Want to get surf fit in 2009?

Surf Stronger- Core Training is the second surfing specific workout DVD from the guys at Surf Stronger. Core strength is the key to improved fitness and surfing ability. I've been giving this programme a try to help re-abilitate a back injury.

The workout is well presented, comprehensive, surf focused and works! Its a definate recommendation from us:



"All athletes require good core strength to perform at their best--especially surfers. This surf-specific workout will take you step-by-step through a training program to build strength, stability and endurance in your core. Coach scott adams, CSCS, and veteran pro surfer, Serena Brooke, teamed up to design this challenging and inspiring workout. Video features a Pre-Surf Warmup Routine (7 minutes), Quick Core workout (10 minutes) and Main workout (25 minutes) plus DVD extras. (A fitness ball is the only equipment required.)"

CLICK HERE TO BUY ONLINE

Revolutionary new surf eco-initiative: ReSurf Recycling

San Clemente, Ca based surfers Joey Santley and Steve Cox recently launched a creative new eco-initiative, called ReSurf Recycling

"Founded with a mission to clean up the industry, ReSurf Recycling offers the first-ever cohesive plan to recycle all surfboards and the waste associated with their manufacturing, along with neoprene wetsuit scraps from the cutting room floor. Urging both surfers and board manufacturers to recycle old boards and manufacturing waste, ReSurf Recycling has developed a method that recycles somewhat hazardous surfing-associated materials into numerous products including asphalt for paving city roads (californians could find themselves driving over old surfboards!)

Additionally, the organization has invented a method of producing 100% recycled yoga mats made using neoprene scraps generated from wetsuit production and has recently finalized deals with wetsuit manufacturing giants, O’Neill and Quiksilver to recycle all of its domestic unused materials. Most importantly, both recycling methods relieve waste haulers and landfill compliance management companies from the necessity of filling landfills with surfing’s potentially hazardous products."

Of the 1000 boards produced daily in Southern California, 20% of the foam is waste, along with 250 tonnes of CA manufactured wetsuit offcuts, thats a lot of toxic landfill.

Lets hope that this initiative becomes the global industry standard as it sounds like a fantastic endeavour and we wish the guys at ReSurf Recycling every success.

For more infor visit their website: http://www.resurf.org/main/

"Waveriders: An Irish Odyssey" Surf film premieres in Santa Barbara tonight

Anyone in or around Santa Barbara, CA tonight might want to check out an awesome new surf film "Waveriders", where it is showing on its US premiere at the International film festival.

The US Première of the feature documentary `Waveriders' will take place at the 24th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Wednesday, January 28th 2009 at 7:30 pm in the historic 2,500 capacity Arlington theatre. The event will be attended by surfers Chris, Keith & Dan Malloy, Kelly Slater (World Champion) Gabe Davis and the documentary co-writer Lauren Davies. Director Joel Conroy and Producer Margo Harkin will present the film and take part in a question and answer session. A second screening date has been announced for Friday 30th January at 1.00pm in the Metro 4, Theatre 1

`Waveriders' had its world première at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2008 where it won the Audience Award for Best Film and was critically acclaimed. The film has recently been nominated for two Irish Film and Television Academy Awards in the categories of Best Feature Documentary and Best Sound. (The awards ceremony will take in Dublin, Ireland on 14th February 2009). The distribution rights in Ireland and UK have recently been acquired by Element Pictures Distribution, Ireland. `Waveriders' will be released in Cinemas across Ireland and UK on April 3rd 2009.

The film explores the little known story of George Freeth, the son of an Irishman, who re-introduced the ancient Polynesian art of wave riding in Hawaii in the early 20th century after it had been stamped out by missionaries. By the time of his untimely death at the age of 35 he was renowned for his legendary skills as a surfer and lifeguard. Waveriders pays fulsome tribute to Freeth's forgotten legacy and explores the wave of influence he created for surfers everywhere down the years. The unlikely Irish connection to the worldwide phenomenon of surfing comes full circle as we see skilled Irish and British surfers link up with world champion Kelly Slater, soul surfer Kevin Naughton and the renowned Malloy brothers to ride some of the most exciting surf ever seen in Ireland. The film reaches a spectacular climax when surfers ride a monster wave reaching heights of over 50' off the coast of Mullaghmore in Sligo.

How much does sand cost?

Here at Extremehorizon, we've watched with interest, the story of the UKs first artificial reef in Bournemouth on Englands South Coast. It was a brave decision by their council to proceed with this project as no doubt it met a lot of opposition. Unfortunately anyone opposing the reef will have more fuel following the news from Fridays Guardian newspaper (below), about the rising costs of the project.

