HIGH PERFORMANCE START TO 6.0 LOWERS PRO DAY ONE

SAN CLEMENTE, California (Tuesday, April 29, 2008) – The 6.0 Lowers Pro commenced competition this morning in clean two-to-three foot (1 meter) surf at Lower Trestles, California and Day 1 saw the famed cobblestone pointbreak play host to some of the most dynamic surfing of the season.
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 4-Star event completed the opening round of competition today as well as the first nine heats of Round 2.
Shane Beschen (San Clemente, CA), a four-time past champion of the ASP WQS event at Lower Trestles (1992, 1993, 1996, 2003) and former world runner-up on the ASP World Tour, proved why he is the man to beat at the venue, posting a solid 14.33 out of a possible 20 to advance through to Round 3.
“I’m just going out and having fun and want to keep making heats,” Beschen said. “It looks like some swell is on the forecast too, and I’m looking forward to a good event.”
Jason Collins (Santa Cruz, CA) was another standout surfer today, amassing an impressive 17.16 points out of a possible 20 in his Round 1 heat before advancing through to Round 3 (behind Beschen) this afternoon.
“The waves are pretty good today – better than I thought they would be as I thought it would be flat,” Collins said. “I’m riding a Stretch epoxy and it seemed to be working really well today so hopefully I can keep getting a couple of good waves each heat and have a good event.”
Zach Keenan (Cardiff, CA), a veteran campaigner on the ASP WQS, put his years of competitive experience to use today, winning both his Round 1 and Round 2 heats. Keenan dropped an impressive single wave score of a 9.17 out of possible 10 for a series of blistering rail gouges and will look to the generated momentum to his advantage in Round 3.
“I usually have a better seed, but I only did a couple of contests last year,” Keenan said. “I definitely think it’s important to get into a rhythm early on in an event, especially at a wave like Lowers. It helps to get into a groove in the earlier rounds to get your form up. That way you’re able to continue that rhythm in the later rounds when it really matters.”
Kyle Ramey (Poipu Beach, Hi), utilizing his progressive blend of new school wizardry, smashed his Round 2 heat choosing the clean Lowers righthanders to unleash his impressive forehand attack.
“I’m feeling pretty good, my boards are going good, and the surf is a lot bigger than it has been,” Ramey said. “I’m just going to try go get good waves, go big, do some big turns, and get some good scores in the rest of the event.”
Brent Dorrington (Coolangatta, AUS), last season’s Oakley Pro Junior at Lowers Champion, has graduated from the ASP Pro Junior Series onto the ASP WQS, and proved he is ready for the challenge, dominating his Round 1 heat today.
“I’m feeling good and I’ve got a few good boards right now, so I’m stoked,” Dorrington said. “I really like this wave, and I got a couple of good ones today. I’m just looking to go heat by heat to try and advance through the next rounds.”
With Dorrington now competing exclusively on the ASP WQS, a new champion will be crowned in this season’s ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior, which begins competition on Friday, May 2, 2008.
In addition to the importance of helping surfers qualify for the prestigious ASP World Tour, the 6.0 Lowers Pro also kick starts the 2008 Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series (and ASP North America Specialty Series). The event at Lowers will see three past Trifecta Champions in Asher Nolan (Jacksonville Beach, FL), Nathan Yeomans (San Clemente, CA) and Adam Virs (Ventura, CA) all donning competition jerseys in the coming days so the Surf Series is looking at an explosive start.
The ASP WQS 4-Star 6.0 Lowers Pro will recommence tomorrow morning at 8am with Heat 10 of Round 2.
All 6.0 Lowers Pro action is being webcast LIVE via www.nike6lowerspro.com

Read more...

