Extremehorizon surf blog providing: regular surfing news, updates, stories, surf pictures, product reviews, surfer interviews and anything from the world of actions sports which is begging to be blogged!
The must buy, beg, borrow or steal surf movie of 2009 is Waveriders and its available on 7th Sept. To buy a copy online click here : for more info check out some of the amazing scenes and film synopsis below:
"From Hawaii to California and back to Irish shores WAVERIDERS tells the epic story of the unlikely Irish roots of the worldwide surfing phenomenon and today’s pioneers of big wave surfing.
Featuring renowned Irish, British and American surfers Richie Fitzgerald, Gabe Davies, Kelly Slater and the Malloy brothers, WAVERIDERS tracks the influence of legendary Hawaiian waterman, George Freeth, the son of an Irishman, and the first true soul surfer.
Through his legacy we return to the icy waters of Ireland, where the film reaches a spectacular climax as the surfers conquer an enormous sixty foot wave - the biggest swell ever to have been ridden off the Irish Atlantic coast; the event heralds the country’s emergence as one of Europe’s top surf destinations.
Breathtaking footage, an awesome soundtrack and record breaking surf, WAVERIDERS truly captures the spirit and extreme highs of big wave surfing."
For British surfers the journey down to the county of Cornwall to catch a few waves is almost a right of passage, at some stage in our lives we all travel there at least once and for many of us its an annual event. Its true that Cornwall is one of the better UK surf locations and picks up plenty of swell on both its North and south coast, there are some waves of real class and the scenery is stunning however Cornwall isnt quite a surf paradise some may believe and every trip is going to be laced with highs and lows. Heres a few of the peaks and troughs of a visit to Cornwall:
Wherever you live in the UK, it will take a sizeable slice of your life just to get there. Cornwall funnels the overwhelming masses of summer traffic down an ever narrower strip of land, down ever narrower roads, resulting in endless traffic jams
Prevailing North coast winds are westerly.... its onshore a lot!
Every man and his dog feels the need to join the Cornish surf vibe during their 2 week holiday so EVERYONE brings a wetsuit, a bodyboard, foam surfboard etc and dives into the Atlantic with reckless abandon. The main beaches are like Zoos, but their "surfing" stories make great anecdotes during dinner parties back in Chelsea!
Everyone who owns a Caravan and or a four wheel drive, will be on the road at the same time you decide to drive to Cornwall
Not one single beginner knows about or is taught about dropping in. They will watch you ride a wave directly towards them, still try to paddle in front of you and then look surprised when they get run over!
Does the AA own any yellow VW T5 vans anymore or have they sold them all off to surfers?!
Every main beach especially in Newquay will have at least 3 surf schools running at any one time, whatever the weather and even if its flat. Some schools have 20 plus beginners in their classes!
It does go flat!
The water can be beautiful, with great visibility through crystal clear green waves
It is a big enough county to find your own wave away from the crowds if youre prepared to search
When the wind and swells do come together there are some quality waves to be had including, big wave spots, a rare reef or two, the odd point and plenty of barreling sand bars
If you are under 25 the nighlife in Newquay is legendary
If you are over 25 the nightlife in Newquay is a nightmare!
In the main surf towns every plot of land has been bought and developed with modern apartments for city boys to spend their ill gotten bonuses on...want to buy a "Surf pod" anyone?
Love it or hate it, Cornwall is the hub of the UKs surf culture and although there are plenty of other areas with better waves I dont think thats ever going to change.
Our online surf shop is now stocking the sick new Surf DVD "21 Days Later"
check online to buy it here BUY NOW. Watch the preview and read all about it below
'21 Days Later - Mentawais' follows seven of Britain and Ireland's finest surfers on a three week boat trip around the Mentawai Islands off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, home to some of the most perfect waves in the world! Featuring some incredible sessions at a variety of epic spots such as Macaronis, HTs, E-Bay, Lances Left, Pit Stops, Bank Vaults and more. Learn about the spots and share the surfers experience as they embark on the trip of a lifetime.
“I think it's every surfers dream, isn't it, to spend 3 weeks on a boat with perfect waves, good friends, good times...I didn't want to go home” - Alan Stokes.
