Steepline Magazine is where surf, skate, and lifestyle culture come together.
We’re here to tell stories from the lineup, the streets, and the places in between.
Born in 2025 in French Polynesia, Steepline started with a simple idea:
share the news, moments, and voices that make board sports more than just sports.
What We Cover
Steepline Magazine spans the full spectrum of surf and skate culture. From contests, heavy sessions, and local legends to surfskate communities, gear guides, van life, and dream destinations. We dive into the ways ocean protection, culture, and society shape the ride, while bringing interviews with underground shapers, world champions, and the voices that define our scene. Through features, podcasts, and videos, we share news, conversations, and highlights you won’t find anywhere else.
Why We Do It
Because surfing and skating aren’t just sports: they’re cultures, communities, and ways of life. That’s why we stand for accuracy in telling stories as they happen, independence with no spin or fluff, community that gives space to voices from every corner of the scene, and a commitment to keeping the ocean and our playgrounds alive for the next generation. Steepline Magazine is part of the Steepline brand, based in Tahiti but built for a global audience of surfers, skaters, and ocean lovers.
Bobby Oldsman, 72, dies after wipeout at Tres Palmas
RINCON — Bobby Oldsman, a 72-year-old seasonal resident from Massachusetts who spent winters in Rincón for roughly 15 years, died following a wipeout at Tres Palmas on October 22, 2025, local witnesses and photographer Darren Muschett confirmed.
According to accounts from surfers on the scene and photos posted by Muschett, Oldsman lost consciousness after an impact — either with his board or the reef during a session in heavy swell. Fellow surfers pulled him from the water and he was taken to a hospital, where his death was later confirmed.
A photo of Oldsman in the Tres Palmas line-up was posted by local surf photographer Darren Muschett.
Oldsman was described in local accounts as a long-time winter resident who owned a home in the area and surfed Tres Palmas regularly during recent seasons. Local photographers and surfers were the primary sources for early information.
No further details about next of kin, an official cause of death, or an autopsy have been released publicly. Steepline News will update this report as more official information becomes available.
Surf Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic 2025 — The KSWC Wave, New Finals Format and a Tour in Flux
Dates: 24–26 October 2025 | Stop No. 3, WSL Longboard Tour
Surf Abu Dhabi returns as one of the most consequential stops on the 2025 WSL Longboard Tour. The combination of Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC) technology and a tweaked Finals format has turned the event into a high-stakes chess match where style, strategy and repeatable perfection matter as much as raw nose-time.
Why Abu Dhabi matters this year
– The event is confirmed as Stop No. 3 on the 2025 WSL Longboard Tour calendar (24–26 Oct). The facility’s KSWC wave delivers long, reproducible 500‑metre faces that favour classic longboard maneuvers sustained noserides, long trims and multiple scoring sections. – The Department of Culture & Tourism of Abu Dhabi is a confirmed event partner, increasing the event’s profile and the city’s cultural programming around the stop. – The 2025 Finals format has a confirmed change: seed No. 1 receives a priority advantage, a tweak WSL announced that rewards top seeding and reshapes end‑of‑tour strategy.
The field: new leaders, seasoned kings and the women to watch
Kai Ellice‑Flint (AUS) arrives with a major win at Huntington Beach 2025 and is one of the form surfers on tour.
Max Weston (AUS) is riding momentum after a win at Bells Beach 2025 and sits near the top of the rankings.
Taylor Jensen remains the yardstick in longboarding, a four‑time WSL longboard world champion (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023) whose contest craft and traditional style are still benchmark references.
Steven Sawyer (RSA) is the 2024 men’s winner at Surf Abu Dhabi and a former world champion (2018).
Alice Lemoigne (FRA) won the women’s event in 2024 and will be a rider to beat on the KSWC face.
Among the other decorated names on tour, Soleil Errico is a three‑time longboard world champion Rachael Tilly is a two‑time world champion — both are important figures in the women’s division and alter the competitive landscape whenever they’re on the start list.