Adam Robertson Crowned 2008 O’Neill Highland Open by Swatch Champion at Thurso East

THURSO, Thurso East, Scotland (Tuesday, April 29, 2008) - Adam Robertson (Victoria, AUS) became the third O’Neill Highland Open by Swatch Champion today, finishing victorious after another 23-heat marathon day. Robertson, who surfed through five heats to eventually clinch the prestigious Highlander sword, defeated Adam Melling (Gold Coast, AUS) in glassy three foot (one meter) waves at the world class venue of Thurso East.
Robertson was crowned at the famous righthander where it all started two years ago, and tamed the consistent three to five foot (1 to 1.5 meter) waves to win his maiden ASP WQS 6-Star Prime event. Posting a solid 14.50 point heat score to best Melling’s 11.50 tally (both out of possible 20), Robertson raised the Highlander’s sword in front of a cheering Australian contingent.
"It is the best day of my life," Robertson said. "I could not wait to raise that sword, it is like a dream coming true for me... I cannot belive it. Compared to Brims Ness’ Bowl, it was more comfortable and I had more time and space to surf my best today."
Robertson, 26, who has had a slow start this year, secures precious 3 000 points counting for the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) ratings.
"I have had a tough start this year," Robertson said. "I feel like confidence came heat after heat. Such a big relief to take this one home, so stoked."
Melling, who defeated top European WQS campaigner Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) and 2000 ASP World Champion Sunny Garcia (HAW) on today, was stopped in the final of the Highland Open, still getting the best result of his career as well.
"I have been doing well here in the past couple of years and I really love the waves," Melling said. "Pretty stoked with this result, it is a big step on the ratings and this one gives me a lot of confidence to push it further this year. I was stoked to surf against Adam and he just got the better set waves and deserves to take the win."
Hugo Savalli (REU), 25, was the best European of the O’Neill Highland Open reaching semifinal No. 2 where he was defeated by Melling. Savalli, who faced an on-fire Melling, missed his final’s ticket by 0.64 points in the last five seconds of the heat but leaves Scotland with his best result ever.
"I did all I could in that heat but Adam (Melling) got this last-second ride," Savalli said. "This is the best result of my career so I could not expect anything better in such a big event."
Savalli, who reached Round 4 in Australia and made the quarterfinals in France, will be a serious contender among the top WQS surfers from now on.
"I have been training hard and differently since the beginning of the year and it seems to work well," Savalli said. "Everyone has been supporting me here and I am just stoked to get this result and fly the European flag."
David Weare (ZAF) placed equal 3rd in the Highland Open today, posting a second excellent result back to back after his recent win in Durban 6-Star Prime event. Weare, a former ASP Top 45 surfer, clinched 5250 ratingspoints in the last two events and already sits as a favorite for a spot in next year’s Dream Tour.
"It was a really close heat and one wave made the difference again," Weare said. "Priorities play a major part in man-on-man heats and Adam (Robertson) got the ultimate better wave to make it. It has been a really successful trip to Scotland for me and it is a very good result. I will be back for sure."
Sunny Garcia (HAW), 38, secured another excellent result today with his equal 5th place. Garcia, 2000 ASP World Champion, got through five rounds before losing to Adam Melling (AUS) in Quarterfinal No. 4.
"I knew it was a good wave here and I am happy with this result," Garcia said. "Fifth is good but I am still wanted to win.The waves earlier were suiting my surfing more but the sudden drop in the swell made it too difficult."
Garcia, who is sitting in the WQS Top 20 at the moment, secured precious points under his belt towards his ASP World Tour requalification campaign.
"I feel like it is makable for me right now," Garcia said. "I know it is not going to be easy but I am going to train during this month break before the Maldives and I will more prepared for the smaller waves."
The 2008 O’Neill Highland Open by Swatch went from classic six foot (two meter) Brims Ness to clean glassy Thurso East, taking the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) world’s best qualifiers to Scotland’s best cold water North shore waves.

Read more...

Congratulations Russ and Jessica on the New Kid!

Madison Riley Becker was born on Friday, April 25th to long time HSS graphic artist Russ Becker and lovely wife Jessica. 9 lbs. 11 oz. and plenty of aloha already. Congratulations you guys, she's beautiful! We're so stoked for you guys.

