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Kirstin Cole, award-winning reporter for local New York station PIX 11, found a surfer at Long Beach. Normally, this wouldn’t be weird, but normally, Winter Storm Stella isn’t raging. Crazier still, when she interviewed the guy, he said it was his first time surfing – ever. That should be a great scoop, right? Just share the hilarious video with a clickbait headline like “You Won’t Believe This Guy Who Tried Surfing For the First Time in a Freaking Cyclone!”
But amazingly, there’s more. The man who only identifies himself as “Adam” is local “surf legend” Adam Winerip. He clarified the facts in an interview with the website Surfline. Apparently, he’s far from being an amateur. The guy’s been surfing for half his life. In high school, he was also a champion diver and captain of the men’s swimming team (and he was named Best Dancer!). Really, could a first-timer really survive surfing in a nor’easter like Stella?
Crazier still, Winerip claimed he was “daydreaming in the water about what [he] would say if [he] got interviewed.” When he saw Cole waving at him, he decided to shake it up. How? Oh boy, get this: he’s been working on a mockumentary based on ESPN’s 30 for 30 series. Bored with the usual surfer interviews, he donned the persona of a character.
As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction. The phrase came to mind when I saw the video and took it at face value. But after investigating, it turns out the alleged truth was fiction, and the real truth is even stranger. Funny how that happens, right?
Updates:
For those who are wondering: he also claimed the video shows the full extent of their interaction – meaning he had to find someone else to drive him. John Mirando, Commissioner of Public Works for Long Beach, ended up giving the soaked, shivering surfer a lift. PIX 11 claims he walked away before they could offer him a ride, and he does leave at the interview’s end.
Also, on Winerip’s Instagram post about the interview, Cole commented about a “re-do that makes mom and dad happy.” Despite Surfline‘s “15 minutes of fame” quip, the story’s not over yet!
Adam Winerip may seem gutsy for surfing during a cyclone, but this video shows Benji Brand is pretty cool too.
