It isn’t every day that one of the world’s most promising big wave surfer comes from Wilmington, North Carolina. Yet Mason Hyce Barnes isn’t your everyday surfer.
Barnes grew up in Wrightsville Beach, which is widely regarded as one of the East Coast’s small wave havens. An enthusiastic and talented surfer as a kid, his love of big waves was born when he frequently traveled to his family’s house on Oahu’s North Shore for the winter. From a young age, he became acquainted with Hawaii’s powerful waves and developed a love for big waves that has driven him ever since.
With his 100 percent commitment to big waves, electric smile and magnetic personality, some of the world’s best big wave surfers have been drawn into Barnes’ orbit. South Africa’s 3X Big Wave World Champion Grant “Twiggy” Baker has become a friend and mentor, while Hawaiian big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara recently took him under his wing at Portugal’s infamous big-wave spot of Nazare.
Under McNamara’s guidance, Barnes traveled to Nazare in October 2020 for what is now known as the Epsilon Swell. Barnes rode one of the biggest waves of the day, on what many considered one of the largest swells in recent history. The actual wave height is yet to be ratified, but it further cemented Barnes' profile as a big-wave surfer to watch.
A big wave surfer from Wilmington was perhaps always destined to challenge stereotypes, and with his surfing talent, drive, and personality where he takes surfing is entirely up to him.