I really hope that the reef works and cost don't spiral too far, as the decision to construct it took a giant leap of faith and foreward thinking. If it does work as planned, it will put Boscombe on the map and boost the local economy. We'll be watching closely:

"Shifting sands swell the cost of UK's first artificial surf reef

If all had gone to plan surfers would by now be whizzing into a Bournemouth beach on waves boosted by Britain's first artificial surf reef. Instead, taxpayers face a bill of almost a quarter of a million pounds to stop the project blowing away.

The reef at Boscombe, east of the main town of Bournemouth, in Dorset, was due to be completed in the autumn but rain and winds halted the construction.

Work is due to resume in April and finish by the summer's end. But the delay has inflated the reef's price and Bournemouth borough council says £169,000 has to be found to replace sand brought in for its construction on the seabed but lost to the elements over the winter.

Flattening the temporary dune to protect it from the wind and tides would cost a further £70,000, says a report due to be seen by the local authority next week. Besides this, £100,000 is reportedly needed to help pay the contractors, ASR.

Originally the price of the reef project was estimated at £1.4m. By last summer it was up to £2.7m and, following the winter delay, it is now at the £3m mark.

It could also cost as much as £100,000 a year to maintain the reef, and the cost of the wider regeneration project for Boscombe has also risen, to £11m.

Basil Ratcliffe, a Tory councillor, said: "Someone should be given the bullet over this ... these are big sums that could have been spent on something else."

The report defends the soaring price, saying the reef is a complex marine structure. A council spokeswoman said: "The council has set aside ... £169,000 but it might not need to buy this much [sand]."

Shark attacks: If in doubt punch

I've always admired the Australian "have a go" attitude which permeates their nations psyche and it looks as though that battling spirit also applies to surfers and their response to shark attacks.

There have been three reported shark attacks in Australia during this Jan, which have seen surfers punching the sharks to fight them off. Heres one of the stories from Tasmania a few weeks ago (the pic is of the board the rider was using)

---------------

Off Australia's southern island state of Tasmania, an Australian surfer punched a five-meter (16-ft) shark in the head as he rescued his 13-year-old cousin who had been bitten on the leg and dragged beneath the water Sunday.

The pair were surfing when the white-pointer grabbed the girl's leg and dragged her down twice. Her cousin, Syb Mundy, 20, paddled over, punched the shark, put the girl onto his surfboard with him and paddled into shore.

Mundy said hitting the shark on the head "was like hitting a brick wall -- it was that dense." "It was easily the length of a car. It was just a monster," Mundy told local radio on Monday.

"Once it let her go she was bleeding pretty bad. There was a lot of blood in the water. I think it just didn't like the taste of her, to tell you the truth," he said.

The shark circled the pair as they paddled toward the beach.

"The shark actually got on to the wave. We looked to our left and this thing started surfing toward us and we just headed straight to the beach," said Mundy.

"I can remember seeing the eye come out of the water and the head and I was going to try and poke it in the eye if I could get close enough," he said.

* Source: Reuters

Surfer jailed after chasing the endless summer

We all know the story of Point Break, surfers robbing banks to fund an Endless Summer chasing waves around the world....well heres the real life British version. The guy was defrauding social benefits, which isn't quite as glamorous as being a sky-diving dead president, but he was doing it to fund the dream of eternal surf

Source is "The Sun" Newspaper

"A SURFER was jailed yesterday for claiming £63,500 in disability benefits while working as a LIFEGUARD.

Joe Olroy, 44, said he had chronic back pain and other ailments that made it “impossible to move” without a wheelchair.

He claimed he was so weak he could not lift a kettle or TV remote control. But in reality he had a £6-an-hour job for the RNLI in Devon — and enjoyed surfing holidays in Australia, Bali, Hawaii and America.

He posted dozens of images of himself on the internet surfing big waves and was even hailed a hero after saving four kids at sea.

A court heard he used a false ID, telling his local job centre he had lost all his documents on holiday when the Asian tsunami hit Sri Lanka in 2004, killing his girlfriend.

The cheat claimed disability allowance, incapacity benefit, income support, housing benefit and council tax relief during his five-year scam.

Olroy, of Paignton, Devon denied his guilt when he was grilled twice following a tip-off to the Department of Work and Pensions.

But he was eventually caught when investigators confronted him on Teignmouth beach — wearing a lifeguard T-shirt.

Olroy was jailed yesterday for 2½ years at Exeter Crown Court after admitting his guilt.

