August Howell

Half Moon Bay

News Writer at SURFER Magazine

News writer for @hmbreview | UO’19 | Journalism & Multimedia |

Articles

One-Handed Backflip: Best Wave Pool Air Ever?

3 days ago | sports.yahoo.com | August Howell

Before most people could buzz from their morning coffee, 18-year-old Hughie Vaughan was bouncing off the walls. Yesterday, the 18-year-old Australian, fresh off winning Stab High Japan and entering the 2025 Swatch Nines at the 11th hour, paddled out for the first session of the day and landed one of the most inverted, off-axis airs ever seen in Waco’s famed wave pool. Hughie greased a one-handed stalefish backflip — with no straps or winch pull — right in front of slack-jawed filmers.
One-Handed Backflip: Best Wave Pool Air Ever?

3 days ago | yardbarker.com | August Howell

Before most people could buzz from their morning coffee, 18-year-old Hughie Vaughan was bouncing off the walls. Yesterday, the 18-year-old Australian, fresh off winning Stab High Japan and entering the 2025 Swatch Nines at the 11th hour, paddled out for the first session of the day and landed one of the most inverted, off-axis airs ever seen in Waco’s famed wave pool. Hughie greased a one-handed stalefish backflip — with no straps or winch pull — right in front of slack-jawed filmers.
Surfer Lands One-Handed Backflip in Wavepool — Best Air Ever?

3 days ago | surfer.com | August Howell

Surfers, skaters and BMXers are going huge for the second-ever Swatch Nines Surf. And 18-year-old Hughie Vaughan is blowing up. Before most people could buzz from their morning coffee, 18-year-old Hughie Vaughan was bouncing off the walls. Yesterday, the 18-year-old Australian, fresh off winning Stab High Japan and entering the 2025 Swatch Nines at the 11th hour, paddled out for the first session of the day and landed one of the most inverted, off-axis airs ever seen in Waco’s famed wave pool.
Dane Reynolds and Chapter 11 Dust Off (and Rip On) An Obscure Channel Islands Board

1 week ago | sports.yahoo.com | August Howell

Something started when the Chapter 11 crew drove north up 101 and raided the Channel Islands factory a few years back. Maybe “Out of the Rafters” sparked a timeless theme in surfing — that yellowed boards are still worth riding. Even if they look a bit odd at first glance. “It’s not like a fish at all,” Dane Reynolds said of an obscure Channel Islands model he pulled out for the video below.
Chapter 11 Dusts Off Rob Machado's Channel Islands Surfboard

1 week ago | surfer.com | August Howell

Eithan Osborne and Matt McCabe try the MTF from Ventura to Rincon. Something started when the Chapter 11 crew drove north up 101 and raided the Channel Islands factory a few years back. Maybe “Out of the Rafters” sparked a timeless theme in surfing — that yellowed boards are still worth riding. Even if they look a bit odd at first glance. “It’s not like a fish at all,” Dane Reynolds said of this obscure model called the MTF.
Wipeout of the Year? This Jaws Slam Is a Top Contender

1 week ago | surfer.com | August Howell

Maui charger Ty Simpson-Kane went viral for this Jaws slam. But it wasn’t the only wave he caught that day. Every so often, a video comes across one’s social feed and pulls the e-brake. Be it an improbable tube, a gravity-defying air or a jaw-dropping wipeout, some moments are meant to be underscored and highlighted in bold. That’s what happened when 21-year-old Ty Simpson-Kane of Kuau, Maui, went viral for going inside the Jaws spin cycle last December.
First Look: Floating Skate Ramp Highlights 2025 Swatch Nines Surf Event in Waco

1 week ago | sports.yahoo.com | August Howell

Deep in the hot, humid heartland of Texas, several tenacious Canadians are reassembling steel and wooden structures built thousands of miles away in Vancouver. They’re surrounding the wave pool at Waco Surf with a fully suspended, crane-mounted halfpipe, a street skate course on top of the pump house and a 7-foot miniramp in the water. This isn’t the set of a Mad Max movie. It’s the setting of Swatch Nines Surf, a bold and creative attempt to inject fresh energy into the surf sphere.
Scottish Big-Wave Surfer Bags Another Mullaghmore Beast

1 week ago | surfer.com | August Howell

Ben Larg gets his second Big Wave Challenge consecutive entry at the large Irish slab. Hailing from the archipelago known as the Inner Hebrides, Ben Larg took the fast track to a surfing life. By 12 years old, he was a Scottish national champion. At 14, he rode his first wave at Mullaghmore. By 16, he had towed Nazaré. Now age 20, Ben is a frequent flyer between Ireland and Portugal. Much of his winter is spent training and surfing Nazaré.
The Red Hot Eyewear Company Backed by Noa Deane, Harry Bryant and Mason Ho

1 week ago | yardbarker.com | August Howell

At the end of the day, that stacked list exists to benefit the everyday surfer. That's because film and video are a key pillar of Ritual Vision’s ethos. Under the astute eye of Wade Carroll (“Saturn”, “Repeater”, “Idiot Box”), the team is curating clips for a feature-length movie, Ritualistic Tendencies, that will debut this November. Dion said with luck, they could do screenings in Australia and the United States. “It’s ambitious, but every year we’re going to try to release a film," he said.
This Bold Eyewear Brand Is Now Officially Backed by Surf Royalty

1 week ago | surfer.com | August Howell

With Ritual Vision recently entering the US market, Creative Director Dion Agius talked with SURFER about the star-studded team, the surf movie itch and why their shades are meant to be worn and torn. If you don’t know Ritual Vision, here’s the crash course. It’s a burgeoning eyewear brand cofounded last year by distinguished Australian freesurfers Harry Bryant, Noa Deane and Mikey Wright.