With respect to the locals it’s not often surfing in Skegness raises much of an eyebrow on the international stage. But a Facebook Live video entitled ‘This is Skegness North beach – someone’s attempting to surf the tidal surge… ‘ by BBC Look North ( http://bit.ly/2jmMAzh ) has gone viral after a local surfer Danny tried to make the best of the recent North Sea swells.
Danny Louth, an obviously experienced and humble surfer just having fun in conditions well within his comfort zone, posted a response which was eloquent, explanatory and reasoned… and has now had over 1.1 million views!
Danny was doing the run around, common in areas with currents when there is swell (think Snapper, if you don’t want to picture yourself in 4 degree murky brown North Sea water) when he was reported to the police and the local media as being irresponsible/in trouble. Two local officers were sent to ‘have a word’ with him, and the press went out in force to see what was going on.
Obviously if you are inexperienced please do not attempt to replicate this. And as always experienced surfers please look out for the general public and less experienced surfers.
The Quemao Class invitational championship on the island of Lanzarote waiting period kicks off January 8th with competitors on call until March 31st, for the best conditions come to break at El Quemao, known as the Canarian Pipeline.
Riders are divided into two categories: Surf and Bodyboard, with some of the best surfers in the world gathering in the small fishing village of La Santa to enjoy this incredible event.
This year we will see some new faces like the Portuguese Tiago Pires, the Chilean Ramon Navarro, and many more.
The updated invite list for surf is
Alain Riou, Balaram Stack, Benjamin Sanchis, Charly Martin, Dimitri Ouvre, Eric Rebiere, Joshua Braddock, Kevin Bourez, Marc Lacomare, Miky Picon, Nic Von Rupp, Ramzi Boukhiam, Ramon Navarro, Roberto D´amico, Tiago Pires, Tom Lowe, William Aliotti, Alex Zirque, Antonio Marqués, Franito Sáenz, Jonathan González, Jose María Cabrera, Luis Díaz, Manuel Lezcano, Marco Imbernón, Yael Peña, Yeray García, Andy Criere, Aritz Aranburu, Eukeni Masa, Gony Zubizarreta, Hodei Collazo, Indar Unanue, Natxo González.
The Quemao Class is an event that is carried out thanks to the support of the Government of the Canary Islands, Cabildo de Lanzarote, Turismo Lanzarote, Lanzarote European Destination and Tinajo City Council.
Hawaii. It’s big, it’s bold, and it’s reputation may be even bigger and bolder than itself. But all that aside, the enchanted island is diverse. From Muay Thai to Mai Tais, Waimea to Waikiki and solid Pipe to a solid pie at Ted’s…there is something to suit everyone.
This year, the Quik team attacked every angle. They stayed out late at night. They surfed before the sun rose. They did turns, punted airs and got barrelled. They rode everything from ten-foot slabs of concrete to twenty-foot slabs of unpredictable water. It was a bonafide Radical Time.
Dig in, then start planning a Radical Time of your own to Hawaii — you really do owe it to yourself.
The Nazaré event has been called on with Andrew Cotton and Tom Butler in the starting line up… Looks like Tuesday is the first possible day. Fingers crossed the local wind cooperates.
WSL PRESS RELEASE
Today, the World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Tour (BWT) is placing the Nazaré Challenge in Nazaré, Portugal, on Green Alert to commence on Tuesday, December 20, 2016. With a a series of major swells heading towards the region, all eyes will be on the world’s best big wave surfers as they take on the waves of Praia do Norte (North Beach), a break notorious for its powerful waves and dangerous whitewater speeds.
“We are excited to call the inaugural Nazaré Challenge on,” said Peter Mel, WSL Big Wave Tour Commissioner. “We have been closely tracking the WNW North Atlantic swell and see that everything should align for a Tuesday start. The waves are projected to be 35-45-foot-plus with favorable winds. We are all eager to see how the world’s best big wave surfers push the boundaries with the debut of this event.”
The highly-anticipated Nazaré Challenge is an all-new event on the WSL Big Wave Tour and will be the first paddle-in event to take place at the venue that put Portugal on the map as a big wave haven. The event will be contested by 24 of the best big wave surfers, led by BWT ratings leader Grant “Twiggy” Baker (ZAF), 2015/16 BWT Champion Greg Long (USA), as well as regional event wildcards Alex Botelho (PRT) and Andrew Cotton (GBR).
Surfline, official forecaster for the WSL, are calling for:
Significant storm activity in the North Atlantic in the next few days will deliver a series of XL to possibly XXL swells for Nazaré for most of next week. The first of these swells, which will arrive on Tuesday, is currently expected to produce waves of 30-40’ on the face, with the largest sets potentially hitting 50’ if the storm behaves as forecast in the next couple days. A similar size swell looks possible for Thursday before fading Friday. Local wind will be variable for much of next week, although does look favorable Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning and potentially all of Thursday and Friday.
While the competition is scheduled to start early in the morning Portugal time on Tuesday, December 20, organizers are also keeping the option open of competition days on Wednesday, December 21 and Thursday, December 22, should the local weather conditions call for it.
The Nazare Challenge will be webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com and on the WSL app.
The total prize purse for the Nazare Challenge is $100,000.
Nazaré Challenge Competitors:
Greg Long (USA)
Billy Kemper (HAW)
Nic Lamb (USA)
Carlos Burle (BRA)
Damien Hobgood (USA)
Cristian Merello (CHL)
Ramon Navarro (CHL)
Gabriel Villaran (PER)
Grant Baker (CHL)
Trevor Carlson (HAW)
Koa Rothman (HAW)
Jamie Mitchell (AUS)
Aaron Gold (HAW)
Kai Lenny (HAW)
Pedro Calado (BRA)
Will Skudin (USA)
Kealii Mamala (HAW)
Kohl Christensen (HAW)
Alex Botelho (PRT)
Hugo Vau (PRT)
Joao de Macedo (PRT)
Antonio Silva (PRT)
Andrew Cotton (GBR)
Tom Butler (GBR)
