by The Editors on April 1, 2009
Kelly Slater has apparently committed to surfing in the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, according to the Geelong Advertiser.
In February, Quiksilver spokesman Johnathan Jenkins said if Slater performed well at the Snapper Rocks Quicksilver Pro, he would be more likely to surf Bells. . . The 37-year-old was eliminated in round three, but decided to try his luck down south.
We have some questions: what boards will he ride? Does this mean Bells is the do or die event for number 10? As for how Kelly will done at Bells in the past we luckily have the break down from CJ Hobgood. But CJ’s numbers aren’t all that reassuring.
[Link: Geelong Advertiser]
by The Editors on April 1, 2009
Australian surfing pioneer Kim Bradley, who died on March 26, 2009, was found by his family two days later in “his favourite room in the house he built overlooking Kuta beach,” according to an AFP news story. He was 54 years old.
In a 2007 interview with “Surfer’s Path” magazine, Bradley recalled the excitement of exploring Bali’s huge offshore breaks with a small group of other surfers. . . “We had to work it out for ourselves… there’s like 26 breaks or something on the Bukit Peninsula now, but when I came we knew of two,” he was quoted as saying. . . “Paddling out at 12 foot (four metres) Nusa Dua by yourself… even at eight foot it’s pretty scary. . . “You’re looking out there and it’s 10-12 foot but it’s too good to resist so I’d say a quiet word to myself and my master: ‘Well if it’s today, it’s a good day to die.’
Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
[Link: AFP]
by The Editors on April 1, 2009
[April Fools Day Story 2009] Looks like the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach Dream Tour event will be missing the Hobgoods, according to a story on ESPN.com/Action.
Citing a change of heart and that they “just want to get back to their Florida roots,” the twin brothers have returned to Florida to pursue a career in NASCAR. Apparently over the last couple weeks the two have been repeatedly overheard babbling about “shaking and baking.” While it’s not clear exactly what this means, it has been confirmed that they “just wanna drive fast.”
Wish we could say we were going to miss those two. Truth is they’ve always been better drivers than surfers anyway.
[Link: ESPN.com/Action]
by The Editors on March 31, 2009
The organizers of the Mavericks Surf Contest have rolled down the event window until April 8, 2009 according to a story in the Mercury News.
“Everyone’s getting excited about another computer model that’s going to happen next Monday, if it happens at all,” said contest founder Jeff Clark, who calls the 24 big-wave contestants to Half Moon Bay on just 24 hours’ notice if he decides the waves are right. “I’ve got to keep an eye on it. If it happens it would be cool to hold the contest. If not, it would not be a big surprise.”
Official meteorologist Mark Sponsler isn’t making any calls, but says he’ll know more on Friday. It would be a shame to leave all the sponsorship money on the table, would it?
[Link: Mercury News]
by The Editors on March 31, 2009
[April Fools Day Story 2009] Surfermag.com is reporting that Rusty Long and Grant “Twiggy” Baker have busted through the “100-foot barrier” on a wave off the coast of Chile’s Isla Alejandra Selkirk. And photographer Todd Glaser apparently got the shot (click here to see it bigger).
SURFER received the breaking news via satellite phone from Staff Photographer Todd Glaser, who accompanied the big-wave duo deep into the Pacific in hopes of scoring waves on what Glaser called “Chile’s Cortes Bank.”
They say video is on the way. So the big question: Is this real? Funny, that it would show up on April Fools Eve, no?
[Link: Surfermag.com]
by The Editors on March 31, 2009
Surf Reporter John Charlton admits he is the guy responsible for leaving a “15-cm long” gash that nearly “scalped” 12-year-old Matt Nicol after running him over while surfing at Noosa’s First Point on Sunday but he says he didn’t do it on purpose, according to a story in Australia’s The Daily.
In the Daily yesterday, Peter Nicol, who did not see the incident and was acting on reports from beachogers, alleged the adult surfer who had hit Matt appeared to deliberately change direction and run over the boy. . . Mr Charlton said nothing could be further from the truth.. . “It was purely an accident,” he said. . . .“I was going in on my last wave and was trying to hold my line to avoid him and he ducked right under me. . . “There was backwash and it pinned my rail down. If I had tried to bail out, I could have hit 10 people.
According to Mr. Nicol witnesses told him that Charlton had been involved in “several run ins before hitting Matt.”
[Link: The Daily]
by The Editors on March 30, 2009
You know stand-up paddling has reached its nadir when Sevylor Samoa infatable SUP boards are being sold at Target for $599.99. Here’s a list of what you get.
- Stand-up paddle boarding is one of the newest ways to experience the water
- This board is easy to use and allows users of any skill level, including beginners, to be comfortable and enjoy a stable ride
- Can be inflated over 10 PSI for extreme rigidity; features a high-pressure spring valve for easy inflation and deflation
- Includes 3 removable fins for consistent tracking
- Constructed of high-tech drop-stitch material
- Water Fun Board
Now, even the SUPers have someone to laugh at.
[Link: Target]
by The Editors on March 30, 2009
Australian surf writers Tim Baker, Nick Carroll, and Sean Doherty will be speaking on a panel at the Sydney Writer’s Festival being held May 18-24, 2009. The event titled High Surf takes place May 23, 2009. Here’s what their website says about the discussion:
From Puberty Blues to Tim Winton’s Breath, surfing and surf culture continues to hold a valuable place in the Australian cultural landscape. Indeed, as the surfing community has become a broad church, surfing seems to have become the image, metaphor and recreational choice for our times. Surfing writers Tim Baker, Nick Carroll and Sean Doherty paddle you deep into the turbulent waters of the world of surfing and surf writing, with John Meredith.
We’re kind of bummed we’re not going to be there.
[Link: Sydney Writers Festival via Surfline]
by The Editors on March 30, 2009
Although we enjoy the creative output from the group of surfing brothers known simply as “The Malloys” we still can’t help but write silly captions in our heads whenever we see posed, wistful group photos like this one on the Nixon site promoting their work in a new documentary film on surfing in Ireland titled Waveriders. But we don’t want to play this game alone.
We’ll kick it off with ours:
Three tools escape from their shed.
Post your captions in the comments and the person with the best caption will win something.
by The Editors on March 30, 2009
Santa Cruz surfer Sam Skelton, 24, and his friend Ryan Mackey apparently had a little nose to nose with a Great White shark last week while surfing at Platform’s, according to his first person story in the San Jose Mercury News.
While waiting for a set, a dark, large object in the water catches my peripherals. There, within eight feet of me, placed still in the water, the ocean’s most infamous predatory fish — a great white shark. . . The clarity of the water allows me to see its gills, the speckled skin going from dark to light, and its sheer size, which looks about 10-12 feet long. Fear penetrates my bones, heightened from all the shark-week programs and cheesy TV dramatizations that hype the great white as vicious and bloodthirsty. . . . In a frenzy of four-letter words mixed with “shark,” “holy,” and “big,” I paddle parallel to the beach, directly away from the predator, passing Ryan, who does not know yet what all my commotion is about.
The two eventually paddle in yelling shark the entire way, but no one else seems to care. To get the full feeling of giddy relief read the rest of the story. . .
[Link: San Jose Mercury News]
Kelly Slater has apparently committed to surfing in the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, according to the Geelong Advertiser.
