Russell Bierke is no stranger to the heaviest waves the world can offer. He’s built a storied career surfing them, but it’s likely that he’d be doing it even if no one was watching. Over the course of that career, there are, as you’d expect, a few waves that really stand out. Those are the waves that Watermarks, a new series from O’Neill, explores. In episode two, the wave is Shipsterns Bluff.
The first episode looked at The Bombie, a massive wave that requires skill, courage, and lots and lots of patience. The wave at Shipsterns is similar… but very different at the same time. And of all the waves he’s surfed out there at the edge of the world, one in particular stands out.
“Episode 2 of Watermarks goes inside a mega tow session at Shipsterns Bluff with Russ and tow partner Zada, tracing the wave’s brutal ledge, its stepped bottom and what it takes to ride it at scale,” O’Neill wrote. “Featuring insight into the wave’s history, from the early paddle pioneers to the tow era Russell now surfs it in.”
