This may be one of the few times we agree 100% with Laird Hamilton. For more info on how to join Laird and the Surfrider Foundations in stopping offshore drilling, visit Not The Answer.com.
[Link: Not The Answer]
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Mick Fanning fins out at the Bay.
For those who got in early and stayed up late the Billabong Pro J-Bay delivered some of the most amazing contest surf of the season. Perfect four-to-six footers reeled off the point letting the ASP World Tour’s finest get their contest legs back after a nearly three months break. Our favorite heat was seeing Andy Irons back in unshakable form.
Andy Irons (HAW), 31, former three-time ASP World Champion and past winner of the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay (2004), returned from his 2009 sabbatical with a vengeance today, seamlessly threading the barrel and mixing it up with his signature forehand blasts to advance to Round 3 past Jay Thompson (AUS), 27, and Jadson Andre (BRA), 20. . . “J-Bay is a special place for me,” Irons said. “I’ve had some of the best results of my career here and I’ve also had some of the hardest losses. To come back here after taking last year off and to get such amazing surf for Day 1 is a great feeling.”
Internet users who tried to turn in later in the day (early morning PST time) were greeted by web trouble from the Billabong Pro site. The scores were rolling, but the video dropped completely. In a tweet Billabong said they were working on it: “Apologies for website disruptions. Fixing now.”
We’re guessing the return of the tour and the epic waves had most of the surf world tuning in and that can cause problems with an Internet feed. Let’s hope they get it all sorted out before day two begins at 11 PM PST tonight.
For the official word from the ASP (and Round 1 results) follow the jump.
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We’re not sure surfing on the USA’s East Coast is even worth it. It’s cold and where it’s warm it’s sharky or in Hilton Head, South Carolina’s case gatory, according to a story on MyFox8.com:
The Island Packet of Hilton Head Island reports the alligator was spotted in the surf Tuesday and hundreds of beachgoers watched as the creature was captured by gator wranglers. . . Two workers for Critter Management Inc. caught the alligator after crews on jet skis forced the creature closer to shore so it could be snared and removed from the beach.
But not to worry, local officials say, a gator only shows up “about once a month during the summer.” Nice.
[Link: MyFox8 and The Island Packet]
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Remember that old 2010 ASP World Tour that was going on earlier this year? The one that featured a nine-time world champion going for his 10th title? The tour we’ve all pretty much forgotten about since Brazilian rookie Jadson Andre won the Billabong Pro Santa Catarina on April 29, 2010? Well, it looks like it may be back on at 11 PM PST tonight as the Billabong Pro J-Bay kicks off day one of the waiting period. First call will be at 10 PM PST (7 AM July 15, 2010 local time) And it looks like it will go:
Excitement is mounting for the event as Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the Billabong Pro J-Bay, predict ideal 2 to 2.5 metre waves with bigger sets and favourable weather conditions at Supertubes for Thursday (15 July), the opening of the 11-day waiting period that runs until Sunday 25 July. Contest director Mike Parsons (USA) will be keen to get the event underway and then pick the best conditions for the approximately four days of competition required to crown the 2010 champion.
First in the water will be Taylor Knox, Luke Munro, and Adam Melling. That is if everyone made it. We heard that a 7 PM flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg last night was delayed until 4 AM this morning. Kelly Slater was reportedly on the flight “calmly freaking out” along with several other pros. Guess we’ll know if they made it when their heats are called.
Click here to watch it live or follow the jump for the official ASP release and the round one draw.
[Link: Billabong Pro J-Bay]
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Billabong has been buying so many retailers lately that this one slipped under the radar. Billabong has apparently purchased four retail stores last week in Byron Bay, Australia own by brothers Gary and Mark Timperley, according to a story in the Byron Shire News.
It will be business as usual for Gary and Mark, who will stay on as store managers for at least two years and will retain the existing employee base. . . “I think these are always difficult decisions, but the fact we are selling to one of our original customers and then remaining in the business in a management capacity makes it a little easier,” Mark said. . . “When we started to talk about selling the businesses we realised we hadn’t stopped working since we left school in Fourth Form (Year 10).
The four sores include Bay Action, Big Kahuna, S-cape Byron, and not so oddly Billabong. We should probably start a Billabong tote board just to keep track of all of this.
[Link: Byron Shire News]
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Jordy Smith, Grant “Twiggy” Baker, and Andrew “Roosta” Lange, have been busy the past couple weeks as Hollywood has joined the crowd at J-Bay to film Blue Crush 2, according to a story on Weekendpost.ca.za.
