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~~Blood in the surf: how big wave surfer Greg Long made peace with the ocean~~	Blood in the surf: how big-wave surfer Greg Long made peace with the ocean
2015-03-23 09:40:25 UTC	2015-03-23 16:31:56 UTC (about 7 hours later)
Greg Long revels in the details of his endless winter, a lifelong quest in search of the world’s biggest waves. Like many elite athletes he seems to remember everything, from his first colossal wipeout as a 15-year-old at Todos Santos in Baja California to the “wild, windy, shifty mess” of big waves that marked his winter storm apprenticeship at Dungeons in Cape Town, South Africa. One minute, the 31-year-old is vividly painting a picture of his first session at Maverick’s suiting up in the muddy parking lot, walking out to the ocean in the dark with the foghorn blowing, and paddling out into the cold, rock strewn northern California water. The next he’s describing the eerie, ghostly power of Cortes Bank, a sea mount 100 miles off the coast of San Diego, the site of perhaps his greatest triumph, an 80-foot wave, as well as his near demise.	Greg Long revels in the details of his endless winter, a lifelong quest in search of the world’s biggest waves. Like many elite athletes he seems to remember everything, from his first colossal wipeout as a 15-year-old at Todos Santos in Baja California to the “wild, windy, shifty mess” of big waves that marked his winter storm apprenticeship at Dungeons in Cape Town, South Africa. One minute, the 31-year-old is vividly painting a picture of his first session at Maverick’s suiting up in the muddy parking lot, walking out to the ocean in the dark with the foghorn blowing, and paddling out into the cold, rock strewn northern California water. The next he’s describing the eerie, ghostly power of Cortes Bank, a sea mount 100 miles off the coast of San Diego, the site of perhaps his greatest triumph, an 80-foot wave, as well as his near demise.
Details are important to Long. It’s how he makes sense of what he’s chosen to put himself through, where he’s been and where he’s headed next. It’s how he deals with the fear of riding waves the size of five-storey buildings. Because riding giants for Long always comes down to one thing: fear. “There was a time when I wanted to see how big of a wave could I ride, how scary of a situation could I put myself in and still have control of the way I react to that situation,” he says. “As twisted as that sounds to some people, there’s no other way to put it. It’s empowering. You learn to control your mind, you control the world and the reality around you. People always ask, ‘Why?’ What it demands of you, what it shows you are the places that you need to grow within this concept of fear, which is what really keeps people from realizing their greatest potential in this world.”	Details are important to Long. It’s how he makes sense of what he’s chosen to put himself through, where he’s been and where he’s headed next. It’s how he deals with the fear of riding waves the size of five-storey buildings. Because riding giants for Long always comes down to one thing: fear. “There was a time when I wanted to see how big of a wave could I ride, how scary of a situation could I put myself in and still have control of the way I react to that situation,” he says. “As twisted as that sounds to some people, there’s no other way to put it. It’s empowering. You learn to control your mind, you control the world and the reality around you. People always ask, ‘Why?’ What it demands of you, what it shows you are the places that you need to grow within this concept of fear, which is what really keeps people from realizing their greatest potential in this world.”
For 15 years, all Long thought about were big waves. Chasing winter storm swells, he didn’t give himself much time for anything else. In the process he became one of the greatest big wave riders of all time while helping return the sport to its “paddle in” roots. He is the only surfer to win Maverick’s Surf Contest, the Red Bull Rider’s Cup (at Dungeons) and The Quicksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau (known as The Eddie). All the while, despite his reputation as the most prepared of big wave surfers, Long walked the finest of lines, the line between catching the wave of his life or the one that could potentially end it. Then, one day in December 2012, he stepped over that line after paddling into a 25-foot wave at Cortes Bank.	For 15 years, all Long thought about were big waves. Chasing winter storm swells, he didn’t give himself much time for anything else. In the process he became one of the greatest big wave riders of all time while helping return the sport to its “paddle in” roots. He is the only surfer to win Maverick’s Surf Contest, the Red Bull Rider’s Cup (at Dungeons) and The Quicksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau (known as The Eddie). All the while, despite his reputation as the most prepared of big wave surfers, Long walked the finest of lines, the line between catching the wave of his life or the one that could potentially end it. Then, one day in December 2012, he stepped over that line after paddling into a 25-foot wave at Cortes Bank.
Surviving a three-wave hold down – for the uninitiated, Long was underwater while the waves rolled over him, in big wave surfing this can last minutes rather than seconds – seemed to propel Long into legendary status, especially after he returned to win the 2012 Big Wave World Tour. But coming to grips with a new type of fear, a fear defined by his near drowning, turned out to be more problematic. Beating that fear meant stepping away from riding giants and his big wave persona. Only then was Long able to embrace change and open himself to an entirely new ocean of possibility.	Surviving a three-wave hold down – for the uninitiated, Long was underwater while the waves rolled over him, in big wave surfing this can last minutes rather than seconds – seemed to propel Long into legendary status, especially after he returned to win the 2012 Big Wave World Tour. But coming to grips with a new type of fear, a fear defined by his near drowning, turned out to be more problematic. Beating that fear meant stepping away from riding giants and his big wave persona. Only then was Long able to embrace change and open himself to an entirely new ocean of possibility.
In big wave surfing, size is debatable, often apocryphal. If you go by the information relayed by tracking buoys, a 27-foot-deep swell progressing at a 21-second intervals (as was recorded in Hawaii in 1998) could mean 70-foot waves. The Bascom Method measures a wave from its crest to the point of sea level. In other words, from the front. The Hawaiian Wave Scale measures a wave from the back. What’s less debatable is weight. A cubic meter of water weighs just over one ton. So if you take a 10-meter (33 foot) high wave, a 20-meter (66 foot) long lip weighs about 410 tons, or 315 small cars.	In big wave surfing, size is debatable, often apocryphal. If you go by the information relayed by tracking buoys, a 27-foot-deep swell progressing at a 21-second intervals (as was recorded in Hawaii in 1998) could mean 70-foot waves. The Bascom Method measures a wave from its crest to the point of sea level. In other words, from the front. The Hawaiian Wave Scale measures a wave from the back. What’s less debatable is weight. A cubic meter of water weighs just over one ton. So if you take a 10-meter (33 foot) high wave, a 20-meter (66 foot) long lip weighs about 410 tons, or 315 small cars.
So what does it feel like to ride (or wipeout) on one of these monsters? “I think when you’re that connected to nature, harmonizing your rhythms with that of the swells and being able to stand up and ride one, this moving energy, even one feet, two feet, that feeling that you get it’s inexplicable to someone who hasn’t done it,” says Long. “There’s a component to it that you can’t put into words but you feel it in your heart. When you go to that next level or larger and larger waves that feeling is just accentuated. Anything that seemingly, at a glance is impossible when you finally figure out a way to do it you walk away feeling like you’ve done something special.”	So what does it feel like to ride (or wipeout) on one of these monsters? “I think when you’re that connected to nature, harmonizing your rhythms with that of the swells and being able to stand up and ride one, this moving energy, even one feet, two feet, that feeling that you get it’s inexplicable to someone who hasn’t done it,” says Long. “There’s a component to it that you can’t put into words but you feel it in your heart. When you go to that next level or larger and larger waves that feeling is just accentuated. Anything that seemingly, at a glance is impossible when you finally figure out a way to do it you walk away feeling like you’ve done something special.”
The son of a lifeguard, Long grew up in San Clemente, California, an Orange County beach town just north of a world famous small break known as Trestles. For as long as he can remember the ocean has been his playground. And although it wasn’t until the age of 12 that Long set aside other sports to focus solely on surfing, San Clemente proved a perfect setting to foster dreams of a professional career. The town was home to pros Mike “Snips” Parsons and brothers Joe and Terrence McNulty as well as Surfing Magazine. Greg’s alma mater, San Clemente High, home of the Tritons, had its own Surf Team on which he and older brother Rusty, also a professional big wave rider, both starred. Some days he had as many as three surf classes (fully supported by the school): zero period, first period and after school, meaning he might spend just three hours on campus.	The son of a lifeguard, Long grew up in San Clemente, California, an Orange County beach town just north of a world famous small break known as Trestles. For as long as he can remember the ocean has been his playground. And although it wasn’t until the age of 12 that Long set aside other sports to focus solely on surfing, San Clemente proved a perfect setting to foster dreams of a professional career. The town was home to pros Mike “Snips” Parsons and brothers Joe and Terrence McNulty as well as Surfing Magazine. Greg’s alma mater, San Clemente High, home of the Tritons, had its own Surf Team on which he and older brother Rusty, also a professional big wave rider, both starred. Some days he had as many as three surf classes (fully supported by the school): zero period, first period and after school, meaning he might spend just three hours on campus.
