Big wave surfing has never been bigger, literally. As with all action sports the boundaries are constantly being pushed. With surfing, there is minimal room for error and what’s more if error occurs the consequences can be fatal. In recent years there have been a couple of high profile figures in the surf world who have lost their lives, most recently Sion Milosky who drowned after being held under at Mavericks, California back in March this year.

It doesn't get much bigger than that!

After retiring from professional surfing, Shane Dorian, a long time member of the Billabong team has focused his attention on a life saving project. As a big wave surfer himself, he has experience firsthand being held under, only moments away from loosing his own life. Now, along with the help of Billabong’s wetsuit designer he has designed a special wetsuit, different from any other. Similar to an ABS bag which is used on the mountain and activated in the event of the wearer being caught in an avalanche whilst skiing or snowboarding, a pocket in the wetsuit is inflated by gas from a cylinder neatly stowed in the suit. The aim is for the surfer to be safely brought to the service no matter how far down they are.

Check out the video, it’s really quite interesting not to mention ground breaking.

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Billabong · Surfing

Fat cheque for Adriano De Souza

The 3^rd stage of the ASP World Tour came to an end over the weekend with local Brazilian hero Adriano de Souza claiming the top spot in Rio and in the overall ASP World Title Rankings. The twenty-four year old beat veteran Taj Burrow (AUS) in the final at Barra Da Tijuca, in just two to three foot waves.

The Billabong Pro Rio got off to a slow start which saw a week’s worth of lay days and then varied, challenging conditions at the two breaks of Arpoador and the tricky beach break of Barra Da Tijuca, the competition being pushed through four consecutive days in the end.

For Billabong surfer Taj Burrow it was another frustrating end to an ASP stage, he has now come painfully close to the top spot twice this year having been defeated by Kelly Slater (USA) on the Gold Coast on the first stop and now again in Brazil.

Obviously disappointed, “I’m pretty devastated right now, but eventually I’ll be able to smile about it,” Burrow said. “Two seconds is good, but I didn’t want to lose that one, I wasn’t planning on losing that one.”

Frenchman Jeremy Flores came in 3rd

Frenchman and Quiksilver surfer Jeremy Flores, 23, came in an impressive equal 3^rd place after beating current no.2 Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, in their semi-final heat. He had been suffering with a pretty bad knee injury but has recovered well and was pleased with his performance in his first event of the year. Bede Durbidge (AUS), 28, was his equal in third.

Josh Kerr (AUS) took home the prize in the Nixon Winner-Takes-All event and claimed victory for “Biggest Air” during Nixon’s first WTA stop of the year. Next stop is another Billabong Pro in J-Bay, South Africa, July 14^th – 24^th where the highest heat score will win. Check out Kerr’s full rotation front-side 360 indy grab which bagged him the $10,000 USD watch…

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Top 10 on the ASP World Title Series After the Billabong Rio Pro:

1. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 20,500
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 19,200
3. Kelly Slater (USA) 16,950
4.Taj Burrow (AUS) 16,500
5. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14,750
6. Owen Wright (AUS) 12,150
7. Michel Bourez (PYF) 12,000
8. Mick Fanning (AUS) 11,500
9.Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11,000
9.Tiago Pires (PRT) 11,000

Billabong · Competition · Surfing

Alongside the main event in the surf calendar the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Tour, our friends at Nixon are running a Winner Takes All competition, The Nixon WTA, on four stops along the way. The first stop of the 2011 WTA series is taking place as we speak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the Billabong Pro Rio where the first day’s action commenced yesterday.

Typical Taj Burrows

So what does the winner take? Well, basically a very fat, flash and expensive, one-of-a-kind Nixon watch worth over $10,000 USD with custom features, sapphires and diamonds here there and everywhere! We’d settle for that!

Taboo from the Black Eye Peas sporting a 51-30!

There are various challenges to complete on each of the different stages and the winner bags the watch should they smash the Biggest Air in Rio or the Heaviest Wave in Teahupoo, Tahiti. The two other stages will take place in Jeffreys Bay, SA (where Taj Burrow won last year’s round) and Oahu in Hawaii.

This year marks the 5^th year of the Nixon WTA and once again ensures Nixon’s status as a super premium watch brand not only in the action sports world but in the wider world of fashion too. Check out our extensive collection at

http://www.twoseasons.co.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/TwoSeasons/_121870/1/Nixon

Surfing

Wow! Parko is second in the ASP World Tour standings

The third stage of eleven of the ASP World Tour is upon us and it’s going down in the form of the Billabong Pro Rio at Barra Da Tijuca in Rio De Janeiro.

