Wow! The Billabong Pro has been decided and if we said that there was only ever going to be one winner of this epic stage of the ASP World Tour stop, who would it be? Well, Mr. Kelly Slater of course!

Still the best surfer in the world at thirty-nine, Slater stormed (literally) to a 47^th career victory and back up to top spot in the world rankings yesterday, after the Billabong Pro Tahiti stage which stretched over ten days and was filled with action and drama from day one on the South Pacific, came to a fitting dramatic end.

The Tahiti stage of the ASP World Tour is always one of the best, being that it is one of the best waves in the world but never has it been as big and as dramatic as this! To start things off, event organisers came in for some criticism when it was revealed that Bruce Irons would not be given a free ‘ticket’ to compete in the event. His brother, the late Andy Irons, won here last year and was one of the most prolific surfers in history on this wave. The decision not to include him was later revoked and Bruce had a paddle out with fellow friends and colleagues in between the semi-finals and finals of the event in honour of his brother.

As for conditions, where do we start? On Saturday 27^th August the French Government issued a ‘Code Red’ alert for the area which meant that no water patrol boats were legally aloud to operate. This was due to record breaking 6-10 metre swell! Fair enough. It didn’t stop the big wave riders though – a free tow-in session then took place, not part of the competition itself but a showcase of the world’s elite and it was quite incredible to watch on the live web cast, nothing has ever been captured live like that before. It takes some guts to tackle the force of Mother Nature like they did and we were rewarded with some awesome footage. Check out the videos below.

Back to the competition, some of the bigger names on the Tour such as Billabong surfers Joel Parkinson, Taj Burrows and Nike 6.0 athlete Michel Bourez, fell short of the points relatively early in the competition and it was left to the South Africans Jordy Smith and Travis Logie plus Aussies Josh Kerr and Owen Wright to battle it out between them, not forgetting Jeremy Flores, the Frenchman who scored a perfect 20 in his heat on Sunday. Flores, 23, won the first Andy Irons Award which is awarded for the most committed performance of the event. There were plenty of those. Travis Logie suffered some nasty injuries, no falls are small in those conditions, in fact each and every surfer put his life at risk pretty much just by paddling out – twenty surfers and more than fifty non-competitors were treated for injuries in the ten days of the comp.

In the final Kelly Slater (AUS), beat youngster Owen Wright after scoring 18.43 to his 17.10 and bagged himself $75,000 US first place prize and 10,000 valuable world title ratings points not to mention a reminder that he is still, after ten World Titles, the surfer to beat. Logie and Kerr took joint third.

So, that’s two wins from four starts after the fifth stage of the Tour and Kelly Slater takes the top spot. Can he go all the way, AGAIN? Next stop, another record breaking stage of the comp, New York of all places, this is better than a soap opera!

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

Billabong · surf · Surfing

Michel Bourez took time out to talk to Two Seasons whilst in Europe with Nike 6.0 a while back. He is currently in his native Tahiti competing in the Billabong Pro on the ASP World Tour and is, at this point in time ranked 7th in the world! Here’s what he had to say…

2S: Thanks for taking time out to answer our questions Michel!

MB: Hi! Cool, no problem!

-

2S: So, what’s next on your agenda this summer? Any plans to come to the UK?

MB : Tomorrow I’m going to Mentawai with Nike. Then I return to Tahiti. I have a busy schedule so unless England has become an incredible spot, no this is not planned it! And it’s too cold!

-

2S: You got that right! Which up coming competitions are you hoping to nail this year?

MB : It would be so coooool to win in NY! (The ASP Tour will be stopping on the East Coast of the United States for the very first time, at Long Island’s Long Beach from September 4-15. The Quiksilver Pro New York is an eagerly anticipated new event on the calendar)

-

2S: You are involved in the Nike 6.0 Chosen commercial. Do you like surfing in the dark?