Sounds like a bit of a stretch, but the new story goes like this:
“When her father pressures her to knuckle down and go to college, Dana flees her Beverly Hills home for the beaches of South Africa, the site of some of the world’s most awesome surf and her late mother’s home country. . . “With her mom’s journal in hand and a mismatched gang of surf fanatics watching her back, Dana embarks on an odyssey along the breathtaking southern coast of Africa to fulfil her mother’s dream – a long, flawless journey down the barrel of the killer waves of Jeffreys Bay.”
The waves have certainly been putting in Oscar performances. Not sure about the rest of the cast.
[Link: Weekend Post]
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Paul Naude, SIMA Environmental Fund President; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., SIMA Environmentalist of the Year; Tom Curren, SIMA Waterman of the Year; Scott Anderson of Channel Islands accepting Al Merrick’s Lifetime Achievement Award on his behalf. Photo Credit: Carl Steindler
Al Merrick may not have showed up to accept his SIMA Lifetime Achievement Award (family vacations are important) but 650 members of the surf establishment got dressed up for the 21st Annual Waterman’s Ball held at the super-plush Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel on Saturday, July 9, 2010.
Tom Curren won Waterman of the Year, Robert F. Kennedy (a favorite on the SIMA circuit) won Environmentalist of the Year, and SIMA raised $400,000 for charitable causes. Not a bad evening at all.
“Supporting the efforts of the 19 ocean-related Waterman’s Weekend beneficiaries has never been more necessary than before with the worst man made environmental disaster happening in the Gulf right now,” said Paul Naude, President of the SIMA Environmental Fund. “Thanks to the surf industry, this year we raised $400,000 and now Waterman’s Weekend has raised more than $5.4 million over the past 21 years for environmental causes. A special thanks goes to our honorees, Tom Curren and Al Merrick for their dedication to the sport of surfing. As well as our Environmentalist of the Year recipient, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for fighting to protect and preserve our playground and livelihood and inspiring us all.”
Follow the jump for all the SIMA details or click on one of this links for photos and stories from media outlets who cared enough to actually attend: (OC Register, Shop-Eat-Surf.com, Transworld Business, Surfer Mag, Transworld Surf)
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Galeston, Texas surfer Chad Rogers, 20, never expected to get bitten by a shark, according to a story in the Galveston News. But that didn’t stop what he believes to be a 5 foot bullshark from getting a bite in.
“When I pulled my foot out, I was bleeding all over the place,” Rogers said in an interview with YourTownTV.com. “I was kind of freaking out. I never thought I would get bitten by a shark. . . “After that, we had a race to get (to shore.) I just remember getting bit and trying to get the hell out of the water.” . . . Rogers said in addition to a large gash, he had “nibble marks” from the shark on his toes.
Rogers used his other foot to push the shark away and then hopped a quarter mile to his car. The surfers foot now has between 50 and 60 stitches on it, but other than that he’s fine.
[Link: Galveston News]
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A Snapper Rocks barrel has claimed Joel Parkinson’s heel in a slice that nearly took the back half of the ASP number 8 surfer’s foot off and sent him to hospital, according to a post on his website Joelparko.com.
“I just pulled into a barrel and been taken out by the foamball, and pretty well straight away I’ve felt the board hit me,” says Joel. “I knew immediately it was a pretty serious cut. I didn’t want to look at it when I came in because I knew it wouldn’t be good.” Joel was helped up the beach to a waiting ambulance by good friend and three-time world champion, Andy Irons who had been surfing with him.
The slice has caused Parko to officially pull out of next week’s Billabong Pro at J-Bay. They do say the wheels are the first to go.
[Link: JoelParkinson.com via StabMag]
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Tomorrow, Friday, July 8, 2010 all surf breaks in Fiji become a free-for-all, according to a decree by Fiji’s Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and quoted on Radio Fiji.
Fiji Surfing Association President John Philip has welcomed the implementation of the Decree Philip says tourists will now be able to surf freely in Fiji and local villages will benefit the most. . . . “It’s fantastic news! It’s very positive for the development of surfing in Fiji and especially tourism. It’s great for the people of Fiji – the beach users and anyone who feels they got ownership in our beaches and clean oceans. As I’ve said the biggest benefit is going to the rural areas – it will create employment for surfing related industries.”
Now every boat owner in Fiji can run people out to Cloudbreak and Restaurants. Epic. Finally, Fiji’s best waves will be as open, and hassle-free as Hawaii . . . cough, cough, cough.
[Link: Radio Fiji]
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