Surfing in Cuba

Where theres a will theres a way as proven by these surfers in Cuba. Its great that anyone with enough stoke will find a way to catch a wave (however mushy!)

Big Wave surfer pleads not guilty in Fatal wreck

From the SanDiego Union Tribune:

"NORTH COUNTY COURTS — Well-known big-wave surfer Milton Willis pleaded not guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter and two counts of felony DUI yesterday in a crash last year that killed his passenger.

Willis, 52, of Solana Beach was released on his own recognizance. According to an arrest warrant, he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit, about an hour after the crash early June 6.

Authorities say Willis was driving Bradley Dillahunty's Toyota Avalon more than 65 mph in a 25 mph zone on Coast Boulevard in Del Mar when he lost control of the car. Dillahunty, 24, was killed. Court records show that Willis had a DUI conviction in 2001.

Willis and his twin brother have operated a surfing camp, WB Safe Surfing, based in Solana Beach, and given motivational talks. More than a dozen letters, mostly from students and their parents, were filed in Vista Superior Court on behalf of Willis.

A preliminary hearing was set for March 26 2009"

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Our comment- simple. Dont drink and drive

Don't Aliens like "Green" Energy?

Here on the East coast our landscape is peppered with Wind Turbine farms, both offshore and near shore. Which is a great because they not only generate environmentally sustainable energy but show us the wind direction for surfing at a glance. However the damage last week, to one of these wind turbines, situated a few miles inland, caused in mysterious circumstances has lead to speculation that a UFO struck it. UFO sightings in our area have been numerous recently and unexplained lights were seen in the night sky over the wind farm the evening the damage occured. No one has yet to ask the question though, was this a deliberate attack by aliens, perhaps funded by a major oil corportation? or did the UFO just bump into it? Heres the story and video from the BBC.....the truth is out there

UFO enthusiasts are claiming damage to a Lincolnshire wind farm turbine was caused by a mystery aircraft.

The turbine at Conisholme lost one 66ft (20m) blade and another was badly damaged in the early hours of Sunday.

County councillor for the area Robert Palmer said he had seen a "round, white light that seemed to be hovering".

Ecotricity, which owns the site, said while investigations continued they were not ruling anything out - but the extent of damage was "unique".

The turbine is one of 20 at the Conisholme site, which has been only been fully operational since April 2008. The broken blade has been recovered and is being examined.

Local ufologists said they had received many reports of activity in the area and had teams searching for clues.

Mr Palmer said: "I actually saw a white light - a round, white light that seemed to be hovering.

"That is the only way I can explain it - it wasn't a flare-like light - it was just round, white light with a slight red edge to it that seemed to be over the wind turbines."

Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity, said the company was keeping an open mind about the incident.

"We don't have an explanation at the moment as to what the cause was," he said.

"We have been crawling all over it and have sent bits off for analysis to see if we can work out what caused it.

"Until we have some idea, some plausible explanation that it was not a UFO, I don't think we should rule it out".

He added: "To make one of these blades fall off, or to bend it, takes a lot."

The dangers of cold water

Here in the UK its been one of the coldest winters in decades. Based on the East coast we are used to surfing North Sea winter water temps of around 5 C (41F), but when combined with weeks of sub-zero air temps, ice and snow its made it a little fresher than normal!

So this year the issue of "Surfers Ear" is an even bigger consideration. For those who don't know what it is heres some further info.

"Surfers Ear" or to give it, its medical name, OSTEOMIS, is a condition of the ears that can result in severe loss of hearing.

This is how it works - the human body does not like cold water next to the ear drums and, if this occurs over a period of years, will adapt by reducing the size of the ear canal with bony growths. If this condition is not caught the ear canal can completely and permanently close causing ear infections and/or major hearing loss.

Whether they choose to accept it or not, many surfers have this condition in varying degrees. If the condition is advanced then surgery is usually necessary. The surgery involves mechanically removing the bony growths, this is a 3 hour procedure done under general anesthetic. The surgery isnt a 100% gaurentee of fixing the problem, complications, like nerve paralysis can occur and the growth can start all over again

Prevention is definately the way forward and fortunately, this condition is easily avoided by keeping cold water out of the ears and this is best accomplished by wearing ear plugs. It is not vital to keep the ear canal totally dry, but ear plug protection should greatly reduce the volume of water entering the ear.