San Clemente, where Long still lives, has almost every type of wave one could want, from thumping fast beach breaks to easy cobblestone point breaks. The one thing it lacked, though, turned out to be the one thing the Long craved: big waves. Then, at 15, he was able to convince family friend Jon Walla to take him to Todos Santos, an island off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico with a big wave break known as Killers.	San Clemente, where Long still lives, has almost every type of wave one could want, from thumping fast beach breaks to easy cobblestone point breaks. The one thing it lacked, though, turned out to be the one thing the Long craved: big waves. Then, at 15, he was able to convince family friend Jon Walla to take him to Todos Santos, an island off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico with a big wave break known as Killers.
That first day awoke something deep within Long. He remembers showing up in the dark at Ensenada harbor, the boats creaking as they tracked down one of the local fishermen to take them out to the island and finally jumping off and paddling into the lineup. There were moments of fear and doubt, moments he sat in the channel and watched waves with 20-foot faces rush past him. And there was that sense of accomplishment in taking off and catching one.	That first day awoke something deep within Long. He remembers showing up in the dark at Ensenada harbor, the boats creaking as they tracked down one of the local fishermen to take them out to the island and finally jumping off and paddling into the lineup. There were moments of fear and doubt, moments he sat in the channel and watched waves with 20-foot faces rush past him. And there was that sense of accomplishment in taking off and catching one.
“When I went down there for the first time and experienced that wave it far surpassed anything I had felt or been a part of in my life to that point. Big wave surfing has that extra component to it that makes you feel alive. It’s like as a passionate surfer I’m fulfilling my sense of purpose. It’s forcing me to go within myself physically and mentally to find this elevated sense of being. From living the present moment to channeling that fear into something positive. After that first session that was it. Everything that had happened in my life, three years of competing in amateur events every single weekend, I could care less about. I started to think only in terms of big wave surfing.”	“When I went down there for the first time and experienced that wave it far surpassed anything I had felt or been a part of in my life to that point. Big wave surfing has that extra component to it that makes you feel alive. It’s like as a passionate surfer I’m fulfilling my sense of purpose. It’s forcing me to go within myself physically and mentally to find this elevated sense of being. From living the present moment to channeling that fear into something positive. After that first session that was it. Everything that had happened in my life, three years of competing in amateur events every single weekend, I could care less about. I started to think only in terms of big wave surfing.”
Riding such big waves wasn’t the only thing that got him hooked. In fact, Long says it was getting caught inside a cleanup set (one that breaks further outside than normal) and wiping out that proved to be the deal maker.	Riding such big waves wasn’t the only thing that got him hooked. In fact, Long says it was getting caught inside a cleanup set (one that breaks further outside than normal) and wiping out that proved to be the deal maker.
“I remember coming over the top of one wave and then, as what happens regularly out there, another is getting ready to break about 50 feet outside of us. It was probably about 25 feet on the face and this thing landed right on top of me. At first, when I saw it, there was that moment of panic but then I thought, ‘You can do this, don’t worry.’ Going through the whole rag-dolling motion, getting dragged under water, coming up and taking a couple more, getting washed by the rocks to the inside and coming out the other side and being OK. It’s kind of weird but I think you’ll get most big wave surfers to admit it that there are times that walking away from a horrendous wipeout can almost feel better than having made a wave. It forces you into a whole other frame of mind. Instinctively you want to panic and freak out but you know that you can’t.”	“I remember coming over the top of one wave and then, as what happens regularly out there, another is getting ready to break about 50 feet outside of us. It was probably about 25 feet on the face and this thing landed right on top of me. At first, when I saw it, there was that moment of panic but then I thought, ‘You can do this, don’t worry.’ Going through the whole rag-dolling motion, getting dragged under water, coming up and taking a couple more, getting washed by the rocks to the inside and coming out the other side and being OK. It’s kind of weird but I think you’ll get most big wave surfers to admit it that there are times that walking away from a horrendous wipeout can almost feel better than having made a wave. It forces you into a whole other frame of mind. Instinctively you want to panic and freak out but you know that you can’t.”
When he was 18, Long won the National Scholastic Surfing Association’s national championship held conveniently enough at Trestles. The event has long been a springboard to stardom on the Association of Surfing Professionals pro tour. Kelly Slater and Andy Irons are two previous winners. Long knew he could probably compete on the ASP tour but he didn’t see himself as a world champion. And his heart wasn’t in it. He wanted to travel the world in search of big swells. But he needed a sponsor.	When he was 18, Long won the National Scholastic Surfing Association’s national championship held conveniently enough at Trestles. The event has long been a springboard to stardom on the Association of Surfing Professionals pro tour. Kelly Slater and Andy Irons are two previous winners. Long knew he could probably compete on the ASP tour but he didn’t see himself as a world champion. And his heart wasn’t in it. He wanted to travel the world in search of big swells. But he needed a sponsor.
