'Ride The Line': The Surf Film That’s All Gas, No Breaks

After a year of global tours, with premieres beamed into parking lots, back alleys and theaters from Bali to New York City, Blak Bear Surf Club’s “Ride the Line” is finally out for public consumption. If you enjoy classic rock songs paired with hollow, board-breaking waves, this is the film for you. 

The film’s roster, composed of the brand’s team riders, is full of bona fide chargers, including Balaram Stack, Matahi Drollet, Seth Moniz, Billy Kemper, Clay Marzo, Moana Jones Wong, Eimeo Czermak, Al Cleland Jr., Jake Maki, and many, many more. 

For a surf accessories brand specializing in traction pads and leashes, Blak Bear’s marketing push has been, in a word, strong. But just as important as the team riders is the man behind the brand — Teva Dexter, a former pro surfer, surf coach, and co-founder of Blak Bear Surf Club. He’s the guy who put stickers on boards, organized the film tour, and shook hands with countless surfers and stoked out legions of groms with free gear over the past year. 

Back to “Ride the Line.” Edited by Tomo McPherson, the 20-minute film is full of A-grade footage. During its US tours, the movie was a worthy accompaniment and opener to Logan Dulien's Snapt 5. While the latter had a broader range of surfing, "Ride the Line" appeared to have an underlying and singular mission statement: get as many deep barrels as humanly possible. Each location offers an adrenaline spike: Giant Cloudbreak, huge Teahupo’o, unruly Pascuales, and firing Pipeline. Good luck finding a turn in any of these places. There are also waves you probably haven’t seen before, the most notable being the outrageous roping left somewhere in Indonesia that Balaram, Teva and Tai “Buddha” Graham scored.  

Consider designating "Ride the Line" a spot in the Rolodex of pre-surf amp-ups. Even more good news: a sequel is in the works.