Checking in w/ Sam Neiger

The West Coast just doesn't get old, no matter how long you've spent there. We check in with Newport's Sam Neiger after a recent trip chasing waves North and South of the border.

"When you're willing to drive almost anywhere on the West Coast, options are your enemy and decisions are your hard-to-find friend. Myself and photographer, Ryan Hill, hit the open road with dreams of emerald cylinders. I started off the trip by getting rear-ended in a hit and run, but with much determination we pushed the bumper back into place and started our hunt. After checking a few lackluster locations, Ryan and I finally made it where we thought the waves would be best. It was 2 days before the swell was supposed to hit so we were shocked by what we saw. There were perfect A-frames scattered across the beach with barrels spitting out of both ends!

After the first two days and enough good waves for any normal human, we decided it wasn't enough. After much deliberation, we decided to chase the swell south. To the land of tacos and cervesas we went, but not without a short detour... Not expecting to leave the country, Ryan had left his passport in San Luis Obispo. But what's another few hours when you're signing up for a 15 + hour mission? And so we started the all-night affair.

Flash forward through a sleepless night, a hasty repack, and a stopover in secondary at the border. Once south we were rewarded for our efforts with more waves and fewer crowds. We surfed our brains out. Fueled by tacos, Pedialite, and gas station coffee, we surf for two more days up and down this beautiful foreign coast. Finally feeling content that we had milked the swell for all its worth, we headed home with more memories than you can recount and enough photos to remind us of the good times had."

*Photos by Ryan Hill*