Maui’s Kai Barger and Tanner Hendrickson towed a 15-year-old shark bite victim to shore at Ledges last week, according to a story in the Star Advertiser.
Barger said he heard one of the bodyboarders scream but couldn’t believe that there was a shark nearby. He watched as the two bodyboarders paddled slowly back toward him and his friends. . . “I asked them if they had seen a shark and he said that he had been bitten by one,” Barger said. “He lifted his leg and his fin was gone and all of the skin on his shin was off. It was really gnarly.” . . “We just told him that he was O.K., that he still had a foot, and that he was going to survive this,” Barger said. “We just did whatever we could to keep him calm.”
Barger and Hendrickson towed the boy to shore and then reportedly used their leashes as tourniquets on the boy’s leg until EMS arrived. Nice work.
The 19 Surfing Santa’s of Cocoa Beach, Florida attack the surf and spread a little holiday cheer “and maybe consume a little.” It’s no Shipsterns Bluff, but Merry Christmas anyway.
Lyndie Irons, widow of Andy Irons, is asking a Texas court to delay by six months the results of the three-time world champion’s autopsy and report because she fears it will “damage the . . . surfer’s brand,” according to a story on Courthouse News Service.
Based upon ‘leaks’ that have already occurred within the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office and the press reaction to those leaks, the branding of Andy Irons’ company will be immediately, irreparably and severely tarnished if the official autopsy report is released at this time, when the coverage of this event by the press is at a frenzy,” she says.
Sadly, it is requests like this that lead to even more speculation and make it seem that there is more to be worried about. Ultimately, we hope Lyndie’s wishes are respected. We will have years to discuss the autopsy results after the civilian media has moved on to some other tragedy.
[Update 8:55 PM: A Terrant County Judge has reportedly approved Lyndie’s request to delay the autopsy release until after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can conduct some research, according to KITV.com. The autopsy will not be made public until May 20, 2011.]
What has Jamie O’Brien been up to lately? Do you care? We do. Turns out he hasn’t been in the water for a long time and he’s looking forward to it. We are, too.
Charles DeVoe, 28, had been hospitalized since the Nov. 12 incident. He died Friday. . . FDNY divers had to cut DeVoe free after his ankle tether became snagged on a wooden pole. He was in the water for several minutes before he could be rescued. . . DeVoe’s agent, Jason Kanner, called DeVoe “a lovely kid who was respected and loved by many.” . . “This is a stunning and tragic loss for all those who loved and cared for him,” Kanner said.
DeVoe was a model who worked with Dolce Gabbana, Abercrombie & Fitch, and many others. Our thoughts are with DeVoe’s family and friends.
It was not the prettiest final in Pipeline history. Australian Kieren Perrow and France’s Jeremy Flores spent the first 12 minutes waiting for a wave at the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Memory of Andy Irons. But none came through. Then finally Kieren Perrow put one down and then another and had Flores down until the last 2 minutes.
With a little under two minutes to go Perrow took what he thought was a good wave. He pulled in and got crushed. He didn’t know it at the time but he left a bomber backdoor barrel wide open for Jeremy Flores. The fourth year tour surfer took full advantage of that gift wave and surfed it out for a 9.37 to seal the deal.
Flores was one of the most stoked Pipeline winners ever. While waiting to take the stage he patted his heart to let people know how it was racing. “It is such a dream. I’ve been coming to Hawaii for so long,” Flores said on the podium. “This is my favorite place in the world. Thanks so much to all the Hawaiian people to accept me and let me get a few barrels. And thanks to my little island Reunion Island. It’s so small it’s not even on most maps.”
Flores, the first European to ever win at Pipeline, said that the reason he won was by staying at it all the way to the end. “Never give up,” he said. “I’m not going to give up. It’s the Pipeline Masters and this is it. . . AI forever. He’s the man. He was my idol all growing up. I dedicate this victory to him, of course.
Tour veteran Perrow knew he was close, but that the heat was not over. “You never think you’ve won until the hooters gone,” he said. “I wanted to be patient and wait for the one good one that came. And I took one that I thought was good, but then I saw Jeremy coming through the barrel and knew it was good. It’s been an unreal week. My family is all here. It’s been fantastic. The support from the crowd has been amazing.”
Follow the jump for the official word from the ASP including full results.
[Special thanks to Billabong for letting us use their free WI-Fi and Ms. Simpson for not being too annoyed.] [click to continue…]
Round 3 of the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Memory of Andy Irons finally got underway today and it was almost as if no one took a break. Kelly Slater made it past John Florence in round 3 then cruised through a perfect Backdoor barrel for a 10.0. Parko lost to Owen Wright in round 3. Dusty Payne eliminated Mick Fanning and grabbed a spot on the 2011 tour, and Jordy Smith slipped by a wildcard and into the quarterfinals.
“There are really good waves when they come,” Slater said. “There’s only one or two in a set, but they’re really good when they come. That 10 was a long one. It had that good north corner on it and the right was just growing. That one hit the reef really well.” . . . “At this point, I’ve had a great year and I’m happy,” Slater said. “I’m happy to make it through heats, but if I don’t, this is a fun event for me now and hopefully we’ll get some good waves.”
Stephanie Gilmore surfed Backdoor super solidly to win the Duel for the Jewel and the women’s Triple Crown Title.
It appears that tomorrow we will see the finals. For the official word from the ASP including quarterfinal match-ups and full results follow the jump. [click to continue…]
We can’t really figure this surf film out. Isolated features what appears to be amazing camera work and a cast that includes: Josh Fuller, Travis Potter, Jenny Useldinger, Andrew Mooney, and Jimmy Rotherham.
Isolated is obviously well-funded. It’s being produced by Ryan Phillippe. But all the fancy graphics, spear-holding natives, and over-the-top voice over aimed obviously at a mainstream audience makes the trailer a little tough to watch. Not to say that Papua New Guinea isn’t a frightening place.
“Enter a forbidden land on the most secluded corner of the globe. Where five world class surfers journey into a world left behind. They search to ride untouched waves and bring surfing to the edge of civilization. But what they find will change them forever.”
Is there really “no turning back?” Did they all die? Guess we won’t know until we see the film.
Maverick’s big wave pioneer Jeff Clark opened his new Maverick’s Surf Shop at 25 Johnson Pier, Pillar Point Harbor, Princeton-by-the-Sea, according to a story in The Mercury News.
The new shop will put Clark, a father of three, front and center as the public face of surfing in Half Moon Bay. Clark’s previous shop was harder to find, on a narrow street in the warehouse district of Princeton. Now when tourists come to the harbor looking for directions to Mavericks Beach, they’ll be able to ask the man himself.
Haleiwa, Hawaii artist and musician Ron Artis died Wednesday, December 8, 2010 of an apparent heart attack leaving a large hole in the vibrant life of Haleiwa town. He was 61.
His colorful gallery/studio a.k.a. Resurrection City was one one of the brightest spots on Haleiwa’s main drag. Literally covered in reclaimed and painted broken surfboards and music playing seemingly 24-7, the place was obviously the work of man committed to his gifts. The entire North Shore was his canvas, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
Artis. . .created 900 murals in the community and resurrected discarded surfboards to adorn his Haleiwa gallery. . . The Texas-born painter and musician . . . participated in a 2008 police-backed beautification project to cover graffiti in Wahiawa, painting 25 murals around the town.
One of his last musical projects were two songs written in memory of Andy Irons. His family has said on their website: “”Our Father Ron Artis is now watching us from Heaven he lived a full life and put everything into us and we will not disappoint him.”
Artis is survived by his wife and 11 children. Our thoughts are will the family.
