On the cover: Nic von Rupp with his foot on the accelerator in Portugal. “He drove down from the western tip of Europe to meet this swell,” says photographer João Bracourt. “The forecast was supposed to be solid—6 feet with 22-second intervals—but Nazaré and Ericeira were onshore, and I guess getting shacked in pristine conditions was his next option. The sets took a long time to fill in. Eventually he found this one.”

Other threads in this issue include a high-yield strike in the North Sea, a late world champ’s last days at home, and a twin-fin devotee’s Down Under homestead. We also dive deep into a well-traveled shooter’s archive, track a Mexican logger’s origin, roll through NYC with a resourceful sculptor, and examine photos by a seemingly fearless North Shore waterwoman.