Extremehorizon Surfing Blog

The Volcom Fiji Pro is Volcom’s first ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Title surfing event and will be host to the world’s Top 34 surfers at one of the best breaks on the planet – Cloudbreak (or Restaurants, depending on swell). The waiting period is from June 3rd-15th.

The time of year when the summer madness returns to Newquay is almost upon us and the eye of the storm is the Boardmasters when thousands descend into the town to join in the fun. Heres the low down on the 2012 Boardmasters event:

Newquay will once again host the Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans, from August 6-12 this summer. The traditional British stop on the ASP European Tours returns with a combined ASP 6-Star Men’s event, and the Boardmasters Longboard Pro, an ASP 3-Star Men’s and Women’s Longboard Qualifying Series event.

James Rodd, organizer of the event, prepares the 2012 edition of the Newquay Relentless Boardmasters in Association with Vans and tells us a little more about what’s new this year and why you should all come and enjoy this exceptional summer boardsports and music festival.

“We’re really excited as always” Rodd said. “We are now the only ASP event in the UK and are making sure we are prepared to do it justice and give the UK a quality and well run event. We want to show that the UK deserves these events and we can bring more back in the future. Scotland and Ireland should both have tour events.”

This year and for the first time, the Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans will join the bandwagon of all events now offering a LIVE webcast of their competition online. This LIVE feed will cover the entire 6-Star event and most days of the Longboard Qualifying Series events.

Surfing will not be the only center of attention during the second week of August in Newquay as the Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans prepares to showcase once again a variety of Boardsports demonstrations and competitions.

“The Boardmasters is a surf, skate and music festival and as such offers something for everyone. Vans returns to run the Summer Sessions skate and BMX events and the music festival held at Watergate Bay is set to go off in 2012 !”

After last year’s victory of Romain Cloitre (REU), a long list of aspiring ASP World Title contenders will gather in Newquay next August to try to grab a piece of the US$155,000 prize-money and crucial 6-Star rated event rankings points on offer. The full musical line-up, sports and entertainment program is available online via boardmasters.co.uk

The ASP 6-Star Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans will run from August 7-12 and the ASP 3-Star Boardmasters Longboard Pro and Boardmasters Longboard Girls Pro’s waiting period will start a day earlier on August 6 at Fistral beach, Newquay – England. To find out more, please visit aspeurope.com

Four times womens world surf champion Steph Gilmore has landed a Vogue magazine feature this coming June, giving further evidence that the mainstream media can’t get enough of surfing’s enduringly cool image.

Steph Gilmore

Gilmore is currently leading the womens rankings with 2 events to go. The next stop on the world tour is Biarritz July 10th-14th

John John Florence (HAW), 19, has won his maiden ASP World Championship Tour event, taking out the Billabong Rio Pro over Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, in barreling three-to-four foot (1 metre) waves at Barra da Tijuca in Rio. 

Florence, currently in his rookie year on the ASP WCT, proved unstoppable on the final day of Billabong Rio Pro competition, topping prodigious Australian Julian Wilson (AUS), 23, and Josh Kerr (AUS), 27, on his way to triumph over Parkinson.

“This is the best feeling in the world,” Florence said. “I had that bad heat at Arpoador to start and we had a couple of lay days and I had to just sit and think about it. I can’t even believe this right now. I’m in shock. I was just sticking to my game plan and not thinking about the other guys. I’m so happy right now.” Florence, who now sits at No. 6 on the ASP WCT, will look to carry the momentum from today’s massive victory to the upcoming ASP WCT events in Fiji and Tahiti.

The waiting period for the Billabong Rio Pro begins today, May 9th, and with a favorable forecast for the opening day, there’s a strong chance the event could kickoff competition on Day 1. Stop No. 3 on the men’s ASP World Championship Tour and No. 5 for the women, the Billabong Rio Pro plays a vital role in surfers’ campaigns for the ASP World Title.

