hiya wa howa aswat

Remember when Nike had a surf team? Well they had a filmer too. His name was Kevin Voegtlin and he’s a class act. Voegs traveled far and wide with the team, collecting A+ clips of A+ surfers — oh, to be elite. He recently dug up footage from the archive and made an edit out of it. It’s fourteen minutes long, amazing, and too modern to be nostalgic. We chatted with Voegs about life with Nike’s piggy bank, times with Nike talent and his decision to resurrect.

SURFING MAGAZINE: This group consisted of the most talented young surfers in the world at that time. Did working with them have a different feet to it?
Kevin Voegtlin: It’s funny, it didn’t really feel any different. Apart from the “big brother” Nike up in Oregon, the core group that were on these trips was very small and very tight knit. It sound cheesy as hell, but the program really had a team feel to it — we traveled with the same surfers all over the world and all hung out together. You definitely knew that you were working with the top young guys, but I don’t think it changed how things were done. At least not on my level.

Nike came out hot. Like, really hot. Were you able to savor the sweet taste of luxury when traveling with them?
Yeah, it was a pretty ridiculous introduction to that world for me. Those 4-5 years when Nike was really up and going, I did 7 boat trips on the Pelagic, 3 month-long stints in Gold Coast highrises, Mainland Mex surf camps, the whole deal, all paid for. It was pretty surreal. I was working for Jason Kenworthy — who set me up with the job — and he never passed on a chance to remind me how nice I had it to start.

It was an incredible experience, and something I owe a lot to. But doing things that way, the luxury, the full catering, takes away from the point of traveling a bit. You’re not seeing things, not really experiencing things. It was great for work, but I just spent two weeks camping in Angola and I would take that over most of the Nike trips I ever did. It’s just a different way of looking at things.

What’s the funniest thing that happened when filming with the Nike team?
There were some classic moments making Leave A Message. We spent two years on that project, traveling with girls between 15 and 20. It was hilarious, but mind-numbing at times. Try living on a 40-something foot boat for two weeks with Beyonce blaring non-stop — there’s no escaping that shit. Chris Moore (Carissa’s Dad) came on one of the first boat trips with us and set up a bunch of challenges for the girls to do in-between surfs. One was sumo wrestling. Monyca Byrne-Wickey absolutely kicked the other girls asses. I’m talking hip tosses and body slams, it was amazing.

And then there were great nights just hanging out with the guys and putting some beers back. I can say with certainty that there were times that I thought I wasn’t going to make it when hauling my gear over the reef, torn from the night before.

Do you remember any specific moments of someone pulling something that made everyone else go what the fuck?
Jules on the last Nike boat trip (final section of the film). His technical surfing on that trip was absolutely incredible. He was throwing down combos at Maccas like I’ve never seen. Tube to cutty to air to tail blow — I was sitting there filming, losing my mind.

The John John footage was pretty unreal too. That was from a side gig I did with the G-boys. We headed to WA after I was on the Goldy and rocked up to pumping North Point day one. Pat and Tanner got a few gems, but John went out there and put on an absolute clinic. Just sitting inside of everyone under the ledge, on a much shorter board, and toying with it. It looks heavy enough in the footage, but it doesn’t even do the wave justice. That whole section was two sessions of clips, so you can only imagine the full extent of what he was doing out there.

What inspired you to dig the footage back up and make this edit?
Michel’s one turn in the second song. I was going through footage, watched that thing, and realized that it needed to be seen. So raw and fast. Unconstrained power, but controlled — one of the best turns I have ever seen. That got the wheels spinning and as I started digging more, I realized that I had so much A+ footage that just got cast aside. It kind of bummed me out. I dedicated a lot of time to filming these guys and it was going to waste. When the whole program shut down it was kinda like fuck, my whole catalog is worthless now. I made a few edits and showed friends and they were frothing on it, so I started piecing Resurrected together. There was so much more footage too — it was killing me to cut it down. There are two full boat trips that more or less went unused, mostly because I was learning how to film while on these trips and the footage was pretty shit (sorry Nike).

The piece as a whole is a bit scattered, but I feel like that is how the Nike days were. Like, hey we have some of the best surfers and some real money to throw at ‘em, let’s send them on trips and see what happens. I guess what happens is the guy you hired to film finally releases it years later.

Surfing in China is all about discovering waves in the 14,500 kilometres of coastline. People's Republic of China might be the most populous state in the world, but surfing is still not the main sports attraction for the 1.3 billion citizens of the country.

China shares maritime boundaries with South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, countries were surfers are more common in the regional surf spots.

Surfing in China wasjust a mirage in the beginning of the 21st century, but fortunately everything's changing. The foreign surfing community has been discovering the ocean treasure of China and the country is falling in love with the sport of riding waves.

The Hainan Island is undoubtedly the capital of surfing in China. Located in the South China Sea, Hainan Island gets multiple swells from northeastern and southern currents. Its beautiful sand beaches and warm climate have helped to develop a stable touristic offer for surfers and their families.

