Late arvo update: Wazza to Mona

Posted on February 27th, 2009 in Big Picture, Cooks Tce, Warriewood.

Running a bit late with the late arvo update! Oh well. Had a look at the Warriewood to Mona stretch at around 5pm. There were quite a few bods in the water up at Warriewood. but only a few up toward the more wind exposed Mona Vale. If you didn’t mind a bit of chop and breeze, it actually looked fairly fun. I wouldn’t exaggerate the quality, but when the water’s this warm, any wave is a good wave, isn’t it?

Grabbed the snap above while taking pictures of some paragliders at Cooks Tce. There were only a few people on a little peak down below the cliffs, but when I headed home, a bunch of folks turned up and were running down to join them.

Swell has drifted more around to the SE. It’s still about a metre but the average period has bumped up ever so slightly to a still-marginal 7 seconds.

Wind this evening was pretty light. Only around 6-8 kts from the ENE.

Tide is still rising, and tomorrow will start out with a rising tide as well, peaking at 1009.

Here’s the Bureau’s latest call

Sydney Coastal Waters, Broken Bay to Port Hacking and 60nm seawards:
Friday until midnight: Wind: E/NE 8/13 knotsSea: about 1 metre.Swell: SE 1.5 metres.
Saturday: Wind: NW 8/13 knots tending N/NE 10/15 knots in the afternoon, then turning E/SE in the evening.Sea: below 1 metre rising to 1 to 1.5 metres.Swell: SE 1 to 1.5 metres.
Sunday: Wind: Early S/SE change 20/25 knots.
Monday: Wind: E/SE 10/20 knots.

SurfStitch.com & Rip Curl Ford Fiesta CAR Give-away

Posted on February 27th, 2009 in Advertorial, News Stories, Top stories.

Yup, a car is being given away to one lucky shopper who buys a Rip Curl product.  Pretty cool promotion and Surfstitch supports RealSurf, so why not buy your Rip Curl products from them? Here’s the guff:

 

Go in the draw to “WIN” this awesome Ford Fiesta when you buy any Rip Curl branded product from SurfStitch.com.  Simply fill out the entry form you receive with your Rip Curl order & go into the draw.

Simple as that!… & you could win this amazing car.

Promotions ends on the 30^th June & is open to ALL Australia & New Zealand customers.

Click on SurfStitch.com for details.

Along the beaches, part the second

Posted on February 27th, 2009 in At large, Curl Curl, Freshwater, Manly.

Went for a look at Curly & Freshy around 0830 after the school run. Curly was about the same as yesterday, but thanks to the lighter winds, it was looking a little more attractive. Not that many more in the water though. I wouldn’t want to be accused of overstating the situation though. The biggest sets I saw were struggling to make waist high, and the moment of peak energy was generally pretty brief. Waves would stand up over a bank and then quickly subside as they were swallowed by a gutter.

Here are a couple snaps to fill in the picture a little.

Drove on around the corner to the south Curly headland carpark for a squizz at Freshy and Manly. Again, there were a fair sprinkling of bods in the water at both places. Pretty much seemed to all be mals – understandably enough. Waves at Freshy were extremely tiny. Biggest thing I saw was around thigh-high. But you could get the odd multi-metre glide over near the rocks at the south end.

Manly was not putting on much of a show – to the extent that one can judge such things looking over the back of the waves. From what I could see, the folk in the water were not only a thousand miles from care, they were about that far from something like a wave. But good on ‘em for getting in for a paddle!

Moooona

Posted on February 27th, 2009 in Mona Vale.

The surf was a lilttle better again this morning, still pretty small, but it was cleaner than the last few days and quite surfable.

Sunshine & little waves

Posted on February 27th, 2009 in Dee Why, South Narrabeen.

Hello Friends,

It’s awful small, but it ain’t quite flat. Pretty much in line with expectations really. The Collaroy-Narra stretch was damn puny, but there were a few bods in anyway. Warm water and a sunny morning will do that. Biggest waves I saw were struggling to get to waist high, although I’m sure there would the odd bigger one if you stuck around longer than I did.

Around at Dee Why the situation was slightly better. There didn’t seem to be much of anything up at the Longy end, but down near the surf club there were a couple peaks at least for the reasonable size crew in enjoying it.

Here’s the latest outlook from the Bureau:

Sydney Coastal Waters, Broken Bay to Port Hacking and 60nm seawards:
Friday until midnight: Wind: S/SE 8/13 knots, turning E/NE 8/13 knots in the late afternoon.Sea: to 1 metre.Swell: SE 1 to 1.5 metres.
Saturday: Wind: NW 8/13 knots tending N/NE 13/18 knots in the afternoon.Sea: to 1 metre. Swell: SE 1 to 1.5 metres.
Sunday: Wind: Early S/SE change 20/25 knots.

