Here’s the latest from our favorite surfboard manu and shaper. It’s the Lib Tech . . . LostShort Round from Mike Olson and Matt Biolos:
The Short Round bridges the gap between easy riding “cheater” surfboards and the high performance shortboard. The speed comes from a low entry rocker and wide-ish nose, with a forward wide point and generous concave throughout. The performance comes from a moderate, but not flipped up, tail rocker, a double concave through the fins and the same sort of modern bump squash tail you would find on a typical contest style, small wave HP shortboard. All combined, it doesn’t look like anything fancy and there are no gimmicks, but sometimes less is more, and there’s a lot packed into this little surfboard.
Shark Shield is a traction pad that creates an electric field around your surfboard when you’re in the water. According to the company this field is annoying to sharks and “nine times out of ten” it will scare a shark away.
Shark Shield’s innovative tail pad and adhesive decal electrode design is 100 percent user installable on any surfboard, new or old, providing a cost effective and immediate solution for protecting surfers across the globe. When surfers select to install an Ocean & Earth Shark Shield tail pad, they can install the electronics module at any time in the future, turning the board into a shark deterrent. The miniaturized electronic module is completely removable and thus transferable between surfboards.
The shield is currently available for purchase for about $600. Not a bad investment if you enjoy surfing in particularly sharky surf. For the official word from Shark Shield, please follow the jump.
Smith’s web series Life Beyond Walls continues as surfers Dillon Perillo, Brett Barley, and Mike Gleason followed the footsteps of Charles Darwin, enduring 16 hours of travel to reach the little known surf destination of San Cristóbal in the Galapagos. The island, with a population under 6000, is home to the oldest permanent settlement of the archipelago and where Darwin first went ashore in 1835.
They say that misfortune is the test of true friendship. Through lost surfboards, missed waves, encounters with black lizards, tortoises, and sharks, the crew set out using one of only ten boats allowed into the waters along the northern coast to get an El Niño swell that was due to hit the island. . . This is the story of their pursuit of a new kind of adventure and finding the unique. Bonds were built experiencing the new, charting the uncharted, discovering, exploring and pursuing the thrill.
ZEAL Optics announced today (April 1, 2016) that it has officially let the dogs out, with the release of its new canine-friendly eyewear collection, Doggles. The new line, ranging from full-wrap glacier styles for arctic travel, to stylish, yet rugged beachwear for the pup on the playa, hits storefronts today. And yes, they are “bacon-infused.”
We’re fans of Lib Tech Waterboards, so we’re even more hyped when we see them adding to their quiver of durable, repeatable, ripping shapes, like this Ringer for Huntington Beach’s big and tall Ryan Carlson.
“The Ringer” mixes a pulled in performance nose with a wide acceleration platform blended into a double winged swallow tail that offers control and precision in all conditions. A mild single to double concave bottom with a flat exit offers speed and adds a positive, loose feel. The skate inspired concave deck insures a comfortable paddle and locked in front foot traction. Carlson at six four is a big guy who surfs aggressively, traditionally a chronic board breaker… Lib Tech’s rugged Eco Iso construction has been a game changer for Ryan. “I used to go through a board or two a week. It was a nightmare, shapers hated me. My Libs last forever and Olson loves me. So stoked”. Initially introduced as a 6’2” the Ringer is now available in smaller 5’10” and 6’ sizes opening up this magical performance shape to more average sized surfers.
Kala Alexander shares the mission behind the Mauli Ola Foundation and an event for kids with cystic fibrosis they held in New Zealand during the 2016 Ultimate Waterman competition. It’s always good to see surfers making a positive impact.
Skateboarder Joey Brezinski has been creating and editing his own video parts for years. Lately, he (like most of us) has been using his iPhone for most of his video work and with that comes the need for other lenses. olloclip has them and Joey uses them. Probably long before he was paid to do it. Check it.