The heart of the Chinese surfing communities has two different prime surfing regions. In the east coast of Hainan Island, look for several surf opportunities between Ganzhe Dao and Xincun Gang. In this strip, there are great surf spots for the winter season: Shimei Bay,
the famous Riyue Bay, Ho-Hai Beach and "Matos".

During the summer season, China's best waves are located in the south of Hainan Island. The surf spots of Sanya Bay, Dadonghai Bay, Yalong Bay and "One Man Left" could easily be surfed near Sanya.


The tropical climate makes of Hainan Island "the Chinese Hawaii" statute of a surfer's paradise in the Asian region. Western surfers and surf industry entrepreneurs have already moved to the south of the island to establish the first surf-related businesses in the history of modern China.

The ultimate dream of a surfer is to surf an endless wave. The dream may become reality if you're in Brazil, at the right time. Pororoca is considered one of the longest surfable waves in the world. This tidal bore is located in the huge Amazon and can only be surfed twice in a year.

Pororoca delivers up to 12-foot river waves, during the dry season, in February and March. But, watch out. Pororoca is a dangerous wave and is only suitable for experienced surfers.

The water is full of trees, debris, crocodiles, piranhas and snakes. Also, the wave is so fast you won't be able to catch it up again. The amazing Pororoca should be surfed with a boat or jet ski support.

The powerful Pororoca allows long lasting surf lines, cutbacks, aerial moves and even barrels. The water is brown and a wetsuit is compulsory for your safety and protection.

It is possible to "hear" the Pororoca coming 30 minutes before paddling for the most incredible surfing experience of tour life. The river current flows in the contrary direction to that of the sea, so it's harder to catch it.


Picuruta Salazar, the iconic Brazilian surfer, holds the record of 12.5 kilometers and 37 minutes surfing a single Pororoca wave. "Pororoca: Surfing the Amazon" is a great surf movie about the power of this impressive tidal bore.

Dane Reynolds enjoying being a freesurfer at home in California; photo by Jimmicane/Surfing magazine

The 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Tour is ready for launch this weekend at The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, and to celebrate GrindTV is launching our newest surf series, Inside Pro Surfing, where we will take on the most interesting headlines in the sport. We’re launching with some questions surrounding a possible return to full-time competitive surfing by Dane Reynolds, one of the greatest surfers in the world.

Reynolds joined the tour for only a few seasons before quietly “retiring” to concentrate on filming for self-produced surf films and segments on his website, MarineLayerProductions.com. After a year or so off the full-time World Tour schedule, and with only a handful of appearances as a wildcard surfer in scattered events, Dane stirred up speculation by entering two World Qualifying Series events in Australia in early February. No formal announcement of a return to the ranks of the WQS has been made, but surf pundits are buzzing at the thought of seeing Dane Reynolds return to the World Tour.

In this week’s episode of Inside Pro Surfing, Chris Mauro and Chris Cote discuss the likelihood of Dane’s improbable return. Should he come back? Could he? Would he? Watch to find out.

The world's best surfers gathered in the Gold Coast for the 2014 ASP World Surfing Awards.

The night opens a new season. The 2014 ASP World Surfing Awards celebrated the outstanding achievements of the 2013 Dream Tour, in an event where boardshorts are not allowed.

Accolades and awards are handed out to those that have contributed to the sport, including the "Heat of the Year", "Breakthrough Performers" and of course the ASP World Champions.
"You thought you saw a good show last year, but I can't wait to see what the girls do in 2014," said Carissa Moore. "I'm more excited than ever to start this new year," added Mick Fanning.

Winners of the 2014 ASP World Surfing Awards:

Peter Whitaker Award: Sofia Mulanovich
Breakthrough Performers: Dimity Stoyle & Kai Otton
Heat of the Year: Kelly Slater, John John Florence, Josh Kerr & Alana Blanchard, Coco Ho
Move of the Year: John John Florence & Tyler Wright
Wave of the Year: Kelly Slater & Stephanie Gilmore
ASP World Junior Champions: Gabriel Medina & Ella Williams
ASP World Longboard Champions: Piccolo Clemente & Kelia Moniz
ASP Women's World Title Runner-Up: Tyler Wright
ASP Men's World Title Runner-Up: Kelly Slater
ASP Women's World Champion: Carissa Moore
ASP Men's World Champion: Mick Fanning

The 2014 ASP World Championship Tour kicks off with the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, starting on March 1st.

The Surfers' Circle Walk of Fame will be constructed on the traffic circle at Surfers' Corner, in Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa.

The new historic national landmark will celebrate the heritage and culture of South African surfing, where the first surfers rode waves back in 1919.

The birthplace of surfing in South Africa, which has been acknowledged as one of the world's top 20 surf towns by National Geographic, will feature a life-size bronze statue of Heather Price.

Price befriended two American Marines and learned to surf on their solid wood Hawaiian surfboards nearly 100 years ago.

A Walk of Fame, consisting of paved pathways set amongst landscaped gardens and studded with plaques honouring the past, will also be added to the Surfers' Corner, with all the present and future legends of South African surfing.