Surfing’s Stan Couper Inducted Into Australian Surfing Hall of Fame

Posted on February 27th, 2009 in News Stories, Surf News, Surf culture, Surf history, Top stories.

 

 

 

 

Stan Couper was today posthumously inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame at Surf World, Torquay.

Vi Couper, Stan’s wife was on hand to accept the Inductee trophy along with daughter Gail and son Geoffrey. Stan Couper is the 31^stInductee into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame and now joins his daughter Gail Couper who was inducted in 2000.

1988 Australian Surfing Hall of Fame Inductee Wayne Lynch presented the trophy to Vi on behalf of the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame along with Gail Couper. Geoffrey Couper spoke on behalf of the family ‘offering his thoughts on his father and his love of surfing’. The induction ceremony was attended by a number of those who have had a bearing on the development of surfing including former Australian Surfing Association President Tony Olsen, Rip Curl’s Brian Singer amongst others.

Joe Sweeney who crafts the timber Induction trophy spoke about Stan’s passion not just for surfing but his love of other sports and the region. Also sharing his thoughts on Stan and his contribution to surfing was local legend and Inductee Wayne Lynch.

The induction of Stan Couper previews the upcoming Australian Surfing Awards incorporating the Hall of Fame which is to be held on Tuesday 3^rd March at the Stars Room at Twin Towns Services Club in Coolangatta. This awards ceremony is to recognize individuals and organizations that have made contributions to the surfing industry in a number of areas including performance, administration, culture, movies and photos.  These awards will also feature the induction of another “major contributor” to surfing.

The awards will also feature the presentation of the inaugural Stan Couper Administration Award and the Peter Troy Lifestyle Award.

 

Background

Stan Couper was instrumental in the development of Surfing in Australia and his induction recognizes his “significant contribution” to the development of surfing. Stan was a Surfing Australia President (then Australian Surfriders Association) and long time Victorian President and office-bearer, outstanding administrator, contest director and judge in the 60’s and early 70’s. 

Credited with documenting Australian Surfriders Association rules and being a major force for stability during a period of competition development plus the emergence of country soul surfing which questioned competition relevance.  Influential in the establishment and maintenance of the first surfing reserve for surfers’ exclusive use, the Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve. He was also a major contributor to the administration of the World Surfing Championships in 1970 at Bells Beach.

Heats Announced for 2009 Kickoff at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast

Posted on February 27th, 2009 in Contests, News Stories, Surf News, Top stories.

 

 

 

COOLANGATTA, Aus – 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.

 

The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Mobile will be webcast LIVE via www.quiksilverpro.com.au

 

The event will incorporate the Roxy Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Mobile, the opening event of the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour.

 

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com 

 

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Roy Powers (HAW), Tim Boal (FRA)

Heat 2: Bobby Martinez (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Dustin Barca (HAW)

Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS), Jordy Smith (ZAF), Tiago Pires (PRT)

Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Heitor Alves (BRA), Phillip MacDonald (AUS)

Heat 5: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Damien Hobgood (AUS), Drew Courtney (AUS)

Heat 6: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Taylor Knox (USA), Marlon Lipke (DEU)

Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Dane Reynolds (USA), Aritz Aranburu (EUK)

Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA), Kieren Perrow (AUS), TBA

Heat 9: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Dayyan Neve (AUS), TBA

Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS), Mikael Picon (FRA), TBA

Heat 11: Luke Stedman (AUS), Dean Morrison (AUS), Greg Emslie (ZAF)

Heat 12: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Mick Campbell (AUS), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)

Heat 13: Chris Ward (USA), Nathaniel Curran (USA), Nic Muscroft (AUS)

Heat 14: Kai Otton (AUS), Chris Davidson (AUS), Josh Kerr (AUS)

Heat 15: Tim Reyes (USA), Michel Bourez (PYF), David Weare (ZAF)

Heat 16: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Gabe Kling (USA), Jihad Khodr (BRA)

 

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Mobile

Roxy Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Mobile

Stop No. 1 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour

Stop No. 1 of 8 on the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

February 28 – March 11, 2009

Trials February 27, 2009

March 14 – Biggest Ever Showdown of Australian Boardriding Clubs in Sydney

Posted on February 27th, 2009 in Contests, Local Colour, News Stories, Surf News, Top stories.

 

 

 

 

ASP Surfers Mick Fanning (Kirra), Taj Burrow (Yallingup), Joel Parkinson (Snapper Rocks), Tom Whitaker (Bronte), Chris Davidson (North Narrabeen) and Josh Kerr (Snapper Rocks) all confirmed starters

The 2009 Jim Beam National Surftag final is set to be the biggest surfing showdown in Sydney in over a decade with many of the world’s best surfers set to line up for the love of their club and big prize money.

