HYNSON STORY TELLING /// PART 1

An excerpt from Mike Hynson’s autobiography Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel.

Hustling down to the water, I started the day off with a good old puff of Mexican ragweed. Thanks to my friend Bobby Uptegrave and his connections in Tijuana, I had enough pot to last me three months… Dope smoked on the other side of the world is so much stronger. One puff and bang—it spun me.

The tide down at Cape St. Francis early that morning was high and one to two feet. A slight offshore beach break appeared, with little left tubes breaking toward the shore. The sandbar looked like a typical day at Newport, where Robert surfed every day of his life—just my luck. It wasn’t anything like I expected, though. I fired up my Tom Thumb pipe again and was just about to lay back and get into my early morning high when I noticed that the tide was going out.

I swear it was like waking the dead. Nobody budged. I did everything except jump up and down and yell at them to get their asses to the beach. I got nothing. I was pissed off I left…

In the short time I was gone the whole beach changed. The tide was dropping fast and it looked like fifty yards of sand appeared.

Then out of my right eye I saw a wave lapping onshore at the point, nothing surfable, but the wind was offshore. Any other day I would have jumped in the water at daybreak, surfed my brains out, and talked story about all the good waves everyone missed. But this wasn’t a pleasure trip. We were here to get as much surfing on film as possible. So far nothing was worth writing home about.

Terence helped me get the blokes up, but the time we got down to the beach it changed again. Bruce looked at me like, “what the fuck are you smoking?” I was pretty sure he didn’t know anything about my stash.

Right in front of us the tide came back in and the sandbars started producing little peaks. When the lefts started to form, Robert ran back up to the panel truck to grab his board. I checked the point a third time. Bruce and I really weren’t on good terms that morning, probably because I woke him up early. Every time I got attention the wave disappeared. While Bruce was getting his camera gear set up the tide was on the move in. More waves started breaking in front of us. Everyone was ready except me.

I caught another glimpse of the right break up at the point. I swear it was a little Malibu, but Bruce missed it again. The final straw came when Bruce got frustrated and said something sarcastic that really pissed me off. I blew up like someone blindsided me.

“You know what, Bruce? Fuck you and your fucking movie,” I let him have it and just didn’t care anymore. I grabbed my board and stormed off.

I walked along the shoreline as the incoming tide crept in. The closer I got, these two- to three-foot sets began forming over a sandbar into a cove, and the wave started breaking outside. Every set became more pronounced. A set of four perfect waves went ripping down the point with nobody riding them.

I was so excited—I was crying, I was laughing, I was scared. I was all by myself, about ready to put my white-ass body to the test, entering uncharted waters. We knew there were sharks cruising along the surf. We saw them almost every day.

Racing across the face, a bolt of energy hit me and I screamed my lungs out while the gang ran down the beach like racehorses.

When the crew finally reached the point, Robert paddled out and Bruce stood on the beach and put the camera on the tripod. I swear he didn’t budge an inch. Terence handed him one cartridge after another while he filmed.

The tide was really rising now. You could tell it was going to fade out sooner rather than later. I rode in and forced Bruce out there. When I reached the shore, I took over the camera and filmed him.

The whole thing lasted forty minutes. But I was alone in that perfect setting for at least ten or fifteen minutes. Bruce shot six rolls of film, and the sequence was perfect. It was the best footage of the entire trip—a definite turning point in the direction of the movie: finding the perfect wave.

Part two coming soon about the smuggling of these legendary roles of film through customs in Africa…

WE ARE THE ROMANTIC ONE'S III /// OPENING RECAP PICS

It’s been a few years since we last curated our "We Are The Romantic Ones" Valentine’s Day group exhibition, so it was a pleasure to dive back into curating at the local artist-run space, Quiet Please Pop-Up, in East Los Angeles. The show featured a mix of emotive artwork from friends with diverse artistic backgrounds and locations, including pieces from Spain, France, Australia, England, New Mexico, Texas, Oregon, and all over Southern California—Ventura, Long Beach, Wilmington, Boyle Heights, Echo Park, San Pedro, Oxnard, and more. Add the local East LA community, who definitely came out to support, and we had a pretty rad melting pot of culture that ties into the INNOCNTS’ open approach to community building.

