I had been wanting to make a big surf trip for years, but could never decide on the right destination. North Shore? Too much of a circus. Indo? Too much cash. Oz? A little too civilized. Costa Rica? Something a little heavier. Puerto? I've got OB. I needed something that was a little rugged, affordable, and somewhat heavy. After witnessing the insane waves in South America in various videos and mags, I knew what I had to do.

My brother Nick was down immediately. He soon convinced fellow Rookies James Murdock and Louie Robles to come aboard. The crew was set. With dreams of perfect rock-bottomed left pits in our heads, we set out on our three week journey to the dusty lands of South America.

We split the majority of our time between three wave-drenched towns that I'll refer to as Town #1, Town #2, and Town #3 in order to protect their anonymity. We lucked out and scored heavily everywhere we went. Every wave we surfed broke over deadly urchin covered rocks, resulting in some heinous cuts and bruises. However, those same rocks also shaped some of the sickest tubes any of us had ever seen.

We met a ton of cool locals, ate some excellent (and not so excellent) food, drank too much beer, and experienced some hectic bus rides. The South Americans were extremely kind and generous, even to a pack of 4 white trash Pismo kids. It was an unforgettable trip that got me amped on travelling the world and experiencing different cultures. I'm counting the days until my next trip.

Check back soon for my journals and photos of the trip, as well as a bunch of framegrabs.