NORTHERN EXPOSURES - BRITISH COLUMBIAN SOUL



This spring I got my first taste of surfing in British Colombia, and I haven’t been able to get it off my mind since. The people, the place, the waves, the water, the Canadian surfing experience is something special. It cuts down to the core of why we all started chasing waves in the first place. Adventures into the unknown, abundant wildlife, wild weather and the opportunity to create some deep, core surfing memories. Even if it does take full wetsuit booties and gloves.



A few weeks ago Canadian photo ace Marcus Paladino reached out to me and shared that he was holding some nice shots from the last couple months. Indulging my newfound love for Canadian waves, I asked him to send some photos along. His trove of A-plus images didn’t disappoint. In fact, it did quite the opposite. It inspired me to go back. I’m based in San Clemente, California, and summertime in Southern California can be a bit of a drag. Traffic, clogged lineups. And to be honest, the surf this summer has been lousy.



So, when a raft of shots from somewhere as wild and beautiful as Canada’s western flank hit me, it made me want to fall off the grid and search for sanctuary. Ultimately, that’s the power of a good surf photo. It’s not only pleasing to the eye, but it moves you, and gets you moving. It inspires you to get on the open road and get lost and get wet and get somewhere new and wonderous. Yeah, sure, the water’s cold in Canada, damned cold, but it sure beats groveling with thirty WSL hopeful grommets at T-Street in San Clemente. Thanks for the shots, Marcus. And I am on my way.



From the desk of Jake Howard, Editor, Surfer Magazine
Photography by Marcus Paladino

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