For $199 for a half hour or $299 for the 45-minute final, surfing fans can get a new perspective on the contest, which draws 24 of the world’s best big-wave surfers to the reef on 24-hour notice to compete on waves with faces from 20 to 40 feet. “We’re constantly looking for novel ways to offer Mavericks fans unique experiences,” said Mavericks Surf Ventures CEO Keir J. Beadling. “Our official boat tours have always been very popular, and now Airship Ventures is allowing us to bring that experience to the next level.”
Or, you could just watch it free online in HD on Fuel and forgo the airsickness. The waiting period ends in two weeks on March 31, 2009.
The US Coast Guards is currently searching for a missing surfer who was last seen 100 yards off Kealia Beach, according to KGMB9.com.
The man, wearing red shorts, fell off his surfboard and went missing after being hit by a large wave at about 1:30 p.m. . . . Coast Guard rescue crews from Air Station Barbers Point here and Station Kauai are assisting the Kauai Fire Department and Kauai County Ocean Safety with the search. The Coast Guard plans to search through the night with its HH-65 rescue helicopter crew.
Hopefully, he swam a different way and is already home.
The new 09 Gear Guide issue of Transworld Surf sent Postsurf.com’s Lewis Samuels into a bit of a tailspin regarding the surf industry, advertising, publishing, and ultimately what will happen to surf publications when and if the economy recovers:
I’m tempted to believe that what surfers really want and need are waves – pictures of waves, insights about waves and surfers, thoughtful CONTENT that makes you excited to be a surfer. Even Transworld’s 14-year-old audience doesn’t want a catalog. They’re children, not morons. . . . Yes, the economy is fucked. The surf industry is crumbling. People will lose their jobs. I may lose my job, because of the garbage I write if not because of the economy. But I wonder… if people quit buying shit they don’t need because they’re broke, what will they do if they have money later on? Will they start buying useless crap again, or will they learn that consumer consumption isn’t the equivalent of happiness?
As funny as it is to see a buyer’s guide when no one is buying, we’re going to go with option one. People will always buy useless crap. It’s the American way.
The Gold Coast water police think they need some rules to curb “thrill seeking surfers” who use jet-skis to tow in to waves. Cyclone Hamish, the one that brought surf for the Quiksilver Pro has whipped up some nice tow-in waves and they are being exploited according to a story on Goldcoast.come.au.
Most were breaking the law, as tow-in surfing is classified the same as waterskiing which requires a spotter, or observer, on board. All three — driver, spotter and surfer — must also be wearing lifejackets. . . . Many of the tow-in surfers seen this week were not wearing life jackets and did not have spotters. . . . Gold Coast water police said several tow-in surfers had been booked for not having a spotter.
Other feel using waterski rules are kind of silly.
Queensland Surfing CEO Andrew Stark said the legislation that required spotters was dangerous. . . “If you are in 10-15 foot waves buzzing around and you’re towing a guy, it just doesn’t make sense to have a spotter on the back. . . “It’s not in the best practice rules of it. That’s why the whole thing needs an overhaul.”
Seems like the penalties of screwing up in big surf are high enough without the government getting involved.
Steve Lockhart and his friend Aaron Hix were about a mile and a half off-shire from Newport Beach last night burning off some fuel after working on their the engine of their 1985 29-foot Carver when they thought they saw a seal bumping along beside them. But it wasn’t a seal, it was a what they are calling an 18-foot-long shark, according to a sory in the OC Register.
“The shark was a beast,” he said. “It was definitely curious.” He said the distance between the dorsal fin and the tail fin was about 10 to 12 feet. “The shark was somewhat inquisitive, but still focused on his direction. We originally thought it was a seal, then realized it was a fin … then we pulled right next to it and realized it was a shark,” he said.
As the OC Register reminded us: it was about this time last year when a San Diego County triathlete was killed by a great white. Anyone surfing San O this weekend?
For a nice overview on just how bad action sports fashion retail has gotten, tune in today (Thursday, March 12, 2009) to the Pacific Sunwear’s year-end and Q4 conference call at 1 PM PST and then the Zumiez year end call call at 2 PM PST.
Quiksilverreview their Q1 financials today, March 11, 2009 in a conference call that will be broadcast live over the Internet at 1:30 Pacific Time. The broadcast will be hosted at www.quiksilverinc.com and at www.viavid.net.
This maybe one of those calls we won’t want to miss.
We have to admit that when it comes to ASP WCT events we’re pretty bad fans. After Kelly Slater’sSlatercraft loss to Julian Wilson in round three of the Quiksilver Pro our interest in the entire event began to seriously wane. Sure, we pulled for the Hobgoods through the quarter finals, and cheered for Taj and Mick in the semis, but when it came down to the finals, honestly, we turned off the computer and just went surfing. And it was our loss.
When Joel Parkinson and Mick Fanning face off in the semi-finals of the Quiksilver Pro later today it will be a battle between to Coolangatta Kids, according to a story on Goldcoast.com.au.
Me and Joel have been great friends since we were little kids and it is going to be a tough heat,” said Fanning. “We always push each other. Sometimes it is pretty, sometimes it is ugly. “I am lucky that I have got my best friends on tour but it is unlucky that we are going for the same thing.”
But they’re not alone. Taj Burrow and Adriano de Souza are also battling for the finals. Either way, it’s going to be a great day to sit in front of the computer and watch surfers fight some pretty ugly waves on the Goldie.
Forget slip-sliding a muddy cliff all day, the new best seat for the 2009 Mavericks Surf Contest might just be a blimp, according to a story in the San Jose Mercury News.
