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Dah Surf Company to Sponsor Luxon Invitational
Announcement is accompanied by Stunning Commercial
Luxon, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 8, 5720


Dah Surf Co. announced their Sponsorship of Lewis after he had a record setting run on the Swell earlier this month

Dah Surf Company, who leads the world's market in surfboards, wetsuits and beachwear, announced its sponsorship of Gendaris based surfer Mike Lewis. Lewis set the World Record this year for highest wave surfed. On April 3rd, with a major early season storm raging south of the Strait, Lewis and a tow crew were dropped into the Anantonese Ocean about 50 miles off the southwest tip of Ananto at a spot known a Crusher Bank, which are the remains of long eroded and extinct supervolcano. The Bank is known for a rapid rise in the ocean floor and then another drop, which often creates problems for ships who stray too close to the bank. And few surfers surf out that far because they cannot afford the crew necessary to get them out there.

But Lewis, a well known big wave and ocean surfer from Gendaris in Odufaray had his mind set. He assembled his crew, which consisted of a full yacht crew along with jetskis, and set sail for the Bank on March 30th. The waves began rolling through from the storm late on April 1st, and on April 2nd, Lewis and his crew began doing what is called tow-surfing, where the surfer graps ahold of a rope, very similar to those used in water skiing, and the water craft, in this case, a jetski, tows them through the trough and up the backside of a massive ocean wave. As soon as they hit the crest, the surfer left go of the rope and drops down the wave face.

"When you're that far out into the Ocean," said Lewis, "paddling up the front of a wave, as we do closer into the shore, is not really an option. You will get tired too fast and some of those swells are like a mountain of water. You almost have to already be up there when it starts cresting, because otherwise you're gonna get smoked and you'll never even get to stand on your board. Tow Surfing takes a lot of the work out of paddling, and more or less pulls you up to a cliff face, in the water, of course, and then you just carve your way down it, relying on your speed from the jetski and after that just sheer slope and gravity. It's a stunt really: Many don't consider it actual surfing--I don't even consider it real surfing. But the spectacle is simply astounding, and so we do it. And you can still definitely get killed if something goes wrong."

On April 2nd, the waves were still pretty dangerous, because the storm was at its height. The crew were not in any danger, but the wave forms were unpredictable and there were a lot of cross currents. After surfing for a few hours, and not finding anything satisfactory. "On Saturday, there were a lot of these triangle waves and the sea was really moving pretty fast, which were super dangerous. We were more worried about Brian, (the Jetski operator) getting into a situation that he would have trouble getting out of than anything else. Plus the helo was not out there, so after like two hours, we called it for the day and went back to the ship to sit tight off the bank for the evening."

But on Sunday, April 3rd, the Swell forecast dramatically improved. So at about 6:30am, the call was made to the helicopter to come out and film a few of of Lewis' runs. "We had wave predictions of between 50 and 55 feet, which you will only get that far out to sea," said Lewis. "When the whole sea runs up to that bank, it just pushes it straight up in the air, and the storm had moved off in such a way where the whole energy was firing directly at Ananto, so the team made the call: this was the day." Lewis said he went out as soon as the helicopter arrived on site.

"The first two runs were really screwy," said Lewis. "I couldn't make it to the top on the first one before it started breaking, and that's dangerous because you think you have 60 feet of water under you and really, you just have 60 feet of air, and just no, we had to pull off it. The second, the wave was coming in from like three sides, and it didn't work." Lewis and his team sat out the next two waves, but was just about to call off the shoot when the helo pilot flew up a ways to give a report, and radioed back to say the next set were going to be perfect.

"Jon, the helo pilot said they were long and straight, and they looked real good from the air, so we decided this was our shot," said Lewis. He let the first one roll by, and then set up for the second one. "Oh man, that wave just started building as it rolled up on the bank," he said recounting it. "It just kept growing and picking up speed, and we were almost racing to get up the backside of it. Brian kept looking back like 'want me to bail or what?' and I was like no, gun it, so we went up to the top and as soon as I got up there and went over the crest of it, and looked down, and saw just nothing but a nearly sheer face that was really quickly becoming vertical. And so I just went for it, and it was a LOOOOOONG way down."

