Jesse Mendes wins Azores Pro

 

Defeating Joan Duru in a hard-fought final, it was Brazil’s Jesse Mendes who ended up taking out the ASP Prime in the Azores over the weekend, claiming the first event of this year’s Portuguese Waves Series which again carries a bonus $50,000 this year for the overall winner.
Despite yet more challenging surf conditions, finalists treated crowds with an opening exchange right on the buzzer. Duru first, closely followed by Mendes on two righthanders, the advantage going to Mendes with a 7.50 against Duru’s 6.17. The talented Brazilian carrying momentum from his semifinal performance, quickly backed it up with a 6.17 as well, to take command of the final.
The two hungry QS campaigners even took the battle to the next level, sharing a peak, Duru on the right, Mendes on the ...more

Surf's up for free surfer at South Coast's Bawley Point

 

No place for the faint-hearted, huge swells on the South Coast cleared beaches of hardy surfers - except one.

Scott Dennis was given a tow-in by his mate Tim Taplin on a jet ski while another mate and freelance photographer, Simon Punch, jumped into the water to capture the action.

A south-westerly gale whipped up sand and stung faces on the beaches, while waves lifted and crashed with an intimidating roar, testing Taplin's skills in timing his run on the ski.

"It's a bit chancy, you want one that will break, a round, barrelling one, but if they clamp they will trap you inside," Taplin said.

Dennis, a carpenter who previously competed in pro-junior events, has for the past five years enjoyed a sportswear company's sponsorship, which enables the 29-year-old to travel broadly in search of great surf.

Lately he has been surfing at ...more

Surfing Cape Town

 

Provided you have a warm wetsuit, a full tank of petrol and some time on your side, you will always find surf down here. The option of two oceans, seasonal changes and varying wind direction create a constant desire to chase that perfect wave.

So, whether you are planning a learn-to-surf holiday or to tick off the spots featured in surf magazines and surf movies, Cape Town is well worth a visit. Not only will you be mesmerised by the spectacular scenery and refreshing water temperatures, you will be amazed by the variety of breaks Cape Town has to offer surfers.

From the world-renowned, big-wave spot of Dungeons in Hout Bay to the user-friendly and ever-popular Muizenberg, Cape Town appeals to all levels of surfers.

The key to understanding where the best surf is on any given day is to ask a local surfer, or you can pop into the local ...more

Skimboarding

Skimboarding (or skimming) is a boardsport in which a skimboard (a smaller counterpart to a surfboard without fins) is used to glide across the water's surface to meet an incoming, breaking wave, and ride it back to shore. Wave riding skimboarders perform a variety of surface and air maneuvers, at various stages of their ride, out to, and back with, the wave. Some of these are known as "wraps," "frontsides," "backsides," "big spins," "bigger spins," "360 Shuvs," etc. Unlike surfing, skimboarding begins on the beach by dropping the board onto the thin wash of previous waves. Skimboarders use their momentum to skim out to breaking waves, which they then catch back into shore in a manner similar to surfing. Another aspect of skimboarding is 'flatland', which involves performing tricks derived from skateboarding such as ollies and shove-its on the wash of waves without catching shore breaks. Skimboarding originated in Southern California when lifeguards wanted an easy way to get across the beaches of Laguna. Skimboarding has developed since then to extreme riding into big shorebreak ...more from wikipedia

Basic Skimboarding Tricks

 

Victoria World Championship of Skimboarding 2013

Perfect surf at the Azores Pro 2014

 

The world's best surfers have kicked off the SATA Airlines Azores Pro 2014, at Praia de Santa Barbara, on Sao Miguel Island, Azores.

The decisive Prime event opened with excellent four-to-six foot hollow waves, offering deep barrels and perfect wave faces for high-performance maneuvers. Caio Ibelli impressed with the highest heat score of the day.

"I've been here five days already, and yesterday the waves got big and I broke all my board. I was kind of bummed, but I went out there and looked for the barrels cause I don't feel comfortable doing turns on this board. There's nothing better to get barreled like that early in the morning, I'm stoked to be here in the Azores," says Ibelli.

Vasco Ribeiro, the event wildcard, lacks experience in Azores, but he clearly dominated his heat against current QS leader Matt Banting.

I'm really happy, I think I got a little bit too excited with the waves, so I'm stoked that I got a couple. I've been watching the previous heats closely, and I knew I could get the scores with turns, but yes when the occasional barrel came across I went for it," underlines Ribeiro.

Hiroto Ohhara, from Japan, turned the heat in the last minutes with a fast right-hander, as he came flying out of the barrel to collect an 8.67. Seconds later, he backed it up with several carving maneuvers to turn the lead and advance in first.

"I almost fell in the barrel but thankfully my board ...more

Surf contest to take place in October

Guahan Napu Inc. announced yesterday the Monster Energy Drink Surf the Basin VI competition will be held Oct. 1 at Hagåtña boat basin.

The competition will include four gender-neutral categories: Open Short Board Surfing, Open Long Board Surfing, Open Body-Boarding and Junior Short Board Surfing for those between the ages of 13 and 17.

Contingent dates for Surf the Basin VI are Oct. 25, Nov. 8, Nov. 22 or Dec. 6, if the wave conditions are not ...more

Kure Beach man sets world record for longest surf

 

 Ben Shaw started riding waves on Saturday morning at 6:34. He kept riding throughout the night, until shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday. In total, the Kure Beach native spent more than 29 consecutive hours on his board in the water.

The ride will officially be approved by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest consecutive surfing session in history!

Large crowds came out to J Avenue this afternoon to cheer on the local celebrity, but none were more proud than ...more on wect.com