Very sad to hear of the passing of Brian Britton today. Always welcoming, good craic and tireless worker for Irish surfing.
Irish surfing said:
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the untimely death of Brian Britton, former Irish Surfing President. Brian passed away peacefully, early this morning following his battle with cancer.
Brian’s commitment and absolute dedication to Irish surfing cannot be disputed or indeed be praised highly enough. From the early days, Brian was both fundamental and essential to the success of surfing in Ireland. Over the years he worked tirelessly to develop the sport and way of life he loved so much. An Irish team member many times over, Irish Team manager, Irish Surfing Association president, European Surfing Federation president, International Surfing Vice president, and its special Ambassador. Brian was instrumental in organising and bringing to Ireland many international surfing events which were all enormously successful. We also cannot forget his commitment to all the clubs and ordinary surfers of Ireland. From his local club in Rossnowlagh to the further reaches of Ireland and beyond, his legacy endures. Without Brian Britton much would have remained undone down through the years and achieving anything without him would have been more difficult. No one has put more on the line for Irish Surfing than him. Brian Britton is truly an Irish Surfing Legend.
We extend our sympathy to his family at this sad time.”
Lowey won his Rd1 heat but didn’t make it out of his semi in tricky conditions. Photo: Masurel/WSL
Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca (BRA) won the World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Tour (BWT) Nazaré Challenge yesterday after incredible performances at the Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal.
The second-ever BWT event at Nazaré ran over two days after dangerous conditions threatened the competitors following the opening heats on Saturday. Big Wave Tour Commissioner Mike Parsons, alongside the judging panel, rated conditions a Bronze coefficient with wave faces in the 25-to-35-foot category.
Competing in his second-ever BWT event, Chianca earned his first Finals appearance and first BWT win today after dominating the competitive 24-man field, made up of the world’s best male big wave surfers. The 22-year-old demonstrated command over Nazaré’s powerful waves and challenging whitewater speeds to climb up to World No. 5 on the Big Wave Tour rankings.
Lucas Chianca of Brazil wins the 2018 Nazaré Challenge at Nazaré, Leiria,Portugal.
“I am stoked to win this event,” Chianca said. “Thank you to everyone for all of their support. I am grateful to win this event and all these guys competing are so crazy and inspiring. It was hard because when you get the call for BWT events, it is at the last minute. We flew here as soon as we got the call, were a bit tired, and then just went straight into the competition the next day. The waves yesterday were so gnarly and scary. And then today, we were on again. I am super stoked. Thank you.”
The six-man Final witnessed reigning BWT Champion Grant “Twiggy” Baker (ZAF), 2017/2018 Puerto Escondido Challenge winner Kai Lenny (HAW), two-time Pe’ahi Challenge winner Billy Kemper (HAW), and up-and-comers Natxo Gonzalez (EUK), Nathan Florence (HAW), and Chianca go all out for the event win.
Lenny kicked off the hour-long Final with a low-range score, a 3.83 (out of a possible 10). The next wave of the set saw a split peak between Baker and Chianca. Baker was only able to pick up a 3.50, while Chianca gained control of the heat with an authoritative 7.33. Gonzalez challenged Chianca with two mid-range scores, but the Brazilian punctuated his performance with a solid 6.73. Kemper stayed patient and was able to collect a 4.83 and 4.67 at the end of the heat to surpass Gonzalez, Lenny, Baker, and Florence for second place.
Caption: Clockwise from top left – Nazaré Challenge finalists Nathan Florence (HAW), Grant Baker (ZAF), Billy Kemper (HAW), Lucas Chianca (BRA), Kai Lenny (HAW), and Natxo Gonzalez (EUK) celebrate their success.
Credit: © WSL / Justes
Kemper’s runner-up finish now puts him at World No. 1 on the Big Wave Tour rankings, topping Lenny by only 2,311 points. His recent success, both on the WSL Qualifying Series (QS) and Big Wave Tour, is a testament to his training and commitment to surfing. Not only does Kemper lead the BWT ranks, he recently won the Sunset Open Qualifying Series to put him in second place on the Hawaii/Tahiti Nui Regional QS rankings.
“I am over the moon right now,” said Kemper. “First and foremost, I want to thank the country of Portugal. All of the people here are absolutely amazing and this place is beautiful. The warm welcome that you give all of us surfers is next to none. I am very thankful. I came here with that goal to make the Final and do as best as I could. Obviously, that was in my mind the whole time, but I just took it heat-by-heat, wave-by-wave. I am very thankful and stoked to end up where I am at.”
Jamie Mitchell (AUS), 2016/2017 Nazaré Challenge winner, was eliminated in the first Semifinal heat along with yesterday’s Round One standouts Alex Botelho (PRT) and Peter Mel (USA). Mitchell fought his way through the six-man lineup but fell just 1.20 points short of advancing to the Final. The Australian currently sits in 6th on the BWT rankings with only 17 days remaining in the tour window.
Tom Lowe (GBR) attracted international attention after his pencil-dive wipeout from a monstrous Nazaré wave in 2016 and came into this event ready to perform. The surfer from Cornwall proved to be a serious threat with his Round 1 Heat 4 win but could not find the same rhythm to advance out of the Semifinals. Lowe has become a household name with his Top 10 ranking on the WSL Big Wave Tour this season and will exit in 11th place.
Today’s win marked a first for Chianca, but also a last for his mentor, Carlos Burlé (BRA). A fellow Brazilian who pioneered big-wave surfing and rose to become a BWT Champion, Burlé retired last year but competed at this event as an end-of-career victory lap.The fifty-year-old big wave surfer was eliminated yesterday in Round One Heat 2.
“I am super stoked to be able to work with Lucas (Chianca) — such a great talent — and be able to help the sport still after retiring,” said Burlé. “It has been an amazing life pursuing big waves and watching and witnessing all the building of this beautiful sport that I love so much. What I see for big wave surfing is a bright future. I see a lot of young surfers coming with talent and performance in huge waves. It is going to get better and better as the time passes by.”
The Mavericks Challenge still has the potential to run before the Big Wave Tour season closes on February 28, 2018. BWT officials will continue to monitor swell systems and weather patterns and will only call the event on when surf reaches the 30-foot-plus mark, mobilizing on 72 hours’ notice.
Nazaré Challenge Final Results:
1 – Lucas Chianca (BRA) 19.89
2 – Billy Kemper (HAW) 13.93
3 – Natxo Gonzalez (EUK) 13.83
4 – Kai Lenny (HAW) 13.23
5 – Grant Baker (ZAF) 11.04
6 – Nathan Florence (HAW) 10.89
Nazaré Challenge Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Lucas Chianca (BRA) 14.91, Billy Kemper (HAW) 13.17, Nathan Florence (HAW) 13.13, Alex Botelho (PRT) 12.31, Jamie Mitchell (AUS) 11.93, Peter Mel (USA) 11.63
SF 2: Kai Lenny (HAW) 18.70, Natxo Gonzalez (EUK) 17.69, Grant Baker (ZAF) 16.99, Nic von Rupp (PRT) 11.43, Ian Walsh (HAW) 11.04, Tom Lowe (GBR) 10.51
Nazaré Challenge Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Lucas Chianca (BRA) 17.63, Billy Kemper (HAW) 16.33, Nathan Florence (HAW) 14.31, João de Macedo (PRT) 11.56, Hugo Vau (PRT) 9.43, Pedro Calado (BRA) 7.13
Heat 2: Peter Mel (USA) 15.43, Alex Botelho (PRT) 14.23, Jamie Mitchell (AUS) 9.66, Tom Butler (GBR) 3.14, Carlos Burlé (BRA) 0.00, Aaron Gold (HAW) 0.00
Heat 3: Nic von Rupp (PRT) 20.23, Kai Lenny (HAW) 20.23, Natxo Gonzalez (EUK) 17.57, Francisco Porcella (ITA) 14.11, Cristian Merello (CHL) 12.77, Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 11.39
Heat 4: Tom Lowe (GBR) 15.10, Grant Baker (ZAF) 13.84, Ian Walsh (HAW) 12.90, Nic Lamb (USA) 11.43, Antonio Silva (PRT) 6.06, Kealii Mamala (HAW) 5.00
WSL Men’s BWT Rankings Top 5 (following Nazaré Challenge):
1 – Billy Kemper (HAW) 27,140 pts
2 – Kai Lenny (HAW) 24, 829 pts
3 – Ian Walsh (HAW) 17,757 pts
4 – Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 14,123 pts
5 – Lucas Chianca (BRA) 13,331 pts
The 2017/2018 Nazaré Challenge is presented Jogos Santa Casa, and proudly supported by Tourism of Portugal, West Tourism, and Nazaré City Council. The 2017/2018 WSL Big Wave Tour is proudly supported by Corona, the Official Beer of the Big Wave Tour (excluding North America), and Quiksilver Airlift, the Official Inflatable Vest of the 2017/2018 Big Wave Tour.
For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com.
The World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Tour (BWT) is placing the Nazaré Challenge in Nazaré, Portugal on Green Alert to commence on Saturday, February 10, 2018. Praia do Norte (North Beach), a break notorious for its powerful waves and dangerous whitewater speeds, has seen monstrous waves this season and now event organizers are tracking conditions favorable enough to run the highly-anticipated competition.
“We are excited about what we are seeing at Nazaré,” said Mike Parsons, WSL Big Wave Tour Commissioner. “We are calling the WSL Nazaré Challenge ON for this Saturday, February 10. With a solid swell coming from the NW, we are looking at around 9-to-12 feet of deepwater swell that will translate to 25-to-35 foot faces by mid-morning and potentially pushing 40 feet later in the day. There is potential that the winds might come up when we run, so we plan to start early in the morning and finish before it comes up too high.”
The second-ever Nazaré Challenge in Portugal will see the world’s best take on some of the heaviest waves in the world. Defending event winner Jamie Mitchell (AUS) and the men’s big wave field will be put to the ultimate test as they battle the infamous break that has long been considered inaccessible to paddle-in-surfing. Kai Lenny (HAW), current Big Wave Tour rankings leaders, will look to improve his 13th place finish at Nazaré.
The 2017/2018 WSL Big Wave Tour has completed its first two events of the season with Lenny winning the Puerto Escondido Challenge in Mexico, and Ian Walsh (HAW) and Paige Alms (HAW) taking out the Pe’ahi Challenge in Hawaii.
Formed in 2009, the Big Wave Tour joined the WSL in 2014 and has produced historic performances at never-before-contested venues such as Nazaré in Portugal and Pe’ahi on Maui’s North Shore. Monitoring swell systems and weather patterns throughout the season, the Big Wave Tour only runs events when surf reaches the 30-foot-plus mark, mobilizing on 72 hours’ notice with an international field of Big Wave men’s and women’s athletes.
Surfline, Official Forecasters for the 2017/2018 Nazaré Challenge, are calling for:
XL to possibly XXL NW swell is developing for Nazare on Saturday the 10th thanks to a strong, double-barreled area of low pressure now stretching over Greenland. Model guidance indicates that wind of 40-45 knots will develop in this fetch over the next 12-24 hours, with seas of 35-40 feet also expected to develop just east of Greenland.
At this point, we’ll look for building, longer period NW swell through the morning on Saturday, with 20-35’+ faces. The swell looks to peak from around midday and hold over the afternoon with solid 25-35’+ faces and occasional sets to 40’+ faces. There will also be some short period NW swell running in the morning, which will give the surf at least somewhat of a jumbled feel, but that short period swell will ease through the day.
Wind, while not ideal, does look manageable. Offshore to side-offshore flow from the NE to NNE is currently expected in the morning in the 10-15 knot range, trending to side shore north at 15 knots+ from late morning through the afternoon.
The 2017/2018 WSL Big Wave Tour is proudly supported by Corona, the Official Beer of the Big Wave Tour (excluding the US), and Quiksilver Airlift, the Official Inflatable Vest of the 2017/2018 Big Wave Tour.
The 2017/2018 Nazaré Challenge competitor list will be released closer to the event start. Please check back at WorldSurfLeague.com for updates.
Times are hard for dreamers, and “Dark days” is the allegory of it.
Director Sebastien Zanella, who’s work erases the fine line between dreams and reality, has spent the past winter following young “Ion products” prodigy and basque country surfer Andy Criere, to capture his dedication to surfing and the poetry he embodies in abandoning his humanity in the hands of the ocean.
As an experimental short film, the voice over, an extract from TV show Mr Robot, read by Rami Maleck, confronts the eerie visuals to the violence of the speech offers and furthermore, the violence of our world.
The intention of director Sebastien Zanella is to present a poetic & questionable short film, that puts into perspective our own belief about religion and the afterlife.
