by The Editors on September 22, 2011
Former European bodyboarding champion and surf camp manager Matthieu Schiller, 32, died after being attacked by a shark near Réunion Island’s Boucan Canot beach on Monday, September 19, 2011, according to a story in the Daily Mail.
One of the surfers, Kamel said: ‘I was waiting for a wave with my feet in the water. We saw the shark and the next thing I knew was that he screamed and raised his arm. . . ‘We then saw a cloud of red blood in the water where he had been,’ he said.
Fellow surfers were at first able to get to Schiller and began moving him to shore when he ended up in the water again. Schiller’s body disappeared beneath the waves and has not yet been recovered. This is reportedly the fourth attack and second death on Réunion Island this year. Our thoughts are with Schillers family and the 1,000 people who gathered at the beach yesterday to celebrate his life.
[Link: Daily Mail and ImazPress]
by The Editors on September 21, 2011
(Click here for the entire Hurley Pro Trestles photo gallery)
The 2011 Hurley Pro Trestles final between ten time world champion Kelly Slater and Quik Pro New York champ Owen Wright was a stunning reminder of just how perfect, tactical, competition surfing can be mind-numbingly dull. Neither surfer would want to hear it, but watching Slater and Wright surf in a lull-filled final on Wednesday (after seeing them duel at Teahupoo and Long Beach) was a lot like watching grand masters play chess.
The Hurley Pro final was calm, calculated, and free of any major mistakes. Neither Slater nor Wright seemed to want to risk losing, so they played it cool. Consequently, both surfed a nearly perfect heat and we almost fell asleep. As the clock wound down Slater took a wave in and came up the beach under his own power as the entire crowd waited for the judges final word. After a contest hold it was announced that Slater had won by .76 of a point.
Slater complemented Wright’s surfing on the podium:
“Owen (Wright) is tough and he’s been surfing great,” Slater said. “There really are no weak points to his surfing and he’s going to be a standout in every spot. A lot of the guys tried to get him this week and I got lucky in that last exchange. I was taking the first wave of the set under his priority and once I got priority I wanted to wait. It almost looked like there wasn’t a wave after Owen’s. It’s been fun surfing against Owen and surfing Lowers. It’s been a great week and thanks everyone for the crazy support, it’s been wonderful.”
The two best heats of finals day were Slater’s quarterfinal match-up against Josh Kerr in which Kelly surfed like a hungry grom with superhero skills, and Owen Wright and Julian Wilson‘s interference showdown in the semifinal 2. We’ve watched that wave several times and we’re still not sure that the judges made the right call.
Click here to watch both heats on Hurley On Demand, here for our photo gallery, or follow the jump for the official word from the ASP. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on September 20, 2011
It would appear that everyone wants to get this Hurley Pro Trestles event over and done with as quickly as possible. After blowing through Round 3 and 4 today (September 20, 2011), it looks like the entire contest will wrap up tomorrow (midweek) under San Diego County’s nearly constant grey skies. If Trestles had lights they probably would have tried to end it today.
All that aside, Joel Parkinson kicked all kind of youngster ass today in the three footers, laying waste to Brett Simpson in Round 3, and Julian Wilson in Round 4.
“I was hoping for just a couple waves and we got a couple of set waves each,” Parkinson said. “I watched the first two of Brett’s (Simpson) waves after I got my scores and wanted to stay involved, but I just couldn’t worry or watch. He’s an amazing surfer and beat me in Tahiti so it was kind of good to get one back. We’ve surfed the last three events together and there are those little rivalries that pop up.”
The heat we were most interested in today was Owen Wright vs. John Florence. And it did not disappoint (click here to watch it), or follow the jump for the official word from the ASP including tomorrow’s heat Round 5 match ups. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on September 20, 2011
Looks like the ASP Elite Tour isn’t the only thing John John Florence has snuck onto lately.
We got word from Nixon today that John has been jumped on to the Nixon surf team thanks to a “unanimous” green light from Bruce Irons, Dusty Payne, Josh Kerr, Lisa Andersen, Dean Morrison, Rob Machado, Claire Bevilacqua, Keith Malloy, Nathan Fletcher and Mark Cunningham.