The Surfers' Circle Walk of Fame is a project of the Muizenberg Improvement District (MID), a not-for-profit organization that has been inspired by the pivotal role surfing has played in encouraging economic growth, fostering cultural diversity and gaining international recognition for Muizenberg.

Futures Fins has announced the launch of a new leash plug system.

Leash plugs. Is there anything that can be changed in a simple leash plug? Apparently yes, although it has been around for more than 40 years.

The "Futures Leash Plug" is a pre-laminate leash plug with a flange, which vastly improves the strength of the plug. You can also get them in multiple colors.

The company promises to deliver incredibly strong bridges between the surfboard and surf leashes. The innovative product is especially aimed at surfboard shapers.


The "Futures Leash Plug" system comes with installation instructions that include all tools needed to get things done properly.

Natalie Kotsch, the founder of the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum (ISM), has passed away after a long battle against cancer.

She embraced the spirit of surfing, but she never rode a wave. Natalie Kotsch, 76, founded the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum in 1987.

In 1976, Kotsch moved with her family from Simcoe, Canada to Huntington Beach. In California, she got in love with surfing and the surf culture.

"She was one of the most stoked non-surfers I've ever known. My surf museum career was launched with Nat and the ISM. So sad the surf world has lost such a big supporter," says Barry Haun, curator at Surfing Heritage Foundation.

In the mid-1980s, Natalie Kotsch realized Huntington Beach was not getting enough publicity in the most important travel guides.

By 1987, the International Surfing Museum was opening its doors to the general public, with trophies, memorabilia, and historic surfboards.

"She just worked tirelessly on this museum for over 20 years. When she was diagnosed with cancer, her involvement was a little less, but she was still very much a part of the museum and major decisions," explains museum director Cindy Cross.

A paddle out will take place on March 8th, at 10am, near the Huntington Beach Pier, followed by a ceremony and celebration of her incredible life at the Waterfront Hilton Beach Resort, Driftwood Pavilion area.

Discover the best surfing museums in the world.

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is pleased to announce GoPro, maker of the world’s most versatile camera and enabler of some of todays most engaging content, as the exclusive camera sponsor for the Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) and the ASP Big Wave World Tour (BWWT).

As part of the partnership, ASP will be integrating GoPro content into event coverage. The footage will provide fans across the world with new and unique viewpoints of the elite athletes as they compete.

“We’re thrilled to welcome GoPro into the ASP family and work with them to showcase the extraordinary abilities of our world-class athletes,” said ASP CEO, Paul Speaker. “ASP’s partnership with GoPro will add an exciting new dimension to our event coverage and help us tell the stories of the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves from a unique new point of view.”

ASP’s top-of-class programming will now include an exclusive wave preview captured by an ASP athlete, called the GoPro Breakdown, which will give fans an insight into the world-class waves at each stop. Select events will also feature GoPro cameras mounted on athletes’ boards during competition, adding a dramatic and dynamic point of view to the coverage and allowing audiences to witness first hand the incredible skills of professional surfers. In addition, five ASP Tour stops will host video contests where athletes will be rewarded for unique content captured during competition and/or free surfs. A panel of judges will award the winning clips a cash prize. GoPro footage captured from ASP’s elite surfers will be available to fans around the globe, taking viewers down the lines and deep into barrels of these world-renowned waves.

“The core of our brand is rooted in surf, and for many of us here at GoPro, this is a dream realized to be a part of the ASP Tour,” said GoPro Founder and CEO, Nicholas Woodman. “We are stoked to be part of this next evolution in professional surfing and hope that GoPro can help attract new fans to the sport and give lifelong fans new ways to enjoy the coverage of the tour.”
11-time ASP World Champion and GoPro-sponsored surfer Kelly Slater commented on the partnership, saying, “This camera started from surfing and it's only fitting that it's tied in deeper with the surfing World Tour. Having firsthand shots of guys in competition will draw everyone much closer to the action, create a totally different experience for everyone watching, and get the surfers psyched to share that with the world. I can’t wait to see what the first year of GoPro sponsorship brings to the people wanting to get up close and personal with the surfers in heats and around the event.”

In addition to sponsorship news, GoPro also announced the addition of Brazilian surf phenom, Gabriel Medina, along with Basque ASP competitor, Aritz Aranburu, to the GoPro Surf Team. Fellow GoPro riders Alana Blanchard and Lakey Peterson are set to compete on the Women’s World Championship Tour this 2014 season.


The first stop on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour is the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast from March 1 – 12.