Read more...

HB LOCAL TRAVIS POTTER CONTRACTS MALARIA

HB surfer and longtime Indonesian visitor Travis Potter contracted a potentially deadly strain of cerebral malaria while traveling through the Southeast Asian island chain last week.
The Seal Beach goofyfoot spent a hard month searching for undiscovered waves in Papua New Guinea with a half dozen other ferals, filming for an upcoming surf movie called Isolated.
He returned to Jakarta last Tuesday, April 8th to regroup and prepare for another two-week Outer Island camping trip when he was overtaken by fever and checked himself into the hospital.
"I had dinner with Travis on Tuesday night (the 8th) right before I flew home and he was fine," remembers Filmer Steve Volz, who was with Travis for the month-long hell-trip. "But he called me the next night with a huge fever, saying he had gotten malaria and was in the hospital, and that if I started getting a fever I should get checked out."
Potter spent the following five days in a Jarkarta hospital, occasionally texting friends and family to them know he was OK. According to some reports, Travis' strain of malaria has a 20% mortality rate, which has people at home concerned; his Javanese wife Nino was in California when it was first discovered, but quickly flew back to Indonesia and she's with him now.
"He sounded better last time we talked to him a couple days ago," explained his father Dave on Friday afternoon. "But the treatment he went through was awful. He lost all kinds of weight."
More from his folks on April 23: "Travis is now in Bali. He is better and thinks he is in recovery mode. He is going to get a blood test, have it analyzed and try to communicate with the malaria specialist who is away from Bali now. After the consultation with the specialist, Travis will have an idea about his recovery status and duration."

Donations are also being accepted (info below).
VIA PAYPAL:
spiritwindranch@msn.com
VIA SNAIL MAIL:
Travis Potter Malaria Relief Fund
59512 Hop Patch Spring Road
Mountain Center CA 92561

Our thoughts and prayers are with you Travis!

Read more...

CONGRATULATIONS HSS TEAM RIDER JASON HARRIS ON YOUR MONSTER ENERGY/SUN DIEGO PRO-AM SURF TOUR VICTORY!

Event # 7 of The 2007-2008 Monster Energy/Sun Diego PRO-AM Surf Tour presented by Ezekiel was held April 19-20 at Ocean Beach Pier in solid 3-5 foot waves. With only one more event left before the Championship event, HSS Team Rider Jason Harris scored a huge victory! This should propel him up the rankings to be in the top 5 in the Jr. Pro division going into the final 2 events of the year. Jason has been working hard under the training of the legendary Ian Cairns and claims that this played a big part in his victory this weekend. Nice work Jason!

Read more...

TEAM HSS GOES OFF AT THE SOUTHWEST EXPLORER #9 AT SAN CLEMENTE PIER

NSSA SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE
EXPLORER SEASON EVENT #9
SAN CLEMENTE PIER NORTHSIDE
APRIL 19-20, 2008
CONDITIONS: Consistent 3-4 foot waves with fun lefts and rights

The Southwest Conference Explorer Season continued with event #9 on the northside of the San Clemente Pier. A building southwest swell served up plenty of good chest to shoulder high lefts and rights throughout the two day event with sunny weather prevailing. With one stop remaining on the Explorer tour, most of the conference title races are still too close to call but there were a couple clinchers at this one.

Colton Larson took out the Men’s division in an exciting come-from-behind triumph in the closing minutes of the final. A good left came through and Larson took advantage exploding with big backside maneuvers earning 8’s from the judges. No. 1 ranked Nick Suhadolnik placed fourth and will rack up enough points to more or less wrap up the conference crown. All he has to do is basically show up to event #10. Brent Reilly continued his banner year winning his fifth event in the Juniors division while firing off the contest’s only perfect 10. In Juniors Round 2, Reilly asserted his barrel magic once again pulling into another stunning, crowd-roaring deep tube on a set left, emerging from the chamber and finishing it off with a big vertical blast. The victory was a title clincher for Reilly and now he will set his sights on the prestigious Southwest Open crown next weekend at Oceanside’s South Jetty. That race is down to a four man showdown with No. 1 ranked Dane Zaun holding down an 800-plus advantage over Andrew Bennett, Conner Coffin and Reilly. The competition should be intense as the four contenders could make a run. Zaun has been pumped up to take the title since he jumped out to a head start with his opening day heroics back in September, Bennett is longing to close out his amateur career with a title, Coffin is the youngster in the crowd with nothing to lose and Reilly’s momentum and motivation could prove to be a major threat.