Judge David Tyzack QC told the cheat: “This was a massive fraud on the taxpayer.”

A DWP spokesman said Olroy stole to fund “the dream surf lifestyle”.

He added: “He was telling us he was in so much pain he couldn’t lift a kettle and found it impossible to move.

“He was obviously having a great time at the taxpayers’ expense.”

Surf Culture: Our language and terminology

CAN YOU HELP?

As with all sub-cultures (can surfers still be classed as a sub-culture? thats for another discussion!), a set of characteristics develop which defines the group as separate from the mainstream. The obvious ones are dress, transportation and language and surfers are a classic example. One of the single most defining aspects of surf culture is the "language" or terminology we use. Some of the words and phrases we use are universal to all countries but some are very specific to particular regions. California has spawned some of the classics like "dude", but our Australian cousins are also very creative and have created some great surf words, my fave, "Shark Biscuit".

We all know of the classic surf terms but what we are looking for here is feedback from you the reader on new words which are creeping into your line-up. The language is constantly changing and developing and it'd be fun to share it. If you could post comments on any new words you've heard or use and where you're from, we'll post them here on the blog. Heres are a few used in the UK:

• "Lazy eel"- A sh*t. Theres a lazy eel floating in the line up
• "Frothing"- Mad for it, super keen to surf
• "Ankle slappers"-tiny waves
• "Mush"- gutless, small, onshore waves
• "Willy Wonka chocolate river" - Glassy, brown water, North Sea waves
  

We look forward to seeing your posts :)

Shark Attacks increase on US Pacific coast

There were 5 unprovoked shark attacks confirmed from the Pacific Coast of North America during 2008, which is slightly more than half of the total number of authenticated shark attacks reported during 2007. The victims were engaged in surfing (2), kayaking (2), and swimming (1).

The fatal attack on swimmer David Martin at Solana Beach in April was the third fatality confirmed for the 21st Century with the prior two occurring in the month of August in 2003 and 2004. The Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, was positively identified as the causal species in all five of the attacks verified in 2008.

This brings the total number of authenticated shark attacks along the West Coast during the first 8 years of the 21st Century to 42, ‘more than five times’ the Twentieth Century annual average.

The number of juvenile and adult Great White Sharks observed in the Southern California area during 2008 suggests a possible change in their population dynamics and seasonal site preferences. The number of stranded marine mammal carcasses reported, specifically their location and time of year, would seem to support this observation. The Shark Research Committee will closely monitor this activity in the coming year.

Additional information regarding the Shark Research Committee's conservation, education, and research programs can be found at

www.sharkresearchcommittee.com

We are all aware that the moment we step into the ocean we are no longer the apex predator, we've become part of the foodchain, however, statisically shark attacks are highly unlikely and the more we understand about these animals the more able we are to co-exist.

Wavefinder founders and investors regain control of business from parent company

Surf Industry news

A team of business angels has today completed a management buyout of action sports publisher Wavefinder Limited from LiveWave Media Plc for an undisclosed sum.

WavefinderLtd , who publish a range of surf and snow travel guidebooks, has also raised working capital from investors to fund the development of new titles and distribution channels, and explore new sponsorship and advertising opportunities.

“We are delighted to gain full ownership of this exciting company,” said Adam Coxen, who will be on the new board. “The Wavefinder brand is well-respected in the surfing and snowsports worlds, and the new team are putting in place an ambitious plan to develop the range of titles on offer by building on current strengths and developing new market sectors.”

The company publish a series of pocket-sized Wavefinder surfing guidebooks covering Australia, Indonesia, USA & Hawaii, UK & Ireland, Central America and Mexico. Their Snowfinder ski and snowboard guides include titles on the USA and France, with titles on Canada and Austria currently in production.

Their latest release, Surfing: The Manual, is a ground-breaking guide to advanced surfing techniques written by the former editor of Surfer magazine, Jim Kempton

In Extremehorizon's opinion Wavefinder are THE surf guide books to own. The books have the worlds elite surf experts providing content, the information is comprehensive, the images are sick and the guide books are pocket sized and perfect for taking travelling.

For more info visit our book shop or for wholesale enquiries click here to contact us

15ft swells forecast for Northshore

A solid 15ft WNW swell is due to hit Oahu's Northshore today and tomorrow with potential for even bigger surf next week. So its looking promising for the Eddie big wave comp, who's holding period runs until the end of Feb each year. The Eddie specifies a 20ft swell before it will run and if you have any doubts as to how heavy Waimea gets at that size, check out the video below: