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Welcome to the 16th Edition of The Bodyboard Report! 🤙
Time does fly, and so do bodyboarders.
Some weeks the news writes itself, and this is one of them.
A rider from Michoacán just did something no Mexican has ever done.
A Frenchman may have quietly matched the biggest record in the sport while nobody was looking.
The next generation served notice in the same week.
And back home in SA, the Bluff is sharpening its teeth.
Grab a coffee.
This is good stuff.👇
The Wild World of the Van Gogh Truthers
In 1990, after years of practicing medicine and reviewing Van Gogh’s case history via his hundreds of letters, Arenberg published a paper in JAMA diagnosing Van Gogh as suffering not from epilepsy, as the artist’s physician claimed a century earlier, but from Ménière’s disease, an inner-ear affliction that can cause vertigo, of which Van Gogh complained, and tinnitus, a persistent ringing in the ears. Ménière’s, to Arenberg, could better explain Van Gogh’s decision to slice off his ear. After retiring, in 2017, Arenberg recommitted himself to studying Van Gogh and became convinced that art historians had made an even more alarming mistake: Van Gogh had not committed suicide. He’d been murdered.
Read the article for free on Air Mail, a lively digital read for the world citizen, with stories both foreign and domestic that you won’t find anywhere else, written by some of the world’s finest journalists.
Viva México!
The boogie belongs to everyone now!
History has a new name and it is Kalani Favela.
On finals day at the Pascuales Bodyboard Pro, the Michoacán native became the first Mexican rider ever to win an IBC World Tour event, and he did it the hard way, beating 3 world champions on his run to the trophy.
What a remarkable achievement!
To top it off, this was not a lucky draw for him…
Kalani won every single heat he entered in 1st place.
He eliminated 2024 World Champ Armide Soliveres in the quarterfinals, dominating the heat with a 7.5 on a big left.
In the semifinal he dropped a 19 out of 20 heat total, the highest of the entire event, and decommissioned 2 x World Champ Pierre Louis Costes.
Also worth noting that earlier in the day he stuck a huge backflip on a bomb for the event's only perfect 10.
In the final he faced another 2 x World Champ Amaury Lavernhe in heavy, shifting Pascuales conditions. With cojones the size of Colima, Kalani closed out his heroic campaign in front of a home crowd that had waited its whole history for this moment.
Then came the part that broke everyone a little…
Kalani lost both his parents on his road to this title, and on the podium he dedicated the win to them and to Mexico, saying he never imagined he would be the first Mexican to do it.
On a more personal note, sport gives you moments like these. Especially if you are fighting for pride on your home turf in front of your home crowd against seemingly unbeatable adversaries.
I vividly recall those great moments during my school rugby years… Taking the field as underdogs against guys twice our size. Then rising to the occasion while feeding off the energy of the local supporters and amplifying it with internal strength and pride to kick ass up and down the home field. 💪
“Once you've tasted the glory of victory in sport, the payoff of all your hard work, it is something that stays with a man, and no one can ever take it away.”
…is the message of a 👉 sports comedy I wrote years ago, inspired by that feeling.
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The record hiding in the results sheet 🏆
While all eyes were on Kalani Favela, something quieter and possibly bigger may have happened in the same event.
Pierre Louis Costes arrived in Mexico chasing his 60th career world tour podium, a mark that would equal the all time record held by the legendary Guilherme Tâmega.
The great PLC finished 3rd. If the count is right, that is podium number 60, and one of the longest standing records in bodyboarding just got matched at a beach break in Colima while everyone was celebrating something else.
Nearly 20 years of showing up, in every ocean, in every condition, and still finishing in the top 3 against riders half his age…
That is not just talent.
That is a career for the history books!
The kids are coming! Here’s lookin’ at them. 🌊
If you want to know where this sport is heading, Pascuales gave us the whole map in 1 week.
15 year old Puerto Escondido local Oliver Jarquin took the fight to Amaury Lavernhe in the quarterfinals and came within half a point of eliminating a 2 x World Champ.
Yes… a mere half a point, at age 15.
In the Junior Men's final, Mexico's Ilan Chouard pulled off a proper buzzer beater, launching a backflip with 10 seconds left on the clock that the judges scored 8.75 to snatch the title on home sand.
A first time host nation producing a men's champion, a junior champion and a teenage giant slayer in the same event.
The so called periphery of bodyboarding is not as we know it anymore…
The centre of gravity seems to be moving, and it is moving toward places where the waves are heavy and the hunger is heavier…
👉 Check out the event highlights on IBC YouTube
Ilan feeling on top of the world.
The Rock is calling 🪨
From one heavy beach break to an even heavier reef!
17 - 19 July 2026
The Cave Rock Invitational is back on the Bluff in Durban, SA with a confirmed window period from 17 - 19 July 2026.
👉 16 Bodyboarders
👉 6 Surfers (Expression Session)
Past winners include 2 x World Champ André Botha.
The big one! “Boetie” is back!
Mark McCarthy returns to the Cave Rock Invitational!
When the south swell lines up and the wind goes light, the greenlight goes on and the Bluff will tun into amphitheatre.
Or an octagon…
More on Facebook 👇
6 Eyelash Tips for Mature Lashes
If mascara clumps, smudges, or makes you rub your eyes, it’s not you (or your age)… it’s the formula.
This guide explains what mature lashes need: a separating wand, water-resistant (not waterproof) wear, hypoallergenic comfort, and easier removal.
Learn quick fixes and smarter swaps in this full guide.
Wrapping up this session...
Every story in this edition comes back to the same thing.
Kalani Favela clawed for it and tasted it on home sand with 3 world champions in his way.
Pierre Louis Costes has spent nearly 20 years refusing to let go of it.
That taste of victory.
The thing that stays with you, that no one can ever take away.
Some weeks this sport hands you results.
This week it handed us a reminder of why we all paddle out in the first place.
Be it standing on the podium, making the barrel, or landing the big move you pulled on pure faith.
Young or old… big or small… big ones in front of the crowds, or big wins deep inside of us while we are out there alone with no one to hear the self cheers of elation…
That… is bodyboarding.
I’ve said it before, but this time I really mean it…
Keep charging!
Alan 🤟
Did you miss the last couple of publications? Check it out online here along with all the previous editions! 👇
Disclaimer: The Bodyboard Report is published for informational and entertainment purposes only. All images, media, and referenced content remain the copyright of their respective owners and are used for editorial commentary and community sharing. The Bodyboard Report does not claim ownership of any third party content.