waikiki. Canoe wipes out. Wavegarden lands in US. Movie stars nearly drown.

Surf Ranch Who? Wavegarden arrives in the US of A

The first Wavegarden wave pool in the US will open on August 16 at Atlantic Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It’s capable of generating 1,000 waves per hour and 25 different types of waves. All the surfers invited to test it out ahead of the opening were apparently collectively losing their minds about how good it was. Kudos, Wavegarden PR team: a well-written press release with a good ratio of customer quotes and very little filler or celebrity endorsement—Pharrell Williams (in bold).

A 6-man paddling canoe wipes out, goes to ER

Brandi Chanel-Machado and her family have been paddling for more than half a century, but their 6-man canoe wiped out unexpectedly when a second wave pushed them too close to the shore for comfort. Brandi said: “Our wave actually ended and we was getting ready to turn around and head back out, then another wave came from the side out of nowhere and flew our canoe like a bullet. Was unexpected, but that’s all part of playing in the ocean.” Everyone is fine—a bit bruised, no spirits broken, just a couple of ribs. Watch the video. It’s officially insane.

️ 60-foot yacht goes out surfing in Waikiki

This is not something you see every day. A 60-foot passenger boat, Discovery, ran aground near Honolulu’s Kewalo Basin Harbor during a morning of high surf and low tide. The yacht was caught by two large waves to the stern, lost propulsion, and ended up surfing sideways into shallow water—at times nearly capsizing—before resting against a concrete seawall.

The incident, captured in multiple videos, showed the boat riding waves “like a giant surfboard,” according to surf filmmaker Ramon Brockington, who was filming body surfers nearby. No injuries occurred, and the two crew members were removed safely. Fuel, oil, and batteries were taken out to prevent pollution, and a tow was planned for the next high tide.

Movie stars: “I nearly drowned” and “I was not allowed to almost drown”

Podcasts. Insta. You gotta love them—where comments about events from the past long gone turn the wheels of the surfing media cycle.

According to the recent Smartless podcast, eighteen years ago Jason Momoa almost drowned at Jaws/Pe’ahi when his leash snapped in 10-foot surf. He was saved to tell the story by Laird Hamilton himself.

And when filming National Geographic’s Limitless, Chris Hemsworth was not allowed to surf a 40-foot wave because, you know, risk assessment and insurance.

Wait. There’s more. We’ve just learned that Amy Schumer suffered a surfing injury a few years back! She just had a laminectomy—a surgical procedure where part of the vertebra is removed to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. Heal well, Amy!

Author: The Wipeout Weekly team