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Photo: Laura Bañuelos / @sidrisima
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Here's my friend Mary Schmader, again in a vintage watershot I took at Wilderness, Puerto Rico. We were so stoked to get this shot and I remember it was my first "art" sale, which now hangs in the iconic Tortuga's Lie, restaurant in Nagshead, NC. Photo: Chrissy Swain
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Dark south east swell. Photo: Dylan Brayshaw
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Aaron Gold, Jaws. Photo: Aaron Lynton // @aaronlynton
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Kai Lenny, Jaws. Photo: Robin Ernst // @robinmarie_
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Photo: Dan Bielich
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Photo: Shawn Casey // @yewwville
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Everything's a blur on the North Shore. Photo: Dan Bielich
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Mavs. Photo: Gauthier Richard
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Nazaré. Photo: Marie Pfisterer
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Photo: Damian Davila
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Photo: Tom Pearsall/Driftwood Photography.
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Photo: Andrew Reiss
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Photo: @bryannabradleyphotography
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An early blessing from Riley. Pictured: Nolan from Grain Surfboards harnessing his inner Rasta. Riding his wooden twin-fin fish that he made with his own two hands. Photo: Gabe Reuben
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Photo: @chrisgrundyphoto / Chris Grundy
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Photo: Ted Grambeau
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Photo: Magnus Endal
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Photo: Guillermo Cervera
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Photo: Rich Brooks / @richbrooksphotography
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Photo: Brenton de Rooy // @brentonderooyphoto
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Somewhere (awesome) in Sardinia. Photo: Stefano Atzeni
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So many different colors on display in Puerto Rico waters. Photo: Rich Brooks
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Photo: Jeff Bautista
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Photo: Jim Golden
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Kaniela Stewart made a statement with his powerful turns and forever hang heels. Photo: Keoki Saguibo
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Photo: Francisco Antunes
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A monstrous split peak at Puerto. Photo: Maria Fernanda
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Kauli Vaast. Photo: Romuald Pliquet
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Cloud 9, every bit deserving of its name. Photo: Gaps Sabuero
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Teahupo'o. Photo: Ed Sloane
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Teahupo'o. Photo: Kelly Cesari
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Leme. A classic wedge in the left corner of Copacabana Beach. Photo: Luiz Blanco
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A windy day creates this texture on the wave. I've never been able to repeat a photo like this since. Photo: Luiz Blanco
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Firewater. Photo: Shayne Stadnick
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One of everybody's favorite groms, Sabre Norris. Photo: Fran Miller.
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An absolute gem rolling through Mexico. Photo: Daniela Caram
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Leme beach, in the corner of Copacabana beach. A left wedge near the rock. Photo: Luiz Blanco
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"I think that as long as you're following something that make you happy and fills you up and engages your mind, body, and spirit in good healthy ways, that’s perfect," said Kassia Meador. Photo: Connor Guest
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Luke Saranah at The Right. Photo: Tom Pearsall
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West Oz. Wow. Photo: Tom Pearsall
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Photo: Dan Bielich
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Photo: Francisco Antunes
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Billy Kemper at the 2018 Jaws Challenge. Photo: WSL/Hallman
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Keala Kennelly. Jaws. Fully committed. Photo: WSL/Hallman
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Perfection can be found in San Francisco. Photo: Nate Lawrence
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Photo: Dan Hamlin
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Could the champ look any happier? Image: WSL/Sloane
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Bianca Valenti at Mavs. Photo: Tony Morin.
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No takers in Jersey. Photo: @timlangphotos
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Photo: Trent Slatter
It happened. Again. Earth, a giant 4.5 billion-year-old rock, made one more 584-million-mile trip around an even bigger, very hot rock at a speed of about 67,000 miles per hour over 365.256 days.
And so we’re all celebrating. Maybe it’s because that’s just a tradition that’s been set for us all or maybe it’s because all these incredible things happened, big things moved really fast and traveled really far, the universe expanded and all that, and none of the 7.5 billion humans here were flung off the face of the Earth. Thanks, Gravity. We’re still here.
The planet we live on is, in fact, a really, really incredible, fascinating, and beautiful place. Scroll through these photos as proof…or just for a smile-inducing reminder.
These were shared with us by talented photographers from every corner of the globe this year. And they were taken in every corner of it too. We saw some amazing things in 2018 and this is simply a collection of some of our favorites. So cheers to everybody who took the time to share their work with us, to everybody who double tapped when they saw it pop into their feed, to all our new friends, to all our old ones, and most of all to everybody who looks at moments like these and gets even a little more excited about doing more of it in 2019; the first chilly duck dive on a cold dawn patrol morning, drinking coffee in the parking lot with friends while you wait for the tide to fill in, checking swell forecasts eight times a day, picking up a brand new board that’s never touched wax and mind surfing next to the guy who shaped it, waiting for the first snow of the season, drawing fresh lines in the morning ahead of a bluebird day.
We’ll be here for the next 584-million-mile trip enjoying it all with you.
Wishing you all a very happy new year. With love,
Your friends at The Inertia.
Note: If you’re a photographer who’d like to join our growing contributor base in 2019, send us a hello and some of your favorite work to contribute@theinertia.com along with a brief introduction.