For full, up‑to‑date rankings and the official athlete list, consult the WSL Longboard Tour page.
The Kelly Slater Wave Company’s engineered face at Surf Abu Dhabi delivers long, reliable walls and sections that can be dialled in heat after heat. That affects longboard competition in clear ways:
Repeatability: Riders can game multiple approaches to the same sections (nose, trim, cross‑step combos) across heats — a contrast with ocean variability.
Section count: A 500‑metre face creates multiple scoring opportunities per wave; strategic line choice becomes a scoreboard weapon.
Training transfer: Surfers who train on long, predictable faces — focusing on nose time and flowing combos — gain a measurable advantage in consistency.
See official facility visuals and behind‑the‑scenes on the wave tech below.
Kelly Slater Wave Co — technology overview (video):
New Finals format: why seed #1 now matters more
WSL confirmed a modification to the Finals format for 2025 that gives an in‑heat priority advantage to the No. 1 seed. The practical implications:
– Tour strategy: Securing top seed heading into Finals is now tactically more valuable — riders will chase heat wins and high placings earlier in the season to lock that edge. – Heat management: The priority advantage should reduce variance in single‑heat Finals, favouring surfers who can earn and keep clean, high‑scoring waves.
Expect changes in how athletes pace themselves through the tour calendar, especially with Abu Dhabi’s reproducible waves offering targeted point hauls.
The qualification picture: El Salvador and the Top 8 battle
The Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships window (5–9 November 2025) is the next confirmed stop where the Top 8 qualification picture will sharpen. With only a few stops left after Abu Dhabi, positions — especially places 3–10 — are likely to be hotly contested. Every heat in Abu Dhabi will carry qualification significance.
Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships — window: 5–9 November 2025 (confirmed)
Turning Beach Trash into Fins — a practical update on Ryan Harris’ plastic-to-gear project
A small-but-growing movement in surf circles is turning beach-collected plastic into surfboard fins. The idea isn’t new — groups like Precious Plastic have been open-sourcing the techniques and machines for years — but a wave of surfers and makers now want to close the loop between cleanup and gear. One of the people pushing that idea publicly is Ryan Harris; his Instagram is among the places sharing process footage and project updates.
Plastic in the lineup is a problem beyond aesthetics: microplastics and debris harm marine life and the spots we love. See Ocean Conservancy for recent data on plastics in the ocean.
Turning collected plastic into durable gear gives cleanups an immediate, tangible payoff: a fin forged from the same rubbish pulled off the sand.
How it works (the practical, proven bits)
The workflow being used by projects like this follows established, documented steps used by Precious Plastic and similar initiatives:
1. Collection: coordinated beach cleanups or community drives bring in mixed plastics.
2. Sorting & washing: plastics are separated by resin type and cleaned.
3. Shredding/grinding: a shredder reduces pieces to flakes for consistent melting.
4. Melting & forming: the plastic is melted and either compression- or injection-molded into fin blanks, then trimmed and finished.
Precious Plastic (the organisation) provides open-source machine designs and guides for shredders and small-scale injectors — see preciousplastic.com and their YouTube demonstrations for the techniques.
Real-world precedents
Commercial projects have already proven the basic concept: Bureo (recycled fishing nets into skateboard decks and other goods) and many other brands have incorporated ocean plastic into accessories.
What remains to be proven (and what to watch for)
– Performance parity: recycled fins need testing in the water against conventional blanks. Expect surfers and shapers to focus on flex, hold and longevity before widespread adoption. – Material consistency: mixed beach plastic varies — reliable resin sourcing and sorting are crucial to make reproducible fins. – Metrics & footprint: precise figures (for example, kilograms of plastic per fin or a product-level carbon comparison) are not yet published by this project and should be requested from the team. – Funding & timeline: a crowdfunding push is mentioned in community posts, but any specific launch date or campaign goal should be confirmed on the official campaign page before publishing as fact.