MB : Before participating in The Chosen I had almost never surfed in the dark. It was cool, a supa cool new experience! The Chosen happened in Bali on an incredible spot : Keramas. I think I’ll do it again one day. Eventually, one night!

-

2S: Whilst travelling the world on your surf adventures, what 3 items can you not live without?

MB: My phone, My sunglasses and a lighter…

-

2S: And sun cream we hope! Where’s your favourite secret spot?

MB: My secret spot? Ah ha somewhere…!

-

2S: What has been your proudest moment in life?

MB: 2009 When I qualified for the ASP World Tour.

-

2S: You have had loads of great results in your career so far. What else to you hope to achieve?

MB : I train hard to win competitions and get closer to the title. It’s my dream!

-

2S: We need to brush up on our skills in the water. Tell us how, please…

MB : Rest, balanced diet, stretching and go!

-

2S: What do you enjoy doing on a lay day?

MB : When I do not surf I like to know what’s happening in the world. I check the news on the internet. Then I watch movies, I see my friends, I do the same stuff as everybody else.

-

2S: We know you grew up in Tahiti so you were born a surfer but tell us about your first experience on a surf board…

MB : I can’t remember ever not having surfed… to be more precise, I remember I was 5 or 6 years. I was with my brother. One of his buddies had a board so we went to the beach and I rode it, I liked the feeling. I wanted to do what the others were doing, turning on the waves . After that we returned there almost every day, except when our parents were not there to take us. He had to cross the road, we had no right to go without dad or mom…. Hehehehe!

-

2S: What do you eat before a competition?

MB : I eat pasta, meat, fruits, vegetables. I avoid anything that is fatty.

-

2S: What would you do career-wise if you weren’t a surfer?

MB: Maybe footballer. It would be cool, no? They wear nice striped shirts! Or an engineer !!

What a cool guy, thanks Michel! We hope to see you get even closer to that number one spot!

surf · Surfing

It’s the eighth year of the joining together of surf communities across the globe in an attempt to create awareness of the sport, to have fun on the beach and clean those beaches up for all to enjoy. The scale of the day has grown to over thirty countries and regions now and there are over one hundred and eighty different events planned for the day. Join in with International Surfing Day which takes place this Sunday 19th June worldwide.

In the UK the SAS (Surfers against Sewage) are hosting the Goldcoast Oceanfest in North Devon as the official UK environmental partner. There will be plenty going on over three days from 17th -19th June in celebration of International Surfing Day on Sunday including music (from the likes of Sea Sick Steve!) and organised activities for everyone so don’t forget your board shorts and wetsuits! To raise awareness of the importance of keeping our beaches clean you can join in the Trash Mob Beach Clean between 1-3pm on Saturday. Grab your gloves and bin bags from the SAS stand and getting picking that litter! The most successful litter collector will be rewarded with a special prize and fifty free surf lesson vouchers (to be used the following day) available for youth volunteers taking part aged between 16-25.

If you can make it to North Devon then it is definitely an excellent cause to join. Visit the following website for more info http://www.sas.org.uk/news/2011/06/13/sas-goldcoast-oceanfest-north-devon

surf · Surf fashion · Surfing

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!

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

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!

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

surf · Surfing

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

No new news to report on the Billabong Pipe Masters after the competition was called off for the fourth successive day in a row. The competition got off to a great start on the first day of the waiting period but since then there has been no action because of flat surf and stormy weather. Things are set to remain the same until Wednesday when the weather is forecasted to change and bring a better angled swell.

First up in the Round 3 opening heat will be Billabong surfer Taj Burrow (AUS) who will be in competition with fellow Australian Matt Wilkinson. In heat two Joel Parkinson has the opportunity to wrap up his third Vans Triple Crown. Stay tuned and watch all the lay day footage at www.triplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters

Billabong · Competition · surf · Surfing

Billabong surfer Joel Parkinson is back with a bang! After six months out following an absolutely horrific cut through the foot whilst surfing, ‘Parko’ has won his first contest, the REEF Hawaiian Title. The Australian sliced the bottom of his foot open back at the Billabong J-Bay Pro Surf comp earlier this year when his board bit back at him. Ouch, not a pleasant thing to see. Not only has he been struggling back to fitness after the injury, he has been on an emotional rollercoaster of a whole different level over the past month after the birth of his first son and the death of one of his closest friends, fellow Billabong surfer, Andy Irons.