1) Mitch Crews wins rookie of the year. He’s lively, this Mitchell. Watch for him to surf with pizazz and bring the ruckus to the ratings. On top of that, he’ll be giving us the most feverishly honest post-heat interviews since Jordy Smith circa 2010 — because why filter your thoughts? Photo: Jimmicane

2) Jadson Andre lands an air reverse. Jadson’s back and we’re guessing that he’s better than ever. Look for him to swing that patented tail-high hoist this year, maybe even with a slob grab this time. And you can expect more airs from everyone else this year too. Think about this: Even Kieren Perrow was doing airs in 2013. One can only imagine what ’14 will bring, and the only way to go is up. Photo: Sebastian Rojas


3) Kelly Slater wins the 2014 world title. And if not, maybe he quits. Or maybe he quits either way. Or he never quits at all and stays on tour till he’s 84. Regardless, we’ve got a hunch that this is Kelly’s year. Sorry he’s not sorry, everybody under 40. Photo: Steve Sherman

 4) Nat Young for goofyfooter of the year. Kai Otton was the king of the goofs in 2013 and Owen Wright is back in commission and contention this year, but Nat’s gonna reign supreme. Since it’s his sophomore year, Nat is bound to lose the wow points that come along with being a new face to the judges, but he’s going into 2014 with a lot more confidence. Regularfooters be warned. Photo: Corey Wilson

The Museum of British Surfing will open a new exhibition telling the history of surfers from all corners of the British Isles. "The First Wave" runs from March 22nd, 2014 to January 4th, 2015.

Peter Robinson and the team behind the Museum of British Surfing have interviewed more than 100 British surfers. The exhibition includes rare film clips from pre-World War surfers like Pip Staffieri (1930s) and Harry Rochlin (1920s).

"Share the stoke and salty tales from a life in the sea from the UK's surfing pioneers. This display brings our surfing heritage to life," says Peter Robinson, founder of the Museum of British Surfing.

You will be able to browse through the interviews on special touch screen units. Also, it will be showcased a new short British surfing history film produced by the makers of "The Endless Winter".


A high-quality selection of UK-made vintage surfboards and memorabilia will be available for you to get up close and personal with.

Nic Vaughan, a diploma-yielding charger doing work in Puerto Escondido. Photo: Neves

Six months ago, recent college graduate Nic Vaughan was offered the kind of opportunity that many grads would kill for: a high-paying position as an Investment Analyst at Morgan Stanley, one of the biggest financial services corporations in the world. At just 21 years old, Vaughan would be part of a team of analysts responsible for managing half a billion dollars of investment capital. For a Finance Major about to enter a stagnant job market, this was a best-case scenario.

“I had been interested in stocks since I was 13 years old,” says Vaughan. “Working with numbers has always come easily to me, and investment is a numbers game. If I was going to have to do something in the corporate arena, which is what I went to school to do, then this was going to be my path.”

Vaughan signed the offer from Morgan Stanley, but with his first day of work over a month away, he decided to take one last surf trip before settling in at his desk for the long haul. Without looking at the charts, he booked a ticket to Puerto Escondido. And luckily, he packed his big-wave boards.

“I hadn’t surfed in months, and when we got off the plane we realized it was absolutely huge,” says Vaughan. “There were legitimate 30-foot faces just breaking top to bottom. I managed to paddle out and catch a few waves, and then I saw Greg Long get an unbelievable backside tube. Just being out there in those conditions, feeling that adrenaline pumping, I knew that riding big waves was what I wanted to do more than anything in the world. I had never felt so alive in my entire life.”

In an instant, thoughts of becoming an investment analyst were lost, forgotten somewhere deep inside a dark Puerto Escondido pit. Vaughan returned home and broke the news to his family. The next day he called the Morgan Stanley office to decline their offer.

“I had a lot of fear and uncertainty making that call,” says Vaughan. “I really felt this societal pressure of knowing what the responsible choice was. We’re all supposed to go to school and get a job and work until we’ve saved enough to retire, and I would have had a real head start in life with that opportunity. But the other side of me knew that I would always regret it if I didn’t pursue my passion while I was still young and fit enough to do so.”

Turning down such an opportunity was surely difficult, but the really hard part hadn’t even started yet. Vaughan began training like his life depended on it—as it often does in the big-wave realm. Yoga, cycling, paddling, and visits to a personal trainer became his daily routine. He stopped going out for drinks and started focusing on his diet. He looked at the example set by big-wave surfers like Greg Long, who understand that it takes endless preparation to take on the world’s hairiest waves and make it out alive.
Less than two months into his training regime, another massive swell appeared on the charts, again pulsing towards Puerto Escondido.
“The morning that swell hit, I got down to the beach before sunrise. Greg Long and Will Dillon were already out, and I sat out the back for about three or four hours waiting for a wave. I was waiting down at Carmelita’s and then this perfect right came straight to me. It was one of the biggest waves of the day and I was in just the right spot, so I dropped in, bottom turned, and got the view of my life.”

Camille Neves snapped a photo of that wave, which made it into the hands of some folks at Rusty Surfboards. Now Vaughan has a brand new 9’4″ and 10’6″ in his quiver, shaped with some of the world’s biggest waves in mind.


“I’m just going to keep training and watching the forecast for Mavericks, because I’m hoping to be there every single time it breaks this winter,” says Vaughan. “And I really want to get over to Maui and try to paddle Jaws. I don’t have a job now, so when the next swell comes, I’ll definitely be available.”

It is an indisputable fact that when paddling for a wave, whether it be two foot Malibu or 20 foot Mavericks, you pull a stupid face. Just prior to the moment of ecstasy, each facial feature contorts to form the hideous grimace of a constipated goblin. Here are a few of our GoPro favourites.