The dilemma of convincing a company to sponsor him was exacerbated by one simple fact. At the turn of the century, there was no such thing as a professional big wave surfer and most potential sponsors couldn’t see a market for what Long wanted to do. Fortunately, one did. Ocean Pacific, or OP, an apparel company in the midst of a resurrection, took a chance on Long and provided him with a travel budget. As long as his travels were documented and some sort of photos or content was coming back to OP, he could go anywhere.	The dilemma of convincing a company to sponsor him was exacerbated by one simple fact. At the turn of the century, there was no such thing as a professional big wave surfer and most potential sponsors couldn’t see a market for what Long wanted to do. Fortunately, one did. Ocean Pacific, or OP, an apparel company in the midst of a resurrection, took a chance on Long and provided him with a travel budget. As long as his travels were documented and some sort of photos or content was coming back to OP, he could go anywhere.
That first year Long traveled to Indonesia, Australia, even Ireland. But it was a trip to South Africa that changed his life. In Cape Town, Long fell in with a hardcore, underground group of big wave surfers who called the stormy, shark-filled break known as Dungeons home. Long says cutting his teeth at Dungeons hardened him up quick and for 10 straight years he returned to spend three to five months there.	That first year Long traveled to Indonesia, Australia, even Ireland. But it was a trip to South Africa that changed his life. In Cape Town, Long fell in with a hardcore, underground group of big wave surfers who called the stormy, shark-filled break known as Dungeons home. Long says cutting his teeth at Dungeons hardened him up quick and for 10 straight years he returned to spend three to five months there.
“In Cape Town in the middle of winter it’s big almost every single week. But you’re often plagued with really rough conditions. But the guys down there would surf it every single time. When you’re surfing big waves every week in challenging conditions your confidence goes through the roof. When I came home and surfed Todos Santos which, when it’s doing its thing, is a perfect peak in one place as opposed to Dungeons which is a wild, windy, shifty mess of a big wave, it seemed so easy for me.”	“In Cape Town in the middle of winter it’s big almost every single week. But you’re often plagued with really rough conditions. But the guys down there would surf it every single time. When you’re surfing big waves every week in challenging conditions your confidence goes through the roof. When I came home and surfed Todos Santos which, when it’s doing its thing, is a perfect peak in one place as opposed to Dungeons which is a wild, windy, shifty mess of a big wave, it seemed so easy for me.”
Today’s big wave surfers aren’t just thrillseekers. They’re also scientists, storm chasers, amateur meteorologists armed with radar, swell charts, buoy readings. Winter storms that kick up around Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and head south are particularly intriguing. On radar they appear as massive purple or magenta blobs and the trick is to predict where and when the swells produced by said blobs will hit.	Today’s big wave surfers aren’t just thrillseekers. They’re also scientists, storm chasers, amateur meteorologists armed with radar, swell charts, buoy readings. Winter storms that kick up around Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and head south are particularly intriguing. On radar they appear as massive purple or magenta blobs and the trick is to predict where and when the swells produced by said blobs will hit.
At dawn on 5 January, 2008, Long, Mike Parsons, Grant “Twiggy” Baker, Brad Gerlach and photographer Rob Brown headed for the Cortes Bank in pursuit of possibly the biggest waves they had ever ridden. Long says it was as dangerous a trip as he has ever attempted. From an early age, Greg’s lifeguard father Steve had drilled in him in water safety. But this was one trip dad refused to sanction. “On paper it was absurd what we were trying to do,” Greg says. “But there was the opportunity to do it.”	At dawn on 5 January, 2008, Long, Mike Parsons, Grant “Twiggy” Baker, Brad Gerlach and photographer Rob Brown headed for the Cortes Bank in pursuit of possibly the biggest waves they had ever ridden. Long says it was as dangerous a trip as he has ever attempted. From an early age, Greg’s lifeguard father Steve had drilled in him in water safety. But this was one trip dad refused to sanction. “On paper it was absurd what we were trying to do,” Greg says. “But there was the opportunity to do it.”
