Bourez owns Fiji day two

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUKBvk8TK0E&feature=youtu.be

ASP ran through Round 2 and half of Round 3 in three-to-five foot surf at Cloudbreak last night. Bourez pretty much owned it!

Tiago Pires (PRT) caused the upset of the day in Round 2 after matching up against C.J. Hobgood (USA). Both surfers looked on form but Pires, despite struggling to find a wave in the early stages, pounced at the 20-minute mark amassing a 7.77 and taking the lead. With seven minutes on the clock the 2001 ASP World Champion was left chasing a score that never came. Pires moves onto Round 3 after eliminating one of the most consistent performers at the Fiji Pro.

“C.J. (Hobgood) is one of the best surfers out there and I knew it was going to be a tough heat,” said Tiago Pires. “I was a bit stressed at the beginning of the heat but after I got that seven I felt more confident. I was really disappointed after my heat yesterday, it was one of my lowest scores in ASP history, but I kept my nerve and I knew I had something to show. I really like surfing backside in these powerful waves.”

Reigning three-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) bounced back from his Round 1 loss yesterday to win through Rounds 2 and 3. Fanning defeated dangerous wildcard Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) and Alejo Muniz (BRA) with sharp turns and carves and difficult tube rides and is now through to Round 4.

“I’d love to win this event,” said Mick Fanning. “Kelly has had a strangle hold on it for a long time. There are so many great surfers out here that are so good, so a lot can happen.”

Nat Young (USA), fresh from a Round 2 victory against compatriot Brett Simpson, took to the water alongside Kai Otton (AUS) for a battle of the goofy-footers. Despite a quiet start Young posted an excellent 8.93 for a solid barrel and took a commanding lead. While Otton displayed his full forehand repertoire, Young was able to add an additional 7.40 at Cloudbreak to secure his place in Round 4.

“I’m feeling good and I had a lot of fun out there,” said Nat Young. “I got a lot of waves and I kept getting barrels so that was fun. I get to surf the non-elimination Round so at the least I get two more heats and I’m looking forward to it. My goal for Fiji is to do better than I did last year, when I got a 9th place.”

Michel Bourez (PYF) gave the performance of the event in Round 3 Heat 3. He matched up against Jeremy Flores (BRA), who previously took out Mitch Crews (AUS) in Round 2, in barreling conditions at Cloudbreak. Bourez put on a clinic, posting a 9.50 and a 9.20 while throwing away an 8.33. Flores suffered a broken board on his first wave and was unable find the score needed to back up a 7.67. Flores leaves the event with an equal 17th place and Bourez moves on to Round 4.

“The conditions turned on during my heat,” said Michel Bourez. “It was very, very positive for me to be out there and get barrelled. I’m not going to quit and I’m not going to give up. I feel like it’s everyone’s chance to win. You just have to stay positive and stick with your game. Getting two 9’s and and an 8 in my heat is amazing, I was going crazy out there.”

Round 2 Heat 4 saw South African Jordy Smith take on Brazilian Filipe Toledo. Smith got off to a quick start, throwing his powerful frame into a flurry of backhand blasts. Toledo, having previously despatched compatriot Jadson Andre, hunted the barrel early on with little success. Despite this he went on to secure set waves of his own, assaulting them with speed, versatility and progression to take the win late in the affair. Toledo secures his place in Round 4, bettering his 25th place finish at last year’s Fiji Pro.

“The heat started slow but got much better,” said Filipe Toledo. “I started to focus on the barrels and doing some big turns. I’m a bit sad about not always getting the results I want but I just need to keep doing well in each heat and making it through to the next Round.”

Australian powerhouses Owen Wright and Bede Durbidge reveled in the ideal afternoon Cloudbreak conditions, with Durbidge establishing an early lead due to a series of ferocious backhand snaps. Wright got off to a slower start, but eventually locked into one of the best waves of the day. The goofy-footer unloaded a big forehand carve that set him up for a deep barrel ride that was rewarded with a near-perfect 9.33. With seconds remaining, Durbidge belted another wave, but his 7.50 fell shy of the score needed to surpass Wright, who moves on to Round 4.

“I’m pretty glad that the barrels won that one,” said Owen Wright. “I actually didn’t know the heat had started so I just let that first wave go. My start wasn’t great but it came together towards the middle of the heat.”