I’m going to let you in to a little surf magazine secret: we don’t like hoods, boots and gloves.
Sure they are an unfortunate essential in our winter months, and help keep the surf co’s buoyant, but like all of you we’d rather not surf in them.

They are in incumbrance, an awkwardness, a pain in the derriere. Hoods, built in or otherwise, limit your senses. Gloves and boots remove that vital direct contact betwixt you and your sled. They are surfing versions of condoms. Something you can’t do without but it’s far, far more pleasurable to not use.
Aside from the surfing aspect we don’t like them as ‘mag folk’ simply because they look odd in photos. There. We said it. Hoods and gloves make people look silly. No one can pull off a hood without getting a squashed face. Even Brad Pitt would like a marshmallow faced buffoon in a 6mm. Angelina Jolie would be reduced to a pair of lips sticking out of her wetsuit face hole.

Gloves just add that air of ‘biohazard’ to the proceedings. Wetsuit boots are okay in photos. They’re passable. But the rest. Ppppffffttt.

We of course have a solution: flesh toned accessories.

Yes. You read that right. We can get round our aesthetic problem with unsightly gloves by the wetsuit companies making a range of realistic skin toned coloured wetty gloves. They can range from proper British ‘Casper the Ghost’ white, Northern European skin through various shades of brown, black and orange to a nice mahogany brown for all the chaps that wintered in Indo. Sure you’d notice the surfers overly large, somewhat cartoony hands but it’s still better than standard black gloves.

The hood/twat cap conundrum is equally easily solved. Flesh toned hoods for bald people like Kelly Slater. The same but with built in wigs for those lucky sorts that actually have hair. It’s an endorsementfest waiting to happen. You could get a Taj style mop, John John locks or Kolohe’s stylish crew cut. Wilko’s mop would obviously be a popular choice. The options are endless. Celeb endorsements are welcome. Keith from the Prodigy spikes. Van Damme style mullet. It would be hairlarious (sorry).



So there you go. Surf industry. We gift this idea to you. Run with it. Make it happen. And yes we would like some Van Damme mullet hoods for next winter size large and some English Oak flesh tone gloves and boots thanks.

What if a pink water wind spot had the perfect sailing conditions for speed addicts? Meet the Hutt Lagoon, a different salt lake located in Western Australia.

The Hutt Lagoon is the ultimate wind challenge. With its 14 kilometers in length, 2.3 kilometers of maximum width and a maximum depth of 0.65 meters, it could be the last frontier of speed sailing.

Lying a few meters below sea level, the Hutt Lagoon presents an unusual characteristic that would certainly impress female windsurfers and female kiteboarders. Its waters are pure pink. Bright rose.

The pink hue is explained by the presence of the carotenoid-producing algae Dunaliella Salina, a source of beta-carotene, a food-coloring agent and source of Vitamin A. This means approximately 20% of the Hutt Lagoon is explored commercially.

The Indian Ocean is only a few meters away, separated by a barrier dune system. During summer, about 95% of the surface is a dry salt flat, so sailors should try it in winter, with the rainfall.

The Hutt Lagoon is one of "The Seven Salt Lake Wonders of Australia". The nearest town is Gregory, a small community in the banks of Hutt River. Photographer Steve Back has captured the beauty and the colors of the spot, in all its glory.


There are no reports of any windsurfing or kiteboarding experiences in the Hutt Lagoon. Are you willing to take the pink challenge?

In case you hadn't noticed, our global subculture is heading toward a mechanical renaissance -- a bona fide robotic revolution in artificial wave technology that lists exotic lands like Malaysia, Dubai and the Basque Country among its conquests. Sunway Lagoon in Kuala Lumpur was hot, for about a minute. Then came the Wadi Adventure Wave Pool in the United Arab Emirates. Then the Wavegarden, Webber Wave Pools...

Here in the U.S., the latest, if not loudest, of the movement's visionaries is American Wave Machines, who unveiled their SurfStream stationary surfing experience last fall at SkyVenture's Surf's Up facility in Nashua, New Hampshire. More info.

 "This is different than the ones that came before it," says Cheyne Magnusson. "For a stationary artificial wave, it's the closest thing yet to real surfing. Only you're not sitting for 45 minutes and getting cold. It's non-stop pumping for as long as you can ride it. I wouldn't say it's a replacement for surfing, but a great add-on. The SurfStream is so fun, it's ridiculous." Photo: AWM

While athletes and investors alike were satisfied, if not thrilled, with the initial results, AWM insists the SurfStream is but a smaller-scale project -- and in many ways a dynamic precursor to the PerfectSwell surf pool and what they hope will be their ultimate footprint.

"We have a criteria for making artificial waves," says John Luff, head of Business Development at AWM. "'What is surfing?' Well, first off you've got to have a surfboard with fins. That was part of the development of SurfStream, a wave that never ends and can be put it in a tennis court-sized swimming pool right in the middle of every major city in the world. In that way, you could take surfing anywhere. That's what we're out to do. We want to create a surf culture where surf culture doesn't exist."