How you can we help right now
Join a cleanup locally and ask organisers how collected plastics will be handled.
Follow Precious Plastic to understand small-scale recycling workflows and to see machine demo.
Track the project lead’s updates for launch/crowdfunding announcements and test results.
Insider tips for surfers curious about recycled fins
– Ask for material specs and test data (flex/durometer, expected lifespan). – Look for transparency: brands that publish kg-of-plastic-per-product and an LCA (life-cycle analysis) are more credible. – If you’re a shaper or tech-minded surfer, study the Precious Plastic injection/compression guides before promising scale.
Woman swept into ocean at Siletz Bay; body recovered after two-hour search
Caroline Moses, 43, died after being swept into the ocean by a large wave at Siletz Bay on the Oregon coast on Sunday, October 20, 2025. Local authorities say she was pulled into the water and lost despite immediate search efforts.
What happened
North Lincoln Fire & Rescue and other first responders were called to Siletz Bay after witnesses reported a person swept into the surf. Crews searched for roughly two hours before recovering Moses’ body about four miles south of the incident site, according to official statements.
Cody Heidt of North Lincoln Fire & Rescue provided updates to media during the response. Authorities treated the event as a tragic sneaker-wave drowning during a period of unusually large tides and surf along the central Oregon coast.
Video showing the conditions
Below is footage from the Tillamook Coast Instagram account that captures the size and power of the waves on the coast around the same time. The clip helps explain how quickly sneaker waves and king-tide conditions can become deadly.
Caption: Credit – Tillamook Coast (Instagram). Video shows massive surf and king-tide conditions on the Oregon coast in October 2025.
Context — sneaker waves and king tides
State and federal agencies had issued warnings for unusually large surf and king tides along the Oregon coast at the time of the incident. Sneaker waves are unusually large, unexpected waves that can surge far up beach faces and tidal areas, knock people off their feet, and sweep them into heavy surf. The National Weather Service and Oregon State Parks regularly warn visitors to stay off rocks and avoid low-lying coastal areas during these events.
Rescue challenges
Rescuing someone swept into surf on the Oregon coast is hazardous: cold water, strong rip currents, and large, unpredictable waves complicate operations. North Lincoln Fire & Rescue and other local agencies responded quickly but faced these exact challenges during the search for Moses.
Craig Anderson: Samudra Spirit Glitters and a quiet, timeless return
Craig Anderson hasn’t chased headlines for a long time, but his new full-length film Samudra Spirit Glitters quietly reminds the surf world why his approach still matters. Shot in Indonesia and released on Craig’s channel, the edit is less about personality and more about the fundamentals: barrels, wave reading, and the kind of pacing that lets a session breathe.
The film: what to watch for
Samudra Spirit Glitters runs like a classic Craig edit: long takes in barrels, smart positioning, and a low-key celebration of feel over flash. The footage leans heavily on Indo reef barrels — the places where Craig’s timing and calm in the pocket show up best. For anyone chasing technique, study the entries to the pocket and the way he manages speed without over-committing.
Watch the full film (official upload):
Credit: Samudra Spirit Glitters — full film on Craig Anderson’s YouTube channel.
Who’s behind the camera
The edit credits Dave Fox, a director known within surf film circles for work like Motel Hell with Harry Bryant. Fox’s style here favors clean, atmospheric coverage that complements Craig’s understated surfing rather than trying to upstage it. The result feels cohesive — surf footage that breathes.
Context — Craig’s place in the scene
Craig Anderson, born in 1987 and originally from Newcastle, Australia, has built a career on timing and subtlety rather than constant headline-making moves. He left Quiksilver in 2016 and cofounded the brand Former with Dane Reynolds, Austyn Gillette and the late Dylan Rieder a move that reflected a desire for creative control and a different aesthetic in surf lifestyle.
At the same time, Craig has kept productive brand relationships, notably with Haydenshapes, and continues to surface in well-made independent films and brand projects rather than nonstop media churn.