The long way down was actually a 66 foot vertical drop. Lewis had to fight to slow himself down about half way down the wave so he didn't lose control of his surfboard. "At one point I had to reach down and let my hand drag a bit to slow down a little and turn out a little, because I was going so fast down that face, I was just praying the whole time I would stay with the water rather than it going to a negative slope on me and then I'd be flying. But I was able to make my turn and start actually carving rather than more or less surfing straight down, and then it was just nuts."

Lewis was clocked at travelling at 41 miles per hour at his top speed. "They told me it was like 40 miles an hour. If I would have lost it, it would be an equivalent to a car wreck. I wouldn't be walking away from that..." As the tube closed over the top of him, Lewis was engulfed in massive plumes of oceanspray which obscured his vision. "I love salt water because it doesn't really hurt your eyes. But you still are blind in there, and you just gotta trust gravity and your training, and follow the light, man." He emerged the first time and extended his run for another 35 seconds until he had slowed enough that the sea caught up with him and grabbed him in the wash as the wave he rode broke.

"Oh wow it was amazing," said Lewis. "Once you are done with a wave, you gotta kind of sit out there in the wash, and get hit with more wash, and just sit on your surf board and just be with the ocean until your ride can get out there. The Anantonese Ocean is warm out at the Crusher Bank, but its still pretty early in the season, and the really warm stuff hasn't quite won yet, so you kind of get a little numb, which is competing inside with the adreneline you feel from the ride itself. It's an amazing and very strange feeling." When he was picked up, the helo had to return to Luxon, and Mike and the crew decided to also call it. "It was the perfect wave, and I didn't want to test my luck trying to top this one."

Back in Luxon, the tape of the ride, shot from the helicopter as well as the yacht off the bank was verified in Luxon and it was determined that Lewis had beaten the previous record for Largest Wave surfed by more than two feet. "They did math and everything on the tapes and determined that the wave was 66 feet, 4 inches tall when I dropped in. That beat the previous world record, held by Luca Donte from 5640, by two feet 6 inches. I was so like humbled and grateful and just so overwhelmed that I had had such an awesome day out there."

Later that evening, Lewis also got a call from Dah Surf Co who said they intended to sponsor the Swell Invitational this summer, and wanted to put me on their team. "I was at first like no, I'm not a competitor. I'm a stunt guy. I surf big waves, and that's mostly it. But they said I was what every competitive surfer hoped they would become when their days at competition was over. They told me to name my price, and I said I would rep their products if they paid my crew. I don't really need the money myself: I do it for the thrill. But my crew does need to eat, and I thought if Dah just sponsors me and pays me enough to pay all of them, well that opens some more doors for us to go to new places and try more huge things. They're adrenaline junkies as well, so this is the opportunity for all of us to have a real awesome couple of years."

Dah agreed, and announced the sponsorship with a new ad campaign, with the first wall sized posters that feature a photograph of Lewis on his record shattering run, as well as a new 3 minute long commercial for Dah that plays Lewis' footage over the classic Surf Noise track from early 5500s band Hypoderma called "Deep Swell." It's only the first part of the track, but it is essentially a short documentary film footage shot by the helicopter crew on early April 3rd that includes the full run itself. Lewis approved of the use of the music. "Perfect soundtrack to that footage," said Lewis.

Mike Lewis said he will not be surfing in the Invitational this August, but has been asked to serve as a guest judge, representing Dah on the panel. "I said sure. We already have a trip scheduled for Xsampa in July, but if I'm not dead, I'll be back in Luxon to judge the competition. What an amazing honor!" Lewis, who is 39 years old said that this year will likely be his last year of surfing. "Yeah, I have a couple kids, now, and would love to see them grow up. Plus, this kind of stuff wears a body out too." Lewis will continue surfing, but less in the future. "Going to Dana all the time to really hit the last good waves on the Southern Kali shore takes a lot of time, but I am not willing to move out of Gendaris, so I'll keep surfing, but just less."

Meanwhile, you can watch Mike Lewis, current World Surfing Record Holder, surf the record setting wave out at Crusher Bank. The is the Luxon Swell at its most amazing, and Lewis now sits in a class all by himself in both Kalistani and International Surfing. Congratulations to Mike Lewis on his world record and his new Sponsorship.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUQ9PDu_lUA]
Mike Lewis, of Gendaris, sets the verified World Record for largest wave surfed in this cinematic footage which Dah Surf Co. has turned into a music video/commercial

@LaModa