Surfing
Surfing
Kanoa Igarashi’s Beyond the Lines documents a wild 2021 of surfing
Join Kanoa Igarashi on his quest for a first World Surf League Championship Tour title with Beyond The Lines, a behind-the-scenes film made by Tanner Carney.
Kanoa Igarashi is the quintessential global citizen. Japanese, but having grown up in Huntington Beach, California, these days he spends as much time living in Portugal as he does anywhere else on Earth. He speaks four languages (and counting) and since claiming a first WSL Championship Tour victory in Bali in 2019 the natural footer's star has shot into the stratosphere.
Igarashi's success in Indonesia couldn't have been timed better; along with close friend, travel partner and cinematographer Tanner Carney, he'd just started filming an unnamed, fly-on-the-wall look at his life on the road. As he hoisted the trophy over the Balinese black sand, Beyond The Lines was born, with an opener that couldn't have been better scripted.
The double hand drag tells you Kanoa Igarashi is about to get very drained
© Tanner Carney
Kanoa Igarashi kicks it up and over the coping
© Tanner Carney
Parking it in Portugal, Kanoa Igarashi-style
© Tanner Carney
Kanoa Igarashi laying rail in Peniche
© Tanner Carney
As we all know too well, things went a little awry in 2020 and after an entertaining opening series, Beyond the Lines, much like the world itself, was momentarily paused. A year later and although not yet smooth sailing, the WSL pulled together a slimmed down version of the Championship Tour and the 2020 Games were held in Tokyo, which for Igarashi was the greatest opportunity yet to put his name up in lights.
Tanner Carney tagged along for the ride once again, from Pipeline in Hawaii on to Australia and through Mexico and the US, all via Japan. To say the result is entertaining would be selling the 40-minute edit short. Igarashi's trust in Carney is on full display as he puts himself out there and lets his friend do the rest.
Don't just take out word for it, though. Hit play on the video above and join us in an extended study into the rollercoaster life of an elite athlete at the top of the game, fighting for success in an unpredictable word. Once you've had your fill of that, make sure to feast your eyes on the extras below. We loved it and hope you do, too. Enjoy.
13 min
Kanoa is back for 2021
Japanese-American surfer Kanoa Igarashi chases his world title dreams on the 2021 WSL Championship Tour.
The first extra from Beyond the Lines starts in Kanoa Igarashi’s second home of Ericeira, Portugal. The water is brisk, but the surf is consistent. Also, like his great mate and fellow multi-linguist Leonardo Fioravanti, Igarashi has owned an apartment in Portugal’s surfing hot spot for a few years now.
Fine-tuning his game before heading to the season-opening event in Hawaii, we see Igarashi putting a fleet of new boards through their paces in pumping conditions at one of Europe's finest pointbreaks, Coxos. He's also hitting the gym and pool work he'll need under his belt before things get serious on Oahu's North Shore.
Final polish applied, Igarashi jets off across the Atlantic, stops over briefly in Los Angeles to catch up with family and then takes off to the islands, shadowed as always by friend and filmer Tanner Carney, who brings us this series.
The breakfast of champions, as demonstrated by Kanoa Igarashi in Hawaii
© Tanner Carney
The field of dreams
© Tanner Carney
Kanoa Igarashi hit the brakes and lets Pipeline fly right by
© Tanner Carney
Kanoa Igarashi staying ready in the face of Hawaii's winter swells
© Tanner Carney
In Hawaii, we see Igarashi team up with new coach Tom Whitaker and, in the face of predicted huge swells, ready himself for the most famous event in surfing, the Billabong Pipeline Masters.
Sitting pretty in the tube, Kanoa Igarashi is happy to be back down under
© Andrew Shield
Kanoa Igarashi slicing and dicing down under
© Andrew Shield
Kanoa Igarashi backhand blasting away
© Andrew Shield
Kanoa Igarashi flares up in the morning light
© Andrew Shield
As competition returns in Australia this April, we're excited to flash back to the end of one of the craziest years in recent memory and even more excited to see what comes next. Hit play on the video at the top of the page to reminisce and get prepared for Igarashi's 2021 assault on the surfing world. Keep scrolling down the page for more Beyond the Lines action from previous seasons. Enjoy!
Play and practise
11 min
Play and practice
Jump into the action of day one of the US Open in California with surfer Kanoa Igarashi.
Follow along as Championship Tour sensation Kanoa Igarashi looks to three-peat at his hometown event, the US Open of Surfing.
From Bali to Western Australia and then onto J-Bay, filmmaker Tanner Carney has sure been covering some ground pulling together Beyond the Lines. As you can imagine, the boys were somewhat relieved to finally make it back to home turf in Huntington Beach, California, to work on the third episode, while Igarashi chased a historic third straight win at the US Open of Surfing.
While not a Championship Tour event, the US Open honour roll is long and prestigious, and the most famous pier in surfing has seen some iconic performances in the heat of competition since its inception in 1959. Over the event's 60-year span, only two men have ever gone back-to-back and they're both HB locals – Brett Simpson and Igarashi.
