Episode 2 of the Welcome To Water series follows Dusty Payne on Maui as he tears apart epic Honolua Bay with Kelly Slater, Tai Vandyke, Gavin Beschen, Imai DeVault, Kai Mana Henry and Tom Dosland. Plus Dusty and Mitch Coleborn dismantle a tricky high-performance left.
Enter Tanner Hendrickson, who like his brethren is sublime from two to twenty foot, enjoy this clip from a well rounded winter.
So you want to surf on land?
Of course skating was derived from surfing way back when, but over the years there has been a quest to make a skate that feels more like a surfboard to turn. This year sees a slew of new models from SurfSkate and a new RipSurf. We set some of Britains best groms loose on three different boards to see how they ride. As you can see all the groms had their favourites. All the boards turn very differently than normal skates.
There are two Surf Skates used in the test. SurfSkate was built thinking of the movement of a surfboard. The rear truck acts as pivot point allowing to pull the board into turns, while the sprung 360 V-Truck in the front allows to face the board in any chosen direction.
The Zak Noyle Series is a very versatile board. It has a wide deck makes it good for deep carves, but it is also short in length making it very maneuverable, and good for parks. Also features Zaks world famous photos. 285 Euro
The Premiere has a 40“ deck. The large deck allows a rider’s feet to fit completely within the rails; providing stability and carving control. Could be recommended for downhill, carving, or if you are a taller rider. RRP 290 Euros
The all new Razor RipSurf – is designed in Southern California. The RipSurf’s patented design allows riders to carve and cut like a real surfboard, but on dry land! Riding on two high-performance caster wheels and an authentically styled polypropylene deck, this is one ride-on that’s ready to make waves!
The new RipSurf has a tensioned deck as opposed to a RipSticks Ripster which has a tensioned spring. This makes it flex more like a board. The designer has also put front wheel in a different position to make it feel more like a surfboard through turns. £79.95
Photo Billabong
Taj has announced he is to retire after 18 years on tour. Taj, 37, won his heat last night but said he had been struggling to keep fitness and focus and felt now was the time to leave the tour.
“I was driving down this morning with a good playlist on and a coffee and I felt so happy and relieved to be making this announcement,” he said.
“The sport has given me so much,” Burrow said. “Years of incredible waves, experiences and friendships that I’ll never forget. The WSL officials and competitors have not only pushed me to be a better surfer but have also become family to me.”
“I just didn’t have my heart in it and when I was losing I was getting just as upset as ever. It just wasn’t adding up, so I thought there’s not a better time to give my spot to someone more hungrier.”
“I felt like I had too much going on. With the birth of my baby there’s been a lot of sleepless nights and I don’t have [former trainer] Johnny Gannon in my corner cracking the whip and I just haven’t been able to keep up,” he said.
“Everything’s been going too fast and I’ve been going into events not prepared. It’s no fun going into events half-assed and not giving it my all, it’s been making me upset and stressed.”
Taj’s last event will by the Fiji Pro
Taj’s first year on tour was 1998.
Taj actually qualified for the tour a year earlier but declined preferring to train.
Taj has 12 world tour titles and is a Pipe Master
He has been a Top 10 finisher 15 years, Runner-Up 1999 and 2007.
Taj was one of the worlds most influential surfers sections in Sabotaj, Montaj, Fair Bits, Hit and Run, Stranger Than Fiction, Trilogy, Still Filthy, showcasing his high performance approach in the air, trade mark tweaks and carves and highly accomplished tube riding.
Aritz Aranburu and Kepa Acero go wandering in Indonesia for the new episode of #GoAritz.
If you were to stand on the shoreline of Reunion Island’s ‘Boucan Canot’ beach today, it would be hard to imagine the crowded beach completely empty, however this was a reality only a few short months ago. 18 shark attacks over a five year period dramatically affected the Indian Ocean paradise both emotionally and economically.
“Reunion Island was an amazing place to grow up. It is where I caught my first waves and learnt to surf.” remembers Top 10 World Tour Surfer Jeremy Flores. “It’s paradise. But it’s also where I have lost some of my closest friends. When you look at the stats for shark attacks worldwide, what has happened in Reunion Island in the last 5 years is really heavy.”
These tragedies motivated Jeremy’s family to return to their homeland and embark on a campaign to protect the beaches that have given them so much. By winning a chair in the local council, Jeremy’s father Patrick Flores has been able to initiate a program of shark netting and surveillance that has helped Reunion’s beach lovers get back into the water.
The campaign’s success has been noticed by shark affected communities worldwide including the recently tragedystruck Ballina on Australia’s east coast.
“We just wanted to help the island, we did it for the community. If you look now the beaches are packed, the restaurants are packed and the surf schools are about to reopen…It has affected so much more than the surfers. On a recent trip home, Jeremy hosted the first surf competition in 5 years at the newly protected ‘Roche Noire’ beach. The day finished a huge success seeing generations of Reunion Island locals come together to celebrate change, progress, and most importantly the lives of those that will forever be missed.
“This event was a big success. The ambiance and vibe was better than I expected. Everyone came together, from the youngest surfers to the oldest generation, all sharing waves…Surfing is so much more than a sport. It’s a way of living. A way of being close to nature and living with a passion. The adrenaline that surfing gives us, there is nothing like it. I don’t know what I would do without surfing. It’s the highest high.”