Ocean City, NJ's, Rob Kelly who serves as Billabong's Northeast Marketing Manager, was among the first to guinea pig the SurfStream last fall, and after three invigorating trips to the Granite State has unwittingly become the Surf's Up mascot. However, recalling past wave tank fiascos (the 1989 ASP Allentown, Pennsylvania, event and the 2008 Ron Jon Surf Park implosion come to mind), Rob was skeptical. And this being the first deepwater artificial wave he'd ever surfed, Rob thought he'd just get pitched. Instead, he got barreled. More on Givemesurf.

"The first wave Ben Powell stepped on, he fell forward and cracked his head," says Rob Kelly. "Literally within a second... 12 stitches. After that, they made decisions right away to wear helmets. I compare it to skateboarding a mini-ramp: the first time you do it you'll eat crap, but once you learn how to fall it's not that bad." All photos: Courtesy AWM



"Just like a traditional thruster, but shrunk down," says John Luff of the surfboards employed. "You don't paddle in, so you don't need that buoyancy you would need in the ocean. The only other difference is Todd puts a padded layer over the surface to increase the lifespan of the board." Cheyne Magnusson. Photo: AWM

And if that sounds fun, then get a load of AWM's next move: PerfectSwell -- a digital control system working on exact replications of oceanic wave patterns to produce peeling lefts and rights, all of which can be run from an iPhone or iPad. The technology exists right now. A waist-high version is already operating at water park-size in New York. But the first full-blown dedicated surf pool is currently being constructed in Sochi, Russia, with a future project in the works for the Northeastern U.S.

"Again, 'What is surfing?'" John proposes. "It's not a line of people waiting for a single, perfect wave to come by every couple of minutes. It's the ocean, in either a predictable or unpredictable form. So when we decided to make a surf pool, it was going to look like the ocean, not like a wave pool. We've had installations all around the world -- Sweden, Turks and Caicos, Peru -- and professionals surfing our systems before, so we had a ton of confidence going into it."

"PerfectSwell, in terms of a surf pool, is the only technology that creates real waves for surfing outside the ocean," adds Bruce McFarland, President & Founder of American Wave Machines, Inc. "What that means is you've got waves breaking constantly in different directions, different sizes, just like you'd see if you were standing on a beach looking at the ocean. It's the total surf experience: paddling out, positioning, paddling into waves and taking off. You can create an infinite variety, anywhere from one-foot to our biggest system now, which will be delivering seven-and-a-half-foot, barreling waves. That's kind of like the holy grail of surfing outside the ocean. That's what everybody's been waiting for."

This is an overhead, top-to-bottom tuberide Bruce is talking about here. Too good to be true? Not if the money's honest. Because the science sure is.

"We had a customer say, 'I want the biggest in the world,' 'I want something new,' and specifically, 'I want a rider to be able to get in the barrel and come out,'" says Bruce. "That helped us spec the system for them. We went through our standard internal engineering design process and nailed everything down. We used engineering modeling, calculation, CFD and whatever it took to get this feature, and then committed to the mold. We had all the fiberglass molds procured and made it so that when this thing came online, it was not a prototype. It's brand-new, shiny and ready to go."

Still, there's huge variation because the size of the pool and the waves themselves will be dependent on the customer, their land, their budget and their business plan. AWM is surveying several options: at the smaller end, they might be looking at a 150-foot-wide wave-generating area, a natural-looking pool shape surrounding that, and beach area and entry area to spare -- with different wave types going to each area, so shortboarders can shred the middle while SUP's cruise the sides.

The bigger version, however, could theoretically be as wide as a football field. So one can only imagine how many different peaks might be generated in 300 feet, or peeling waves that are 100 yards long.

"Our goal is to get lots of people in the water," affirms Bruce. "This system is like a generator line: how much swell do we want to generate and how can we cut those waves up into pieces? It could look like a windswell with peaks shifting all around. It could look like a pointbreak with a wave peeling from one end to the other... We can do all these things. We've already got an operational model in the office."

If it sounds expensive, that's because it is. Expensive to conceive. Expensive to build. Expensive to maintain. Therefore, on the surface it would seem too expensive for good ol' Joe Sixpack to afford.

"The business models on these places are extremely profitable and wouldn't even have to charge a fraction of that number," says John. "That's why it will give people that opportunity, because if you put a high cost on it, you'll block people to a certain degree. One of the biggest advantages with PerfectSwell is it will enable people to get a high-quality surf experience without putting out that much money -- $45 will get you about a half-hour. And you'll probably get more standing time than you would in the ocean over an entire week. It's continuous surf -- no waiting for waves. And it's already happening with multiple projects worldwide. We're well on track to have something finished this year. You'll be seeing PerfectSwell in 2014."

But for now, the SurfStream is the one that social media conduits are frothing on. And if its rideability remains a question -- since all the "classic" wave pools like Typhoon Lagoon tend to be, let's face it: amusing for rippers, a nightmare for average dudes -- Cheyne sets our minds at ease.

