Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬

The third and final film in director Seth Hughes' and surfer Mike Lay's trilogy has arrived. Following Cynevin and Hireth, Gwynnik completes a body of work that has quietly become one of the most thoughtful series in contemporary surf filmmaking.

The title — Cornish for "little fair one" — is a nod to the arrival of Mike's young children, and the new rhythm they've brought to life in West Penwith. It's a film shaped by fatherhood, by rootedness, and by a shifting relationship with the sea.

Filmed across two years in Cornwall and Brittany, Gwynnik finds Mike closer to home than ever before. After years surfing across the globe, his connection to the ocean has evolved — less about the relentless pursuit of perfect waves, more about the quieter, holistic experience of simply being in the water.

Don't expect pumping surf. Most of the waves here would barely raise an eyebrow on a traditional surf film reel, and that's entirely the point. Gwynnik makes a compelling case that beauty isn't reserved for swell events and offshore perfection — it lives in the everyday, in the ordinary rhythm of the sea, in the kind of sessions most of us actually have.

As a Finisterre Ambassador, Mike has always embodied a connection to place and purpose that goes beyond performance surfing. Gwynnik is perhaps the fullest expression of that yet — a film that's as much about life on land as it is about life in the water.

Finally the World Tour gets a performance left hander.

Words: Joel Gray Photos: WSL

Amongst the goofy-footed fraternity, it’s an often-grumbled fact that the elite World Tour has been missing a true performance left for many years. Finally, they have one with the Corona Cero New Zealand Pro.

This represents a chance to balance out the hi-fi action of the Snapper and El Salvador events, along with the open-face right-handers of Margaret River and Bells Beach. Sure, they’ve got Pipe, Cloudbreak and Teahupoʻo, but those barrel-focused reef breaks still tend to favour the regular footers due to the advent of full-body tube-stall techniques.

The multiple-manoeuvre walls of Manu Bay at Raglan will provide a super exciting canvas for spectators and competitors alike. After the packed beaches, boardshorts and bikinis of the Gold Coast, it’s back to full suits and chilly morning coffees. There’s a real element of the unknown as to how the World Tour’s established top dogs and bottom feeders will fare on this new addition to the tour.

Carve’s five to watch — men and women.

Gabriel Medina

There's no doubt that the returning Medina has been the onform surfer over recent events. It’s like he’s accessed a new level of calm maturity and the depth of flow to his surfing, his read on individual waves is unmatched. 

Rio Waida

If he can adjust to the morning chill and the full wetsuits then this could be a great opportunity for Rio to shine. Growing up predominantly surfing with his back against the wall on the long lefts of the Bucket Rio’s back hand is his forte and not something we’ve seen much of to date.

Griffin Collapinto

One of the few regular footers able to put down real variety and throw tail without sacrificing flow. At his home break, Trestles his backhand is as good as his forehand and his performance in last years final 5 at Coudbreak was only bettered by goofy footer Yago.

Italo Ferreira

When judges and spectators alike are open minded to the possibilities of goofy footed surfing at this new canvas, we can fully expect Italo to be the electric cat amongst the pigeons. Expect a big wave count and a wide variety of attempts. 

Ramzi Boukhaim

The rocking Moroccan is in real need of a big result after three shockers so far — largely due to too many falls. Despite being known for his backhand attack, Ramzi has a tight forehand carve that stands out and could suit the Kiwi walls well. While most eyes are on the right-handers on tour, don’t be surprised if Ramzi puts up huge numbers here.