For Rockaway residents, many of your are very familiar with our guest, a longtime Rockaway resident and an OG documentarian of the people in this community. You can sometimes find her surfing off the jetties uptown at beaches we will not mention. Our guest is none other than amazingly talented Susannah Ray! Her work on long form documentary projects, such as Right Coast, A Further Shore and What are The Wild Waves Saying, explore the relationship of people and landscape and how public space...

Beachgrit is notorious for their tabloid style content and click bait titles. Some more controversial than others but, always interesting to read. We started to notice about a year ago some articles coming out, covering the New York / Mid Atlantic Surf Scene. Our humble and sometimes forgotten-about community was getting some storylines and coverage in one of the most sensational surf tabloids. Behind each of these articles was the name Giancarlo Guardascione. We became curious as to who...

Listeners… Have you ever hand shaped a surfboard? Have you ever had the desire to try and mow foam with a planer and ride something you made? Or make a board that you might have seen but don’t have access to? Shea Somma is a shaper out of the central coast of California who started hand shaping boards in 2008, out of the curiosity to try new designs and shapes that weren’t as available to him at the time. He began in his backyard shed with a desire to create and sample many niche board...

Gina Jurlando used to joke about the group of women she surfed with calling themselves Yeasty Boys. What was initially a silly way to describe her surf crew, has expanded into a group of surfers of all levels, genders, backgrounds, and towns who want to learn, want to teach, or just want a buddy to paddle out with. Yeasty Boys was founded in 2021 after learning of how many femme folks were hesitant to learn to surf or paddle out for fear of getting in the way of the male-dominated lineup....

Letting go, surrendering into who you are, and finding flow. The art of comedy is the art of connection. On this episode of the Blackpool New York Podcast, Greg got to spend some time with Seth Herzog, a man whose story follows a trajectory of connection. From 5th Grade talent shows to the deserts of Iraq, to NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” Seth is plugged into the mycelium humanity. Plug your ears into some WZOG, sit back and enjoy! Seth Herzog: Seth Herzog is a popular NYC comedian and actor,...

In the current episode of the Art & Design Series on Swell Season Surf Radio, Chris Coffin and Chris Labzda sit down with Tripoli Patterson; Gallery Owner, Curator, Ex-Pro Surfer and East End Local. Born in Sag Harbor, “Trip” had youth full of travel and exposure to surf culture and art. His transient upbringing took him from New Zealand, to the North Shore of Oahu, and to Bali, but ultimately he calls the East End of Long Island his home. Tripoli navigates many distinct and separate...

Tyrone Tripoli is an artist, designer, metal worker, glass blower, and a shit hot goofy foot. Originally from LA but moved to Brooklyn in 2003 and currently resides among the creative community in Bushwick where he founded Gallery Petite, a contemporary art gallery on Troutman Street. You can see some of his incredible metal work lining the streets of Brooklyn, adding flares of artistry to the usually banal sidewalks. When he’s not creating and spending time with his family, you can sometimes...

On February 3, the World Surf League (WSL) announced a new policy allowing transgender women to compete in its women’s category. The news was quietly rolled out until the following day when Bethany Hamilton publicly opposed the new WSL policy that the surfing world really took notice. This set off a for lack of a better term, a shit storm on social media with both sides of the debate shouting into the ether on the comments section. We wanted to have a more nuanced and thoughtful...

On December 14th, 2022, images of surfers in the rockaways trying to help push a juvenile sperm whale back into the water made the rounds on social media and eventually the news. This would be the beginning of what is being called an “Unusual Mortality Event” for this winter for whales along the east coast. In all, around 23 whales have washed ashore along the East Coast since December. There has been much speculation as to what is causing these deaths. Everything from container ships to...

Episode #5: Paruresis Mental Health. Anxiety. Trauma. Sometimes things just don’t go the way we’ve planned. For some, the events of the past manifest themselves in very life challenging ways. Paruresis, or Shy Bladder Syndrome can be a very uncomfortable way to go through life. However, there are men out there like Daniel Rocker who are truly being of service to those who suffer from this psychosomatic disorder. This conversation with Daniel is a little more clinical than what I normally...

On this episode, our guest has been keeping the Rockaway community filled with Butter and love since 2016. Tracy Obolsky reached the pinnacle of the New York Pastry world. Having worked at notable restaurants such as The General Greene, Esca, North End Grill and the Cookshop.Tracy eventually realized she wanted to control her own kitchen and slowdown her pace of living. She walked away from the high end food scene to start The Rockaway Beach Bakery. A spot that has now become a staple for...

Lucy Small is surfer and equal rights activist & Maddie Meddings is a surf, travel and lifestyle photographer and filmmaker. The two have a new film debuting named Yama. The film follows Lucy as she travels to Ghana to meet with a group of pioneering female surfers and skaters. Once a stronghold of the transatlantic slave trade and with a history of Atlantic aquatic surf culture that precedes colonial invasion. Yama aims to tell a story that challenges the representations that many...

Can you live with the true cost of a Neoprene wetsuit? That is the question being asked by guests Lewis Arnold and Chris Nelson. Filmmakers who explore this question in their documentary The Big Sea. Surfing is a $10 billion global industry – built on the dream of carefree spirits, crystal clear waters and an even clearer connection to the natural world – has never been more popular. Surfing has posed as a champion of environmental issues. But there is a dirty secret… and people are dying....

