One thing I’ve noticed about many of my favorite surfers is how they can jump on just about any type of equipment and skillfully ride waves without missing a beat. Longboard stylist, Kassia Meador, is one of those multi-faceted surfers who can surf anything from a high-performance thruster, to a retro-styled twin fin, to a traditional single fin log. I’m not sure if she still rides them, but a number of years back, Kassia began riding a thin, finless, wooden board known as an Alaia.
If you’ve ever seen someone surf an Alaia, you’ll quickly realize that it is a completely different way to ride waves. I’ve seen many people give it a go, only to return to the sand deflated that they either couldn’t catch a wave or the ones they did catch resulted in wipeout after wipeout. For those who push through the initial challenges, however, the reward is a feeling of unadulterated speed, glide, slide, and freedom. On this particular wave in Encinitas a few years back, Kassia Meador glides into a fun, lined-up, glassy left. It’s really fun to watch the nuances that come into play on finless boards—case in point, the subtle drifting Kassia employs as she heads into her 360-degree spin. Landing a floater on an Alaia is no easy task, but Kassia effortlessly pulls one off to finish her ride.
Thank you for stopping by for another installment of Single Wave Thursday. As always, thank you for your support of Jettygirl. None of this would be possible without you, our dear readers.
Surfer: Kassia Meador - @kassiameador Film: Chris Grant - @chrisgrantphoto Sound: Audio provided by abcopen at freesound.org
Surf Photo Friday - The Session That Changed Everything
Truth be told these photos are from two days, July 21 and 22, 2005, yet in my memory they've become one and the same surf session. A month or so earlier I had picked up my first SLR camera since owning an old Canon AE-1 back in high school. A good friend of mine and great surfer in his own rite, 
Rip Curl Wetsuits - With an eye on style, Rip Curl's spring suit line features contrast piping, lower back cutouts, and high-performance cross-backs.
Roxy Wetsuits - Buoyed by Kassia Meador's wetsuit line, Roxy's color blocking gives a nod to the past while looking refreshingly modern.
Xcel Wetsuits - Xcel's wetsuits take high-quality materials and fit to the next level with a line that continues to appeal to hardcore surfers the world over.
SALTED, The Award-Winning All-Girls Surf Magazine Is Back
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., May 23, 2013 – The second issue of SURFER Magazine’s award-winning women’s surf magazine, SALTED, hits newsstands June 11. The debut issue earned a 2013 MAGGIE Award in the Best Annual & Custom Publication category and also had the highest in sell-through of any special issue produced by SURFER. Issue 2 promises nearly 100 pages of female surf content—including massive photo features, interviews with the best and most interesting surfers, adventures to far-off locales, health, fashion and more. Some of the many female surfers featured in Issue 2 include Malia Manuel, Kassia Meador, Steph Gilmore, and Lisa Andersen.
“For the second issue, we wanted to really show how broad female surfing is, so we included features that span all ages, locations, and sectors of the surf world,” says SURFER Managing Editor Janna Irons, who edited the issue. “There's a profile on one of the most progressive female surfers on the planet, Malia Manuel, as well as one on one with one of the greatest female surfers of all time, Lisa Andersen. There are trips to Iceland, China, and Mexico, and a massive photo feature of beautiful images from all over the globe. We also included a feature on the best female big-wave surfers, where they discuss the dangers and motivations for surfing massive waves. Plus, we threw in a short fashion feature, an op-ed, and a collection of smaller features on interesting characters in the surf world. There really is a ton of great content in the issue that I'm super excited about.”
"We are proud to create a special issue that really showcases the women in the sport," says Publisher Tony Perez. "The caliber of female athletes has never been this high, and their performances have never been better. And thanks to the endemic support for the girls, we are able to produce this amazing product."
SALTED’s debut issue landed on newsstands last summer to major acclaim and readers have been asking for more ever since. Female surf content has been scarce in the media in recent years leaving female surf fans hungry for this kind of female focused content.
“I don't think the demand for female content has ever decreased; in fact, there are more female surfers and female surfing fans now than ever before,” continues Irons. “For a while now, there just hasn't been a place to see all the great trips and sessions that are happening around the world. SALTED is able to provide that, and because it's made by the editors of SURFER it has the level of quality and authenticity readers have come to expect from the biggest surf magazine in the world.”
SALTED by SURFER Magazine will be on newsstands at local surf shops and bookstores beginning June 11, 2013. A digital version will also be available on the Apple Newsstand. Follow Salted on Twitter or Instagram: @SaltedMagazine
About SURFER
In 1960, SURFER Magazine began as the original. After a long history of delivering provocative and insightful editorial features, revealing interviews and award winning state-of-the-art photography, SURFER remains the authoritative voice of the surfing world and thus earned the moniker "the bible of the sport." The SURFER brand has also grown to include Surfermag.com, Fantasy Surfer, and the SURFER message boards. All of these assets combine to make the SURFER network the most current and reliable channel of information to the surf community. The magazine is published by Source Interlink's GrindMedia, which reaches more than 22-million active sports enthusiasts through an integrated network of magazines, online properties, events and television programming. To learn more, visit 