Luke Davis was unstoppable in the Boys category winning every heat including the final and locking up the conference title. He also put in a solid performance in the competitively steep Juniors division with a fourth place showing. In the Menehuenes, Kanoa Igarashi was back in the winners circle capturing his second win of the season. Igarashi will remain in the No. 3 position in the ratings, while No. 1 and No. 2 ranked Colin Moran and Taylor Clark will have to battle it out at the season finale for the conference title. Jenna Balestar claimed her first win of the season defeating top seeds Alexa Frantz and Taylor Pitz in the Women’s final. In a clutch situation, Anise Guzman ripped a 9.0 score on her last wave in the Girls final to capture her second win of the season. Rick Takahashi and No. 2 YuFu Penrose went one-two in the Masters final and they will be going head-to-head in the season finale for top conference honors. Barry Deffenbaugh took his third consecutive victory in the Seniors division while runner-up Neil Bern will leapfrog to the top of the leader board. Jeffrey O’Donnell has been on a roll stringing up three straight first places in the Super Seniors which will essentially secure him the conference crown. In Longboard competition, Cole Robbins collected his second win in a row. Division leader Scott Brandenburg took fifth in the final and will remain the frontrunner for the title.

THE SCOREBOARD
RESULTS
SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE EXPLORER #9
SAN CLEMENTE PIER, NORTHSIDE

EXPLORER MENS
1. Colton Larson-Huntington Beach 13.5
2. Dane Zaun-Hollyglen 10.5
3. Kyle Kennelly-Huntington Beach 9.5
4. Nick Suhadolnik-Solana Beach 8.5
5. Graham Chesnie-Newport Beach 7.5
6. Tanner Long-Encinitas 0.0

EXPLORER JUNIORS
1. Brent Reilly-Carlsbad
2. Gabe Garcia-Carlsbad
3. Christian Saenz-Huntington Beach
4. Luke Davis-Capistrano Beach
5. JD Lewis-Encinitas
6. Evan Kane-Huntington Beach

EXPLORER BOYS
1. Luke Davis-Capistrano Beach 13.5
2. Jared Thorne-Newport Beach 12.5
3. Derek Peters-Huntington Beach 12.0
4. Taylor Thorne-Newport Beach 8.0
5. Blake Davis-Newport Beach 7.5 tiebreak
6. Kelly Zaun-Hollyglen 7.5 tiebreak

EXPLORER MENEHUENE
1. Kanoa Igarashi-Huntington Beach 12.0
2. Colin Moran-Costa Mesa 10.0
3. Johnny Elles-Huntington Beach 9.0
4. Taylor Clark-Encinitas 8.5
5. Jacob Davis-Capistrano Beach 8.0
6. Jake Saenz-Huntington Beach 7.5

EXPLORER WOMENS
1. Jenna Balester-Huntington Beach 10.5
2. Marissa Shaw-San Clemente 9.0
3. Taylor Pitz-Laguna Beach 8.5
4. Heather Jordan-Oceanside 7.5
5. Alexa Frantz-San Diego 7.0
6. Cassidy Wehsener-Encinitas 5.5

EXPLORER GIRLS
1. Anise Guzman-Huntington Beach 13.0
2. Shelby Detmers-Long Beach 6.0
3. Emmy Merrill-San Clemente 5.5
4. Melina Smith-San Clemente 5.0
5. Harley Taich-La Jolla 4.5
6. Charlotte Shanahan-San Clemente 3.5

