Show Notes
Professional surfing is facing serious questions after sexual assault allegations involving World Surf League (WSL) surfer Alan Cleland Jr. In this episode of the Pinch My Salt Podcast, pro surfer Sterling Spencer and Cousin Ryan discuss the allegations, Alan Cleland Jr.'s reported suspension, surf industry accountability, the culture surrounding professional surfing, and the responsibility of major surf brands, sponsors, photographers, and the WSL to protect young surfers.
Could this become a turning point for professional surfing? From the World Surf League and Championship Tour to the North Shore of Hawaii, surf sponsorships, and the darker side of surf culture, we're talking about issues that reach far beyond competitive surfing.
But that's not all. Sterling and Ryan also recap surviving a devastating Florida hurricane, scoring incredible hurricane surf in the Gulf of Mexico, and the chaos of life without electricity. Plus, Pinch My Clips returns with Kelly Slater's forgotten surfing era, Mick Fanning's acting skills, Mason Ho, Dane Reynolds, John John Florence, wave pools, surfboard design, and the never-ending debate over what makes someone a REAL surfer.
It's surf news, surf culture, pro surfing stories, ridiculous commentary, and serious conversations you won't hear anywhere else.
🌊 IN THIS EPISODE:
🏄 The Alan Cleland Jr. Allegations — A serious conversation about allegations involving the professional surfer, the WSL's response, accountability in surfing, and protecting young athletes.
🌪️ Surviving the Florida Hurricane — Sterling and Ryan share their wild experiences during the storm, the destruction around Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, and the incredible hurricane swell that followed.
🎥 Pinch My Clips — Viral surfing clips, unbelievable airs, Mick Fanning, Mason Ho, Kelly Slater, bodyboarding, skimboarding, and the weirdest corners of the internet.
🏆 Is the WSL Challenger Series Broken? — Why are young professional surfers spending so much money traveling the world to compete?
🌊 Kelly Slater's Forgotten Era — Revisiting one of the strangest chapters in the 11-time world champion's surfing career.
👟 Are Surfers Becoming Posers? — Dane Reynolds, Vans skate shoes, surf fashion, and why Sterling thinks surf culture has lost some of its identity.
🏄♂️ The Perfect Surfboard Quiver — Twin fins, fish surfboards, mid-lengths, thrusters, and giant 12-foot gliders. What boards does a real surfer actually need?
🤙 Remembering Larry Bertlemann — Celebrating a Hawaiian surfing legend and the classic surfing style that influenced generations.
🌊 Wave Pools vs. Real Surfing — Has progressive surfing become more like skateboarding than riding waves?
👇 JOIN THE CONVERSATION
What's your take on the current state of professional surfing? What needs to change to make the surf industry safer for the next generation?
Leave a comment, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who loves surfing.
You know da rulez.
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