hiya wa howa aswat

"Surfer Dudes" are the world's first toys catching ocean waves and riding them all the way to shore.

Joe Thompson, a self-taught artist from Cocoa Beach, Florida, has developed a fun and unique toy that will turn right side up, point toward the beach, then catch its own wave and surf back to the shore.
"'Surfer Dudes' started as an idea I had when I saw my 8-year-old son watching his older brother surfing. The little guy was far too small to be out in the big waves on his own", explains Thompson.
" So, he would stand in the shallow water and watch his brother and the older guys surfing for hours. I decided to make him an exciting toy to play with near the beach that would keep him safe, but also entertain him all day".

"Surfer Dudes" come with the surfer figure, an EVA surfboards, a skeg, and a wing. You throw it into the water as far as you can. It bobs upright, catches the next wave and coasts flawlessly back to you.

The new surfing toy is seeking crowdfunding support, in order to make the plastic injection molds that will kick off production.

Surfer Dudes Wave Rider Beach Toy

Mikala Jones isn’t new to stuffing himself inside barrels while holding GoPros. Plus, he makes it look easy. His latest sees him barrel hunting which he is no stranger to as his home break changes seasonally from Rocky Point on the North Shore of Oahu to other world-class barrels in Bali.

Interview: Mimi LaMontagne

Yesterday, Joel Parkinson re-signed with long-term sponsor, Billabong. There wasn’t much specificity on just how long the champ was locked in, and with all the economic insecurity floating about, we thought it’d be a good idea to pick up a phone.


Reppin' since 11...

You re-signed with Billabong.
You know, I’ve been with Billabong since I was eleven, and truth be told this is only my third major contract that I’ve had. My relationship with the people and with the brand is so strong; I couldn’t not be a part of it. I’m a bit of a loyal person and I like the fact that I know everyone, that I’m comfortable. There are just too many positives in the company for me to not want to be a part of it.

How did you start with them, at eleven years old?
I was surfing and had a friend who was sponsored by them at the time, an older guy. He was probably late teens, early twenties. He told the team manager that he knew an up-and-coming kid, and then I got three pairs of boardshorts, some stickers and kinda, you know, put under the wing. Ever since then I’ve been there.

The office is just up the road as well, hey?
Yeah. It’s convenient not only for me, but for them too. It’s great for when something needs to be done, to be able to be close. You really feel like you’re on the same page when you live so close, especially to the head office. We have a lot of the same ideals, and they know me more than any other company.

What about all the drama, the ups and downs, with Billabong?

Everyone’s had a bit of a hit over the last few years, with the way the economy has been. But I think being locked in with Billabong is good. I’m actually passionate about the brand, you know, I want to see it start making inroads and thriving. When it’s doing well, I feel like I’m doing well. It’s one of those things… hopefully it’s firing again soon.

Two of his favourite toys...


How long did you re-sign for?
Ha. Good question. You know, I’ve re-signed until I’ve retired from professional surfing. And then I guess I’ll go into another role with them, and that’ll be the next chapter. I don’t know how many more years I’ll be on the tour… four or five, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll be like Kelly and I’ll stay another ten. Who knows?

What’s the desk job gonna be?
I would become an ambassador of the brand. Ideally I’d like to keep in the water as much as I can, stay away from sitting behind a desk, but I’ll cross that bridge when the time comes. Maybe I’ll organise trips or something and then I’ll just get to go on surf trips all the time. But really, what I’m doing after surfing is the farthest thing from my mind right now. Going into the season and all…

Are you excited?
I can’t wait. It’s so good. After you have a little break, you’re like fuck, you forget about all the things from last year, go through them and it gives you time to digest your strengths and weak points, good heats and bad heats. Once you kinda digest it all and throw out what you don’t want, it gives you that fresh feeling of starting a new year. It feels like that. It really does. Especially now that it looks like we’re about to have a really good week of waves coming our way on the Gold Coast. Really get that buzz back, that hunger to surf and to get ready.


If you feel like watchin’ a barrel fest, head down to the paddle-out at North Kirra on Sunday morning… Parko, Mick and a whole lotta swell.

Surfers have won the battle against the construction of a cruise shipping terminal at Kirra, in the Australian Gold Coast.

The perfect peeling waves of Kirra may rest. Campbell Newman, Premier of Queensland, has announced that the proposed shipping terminal and casino will not be built over the beautiful beaches of well-known surf spot.

"While we always welcome new ideas about how to grow the state, we will simply never entertain the idea of a cruise ship terminal at Kirra Beach".

"We don't want to impact on those beautiful beaches and we don't want to impact on some of the great surfing conditions as well. Our beaches are just too important for the central role they play in Gold Coast tourism."

Andrew McKinnon, spokesman for the Save Our Southern Beaches Alliance (SOSBA), says this is a stunning victory for people power.

"Joel Parkinson and Mick Fanning have got this incredible social media network, so it wasn't just a local thing it was a big thing worldwide that Kirra Point could be threatened," he says.

The big paddle-our scheduled for the 19th January, 2014, will go ahead. SOSBA says the event has turned from a demonstration into a celebration.


The $2 billion cruise ship terminal would be built by local billionaire developer Bob Ell. The project also included super yacht facilities, plus hotels, a casino, apartment and shops.

Surf industry brand leader Quiksilver is preparing an investment in action sports hotels.

The new insignia has been named Quiksilver Hotels & Resorts International. The joint-venture between the Huntington Beach company and Matteson Capital, an investment fund headquartered in Newport Beach.

In the next five years, Quiksilver Hotels will acquire properties in which concert venues, skateboarding parks and surf parks will be installed, with the helping hand of Tony Hawk and Kelly Slater.

Palm Springs, Hawaii, Bali, Costa Rica, Anaheim and Orlando are some of the regions that will be targeted by Quiksilver Hotels & Resorts International. There are $250 millions available for investment.
Quiksilver was founded in 1969, in Australia, by Alan Green and John Law. A simple boardshorts garage business turned into a $1.8 billion empire.

The company's Quiksilver, Roxy, and DC brands have roots and heritage in surf, snow and skate. Its products are sold in more than 100 countries in a wide range of distribution, including surf shops, skate shops, snow shops, company-owned retail stores, and e-commerce channels.


Andrew P. Mooney is Chief Executive Officer for Quiksilver, since January 2013. He previously served as Chairman of Disney Consumer Products, Chief Marketing Officer and founder of Nike's equipment business, and General Manager of Nike's global apparel business.