EXPLORER MASTERS
1. Rick Takahashi-San Diego 12.5
2. YuFu Penrose-San Clemente 9.5
3. Eduardo Kill-Huntington Beach 6.5
4. Jon Warren-Costa Mesa 6.0
5. Barry Deffenbaugh-Huntington Beach 4.0
6. Tim Senneff-Del Mar 3.0

EXPLORER SENIORS
1. Barry Deffenbaugh-Huntington Beach 9.0
2. Neil Bern-Carlsbad 8.0
3. Mike Gillard-Coronado 8.0
4. Jeffrey O’Donnell-Canoga Park 7.5
5. Jeff Marder-San Clemente 7.0
6. Terry Gillard-Imperial Beach 6.5

EXPLORER SUPER SENIORS
1. Jeffrey O’Donnell-Canoga Park 9.0
2. Bill Macleod-Rolling Hills Est. 7.5
3. Kyle Twichell-San Clemente 7.0
4. Mike Gillard-Coronado 6.5
5. Dale Baker-San Clemente 5.5
6. Rick Fignetti-Huntington Beach 2.5

EXPLORER LONGBOARD
1. Cole Robbins-Carlsbad 11.0
2. Mike Lallande-Long Beach 8.5
3. Mike Gillard-Coronado 8.0
4. Terry Gillard-Imperial Beach 7.5
5. Scott Brandenburg-San Clemente 7.0
6. Cody Ulrich-San Clemente 6.5

Read more...

