A month ago, while everyone in the United States was staring up at the sky during the hotly anticipated “total eclipse of the sun”, Dylan Graves was surfing underneath it.
Only Graves would fly from Australia (where he lives now) all the way to Waco, Texas and book a surf session during the two-hour window of “totality”, when the moon passed directly between the earth and the sun, casting everything in a temporary, shadowy haze.
“Everyone you hear of who’s seen a total solar eclipse says things like ‘words can’t describe it man you just gotta experience it,'” writes Graves alongside this new clip. “I’m that person now. This video is my attempt at trying to assign some words, as well as add some visuals to help understand this WILD experience. In our case, obviously there had to be surfing involved, and it just so happens that there was a wave pool right smack in the middle of the line of totality in Waco, Texas. I was with a group of scientists, some other eclipse chasers, and a happy go lucky group of surfers in the right place at the right time. This is definitely one of the most cosmic surf experiences I’ve ever had, but it almost didn’t happen…”
Why? Well, we don’t want to spoil the clip, so you’ll just have to click play for the full story.
That said, considering the path of totality went through the middle of America, we’re confident claiming Graves (and friends), are the only surfers in the world that got tubed under the full eclipse this year.
For anyone that wants to experience something similar, well, you’ll have to wait until August 23, 2044. The good news? The path of totality passes through Florida, and that’s during hurricane season.
Go ahead, mark your calendars now. We’ll update you on the surf forecast in 20 years.
Related: Wavepool Surfers Will Experience the 2024 Solar Eclipse Path of Totality