Dege O'Connell is yet another prime example of the depth of talent on Maui. With an impressive list of big names like Walsh, Payne, and Marzo coming out of this small island, as well as a couple recent additions in Layer and Meola, it's hard to believe that Maui has even more surfers we'll be hearing about in the future.

Currently residing in Hana, on the isle's North Shore, Dege O'Connell has a variety of big and small waves to choose from. Here's Dege's highlight reel from the last 12 or so months, filmed at home, with a few trips to Oahu, Indo, and Mexico thrown in.

His buddy Matt Meola posted the clip on his blog with following caption, "This is why I'm investing some of my Innersection winnings into taking him on a trip. When people realize how good he is and [he] starts making bank, he'll hit me back." Now that's what friends are for.

Southern California's most iconic summer pointbreak, Surfrider Beach in Malibu, has been suffering from a pesky closeout problem in recent years. The inlet has been breaching at the east end of Malibu Lagoon. And as a result, the upper points are starved of sand while the wave at First Point is being broken up by a sandbar.

The current positioning of the inlet is also causing problems for the city of Malibu due to the rapid erosion of the land surrounding the historic Adamson estate, and for lifeguards, whose rescue access to Third Point is now limited.

The Surfrider Foundation announced May 17 that it would begin taking preliminary steps to move the inlet's breaching point to a more ideal location-- at the west end of the lagoon, near Third Point.

According to Dr. Chad Nelsen of the Surfrider Foundation, "The advantage from a surfer's perspective is that if the sand is getting pumped out at Third Point, then all of that sand gets groomed and fills in all the way down to First Point, which helps connect those waves." Additionally, the repositioning of the inlet would solve the problems of lifeguard access and rapid erosion near the Adamson house.

Surfrider is still unsure how long it will take to obtain permission from the Army Corps of Engineers and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to move forward with the project. Fortunately, as Nelsen explained, "We've been talking to those agencies and they're supportive of the idea. They believe there are good reasons to do it and they've expressed a willingness to try to come up with a plan and get it permitted."

In the meantime, the Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project is slated to begin on June 1. While the project has been met with some negative reactions due to a concern that it would further solidify the inlet's current positioning, none of the research conducted by Surfrider supports that hypothesis.

In Nelsen's view, the Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project and the repositioning of the inlet are separate issues, both of which need to be addressed: "Surfers' problems aren't going to get solved by stopping the wetland project. The inlet is still in the wrong spot. The inlet problem needs to be solved on its own."

Our comrades over at Vans just dropped a mini-documentary on last year's Pipeline Masters event, which, as you may recall, enjoyed some of the best conditions ever seen in competition. As Shane Dorian put it, "I've been in the Pipe Masters since I was 19 or 20 years old. I've been in a lot of them, and this year was probably the best one of all for sure."

Here is episode one of three-- the early rounds:

For most surf-travelers, Costa Rica conjures up images of dense jungles and brown-sand beachbreaks. This may be largely accurate on the country's more popular Pacific side. But if you have the time and knowlege, Costa Rica's Caribbean coast is holding some gems. Here, East-Coast-Americans Balaram Stack, Eric Geiselman, and CJ Hobgood venture south, following local pro Gilbert Brown and his dreadlocks as he leads them to some unexpected treasures. For more on this trip, check out Surfing Magazine's feature in their June issue.

Australia's Dylan Longbottom is one of the premier hellmen of our sport-- one of those rare humans who takes joy in being terrified. A standout performer in the most deadly conditions, Dylan was one of the only surfers to actually make it out of a proper beast during the Tahiti Code Red mega-swell. In this highlight reel we see some of his more notable sessions at Shipstern's Bluff, Teahupoo, West Oz, Kirra, and a couple of secret haunts.

In addition to his barrel-riding antics, Longbottom is also one of the only pro surfer/shapers left. He's been shaping sleds for Laurie Towner, Wade Goodall, and Dean Bowen under his eponymous label Dylan Surfboards for years. Can your shaper do this?