This summer scrap your basic Indo boat trip, it takes two days to get there, it costs a fortune, and the Mentawais are blown out anyway. Besides, the longest wave in the world is right under your nose. Yes, I'm talking about heading down deep in the heart of Texas.
And as much as we all hate the oil industry right now, one Texas surfer is making it work for him. Capt. James Fulbright, along with partners John Benson and Peter Davies have gourged themselves on surfing tanker waves in the Gulf of Mexico for well over a decade, and now they've decided to cash in on the long peelers that can be ridden for an upwards of a half hour. This summer Fulbright launched his new, aptly titled business, Tanker Surf Charters, with the singular goal of helping you bag the longest ride of your life ... that's Texas style.
And it ain't no fly-by-night, country, hodad project. With the credibility of being featured in Dana Brown's seminal "Step Into Liquid," Fulbright's played host to some of the world's top longboarders, including Jen Smith, Kassia Meador, Belen Kimble and Daize Shayne-Goodwin, as well as watermen like Tommy Lloy and the C4 Rescue team, and even random waterdog Jimmy Buffet hitched a ride to see what all the fuse was about.
"Tanker surfing is the most fun," testifies Kassia Meador. "You will get the longest ride ever, and it's a trip watching huge boats go by. Capt. James is the original cowboy of the tanker wave, chasing down tankers and getting mile long rides. It's amazing."
So, if you're after the dream surf getaway this summer, yet feel guilty about what's going down in the Gulf, head down to Texas, infuse a little flow into the local economy, and catch a ride on Capt. James Fulbright's Tanker Surfing Charters. You'll be glad you did.
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