There are a great range of ear plugs on the market, including natural bees wax, plastic and even custom moulded ones for a perfect fit.

Check out the video clip from Alaska below (not as cold as the North sea, but almost as hardcore :)

Pipeline offers up some beatings on a solid swell at HIC Pro

"There was more bloodshed and hold-downs at Pipeline than a UFC match today (06th Feb 09) as 56 of Hawaii's best Pipeline surfers put it all on the line at the HIC Pipeline Pro in a bid to secure a place in December's prestigious Pipeline Masters.

Pounding waves of up to 15 feet well and truly lived up to Pipeline's fearsome reputation and by 5 p.m., eight surfers had sealed the deal. But not all were left standing. Oahu's Jonah Morgan (Haleiwa), Flynn Novak (Haleiwa), Liam McNamara (Haleiwa), and Mason Ho (Haleiwa); Maui's Hank Gaskell (Hana) and Dusty Payne (Lahaina); and Kauai's Gavin Gillette (Kilauea) and Sion Milosky all won Pipeline Masters berths.



Novak, 25, suffered the worst of the top eight, literally putting his life on the line in a list ditch effort to qualify. He wound up being shipped to shore in a rescue by the Water Patrol jetski with a head and lower back injury that knocked the air out of him for a good 15 minutes. While he eventually left the beach under his own power, the injury was bad enough to require stitches and prevent him from flying to Brazil this evening for a World Tour competition."

www.asphawaii.org

Europe becomes the global epicentre of big waves

Forget Hawaii, Nor-cal and South America, this winter season all of the big wave action has been focused on Europe with spots like Belharra in France, Isla Pancha in Spain and Irelands West coast spawning some monster swells.



According to Surfline:

"The North Atlantic has been in a very active pattern over the past few weeks producing a series of large swells," said the Surfline forecast team. "We continue to remain in a very active pattern with plenty of solid swell due for the region over the coming days. The North Atlantic storm track is expected to remain fairly active over the next couple of weeks which means potential for even more XXL swell."

A number of top International surfers have heeded the call and gone "Across the Pond" to fill their need for winter power. Perennial XXL finalists Greg Long of San Clemente, California and Grant "Twiggy" Baker of Durban, South Africa gave up their lengthy vigil at Northern California's Maverick's and flew to Ireland some weeks ago. The pair connected with locals Fergal Smith and Tom Lowe and the group has been treated to what Long described as, "Crazy barrels...kinda like cold water Teahupoo," in reference to the deadly Tahitian break"

Billabong XXL big wave awards

Two months remain in the yearlong period for the Ninth Annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards and several of Australia’s top riders are in contention for nominations.

The $130,000 Billabong XXL Awards are the Oscars of big wave riding, with eligibility open to big wave surfers at every break around the globe during the one-year contest window.

The event closes at the end of the Northern Hemisphere winter on March 20, followed by the award ceremony in California on April 17, where the gladiators of big wave riding meet.

West Australian Damien “Taco” Warr is among a host of Aussie daredevils leading the way for XXL contention after tackling a monster ride at a secret offshore location on the West Australian coast. Warr’s ride, currently entered in the $15,000 Biggest Wave Category, is over 50 feet (15 meters) tall on the face, similar to a five story building, and was tackled in April of 2008.

The picture here is of Ryan Hipwood, with this airborne jump, at Shipsterns, Tasmania, nominated for the ride of the year.

To follow the nominations visit: www.BillabongXXL.com

Closing the door: Rabbit steps down as ASP president

After 10 years of service as President of ASP International, Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew (AUS), 54, will be stepping down from the post, effective at the end of March 2009.

“After deep consideration, I have decided not to seek a fifth term as ASP President,” Bartholomew said. “I depart from ASP with nothing but positive feelings. After 36 years in the engine room of the sport, the timing of this decision is of the utmost importance to me. I feel the time is right. I leave at the height of my effectiveness; perhaps I could say the height of my popularity in the surfing world.”

Bartholomew has been a central figure in professional surfing for over three decades. As a young Australian, the stylish natural-footer stormed onto the international scene in the 1970’s, dominating lineups and planting the seeds for what would one day become professional surfing.

*Photo: Andrew Buckley