Parkinson beat Joel Centeio, Heathe Joske and Julian Wilson in the final at Haleiwa in Hawaii yesterday after scoring 15.00 heat total (out of 20.00), his smooth powerful surfing earning him 7.17 and 7.83 scores, picking up the $20,000 prize and sending out a warning signal to his rivals he is serious about defending his Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title.

The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is well under way now and this win for Parko means that he is leading the competition with the final event of the contest approaching in the form of the Billabong Pipe Masters Pro from 6^th December.

Billabong · Competition · surf · Surfing

The dates for the 2010 Billabong Pipe Masters event have been released. The final round of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing will take place between 8^th – 20^th December and will of course attract the worlds best surfers to one of the world’s biggest, hardest and most dangerous waves, the Banzai Pipeline on Oahu’s North Shore in Hawaii.

The Pipe Masters is the world’s longest running and most prestigious professional surf contest and this year celebrates its 40^th anniversary while the Vans Triple Crown event celebrates its 30^th anniversary, a doubly special year. The competition is also year dedicated to the memory of Andy Irons who died earlier this month. Irons won the event four times in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006.

There is a lot resting on this competition for those who are still in it. The ASP elite competitor list was cut from 45 to 35 meaning there are fewer places for those lower down the ranks and potentially that could affect their professional surfing careers for ever.
Billabong say, “Pipe is held by many with as much reverence as the World Title itself. The history of the place, combined with the sheer ferocity of the wave, makes winning the Pipe Masters a career highlight. Great rivalries in the sport have had their most intense matches here, from the Mark Richards/Cheyne Horan duels of the early Eighties to the fiery clashes of Tom Curren/Mark Occhilupo and the all-time battles between World Champs Andy Irons and Kelly Slater for the last decade.” Last year the competition was won by Billabong surfer Taj Burrow (AUS) who will surely be in contention again this year.

Basically this is THE competition to win and with $400,000 prize money on top of the exposure the stakes are high. This one could quite possibly be the biggest professional competition in surfing history.

We will be updating the Two Seasons blog whilst the comp is running but why not visit http://triplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters for more info too.

Billabong · Competition · surf · Surfing

After a sad week in the surf world, Kelly Slater has come through to win his 10^th ASP World Title at the Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico just days after his friend and fellow competitor Andy Irons tragically died in a hotel room in Dallas, Texas.

The victory which saw Quiksilver sponsored Slater win his 45^th elite tour stage means that he has smashed records light, right and centre. He is both the youngest and the oldest surfer to win an ASP World Title and he is certainly the first person ever to win ten titles. He has won his previous ASP World Championships in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2006 and 2008. His career victories now include 45 WCT wins and two ESPN X Games gold medals.

Not only did he win the title before he even got to the final of the Rip Curl Pro Search, he went on to post an incredible 18.77 out of a possible 20, securing the event’s second Perfect 10, showing exactly how he has achieved what he has achieved in his career which has spanned over two decades.

Slater says of his victory, “I feel relieved, honestly. It’s been the most stressful title I’ve ever had, because it’s sort of an unknown place and you know at my age people say ‘you shouldn’t be doing this.’ And all the young guys are getting better and it’s a challenge to believe in yourself and not believe what other people tell you. I know how good Jordy, Dane, Mick, (Billabong sponsored)Taj and all those guys are, and it’s a marathon, you know? It’s not one wave, it’s not one manoeuvre, it’s not one contest. It’s a year-long thing and I know how to focus and it came together and I’m just so relieved.”

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

Competition · surf · Surfing