East Coast Visions is on Friday 20th at TyneBank Brewery in Newcastle.
The East Coast Visions event seeks to celebrate the ambition of adventurers and explorers by bringing their stories to a wider audience via the medium of photography, storytelling and music.
The pursuit of adventure is a driving force in modern life, but who are the people who are looking towards the horizon?
Well alongside interesting speakers from the surfing and kitesurfing worlds, Olympic legend, BBC snow sports correspondent and avid surfer Jenny Jones will be doing a talk about her journey to Sochi 2014, where she won the first ever medal for team GB in snowboarding!
For the fill programme click here
For the surf explorers theres a talk from Stuart Swift who spent 6 months driving overland from London to his hometown of Cape Town, living with his brother Callum in nothing more than a tent and a Mitsubishi Shogun. Their mission: to surf and to make records. What transpired was more than just that simple objective, and the stories of mind blowing point breaks are interspersed with considered words and actions depicting an enlightened and conscientious approach to the boys’ exotic new cultural surroundings. A real life surfing & photography odyssey, which when seen projected on to a massive screen elevates Stu’s witty conversational style to epic proportion.
You can buy tickets here
If you can’t make the event but fancy the chance to win a sick looking custom surfboard for just £5 check this out. The board was shaped by Saltburn’s own Glenn Nary from Visionary Surfboards, it is 6’0 x 20 1/2″ x 2 1/2” 36L
100% of the money raised from their raffle prizes (drawn on Friday at the event) will be split between Surfers Against Sewage & Snow-Camp charities. But to get involved with the Surfboard all you need to do is send £5 via PayPal to [email protected] Or if you’re feeling generous you can get 5 entries for £20 the same way. In case you’re in the area and want a ticket visit their website, but for all the info on the board here’s the blog article as well as the entry list on their Instagram, where your name will appear if you enter:
Italo Ferreira and Gabe Medina have hit Instagram to raise their concerns about surfing in the Margaret River area both the comp and in freesurfs after the two attacks as Australians go back to the shark debate – which basically decides opinion into the ‘cull’ or ‘deal with it’ camps.
“Two shark attacks in less than 24 hours here in Australia, detail, just a few miles from where the event is being held. Very dangerous do you not think?” said Italo
“Even so, they keep insisting on doing steps where the risk of having this type of accident is 90%, so I ask: is not the safety of athletes a priority? We already had several alerts. Life goes beyond that! I hope it does not happen to any of us. I do not feel comfortable training and competing in places like this!”
Gabriel Medina posted his views
“Today they had two shark attacks on a beach close to where we’re competing. I do not feel safe training and competing in this kind of place, anytime anything can happen to one of us. Hope not. Leaving my opinion before it’s too late!”
JJF also had ended a surf session near Gracetown before the event started due to two large sharks.
The WSL meanwhile has stepped up safety measures.
“WSL continues to assess the current situation at the Margaret River Pro where there have been two confirmed shark incidents near Gracetown in the last 24 hours. We have actioned our well established safety protocols and are gathering all the latest information to determine next steps. We will continue to liaise with all involved, most importantly the surfers, their safety remains paramount. Today’s competition (Tuesday in Western Australia) has already been called off and all surfers have been advised not to surf in the area. We are constantly evaluating the situation, and will update as soon as possible.”
Some of the Aussie press have got a little hysterical claiming the comp should be cancelled, sharks hunted down etc. But many locals are philosophical claiming they surf with the creatures all year, and considering the amount of surfers in the water near seal colonies, and amongst a salmon run the incidents are small and chances of getting caught up with a shark are pretty rare. (Since 2000, there have been 15 fatal and 41 non-fatal sharks.) And the WSL has promised to increase jetski and aerial surveillance with drones…
So the question is what do the WSL do? Remember there are sharks at Snapper, Bells, J Bay, probably Chopes, and Pipe. On the Qual tour parts of the Tuamatos have so many reef sharks you have to take off anything shiny.. Durban.. the list is endless.. And while possibly not in the numbers WA has right now the sharks are still there.
Responses on social media have varied from sympathetic to, well, typical west Aussie advice…
@salemdivision You are the surfers ! If you decide not to surf there’s nothing the wsl can do…they can’t force you. It really is up to you ! @italoferreira
@caribgrunt pussy
@jarredbriotti😭😭😭 90 % chance of getting eaten? Haha so if you go into the water 10 times a shark will get you 9 times? Stick to surfing mate as your maths is shocking #soft
johnoharePussy! Scared of a little ol’ Shark or scared of the competition? You’re in the surf, you mix it up with our white pointers the most beautiful sharks in the world! 😉✌️
ollyolsonBucket of cement mate
@glenatmargs you have 10 skis, drones and sonar equipment, why be scared during the comp. during the free surfs maybe but we have to deal with this every year. And the white pointers don’t turn up in numbers until June.
@npewhite So as a pro surfer you never considered there to be sharks in the ocean!? Perhaps you need a new career if you don’t like the idea of sharks in the ocean. Oh and for everyone the footage @gabrielmedina is showing is off the idiot, who despite knowing beach was closed and despite fisheries trying to get everyone out of the water decided to still go out and surf.
What do you think?
Down the Line Surf Co. in Hayle, Cornwall has just announced the opening of their new board store the JS Surfboard Garage..
The first of it’s kind in Europe, this hardware-focused shop has over 300 of the latest JS surfboards, including the new Monsta 8, the Julian Wilson air 17x and the new groveller “the Flying Pony” A variety of models in both PU and Hyfi technology.
Looks amazing. Check it out.
Twin Great Whites incidents in Margaret River area.
First a Brazilian surfer was airlifted from Cobblestones reportedly being hit by a four-metre Great White, then another surfer was stoic at Lefthanders.
The 37-year-old at Cobblestones was bitten on the lower leg just before 8am and managed to bodysurf back to shore. Friends a leash as a tourniquet.
Brett Newland told ABC News “It swam under a couple of guys and came around and bit a third person… It was a large shark and from the way it was behaving, it would have been a white pointer. All the other surfers swam to him, helped him get away from his board and leg rope and helped him get on a wave, and luckily [he] caught a wave onto the reef. The surfers that helped him in got tourniquets on his legs as soon as they got on the shallow reef, and then other people came down from the carpark and put him onto a surfboard and carried him up to the carpark.”
He was flown to Royal Perth hospital where he remains in a stable condition and will have surgery.
WSL immediately put there comp on hold to assess the situation.
Justin Longrass was bitten at Lefthanders beach about 2.30pm, by a shark estimated at four-metres long.
The WSL resumed the comp after safety checks
The rescheduled Stable, Fistral Longboard Classic took place over the weekend in pumping waves at Fistral. Tour organiser Minnow Green decided to the whole comp on Saturday due to conditions.
Adam Griffiths won the Mens Open but it wasn’t enough to take the tour title from Ben Skinner came second and won the Single Fin event securing both the 2017 Open and the Single fin tour titles.
Adam Zervas took the Grand Master title while son Jordan took the under 18’s
ISA/WSL commentator and stylist Sam Bleakers mad another comeback (the waves were too good to watch) and made two finals, making four representatives from the elite WSL tour in the comp – three tour surfers and Sam.
Congratulations to everyone, British long boarding remains wordclass.
Results
Men’s Open
1 Adam Griffiths
2 Ben Skinner
3 Lewis Stritch
4 Sam Bleakley
Women’s Open
1 Tina Beresford
2 Jenny Briant
3 Jen Pendlebury
4 Angharad John
Masters
1 Jason Gray
2 Colin Bright
3 Adam Chell
4 Ray Lee
Single Fin
1 Ben Skinner
2 Sam Bleakley
3 Lewis Stritch
4 Jack Unsworth
Grand Masters
1 Adam Zervas
2 Colin Bright
3 Tim Quick
4 Rich Unsworth
U18 Boys
1 Barnaby Innes
2 Jordan Zervas
3 Max Hudson
4 Matt Mitchell
5 Joe Maloney
U18 Girls
1 Beth Leighfield
2 Emily Wells
U16 Cadets
1 Max Hudson
2 Barnaby Innes
3 Jordan Zervas
4 Joel Morison
5 Matt Mitchell
Ben Skinner – Single Fin Tour Winner 2017, Men’s Open Tour Winner 2017
Jen Pendlebury – Women’s Open Tour Winner 2017
Beth Leighfield – U18 Girls Event Winner, U18 Girls Tour Winner 2017
Jordan Zervas – U18 Tour Winner 2017
Adam Zervas Grand Master tour winner
Jason Gray Masters Tour Winner
Mikey Wright AUS advances through Round Two Heat 3 at the 2018 Maragret River Pro, Western Australia
Kanoa Igarashi (USA) is eliminated from the 2018 Margaret River Pro after placing second in Heat 8 of Round 2 at Main Break, Margaret River, WA, Australia.
Griffin Colapinto (USA) is eliminated from the 2018 Margaret River Pro after placing second in Heat 7 of Round 2 at Main Break, Margaret River, WA, Australia.
The Margaret River Pro, Stop No. 3 of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), completed men’s elimination Round 3 today in six-to-eight foot (1.8 – 2.4 metre) conditions at Main Break, the event’s primary location.
Event wildcards Mikey Wright (AUS) and Kael Walsh (AUS) upset the early elimination round with their wins over top seeds Adrian Buchan (AUS) and Matt Wilkinson (AUS), respectively. The early wins by underdogs Wright and Walsh put them in a unique position to take down surfing’s biggest names as they advance to Round 3. In a rematch of their Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast heat, Wright will fight to again knock out reigning, two-time WSL Champion John John Florence (HAW). Walsh will be against current World No. 1 Julian Wilson (AUS) to make a run for a win in front of his home crowd.
Wright eliminated an in-form Buchan in the third heat of the day. Wright perfectly matched the open-ocean power of Main Break with his trademark turns and sent a shot across to all competitors that, once again, he is one to watch out for.
“The waves are really fun out there this morning,” Wright said. “It’s been a great experience to have surfed two heats at two separate locations in such great waves. I had a couple of falls at the end of my waves in Round 1 so a big focus for me was to finish my waves and it seemed to pay off today.”
Hometown hero, Walsh, showed he deserved his spot in the event by defeating World Title challenger Wilkinson in Heat 2 of Round 1. Walsh looked solid at Main Break, staying seemingly calm, while Wilkinson struggled to find a rhythm and was eliminated in Equal 25th place, his second early exit in 2018.
“I know Matt Wilkinson is a really good competitor and it was always going to be a tough heat,” Walsh said. “I knew I’d have a good shot at matching it with the best so I wasn’t really intimidated. I’m comfortable in the waves around home and have got Jake Paterson in my corner, who has more knowledge than anyone over here, so knew I was in good hands.”
Current Jeep Leader Italo Ferreira (BRA) was very lucky to overcome injury replacement Miguel Pupo (BRA) in their Round 2 matchup. Pupo was on fire early, posting the highest single wave score of the day, an 8.33 (out of a possible 10) in the opening exchange for a series of critical backhand snaps. Ferreira was on the ropes — needing a 7.00 — until the dying minutes of the heat where he found a set and was able to post a 7.50 to narrowly avoid elimination.
“That was a really tough heat,” Ferreira said. “Miguel (Pupo) was surfing so well, and I was struggling to find any good waves. I knew on the last one I was going to have to give it my all and that the wave would have to be surfed really well. When they said the score I was so happy because I want to keep going and I want to hold onto this yellow jersey.”
Michael February (ZAF) is officially a full-time CT competitor after taking three-time WSL Champion Mick Fanning’s (AUS) place, who retired after the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. February has had two early losses so far on the elite Tour, but his win today over Frederico Morais (PRT) gives him the opportunity to earn a breakthrough result.
“This is only the second heat I have won on the CT, so it feels really good,” February said. “My goal going into that heat was to catch more waves as I have had a few slow heats this year, and I didn’t want to lose another heat that way. Coming onto this tour takes a lot of adjusting and getting used to, but I just try and do my own thing.”
