I was just checking through photos from friends on FaceBook and came across Kieth's latest shots.
I was so impressed I thought I'd post one of my favourite shots.
I was chatting to Kieth just before he left for Bali. I thought he was going on your average pleasure cruz around Bali but the guy is going for it...Good on Ya Kieth!
Kieth Usher Grajagan, Indonesia:
Swansea and Gower surf blog: www.blog.swanseasurfing.com
Check out the contest at: http://www.oneill.com/cwc/southafrica Swansea & Gower surf blog: www.blog.swanseasurfing.com Stop No. 3 of five on the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series is underway and anticipating one of the biggest swells of the year to pummel South Africa’s shores is what should make for wild conditions in Cape Town for the ASP WQS 4-Star event. The first two days of the contest have offered up some chilly barrels for its competitors and who knows what will happen if the predicted swell lights up the coast. Make sure to check it out!
O’Neill CWC Website:
The O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series hits the wilds of South Africa
O'Neill Cold Water Classic South Africa
ASP 4-Star WQS Mens event
Cape Peninsula South Africa
20 - 24 June 2009
Live Coverage | Results/Photos/Videos etc
Words and Pictures- Surfers Village17 June, 2009 : - - Cape Town, South Africa -- It started in a remote corner at edge of the world where the Southern Ocean pounds the isolated Tasmanian shoreline. The O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series then moved up to the northern town of Thurso in Scotland for its perfect but freezing reef breaks.
The southernmost and northernmost events in professional surfing brought together exploration and competition within the depths of nature. And now come the wilds…
Cape Town with its selection of treacherous waves around the Cape Peninsula under the towering cliffs of the Table Mountain Range, is home to the third stop on the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series. From June 20 until June 24, the world’s best surfers, including South African World Tour star and event ambassador, Jordy Smith, will venture to the rugged surf spots scattered around the Cape Peninsula to brave the elements.
With water temperatures around 10 degrees, heavy winter storms generating consistent and potentially huge swells, the prevalence of bull kelp around many of the surf spots and the threat of Great White Sharks (against which precautions will be taken), the O’Neill Cold Water Classic South Africa can rightly claim to be the ‘wildest event in professional surfing’.
“It’s going to be an incredible event,” says Jordy Smith, winner of the inaugural Cold Water Classic Series event in Tasmania. “Cape Town offers an amazing variety of waves. There are both sides of the peninsular to choose from, which can hold all types of swell – but it can get pretty extreme out there.”
Keeping the event mobile as with the rest of the series, there are a huge variety of waves to choose from during the week for the 4 Star ASP WQS event. Misty Cliffs, a favourite wave of Jordy’s in the area, is just one of the world-class beach breaks on offer with fast, hollow waves.
A few of the other options include Outer Kom - an open ocean left hand reef break featuring a radical drop outside a giant kelp bed and a great barrel section, Crayfish Factory – a heavy right hander with a ledging reef takeoff before running down a kelp infested point, and Kalk Bay – a dredging left hand barrel across a very shallow slab of reef that provides potential 10 point tube rides.
“The Cape Town event is going to be awesome,” says Australian surfer Jarrad Howse, just one of the top name surfers who is following the entire Cold Water Classic Series. “I've been there once but never surfed, so I'm looking forward to getting there early and exploring the variety of world class reef and beach breaks on offer before the rest of the competitors arrive.”
Paul Canning, O’Neill’s South African marketing manager is eagerly anticipating the Cold Water Classic Series’ arrival in Cape Town.
“The standard has been set pretty high with the opening two events especially in so far as surf,” he said. “I hope we get some nice big storms over the week of our event so we are able to continue this high quality.”
Living up to its promise to explore the wilds and venture into the unknown, the CWC Series has so far exceeded all expectations.
“The surfers all love it,” says Jarrad Howse. “It has created an experience that’s so different to the typical warm water, junky surf, hotels on the beach style,” he said. “It has incorporated travel, exploration and discovery and tested us all with freezing water – but with the opportunity to surf good waves in amazing locations.”
In addition, with its own Series ranking list, there is also $50,000 up for grabs for the winner.
Currently leading the Series is the CWC Scotland winner Lord Adam Melling. However with the Series well and truly underway there is going to be some stiff competition in South Africa including the likes of former World Tour Champion Sunny Garcia as well as young Hawaiian talent John John Florence and local legend Sean Holmes.
