Editor’s note: This episode of Logdaze was made possible by our friends at ULI Boards.
The first footage I ever saw of Joe Rickabaugh (aka Joe “Rippenbrah”) was of him throwing a child. As with most things you tend to come across scrolling through Instagram, it lacked any explanation – no context. But, here was this grown man holding an eight-year-old by his underarms on a reeling righthander at Leo Carrillo as they pumped down the line and jammed a few turns. Then, suddenly, the wave stacks up and Joe picks up his tandem partner and tosses him over the lip of the wave. The clip went absolutely viral, but don’t let it give you the wrong idea.
It turns out that among other things Joe is a surf coach and spends time bestowing local knowledge and technique on some of Los Angeles’ young up-and-comers. In addition, Joe is a lifeguard, volunteer at A Walk on Water, and is quite possibly one of the most proficient Wavestorm riders there is. Get a load of this:
Spend a minute around Joe Rickabaugh, and you come to two conclusions. One: his stoke is absolutely contagious and any bad vibes you brought into the encounter are immediately gone. And two: this is a guy who is unequivocally unafraid to be one thousand percent himself, no matter what. Not to mention, Joe rips on all manners of craft.
If you don’t know the man behind that viral video, we suggest you get acquainted. He’s one of a kind.