Mick Fanning (AUS), 30, two-time ASP World Champion, is entering the Billabong Rio Pro fresh off of a win at Bells Beach and with current frontrunner Kelly Slater (USA), 40, withdrawn from the event, Fanning will look to capitalize on the reigning 11-time ASP World Champion’s absence to take a lead over the field. While Fanning admits that Slater’s withdrawal could work to his advantage, he still has a tall task ahead in tackling the rest of the ASP Top 34.

Rising star, 18-year old, Gabriel Medina, took the win at the ASP Prime Nike Lowers Pro in dominating fashion, defeating Aussie/Irish surf Glenn Hall in the final. Throwing down massive scores, round after round, it was clear Medina had his sights set early on the $40k prize money & gold spike 1st place trophy.

“I love Trestles so much,” Medina said. “It’s just such a good wave and it’s one of my favorites, I just don’t even have words to explain how I’m feeling right now. I’m stoked.”

Its great to see so much new British artistic talent emerging from our surf scene, with world class photographers, filmakers and artists making their mark. Once such talent is the filmaker Allyn Harper who has released his film “Through the Whiskey Barrel” about surfing in Scotland. Check out the trailer below and grab a copy of the full film on DVD!

“Through The Whisky Barrel” is the much anticipated debut film by Allyn Harper.  An innovate film providing an insight into the history and the culture that surrounds surfing in Scotland. The film showcases an array of epic waves which are unleashed onto the undulating Scottish coastline, whilst telling the stories of Scottish surfing’s pioneers and the waves, which form their coldwater playground. The film aims bring the surfing community in Scotland together and raise funds for the Scottish Surf Federation.  Soundtrack by the incredible 65 Days of Static.

More information can be found at www.throughthewhiskybarrel.com

Santa Cruz, California will be officially dedicated as a World Surfing Reserve this Saturday in a series of beachfront celebrations and ceremonies. The heralded Santa Cruz surf zone joins just three other sites to claim such status—Malibu in California, Ericeira in Portugal, and Manly Beach in Australia. The dedication ceremony will officially establish the Santa Cruz World Surfing Reserve, covering approximately seven miles of surf-rich, environmentally diverse coastline.

Steamer Lane and the surf museum

Santa Cruz received its approval as a World Surfing Reserve in February 2011. Its application ranked highly on all World Surfing Reserve criteria: wave quality and consistency, unique environmental characteristics, surf culture and history, and community support. More than 23 surf spots dot the region’s coastline, with a handful of iconic locations such as Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point.

The cold-water marine environment not only provides a playground for surfers, but also provides habitat for one of the most robust coastal and marine ecosystems on the planet. Santa Cruz’s importance in the history of surfing is undeniable, as it was the birthplace of surfing on the North American continent and played a pivotal role in the creation and development of the surfing wetsuit, which opened up surfing to new regions around the world.

Its always incredibly sad whenever news arrives of a surfer losing a life doing what they love to do, especially when its something so shocking as a shark attack, but great whites seem to be an occupational hazard for South African surfers and the core guys down there seem to accept the risks:

The stuff of nightmares

“A 20-year-old body boarder was killed Thursday when a giant shark estimated at up to five metres long bit off his leg in a Cape Town bay, in South Africa’s second deadly mauling this year. ‘The deceased man sustained complete amputation of his right leg, below the hip, while body boarding with his brother and friends,’ said National Sea Rescue Institute spokesman Craig Lambinon.

“There are no other bite marks or lacerations on the deceased man’s body — only the complete amputation of the right leg and the leg has not been recovered.”

Witnesses reported a single shark, thought to be a Great White and measuring four to five metres, attacked the man. They said up to six sharks were spotted after the incident at a popular surfing and body boarding site in False Bay. The South African man’s body was recovered off rocks on the shore after he was hauled to shore by others in the water and bystanders, said Lambinon.

Officials are mulling a trial shark net for Fish Hoek, a popular swimming beach where three attacks, two deadly, have taken place. To counter attacks due to regular shark presence, the city also uses a unique shark spotting programme which monitors for sightings of the apex predators.

Last week, coastal authorities warned beachgoers around the tourist town of Knysna that sharks were moving into the area, feeding on the remains of a whale that had run ashore about 400 kilometres east of Cape Town.