Best surf films ever...North shore

A cult classic from the 80's, the plots a bit weak "Winning a surfing tournement in a wave tank in Arizona, Rick takes his $500 prize and puts off going to art school to "ride the big waves of the north shore." Upon arrival, his buddy, a seedy strip bar owner, forgets that he told Rick he could stay with him. Luckily he meets up with a couple of Aussie surfers who take him to the north shore" but the filming is great and its all about fun. Occy and Gerry Lopez also make a showing in the film. Definately worth a watch

Are you a true surfer?....take the test

Click on the link below to take the Extremehorizon SURFER TEST answer honestly "Y" or "N" to the questions and find out if you're about to walk in Kelly Slater's footsteps or if you're still wearing you're wetsuit back to front :)



www.extremehorizon.com/files/test.xlt

Plastics choking our oceans

The BBC recently produced a special news article which I found a real shocker. It was based on the planets use of plastics, especially cheap plastic bags and the vast appetite for them by rapidly developing nations like India and China. The island of Midway in the central Pacific has become one of the front lines for waste plastic accumulation as its in the path of ocean currents which deposit junk from all over the world onto the beaches at each incoming tide.

On the coral atoll of Midway in the central Pacific - famous for America's first victory over the Japanese fleet in World War Two - wildlife experts are facing a new battle against a rising tide of plastic waste.
The Midway Islands are home to some of the world's most valuable and endangered species and they all are at risk from choking, starving or drowning in the plastic drifting in the ocean.
Nearly two million Laysan albatrosses live here and researchers have come to the staggering conclusion that every single one contains some quantity of plastic.
About one-third of all albatross chicks die on Midway, many as the result of being mistakenly fed plastic by their parents.
He explained how some chicks never develop the strength to fly off the islands to search for food because their stomachs are filled with plastic.

But its not only Midway thats suffering from tonnes of cheap waste plastics, like toothbrushes, deodorant bottles, cotton buds, cigarette lighters, carrier bags etc its a similar story throughout the world. California's beaches are littered with fragments of broken down plastic and carrier bags which some have nicknamed "urban tumbleweed" because of its prevalence. Last year in Mumbai India, massive floods were attributed to the collection of waste plastic bags collecting in and blocking the drains.

Our oceans are stuffed with crap that takes centuries to degrade and we're surfing in it!. Its going to take a huge combined global effort to reduce the problem, but we can all do our bit: Sponsoring or organising beach cleans, taking litter home after a day at the beach, bin even just one piece of litter from the beach (even if its not yours)everytime you go, reduce or eliminate use of plastic bags, recycle all plastics etc. I'm not preaching as we all have free will to make our own choices but little changes can make a big difference....

Best Surf films ever .....Riding Giants

Riding Giants, amazing images, awesome surfing history, great waves, a who's who of the worlds greatest surfers past and present. One to own and keep

Best surf films ever continued.....Blue crush

Blue Crush...bit cheesy, bit hollywood (boy meets girl etc) but some of the surf cinematography filmed on the Northshore and pipeline is worth watching the film for alone, but theres also some nice cameo appearances from the likes of Keala Kennelly, Rochelle and Layne and theres a happy ending...ahh.

A message from Al Gore

Al Gore was the Democrat that was rightfully voted into the Whitehouse by the American people in 2000 only to have the honour stolen away by the dishonesty and scheming of a man more fit to run a mobile burger van than the worlds most powerful nation. Despite the injustice and subsequent diabolical policies adopted by George Jr, Al Gore has moved on and taken on the role of climate change crusader. Americas loss has become the worlds gain because now that Al Gore has more time on his hands he's wholeheartedly devoting his energies to tackling global warming. This blog obviously isn't a political forum but climate change affects us all and the message below from big Al is urging people to support him...read and decide:

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Dear Friend,

Global warming is a problem of unprecedented magnitude and that's why we've launched the largest mobilization campaign ever. Actions by individuals like you will be the driving force behind this campaign and our ultimate victory. We're going to succeed, but I need your help today.

More than 850,000 people have already joined us, but if leaders in business and government are going to make stopping climate change a priority, we need you to urge your friends to get involved today: http://wecansolveit.org/invitealliance

We need to grow to 1,000,000 members by April so we can send a loud message that we want action now. That is why I need you to forward the email below to all of your friends and family right now and ask them to add their voice.

Thank you,

Al Gore

Funky New surf accessory

The Northcore waterproof MP3 case isn't unique but it is tough, does the job and is marketed with surfers in mind. Heres the blurb:

The Northcore Multi-purpose waterproof MP3 case is constructed from tough soft matte PVC and is ideal for a range of outdoor uses. The waterproof cover can protect MP3 players, mobile phones, electronic keys etc in up to 6m of water. Its also dust proof so can be great for protecting ipods etc on the beach. This case comes with an integrated gold plated earphone jack and it allows MP3 players and phones to still be operated whilst inside. Its a great piece of kit for surfers, windsurfers, sailors, fishermen, runners, beach goers...the list goes on!

