Well. This could get interesting if Grav hits ten feet…
Of course that is precisely what you want from the Quik Pro France – big Grav barrels, not air sections – and it delivers in spades every year. BUT 2018 has long been rumoured to be the last big French leg of the WSL tour, and the end of the Quik Pro as we know it. Allegedly due to the tour elite wanting to go on a Mentawaii boat trip to sort out who wins the world title rather than it go down to Pipe…
Personally I think Quik Pro France has been one of if not the best comp ever on the CT/WSL with its track record, atmosphere and huge crowds and it’s a travesty to even think about dropping it. Rumour is they will move it to spring. If you have been to France in spring you’ll know what a lottery that is. The prospect of leaving guaranteed autumn Atlantic swells for piddly left overs and freezing horizontal rain ain’t great.
But c’est la vie and bon voyage.
Interestingly some local heads had reacted to the news the Quik Pro was moving by threatening to hold their own non WSL speciality event in Hoss in Autumn. So this actually could be the WSL heading them off at the pass and laying down the future format for a comp in France in October… Or another delusionary attempt to take surf comps “mainstream” in time for the Olympics… Bon chance..
Anyway here is the news… Try and ignore the depressing ‘many say the future of surfing is in the air” quote.
“A special aerial display is on order this fall during the Quiksilver Pro France Championship Tour stop, as WSL announces the Air Invitational with Josh Kerr as the event director. Celebrating innovation, technicality and creativity, the event will honor the skate-influenced style that changed surfing forever.
The Air Invitational will be a combination of the 18 best aerial free surfers, CT surfers and social fan votes. The line-up already includes top air experts from the likes of Chippa Wilson, Filipe Toledo, Mikey Wright, and Albee Layer.
“Crowds love the athleticism and creativity of aerial surfing, and so do the surfers,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO. “Many say the future of surfing is in the air, and WSL is thrilled to be working with Josh to return a fan and surfer favorite into the competitive mix.”
“My early career and surf inspirations were all about these air events, and the guys pushing the progression of surfing,” said Kerr, former Surfing Airshow Series (SAS) Champion, long-time CT competitor and BWT event winner. “Now to be a part of bringing the air events back at highest level of our sport, it’s very special to me. I’m a huge fan of the talent right now, so I can’t wait to see the guys send it in France!”
Surf Ranch Pro Air Exhibition Pros Announced
In attempt to spice up what was a lack lustre Surf Ranch comp the WSL have also announced a new ‘Air exhibition”. Woo. Obviously lots of Ranch surf gnomes were out tinkering after ‘the Waco flip’ blew the bloody doors off and with the help of special advisers came up with a ramp section.
Most the worlds surf reporters refused to comment the WSL Facebook live debacle in fear of being left off the Ranch invite list, so this better be worth their silence.
“Fans will see an early preview during the Surf Ranch Pro at WSL Surf Ranch on September 6 in Lemoore, Calif. A sunset Air Exhibition is scheduled after Saturday’s CT competition, with air extraordinaires Chippa Wilson and Albee Layer headlining. The duo will be joined by two CT surfers yet to be announced in this celebration of creativity and innovation.
“I’m super hyped to be involved in the Air Invitational and Surf Ranch Pro. When I was a grom it was my goal to be able to surf in the air shows,” said Wilson. “They never seemed like a competition; it was loose, and all the lads looked like they were having a blast. I can’t wait for the boys to mix it up with the best air guys on the Championship Tour!”
C-Skins are stoked to announce today that Maui native Matt Meola has joined their Slaves International team.
Matt is an aerial freak and has been making a name for himself for the past ten years. Growing up in Maui and having the world’s best waves on his doorstep almost made it impossible for Matt not to take the leap into professional surfing. His aerial surfing and experimentation with rotations led to Matt being one of only two surfers to ever land a frontside 540 and then just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, he went on to do it again.
Matt’s a true waterman – he loves anything to do with getting in or on the water which include fishing, spearfishing and diving. With this in mind he will be a great asset and test pilot for the C-Skins range.
“Spending so much time in the water I’m stoked to have C-Skins supporting me with their wetsuits” says the 29 year pro.” I’ve just got home from the Mentawais where I put the C-Skins vest range through their paces – they worked great!”
“We are stoked to have Matt riding for C-Skins,” explains Mark Brown, Technical Director at C-Skins “Matt loves pushing boundaries and experimenting, which is a great fit for C-Skins. Having Matt feedback to our design team will only help to improve our products further, we are so happy to have him on board.”
The 2018 Rip Curl Cup is officially on “High Alert” to be held on Sunday, July 15th at Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia. With an impressive South West swell currently tracking towards Bali, event directors have changed the official event status from Red (Standby) to Yellow (High Alert), and surfers are now on call for a potential Sunday, 7AM local Bali start time to run the one-day World Surf League specialty event.