On paper, a series of three Aleutian storms had descended in the Pacific and were headed for the California coast. The night before one storm had begun to come ashore, tearing off tree branches outside Long’s San Clemente home. The wind was a brisk 35 knots, but Long and his friends determined that there was a window of time, maybe five hours, between this storm hitting Cortes and the next one. So they set off the next morning in Brown’s boat, a catamaran with a mount for one JetSki. They would have to trade off riding the second Ski through squalls and driving rain.	On paper, a series of three Aleutian storms had descended in the Pacific and were headed for the California coast. The night before one storm had begun to come ashore, tearing off tree branches outside Long’s San Clemente home. The wind was a brisk 35 knots, but Long and his friends determined that there was a window of time, maybe five hours, between this storm hitting Cortes and the next one. So they set off the next morning in Brown’s boat, a catamaran with a mount for one JetSki. They would have to trade off riding the second Ski through squalls and driving rain.
The Cortes Bank wave has been dubbed the “ghost wave”, and Long admits the place has an “eerie vibe”. How could it not? Almost every other big wave break in the world is near land. Before he enters the lineup, a surfer can pick out a spot onshore as a reference point to look for in case of a wipeout, a process known as triangulation. At Cortes Bank, 100 miles off the coast, that’s impossible.	The Cortes Bank wave has been dubbed the “ghost wave”, and Long admits the place has an “eerie vibe”. How could it not? Almost every other big wave break in the world is near land. Before he enters the lineup, a surfer can pick out a spot onshore as a reference point to look for in case of a wipeout, a process known as triangulation. At Cortes Bank, 100 miles off the coast, that’s impossible.
It’s really a freak of nature. A 5,000-foot sea mountain, once an island on the outermost tip of the Channel Islands chain, Cortes rises to within five feet of the surface. The bank on which swells build is 20 miles long. Adding to that is the speed of open ocean swells that sometimes move at close to 40mph (a typical big wave speed is around 25mph).	It’s really a freak of nature. A 5,000-foot sea mountain, once an island on the outermost tip of the Channel Islands chain, Cortes rises to within five feet of the surface. The bank on which swells build is 20 miles long. Adding to that is the speed of open ocean swells that sometimes move at close to 40mph (a typical big wave speed is around 25mph).
“At Cortes, you have a whole other series of dynamic influences on how fast a wave is moving or even seemingly moving,” Greg says. “As a wave approaches it creates its own wind so if it’s moving 35mph as it’s breaking you’ve got wind coming up the face. Or it might be drawing water off the reef as you’re trying to drop down.”	“At Cortes, you have a whole other series of dynamic influences on how fast a wave is moving or even seemingly moving,” Greg says. “As a wave approaches it creates its own wind so if it’s moving 35mph as it’s breaking you’ve got wind coming up the face. Or it might be drawing water off the reef as you’re trying to drop down.”
Long first surfed Cortes in 2005, but 2008 was the biggest he has seen it. Driving the Ski he could see the plumes of white water five miles from the bank. Once the boat reached the break around 1pm the crew was greeted with massive waves swirling around the reef which Long described as “otherworldly”. The guys mounted up. Towing was the only way onto these monsters. On the boat, Brown shot stills but he couldn’t get too close and much of the early afternoon went undocumented. One wave he did capture on film was one Parsons caught that hit the reef perfectly on the middle peak. “I saw Mike’s wave. We rode the wave before that and kicked out in the channel,” says Long. “I remember turning around and looking at it.” A swell in front of the wave actually obscured the first part of Parsons’ drop but Brown’s photo framed enough of the ride to win the Billabong XXL Biggest Wave award that year. It was estimated to be 77-feet, considered then a world record, but Long says he saw Parsons catch one at least as big later on in the day.	Long first surfed Cortes in 2005, but 2008 was the biggest he has seen it. Driving the Ski he could see the plumes of white water five miles from the bank. Once the boat reached the break around 1pm the crew was greeted with massive waves swirling around the reef which Long described as “otherworldly”. The guys mounted up. Towing was the only way onto these monsters. On the boat, Brown shot stills but he couldn’t get too close and much of the early afternoon went undocumented. One wave he did capture on film was one Parsons caught that hit the reef perfectly on the middle peak. “I saw Mike’s wave. We rode the wave before that and kicked out in the channel,” says Long. “I remember turning around and looking at it.” A swell in front of the wave actually obscured the first part of Parsons’ drop but Brown’s photo framed enough of the ride to win the Billabong XXL Biggest Wave award that year. It was estimated to be 77-feet, considered then a world record, but Long says he saw Parsons catch one at least as big later on in the day.