Waterproof MP3 case features:

• Designed to protect Ipods and other MP3 players
• Built in gold headphone jack for earphones
• Can be also be used to contain and protect mobile phones, which can still be operated whilst in the case
• Ideal for storing immobilisor car keys whilst in or around water.
• Submersible to approx 19ft/6m
• Heavy duty waterproof padded casing with air injected pockets so the case floats if dropped in water.
• COMES WITH FREE NEOPRENE ARMBAND AND CARRY CORD!

The best surf films ever?

The conversation occasionally comes up, "whats your favourite surf film?". We're talking full length feature films rather than the thousands of generic surf DVDs available. So over the next few weeks I'm going to run a few clips of my personal faves, starting with:

Big Wednesday- A classic..nuff said

Lincolnshire surf club hits the headlines

Its not only the national papers that are profiling lincolnshire waves, the local papers have now got in on the act :)

Worlds most expensive surfboard...

Last year Australian born designer Marc Newson created 10 nickel plated surfboards as pieces of art and priced them at $100,000 each (so you're unlikely to see these things at your local surf shop!). You may think this is a little costly for a new stick, however nice and shiny it is, but get this, one of these boards came up for sale at Sotherby's in NYC on Feb 14th 2008 and sold for $220,000!! Is this the most expensive surfboard ever? and will the owner ever ride it?!

In fact these boards do work. They are five feet in length and designed as tow-in boards, polished to a mirror finish for minimal drag. In Autumn 2007 surfer Garrett McNamara rode one in Tahiti, only to wipe out and lost the board (oops); the next day he spotted someone carrying it down the beach 15 miles away. That board actually ended up being displayed hanging from the ceiling of Gagosian Gallery in New York, albeit a little dinged up!
Newson teamed up with the legendary Hawaii-based surfboard manufacturer Dick Brewer, who did the critical work of shaping the board then Newson covered it in nickel.

Surfers have always know that their boards are works of art and to have one that looks like a stealth weapon of some sort is pretty cool, but for nearly $1/4 million!? I think not

Longboarding master class

Perhaps this blog entry is a little random, its just a short video clip which I've posted purely as an appreciation of Joel Tudor's longboarding skills...natural, fluid, effortless.

West Atlantic wave buoy heights reach 62ft!

The deep low pressure sweeping in from across the atlantic last Sunday and Monday recorded record wind speeds with up to 80mph gusts and this whipped up some huge waves. The buoys off Ireland's west coast were recording 62ft wave heights on the sets at midday on Monday. The storm pushed huge swell into the western British Isles, France, Spain and Portugal but none of the big waves spots like Belharra (as far as I know) were ridden.

pic: Seaford lighthouse, Reuters

Adopt a beach

I recently participated in a beach clean which was part organised by the Adopt-a-Beach initiative. Heres a bit more info for those interested in getting inolved:

"Adopt a and Beachwatch are coastal environmental initiatives organised by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), involving local individuals, groups and communities in caring for their coastal environment.
Anyone in the UK can adopt their favourite stretch of coast and take part in annual or quarterly beach cleans and surveys to monitor litter throughout the year and help us campaign for cleaner seas."

To Join in the survey, to find an adopted beach in your area or register to organise your own beach clean up click here.

Image:Andy Hughes

Tow biking

We all know that towing into big waves can be pretty mental, its great to watch and no doubt even more fun to do, but what possessed this nutter to think tow biking onto up onto a 2 storey building was a good idea?! Balls of steel or brains of a hamster...you decide

Cool new bit of Kit- Sports USB flash drive

The Northcore Sports USB Flash Drive is a funky functional piece of tech kit with a design that combines a portable flash drive and doubles up as a wristband. The sports flash wristband is a fantastic way to transfer, share and save digital files, including, photos, graphics, music, homework or e-mails, all protected beneath a flexible, splash resistant black silicone rubber shell. The 512MB Flash Wristband will hold plenty of data and its an easy to carry accessory. A very handy tool for anyone that uses a computer.


The Flash Wristband design features a durable rubber molding that fits comfortably around your wrist, plugs and holds into itself using friction and protects the drive from accidental damage or loss. Simply "unplug" the wristband and plug the drive into the computer's USB port.

512MB flash features:

• Cool look silicone wristband flash drive, that can fit comfortably to your wrist, backpack or bag


• USB 2.0 data rapid transfer rate


• USB self-powered, no external power required


• Plug it into any USB port, it looks and functions just like another hard drive, no need for software-just plug and play!

We reckon these are a fun, functional and practical digital storage device: available here

Book review: Experience Pipeline

I was recently contacted by the publishers of the book "Experience Pipeline, by Quinn Haber", to review it. However I can find that this situation is like a double edged sword, because I'm looking forward to reading a new surf book but at the same time I'm very aware that the book is a gift and has taken someone a lot of hours and passion to create so that if I don't enjoy it, its sometimes tricky to be wholly objective. Unfortunately the latter has been the case with "Experience Pipeline"

The book itself is unlike any other I've seen as its a "multiple adventure story" based upon surfing the Pipemaster competition, at Pipeline , Northshore, Oahu, but its based on the idea of flipping a coin after each short paragraph which then leads the reader through different scenarios and ultimately a new story every time you pick up the book. However for me this left me bored after only a few minutes, but to be fair I'm not exactly the main demographic that this is aimed at.