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, who is second in the ASP Tour stakes after an emphatic win on the second stop at Bells Beach, is hoping to capitalize on his new found confidence.

“I think my form has always been there, but I was missing confidence,” Parkinson said. “Being back in the winner’s circle has brought that back and I feel like I’m surfing good again. Making the right decisions in heats is the key and it feels good to be back into it.”

Wish we were there!

It kind of goes without saying that Kelly Slater is leading the ASP World Tour at present and he has fond memories of Rio De Janeiro. In the first round Slater will be up against Nike 6.0 sponsored surfer Julian Wilson (AUS) in Heat 6.

Quiksilver surfer Jeremy Flores (FRA) is Europe’s only contender and we hope for good results for him. He will be taking on C.J. Hobgood (USA) and Josh Kerr (AUS) in Heat 8.

Another interesting prospect is the Brazilian surfing prodigy, Peterson Crisanto who has been awarded a coveted wildcard spot into the main event. The 19-year-old from Parana state will be the youngest surfer in the event. Check out the Billabong Pro Rio webisode featuring the young Brazilian’s moves (he’s got a fair few) below and keep up to the minute with live webcasts on http://www.billabongpro.com/ when the action actually kicks off.

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So, the waiting period began today and waiting they are, the waves are said to have been mostly closing out so it has been delayed and another decision will be made tomorrow  at 7am local time for a possible 7:30am start…

Billabong · Surfing

Shane Dorian on the Monster

The Oscars of the surf world have been decided thanks to the 11^th Billabong XXL Awards fuelled by Monster Energy, which were presented over the weekend in California. The awards represent the biggest, gnarliest waves that have been ridden and captured in a variety of different countries from France to Fiji and Ireland to Tasmania, over the past twelve months.

Brazilian Danilo Couto took home the top prize for Ride of the Year bagging himself $50,000 plus the keys for a new truck, presented by non other than skateboarding legend Tony Hawk! Prior to this winter’s paddle-in assault, the Jaws break in Maui, Hawaii had long been regarded as a spot so difficult to ride a jet-ski tow in assist was required. On the same break in Maui, Hawaiian Shane Dorian surfed into the record books by paddling into a 57 footer! He easily won the Monster Paddle Award and also the Monster Tube Award on the same wave on the same day for catching one of the greatest barrels of all time. Good day for Dorian!

“It was an epic swell, a real late season swell,” recalled Dorian. “I didn’t really catch a lot of big waves throughout the whole year…I was just stoked the swell came my way, near my house in Maui, and we scored. The Monster Tube award is pretty special –I mean every surfer wants to get tubed, right?” Right!

Benjamin Sanchis on Belharra Reef in France

Other winners included Frenchman Benjamin Sanchis who took the Billabong XXL Biggest Wave Award with a wave that measured 67ft on the face! Proud to be representing Europe, Sanchis nailed the wave (Belharra) which is just a short distance from his home in the Basques Country on the French/Spanish border. For the ladies, Billabong’s own Keala Kennelly from Hawaii took the Girls Performance of the Year Award a title Brazilian Maya Gabeira had won for the past four years.

Billabong · Competition · surf · Surfing

Kelly Slater, retirement? The word has been spoken by the man himself but there has been no specific time or date mentioned yet, maybe the opening stage on this year’s ASP Tour might be his last competition, maybe it won’t. Maybe he says, he will do a farewell Aloha Tour. That would be better, we certainly want to see the legend that is Kelly Slater, 39, out there smashing the surf for as long as possible. Always keeping his private life private, he has got given anymore info away saying only that his 2011 agenda is undecided…

The Quiksilver Pro event on the Australian Gold Coast in just a couple of days away, starting on 26th February is the first of eleven stages and Slater is headlining it, after all he is the reigning ten time ASP World Tour champ! He will face Kai Otten (AUS), 31 and an event wildcard in the opening rounds.

Maybe he is worried about the competition from the thirty-four other surfers on the tour this year, the best surfer’s in the world. Throughout the winter he has been putting in the training between his homes of Hawaii and California. He says of the off-season, “I’ve been hanging in Hawaii and getting boards sorted out in California and having down time. Surfing myself out most of January was fun.”

Parko winning the Gold Coast stage in 2009

Billabong surfer Joel Parkinson (AUS) 29, is back up to full fitness after the horrific injury he sustained during last year’s tour (slicing through his foot real bad with the fin of his board) almost ending his career let alone just the season. He still managed to finish off the season with a Vans Triple Crown win though. Of course Parko is well up for it this year, he says “I guess the benefit now is that I’m hungry – not only to compete, but just to surf. That’s one of the key things with surfing on the tour, you’ve got to not only stay hungry to surf throughout a whole event, you’ve got to stay hungry over the course of a whole year. The way I’m feeling at the moment, I’m going to paddle out for my last heat of the year at Pipe even hungrier than I was when I paddled out for my first heat at Snapper. That’s how I’m feeling, that’s how hungry I am to surf right now. And the thing now is that I’ve got three kids, so it’s not like I can go surfing five times a day. I’ve got to pick and choose my windows to surf in and I have to make the most of them.” Wow, passionate!

