by The Editors on May 29, 2026
After a serious NO to Paul Naude’s efforts to buy Rip Curl it looks like surf co.’s owner KMD Brands might be rethinking their whole “stick it out together” strategy, according to story on Australian Financial Review.
KMD Brands, owner of Rip Curl and Kathmandu, will consider all options, including a potential break-up of the business, in a sweeping review of the struggling retailer. . . The review, announced on Wednesday by recently appointed chairman Philip Bowman, marks a shift in tone for the company, after it spurned merger interest just four weeks ago and said it planned to retain its core brands.
As we’ve mentioned before, saying no to Mr. Naude rarely goes well. It will be interesting to see how this all sorts out.
[Link: Financial Review]
by The Editors on May 29, 2026
“Another knockout, fractured jaw/cheek bone, lacerated kidney. I’m sure there’s tons of people see this happen again and think ‘Damn this dude’s an idiot and never learns his lesson’ or the classic, ‘Told ya you shoulda started wearing a helmet’,” Huston said.
Cue the helmets and street skating discussions.
by The Editors on May 21, 2026
We’ve all heard the stories of Jack O’Neill wanting to stay out surfing longer during the icy cold winters of Santa Cruz, but it appears a Berkeley physicist named Hugh Bradner may have been Jack’s inspiration, according to a story on KQED.com.
O’Neill has long been considered one of the fathers of the wetsuit, along with the Southern California company Body Glove, a distinction both were happy to cultivate. But this line on the O’Neill company blog raises questions about those claims: “Seeing the successful experiments of UC Berkeley physicist Hugh Bradner in the early 1950s, Jack O’Neill switched to neoprene.”
Either way, we’re all thankful for all their work.
[Link: KQED.com]
by The Editors on May 21, 2026
Fried chicken restauranteer Tony Hawk is reportedly putting some of his investment cash into a new MMA venture called Global League, which is funded by a $60 million war chest, according to a story on Bloody Elbow.
“We are building something authentic, something that belongs to the athletes and to the fans who live and breathe this sport,” Scott Coker said. “I’ve spent nearly two years developing this concept, and I’m thankful to Peter, all of our investors and the team we’re putting together.”
With the UFC throwing fists on the White House lawn, what better time to get in on some modern, visceral gladiator action. Beat their ass. Make some cash.
[Link: Bloody Elbow Photo: Gemini AI]
by The Editors on May 17, 2026
by The Editors on May 12, 2026
The North Face announced today (May 12, 2026) an eight-year partnership as the Official Performance Apparel Partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard locking up Olympic uniforms through the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
Under this new partnership, The North Face will provide competition outerwear for national team athletes, coaches, and staff across all 11 U.S. Ski & Snowboard disciplines, including the Stifel U.S. Ski Teams: alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle moguls, freestyle aerials, nordic combined, Para alpine, Para nordic and ski jumping; the Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team and the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team. Athletes will wear The North Face gear during World Cup events, World Championships, national events, official training camps, and the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games through April 2034.
Sounds like a pretty good deal, no Kappa. Follow the jump for the official word from US Ski and Snowboard.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 30, 2026
A Kelly Slater affiliated Austin, Texas wave pool development appears to have hit a snag recently as seven contractors have filed $4.6 million in liens against the project, according to a story in The Austin American Statesman.
Publicly available filings indicate seven companies claim they were not paid for work completed in late 2025 and early 2026. . . That work includes water treatment, plumbing and control systems, HVAC systems, aquatic filtration materials and equipment, engineering, concrete, sand and rock, among other items. . . The claims come as the project’s ownership group, Austin Surf Club Venture LP, confirmed to the American-Statesman that construction work is pausing for now.
The project is a redevelopment of a previous wave pool failure, NLand Surf Park which closed in 2016 due to reported regulatory issues. The new development was said to feature muli-million dollar homes around the wave and has reportedly attracted purchases from Tony Hawk, Drew Brees, and Matthew McConaughey.
The development’s promotional website at the Discovery Land Company, however, appears to have been removed. Not the best sign.
Is living by the actual ocean so hard? We never will understand much of the whole wave pool business model, but stay tuned as we continue to stumble along.
[Link: The Statesman & Austin Business Journal]
by The Editors on April 28, 2026
If you were planning on a peaceful morning session at Cardiff Reef, California this week, you just might be sharing the lineup with a 15-foot Great White, according to a story on NBC San Diego.
Monday morning delivered a lovely surprise to the Encinitas coast: a 40-foot fin whale carcass floating just 400 yards off San Elijo State Beach. Naturally, because nothing says “beach day” like a bloated, decomposing mammal, local lifeguards were tasked with the glamorous job of towing the “bus-sized” snack further out to sea.
The real star of the show wasn’t the whale—it was the massive Great White shark that decided to turn the towing operation into a slow-speed chase. Witnesses caught the shark casually following its floating charcuterie board as it was dragged away from the surf zone.
Encinitas officials have issued a shark advisory from Swami’s to Cardiff, essentially telling everyone that while the beach isn’t closed, you might want to consider that the water currently tastes like whale soup to every predator in the Pacific. So, by all means, paddle out. Just know that if you look like a side dish, that’s on you.
[Editors’ Note: This post was written by Google’s Gemini. We are doomed. Top photo by Craig Callender, Ph.D.]
[Link: NBC San Diego]
by The Editors on April 20, 2026
After a ridiculous tariff policy that he didn’t even understand, Felon 47 gets to watch as $166 billion of that money goes right back to the importers it was stolen from in the first place thanks to a new online portal from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to a story on Gizmodo.
Now, CBP said in court filings that importers paid roughly $166 billion in tariffs under Trump’s unconstitutional policy. . . The agency says it will process refunds in phases, according to its website. The first round will focus on tariffs that have been paid but not yet finalized because they’re still under federal review, as well as some that are within 80 days of finalization. Later phases will handle older, fully finalized tariffs.
There are so many business owners who voted for the clown. Hopefully, after this they’ll at least think about it before making more bad decisions in the future.
[Link: Gizmodo]