You may have got the sense already on my opinion of "Experience Pipeline" but I don't want to slag it off completely as that'd be unfair as it does have some upsides. This flip coin idea is quite cool and I'm sure would appeal to younger readers, the text itself is well written, theres some great graphics and description of the reef and wave at Pipe and theres a comprehensive surf glossary at the back.

On the downside the stories themselves only took a few minutes for me to read and complete, the flipping of the coin interrupted the flow, the text sometimes didn't match too well from one move to the next, some of the plot lines were a little far fetched and the names of the main protagonists were a bit daft. The author obviously knows pipeline intimately and with the writing and plots he's created could have come up with a good short story or novel. But the book is aimed an adolescent, internet generation so this book may well suit readers with a shorter attention span (not meaning to be derogatorary, but we are talking about teenagers here!) and the plot lines and characters should appeal to them.

In summary, this is a book for 12-15 year old boys, who are into surfing, but not into digging their nose into a book for any length of time....

So if you fit this description I'm sure you'll love it.

Polestar Publishing Ltd launches Drift Magazine in print

"For almost three years now, Drift Magazine has been a digital surfing magazine, available to download free from the internet. March 2008 represents a landmark for Drift, celebrating the launch of its first printed issue.

Drift is currently read worldwide, in over sixty countries, and is recognised for its refreshing take on the alternative surf scene. Throughout its brief history, Drift has focused on sustainability within the industry, and highlighted the work of several other affiliates including WiLDCOAST in San Diego and Surfers Against Sewage in the UK. The magazine has covered such issues as coastal management, community projects, surfboard manufacture and travel.

The magazine is a reader-driven publication, choosing to highlight issues within the industry through the voice of its most important members, the surfers themselves."

To purchase subscriptions click here

ED: In my humble opinion, Drift Mag has got it all right, the content, the pics, the ethics...spot on. If this mag isn't around for a long, long time theres something wrong is this mixed up crazy world ;)

Keypod joins 1% for the planet

Keypod becomes a member of 1% of the Planet.

This week KEYPOD, the Original surfers and watersports key safe became a member of 1% for the planet. The owners of the Keypod brand, Extremehorizon Ltd said of the move “We are really pleased that the KEYPOD brand has become a member of 1% for the Planet who are globally recognised for supporting environmental change. Our company is a climate neutral organisation but we we are also looking to offer our customers an opportunity to be more directly involved. Most KEYPOD users are watersports enthusiasts who are environmentally conscious and we wanted to acknowledge that fact by committing long term support to eco-causes.”

One percent for the planet's mission statement is to “Use market forces to drive positive environmental change by inspiring companies to give.” Their organisation allows Members of 1% For The Planet to contribute 1% of sales to any of the environmental organizations approved by them. Member companies donate directly to their desired nonprofits—not through 1% FTP. They do this to encourage independent, personal relationships between member companies and the groups they support. These relationships are a real positive for businesses, enabling them to get involved and affect change firsthand.

KEYPOD is the Original watersports users Key safe, which is a simple, robust, portable, weather resistant, secure storage safe for keys and other valuables. It blends a four digit combination padlock with an integrated storage cavity which is large enough to hold all know modern electronic vehicle keys (and keyless "keys"), household keys, spare change, credit cards and even some mobile phones.

For more information visit: http://www.extremehorizon.com/keypod-info.asp

or http://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/en/

Keypod hits the national press

KEYPOD, the Original surfers and watersports key safe recently hit the national press by having a small piece in the Daily Mail Ski and Snowboard magazine, surf section. Its not surprising though as Keypod is a great product and has been hugely popular. For more Keypod info click here.

Book review-Global surfari

We were sent a new surf guide book a while ago with a view to stocking it in the shop, so I thought I'd do a short review on it. The book's called "Global Surfari-A surfers travel Atlas", its a full colour paperback with a fairly hefty 256 pages. RRP is £16.99.

There seems to be a proliferation of surf spot guide books these days, with the main players being "Stormrider Guides" and "Wavefinder Guides" (we rate the latter as the best on the market, but I'll do a review on these another day), so Global Surfari is another book of this genre that has joined an already crowded space. The book's well written and has some fairly good pictures and it covers the worlds main surfing locations, but thats where it lets itself down. The worlds a big place and to comprehensively cover every major surf break in one publication would be a massive undertaking, so Global Surfari, despite it having a lot of content, has really only scratched the surface. Any serious traveling surfer wouldn't be overly interested in using the book as each destination or country is only given the run down on 10 surf spots max and theres not enough text to give a proper impression of a place. Really for a traveling surfer a country needs a book dedicated to it, which "Wavefinder guides" do the best.
Theres nothing wrong with Global Surfari its an OK book and has its place but would probably suit an armchair reader wanting a surfing world overview or a beginner looking for basic info. 6/10