Parkinson should breeze through Round 1 being drawn against South American duo of Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, and Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21. It would be nice to see him win an inaugural crown after so many near misses. Anything could happen this year, whether Kelly Slater is around or not…

Competition · quiksilver · Surfing

Wavegarden

Fancy a trip with a difference? Want to learn to surf without being eaten up by the sea?

If you have ever learnt to surf then you know that it’s the best feeling when you pop up onto two feet for the first time. Unfortunately, usually that doesn’t come easy, for the first few goes you will suffer for your efforts, being dragged through the white water whilst trying to catch a breath and ending up beached and having to get yourself all the way back out there, fighting back the white water once more… It’s exhausting.

The new Wavegarden in the Basque Country in Northern Spain is a surfer’s playground whether you are new to the sport or not. It is a purpose built wave pool in beautiful surroundings that churns out a consistent authentic surf wave. Instant Engineering Company who is responsible for creating the Wavegarden say, ‘Our vision gives people of all ages and surfing levels the ability to enjoy a beach environment and a real surfing experience…beyond the oceans of the world.’

The long bore-style wave is both economically and ecologically sound. It has given a new dimension to inland water sports and will no doubt be a huge success. Looks like fun!

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surf · Surfing

The new Billabong Broadpeak jacket for the ladies has been introduced and will be widely available to the public for next winter 11/12. We however may be able to get our hands on a couple before the spring so watch this space…

Also, winging its way to stores as we speak is the Billabong x Bob Marley Collaboration and we have one of the only early release collections available! Only a few styles of board shorts and tees are available to start with but more bits will be added as we get closer to the summer. All of the products are made using recycled and organic materials so as to reduce pollution but still provide superior quality and performance.

Billabong · Surf fashion · Surfing

Joel Parkinson showing off his Triple Crown Trophy

Youngster Jeremy Flores, 22 has won the Billabong Pipemasters in Hawaii, the final stage of the Vans Triple Crown Tour which has taken place over the past year.  The Frenchman defeated Kieren Perrows in the final after a late surge to victory in clean one and a half backdoor barrels, the first European surfer ever to win the competition. He had knocked out Kelly Slater in similar fashion in the semifinals but in the finals he was close to defeat himself, he needed a single wave score of 8.60 and pulled a score of 9.37 out of the bag in literally the last few seconds! He smashed all of his PB’s, into the record books for being the first European to win the event in it’s history and on a more personal level it was his first ASP World Tour stage win.

Second winner of the day was Billabong surfer Joel Parkinson who won the overall Vans Triple Crown. He came thirteenth overall at Pipeline but when Adrian Buchan lost to Slater in the quarterfinals and a previous stage win and another good result since coming back from injury, meant the Aussie won the Crown for a third successive year.

Billabong · Competition · Surfing

A perfect 10 for Kelly Slater

The Billabong Pipe Masters in memory of Andy Irons, the final stop on the Triple Vans Crown tour, was back in full swing with a two metre Backdoor barrel yesterday. Rounds three, four and five were completed in a mammoth day, making the most of the excellent conditions at Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii.

There were thrills and spills, Quiksilver surfer Kelly Slater was a thrill (as always) winning his place in the quarter finals with the event’s only perfect 10.

“There’s only one or two (waves) in a set, but they’re really good when they come”. Slater said.  “That 10 was a long one. It had that good north corner on it and the right was just growing. That one hit the reef really well.”

Slater will face Australian Adrian Buchan in Quarterfinal no.2. He is the only person who can challenge Joel Parkinson for the Vans Triple Crown title after the Aussie failed to qualify through to the Quarters. Parko and fellow Aussie Owen Wright had a dramatic showdown, Wright eventually coming out on top in the last ten minutes of the round. He then went on to beat defending Billabong Pipe Masters Champion Taj Burrow (AUS), 32. It will be a young first Quarterfinal heat when the competition resumes with Wright taking on Frenchman Jeremy Flores.

With the likes of Mick Fanning also out of the running here is the line up for the Quarterfinals:

QF 1: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
QF 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
QF 4: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Dane Reynolds (USA)

The competition is set to continue with good surf at 7.45am Hawaiian time and the winner of the Triple Crown will be crowned.

Billabong · surf · Surfing