destination: top secret

3
O ur first Secret Spot Mission (see the July 2008 issue) was Operation Jumping Rock. For SSM II, we would take our readers on another adventure at a secret destination.We could tell you where it is,but then we’d have to kill you. The day started with an early-morning drive to the ocean.Two trailered 2009 Honda Aquatrax F-15Xs bobbed around in the rearview mirror as we tried our best not to get caught speeding en route to our much-anticipated sequel Secret Spot Mission. The details of the mission were sketchy at best.We were to meet IJSBA World Cham- pion Craig Warner at a public launch ramp, suit up, unload the skis, and then set out as Craig led us on a clandestine mission to an undisclosed location in the Pacific Ocean. The swell was picking up, winds were calm, and – if all went smoothly – we would have some exceptional conditions for some tow- surfing and freeriding with the World champ. And smoothly it went. Though the weather hadn’t cooperated 100 percent – a thick blanket of fog shrouded the coastline and the anticipated southwest swell arriving from Tahiti hadn’t yet peaked – we were met with glassy water and 3- to 5-foot waves with the occasional overhead set. Craig Warner’s Kawasaki Ultra 250X was appointed as our official tow vessel for the tow-in surf sesh, while the two Hondas served as recovery/support and as a stable shooting platform from which photographer Danny Evans would document the secret mission. After affixing a 25-foot tow rope to the Kawasaki and breaking out the 5-foot-6- inch Eletic tow-in surfboard, the challenge was to learn the timing and speed needed to effectively launch a surfer into a proper wave.Within minutes, Craig Warner and PWI sales associate Dave Szych had the moves down pat, and were consistently pulling each other into the glassy surf like they’d been doing it for years, laughing and hollering in unison with each successful pull. While Danny and I searched out a suit- able channel that would effectively shelter us from the impact of incoming sets while keep- ing us out of Craig and Dave’s direct path, the swell began picking up.The cut-backs and aerial bail-outs stacked up as our surfers grew more and more emboldened on the 40 PERSONAL WATERCRAFT ILLUSTRATED OCT/NOV 2009 T EXT BY J USTIN S TANNARD P HOTOGRAPHY BY D ANNY E VANS 40-42 Surfing_PWI7 8/14/09 1:07 PM Page 40

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Personal Watercraft Illustrated, Oct/Nov 2009 Adventure feature that takes the reader on a ride to one of California's most popular (and closely guarded secret) freeriding spots with IJSBA World Champion Craig Warner.

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Page 1: Destination: Top Secret

Our first Secret Spot Mission (see theJuly 2008 issue) was OperationJumping Rock. For SSM II, we would

take our readers on another adventure at asecret destination.We could tell you where itis, but then we’d have to kill you.

The day started with an early-morningdrive to the ocean. Two trailered 2009Honda Aquatrax F-15Xs bobbed around inthe rearview mirror as we tried our best notto get caught speeding en route to ourmuch-anticipated sequel Secret Spot Mission.The details of the mission were sketchy atbest. We were to meet IJSBA World Cham-pion Craig Warner at a public launch ramp,suit up, unload the skis, and then set out asCraig led us on a clandestine mission to anundisclosed location in the Pacific Ocean.

The swell was picking up, winds were calm,and – if all went smoothly – we would havesome exceptional conditions for some tow-surfing and freeriding with the World champ.

And smoothly it went.Though the weather hadn’t cooperated

100 percent – a thick blanket of fogshrouded the coastline and the anticipatedsouthwest swell arriving from Tahiti hadn’tyet peaked – we were met with glassy waterand 3- to 5-foot waves with the occasionaloverhead set.

Craig Warner’s Kawasaki Ultra 250Xwas appointed as our official tow vessel forthe tow-in surf sesh, while the two Hondasserved as recovery/support and as a stableshooting platform from which photographerDanny Evans would document the secret

mission. After affixing a 25-foot tow rope tothe Kawasaki and breaking out the 5-foot-6-inch Eletic tow-in surfboard, the challengewas to learn the timing and speed needed toeffectively launch a surfer into a properwave.Within minutes, Craig Warner and PWIsales associate Dave Szych had the movesdown pat, and were consistently pulling eachother into the glassy surf like they’d beendoing it for years, laughing and hollering inunison with each successful pull.