11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) dominated his Round 3 heat against wildcard Mitch Coleborn (AUS). The reigning four-time event winner struck first and Coleborn hit back with a deep tube to earn a 5.33. Slater then backed up his opener with a solid 8.50 courtesy of a long Cloudbreak barrel and left Coleborn in a combination situation. Coleborn battled hard, but couldn’t match Slater and must to settle for a 3rd Round exit as Slater advanced into Round 4.

Fiji Pro Round 2 Results
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 13.00 def. Isei Tokovou (FJI) 4.43
Heat 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.43 def. Wiggolly Dantas (AUS) 11.60
Heat 3: Glenn Hall (AUS) 11.76 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 9.97
Heat 4: Nat Young (USA) 14.67 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 11.17
Heat 5: Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.87 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 7.40
Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.37 def. Dion Atkinson (AUS) 14.20
Heat 7: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.10 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.93
Heat 8: Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.70 def. Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 10.83
Heat 9: Kai Otton (AUS) 14.10 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 11.10
Heat 10: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 12.90 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 12.50
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.10 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 11.96
Heat 12: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.53 def. Mitch Crews (AUS) 9.70

Fiji Pro Round 3 Results
Heat 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.07 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 8.44
Heat 2: Nat Young (USA) 16.33 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 13.20
Heat 3: Michel Bourez (PYF) 18.70 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 10.57
Heat 4: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 13.70 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.43
Heat 5: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.16 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.93
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.33 def. Mitch Coleborn (AUS) 9.43

Upcoming Round 3 Match-ups
Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Glenn Hall (IRL)
Heat 8: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Sebastian Zeitz (HAW)
Heat 9: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 10: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 11: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
Heat 12: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)

The coolest surf shot on the internet today!

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So you’ve seen the coolest surf pic on the Internet today going viral. Over 100,000 people had seen it on the last count with 5,400 likes and 647 shares on the Carve FB page. If you hadn’t seen them, they are above! So what’s the story? Well we asked the poster/photog Morocan surfer Adil Satyr what was happening.

Adil: We have an association of surfing here at Skhirat beach (Association de surf Skhirat Plage ), a small beach town south of Rabat, providing surf lessons and other watersports. We and another association located in Casablanca called Bahri (“my beach”) who are focused on cleaning the Moroccan beaches and spread the awareness of keeping our beaches clean decided to organise a beach cleaning at the local spot and we called out all the associations taking care of the orphaned and disabled children in the area.

It was a big event, children and volunteers cleaned the local beach and the port too, and we organised some beach games for the kids who had a great time playing beach volley, football and dancing on music with the clown, but the best part was when we offered free surfing lessons for those orphaned kids who enjoyed and liked standing up on a surfboard. Even some of them who are mentally disabled had an amazing time and were screaming out of joy and stoke. They had the biggest smile ever which made us more motivated and happy like ever before.”

Good work Moroccan fellas!

The Right!

Now this is batshit crazy. Ryan Hipwood, Mark Mathews, Dingo and more take on the “wave” known as the Right. A video that will make you cross your legs in fear…

Save The Waves Coalition and local stewardship council halt development at Punta de Lobos, Chile 

Aerial view of Chile’s best known wave, Punta de Lobos.  Photo: Nicolás Recordon

As part of the newly approved World Surfing Reserve, Save The Waves Coalition and the local group Comité Defensa Punta de Lobos have obtained a three-month construction freeze, halting a huge development along Chile’s most famous left-hand point. This was an important step in protecting this beautiful, raw coastline from the recent onslaught of proposed residential and commercial development that would disrupt its natural state.

Save The Waves Coalitions’ Environmental and Programs Director, Nick Mucha, who has led the planning efforts with the community said, “We are very excited about the announcement of the congelamiento– a 3 month freeze on all development within the WSR”.  Nick continues, “It took a lot of strategizing and work to pull this off and we are encouraged by this initial success. The next steps are to quickly  put a series of actions into place, during this temporary freeze, to help us secure the legal, long-term protection of Punta de Lobos.”