Gear and style notes
The film underscores why Craig remains a reference for tube riding: board choice and wave reading. While the edit doesn’t turn into a gear breakdown, you can pick up recurring silhouettes and paddling/entry patterns that suit critical Indo reef waves, useful watching for surfers who want to translate that pocket awareness to their own local reefs.
Final take
Samudra Spirit Glitters is not a firework show, it’s a measured, expert reminder that great freesurfing often speaks in whispers: precise timing, patience in the shoulder, and an eye for the barrel when it opens. For surfers and film fans who follow Craig’s quieter arc since Former and his ongoing collaborations, the film is a welcome, authentic piece of surf storytelling.
Nusantara: Waveriders of Indonesia — a short film that puts local surfers front and center
Milo Inglis’s short film Nusantara: Waveriders of Indonesia (produced by Drifter Surf) is a compact, cinematic visit to the world’s largest archipelago — not as a postcard for visiting surfers, but as a portrait of the people who live and ride there. The title nods to an old Javanese word meaning “archipelago,” and the film uses that scope to stitch together scenes from Indonesia’s famously perfect reefs and the riders who call them home.
Why this film matters
The movie runs about 27 minutes and features a group of active Indonesian surfers: Arip Mencos, Teddi Kurniadi, Komang Yudha Kopral, Dhea Natasya and Usman Trioko. Rather than centering foreign stars, Nusantara highlights local talent and the coastal communities that shape their surf. For readers who follow the regional surf scene, the film is a focused reminder that the best archive of Indonesian surf stories often lives with local riders and filmmakers.
Watch the full film (official upload):
Credit: NUSANTARA: Waveriders of Indonesia — Full Film (Drifter Surf / Milo Inglis)
The cast and the spots
– Usman Trioko: Widely recognized in coverage and interviews as one of Desert Point’s best barrel riders. Often called the “barrel king” of Desert Point and a local who grew up in the region. – Dhea Natasya: The film’s primary female rider and a visible part of Indonesia’s emerging women’s surf scene. – Arip Mencos, Komang Yudha Kopral, Teddi Kurniadi: Local riders featured throughout the film, representing surf cultures across Lombok, Bali and nearby islands.
Desert Point (Lombok) appears as one of the film’s visual anchors. The spot is internationally recognized as one of the world’s best left-hand barrels, and footage in the film showcases why that reputation sticks.
Credits: Google maps
Behind the scenes and rider profiles
Drifter Surf’s Instagram contains behind-the-scenes images and short clips from the Nusantara shoot:
“Opening Day” at Pipeline: Surfed-Out Tourists, a Koa Rothman Clip, and a Reminder About How Close the Lineup Comes to Shore
The North Shore opened to a clean, heavy swell in October 2025 — a welcome but dangerous sight for anyone near the sand. Footage circulating from pro surfer Koa Rothman shows the kind of close-quarters chaos that can happen at Pipeline when large sets roll all the way to the beach: tourists caught in the impact zone, surfers and good samaritans scrambling to help, and Ocean Safety teams on alert.
What the clip shows
A short video posted to Koa Rothman’s Instagram appears to capture an incident where non-surfing beachgoers were swept toward the line-up at Pipeline during the season-opening swell. The clip (below) gives a raw sense of how quickly things can go sideways when a shore-breaking reef break is firing and the crowd is densely packed.
Pipeline is a steep, fast reef break that, compared with some other heavy reef breaks around the world, can look and feel dangerously close to shore. That geographic reality, the wave pitching shallow over reef with sets that can retain power all the way to the sand is a consistent observation from surfers and a useful comparison point to places like Teahupo’o, which is famously hollow but sits further from the shore.
That proximity is part of why tourists and casual beachgoers sometimes end up in the impact zone. The research pack notes that Pipeline’s break is “very close to the shore compared to Teahupo’o,” and that incidents involving non-surfers being swept into dangerous water are documented regularly each winter.
Other clips from the same swell
Jamie O’Brien and other local accounts provided footage during the swell, showing large Backdoor bombs and the overall severity of conditions that week.