Lay Day for Day 1 of the O'Neill Highland Open by Swatch

April 23, 2008 PRESS RELEASE
A lay day was called for the first day of the O'Neill Highland Open, an ASP 6-Star World Qualifying Series (WQS) event, today. The decision was an easy one for contest director Matt Wilson.
"It was a pretty easy call to make," Wilson said. "We came down to Thurso East at 6am and there was absolutely nothing happening there. Then we headed to check Brims, which is basically the option when there is no other option and there was nothing happening there either."
The surfers, now all congregated in the remote northern Scottish town of Thurso, are patiently waiting for the prediction of a favorable swell over the next few days.
Sunny Garcia (HAW), a former ASP World Champion and multiple Triple Crown Of Surfing winner, is among them. It is his first time in Scotland as he looks to cut his way on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) this year, and back onto the ASP World Tour for next season.
"I am used to surfing cold water," he said. "I have been living in California for a while now and the water gets a bit colder there in the winter. I have not been in the water here yet though. It is my first time over here. I love the countryside. I love the fact that there are no buildings or anything around."
Garcia retired from the ASP World Tour in 2005, but this season he is making a fighting comeback.
"I am trying to qualify," he said. "I actually thought it was going to be easy but now I have seen the level of surfing, it is a bit different."
"It is a lot of fun meeting all the new faces. It is different to the era I grew up in. A lot of these guys weren't even born when I was competing. They are all friends, but when I was competing we would step on other peoples toes a lot more."
Standing looking out at Thurso East, where no wave was breaking today, he said: "I haven't seen this wave working yet but I have seen photos. I can't wait to surf it."
Matt Wilson will be checking the swell tomorrow morning at 6am, when everyone will be hoping for a decent swell.
"Looking at the forecast we are expecting conditions to improve tomorrow," said Matt. "Then leading into Sunday and Monday next week, we expect quite good conditions possibly seeing the event move to Thurso East which is what we are here for."
UPCOMING ROUND 1 HEATSHeat 1: Jean Sebastien Estienne (GLP), Felix Messias (BRA), Mark Cameron (SCO)Heat 2: Luke Cheadle (AUS), Anthony Petruso (USA), Reubin Pearce (ZAF), Tom Wimmer (AUS)Heat 3: Alain Riou (PYF), Gavin Roberts (ZAF), Blake Howard (USA), Alfo Scavone (ITA)Heat 4: Austin Ware (USA), Miguel Ximenez (PRT), Hank Gaskell (HAW), Thomas Petriken (USA)Heat 5: Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Devon Tresher (USA), Jorge Spanner (BRA)Heat 6: Luke Campbell (AUS), Justin Mujica (PRT), Joe Tanaka (JPN)Heat 7: Tanner Gudauskas (USA), Blake Thornton (AUS), Yujiro Tsuji (JPN), Charlie Carroll (HAW)Heat 8: Yadin Nicol (AUS), Jay Quinn (NZL), Izuki Tanaka (JPN), Dustin Willmann (USA)Heat 9: Gony Zubizarreta (ESP), Abdel El Harim (MAR), Fergal Smith (IRE)Heat 10: Gavin Gillette (HAW), Kevin Sullivan (HAW), Simon Marchand (FRA), Tamayo Perry (HAW)Heat 11: Masatoshi Ohno (JPN), Jack Perry (AUS), Antonio Bortoletto (ZAF), Txaber Trojaola (EUK)Heat 12: Milton Morbeck (BRA), Mason Ho (HAW), Joao Guedes (PRT)Heat 13: Nathaniel Curran (USA), Fabio Gouveia (BRA), Eric De Souza (BRA)Heat 14: Federico Pilurzu (CRI), Hugo Savalli (REU), Ruben Gonzalez (PRT)Heat 15: Nathan Carroll (HAW), Eric Geiselmann (USA), Darren Turner (AUS), Oli Adams (GBR)Heat 16: Jose Maria Cabrera (CNY), Patrick Beven (FRA), Clint Kimmins (AUS), Alan Stokes (GBR)Heat 17: Sunny Garcia (HAW), Shaun Burrell (USA), David Richards (ZAF), Tim Taplin (AUS)Heat 18: Blake Wilson (AUS), Wesley De Souza (USA), Kevin Kapsky (HAW), Johnny Fryer (GBR)Heat 19: Paul Fisher (AUS), Justin McBride (USA), Rowan Aish (NZL)Heat 20: Warwick Wright (ZAF), Matt King (USA), Vincent Duvignac (FRA), Will Hunt (HAW)Heat 21: Romain Laulhe (FRA), Steve Noble (AUS), Dale Lovelock (AUS), Sam Lamiroy (GBR)Heat 22: Dion Atkinson (AUS), Micheal Spencer (AUS), Nick White (NZL), Micheal Marjanovich (AUS)Heat 23: Renato Galvao (BRA), Sam Page (AUS), Frederic Robin (REU), Thomas Bady (FRA)Heat 24: Chris Davidson (AUS), Brad Ettinger (USA), Brandon Jackson (ZAF)All news, videos, podcasts and photos are available on www.aspeurope.com

Read more...

