Surfing

Kelly Slater Claims #4 At J-Bay

by The Editors on July 17, 2008

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It’s not easy staying up until 3 AM PST to watch surf contests on the other side of the world, but that’s just what we did last night as the Billabong Pro wrapped up at South Africa’s J-Bay.

First off, we have never seen a more amazingly produced Internet broadcast. The replays, multiple camera angles, beach interviews, graphics, commercials, and especially the commentary were all mind-blowingly tight. Billabong showed the rest of the world what online sports event coverage is supposed to look like.

At the same time, during last night’s action, Kelly Slater showed that his chess-game style competitive attack is unbeatable. In each of his quarters, semis, and final heats the 36 year old went out and surfed J-Bay perfectly. Going out early to get solid scores on the board, and then choosing waves like a master tactician he dominated current World Champ Mick Fanning, in the final to win his fourth event on this years WCT tour.

Slater beat Fanning 16.73 to 9.40 in the Billabong Pro Final. While conditions early this morning were clean and six foot (two metre), onshore winds made the semifinal and final tricky. . . . “I didn’t realize I was going to be overwhelmed by it, but I haven’t been in this position before, at this point of the year, with this many wins,” Slater said. “There are great things going on in my life so I’m just trying to soak it up and be appreciative.”

Oh yeah, about that number nine, number nine, number nine”

“I’d like to think I have it the bag but I have to be realistic, it’s early on – we’re not quite half way yet,” Slater said. “We have 11 events this year and this is number five. Last year at this point I was looking at Mick [Fanning] that way. He had a first, a couple seconds and a third so I’d imagine being on the same side of that coin and looking at someone with four firsts and a throwaway is probably tough to look at.”

Congrats to Kelly. To watch the complete finals (and the rest of last night’s action) click the link below and select VIDEO.

[Link: Billabong Pro]

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Surfer Magazine’s New Editor

by The Editors on July 17, 2008

After one year at the helm of Water Magazine, writer and editor Joel Patterson has left to become editor-in-chief at Surfer Magazine, according to sources close to the deal.

Former Surfer Editor Chris Mauro will reportedly be transitioning into the position of global editor at the end of August, and Patterson will officially step in on September 1, 2008.

Patterson, the former editor of Transworld Skateboarding and Transworld Surf, brings a boatload of editing experience to the task. We’re looking forward to seeing what he does with the surf world’s “bible.”

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Headless Sea Lion Sighted In HB

by The Editors on July 17, 2008

A few days before the Go211.com US Open of Surfing is kicking off at the Huntington Beach Pier, look what shows up on the Pacific Coast Shark News website:

On July 14, 2008 Grant Crawley reported the following; “At about 4:30 PM my son and I were walking along the shore at Huntington State Beach between Newland and Magnolia when we noticed what looked like a large piece, over 6 feet in length, of driftwood bobbing in the ocean, about 20 yards from shore. The object floated from North to South towards Magnolia. It washed up on shore just south of Lifeguard Tower 11. When we investigated it turned out to be a large sea lion, with its head completely bitten off. The wound still had blood trickling out.”

Hmm, anyone else see this?

[Link: Shark Research Committee]

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Oregon Doryman Will Not Be Charged

by The Editors on July 16, 2008

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Darrell Martin, 55, the Oregon “doryman” who drove his boat directly through a pack of surfers near Pacific City, Oregon on July 6, 2008, severing 14-year-old snowboarder Cole Ortega’s arm will not be charged according to Tillamook County District Attorney Bill Porter.

Calling it an unfortunate accident, Tillamook County District Attorney Bill Porter says there was no crime committed when Cole Ortega’s left arm was severed near the beach in Pacific City. Porter says there are no signs that Doryman Darrell Martin was criminally negligent or reckless. He says he stopped outside the surf line, carefully trying to find the best path to shore while using his horn and having his son look out for surfers.

Apparently, the Tillamook County DA’s message to doryman is, “Hey, if you run over a couple surfers every now and again, don’t worry about. Just blow your horn and drive right through.”