"We were skeptical arriving at the venue to test a a man-made surfing-like ride in rural New Hampshire," remembers Michael Powell, "like, 'Okay, this will probably be fun for 20 minutes, then get us back to the ocean.' After jumping on a handful of times, my perspective was far different. After each go, the ability to do maneuvers became greater and greater." Photo: AWM

"In Peru, a bunch of under-10-year-old kids bought an hour, and I've never seen anyone have so much fun," he says. "What this does is introduces people to the sport without them getting frustrated with waiting around for sets or getting paddled around. In turn, that sparks the curiosity, and they'll probably want to take it to the next level in the ocean. It's a great introduction tool for beginners -- and a great replacement for intermediate to experts when the waves are flat. And as far as getting a core workout, keeping your surf muscles up and training for stuff you don't normally get to try each session depending on the waves you get, like airs, there's literally nothing better."

"It's not a game changer as far as replacing surfing," asserts Rob, "but as far as anything else out there that can be built in a small facility and actually have a good return on investments and be fun for surfers -- AWM replicates the experience very well. It would be ideal to chase a swell up to New Hampshire and then when it blows out, go ride the SurfStream instead of going snowboarding or to the skate park. In fact, I think out of all those other sports, this is the most like surfing. As far as barrel riding and pumping down the line, the view and the foamball, it's actually a really similar feeling..."

"And the barrel never gets old."

LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Thursday, February 20, 2014) - Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd today announced Samsung’s title sponsorship of the ASP World Championship Tour that will see the global technology leader supporting the world’s foremost governing body of professional surfing.

The 2014 Samsung ASP World Championship Tour will commence its 21-event international series on March 1 with the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast.

“From the beginning, our goal has been to elevate the platform of this tremendous sport through top-of-class media and sponsor partnerships,” Paul Speaker, ASP CEO, said. “Samsung is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere, an ideal partner for professional surfing. Samsung will help us deliver a world-class experience for our athletes and fans. We are honored to have Samsung partner with us to celebrate the world’s best surfers in the world’s best waves.”

Samsung will be instrumental in delivering the world-class performances of the globe’s very finest surfers, including reigning ASP World Champions Mick Fanning and Carissa Moore, icons Kelly Slater and Stephanie Gilmore, up-and-comers John John Florence and Courtney Conlogue and a field of international, explosive and engaging talent across both the men’s and women’s divisions.

The first event of the Samsung ASP World Championship Tour 2014 season for men will be the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast. Watch last year’s final between Kelly Slater (USA) and Joel Parkinson (AUS):

GoPro, the most famous surf camera in the world, has filled Initial Public Offering (IPO) documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell its common stock.

Nick Woodman has new challenges ahead. GoPro is going public after 10 years in the global market as a private business. The high-definition camera company had sales of 521 million dollars in 2012.

The 38-year-old surfer/entrepreneur from Woodside, California, had already sold 8.88% of GoPro (200 million dollars) to Foxconn, a Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturing company, in December 2012.

Despite defending that the firm from San Mateo did not need to go public, Woodman and his executives will certainly benefit from fresh cash for new investments.

The first GoPro camera was sold in 2004. The initial 35mm film version evolved to 10-second video clips, HD and wide angle lens. Woodman's invention is currently used in action sports like surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, bodyboarding, BMX, snowboarding, kayaking, skateboarding, base jumping, etc.

Get the latest GoPro.

Read More : - The Mad Billionaire Behind GoPro: The World's Hottest Camera Company
                    - Gopro Hero 3+ Black Edition - The most advanced GoPro yet

There are not many places in the world where you can go surfing and snowboarding, in the same day. Waves and snow separated by a handful of miles. Wipeouts in liquid water and solid ice.

In Sochi, in Russia, is one of those magic places. But there's more about this city that you might not know. Sochi is one of the very few places in Russia with a humid and subtropical climate, which means hot summers and mild winters.

The country's most popular resort was also the favorite vacation home for Joseph Stalin, the former leader of the Soviet Union. The truth is that Sochi is really perfect for the long summer days bathed by the Black Sea.

You can count on the fingers of one hand the number of surfing spots in the entire Russian territory, which is actually the largest country in the world.


Sochi has great waves. Although the Black Sea is an inland sea, with a limited fetch area of 436,000 square kilometers, you may find shorelines getting nice short-to-medium period swells.

The coastline is punctuated by many jetties. While these structures reduce the length of local beaches, they also play an important role in slowing down erosion. In many cases, surfers will benefit from the jetties of Sochi, as swell refracts around to produce high quality right-handers.


Sochi - the place where Greek hero Odysseus found his nemesis, the one-eyed Cyclops - is also an example of how the future of surfing will roll out. A 35,000 square foot artificial wave pool will be a reality in town, from 2014.

If you're both an enthusiast of winter and water sports, Sochi is the exquisite destination of the Black Sea, with one of the best air quality levels in the world.

Surfin' Steven, the lunatic surfing stereotype, is about to make a grandiose debut in movie theaters with "The X-Perience".