As evening settled in Long caught his own 80-foot giant further up the reef, a mile or so from Brown’s boat. He has a hazy photo of it on his phone. “When the set came in there was that moment of questioning,” he says. “You know, ‘Are you really going to do this right now?’” Towed in by Baker, Long could feel the water being displaced so much that at first he had trouble dropping in. By the end of the ride he was so pumped full of adrenaline that he was trembling and vomiting. “That’s the biggest wave I’ve ever ridden for sure. If Mike rode a 77-footer then we were riding 80-foot waves later that afternoon. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance to ride waves that big. Or if I would want to.”	As evening settled in Long caught his own 80-foot giant further up the reef, a mile or so from Brown’s boat. He has a hazy photo of it on his phone. “When the set came in there was that moment of questioning,” he says. “You know, ‘Are you really going to do this right now?’” Towed in by Baker, Long could feel the water being displaced so much that at first he had trouble dropping in. By the end of the ride he was so pumped full of adrenaline that he was trembling and vomiting. “That’s the biggest wave I’ve ever ridden for sure. If Mike rode a 77-footer then we were riding 80-foot waves later that afternoon. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance to ride waves that big. Or if I would want to.”
In the history of big wave surfing one can draw a line from Greg Noll to Laird Hamilton. They are big guys with big personalities set against big waves. Noll, whom Long was named after, was known as “The Bull”. His 1969 ride (and wipeout) at Makaha, Oahu during what was dubbed the “Swell of the 20th- century” is part of the sport’s oral history. No photo or film of it exists, just eyewitness accounts. Hamilton, with numerous iconic rides of his own (Teahupoo, Tahiti in 2000, Maui in 2007), remains the sport’s biggest name, the garrulous star of surf docs as well as the tow-in revolution’s leader of the 1990s and 2000s.	In the history of big wave surfing one can draw a line from Greg Noll to Laird Hamilton. They are big guys with big personalities set against big waves. Noll, whom Long was named after, was known as “The Bull”. His 1969 ride (and wipeout) at Makaha, Oahu during what was dubbed the “Swell of the 20th- century” is part of the sport’s oral history. No photo or film of it exists, just eyewitness accounts. Hamilton, with numerous iconic rides of his own (Teahupoo, Tahiti in 2000, Maui in 2007), remains the sport’s biggest name, the garrulous star of surf docs as well as the tow-in revolution’s leader of the 1990s and 2000s.
Long is slighter than either his namesake Noll or the ripped Hamilton, but his impact on the sport may eventually rank with both men. In person, he looks the product of a workout routine that includes daily yoga. He is lanky with a basketball player’s wingspan and huge hands. His spindly middle fingers seem to be six inches long. Long jokes that maybe his oar-like mitts are what helped him paddle into so many big waves, funny since one of his biggest contributions has been to help return the sport to its paddling roots.	Long is slighter than either his namesake Noll or the ripped Hamilton, but his impact on the sport may eventually rank with both men. In person, he looks the product of a workout routine that includes daily yoga. He is lanky with a basketball player’s wingspan and huge hands. His spindly middle fingers seem to be six inches long. Long jokes that maybe his oar-like mitts are what helped him paddle into so many big waves, funny since one of his biggest contributions has been to help return the sport to its paddling roots.
For several years, Long and a coterie of big wave surfers have ditched the JetSki in favor of what Long calls “bare-handing” it. There is a moment of contemplation in tow surfing before you zoom across a wave face, but Long says that feeling of sitting on your board and knowing it’s all on you is second to none. In addition, advances in the sport such as inflatable wetsuits, portable spare air tanks and various fin foils have aided the resurgence of paddle surfing in larger and larger surf. “Many surfers at different breaks have proved that what was thought seemingly impossible was in fact possible,” says Long “You just had to figure out how to do it, have the desire and be willing to pay the price if things did go wrong.”	For several years, Long and a coterie of big wave surfers have ditched the JetSki in favor of what Long calls “bare-handing” it. There is a moment of contemplation in tow surfing before you zoom across a wave face, but Long says that feeling of sitting on your board and knowing it’s all on you is second to none. In addition, advances in the sport such as inflatable wetsuits, portable spare air tanks and various fin foils have aided the resurgence of paddle surfing in larger and larger surf. “Many surfers at different breaks have proved that what was thought seemingly impossible was in fact possible,” says Long “You just had to figure out how to do it, have the desire and be willing to pay the price if things did go wrong.”