Kanoa Igarashi has his hometown ramp locked down
© Jimmy Wilson
The US Open beach scene is like nothing else in surfing
© Jimmy Wilson
Hometown hero Kanoa Igarashi paddles out through surfing's most famed pier
© Jimmy Wilson
Can you see why Huntington Beach comes alive on south swells?
© Jimmy Wilson
Sadly, for our man of the moment, he bowed out in round four and while gutted at his loss, he sought solace the only way a surfer knows – by going and getting barrelled with his buddies. After meeting up with board shaper Marcio Zouvi from Sharp Eye Surfboards, a bulked-up Igarashi took delivery of a new quiver of crafts and set off to the Surf Ranch in Leemore, California.
Kanoa Igarashi finding time for his fans
© Red Bull
Kanoa Igarashi making it rain in central California
© Red Bull
Kanoa Igarashi lighting up the room
© Jimmy Wilson
Practice makes perfect at the Surf Ranch. Kanoa Igarashi locks in deep
© Red Bull
Surf Ranch was ideal place to test his new equipment, practise for the Freshwater Pro and, most importantly, "get a tan". Kelly Slater's wave pool was the perfect post-loss tonic and Igarashi left California with a head of steam, raring to take on surfing's scariest event, the Tahiti Pro.
Kanoa surfs Jeffreys Bay
16 min
Kanoa surfs Jeffreys Bay
Kanoa Igarashi goes behind the scenes at the WSL Men's Championship Tour at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa.
Tail surfing's freshest contender as Igarashi looks to extend his hot streak at the Corona J-Bay Open in South Africa.
Last time we caught up with Kanoa Igarashi he was winning events in Bali and proving it was no fluke in Western Australia. A few weeks later, and with another strong showing to his name in Brazil, we're rejoining our favourite Japanese surfer on the other side of the Indian Ocean in South Africa, at the world's best point break, Jeffrey's Bay.
After a fifth-place finish in Rio, he again made it to the finals day in the Rainbow Nation and after another quarter-finals finish, he finds himself sitting at fifth in the world with more than half of the season under his belt.
With John John Florence (currently third) sadly injured and out for the year, there are only three surfers between Kanoa and the top of the table, with a fairytale maiden world title five events and a dream run away.
Kanoa Igarashi with speed to burn
© Trevor Moran
At the world's best point sometimes you need to take a minute and relax
© Trevor Moran
Kanoa sizzles in and out of the jersey. Here's a little of the former.
© Trevor Moran
Kanoa ain't no hack but he sure can do 'em
© Trevor Moran
So, what are you waiting for? Hit play above and savour another fun look behind-the-scenes at a WSL Championship Tour event, with surfing's hottest young prospect playing the ultimate tour guide.
Keeping up with Kanoa
Ride shotgun with Kanoa Igarashi as he powers to his – and Japan's – first ever WSL Championship Tour victory in Bali, Indonesia.
13 min
Keeping up with Kanoa
Following his win in Bali, surfer Kanoa Igarashi takes the energy of success to Margaret River, Australia.
Exactly this time a year earlier Igarashi surfed on Sharp Eye Surfboards for the first time in competition at the 2018 Corona Open J-Bay. He finished third in the contest, knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual winner Filipe Toledo, but commentators noticed a new edge to his surfing, a string of high scores en route to the business end of the event confirming suspicions.
After switching passports from the United States to Japan in February of that year, with an eye on Tokyo, Igarashi found another gear and was ready to step-up to the heights that had been forecast since his pre-teen phenom days. Despite bulking up and growing into his young frame, he kept his signature speed and, combined with his new boards, his turns went turbo. Much to the delight of his fans and, most importantly, the judges.
Kanoa Igarashi, all smiles in Bali after his breakthrough win
© WSL
Kanoa Igarashi looking razor sharp on his way to the top of the podium
© WSL
Eyes on the prize, Kanoa Igarashi cuts a Keramas wave to ribbons
© WSL
Kanoa Igarashi flags down the best taxi in town for a ride to the podium
© WSL
Ten months later, 21-year-old Igarashi was chaired up the black sand beach of Keramas, Bali on a traditional Indonesian throne, the winner of the Corona Bali Protected and new world number two. The kid from Huntington Beach never looked like being beaten at surfing's high-performance mecca and ran through his hero Kelly Slater in the semis before nudging French barrel maestro Jeremy Flores in a closely fought final.
To say Igarashi was riding high on emotions would be an understatement and thankfully for us he had close friend Tanner Carney in tow to document his dream run to the podium.
Kanoa Igarashi surfs his brightest just before dawn
© Trevor Moran
Kanoa Igarashi and the form that lead to his first Championship Tour win
© Trevor Moran
Kanoa Igarashi flaring up in the Gold Coast's morning light
© Trevor Moran
Kanoa Igarashi lining up another Keramas speed run
© Trevor Moran
Carney's Between The Lines edit above follows Japan's first-ever Championship Tour surfer through his victorious lap of Bali and on down to Margaret River, Australia. If you've ever wondered what life is like on the WSL's Dream Tour, press play above and wonder no more.
