Quiksilver Pro - Bourez Eliminates Durbidge

Tahitian wildcard Michel Bourez may have hindered Kelly Slater’s 2007 ASP World Title hopes by knocking him out of the Quiksilver Pro France last year, but he certainly helped the Floridian’s cause today.

Bourez beat ASP World No. 3 Bede Durbidge (AUS) – one of only two surfers factoring in whether or not Slater can clinch his ninth ASP World Title in France – by posting a near-perfect heat total today. Bourez opened the heat with a 9.80, backed it up with a 9.77 and left Durbidge searching for 19.57 points to swing the scenario his way.

Bourez is currently rated 14th on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) – the top 15 competitors on that series qualify for the ASP World Tour at year’s end. Having eliminated an eight-time ASP World Champion in Slater at this event last year, and then outside hopefuls for the 2008 ASP World Title in Joel Parkinson (AUS) and Durbidge this week, Bourez certainly seems to have the skills to mix it up amongst the world’s best.

Slater is now two steps closer to ASP World Title No. 9 after today’s proceedings. The scenario coming into the event was such that should Slater win the event, with Durbidge bowing out before the Final and ASP World No. 2 Taj Burrow being eliminated before the Semifinals, he would win the 2008 title in France.

Durbidge is out and Slater is into Round 4 after winning a tough heat over wildcard Joan Duru (FRA). Duru had the heat lead until Slater found two 8.00s late in the heat – he admitted that he has been slightly rattled by being so close to clinching ASP World Title No. 9 and that his surfing in France is not what it has been in earlier events this year.

Slater could potentially win the title tomorrow, but he knows that winning the event and watching Burrow lose in Round 4 or the Quarterfinals are both best-case scenarios.

Burrow beat injury replacement wildcard Gabe Kling (USA) in Round 3 today. With the ASP World Title so close to being a done deal, Burrow has his eyes on a different title – winner of the Quiksilver Pro France.

Burrow will have to get by high-flying rookie Dane Reynolds (USA) first. Reynolds beat fellow 2008 Dream Tour rookie Jordy Smith (ZAF) in an exciting aerial affair today. The first 20-minutes of the heat were ultra-exciting, unfortunately, when the waves went flat two-thirds of the way through the heat, Smith still needed a combination of scores to beat Reynolds.

Reynolds has now beat Smith twice in ASP World Tour competition, winning their heat in Tahiti earlier this year.

Rip Curl GromSearch 2008/2009 - Starts up!

Australia’s best young surfers reveled in the clean 3 to 4ft (1.25m) surf at Jan Juc beach today opening the 2008/2009 Rip Curl GromSearch Series presented by SNICKERS with an exhilarating display of progressive surfing.

Newcastle young talents Ryan Callinan (Merewether/15) and Jake Sylvester (Bar Beach/16) were the standouts, adjusting to the cold waters (12 degrees) without a problem and both posted excellent rides to easily win their opening round heats.

Callinan enjoyed the best of the days early clean surf conditions opening with an excellent 8.25 ride and was never challenged to take a comfortable win.

Jake Sylvester was equally impressive posting the day’s highest scoring ride of a 9.1 on his way to an easy round one win. Sylvester is a product of the GromSearch series having won an amazing seven GromSearch events across all divisions of 12, 14 and 16’s!

Local Surfcoast surfers also performed well today lead by Bell’s Beach resident surfer Shyama Buttonshaw who took an easy win. Torquay 14 year old Harrison Mann also won his heat even though he was surfing in the 16 Boys division. Mann will also surf in the Boys 14 division and over the past three months he has demonstrated that he is very capable of winning at this level.

Other locals to progress through included brothers Sam and Jamie Powell (Jan Juc), Perry Slaven (Jan Juc) and Adam Rawson (Jan Juc) who all advanced by placing 2nd in their four man heats.

Jamie Powell was another surfer who will compete in both the 16 and 14 Boys division and after his successful 16 Boys heat today he said “ It’s great to get through that heat but really I’m concentrating on the 14 Boys division – Both divisions will be really hard though because there’s heaps of excellent interstate surfers here and they surf really well.”

The other impressive Victorian surfer today was Phillip Island’s Mitch Baker. Baker is in his final year of the GromSearch series. Baker is a two time previous GromSearch champion very capable of taking another win here.

No surfers were eliminated today with a second chance round two for surfers who placed 3rd and 4th in their round one heats while 1st and 2nd placed surfers go straight to round 3.