Jamie O’Brien Instagram footage of big Third Reef sets.
Local outlets and Ocean Safety channels have historically reported increased rescues and warnings during the North Shore winter season. For those checking context and follow-ups on specific incidents (for example, reported rescues at nearby Ke Iki Beach), Hawaii News Now and the City & County of Honolulu Ocean Safety channels are the best places for official updates and rescue reports.
The social-media paradox
Video from pros like Koa Rothman and Jamie O’Brien is invaluable for showing the scale and reality of conditions, but it also acts as a magnet. Dramatic clips drive views and can encourage people to flock to dangerous shorelines, sometimes with little understanding of the local risk. Use the footage to learn, not to test luck.
Core Surf Scene in Aotearoa, Dylan Graves’ South Island Trip
Dylan Graves’ recent YouTube edit captures a raw South Island surf trip: cold water, lengthy drives between breaks, a youthful local crew, and close encounters with wildlife. The footage reads like a field guide to surfing New Zealand’s southern edge: cinematic, uncompromising, and grounded in local know-how.
Watch the full edit below, the video is the primary source for this piece.
Video credit: Dylan Graves / YouTube
The trip in brief
The edit shows a compact crew chasing windows of swell along the South Island coastline. Expect the unexpected: water is cold, conditions can flip quickly, and viable breaks are often hours apart. The sense of travel — long drives, scouting, timing tides — is central to the story here.
As seen in the video: – A local guide is shown working with the crew; he’s identified in the footage as Damian “Dooma” Phillips. This identification appears in social clips and tags around the trip but should be independently verified via local profiles/community sources before attribution beyond this report. – A group of younger local surfers ride with the crew, illustrating a strong grassroots surf scene on the island.
Conditions, logistics and what the footage shows
Cold water is a constant in the South Island edits — expect thicker thermal protection and pragmatic planning. The geography means drives between surfable spots can be long; three-hour legs between locations are plausible and visible in the edit’s road sequences.
The film highlights the practical side of Kiwi trips: scouting from the van, quick adjustments when a window opens, and leaning on local knowledge to read fickle South Island breaks.
Wildlife and culture on the shore
The video includes shots of local wildlife — New Zealand sea lions and penguins appear in shore sequences. These encounters are part of the South Island surf experience; the footage underscores the need for respectful distance and responsible behavior around animals.
The edit also nods to Aotearoa’s cultural context. The term “mahi” (work, effort) is used in the video’s cultural framing — a small but meaningful reminder of the Māori language and influence across coastal communities.
Practical takeaways for surfers planning a South Island trip
Plan for cold water: the footage reinforces that thermal protection and packing for chilly conditions are non-negotiable.
Give extra time for travel: scouting and driving are a big part of finding surfable windows.
Respect wildlife and leave space — the video shows close shoreline wildlife; protocol and conservation matter.
Lean on locals: the edit demonstrates how local guides and youth crews unlock quality waves in short windows. If you rely on a named guide, verify identity and credentials via social profiles or local surf organizations before booking.
Read culture: the presence of Māori language and local place-based references in the edit is a reminder to approach surf in Aotearoa with cultural awareness and respect.
Why this edit matters
Beyond surf porn, Dylan Graves’ South Island piece is a snapshot of modern Kiwi surf culture: young locals, raw conditions, and the grind of chasing surf in a remote, wildlife-rich landscape. The edit is useful for anyone planning a trip who wants an honest sense of what surf in the southern reaches of New Zealand feels like.
Jamie Mitchell Injured on North Shore Opening Swell — Instagram Photos Show Significant Facial Wounds
Jamie Mitchell — Australian big-wave rider and North Shore regular — posted graphic photos early October after a wipeout during the season’s first swell. The images, shared on his Instagram, show deep lacerations to his face and throat; in the caption he lists the immediate medical care he received.