Of course, something did go wrong in December 2012 when Long returned to Cortes Bank. This time he felt prepared with a 110-foot boat and six JetSki operators supporting four surfers. The waves were big but nothing like 2008, allowing Long to paddle in. But as he knew all too well, each wipeout is unpredictable. “Some waves you fall on and you get in a weird air pocket and come right up,” he says. “Others you’re not expecting a bad wipeout and you end up in an underwater vortex of sorts and the next thing you know you’re held under for two waves. It’s just a roll of the dice. It becomes a numbers game.”	Of course, something did go wrong in December 2012 when Long returned to Cortes Bank. This time he felt prepared with a 110-foot boat and six JetSki operators supporting four surfers. The waves were big but nothing like 2008, allowing Long to paddle in. But as he knew all too well, each wipeout is unpredictable. “Some waves you fall on and you get in a weird air pocket and come right up,” he says. “Others you’re not expecting a bad wipeout and you end up in an underwater vortex of sorts and the next thing you know you’re held under for two waves. It’s just a roll of the dice. It becomes a numbers game.”
Nothing seemed unusual about a 25-foot wave Long caught that day (the ~~secon~~ of a five-wave set) until he realized he had misjudged and was overtaken by the white water and plunged into what he calls “the perfect storm of a wipeout”, an astonishing three-wave hold-down.	Nothing seemed unusual about a 25-foot wave Long caught that day (the second of a five-wave set) until he realized he had misjudged and was overtaken by the white water and plunged into what he calls “the perfect storm of a wipeout”, an astonishing three-wave hold-down.
Beneath the surface, Long, a practitioner of mindfulness and apnea training (he says he can hold his breath for five minutes in a pool) refused to panic. “When you’re underwater it’s all about conserving your energy,” he says. “Thoughts are energy. So you can go from being totally calm, at peace and then your mind switches and you have this sense of panic, ‘Oh my God, I have to get to the surface, I’m drowning.’ Your body is going to react in less than a heartbeat and feel that way. Underwater it’s all about finding that state of zen, neither here nor there, relaxing, going through the motions and falling back on the training of being able to hold your breath for extended periods of time.”	Beneath the surface, Long, a practitioner of mindfulness and apnea training (he says he can hold his breath for five minutes in a pool) refused to panic. “When you’re underwater it’s all about conserving your energy,” he says. “Thoughts are energy. So you can go from being totally calm, at peace and then your mind switches and you have this sense of panic, ‘Oh my God, I have to get to the surface, I’m drowning.’ Your body is going to react in less than a heartbeat and feel that way. Underwater it’s all about finding that state of zen, neither here nor there, relaxing, going through the motions and falling back on the training of being able to hold your breath for extended periods of time.”
Long tried deploying his inflatable suit but it failed. Holding his breath, he made it to within a few feet of the surface only to have the lip of the second wave land right on top of him, sending him 30 feet below and expelling the air from his lungs. It felt like he was broken in two and his body began cramping and convulsing. Fighting the impulse to inhale, Long’s laryngospasm reflex kicked in closing the airway to his lungs and keeping what remaining oxygen he had in his brain. As the third wave passed Long tried to climb his leash, still attached to his board, and made one last push for the surface. That’s when the lights went out.	Long tried deploying his inflatable suit but it failed. Holding his breath, he made it to within a few feet of the surface only to have the lip of the second wave land right on top of him, sending him 30 feet below and expelling the air from his lungs. It felt like he was broken in two and his body began cramping and convulsing. Fighting the impulse to inhale, Long’s laryngospasm reflex kicked in closing the airway to his lungs and keeping what remaining oxygen he had in his brain. As the third wave passed Long tried to climb his leash, still attached to his board, and made one last push for the surface. That’s when the lights went out.
Floating to the surface, connected to his tombstoning board, Long’s all but lifeless body was plucked out of the water and ferried by JetSki to a support boat. It was there after several minutes that he began to regain consciousness, breathing again and coughing up blood. A Coast Guard chopper was summoned. It would take five hours to arrive.	Floating to the surface, connected to his tombstoning board, Long’s all but lifeless body was plucked out of the water and ferried by JetSki to a support boat. It was there after several minutes that he began to regain consciousness, breathing again and coughing up blood. A Coast Guard chopper was summoned. It would take five hours to arrive.
