Highest tides of year could bring rough surf to N.S. coast

 

Some of the highest tides of the year, coupled with steady onshore south and 

southeast winds, have prompted Environment Canada to issue a 

special weather statement for a large stretch of the Nova Scotia coast.

“The combination of the higher than normal tides as well as the winds may

 produce higher than normal coastal water ...more

Alana Rene Blanchard

 

Alana Rene Blanchard (born March 5, 1990)

 is an American professional surfer and occasional bikini model.

Alana surfs on the ASP World Tour.

Alana is involved in designing Rip Curl bikinis.

She is best friends with fellow surfer Bethany Hamilton,

 and was present when Hamilton suffered the shark attack that cost her an arm.

She was played by actress Lorraine Nicholson in the 2011 film Soul Surfer.

Alana currentl has her own show, Surfer Girl, by Network A,

which follows her life in Kauai as a professional surfer and model.

*The information copied  from wikipedia.org

SURF’S UP IN THE SEA ... AND ALSO A CHINESE RIVER

The Red Bull Qiantang Surfing Shootout is the first international river surfing competition. 

Surfing in a river is quite different from surfing in the sea. 

The height and the speed of river waves are not as high but a 

tidal bore can run for more than 10 kilometers. 

It requires good jet ski driving skills for surfers to chase

 the tidal bore and find a wave to surf. 

The Qiantang River has the world’s largest tidal bore, 

which reaches its peak on Aug 18 of the lunar calendar 

and be up to nine meters in height. 

The final of the surfing shootout this year fell on Sept 12, the peak day for the tidal bore. 

The tradition of riding waves on the Qiantang River dates back to the

 Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), when literary works of that era described wave riders.

 Modern surfing wasn’t introduced to China until the 1980s and 1990s, 

 when some Chinese studying in Hawaii and California returned to the motherland having 

picked up the sport, according to Bao Xuping, CEO of Surfing China, 

the organizer of the Shootout. 

There are quite a number of surfing clubs in Hainan and Shenzhen. 

The annual surfing shootout in the ...more

Gilmore has chance to wrap up surf title

Three of the four women's world surfing title contenders won their opening heats at the penultimate event in Portugal on Thursday.

Stephanie Gilmore was the only member of the quartet forced into the repechage second round after finishing runner-up to fellow Australian Laura Enever 14 points to 13.37 in round one.

Rankings leader Sally Fitzgibbons won her heat with 15.57, No.2 Tyler Wright, the winner in France last week, turned in the day's best score of 15.96 and fourth-ranked defending world champion Carissa Moore of Hawaii scored 13.54.

"It's a really nice feeling to start the day with ...more

A Surf Dream Come True

 

After making the long drive from Las Vegas to Southern California, a calendar mix up almost prevented nine-year-old Connor Schriever from surfing Malibu’s pristine waves. But thanks to quick thinking by organizers with the Mauli Ola Foundation, the young cystic fibrosis patient experienced something most beginning surfers only dream of — a one-on-one surf lesson with a local legend. 

“He said it was better than going to Disneyland,” said Allen Sarlo, the “keeper of Malibu” who stepped in on Saturday, Sept. 20 to give Connor a private surf lesson at Surfrider Beach.

Schriever and his family hit the road the week of Sept. 15, planning a few days of fun, including a visit to Disneyland and California Adventure. The week would culminate with a Surf Experience Day in Malibu for Connor and other cystic fibrosis patients. 

Cystic fibrosis causes a heavy mucus buildup in the lungs, and saline/saltwater treatments help break up the buildup. For patients like Connor, getting to play in the ocean is a natural treatment for something he spends nearly three hours treating every day. 

According to his mother, Connor wakes up 90 minutes before his ...more

Kelly Slater: Surf dude turns eco-warrior

The most successful board rider in the history of the professional circuit, he has seen up close the impact the human race has had on the planet's oceans during his illustrious career.

"This world is a scary place right now for the future of our children and their children and the next few generations," the 42-year-old tells CNN's Human to Hero series.

"Business is getting in the way of environmentalism and health, and at some point that's going to have to change.

"People really all have to figure out what's the most important thing, and that's water and food and air and, you know, the health of this planet."

The American points to the world's ever-increasing population as ...more

New Zealand's deadly surf spots

 

The big wave that grabbed young Jack Dixon off the Mt Maunganui shoreline is considered highly unusual, but some parts of the country are more prone to such freaks of nature.

Waves at some beaches, including Napier's Marine Pde, as well as at some rocky fishing spots and some river mouths are known to be treacherous.

Sometimes people washed into the raging sea are rescued, but often help arrives too late. Some of those grabbed by the sea are never found. 

Some big-wave incidents from the past decade or so include:

❏ December 28, 2013 - A Wellington woman in her 40s was moderately injured after being washed off rocks by a rogue wave at Castlepoint, Wairarapa. Bystanders and family members rushed to her aid and rescued her from the surge. 

❏ July 14, 2013 - Mario Openshaw, 29, of Whangarei, was swept off rocks while fishing at The Gap, near Taiharuru, northeast of Whangarei. His body was ...more