All divisions across 12,14 and 16 Boys and girls will run all day everyday through to the finals on Sunday and conditions all week look ideal.

Today’s SNICKERS wave of the day went to Jake Sylvester for his outstanding 9.1 ride

Each day there’ll be a SNICKERS wave of the day awarded to one surfer who performs outstandingly on a single wave and the SNICKERS expression sessions will again feature, encouraging super progressive moves from Australia’s hottest young talents.

Winners of the 16’s division of the Rip Curl GromSearch ratings will receive a guaranteed place in the National Finals at Bells Beach, Victoria during the prestigious World Tour event, the Rip Curl Pro. The Rip Curl GromSearch National Series is held during this event at Easter next year, in front of the thousands of people it attracts – quite a prize for a young surfer who aspires to this.

2008 Movistar Classic Mancora Peru

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, reigning ASP Women’s World Champion and current No. 2 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, is currently battling the rest of the ASP Top 17 at the 2008 Movistar Classic Mancora Peru pres. by Rip Curl, but her home country of Australia is busy honoring her.

Gilmore was most recently listed as a finalist in the prestigious Australian Sports Performer of the Year Awards.

Be sure to cast your vote and see Steph take home the much-deserved accolade.

Cast your vote at www.performerawards.com.au

The Australian Sports Performer of the Year Awards nominate finalists for the most prestigious sports awards in Australia. It’s up to the public to decide the Sports Performer of the Year and the winner of five other exciting categories.

The winner will get $50,000 courtesy of Colonial First State, and you could win $5000 just for voting.

The winners will be announced at a gala night at Crown Casino in Melbourne on November 26, 2008. Apart from the Performer of the Year, there are five other award categories – for team, coach, international, disabled and young performer of the year.

The finalists have been chosen by experts from The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax media online and radio.

Owen Wright claimed his third straight event

The ASP Grade-3 Billabong Pro Junior Coffs Harbour was run and won today in epic conditions, as Owen Wright (Lennox Head, NSW) claimed his third straight event on the 2009 ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series.

As conditions rapidly increased overnight with the arrival of a fresh 3-4m swell, competitors were greeted with solid, rugged, storm-like peaks as they battled at Coffs Harbour Jetty.

However, as the swell, rainsqualls and wind abated, what was left was near-perfect four-to-five foot (1.5 metre) waves­ which were welcomed with open arms by competitors and officials alike.

None moreso than Wright, who dominated the Final defeating, Garrett Parkes(Lennox Head, NSW), Perth Standlick (Bondi, NSW) and Davey Cathels (North Narrabeen, NSW), who finished second, third and fourth respectively.

Wright, who now holds a massive lead on the ASP Australasian Pro Junior ratings after three straight victories, was in super-human form once again, accruing a combined heat total of 17.00 (out of a possible 20).

High scores dominated the day’s competition as the finest junior surfers in Australasia pushed the boundaries of competitive surfing.

Wright locked in a virtually perfect 9.90 (out of a possible 10) in his Semifinal, Standlick followed suit with a 9-point ride, whilst Dean Bowen (Gerroa, NSW) added an 8.00 (out of a possible 10) only to be eliminated.

While the second Semifinal saw event standout Parkes awarded the highest accolade in surfing ­ a perfect 10 after combining a mind-blowing barrel with a radical combination of turns. Only to be followed up by a 8.65 (out of a possible 10) to Cathels a mere two minutes later.

As the third stop on the prestigious 2009 ASP Australasia Pro Junior Series, the ASP Grade-3 rated Boys event saw a whopping $20,000 up for grabs, with Wright taking home $4,000 for his troubles.

Having started the year better than any other junior competitor in history, Wright has had a dream start, something which he was looking for before entering 2009.

Throughout the entire Billabong Pro Junior Coffs Harbour, Billabong, Surfing NSW, competitors and Coffs Harbour residents alike, all rallied together to raise much needed funds for the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

In a show of mateship, compassion and generosity over $1200 was raised, including a $200 donation from champion, Owen Wright, with a minute silence observed before the Final.

ASP WQS Situation Room

The first major ASP WQS of the year worth 2,000 points, the ASP WQS 5-Star Hang Loose Pro, in its 10th year at Fernando de Noronha, in the Northeast of Brazil has been finalized in great surf with Brazil’s Bruno Santos taking home the points and $16,000 cash.