After his time in Afghanistan as a defense contractor, Paul Colbert found himself settled into life in New York, with his wife and newly born daughter. They decided he would be a stay at home parent and take care of his daughter. Over the years, he found himself having panic attacks and struggling with certain social situations. Eventually, he realized he had been living with PTSD. Paul sought help and found refuge in an unlikely activity: Shaping Surfboards. With Therapy and the focused and...

On this episode of The Swell Season Surf Podcast we have one of New York's most core and committed underground surfers. He subscribes to the shred, tear and destroy philosophy of surfing. You can find him sending gushes of water at Lido and other undisclosed locations in western Long Island. Many will remember him from the cult classic film, 'Lost: The Decline.' His surfing roots go deep and he is currently a top tier Archetectural Window and Metal worker. His reputation is legendary. We’re...

Emilio Perez's paintings and works on paper can be described as abstract expressionist… with a graphic component. He produces punchy, energetic compositions full of knotted, flowing forms that emerge from loosely painted passages of color. He has been represented by some of the largest galleries in the world and has produced some incredible large scale pieces in places such as Time Square and The Malecon in Cuba. He came to surfing later in his life but has been a NYC devoted core surfer for...

Happy New Year everyone! On this episode of the WeSurf Podcast we step out of Rockaway and speak to Director David Mesfin and Executive Producer Beyin Abraha of the documentary 'Wade in the Water: A Journey Into Black Surfing and Aquatic Culture.' This documentary reclaims the 1000 year old tradition of Black Surfing throughout the globe, by honoring the historical and contemporary relationship between Black people and the ocean. We discuss the documentary, the world of Black surfing and...

Our guest on this episode is Prue Jeffries. She is a former ASP world tour surfer who spent two decades traveling the world on the ASP Tour (now known as the WSL (World Surf League). She is a published writer, editorial consultant, founder of a women’s clothing company, brand ambassador, event producer, and filmmaker. Prue now spends her time surfing for the sheer pleasure of it and practicing holistic healing for others. She is deeply passionate about the transformative potential of nature...

Hail Mary is the merge of a documentary biopic and a traditional surf film. At his home in New York, we go behind the scenes and learn about the life of professional surfer, Balaram Stack. Perhaps one of the best surfers ever to come out of New York. Hail Mary pays homage to Balaram’s roots and the one main guiding force in his life. His mother, Mary. This is the Hail Mary Podcast. A supplement to the upcoming film, where we dive a little deeper into the story of Balaram Stack and the...

Hail Mary is the merge of a documentary biopic and a traditional surf film. At his home in New York, we go behind the scenes and learn about the life of professional surfer, Balaram Stack. Perhaps one of the best surfers ever to come out of New York. Hail Mary pays homage to Balaram’s roots and the one main guiding force in his life. His mother, Mary. This is the Hail Mary Podcast. A supplement to the upcoming film, where we dive a little deeper into the story of Balaram Stack and the...

They say that hard work & dedication will eventually pay off . No one knows this more than our guest on this episode. Christa Funk is known for her incredible imagery both from the water angle and on land. She has become one of the leading water photographers in the world, and has earned a spot in the often difficult and highly coveted channel at Pipeline. She’s disciplined and courageous and her work is fearless and bold. After graduating from the Coast Guard Academy, she was assigned...

This is the Hail Mary Podcast Ep. 2. A supplement to the upcoming film, where we dive a little deeper into the story of Balaram Stack and the people who have helped him along on his journey. On this episode, we follow Balaram going pro and and his experience on the QS grind and the epiphany that contests weren’t the only way and his love affair with Pipeline. We hope you enjoy episode 3 of the Hail Mary Podcast For more information on the film you can go to Instagram: @hailmarythemovie for...

This is the Hail Mary Podcast Ep. 2. A supplement to the upcoming film, where we dive a little deeper into the story of Balaram Stack and the people who have helped him along on his journey. On this episode, we follow the unlikely rise of Balaram from early grommet hood to becoming a top ranked amateur and eventually being discovered by Quiksilver and becoming a marquee Junior surfer for them. We explore the sacrifices and support from his mother Mary and the people who helped him along the...

This is the Hail Mary Podcast. A supplement to the upcoming film, where we dive a little deeper into the story of Balaram Stack and the people who have helped him along on his journey. 'Hail Mary' is the merge of a documentary biopic and a traditional surf film about unlikely rise of one of New York's greatest surfers, Balaram Stack. The Film pays homage to Balaram’s roots and the one main guiding force in his life. His mother, Mary. The film illustrates the beautiful relationship between...

For the 4th episode of the Blackpool NY podcast host, Greg Wachsteter sat down with an old friend of his, Andrea Ludlow. Andrea turned her childhood trauma into Pee Wee Herman. Yes literally. She has survived a bunch of challenging events, like the death of her best friend, the death of her father, and being diagnosed with breast cancer all of which has never unseated her ability to move forward with her life. Andrea started a School, runs a cookie business, is a dog whisperer, excellent...