Longtime cultural documenter (a fancy term for OG film photographer) Gregory Bojorquez came through and blessed us with some candid, impromptu shots of opening guests. We were going to post some quick iPhone pics, but I guess there are perks to having good friends on the other side of the LA river. Give Gregory a follow if you’re inclined—his archives run deep.

A huge thanks to everyone who was able to make it and contributed to the success of the opening! The exhibition will be up for a month by appointment. Appointments are super flexible, so don’t be shy to reach out to us or Quiet Please Pop-Up. If you’re not in the LA area but are interested in the artwork (we ship), feel free to reach out for an available artwork catalog (PDF). And thank you to those who’ve already made purchases!

Proceeds from all artwork sales will support two causes we’re proud to back. Thanks for considering a purchase! Please message us for inquiries or to request an exhibition catalog.

The Ventura Training Center is a firefighter training and reentry program for formerly incarcerated firefighters, providing them with the opportunity to continue using their skills professionally after incarceration. // @antirecidivismcoalition

Community Brigade is a surfer-established firefighting program creating lasting cultural change by empowering volunteers to prepare for and respond to wildfires. This 501(c)(3) organization partners with the LA County Fire Department. // @communitybrigade

VALENTINE'S ART SHOW

We’re excited to bring back our “We Are The Romantic Ones” exhibition on Saint Valentine’s Night in 2025. This will be the fourth edition of the show, showcasing emotive, heart-driven artwork by a diverse group of artists we’re proud to call friends. The exhibition will run for a month, with the opening on Valentine’s Night from 6-9pm. Drop us a message for pre-show catalog of available work.

BOOTLEG STAB ARTICLE /// MAJOR SURF BRANDS IN TURMOIL

Since Stab put their recent article behind a paywall and it’s relevant to us in some ways, we thought we’d bring back the old Innocnts Blog to share it with you all. Now that the blog is back, we can hopefully continue sharing more interesting content that doesn’t quite fit on Instagram. There are a lot of takeaways from the article, as you’ll see. The main point is that it’s time to start supporting the smaller brands you like. The heritage brands are struggling, and the outlook doesn’t look promising for them. Have a read, and apologies for the font size—after all, that’s why it’s free!

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1PEACE 1PLY PROJECT

@1peace1ply is a DIY project started by Tyler Stover with the simple goal of repurposing plywood used to board up local businesses during the recent protests. All that wood is likely doomed for landfills but instead can be used to create skateboard related obstacles like grind boxes and jump ramps. With minimal tools and supplies these obstacles can be built simply using one 4’ x 8’ piece of plywood.

As kids transition into the summer months, it’s important they have activities that keep them healthy and open minded. Through connections in various communities these recycled skate obstacles can make their way into areas where their impact can be felt the most.

We’ve put together a very simple how-to PDF that describes step-by-step the method that Tyler has created for the perfect all plywood grind box. Tools, time, and investment are minimal and with just a few friends, you can make a difference in your area for the next generation of skateboarders all the while making use of the wood going to waste. Organize some friends, hit up a local business for some plywood, make some grind boxes, and set up some youth for a summer of skateboarding.

@1peace1ply has a short list of volunteers ready to take your plywood if you’re in the LA / Ventura areas. We’ve already built a handful of boxes and dropped them off locally. They’re working great and we’re ready build more so drop us a line if you got some wood or know of a good home for the boxes we’ve built. If you’re outside of our physical reach we encourage you to start your own regional network. Put our PDF to use and get working! Let’s continue to lead by example as skateboarders.

1 sheet of plywood can make: One manual box with a grind rail or two kicker ramps

If you want to volunteer to collect Wood, store wood, make skate features, or anything else related to this project please drop us a line here.

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NEW PAINTINGS BY THOMAS GATT

It recently came to our attention that our friend Thomas whom we know from via his wonderful photography, is also a very accomplished painter as well. He recently shared some work he completed for a solo exhibition that unfortunately got cancelled due to COVID-19 but the work is know available for your viewing pleasure earlier than expected. We caught up with Thomas regarding this new body fo work and here’s what he had to say.

“Been working on these paintings during the past 9 months for a show that was to take place at my home in Darlinghurst, Sydney Australia. Unfortunately shit happens and the exhibition was canceled due to that virus thing. So here they are. All works are acrylic on cotton canvas.”

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