A 4-Star event on the ASP World Qualifying Series, the CWC South Africa still rewards the surfers with just as many CWC Series points as the other six star CWC events – bringing them ever closer to that $50,000 prize money as the series winner.
Adam Melling is closely followed in the rankings by Joan Duru, Yuri Sodre and Nathan Hedge and Scotland’s runner up Lord Luke Munro.
Despite winning the inaugural Cold Water Classic event in Tasmania, the South African WCT start Jordy Smith was forced to miss Scotland with clashing events, but still sits in 6th place on the rankings list – and will be one of the favourites in his home country.
Swansea & Gower surf blog: www.blog.swanseasurfing.com
HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (Tuesday, June 9, 2009) - Quiksilver is pleased to announce that it has signed legendary 9-time ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Champion Kelly Slater to a 5-year endorsement contract, extending his sponsorship arrangement with the company and ensuring that the greatest surfer of all time will be sponsored by Quiksilver for his entire competitive career.
Robert B. McKnight, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Quiksilver, Inc., commented, “We couldn’t be more pleased than to continue our long-standing relationship with the greatest surfer the sport has ever known. Kelly has been a fantastic spokesman for Quiksilver, a terrific ambassador and promoter for the sport of surfing and a true friend of the company. Kelly continues to work toward broadening the exposure of surfing through projects such as his upcoming IMAX movie, and he’s got some great ideas that we will work on together to enhance the marketability of surfing and bring surf competitions to a broader audience in new and innovative ways. Kelly’s agreement to accept a significant portion of his compensation in the form of Quiksilver stock demonstrates his confidence in Quiksilver and our future prospects. We are absolutely delighted to continue our partnership with Kelly.”
Kelly Slater added, “Quiksilver’s been family to me for so long it’s hard to remember a time before them. It might not come as a surprise to many people that I’ve re-signed with them but there have been major transitions in my life and many changes within Quiksilver. It’s a long relationship and things often over the course of time. In our case, we’ve got exciting projects that coincide and are still stoked working and surfing together. These next 5 years and beyond will end up being our best together. As we put our minds and efforts together capturing our lifestyle and creating product that reflects this, I see Quiksilver remaining the industry leader. Revisiting what got us there and breaking new ground into some unforeseen areas, it seems things are on the upswing and it’s a fresh time again.”
Words and pictures: www.aspworldtour.com
Check out Quicksilver at: www.quiksilver.com
Swansea & Gower surf blog: www.blog.swanseasurfing.com
Some call it luck, others call it fate; if you have eastern leanings then you might describe it as Karma. Whatever you call it, it all comes down to probability- the mathematical chance that really good things or terribly bad things are going to happen. Most people live a vanilla life- they go from cradle to the grave bothering no one, achieving nothing much, it’s all just a bit beige, the universe doesn’t bother them much. Other people achieve: they may achieve greatness, they may perpetrate great evil or they may spend the whole lives helping other people. It doesn’t seem to matter which way you make a difference in life, probability doesn’t care, good things happen to bad people and vice versa…
Words & pictues and full story at www.Slidemag.co.uk
Good to see ya back in the water and fighting fit Gwen- Progress Surf
Gower & Swansea surf blog: www.blog.swanseasurfing.com
21 - 16
We made too many mistakes - Gatland
Welsh dreams of winning the Grand Slam for the second year on the trot are this morning in Tatters!
The boys certainly did play their hearts out for us but in the end France were just too strong.
During the past couple of seasons we have become the team to beat and France had certainly done their homework on us!
Fair do's though they beat us fair and square and what an exiting game it was!
Oh well...The Grand Slam is gone, but we are still odds on favourates to take the tournament and that's a damn sight better than where we were just a few seasons ago.
You can check out the full story at: BBC News Aticle
This blog post and more at: www.blog.swanseasurfing.com
Includes interveiws with Warren Gatland, Ryan Jones and French RBS man of the match
Shocked families looked on after a pane shattered at the £32 million centre, which is due to celebrate its first birthday next week.
The incident happened at around 10.30am on Wednesday, half way through a busy half-term week for the waterpark that can hold up to 450.
There were hundreds of people in the water park at the time of the incident.
After opening to a Royal fanfare, the £32 million LC in Swansea has not had an easy first year
The glass pane appears to have mysteriously shattered, when there was no-one near it, and glass fell into the pool area below.