Lying on the boat, waiting to be flown to San Diego, Long swore off big wave surfing. “I thought of those things in life that really matter,” he says. “I couldn’t care less if I caught the biggest wave ever or if I caught a good one that day. I thought about all the spaces in between, who I was as an actual person in this time I’ve spent here. The whole experience is a novel in its own right.”	Lying on the boat, waiting to be flown to San Diego, Long swore off big wave surfing. “I thought of those things in life that really matter,” he says. “I couldn’t care less if I caught the biggest wave ever or if I caught a good one that day. I thought about all the spaces in between, who I was as an actual person in this time I’ve spent here. The whole experience is a novel in its own right.”
Back in San Diego, Long was taken to a local hospital where he underwent a series of tests including x-rays and a cat scan. He was monitored for possible secondary drowning when water in your body can build up in your lungs. The next morning a doctor came in and told him he was fine and free to go home.	Back in San Diego, Long was taken to a local hospital where he underwent a series of tests including x-rays and a cat scan. He was monitored for possible secondary drowning when water in your body can build up in your lungs. The next morning a doctor came in and told him he was fine and free to go home.
Long likes to says that the ocean is a perfect metaphor for life. It is never the same, constantly shifting, forever in flux. And while riding big waves had always been his means of personal exploration, of growing and evolving, he never denied the consequences of immersing himself in such an unpredictable and uncontrollable environment. He had witnessed friends drown and knew “that one day this could be a reality for me”.	Long likes to says that the ocean is a perfect metaphor for life. It is never the same, constantly shifting, forever in flux. And while riding big waves had always been his means of personal exploration, of growing and evolving, he never denied the consequences of immersing himself in such an unpredictable and uncontrollable environment. He had witnessed friends drown and knew “that one day this could be a reality for me”.
The reality of Cortes 2012 was that it changed Long forever. He just didn’t know it yet. So three weeks later when the opportunity presented itself he was back surfing, at Maverick’s no less. It was only when he paddled out that he knew something was different. The old fear born of respect and humility in the face of nature’s majesty wasn’t the same.	The reality of Cortes 2012 was that it changed Long forever. He just didn’t know it yet. So three weeks later when the opportunity presented itself he was back surfing, at Maverick’s no less. It was only when he paddled out that he knew something was different. The old fear born of respect and humility in the face of nature’s majesty wasn’t the same.
“The fear I felt then when I stepped into the water was an entirely different fear,” he says. “It wasn’t just this big wave is coming, you shouldn’t be here. It was so deep in my soul and taking me back to Cortes. Some people would categorize it as post-traumatic stress disorder. It was the worst thing I could have done. It was the fear of being judged, of my ego being bruised, that I got knocked down and couldn’t get back up. So I did go back out and I was able to fall back on that muscle memory but it wasn’t a comfortable, natural thing for me. Every single wave I surfed and made I felt like I just dodged a bullet. As soon as I fell in the water there was this immediate panic, like, ‘Oh my God, you’re going to drown again’ or ‘Why are you back here?’”	“The fear I felt then when I stepped into the water was an entirely different fear,” he says. “It wasn’t just this big wave is coming, you shouldn’t be here. It was so deep in my soul and taking me back to Cortes. Some people would categorize it as post-traumatic stress disorder. It was the worst thing I could have done. It was the fear of being judged, of my ego being bruised, that I got knocked down and couldn’t get back up. So I did go back out and I was able to fall back on that muscle memory but it wasn’t a comfortable, natural thing for me. Every single wave I surfed and made I felt like I just dodged a bullet. As soon as I fell in the water there was this immediate panic, like, ‘Oh my God, you’re going to drown again’ or ‘Why are you back here?’”
Long says the situation only got worse when later he was named the winner of the Big Wave World Tour. “All of a sudden I was back to the Greg Long I had been coined as before except I wasn’t,” he says. “I just carried on but it wasn’t fun. I went to this dark place of fear where it was almost tortuous at times. There was the idea that I’d never get over it if I didn’t immerse myself in it. But as I came to realize later there were a lot of emotions I needed to sort through before I could make space for surfing big waves or not.”	Long says the situation only got worse when later he was named the winner of the Big Wave World Tour. “All of a sudden I was back to the Greg Long I had been coined as before except I wasn’t,” he says. “I just carried on but it wasn’t fun. I went to this dark place of fear where it was almost tortuous at times. There was the idea that I’d never get over it if I didn’t immerse myself in it. But as I came to realize later there were a lot of emotions I needed to sort through before I could make space for surfing big waves or not.”