Big wave surfer Mike Parsons was surfing San Francisco’s Ocean Beach on Sunday, January 20, 2013, when he got in late on 10 – 12 foot wave and ended up going down hard, according to a story on Surfline.
“It was amazing out there, I was having the best time; everyone was getting waves,” Snips said. “I was having a blast. About four hours into the session, I was looking for one in, and a nice set was coming. I paddled for the third wave, thinking I’d get in a little early with a chip shot out the back.” . . Turned out to be not the case. “I thought I was into it, then suddenly realized I wasn’t. I took two more strokes and tried to stand up in what turned out to be the lip. I free fell, and remember my feet hitting my board for a second, then my head hit the water really hard.”
That hit reportedly cracked his C7 vertebrae. At first he thought he was paralyzed. Luckily, Parsons was wearing flotation and surfer Charlie Vaughn was close enough to hear his screams. According to the story Parsons will spend “six weeks in a neck brace, but he’s expected to make a full recovery. Click the link for the entire story.
As the San Francisco Chronicle’s Bruce Jenkins said in his story, “It wasn’t the greatest Mavericks surf contest ever held, but it will rank among the most memorable.” While it got off to a rough start with few to no ridable waves and some upset surfers, the 2013 Mavericks Invitational finished well for Peter Mel.
When Mel was announced the winner of Sunday’s event, held in powerful but inconsistent waves up to 30 feet, it was a cherished moment for anyone familiar with the spot’s colorful history. He’s 43 now, with a 9-to-5 job that takes him away from his beloved Santa Cruz, and he had bitter memories about the contest now known as the Mavericks Invitational.
The final results looked like this: 1. Peter Mel, 2. Zach Wormhoudt, 3. Greg Long, 4. Alex Martins, 5. Mark Healey, 6. Shawn Dollar. Click the link for the details.
Paul Santos was surfing Kiholo Bay Wednesday, January 16, 2013 on the Big Island of Hawaii when a 15-18 foot tiger shark bit down on his right arm and leg. His surfing buddy Steve Macres saw the entire thing, according to a story in the Star Advertiser.
“I turned around to go on a wave and heard him. I heard that blood-curdling scream. It was just so primordial. It was unbelievable and it went into an echo so I could tell while he was screaming, he went underwater,” Macres told KITV-TV. Macres said he saw the shark come out of the water, followed by a splash and then nothing. He said he thought his friend was dead and made a quick decision to paddle to shore. About 20 feet later, he decided to turn around to get another look. . . “I just see him paddling for me. It was just incredible. It was like he was just born again, I just went, ‘Oh God. Thank God.’ You know?” said Marcres. “And then he lifted his right arm and his hand was flopping and it was, the bone was connected and it didn’t break, but everything else was gone. I go, ‘Paddle Paul, paddle!”’
On Thursday Santos was at Kaiser Permanente’s Moanalua Medical Cetner in Honolulu, according to the story, where he was “in stable condition with bites to his right arm and leg.”
Big, big, big. Earlier this month in Orlando, Florida Surf Expo had it’s biggest show in its 37 year history. And here’s a little video to prove it, if you weren’t there to see it in person.
Next time you’re struggling to get in after a three wave thrashing at Ehukai the guys coming out to save you will be sporting the latest in Spy eyewear thanks to a new sponsorship agreement.
“The North Shore Lifeguards are watching the water better than ever thanks to our new SPY sunglasses,” says Abe Lerner, NSLA president. “Not only is the afternoon glare bearable with SPY Trident™ polarized lenses, but our eyes haven’t felt this good in years! We’re stoked SPY stepped up to support us in the job that we love to do.”
If they’re happy, we’re happy. Follow the jump for the official word from Spy. [click to continue…]
The organizers of the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic have decided that even though they have a good swell coming, they will hold off on their contest to support the likelihood of the Mavericks Invitational going off this Sunday, January 20, 2013.
“As much as we hate to pass on a good swell,” said John Forse, Nelscott’s founder. “We have decided in the interest of cohesiveness of the big wave brotherhood and the Big Wave World Tour to not run the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic this weekend and throw all our support behind the Mavericks Invitational that should have great waves for the best big wave surfers in the world. We still have 2+ more months in the waiting period and hope the surf gods will reward us with our own epic swell.”
Sounds like a pretty smart thing to do, all things considered.
Snowboarding brothers Jesse and Lukas Huffman produced this amazing 14-minute film exploring the lives of several Far Rockaway surfers following the devastation of Superstorm Sandy. It’s good.
Thanks to a little technological wizardry from Ocearch (and some tagged sharks) surfers can now track sharks around the world using the non-profit’s Global Shark Tracker. Want to track “Mary Lee” the 16 foot great white and she tools around Jacksonville, Florida beaches? It’s all there for you. Now, if they could just tag all the sharks.
The Agenda Show kicked off their 10th Anniversary year with 550 brands showing, mobs of retailers packing the aisles, Chris Brown, Dr. Dre, and a new partnership with Reed Exhibitions.
Though he may play it down, Agenda Show founder Aaron Levant has finally outgrown his underdog status for good. He’s rolling with the big boys now, and it should come as no surprise that it suits both he and the Agenda Show quite well.
“I was on my book tour in 2009, and I was really afraid of public speaking,” said Yogis, 33, sitting in his kitchen looking out at the pounding waves of San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. “Then my girlfriend and I broke up, and I went into a downward spiral of fear and jealousy. That’s when I thought it would be interesting to write a book about fear.”
Without getting too bogged down in science speak Yogis interviews a range of fear experts from neuroscientists, meditation experts, and psychologists, to his big wave surfing friends from Mavericks. What he ends up with is a readable, personal, adventure book that digs deep without getting buried. And that’s not an easy thing to do. Its smooth easy-yet-deep reading reminded us of another surf/science book we enjoyed titled, West of Jesus by Steven Kotler. The Fear Project is available today for $14.14. Click here to buy it.
Big wave surfer Mike Parsons was surfing San Francisco’s Ocean Beach on Sunday, January 20, 2013, when he got in late on 10 – 12 foot wave and ended up going down hard, according to a story on Surfline.