Bruno was able to hold off fellow Brazilian Raoni Monteiro in the man-on-man Final and move to the top of the ratings, with Semifinalists being Marcelo Trekinho and Marco Polo.

This year’s event attracted a field of 96, nearly all Brazilians, except 14 foreigners, with everyone winning prize money and gaining valuable early ASP WQS ratings points plus being treated to perfect surf.

The ASP WQS 6-Star O’Neill Cold Water Classic in Tasmania and the ASP WQS 6-Star PRIME Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River are only one month away and expected to be full so anyone thinking of entering should do so now. The ASP WQS 2-Star MR Pro at Newcastle has plenty of room for those surfers coming to Tassie and Margs so you should take advantage of this smaller-rated, but well worthwhile event, which is on the way to Tassie.

Roxy Pro Gold Coast update

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The 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour season is just days from commencing with the Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by LG Mobile scheduled from February 28 through March 11, 2009.

Event No. 1 of 8 on the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour season, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast will see the return of such high-profile athletes as reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21, defending Roxy Pro Champion Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 25, among others, but the new faces this season have been generating a bit of buzz themselves.

Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 18, 2008 ASP WQS No. 1 finisher, made history last season, wrapping up her Dream Tour qualification well before the halfway mark. Now a full-fledged ASP Women’s World Tour campaigner, Fitzgibbons enters into the Roxy Pro Gold Coast as the No. 1 rookie.

Despite unprecedented success at the ASP WQS level, Fitzgibbons remains guarded about her transitional efforts to the elite level of competition, but the prodigious natural-footer is sure to make an impression in the coming weeks.

Firzgibbons will face Silvana Lima (BRA), 24, and Megan Abubo (HAW), 31, in Round 1 of competition when the Roxy Pro Gold Coast commences.

Chelsea Hedges (AUS), 25, former ASP Women’s World Champion, has returned this season as the ASP wildcard, following a one-year sabbatical where she had daughter Meika. Hedges was awarded the ASP Wildcard for 2009 and will begin her comeback on the ASP Women’s World Tour at home on the Gold Coast for the Roxy Pro.

Since stepping away from the ASP Women’s World Tour in 2007, Hedges has been absent for some major transitions on the Dream Tour: the acquisition of a second consecutive ASP Women’s World Title by Stephanie Gilmore, the semi-retirement of former seven-time ASP Women’s World Champion Layne Beachley (AUS), 36, etc.

Hedges will face defending Roxy Pro Gold Coast Champion Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 25, and 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour rookie Coco Ho (HAW), 18, in Round 1 when competition commences.

The Roxy Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Mobile boasts a mobile venue, and while the primary site will be the world-famous Snapper Rocks, the event will be able to utilize the nearby breaks of Duranbah, Greenmount, Kirra, Burleigh Heads and as far north as Stradbroke Island should conditions call for it.

ASP Top 45 Ready for 2009 Kickoff at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast

The world’s best surfers are gearing up for the opening event of the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by LG Mobile, at Snapper Rocks from February 28 through March 11, 2009.

Event No. 1 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast will see the return of reigning and nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 36, in his bid for an unprecedented tenth crown, but a swath of the world’s top talents will be standing in his way.

Taj Burrow (AUS), 30, current ASP World No. 3, is one of the few on a short list of favored athletes who could potentially usurp Slater, and Burrow’s reputation in righthand pointbreaks such as Snapper Rocks is unrivaled by most.

“The first couple of weeks I was having a hell time and enjoying the summer, but beginning in January, I’ve been training full on,” Burrow said. “I’ve been working with Johnny Gannon, and he’ll be traveling the season with me. We’ve been training harder than ever before and I’ve been working on my flexibility and fitness and I feel like I’m surfing better than ever before.”

With his progressive bag of tricks and his penchant for lightning-fast surfing, Burrow enters into Snapper Rocks as one of the favorites, and will look to kick off his 2009 ASP World Title campaign at the opening event.

“I think my surfing certainly suits warm water righthand pointbreaks and I’m always excited for the opening event of the season,” Burrow said. “To get to surf Snapper Rocks with only one or two guys out is really special and I hope we get waves. I don’t plan on changing too much in terms of my game plan this season. I felt like I was surfing really well last year and made few mistakes. Kelly (Slater) was just in really scary form last season so we’ll see what happens.”