Event Director and Rip Curl SEA Marketing Manager, James Hendy, has high hopes for the swell to bring a Green Light on Sunday. “As surfers in Indonesia, this is what we wait all year for,” he said. “Our goal is to see eight of the world’s best tube riders and eight of the best local Padang specialists testing their limits on the best day of the year at Padang. Anything less and we don’t run. This swell is looking very promising, and with some help from the Bali gods, hopefully the surfing world will be in for another amazing Rip Curl Cup on Sunday.”
Official event surf forecaster Surfline is calling for a powerful, long-period SW swell to build in this weekend and peak through the afternoon on Sunday, July 15th. Coming from an ideal westerly angle (219°) to catch the reef at Padang Padang, this swell appears to be quite similar to the Rip Curl Cup Trials swell that produced all-day fireworks at Padang on May 27th.
According to Surfline, “The storm has tracked further north than the average Indian Ocean storm, which means it’s closer to Bali. This should help with both size and consistency. Face size should be in the 8-10 foot range during the higher tide hours, with more size over the afternoon as the tide drops and the largest sets push up to 12’+ faces.”
Local winds at Padang on Sunday should be good to excellent with moderate to breezy SE/ESE trades expected.
Defending Rip Curl Cup Champion and Padang local Mega Semadhi is excited to be coming back for another year of competition, and is gearing up to battle it out for the win. “Padang is one of the best waves in Indonesia,” he said. “It’s the perfect spot to share with some of the best tube riders in the world. When you get that combination of wave quality and talent for one special day, everyone is always going to leave stoked no matter where they end up finishing. But of course, I’m going to do everything I can to win The Cup for the third time. Hopefully Dewa Baruna, the ocean god, is on our side and blesses us with good swell for Padang.”
The majority of the 16 invited surfers – eight of Indonesia’s best and eight of the world’s top tube riders – are currently standing by on Bali’s Bukit Peninsula, preparing to catch this swell. The remaining invitees are already on their way to Bali or preparing to board flights. Event directors will be ready to run early Sunday morning if the barrels at Padang reach the world-class caliber required to hold the Rip Curl Cup.
The 2018 Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang will be webcast live to the world at ripcurl.asia and worldsurfleague.com. Fans can also visit the site to check the latest Padang Padang swell forecast from official event forecaster Surfline, including real-time contest status and video updates from Bali.
Following is the official heat draw for the first two rounds of competition at Padang Padang:
ROUND 1
Heat 1
Garut Widiarta (IND)
Mason Ho (HAW)-TBC
Agus “Blacky” Setiawan
(IND)Jay Davies (AUS)
Heat 2
Lee Wilson (IND)
Josh Kerr (AUS)
Mustofa Jeksen (IND)
Bruno Santos (BRA)
Heat 3
Mega Semadhi(IND)
Jack Robinson (AUS)
Alik Rudiarta (IND)
Gearoid McDaid (IRL)
Heat 4
Bol Adi Putra(IND)
Nic Von Rupp (PRT)
Mega Artana (IND)
Jacob Willcox (AUS)
ROUND 2
Heat 1
Garut Widiarta (IND)
Bruno Santos (BRA)
Mustofa Jeksen (IND)
Jacob Willcox (AUS)
Heat 2
Lee Wilson (IND)
Jack Robinson (AUS)
Agus “Blacky” Setiawan (IND)
Gearoid McDaid (IRL)
Heat 3
Mega Semadhi(IND)
Josh Kerr(AUS)
Mega Artana (IND)
Nic Von Rupp (PRT)
Heat 4
Made Adi Putra (IND)
Mason Ho (HAW)TBC
Alik Rudiarta (IND)
Jay Davies (AUS)
Today, Newquay is the leading surfing resort in Britain, with international competitions and festivals like Boardmasters.
But this is no new phenomenon, as this poster by Alfred Lambart (1902-70) shows with ‘surf bathers’ riding paipo inspired belly boards.
Dating to 1937, Newquay on the Cornish Coast was designed as a promotional travel poster for the Great Western Railway, one of a number of train companies for which Lambart designed such posters.
It will feature in the Vintage Posters auction at Swann Auction Galleries in New York on August 1 alongside a number of other rare vintage travel and tourism posters from all over the world, including Britain.
13 year old grom banged out by grown man for taking selfies on a pink foamie?
I mean really…. Is there any excuse?
Sure some spots are secret, some have long established locals and pecking orders, some spots the groms do need a bit of guidance on etiquette. But they are groms, it’s their job to be annoying.
But hitting a 13 year old for sitting on the inside trying to get little barrel shots like his hero JOB. Then hitting his equally young friend and beating up his old man for objecting… Ridiculous, indeed criminal.
No locals in their right mind would think this type of behaviour reflects surfing culture. The so called “White shorts’ of Tamarin must be really cringing right now.
Tamarin is a good wave, but fickle and not one that’s going to see an influx of tourists because of a 13 year olds selfie clip.