“John John’s a throwback in the surfing world,” states Nixon Marketing Manager, Mike Murciano. “He has dynamic abilities and deep roots in surf. He has the respect and drive to take him to the top. He brings strong, new elements to the team and we are beyond proud to welcome him.”
Follow the jump for all the details. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on September 19, 2011
When the Sacred Craft Consumer Surfboard Expo slides into the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California on October 8 – 9, 2011, Billabong will be sponsoring the fourth annual Art of Shaping Event with a nod to Los Angeles County shapers.
The list of confirmed participating shapers includes Scott Anderson, Joe Bark, Jose Barahona, Clyde Beatty, Matt Calvani, Lance Carson, Bing Copeland, Robbie Dick, Bruce Grant, Tyler Hatzikian, Brian Hilbers, Jeff Ho, Hap Jacobs, Dennis Jarvis, Don Kadowaki, Glen Kennedy, Greg Liddle, Casey McCrystal, Jed Noll, Pat Ryan, Mike Stavros, Jeff Stoner, Jerry O’Keefe and Michael Zippi.
Follow the jump for the rest of the details. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on September 19, 2011
The Hurley Pro at Trestles isn’t getting the best waves and we’re kind of missing the surf we saw in New York (never thought we’d say that), but it’s not all bad. Today (September 19, 2011) Round 2 is set to get underway with Round 3 on hold for a possible afternoon start. We’re just hoping the waves hold up.
For the complete heat match-ups and yesterday’s results, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on September 19, 2011
If the Ocean Beach swell gets too big to paddle into during the Rip Curl Search Somewhere in San Francisco event ASP surfers will not be able to tow-in on a jet-skis according to a story in the San Francisco Examiner.
The National Park Service had initially told event planners that they would create an exception to a law banning such vessels from national parks as a safety precaution for surfers catching waves larger than 10 feet at the contest, which is slated for Nov. 1-11. . . But after further review, officials determined that the beach’s own personal watercraft-equipped lifeguards could provide adequate safety without bending the law.
Just one more reason this will be one of the more interesting events on the ASP Tour.
[Link: San Francisco Examiner]
by The Editors on September 18, 2011
by The Editors on September 16, 2011
Northern California and Florida surfing is quite different.. Florida is warm and flat waves. NorCal has freezing ass water and huge unruly waves most of the time. One thing they have in common, oddly, is sharks. NorCal’s great whites are a little gnarlier than the sharks found in Florida. Just ask Benjie Rose.
Benjie Rose was sitting on his board 40 yards off of Samoa Beach at a spot called Power Poles on Sunday when a white shark came up under him, hitting his board and knocking him into the air. . . His board badly damaged and with a bloody nose, Rose managed to paddle into a wave and rode it onto the shore, where it broke in half and he discovered teeth marks.
Rose was very lucky to have gotten away with a broken board. This reminds us that it’s quite nice of Rip Curl to hold their Pro Search San Francisco event right in the middle of the Red Triangle, isn’t it?
[Link: Shark Research Committee via Press Democrat]
by The Editors on September 13, 2011
Police have identified a body recovered off Long Island’s Jones Beach as 31-year-old Zachary Gottfried. Gottfried, the owner of the Amityville, New York based Island Riders surf, kite, wake, and SUP shop, went missing on September 8, 2011 while out riding waves generated by Hurricane Katia, according to a story in the Newsday.
Gottfried, 31, an avid surfer and kiteboarder, disappeared off Gilgo State Park last Thursday while surfing in high-surf conditions with another man, who was identified as his business manager, according to a Tuesday news release.
It’s hard to think that the waves the helped create such an amazing Quik Pro New York, could also end a surfer’s life. Our thoughts are with Gottfried’s family and friends.
[Link: Newsday]
Former European bodyboarding champion and surf camp manager Matthieu Schiller, 32, died after being attacked by a shark near Réunion Island’s Boucan Canot beach on Monday, September 19, 2011, according to a story in the Daily Mail.