Featuring Reubyn Ash, Lee Bartlett, Easkey Britton, Robyn Davies, Sam Lamiroy, Mike Morgan and Alan Stokes. Also including a host of international professional surfers we met along the way.
One of the biggest and best swells to ever hit South Africa arrived last Sunday, producing more eye-popping entries into the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards.
This was the third significant swell to strike the region in ten days, sparking a series of key sessions at the spooky big wave break of Dungeons, off of Cape Town. A warm-up swell hit the region on August 6, followed by a huge and windy episode on August 11 which saw some massive tow-in waves worthy of the XXL Biggest Wave category. And on August 16 yet another enormous swell arrived, but this time with pristine sunny weather and light offshore winds.
Most of us know that theres surf in Japan and perhaps that its fickle, but how good does it get in the land of the rising sun?
We've spoken with Andrew at Typhoon surf tours in Japan to find out:
"Japan is a very underrated country for surfing and has remained under the surf travel radar. Each year the typhoon season arrives in August and with it come consistent,often big swells. The season lasts through to October.
There are numerous world-class breaks in the southern islands, many of them lie far from the cities and remain uncrowded. The variety is amazing, boulder pointbreaks, coral reefs, heavy rivermouths, and fun beachies.
Typhoon Surf Tours aim to make it easy for surfers new to Japan, to surf the best waves and delve into the rich culture.
We do this with surf tour packages that begin in Miyazaki, Kyushu - the southern-most of Japan's 4 main islands. Packages include 10 nights accommodation, all breakfasts and dinners, all local transportation including a sidetrip to a sub-tropical offshore island, and all day everyday surf guiding.
For intermediate level surfers we also offer a surf instruction package which includes comprehensive surf coaching and video analysis."
The Guys who run the tours are offering group discounts check out their website for more info: www.typhoontours.com
Shipsterns Bluff Tasmania- officially one of the worlds most mental waves, scored a big swell recently. read more below courtesy of coastalwatch.com
Saturday and Sunday August 1 and 2 delivered some incredible waves simultaneously in six of seven states in Australia.
Coastalwatch editor Ben Horvath said, “It is not very often you can say there have been quality waves simultaneously all over this vast surf drenched continent. In five of six mainland states there were some incredible waves ridden last weekend, and Shippies in Tasmania was bombarded by the biggest swell of the year.”
We alerted our readers to the incredible potential in a special weekend forecast feature on Friday July 31, and this week we have made it our number one priority to post all the highlights. The three features of highlights we have posted containing dozens of epic line ups and 5 separate videos.
With solid overhead swell forecast for today and tomorrow with light winds it looks like this years 5 star WQS Boardmasters event in Newquay could be a classic.
"Fistral Beach, Newquay -- The Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans, an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 5-Star men’s event, kicked-off yesterday at Fistral Beach, main venue of the 28th edition of England’s biggest surfing event.
With consistent three to four foot (1 to 1.2 meter) waves greeting Round 1 competitors, the prestigious event could move straight into business completing sixteen heats of world class action led by favorites.
With most of the event top seeds securing their ticket through to Round 2 of competition, the day was marked by several high performances, Patrick Beven (FRA) and Travis Beckmann (HAW) taking control of proceedings to confidently advance through their heats with respectively the day’s highest single ride and highest heat result.
A drowning diver has told how she was saved by a whale that pushed her back to the surface when she suffered crippling cramps.
Yang Yun thought she was going to die when her legs were paralysed by arctic temperatures during a free diving contest without any breathing equipment.
Competitors had to sink to the bottom of an aquarium's 20ft arctic pool and stay there for as long as possible amid the beluga whales at Polar Land in Harbin, north east China.
But when Yun, 26, tried to head to the surface she found her legs were crippled by cramps.
"I began to choke and sank even lower and I thought that was it for me – I was dead. Until I felt this incredible force under me driving me to the surface," she explained.
To the Rescue
Mila, the Beluga whale, had spotted her difficulties and using her sensitive dolphin-like nose guided Yun safely to the surface.
"Mila noticed the problem before we did," explained an organiser. "We suddenly saw the girl being pushed to the top of the pool with her leg in Mila's mouth. She's a sensitive animal who works closely with humans and I think this girl owes her life."
Intelligent Belugas were among the first whales to interact with man and have facial muscles that allow them to smile.