Burrow will open up his 2009 season against Mikael Picon (FRA), 29, and one of the event wildcards in Round 1 of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 27, current ASP World No. 4 and former Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast winner (2002), is excited to start off the 2009 season at home on the Gold Coast.

“I can’t wait,” Parkinson said. “I’m excited for another good year and hopefully we get really good waves. It’s such a bonus to start the season here at home where I’m familiar with everything and know the banks really well. I’m really excited.”

Parkinson has long been heralded as one of the leading contenders for the ASP World Title, but a career-high Runner-Up finish in 2002 and 2004 is as close as he has gotten.

“I’ve just been surfing a lot and training a lot,” Parkinson said. “Just trying to get everything sorted before the season starts. In regards to Kelly (Slater), I haven’t really figured that one out yet. You just have to be bigger, stronger, faster and more determined. I’m hungry this season though.”

Parkinson will battle Dane Reynolds (AUS), 23, and Aritz Aranburu (EUK), 23, in Round 1 of competition when the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast commences.

Jeremy Flores (FRA), 20, current ASP World No. 10, will enter into his third season on the ASP Dream Tour in 2009, and after two Top 10 finishes, the prodigious natural-footer is emerging as one of the dominant surfers of the new class.

“I don’t have any specific goals for this season,” Flores said. “I am very happy with the way my past two years have gone, finishing in the Top 10, and I’m only 20, so I’m just taking it in, gaining experience and training hard. Maybe in a couple of years I will go for the ASP World Title, but until then, I am just living the Dream.”

Flores will face Roy Powers (HAW), 28, and Tim Boal (FRA), 25, in the opening heat of competition when Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast competition commences.

The 2009 ASP Top 45 will kick off this season’s Dream Tour at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, which boasts a waiting period from February 28 – March 11, 2009.

The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast is a mobile event, with Snapper Rocks serving as the primary venue, but utilizing nearby Duranbah Beach, Greenmount, Kirra, Burleigh Heads and as far north as Stradbroke Island should conditions call for it.

Cronulla Beach Sydney NSW - Tourist Information

Surfing, body boarding & sandy beaches at Sydney's Cronulla Beach will fill your day with watersport fun. And don't forget the nightlife - with pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes and movies the entertainment and attractions don't end at sunset!
Catch great waves at Sydney Australia's Cronulla Beach. Top surfing conditions to suit professional surfers and beginners alike with annual surfing events and surf competitions held regularly.

Sunset Surfer

Custom Surfing Prints for Sale

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Or maybe you took a surf trip recently and did not quite get the shot you were looking for. So get the next best thing, a custom print of your favorite wave, or the surf spot you dream about.Surf images can be printed on photographic paper or canvas.

SURF SPOT IN EAST SUMBA

The office
point break-like lefthander is the most consistent wave here. Works on all tides except max high and breaks eventually onto sand. Miles of beach break from here.

Racetrack
A wedgy left that accelerates and builds in size down the line , truly lives up to its name.

Five-O
Good lefthand barrel breaking along bend of reef into the main channel. It needs a six-foot swell to start breaking and is surfed at higher or dead low tide.

Manggudu Island waves
The island sits on the edge of very deep water and the waves can get very big. The western tip has a left and eastern a righthander. The left is a swell magnet with the dry season trade winds blowing offshore. Consistent overhead surf, bring a gun.

the left
The reef is large and the wave is best described as "sunset-like". After peaking, it will bowl through hollow sections or just wall off right from the take-off, depending on swell direction. Can handle very big swell.

The Right
long wave that wraps all the way around the eastern tip of the island. Mellower wave than the left, but longer and hollower. Wet season wave, but you might get lucky on some mornings during the dry season before the winds come up.

ACCESS AND TIDES

ACCESS
The wave breaks 80 yards off the beach and ends in a deep channel. The setup is ideal and paddling out through the channel is easy without having to punch through the waves at all. If you do not make the wave the sweep of the water over the reef will push you back into the channel very quickly.

TIDES
Tides in Indonesia change only about three feet during neap tides and up to 8 feet during the full and new moon periods. The wave at Nihiwatu has different personalities depending on the tide. At extreme high tide the wave is fuller and much easier to ride, perfect for surfers who are not accustomed to fast tubing waves. On extreme low tide, during the full and new moon periods, the wave breaks onto dry reef and is un-rideable except for the 50-yard end section. These extreme tide periods occur four days before and three days after the new and full moons. It is during these periods that surf can almost be guaranteed at Nihiwatu.

