Hurricane Ian moves over land then back off the coast as a Nor’Easter… Sending an epic swell to Cape Hatteras, and there was a crew of guys in town to take advantage of it. Psycho waves, crazy wipeouts, and an all day affair of fun sending it with everyone. Enjoy! And the next day was as flawless as it gets… stay tuned! – Brett Barley
Vans Surf is proud to announce the Surf VR3 Collection, designed to bring together the relaxed vibes of surfing and Vans’ continued commitment to more sustainably-focused clothing and footwear.
Vans believes that every little bit helps. That’s why this collection was made with strict material guidelines, including the Circle Vee, which leverages Vans’ VR3Waffle™ outsole, constructed from regeneratively grown natural rubber, sourced from farms using agricultural practices that are designed to promote diversity, enhance water cycles, improve soil health, and sequester carbon from the atmosphere.
Created with an appreciation for nature and nodding to future generations, the new Surf VR3 Collection features a selection of thoughtfully designed apparel and footwear, including the hero style of the collection, the Circle Vee in Ocean Blue. Rounding out the footwear is the UltraRange VR3 in Beach Sand and the Style 36 Decon VR3 SF in Sunshine.
The Circle Vee upper knit is made of 48% organic cotton, 47% hemp, and 5% nylon, giving this forward-thinking shoe a natural, classic Vans DNA look and feel while designed to reduce waste in production compared to Vans’ traditional cut and sew uppers. All linings are made with 50% organic cotton / 50% recycled cotton and laces with 100% natural jute fibres.
The Circle Vee’s VR3Cush™ midsole features a drop-in footbed that is made using 70% biobased PU foam (Fates™) partially sourced from plants per ASTM D6866-16 reference standard. This new drop-in footbed provides ultimate all-day comfort and support with a molded heel cup and arch shape.
Along with the Circle Vee and accompanying footwear styles, the VR3 Collection also features the Vans Wave SS Tee, Primary Vans Wave Elastic Boardshort and the Vans Wave Shallow Unstructured Hat. All the apparel in the collection was influenced by the colour palette of the beach: the sun, sand, and waves that surfer’s treasure and protect.
The Surf VR3 collection is available now at Vans Surf retail locations and Vans.eu/Surf. To learn more about Vans sustainability initiatives, visit Vans.eu/sustainability.
O’Neill Strike Missions is a film series documenting Team O’Neill’s surf adventures across the globe. It’s all about tracking swell and striking when the time is right, hoping the gamble pays off and the risk is worth the reward. In the end, the journey is often as memorable as the destination. We were able to catch Jordy Smith and Kolohe Andino between tour stops, while bringing Soli Bailey, Ian Crane, Robbie McCormick and Johanne Defay all together for an unforgettable strike mission.
Shot by Jacob Vanderwork, Nathan Lawrence, Scotty Hammonds, Nick Christy, Chris Bryan
Edited by Jacob Vanderwork
The noseride is one of surfing’s peak moments: part fluid dynamics, part magic. But how does noseriding actually work? What makes this suspension between sea and sky even possible? The Physics of Noseriding explores the question through the eyes of Namaala, a young surfer whose people were flying on the water before the world even knew what surfing was. Her curiosity invites us to examine the sensation of levitation that unfolds as wave, surfboard and surfer come together for surfing’s fluid dance.
Yolanda Hopkins and Kauli Vaast Claim 2023 QS 3,000 Rip Curl Pro Search Taghazout Bay Titles
• Hopkins Continues Dominant Season with Third Win
• Vaast Claims Career-First QS Win on His Birthday
• More Information at WorldSurfLeague.com
ANZA / Morocco (Sunday, February 26, 2023) – Yolanda Hopkins (POR) and Kauli Vaast (FRA) have won the QS 3,000 Rip Curl Pro Search Taghazout Bay today, claiming victory in the Finals against Pauline Ado (FRA) and Jorgann Couzinet (FRA) held in three-to-four surf at Anza.
Stop No. 5 of 6 on the 2022-23 World Surf League (WSL) European Qualifying Series (QS), the Rip Curl Pro Search Taghazout Bay has been juggling with an extremely complicated forecast for both the main venue of Anchor Point and the backup of Anza.
Despite being in the heart of the best season for swell and weather, the event was unlucky with very little energy in the ocean for the entire waiting period and inclement weather at times. The event eventually culminated with excellent finals in clean surf, giving everyone a very good reason to come back next year.
Men’s Final: Vaast (above) Claims Career-First QS Win on his Birthday
“I’m super focused this year,” Vaast said. “I really want to give it my all and qualify. Winning this QS is just extra motivation for me, and to do it on my birthday is just special.
The all-French affair did not disappoint as Reunion Island’s Jorgann Couzinet took on Tahiti’s Kauli Vaast in a battle of epic proportions. Both surfers went blow for blow in the running little rights and laid down massive turns and airs to rack up a collection of excellent scores.
Vaast’s best number of 8.90 was eventually the deciding factor in his first-ever win on the Qualifying Series, despite Couzinet posting two scores above 8 points, coming up just short on his final efforts.
“I have really good friends from Morocco and they’ve been telling me to come here for a while,” he added. “I’m stoked with my first experience, we had some good waves at the start, and I think I’m actually going to stay a few extra days to score this next swell.”
Turning 21 years old today, the Tahitian has already received many distinctions, among which his runner-up finish as a wildcard in last year’s Championship Tour (CT) event at Teahupoo shines brightest. Today he adds a QS win to an impressive resume, set to continue to grow over the coming years.
Couzinet has been a standout in Morocco, posting big numbers in all his previous heats, but eventually had to settle down for runner-up. The 3-time European Champion comes back in full form after a deceiving season on the Challenger Series last year as he continues to fight for the ultimate dream of a CT qualification.
