On the cover: Mark Healey dropping through critical airspace at the 2023 Eddie. “I shot this photo from a helicopter using a long lens,” says photographer Mike Coots. “As we arrived above Waimea, it was obvious these were some of the biggest waves I’d seen in my life. I can only imagine the adrenaline running through Healey’s body as he lunged from the sky into this giant.” Other entry points include an ex-pro’s journey into war-torn Ukraine, a visit to the labs and lineups of Réunion Island ten years into its shark crisis, and a glimpse of an Indonesian family’s wave-rich compound. Visuals span from the backyard pours of an eccentric laminator to the large-scale works of a fine artist raised in Alaska and residing in Mexico. We also test the hypothesis that working with a top-tier coach for a week in the Maldives can improve an average surfer’s skill, have coffee with a Peruvian shredder, and examine the high-action images of an Australian photographer.
