Watch Land of Treason starring Dane Matson

Surfing Trestles is a nightmare. I can count the number of times I’ve been down there to surf in the last 5 years on one hand. It’s one of the greatest waves on the coast, but the crowd of ferocious grommets, bros, and pros make it pretty rough to go out and have an epic surfing experience, unless you enjoy being a spectator.

After a never-ending flat spell, I got a random burst of enthusiasm and decided to give it a crack. There had been waves for a few days straight and it was on the decline so I thought maybe everyone had their fill. Plus it was terribly foggy. For the amount of time I put into thinking about going down, it just couldn’t be possible that the stars would align could it? I checked the Surfline camera all day and couldn’t see anything but grey. While pretending to watch football at a friend’s place in San Clemente I kept checking. The flags outside his house were blowing. Straight onshore. It seemed like a recipe for disaster, which is almost what made it seem like the perfect time to strike. The swell was dropping, it’s foggy AF, now it’s windy, and NFL is on. Sounds perfect! I borrowed a bike and narrowly escaped multiple accidents before I got down the trail.

About 15 grommets sitting way inside and 4 adults on the 3-4ft glassy peaks. The fog element made it feel more surreal. I couldn’t get out there fast enough and by the time I did, more people went in. After a while, Dane Matson paddled out, no leash, no pad, and still every bit as radical and just as flabbergasted as I was. He came down in the morning and didn’t paddle out because it was too crowded. Now we had it basically to ourselves.

I’ve always enjoyed talking music with Dane (check out his 12 Songs Round 1, Round 2 & Round 3) so I asked him what he’s been listening to as we split a few peaks. He just returned home from a big road trip up the coast of CA and was working on wrapping up this part with his friend Tyrone. After another perfect right wall, I was content and decided to call it. I watched from the cobblestones as Dane decimated left after left. I couldn’t wait to see his new part. He filled me with hope for the future. And today, we got the new part: “Land of Treason.” Hit play.—Brandon Guilmette

[Photo courtesy": lostenterprises.com]