“I felt really good coming here and this result is great for my confidence,” Couzinet stated. “I had various issues these past couple of years but I’ve worked hard to come back stronger and I’m really happy to see it pay off. I feel like I can beat anyone and I can’t wait for the next events.”
Couzinet and Vaast had previously eliminated Tiago Carrique (FRA) and Luke Thompson (RSA) respectively in their Semifinal matchups.
Women’s Final: Olympians Battle Goes Hopkins’ Way
“It feels amazing to win again,” Hopkins said. “It brings back joyful memories of Anglet as well. The Final was a battle but I tried to keep my head straight, keep catching waves and stay calm.”
Pauline Ado (FRA) and Yolanda Hopkins (POR above), both regular foot, powerful surfers with loads of experience, including at the inaugural surfing Olympics in Tokyo, took on the rights of Anza with a similar approach. The French surfer got a quick head start and the better of the opening exchange, but Hopkins came back in the fight midway through the heat and claimed back the lead.
A battle of margins, both surfers with scores in the 6-7 range (out of a possible 10), eventually went Hopkins’ way as the Portuguese walked away with the win.
“I think this could be my year,” she added. “Let’s just keep this streak going into the Challengers and hopefully we have another European on the CT next year! I absolutely loved my time here, I found an amazing secret wave and got some proper Moroccan rights, I’ll definitely be back!”
Already in the regional rankings lead, courtesy of two wins last summer, Hopkins solidified her pole position with today’s victory and will be hard to dethrone with only one event remaining. Her career-fourth win in Taghazout is very likely to transform into a first regional QS title down the line.
Pauline Ado adds another strong result to a solid season with the runner-up finish today. A winner on tour almost every season, her current winless streak is poised to end before the season wraps.
“It came down to very small details so it’s always a bit frustrating to get to the final and not go all the way but overall it’s a very positive week for me,” Ado reflected. “I’m taking a leap in the rankings so my main objective is reached. I always find things to work on, be it technique, or mental game and heat management, this is what keeps the flame burning, and why I’m still as passionate about surfing and competition as ever.”
Ado and Hopkins had previously eliminated Carolina Mendes (POR) and Francisca Veselko (POR) respectively in their Semifinal matchups.
With the completion of the Rip Curl Pro Search Taghazout Bay, the race to the European QS title continues, here are the current rankings:
With the completion of the Rip Curl Pro Search Taghazout Bay, the race to the European QS title continues, here are the current rankings:
European Men’s QS Top 5:
1 – Tiago Carrique (FRA)
2 – Kauli Vaast (FRA)
3 – Gatien Delahaye (FRA)
4 – Jorgann Couzinet (FRA)
5 – Joan Duru (FRA)
European Women’s QS Top 5:
1 – Yolanda Hopkins (POR)
2 – Pauline Ado (FRA)
3 – Francisca Veselko (POR)
4 – Carolina Mendes (POR)
5 – Ariane Ochoa (EUK)
The final stop on the 2022-23 European Qualifying Series will take surfers to Caparica, Portugal from April 3-8, 2023.
The 2023 Rip Curl Pro Pro Search Taghazout Bay is scheduled from February 18-26, 2023, at Anchor Point, Taghazout Bay / Morocco. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to worldsurfleague.com.
The Rip Curl Pro Search Taghazout Bay is supported by Rip Curl, Taghazout Bay, CIH Bank, Maroc Telecom, Afriquia Gaz, Aïn Atlas, Marsa Maroc, Fairmont Taghazout Bay, Wilaya of Region Souss Massa, Region Souss Massa, Taghazout Municipality, SDRT, Morocco Kingdom of light, Arma Environnement, 2M, U Radio, Radio Mars and Surf Report Maroc among others.
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH TAGHAZOUT BAY WOMEN’S FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Yolanda Hopkins (POR) 13.40
2 – Pauline Ado (FRA) 13.33
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH TAGHAZOUT BAY MEN’S FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Kauli Vaast (FRA) 16.57
2 – Jorgann Couzinet (FRA) 16.16
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH TAGHAZOUT BAY WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF1: Pauline Ado (FRA) 11.90 def. Carolina Mendes (POR) 9.50
SF 2: Yolanda Hopkins (POR) 13.06 def. Francisca Veselko (POR) 11.57
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH TAGHAZOUT BAY MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF1: Jorgann Couzinet (FRA) 10.00 def. Tiago Carrique (FRA) 8.17
SF 2: Kauli Vaast (FRA) 13.03 def. Luke Thompson (RSA) 6.17
I traveled to Biaritz for the the Queens Surf Festival in June, but the good weather and waves enticed me to stay until the last months of summer.
I met Oscar Valencia and really liked his film work. This project came along very organically. Oscar wanted to capture the timeless summer in Biarritz, and that’s what we did. We shared good food, good wine, good waves, and good naps with the best crew in the shining warm European sun.
The ocean always has its way of being unpredictable; the tides change drastically the surf had to be well-timed and the the waves were not always in our favour, but Oscar was up for all of it. My good friend Margaux Arramon Tucco showed us around her home town, she always knew were the waves where and brought us the best local spots. Margaux and my cousin Chacha who were always around for the adventure make a guest appearance in the film.
Making this little movie was a lot of fun, in and out of the water. – Lola Mignot
Filmed in 16mm/8mm
Directed by Oscar Valencia.
Starring Lola Mignot.
Guest Appearances Margaux Arramon Tucco And Charlotte Lea Mignot
Voice Over By Margaux Arramon Tucco
Graphic Design by Alfredo Ardanza
Music Composition and Sound Design by Luis Ortega
Soundtrack Half Forgotten Daydream – Aline Christophe (Remastered)
Poem By Etel Adnan from Shiffing The Silence
Supported by Vans