Sixteen of Australia’s top Boardriding Clubs have  qualified from the regional eliminations and all will be chasing bragging rights as Australia’s premier Boardriding Club along with the richest prize pool in Club surfing in Australia with $12000 allocated for 1^st place.

No other event in Sydney can boast a field that includes the likes of 2007 ASP World Champion Mick Fanning along with super stars of the sport like Joel Parkinson, Tom Whittaker and Josh Kerr and with club passion driving these surfers the action is certain to be amazing.

North Narrabeen are the defending Jim Beam Surftag champions and with local knowledge again in their favour will go into this year’s event confident they can win three in a row, but, never has a field of this quality lined up and this years winning club will legitimately lay claim to being Australia’s top boardriding club.

Former ASP World Tour surfer Toby Martin will head up the Dee Why team and Toby commented on his clubs chances by saying,   “The boys are pumped for this event, they have been training hard and I really think that making the final four is very possible and once a team is in the final then anything can happen – It’s great to have qualified for the finals and as a team we are looking forward to the challenge.”

In conjunction with the Jim Beam Surftag Final, Friday March 13 will see 60 elite Boardriding Club champions from all over Australia compete for the Jim Beam Boardriders Cup – an individual championship national field selecting surfers from Boardriding Clubs. This field will include surfers like Luke Dorrington (Snapper Rocks), Toby Martin (Dee Why), Dion Atkinson (Seaford South Australia) and former world number three Dave Macauley (Margaret River WA).

The  FCS Manufacturers Cup will also make up a part of the action  which will see Surfboard Labels JS (QLD), Warner (NSW), Murriginals (WA) and Island (VIC) go head to head for the $3000 winners cheque along with the title of being the best manufacturers surfing team in Australia!

The big one however is the Jim Beam National Surftag title and the sixteen qualified teams set to line up are –

NSW –

·         South Coast – Werri and Ulladulla

·        Sydney South – Cronulla

·        Sydney City - Bronte

·        Northern Beaches – Queenscliff, Curl Curl, Dee Why and North Narrabeen

·        Far North NSW - LeBa

 

Queensland –

·        Snapper Rocks Teams 1 and 2  

·        Kirra

WA –

·        Yallingup

·        Margaret River

SA –

·        Seaford – Mid South Coast

VIC –

·        13^th Beach – Surfcoast / Bellarine Peninsula.

Hardy (AUS) Wins Turbo Bodyboards Pipeline Pro

Posted on February 27th, 2009 in Contests, News Stories, Surf News, Top stories.

 

 

 

North Shore, Oahu; Hawaii — Australian Bodyboarding luminary, Ryan Hardy (Australia), came saw and conquered the most legendary break in the world, winning the Turbo Bodyboards Pipeline Pro in style.

Held over three days in waves that can only be described as perfect, the Turbo Bodyboards Pipeline Pro saw the world’s best riders all vying for glory, but in clean, near perfect conditions it was Hardy who took the first event of the 2009 International Bodyboarding World Tour; showing all why he is considered as one of the greatest ever.

“I am stoked to win the first ever Grand Slam with the guys standing next to me,” said the elated Hardy.
 
Second place went to Pierre Luis Costes (France), who put the heat on Hardy from the opening minute.

Opening up the final with an impressive 8.50 (out of a possible 10), Costes had the other finalist’s needing a two-wave combination to take the lead, the title and an early season lead.
 
Then Hardy struck.
 
A long, deep tube ride followed by a gigantic roll netted him a near perfect ride, 9.43 (out of a possible 10); and then within a few minutes Hardy found another tube and this time back-flipped out of the end bowl, leaving the crowd in raptures and the prestigious trophy within his grasp.
 
From that point on he was always going to be hard to beat.

“It can be pretty nerve racking sitting on the beach for a few days waiting for your heat to come up, watching guys getting the best waves of their lives,” Hardy continued.
 
“But surfing against guys like this made it easier to relax and push myself at the same time.”
 
Third place went to Guilherme Tamega (Brazil) and fourth place was Dave Winchester (Australia).
 
The IBA World Tour now moves to Brazil in April for two events back to back.
 
For more information be sure to log onto www.ibaworldtour.com

C C

Posted on February 27th, 2009 in Central Coast, Surf Reports.

Cloudy and dry on the Central Coast this Friday morning.  The swell is bumpy and rather ordinary at 1 – 2 feet from the southeast.  There is a light southeast breeze forecast to go northeast later.  Low tide 0420 and high tide around 1030.  Local barometer 1013 hpa, 88% humidity, 18 degrees C.  Have a good weekend.