MAIDEN MEXICO Kenworthy Photo Essay by Jason
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or our sport’s best paddlers, adventure is how they live their lives. In 2011, seven paddlers boarded a boat in Indonesia and set out to explore the villages, beaches and breaks of the Mentawai Islands. The result was H2Indo, a documentary-paddle film by Brent Deal. It was one of the most well-received flicks in the sport’s history. Two years later that same group of paddlers—plus one of the best racers in the game, Danny Ching—met in Northern Baja to catch a ride on the Royal Pelagic and mine the length of the Baja Coast for the best surf they could find, paddling many spots that had never seen a standup before. The following photo essay from SUP magazine photographer Jason Kenworthy documents their journey. 2 CANOEKAYAK.COM
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“The crew on the boat was amazing, that’s what made this trip. From the captain and his crew, adding Danny Ching, it was a boat full of laughter and stoke. I look up to all the older guys like Chuck, Dave Kalama, Danny and Jamie, so to have them all on the boat was super-sick. I just got to know them all way better and now get to call them ‘my boys.’”— Connor Baxter
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“For me, I like getting the most out of traveling. I’ve always been a guy to go off on my own and really check out different stuff instead of being on the boat all the time. It’s nice to get away and really see what’s out there. That’s part of the adventure for me. Getting up early, getting back late at night. Instead of waiting for the conditions to happen, you’re already out there on the water when they do.”—Chuck Patterson
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“Mag Bay was a defining moment for me. Exploring where there was no surf, we took the jetskis and checked out this fishing village and saw a lot of cool locals eating shark, then paddled down these super-long, swamp-like mangrove canals.”—Chuck Patterson 16 CANOEKAYAK.COM
“We all respect each other’s skills and backgrounds. I had fun picking Danny Ching’s brain on everything paddlestroke, training, racing, etc. And it was fun to lend some knowledge on surf design and fins. Danny is a cool dude. We have the same birthday (May 14) so we’re cooler than the other guys.” –Dave Boehne CANOEKAYAK.COM
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“We scored waves for a few days but for most of the trip we had to get a little creative and search for some gems. That’s what makes a Mex adventure official to me, though: It’s not a Baja trip until something goes wrong.”— Dave Boehne
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“‘Chuck’s Right,’ this wave we waited at for four days to break. Me, Talia and Boehne bailed and got the most epic surf of the trip at a beach break. Three hours of epic surf with no cameraman cause they were all still waiting for ‘Chuck’s Right’ to break.” –Danny Ching
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“The boat was so nice. I didn’t think we’d get accommodation that good. I’m used to surf trips where you bring your sleeping bag and maybe a PowerBar. It was super-fancy. Everyone had their own bed. It was a crab fishing boat turned into a luxury yacht with three motorboats on the back that would zip us out to different breaks.” –Danny Ching
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“My favorite wave was called “The Crack”. It was a fast and powerful right-hand wave that broke at the end of a giant canyon. You could set up two or three turns and then the end section had a big close out, perfect for practicing airs and big hits. I felt like my surfing progressed just from a few sessions there.” —Slater Trout
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“The level of surfing had progressed so much since our last gathering in Indonesia when we filmed H2indO. Everyone’s equipment was so much different and everybody was surfing on a much higher level. That’s exciting to see because it shows how young our sport is, and how fast it’s progressing.” –Slater Trout
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“This trip was a cool blend of youth and experience again. It was good to see the young kids pushing it and guys like Dave (Kalama) and Chuck (Patterson) being inspired and pushing it just as hard.” –Jamie Mitchell
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“I like to feed off everyone’s energy. If I see someone get a good barrel or do a big turn it gets me fired up to try and do the same. It helps push your surfing for sure.” –Jamie Mitchell
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