[Link: 620kpoj.com Photo via OregonLive]

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Rip Curl’s New Action Auto

by The Editors on July 16, 2008

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Here’s a car that’s got action sports written all over it. It’s a tiny, two-wheel drive Renault Clio that features, “special touches include specific upholstery sporting the Rip Curl logo, a chrome centre console, exclusive Rip Curl sills and specific rubber floor mats, as well as a sand- and snow-proof compartmented stowage box in the boot.” Because there’s nothing worse that getting sand or snow in your Clio.

Buoyed by the sale of 30,000 Clio by Rip Curls in more than 20 countries in 2007, Renault is looking to build on its successful partnership with the well known surfing and snowboarding brand Rip Curl with the release of Clio by Rip Curl 2008. . . . Available in three- and five-door form, this limited edition is both dynamic andtrendy and promises to appeal thanks to the potential it offers for customization and a list of specific equipment tailored for those who enjoy winter and watersports.

Only in France (and 20 other confused countries, apparently).

[Link: The Auto Channel]

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Slater Showing Signs of Slowing. . .

by The Editors on July 16, 2008

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Nope. Not a one. He just continues to dominate. . . Looks like number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9 is almost in the bag.

[Link: Billabong Pro]

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Vessel Floudering In Padang Padang

by The Editors on July 15, 2008

A taiwanese fishing boat, Ho Tsai Fa No. 18, has run aground off Bali’s Padang Padang beach according to a report in TheAge.com.au.

Locals woke on Saturday to see the 30-metre vessel floundering on a reef. Looters emptied the holds of tuna and shark, believed to have been caught illegally.

Already the wreck is causing environmental concerns for the Rip Curl Cup, the Indonesian Championships which were supposed to start next week.

Rip Curl South Asia chief executive Jeff Anderson also raised environmental concerns. “We are in touch with the local authorities, pushing for the vessel to be removed before it turns into a potential disaster zone when the next big swell hits on Friday,” he said.

[Link: The Age]

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Jesse Ventura: More Honor In Surfing

by The Editors on July 15, 2008

2Jesse071508When former Governor and Pro Wrestler Jesse Ventura was asked if he would be running for State Senate in Minnesota Jesse says he’d rather keep surfing in Mexico.

“It was a difficult decision but it came down to almost this — surfing versus the Senate and I found surfing to be much more honorable than the Senate. The ocean doesn’t lie to you. The waves don’t lie to you. My government does lie to me today,” said Ventura.

Seems reasonable.

[Link: Reuters]

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The Death Of A Core Shop

by The Editors on July 14, 2008

NeilsenAustralia’s Couriermail looks into the back story of The Brothers Neilsen chain of surf shop and what could drive a successful business into collapse. While the brothers aren’t really talking, others seem to point to the vertical integration of the action sports fashion world.

“You could call it the perfect storm,” the former international surfing champion [Paul Neilsen] said of the factors that combined to sink the multimillion-dollar Queensland business. “I don’t want to comment further about it, except that I’m not blaming anyone,” said the 56-year-old Godl Coast company director.

According to an industry insider and former shop owner, vertical integration (control from manufacture to retail) by leading surf brands such as Quiksilver, Billabong and Rip Curl is “putting the squeeze” on smaller independent operators.

And from the retailers’ perspective we know exactly what this “industry insider” is talking about.

[Link: Couriermail.com.au]

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Sharks? We Don’t Care About Sharks?

by The Editors on July 14, 2008

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New Smyrna Beach, Florida’s Kem McNair was snapping some photos of the surf when he caught a shark jumping in the waves (if you can call them that) right behind two surfers.

“I had just come in from surfing, grabbed my camera and walked to the water line with my friend Skipper Eppelin,” McNair said. “I saw something in the background and I thought, ‘What was that?’ “I looked at the display on my camera and there it was – a spinner shark.”

Those waves just don’t look good enough to deal with those line-up lurkers. Click the link for more photos.

[Link: Telegraph.co.uk]

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