During this temporary development freeze the Comité Defensa Punta de Lobos and Save The Waves are working with local and regional government, coastal advocates, and landowners on a number of strategies to secure long-term protection. This opportunity will allow the team to collaboratively build a solution during the next three months to guarantee permanent protection of this iconic coastline. This vision will create a green space on the ocean-facing perimeters of Punta de Lobos, thereby guaranteeing sustainable use on the most environmentally sensitive, culturally rich, and scenic spaces along Punta de Lobos.

Accomplished Chilean big-wave surfer and Save The Waves ambassador, Ramón Navarro, an integral part of the Comité Defensa Punta de Lobos describes the initial victory, “I am super excited about what we’ve been able to achieve so far. Our dream is keep Lobos as it is, for the future and for the next generation. We have the opportunity and responsibility to do this now.”

Save The Waves and the World Surfing Reserve (WSR) program have begun laying out a long term vision and conservation plan with the local committee, “Comité Defensa Punta de Lobos” to keep this remarkable coastal treasure undeveloped and open to all. The three main objectives outlined are to 1) Protect the coastline and waves of Punta de Lobos; 2) Maintain free access to the beach and waves; and 3) Protect the cultural heritage of the area and the community.

“Lobos is such as amazing place and these are major steps toward its protection. We could not do it without the strong local team in place” said Nik Strong-Cvetich, Save The Waves Executive Director.

Acknowledging this important work, Save The Waves will honor Ramón Navarro for his years of coastal advocacy and leadership in launching the World Surfing Reserve at Punta de Lobos a part of their annual benefit ‘Life Is A Wave’ on Saturday, May 30^th at 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco. For more information and purchase advance tickets here.

About World Surfing Reserves
World Surfing Reserves (WSR) proactively identifies, designates, and preserves outstanding waves, surf zones and their surrounding environments, around the world.
 
For more information:
www.savethewaves.org
www.worldsurfingreserves.org

Toby Ray- From The Board

An exciting collection of previously unseen work by renowned local surfscape artist Toby Ray is to be unveiled at the artist’s exhibition launch at Strong Adolfo’s on Friday May 30th 2014.

The exhibition, which will be on display at Strong Adolfo’s just outside Wadebridge between May 30th and June 25th 2014, will boast a vibrant array of fine art pieces which explore the artist’s passion for surfing and the beauty of the North Cornwall coast. The artwork to be featured in this hotly anticipated ‘From the Board’ exhibition captures Ray’s personal memories of the winter’s surf sessions taken from the seldom-seen vantage point of the nose of a surfboard; a unique perspective more usually enjoyed by surfers exclusively. Toby says, “I’ve lived by the sea my whole life. It’s been a constant source of inspiration for my artwork as long as I can remember. I’m really excited about showcasing the latest evolution in my painting and finally exhibiting this new body of work which I’ve been working on all winter’.

The evocative collection of paintings featured in Ray’s ‘From the Board’ exhibition promises to delight those with a love for the dramatic North Cornwall coastline, whilst also providing a long-awaited burst of innovation to a genre cluttered with run-of-the-mill imitations. Ray’s dynamic work provides a seldom-seen glimpse of the Cornish coast from a surfer’s eye, and is certain to inspire visitors to the exhibition with its fusion of impressionistic brushstrokes and imaginative artistic style.

Strong Adolfo’s recently opened at Hawksfield on the A39; the cafe prides itself on creating delicious imaginative locally-sourced food which takes inspiration from around the globe. As well as championing local artists by hosting regular exhibitions within the impressive modern space, the cafe hosts various ‘subcultural happenings’ based around vintage film, motorcycle and surf culture. John Friström-Eldridge, one half of the cafe’s husband-and-wife owner/management team, invites visitors to the exhibition to drop by and sample a slice of Strong Adolfo’s famous homemade cakes whilst enjoying Ray’s exhibition from the informal vantage point of a well-worn sofa. He says, ‘This exhibition will be a great collaboration between Toby and the cafe; it is sure to draw in plenty of visitors as the busy summer season revs up! We look forward to extending a warm Strong Adolfo’s welcome to art aficionados and surf lovers alike.’

For a first glimpse at Toby Ray’s latest collection and to meet the artist himself, don’t miss the opening night of the exhibition at Strong Adolfo’s cafe on Friday May 30th at 8pm.