Two of the most highly touted members of the 2018 rookie class, Griffin Colapinto (USA) and Yago Dora (BRA), went head-to-head in Heat 7 of Round 2 and the performances did not disappoint. While Colapinto has already found his feet at the elite level, Dora has still been searching for a way out of Round 2 and his desperation showed at Main Break as he attacked the solid walls on his backhand to overcome Colapinto and escape a third-straight last-place finish.
“It feels really good to finally get a heat win here on the Tour,” Dora said. “Griffin (Colapinto) is one of my favorite surfers on the CT, so I was really nervous to come up against him. I do like taking to the air, but this wave is more suited to power surfing, so I chose to stick to the face and do some big turns. It’s good to get some confidence from that win, especially against Griffin. I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from how he has surfed this year.”
Another rookie who fared well in Round 2 was Michael Rodrigues (BRA), who came into his own against Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) to post one of the highest heat totals of Round 2, a 14.34 (out of a possible 20). Rodrigues mixed power and style to dominate the heat and progress into Round 3, where he will match-up with World No. 1 Ferreira.
There were mixed results for the other CT freshman with Wade Carmichael (AUS) falling to Joan Duru (FRA), while Jesse Mendes (BRA) got the win over Tomas Hermes (BRA) in their all-rookie matchup.
The first heat of the day saw Owen Wright (AUS) take a comfortable win over Drag Aware WA Trials winner Dave Delroy-Carr (AUS), who bowed out in Equal 25th in his first CT appearance.
With an onshore breeze strengthening towards the end of the round, the Commissioner’s Office decided to put the next rounds on standby until tomorrow morning when clean conditions are expected to return.
Surfline, WSL forecast partner, is calling for:
Old/fading SW swell over the next couple days. Head-overhead sets still showing on Monday AM and with favorable winds. Then onshore winds Monday PM through Tuesday as the surf continues to decrease. A decent size pulse of new WSW swell moves in for Wed/Thurs (18th-19th); winds not favorable Wednesday, but looking ok for Thursday AM. High potential for a solid SW-WSW swell on the weekend (21st-22nd), but conditions are not looking good at this time.
Margaret River Men’s Pro Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 9.77 def. Dave Delroy-Carr (AUS) 5.43
Heat 2: Kael Walsh (AUS) 9.77 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 5.07
Heat 3: Mikey Wright (AUS) 14.17 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 9.14
Heat 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 13.67 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.16
Heat 5: Michel Bourez (PYF) 14.16 def. Ian Gouveia (BRA) 9.10
Heat 6: Michael February (ZAF) 12.73 def. Frederico Morais (PRT) 9.17
Heat 7: Yago Dora (BRA) 13.76 def. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 11.93
Heat 8: Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 14.34 def. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.27
Heat 9: Conner Coffin (USA) 11.83 def. Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 9.57
Heat 10: Connor O’Leary (AUS) 13.50 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.50
Heat 11: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 9.37 def. Tomas Hermes (BRA) 9.10
Heat 12: Joan Duru (FRA) 14.57 def. Wade Carmichael (AUS) 11.80
Margaret River Men’s Pro Round 3 Matchups:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Keanu Asing (HAW)
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Jesse Mendes (BRA)
Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Michael February (ZAF)
Heat 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Michael Rodrigues (BRA)
Heat 5: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Conner Coffin (USA)
Heat 6: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Kael Walsh (AUS)
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Jack Robinson (AUS)
Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Connor O’Leary (AUS)
Heat 9: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Willian Cardoso (BRA)
Heat 10: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Yago Dora (BRA)
Heat 11: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Joan Duru (FRA)
Heat 12: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Mikey Wright (AUS)
Margaret River Women’s Pro Round 2 Matchups:
Heat 1: Sage Erickson (USA) vs. Coco Ho (HAW)
Heat 2: Silvana Lima (BRA) vs. Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Heat 3: Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Mikaela Greene (AUS)
Heat 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Paige Hareb (NZL)
Heat 5: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) vs. Macy Callaghan (AUS)
Heat 6: Keely Andrew (AUS) vs. Malia Manuel (HAW)
