Round 1 of the Volcom Pro Fiji is going kick off with a bang as Jordy Smith, Brett Simpson, and Freddy P face off in Heat 1. And things are reportedly looking good for a swell.
“We’ve got a ton of swell lining up for the first week of the Volcom Fiji Pro,” Kevin Wallis, Surfline forecaster, said. “The event will get off to a quick start on Sunday the 3rd with a solid southwest swell at Cloudbreak along with favorable easterly wind. Wind will remain favorable for the first half of the following week as the swell tapers down. Long range charts point to a larger southwest swell for the 8th – 10th, if forecast models prove to be correct.”
This should be good. For those of us on the west coast the live broadcast will begin around 1 PM PT on Saturday, June 2, 2012 (don’t let the dateline fool you). Follow the jump for the official word from the ASP including the complete Round 1 Draw. [click to continue…]
The Nixon Euro surf team now include French ripper Marc Lacomare. How’s that for good news?
The multiple French Junior Champion and former ASP Billabong World Junior Champion is no stranger to the Nixon family having previously been on the Nixon flow program. Following Marc’s impressive showing in the Canary Islands, the team made a unanimous decision to promote the Hossegor-based surfer to the European surf team.
Who wouldn’t be excited to have 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater on their team, but did GoPro really need give Mr. Slater a new middle name? Apparently they did. And it is “Fucking.” And it’s about fucking time fucking Kelly fucking Slater got some fucking recognition for being Kelly Fucking Slater. Fuck.
[Editors’ Note: Yes, this is the second time we’ve used this over fucking use of the fucking fuck word for comedic effect. But that’s just because we’re a sustainable business. We recycle cuss words because they’re so hard on the environment.]
There’s nothing more re:refreshing that a big blast of the past served up as re:fresh and no one does re:retro better than Brixton and Troy Elmore as evidenced by this clip. We’re feeling blurry just watching it.
The Volcom Fiji Pro waiting period starts Friday, June 1, 2012 and it would seem that this event will be the one that breaks out the field and sets the tone for the rest of the 2012 season. Joel Parkinson is looking forward to it.
“The big difference this year is that there are a whole bunch of guys who’ve put their hands up in the ratings and there are some new guys in there like Kerrzy (Josh Kerr) and John John (Florence) who really add a new flavor to it,” Parkinson said. “You could throw a blanket over the Top 10 at the moment it’s that close, so leading the ratings right now doesn’t mean too much.”
New Zealand surfer Marama Kake, 32, likes to surf naked, according to a story in the Courier Mail.
“I’m not out there to get everyone to look at me, I just love the sensation and simplicity of surfing in my ‘sustainability suit’,” Ms Kake said. “I cover up, or paddle away, if I am anywhere near children and have never had any trouble with lifeguards or authorities and I’ve been doing it for years in Australia and New Zealand.” … Ms Kake, who has “get naked, get sustainable” inscribed on her boards, said reactions were mostly favourable. She said women came over to say they admired her courage.
Hmmm, looks like Kake has found the perfect green marketing vehicle. If only Brad Gerlach had used that excuse naked surfing might have caught on around the world years ago.
Anyone who surfs sharp, slicing, grinder reef breaks knows that often the single most important thing to know is when the tide is right. That’s where tide watches come in. Nixon just upped their tide watch ante with their new one-piece silicone Supertide.
With pre-programmed tide charts and sunrise/sunset data for over 230 global surf spots, plus easy-to-use future tide and a heat timer, light and integrated push-button controls, it’s as fanatical about the waves as you. And on top of it all, the super-bright, high-resolution display takes this surf-specific model to another level. Available in all black, white, surplus, sky blue and red.
What else do you need? We’re always partial to white as it seems to show off our tans so nicely. . . To see the rest of the colors click the link.
2 John Florence lined it up and put it down in the finals of the Billabong Rio Pro today (May 16, 2012) against Joel Parkinson at Barra Da Tijuca.
Florence, who now sits at No. 6 on the ASP WCT, will look to carry the momentum from today’s massive victory to the upcoming ASP WCT events in Fiji and Tahiti. . . “This helps my confidence so much,” Florence said. “I have a lot of confidence going into events with barreling waves like Pipe. Obviously I have a lot of confidence in barrels from my experience at Pipe, but coming here, I wasn’t expecting a big result. I was just hoping to make a few heats.”
Second place bumped Parko into the ASP points lead for now, but we’re betting Florence’s jumps even more over the next two events. Duh, right? Follow the jump for the ASP Rio rundown, and we’ll get out of the way. [click to continue…]
It was an ugly day at Barra Da Tijuca for the 2012 Billabong Rio Pro as surfers returned to the waves after a four-day break. Storm surf threw up shifty, slamming four to six foot beasts for the Round 2 surfers to negotiate and survive. Those who did felt like victorious warriors. Two of the survivors were 2 John Florence (pictured above in a photo that makes it look much better than it was) and CJ Hobgood.
“These conditions are a giant equalizer no matter who you have,” Hobgood said. “You know you’re not going to get many chances. You could go from a dog fight trying to find 2s and 3s, that’s how slim it is and luckily a little later I got a chance on a left. It’s tough, there are not many out there. It looks easy from the beach and when you’re taking off you’re thinking, ‘I hope I make the drop here.’”
The event progressed into the first two heats of Round 3 with Tiago Pires defeating Owen Wright and Michel Bourez taking Brett Simpson out. For the official word and complete results from the day follow the jump. [click to continue…]
It was a women’s next wave showdown at Barra Da Tijuca, Brazil on Sunday, May 13, 2012 when Hawaii’s Coco Ho faced off against Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons in the women’s finals of the Billabong Rio Pro.
“That was so crazy and Coco (Ho) had me on the ropes for sure,” Fitzgibbons said. “I just had my fingers crossed and knew there would be one towards the end. I made a few mistakes and it happens in Finals but I was able to recover there at the end. I’m so excited.”
She wasn’t the only one. Coco Ho was pretty stoked about her first go at a world tour finals.
“This result really opens things up for me,” Ho said. “I’ve been having a really tough year and I’m stoked to get into this Final. This is my best result of the year and this has been an important event for me. Congrats to Sally on her win.”
For complete results and the official word from the ASP, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
