Mundo Rad. Vol 43

Some surf historians argue that exploration, as we know it started over 400 years ago. According to Peruvian folklore, The Incans headed out to sea in their simple but sturdy woven boats, looking for new lands, riches and…..waves. Their first stop was Easter Island followed closely by Polynesia and then into Pacific Rim. Since Hawaii is widely considered to be the birthplace of modern surfing, one could argue that surfing's beloved great-grandparents are actually Incan.

This should come as no surprise considering the Peruvians were pretty adept at getting in and out of the surf zone in their Caballitos de Totora and would often be seen tearing up the waves as they came and went from their maritime adventures. Now these boats weren't Al Merrick's by any means but it's not what you're riding or how hard you're ripping, it's how much fun you're having. I can imagine they were having tons as they skillfully navigated the shore break. You ask, "What does this have to do with an article on the Quiksilver Crossing?"

It has everything to do with it. The Crossing is about the spirit of adventure and explorations, meeting new people, sharing, exploring new breaks and learning from the cultures and people you meet along the way. Just think, if the Incans never left the Rocky shores of South America, would we even have surfing? Probably but who knows where it would have originated and what it would look like without the Polynesian influence.

If Martin Daly and Bruce Raymond had never created the most ambitious surf exploration voyage in the history of the world, would we all still be surfing the same old breaks and never dreaming about empty tropical perfection? This incredible 10-year project has given us a glimpse into the infinite possibilities of waves, cultures and experiences around the world. Lesson: Great things happen when you travel!

A Crossing discovery.

Like the mavericks that came 500 years ago, Martin Daly frothed at his discovery. "I felt like I was on the boat in Indo on a good day," he insists. "The only difference was the lack of people and the amazingly clear water."

In his storied career at the forefront of surf exploration, the big, furry Indies Trader owner/captain had never been to the Caribbean, but he had pinpointed this reef on a nautical chart from thousands of miles away. When he found it, the conditions were flawless. It was precisely what he came for - a perfect, empty wave, right under America's nose. The rest of us, meanwhile, had figured all the good spots had been taken, especially those in our own back yard. Daly knew he would find this wave, which is why he resisted the urge to personally plunder it, instead content to watch his crew dive headlong into the loot. Like any great explorer, his thrill came from the hunt.

Exploration isn't cheap. It wasn't for Columbus, and it's not today. Back then, European monarchies funded the search, and their motive was simple - world domination via faster trade routes or pure fortune. Gobs of money were thrown around in the race for supremacy, and plenty of men ready to fly their sponsor's flag right off the edge of the world.

You might snap a few photos that you can show off to your buddies, but you're really doing it for yourself. Therefore, the risk/reward ratio better be good.

Is there any reason-beyond photo incentive-to-risk Ginsu reefs, malaria-laden mosquitoes, suicidal religious fanatics, or God forbid, gregarious midwestern tourists with a hankering to know just what in tarnation is in that oversized body bag you're dragging through the terminal? The prize - purely intrinsic and bordering on insane - is beyond comprehension to the non-surfing world.

Timmy Turner isn't sold. He's one young American who refuses to have his surfing spoon-fed. He works his ass off serving coffee and flapjacks in Huntington Beach for half the year, and the other half treks into the jungle in west Java with nothing but a board, a tent, a video camera, and a thirst for the unknown. "We got addicted to those waves," Turner insists. "Once you get it, you'd do anything for that payoff.  Yeah, you loose your mind a little bit when it's flat for ten days, but in a good way." While his peers define adventure as lugging their board all the way down to Lowers for an afternoon session, Timmy risks his life, and his savings, in the name of standup barrels. Sure, Aussies have been going feral forever, and Timmy's primary claim to fame is being, in the words of Daly, "the worlds camper." But he's riding waves that many only experience in a daydream as we doodle on our notebooks in school.

Timmy has handpicked over many more marketable hotshots to join the Quiksilver Crossing in the Caribbean, and for Daly it was an easy decision "He gets it," explains Daly. "He has the initiative and is super appreciative of the opportunity to explore." Others, he notes, "want someone to hold their hand."

There's no such thing as luck when it comes to finding surf, at least according to Daly.

Keep looking...

The rewards are out there...

Get off the couch and go!