Welcome to the final issue of the Shred Sledz Bulletin for 2023. I wrote a blog post summarizing all of my favorite surf content for the year, which you can find at the link below. A huge swell also just hit the West Coast, lighting up its marquee spots. The curmudgeon in me wants to complain about the swell hype machine, but really, what does any of that matter? At the end of the day, surfing is about connecting with the ocean. And as I walked by my usual spot with my family yesterday, and experienced a genuine sense of awe at how this swell had rearranged the geography of this stretch of coastline, the last thing on my mind was memes and crowds and what the peanut gallery, online or otherwise, might have to say. Here's hoping you get to spend some time in or even near the water today and in the New Year. Thanks for reading.

Introducing the Shreddies Awards, which showcase all my favorite surf content from the year. It's a fascinating time for surf media, and change doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. Personally, I don't think there has been a better time for surf content. Like many, I mourn the loss of print (Surfer Magazine will always be the Bible for me), but there's so much variety -- and quality! -- and a shocking amount of it is completely free. Check out the full post below.