What we know
The incident took place on the North Shore during the opening swell of the season (early October 2025), according to Mitchell’s posts and contemporaneous social traffic from the beach.
Mitchell says he required 18 staples and additional sutures: he reports 15 stitches to his throat and five stitches to his cheek/cheekbone area. These injury details come from his Instagram post and photos.
He also states the board involved was a 9’10”, a size commonly used in big-wave work on the Shore.
Jamie posted photos of his wounds and a note about the treatment on his Instagram feed:
Credits: Jamie Mitchell / Instagram
Context and immediate reaction
Mitchell is a veteran big-wave surfer, known for his work on the North Shore and for riding heavy surf. The opening swell of the season brings busy lineups and heavy faces — conditions where long, heavy boards and high speeds increase the chance of traumatic contact between rider and board.
Nearby surfers and watermen in the same timeframe, including posts from other North Shore locals show the swell was firing across the usual spots. John John Florence was also posting from Pipeline that week, giving a sense of the same regional conditions.
John John Florence posting from Pipeline (context for the swell):
Mitchell has also been active promoting his new project, the Living in Liquid podcast, which had Ross Clarke-Jones as an early guest. The podcast’s social account has been part of Mitchell’s recent online activity.
Living in Liquid podcast account:
Credit: Living in Liquid / Apple podcasts
The injuries — what they mean
The images and Mitchell’s account point to multiple facial and throat lacerations. Longboards and “guns” used for big waves pack mass and momentum: when a board impacts a rider it can produce deep cuts or blunt trauma. That aligns with the staples and sutures Mitchell reported.
We’re not naming the treating facility or quoting a medical report, Mitchell’s Instagram is the primary source for the injury description. He has has published an update on his account recently.
Big-wave boards are heavy, keep distance in crowded lineups and consider leash setups and protective gear where appropriate.
If you’re paddling into or near heavy surf, surf with watermen you trust and a clear plan for rescue/aid; rapid on-site assistance matters.
Documenting incidents on social media helps the community understand risks, but official medical details often lag behind the initial posts.
What’s next
Mitchell’s post indicates he’s getting care. There’s no public, detailed timeline for his return to surf but he hopes to get back in the water in a just a few weeks! We’ll follow his social posts and any statements from his team or local authorities and update the story.
If you witnessed the event or have first-hand photos/video that would help clarify the sequence, send them to the Steepline News tips line, but please avoid sharing graphic images without consent.
Hossegor lit up in true autumn fashion on October, with beachbreaks producing heavy, photo‑ready barrels across La Gravière and the surrounding points according to multiple social posts and video uploads. Autumn is the stretch when the Atlantic lines up with the sandbars here, and this week’s swell reminded everyone why Hossegor remains one of the world’s benchmark beachbreaks.
Quick take
– Why it mattered: prime autumn swell combined with shaped sandbars = powerful, hollow waves at several spots along the shoreline. – Who should paddle out: experienced surfers comfortable in heavy beachbreaks; stick-and-stay mentality recommended — these waves can close out fast. – Local context: Hossegor’s reputation as an autumn peak is longstanding; this session sits comfortably in that pattern.
Data and forecast sources (check these for specifics)
– Surfline surf report for Hossegor, for swell direction, period and observed heights around the dates in question:
Credits: Surfline.com | Historical datata
Spots and what to expect (insider primer)
La Gravière: the heavy, hollow beachbreak that produces most of the barrels seen in big autumn swells. Not beginner‑friendly.
La Nord & Les Culs Nus: can light up under the same swell but read the sandbars first, peaks shift during strong swells.
Estagnots: typically mellower when sand builds, but in a large October swell it can close out quickly.
Practical tips: always check local forecasts and cams before driving out; respect local lineups; use a leash rated for powerful beachbreaks; consider a spotter on shore if conditions are heavy.
Final line
Hossegor’s October rhythm showed up again: heavy, hollow and photo‑friendly, a reminder why autumn remains the season everyone watches. If you plan to chase it, do your homework on forecasts and respect the lineup.