THE WAVE AND THE REEF

The wave breaks from deep water onto a shallow reef directly in front of the resort, tubing from start to finish. It is thick and steep on the takeoff and sucking a lot of water up the face. Nihiwatu is one of the fastest rideable waves anywhere, taking only six to ten seconds to travel the 250+ yard length of the wave.

This is not a hot dogging wave, it is full on down-the-line surfing. One slight mistake and you probably won't make it to the channel. Nihiwatu breaks best at 4' and above and the bigger the swell the better the wave becomes. 8' to 10' swells are common here and there are usually several 12'+ swells each year.

The coral reef is relatively surfer-friendly. The coral is pounded flat by the waves and hitting the bottom does not necessarily mean getting cut. In fact over the past twelve years there have been very few surfers with reef cuts and no serious injuries.

NIHIWATU AND SURFING

NIHIWATU AND SURFING
Nihiwatu is a destination for surfers to bring their partners or families and do whatever they want in style and serious comfort. Nihiwatu is situated on one of the premier lefts in Indonesia, and the resort restricts the number of surfers booked into the resort to only 9 at any one time.

There is no doubt that Nihiwatu is one of the top waves in Indonesia and the world. The professional surfers who have visited Nihiwatu over the years have attested to this. There have been several surf movies made here with the arraignment of the owners and with the agreement that the filmmakers and photographers would not name the location.

Nevertheless the word has leaked out and now there is a cult following of surfers who know about Nihiwatu. In some circles Nihiwatu has already achieved legendary status.

Just 100 yards off of Nihiwatu beach is one of the world’s most perfect waves. Guests of ours have the added benefit of riding, or just watching, the incredible surf breaking on the reef directly in front of the resort.

Nihiwatu faces southwest into the Indian Ocean and is ideally suited for picking up swell arriving from thousands of miles away; the surf here is very consistent. If the surf is flat here you can be sure it is flat just about everywhere else in the archipelago.

Many professional surfers have visited Nihiwatu over the years and several surf movies have been filmed here featuring the 1999 world surfing champion Mark Occhilupo. If you are seeking large double overhead surf the best times are during the months of May through October on the full and new moons. In between those times we often have perfect waves in the three to six foot range.

SUMBA ISLAND SURFING

Being on Sumba you can experience one of the world's more challenging surfing waves close to the hotel. Kerewe, Marosi and Dasang are beaches facing south intothe Indian Ocean and therefore the surf is very consistent.You will be a forerunner for those spots that still few people have discovered.

Located in the Lesser Sunda Island chain in Southeast Indonesia, just a hair east of Bali, Sumba is a beautiful island with a rich cultural tradition, and is home to world class waves. Not highly accessible, it's not on everyone's hit list. As with other surf destinations in Indonesia, it is blessed with great surf much of the year, particularly April through October.

Surfing maneuvers

Surfing begins with the surfer eyeing a rideable wave on the horizon and then matching its speed (by paddling or by tow-in). A common problem for beginners is not even being able to catch the wave in the first place, and one sign of a good surfer is being able to catch a difficult wave that other surfers can not.

Once the wave has started to carry the surfer forward, the surfer will then jump to his or her feet in what is termed a "pop-up" and proceeds to ride down the face of the wave, generally staying just ahead of the breaking part (white water) of the wave (in a place often referred to as "the pocket" or "the curl"). This is a difficult process in total, where often everything happens nearly simultaneously, making it hard for the uninitiated to follow the steps.

Surfers' skills are tested not only in their ability to control their board in challenging conditions and/or catch and ride challenging waves, but also by their ability to execute various maneuvers such as turning and carving. Some of the common turns have become recognizable tricks such as the "cutback" (turning back toward the breaking part of the wave), the "floater" (riding on the top of the breaking curl of the wave), and "off the lip" (banking off the top of the wave). A newer addition to surfing has been the progression of the "air" where a surfer is able to propel oneself off the wave and re-enter.

"Tube riding" is when a surfer maneuvers into a position where the wave curls over the top of him or her, forming a "tube" (or "barrel"), with the rider inside the hollow cylindrical portion of the wave. This difficult and sometimes dangerous procedure is arguably the most coveted and sought after goal in surfing.

"Hanging Ten" and "Hanging Five" are moves specific to longboarding. Hanging Ten, refers to having both feet on the front end of the board with all ten of the surfer's toes off the edge. Hanging Five is having just one foot and five toes off.