Chief executive of the LC Richard Proctor said: "One of the panes blew — it shattered. "Nothing happened to it at the time."
Mr Proctor said that, while most of the broken glass fell back onto the balcony, some shards of glass fell forward into the swimming pool area below.
He said: "Some of it fell the other side and landed in the pre-swimming shower area.
"As soon as we identified it, we closed that area off. The water pool area was still able to function.
"We shut two slides off because they come out at the bottom (where the glass fell).
"One slide was closed for about 10 minutes and the other one was closed for about two hours."
A woman and a child were treated for minor cuts to their feet by LC staff.
West Cross resident Jane Harris was at the pool with her three sons, William, Harry and Matthew, when the incident took place.
She said: "I saw something fall from the corner of my eye and heard people shouting.
"We got out of the pool to have a look and people were saying that a pane of glass had fallen down.
"We expected to be evacuated, but we weren't. We were surprised — no-one would have argued.
"They did seal the area off, but no one appeared to check the rest of the railings up there.
"How can this happen? It's a new building."
Mr Proctor said the cause of the incident is currently under investigation.
He said: "We contacted the contractor, who was on site at the time.
"They are going to contact the company that installed the glass."
Article fromSouth Wales Evening post, Front Page, Feburary 20th 2009
This blog post and more at http://surf.typepad.com
Man what is going on? It just keeps on Hapening. When surfers and beach goers alike in Australia should be enjoying the beautiful weather and great surf instead they are having to worry about this spate of Shark attacks.
Good job we don't have to worry about Sharks in South Wales. We might get the odd Dog Fish but they aren't gonna chew your arms off are they?
Is it global warming? Is it that the sharks are finding fishing a bit too much like hard work? Does someone keep pis%*ng in the water? Whatever it is those sharks down under are in a frenzy!
This from Fox News
A surfer was attacked Thursday by a shark at Sydney's famous Bondi Beach, seriously injuring his left hand and arm.
The 33-year-old Dover Heights man was surfing at the southern end of the beach when he felt something bite him on the arm, police said.
After calling for help, the man was helped to shore by a number of other surfers.
He sustained severe injuries to his left arm and was taken to the hospital.
A police spokeswoman said the man was fortunate to receive assistance from a number of off-duty doctors who were on the beach at the time he was bitten, which helped stem massive bleeding.
The attack comes one day after a navy diver was savagely attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbor.
The diver lost a hand and has severe injuries to his leg.
The family of the 31-year-old diver, Able Seaman Paul de Gelder, has thanked medical staff and the navy and says he's in "high spirits" despite his serious injuries.
De Gelder was attacked Wednesday when he was taking part in an underwater trial to test new naval defense technology.
Check out the Australian news report here
As a result of the attack, Paul has lost his right hand above the wrist and may lose his right leg, however, he is in high spirits," his family said in a statement released though the Defense Department.
Last month, there were three shark attacks in Australian waters in just two days. You can check out that news report here
This blog post and more at www.blog.swanseasurfing.com
I've just been checking out the Surfers Against Sewage website. I've long been a supporter of their cause and I recon they do some really great things for surfing in the UK and even further afield. Why not lend them a hand and help protect us from water born nasties.
A Surfer who is sick of sewage is not sick!
Lots more detail on the SAS website
"SAS membership costs as little as £1 per month (direct debit) and enables SAS, as your representative, to force legislators, politicians and company executives to listen to the views of water users before making decisions that affect everyone's lives. With a proven reputation as a hard-hitting solution based campaign, SAS has earned a place in the debate, but it is the support and belief of members, which means the organization can use that position to full advantage and take the SAS message to the highest level.
Sometimes those land dwelling 'suits' need a little reality check; the opportunity to understand how decisions made in the comfort of their offices affect the people in the water. SAS provide that reality check in a refreshing yet resolute way, and it's all thanks to members' support.
Now, with a plethora of water quality issues SAS are campaigning to improve, we need your support more than ever. If you want to ensure that the people using the water are kept at the centre of the debate, if you care about the quality of the water, the future health of the planet and the health of future generations to come then you must join SAS!"
You can join the SAS via thier website: www.sas.org.uk/
You can also show your support by joining Surfers Against Sewage FaceBook group
This Blog Entry and others at: http://www.blog.swanseasurfing.com