While Danny and I searched out a suit-able channel that would effectively shelter usfrom the impact of incoming sets while keep-ing us out of Craig and Dave’s direct path,the swell began picking up.The cut-backs andaerial bail-outs stacked up as our surfersgrew more and more emboldened on the

40 PERSONAL WATERCRAFT ILLUSTRATED • OCT/NOV 2009

T E X T B Y J U S T I N S T A N N A R DP H O T O G R A P H Y B Y D A N N Y E V A N S

40-42 Surfing_PWI7 8/14/09 1:07 PM Page 40

Page 2: Destination: Top Secret

OCT/NOV 2009 • watercraft.com 41

Teamwork is essential when pulling each other intopowerful, fast-moving waves with a PWC. Luckily,Craig Warner and Dave Szych meshed immediatelyand hit it off just like Maxwell Smart and Agent 99.

IJSBA World Champion Craig Warner,caught here in a shot that wouldn’t be out ofplace in Surfing magazine, cut up the surfand threw down some serious skills.

After successfully being matched with a perfect waveby tow-in partner Craig Warner, PWI sales associate

Dave Szych gets ready to cut into a fresh one.

The nice thing about aerials is that you don’tactually need to land them to look like a pro.

40-42 Surfing_PWI7 8/14/09 1:07 PM Page 41

Page 3: Destination: Top Secret

faces of the powerful waves. Warm sunlightbegan spilling out of the fog in short inter-vals, teasing us with the prospect of a warmand sunny day to look forward to. But theclouds had other plans, and quickly moved toblot out any sunlight that was able to piercetheir oppressive gray blanket.

By the time we wrapped up our tow-surf-ing session, the dense fog (which at one pointcut visibility down to about 15 feet) hadburned off. A thick layer of high clouds defi-antly remained nonetheless, but the warmertemperatures and bigger waves brought thewild side out of all of us.We started out small

by tackling the developing waves, but soongraduated to rushing big peaking sets, gainingexperience in jumping the hefty watercraft.The Hondas performed extremely well inthese conditions, and their launch stability andforgiving landings were boosting our confi-dence. Well, confidence was boosting – untilthe World champ came and put us to shame.

To simply state that Craig Warner is amadman is a bit forward – maybe even dis-courteous. But take a look at the photos cap-tured by Danny’s camera and you’ll seeexactly why it’s more a compliment than aninsult.You may also begin to understand whyit is that Craig prays for foul weather everynight before a race. The bigger the wavesclimb, the more chop the wind whips up, thehappier Craig becomes. Take this example:Part of the racer’s official training regimenconsists of setting up a buoy course in thesurf – no, not just the ocean, but in the break-ing surf – and then running laps against histraining partner, Chris Heinrich, in the mess.

As the sets began providing consistentlyfair-shaped 4- to 6-foot waves, Dave and I hadto take a few minutes to cut engines and hangout next to Danny, who had found a greatshooting spot just outside the breakers, towatch as Craig pulled one jaw-dropping jumpafter another on his bright red, “Monstered-out” Kawasaki. Even in the mediocre waves,the sight of Craig pulling clean freestylemotocross-style Indian Airs – at 25 feet up –were pretty wicked. Equally as impressivewere the sights of Craig hucking off of theface of waves and performing a 180-degreerotation on his 1,000-plus-pound Ultra 250X– and landing it. According to the Worldchamp, he’s been consistently landing full 360son his more nimble STX-15F in equal-sizedsurf.With any luck, he hopes to be landing the360 on an Ultra in the next couple of months.

After spending a good part of the latemorning abusing our knees, wrists and spines(not to mention our watercraft), we decidedto call it a day and head back in. On the wayback, while the rest of us searched for a fewmore waves to jump, Craig was busy surfing– that’s right, surfing. By planting both feet onone side of the craft’s footwells and usingvery careful throttle control, Craig has mas-tered surfing the breaking waves on an 11-foot-long runabout.

Just as we motored toward the harbor’sbreakwater, the sun finally broke through thestubborn cloud cover, dousing the oceanwith light and turning the sea to a brightblue.The warmth was refreshing and sparkeda full-blast run through the last of the rollingswells and into the no-wake zone. Idling pasta small group of fellow Secret Spot fre-quenters on the way back in, a swelling tri-umphant feeling washed over me. I gave aquick nod to Craig, took a deep breath ofcool, salty air, looked up to the bright bluesky, and slowly exhaled: another Secret SpotMission completed.

Now, where to next…? PWI

42 PERSONAL WATERCRAFT ILLUSTRATED • OCT/NOV 2009

Warner coaxes the 1,000-plus-pound Ultra into a 180-degree spin. Rumor has it that a full-blown 360 is on its way.

I think we smell an entry for theBlowsion Big Shot Awards here…

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