Common Terms:

• Regular - Right foot on back of board

• Goofy - Left foot on back of board

• Take off - the start of a ride

• Drop in - dropping into (engaging) the wave, most often as part of standing up

• Dropped in on - taking off on a wave in front of someone else (considered inappropriate)

• Snaking - paddeling around someone to get into the best position for a wave (in essence, stealing it)

• Bottom turn - the first turn at the bottom of the wave

• Shoulder - the unbroken part of the wave

• Cutback - a turn cutting back toward the breaking part of the wave

• Fade - dropping back into the wave

• Chili Cheese Dog - a Costa Rican term; wiping out in a really messy way

• Over the falls - going over the top of the wave

• Pump - an up/down carving movement that generates speed along a wave

• Stall - slowing down from weight on the tail of the board or a hand in the water

• Floater - riding up on the top of the breaking part of the wave

• Hang-five/hang-ten - putting one or two feet respectively over the the nose of a longboard

• Re-entry - hitting the lip vertically and re-rentering the wave in quick succession.

• Switch-foot - riding opposite stance from what feels natural

• Tube riding - riding inside the curl of a wave

• Carve - turns (often accentuated)

• Off the Top - a turn on the top of a wave, either sharp or carving

• Snap - a quick, sharp turn off the top of a wave

• Fins-free snap - a sharp turn where the fins slide off the top of the wave

• Air/Aerial - airing off the top of the wave

History

Nobody knows when, or precisely where, surfing originated. Captain Cook, a British sea captain and explorer, was the first European to witness surfing in Hawaii in the late 1770s.

When the missionaries from Scotland and Germany arrived in 1821, they forbade or discouraged Hawaiian traditions and cultural practices, which included leisure sports like surfing and holua sledding. By the 20th century, surfing, along with other traditional practices, had all but disappeared. Only a small number Hawaiians continued to practice the sport and the art of crafting boards.

At the start of the 20th century, Hawaiians living close to Waikiki began a revival of surfing, possibly in protest to the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and soon re-established surfing as a sport. In 1908, the sport of surfing reached California, and it then began to spread to other parts of the United States and other countries. Duke Kahanamoku, "Ambassador of Aloha", Olympic medalist, and avid waterman, helped expose surfing to the world, and author Jack London wrote about the sport after having attempted surfing on his visit to the islands.

Surfing progressed tremendously in the 20th century and primarily in three locations: Hawaii, Australia, and California.

Up until the 1960s, it had only a small following of dedicated participants. The film Gidget helped popularize the sport. B-movies based on surfing and Southern California beach culture (Beach Party films) formed most American's idea of surfing and surfers.

Regardless of the hype or distorted views in mainstream (American) society, surfing continued to evolve as a sport, and as a way of life to many. The evolution of board design, techniques and the presence of competitive surfing have kept surf culture vibrant and intact. Renowned surfer George Nguyen wrote about American surf culture in the 1990s, "It's come of age. It's finally arrived."

SURFING

Surfing is a surface water sport that involves the participant being carried by a breaking wave.

There are multiple kinds of surfing, based on the different methods or vehicles used to ride a wave. The basic categories include regular stand-up surfing, kneeboarding, bodyboarding, surf-skiing and bodysurfing. Further sub-divisions reflect differences in surfboard design, such as long-boards versus short-boards. Tow-in surfing involves the use of motorised craft to tow the surfer onto the wave; it is associated with surfing huge waves that are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to catch by paddling alone.

Surfing's unique relationship with nature afforded it a mythic quality, which set the stage for its commercial simulation. However, there remains a vital core to the culture, which is both local and global in scope. These "hard core" members of surf culture are united in their dedication to the sport's essential practice of riding waves. A disciplined surfer will check local surf conditions at dawn when the wind is calm, having already assessed the day's prospects based upon weather reports, swell predictions, and tide tables.

When surfing conditions are ideal, social commitments can be relegated to secondary priority. In this way, surfers can be said to defy the temporal order imposed by capitalist culture. Their subculture is founded on the aesthetic appeal of naturally occurring patterns and processes. The obvious contradiction between the surfing experience and its depiction as serving commercial interests highlights the contemporary western history of separation from the natural world, its utilitarian valuation and exploitation. Through direct involvement with nature, surfers appreciate the intrinsic value of the biosphere in a way that is gaining exposure through the recognition of ecosophies, such as deep ecology and ecophenomenology.