When "Jackass" meets Borat Sagdiyev with a surfboard, the result can easily be Surfin' Steven, the man who has already been spotted in boardshorts, in Central London.

The master of the absurd is truly spontaneous. Surfin' Steven is "almost blonde, almost Australian and almost surfer", but the truth is you can't stop laughing out loud when you watch 10 seconds of his madness.
"The X-Perience" is a film directed by Jeremy Angelier, the man himself. Armed with his surfboard, Surfin' Steven embarks on his own surfari.


His goal is to conquer the ridiculous, whether he's in the Australian deserts, in the Asian mega cities, in the Eiffel Tower, or right in front of you.

The Big Wave World Tour (BWWT) has underlined that the overall rankings are determined by the event points multiplied by the "Wave Coefficient" of each stage.

The "Wave Coefficient" is an equation in which bigger wave faces deliver more points towards the overall rankings. In the last two events, Punta Galea and Mavericks were agreed at 30 to 36 feet.

The winner of each Big Wave World Tour stage gets the total event points multiplied by that "Wave Coefficient", in order to build the overall score in the rankings.

"We really like the inclusion of the coefficient scoring system in the Big Wave World Tour. It brings to the event a real drive to take on the biggest waves in the world. No risk, no reward. This makes for an exciting final two rounds," says Jason Webb, co-founder of the BWWT.

The coefficient can boost or even reduce the base scale points on the Big Wave World Tour, depending on the determined wave face size of the day.


"Basically the bigger and heavier the waves, the more points you score towards the World Title race and this ensures, that at the end of the season, the guy who most deserves it will win the title," adds Grant "Twiggy" Baker.

“You ask for broccoli and get pork head,” says über vegan Chris Del Moro of his Taiwan surf trip. “I guess that’s part of the magic though!” he adds.
Welcome to Taiwan, Del Moro!


Lucky for Chris and Daniel Jones the Taiwanese 7/11′s are unlike their American counterparts and have everything you could ask for—veggies, beer, boiled mystery eggs, and much more. Moral of the story; the guys were able to fuel up and surf for eight hour increments in fun looking typhoon surf during the filming of Nathan Myers’ Se7en Signs surf flick.

Kelly Slater, a two-time Sports Illustrated feature subject regarded by many as the most dominant athlete in any sport, celebrates his 41st birthday today. Here are 17 things you might not know about the 11-time world champion.

1. He is both the youngest and oldest world champion in ASP World Tour history.

Slater won his first world title in 1992 (at 20) and his most recent in 2011 (at 39).

2. He’s from Florida.

Unlike the many top surfers who hail from big-wave beaches of California, Hawaii or Australia, Slater came of age on the “tiny ripples” of the Sunshine State.

3. He once appeared on the cover on Interview magazine.

“Half Fish Total Dish” was the headline when Slater appeared on the May 1996 cover of Andy Warhol’s monthly.

4. He’s played guitar with Pearl Jam.

He performed “Rockin’ in The Free World” with the Seattle rockers on July 7, 2006 in San Diego.

5. He has a 2 handicap.

He’s expressed interest in joining the Champions Tour.

6. He was a straight A student.

That’s the legend anyway. This 1986 article says he was “almost a straight A student.”

7. He posed for a Versace underwear ad.

He’s also modeled for L’Oreal, Vita Coco and Apple.

8. He appeared in nine episodes of Baywatch.

He played Jimmy Slade, an aspiring surfer who didn’t get along with his strict military father and lived in a van down by the beach.

9. He was the subject of a Gary Smith feature in the May 4, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated.

For the photo shoot, he wore a suit and rode waves on wooden door while recreating the 1993 Jack Johnson art-class film Mr. Slater Goes to Work.

10. He was named one of People magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People In The World in 1991.

The honor was bestowed upon Slater while he was still a teenager.

11. He believes testing athletes for marijuana is “silly” because it’s not a performance enhancer.

A confessed teetotaller, Slater disagreed when a snowboarder was stripped of his medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics after testing positive for marijuana. “I was like, you think that helped him or hurt him? I would have thought it slowed him down,” he reasoned.

12. He’s good friends with 2008 SI swimsuit issue cover girl Marisa Miller.

Slater once interviewed Miller for Ocean Drive magazine.

13. Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer was released for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox and Game Boy Advance in 2004.

The reviews were generally favorable.

14. In 2010, he was recognized for his ”outstanding and unprecedented achievements” by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The resolution was co-sponsored by more than 60 congressmen.

15. He’s got nearly 300,000 followers on Instagram.

He was named one of Extra Mustard‘s 60 best athletes to follow on the photo sharing app.

16. He had an on-again-off-again relationship with Pamela Anderson.

Looking back, he says he learned a lot from his time with one-time Baywatch co-star.

17. Slater won five straight titles before retiring in 1999. After waiting for a new crop of talent to mature, he returned to competition in 2003 … and captured titles in 2005, ’06, ’08, ’10 and ’11.

Slater has won more tour events and more prize money than any other surfer in history, turning down a steady succession of young talent along the way.