JOSH KERR FLIES AND JORDY SMITH BOWS OUT AT QUIKSILVER PRO DURBAN

Durban – Some big airs and bigger upsets were the order of the day at the Quiksilver Pro Durban, as New Pier produced funnelling little high-performance waves for day 8 of Durban’s Six-Star Prime WQS event. The conditions, while perfect in shape and conditions, were a little bit small, but good to excellent rides punctuated the day’s performances and there were plenty of excellent scores being inked by the judges. But first up, the upsets.
Travis Logie was eliminated in the round of 48 in a heat that suffered from a bit of a wave drought, and it was Masatoshi Ohno from Japan and Leigh Sedley from Australia who advanced. Despite Travis catching a last good-looking wave on the final horn and smacking it for all it was worth, he fell just short of the required score and was eliminated, along with fellow South African Damien Fahrenfort.
Sunny Garcia was eliminated in heat 11 of the round of 48, despite a strong and powerful performance. He was out-pointed by an on-form Bettero Hizunome from Brazil and Yadin Nicol from Australia. Local surfer Warwick Wright dominated his heat in the round of 48, winning his 4-man heat, but was eliminated in the round of 24 in the high tide conditions. In another shock upset, local hope Jordy Smith was also eliminated in the same round by Phil MacDonald and Marlon Lipke.
Josk Kerr found his rhythm in his early heat and made some big airs in conditions that he really liked. “The waves in my heat was so suited to airs,” said Kerr. “With the waves being a bit soft with this little onshore lip, it’s easy to launch into the air. Then with the waves being so smooth and glassy it’s also easy to land them. I pulled off a few in my heat so I’m stoked.”
Marlon Lipke, the powerful German goofy-foot surfer, was instrumental in the elimination of Jordy Smith in their round of 24 encounter. Heat winner Phil MacDonald sat wide of the two, and Lipke and Smith engaged in a paddle battle or two and a little bit of good old hussling, with the German coming out on top between the two. “It was quite a tight heat, but I got that one good wave in the middle of the heat, and didn’t want to give any away,” said Lipke. “My boards feel really good in these conditions and my best waves were on my backhand, so it was a good heat for me. Durban is my favourite location in the world, and coming back here is definitely the highlight of my year on tour.”
Another New Pier local in Davey Weare surfed a blistering heat in what had become somewhat tricky conditions, and scored an 8.67 (out of a possible ten) and a 8.27 right off the bat to put himself in a commanding lead at the start of the heat, and he never let go of the lead. Dustin Barca from Hawaii surfed a solid heat to come in behind the South African and advance, and eliminated from the event was Leandro Bastos from Brazil. “Very stoked to get through, but I want to get further in the event. I’m looking forward to get going in the round of sixteen,” said Weare. “My boards are going well as well, so hopefully this is a good event for me.”
Tomorrow sees the event go into the round of 16. The event organisers have called for an early morning start at Ansteys at The Bluff, with predictions looking good for that side. To find out the contest venue for tomorrow please log onto the event website - www.quikprodurban.com – for the daily update.

Read more...

HSS is looking for New Crew Members who like to Work Hard and Play Hard!

Summer is a coming and we are looking for a chosen few to join us this year. We are currently hiring at all of our store locations. For more info., contact Lee at 714-374-2373 or CLICK HERE to fill out an application.

Read more...

LAY DAY FOR QUIKSILVER PRO DURBAN

Durban – A glut of surfers leaving Margaret River in Australia simultaneously saw in excess of 30 competitors arrive in Durban for the Quiksilver Pro Durban without their surfboards. On top of this, a flight full of Brazilian surfers were delayed and haven’t arrived in Durban on time. These factors saw contest organisers decide to put the event on hold until tomorrow.
The waves at New Pier are looking good right now, but the long term forecast is for the waves to improve steadily over the next few days with excellent surf predicted for the final day.
“Not an easy decision to make with the waves looking good right now,” said contest director Matt Wilson. “We have decided to show the surfers some compassion and give them a day to sort out their equipment, and for late flights to arrive. We’re talking about people’s careers here, so it’s the right thing to do.”
Local surfboard shapers arrived at the beach with arrays of locally-made boards for the competitors to borrow or to ride in their heats, and with the whereabouts of the competitors boards still unknown, many of them may well take advantage of this generosity.
The eight surfers who made it through from the Virgin Mobile Trials event held yesterday, and will be competing in the Main Event, are Stan Badger (Cape St Francis), Halley Batista (Brazil), Frankie Oberholzer (Warner Beach), Shane Thorne (Durban), Klee Strachan (Amanzimtoti), Lyle Bottcher (Durban), Hilton Lawrence (Durban) and Quintin Jones from Cape Town.
For more details on the event check out the mini-site www.quikprodurban.com

Read more...

Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards Live Webcast Tonight!

Tonight at 7 pm at The Grove of Anaheim, elite big wave surfers will be gathered from around the world for the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards. Winners will be awarded for The Biggest Wave of the year, The Biggest Paddle-in Wave of the Year, The Monster Tube of the Year, Women's Performance of the Year, and more. Check out all of the nominees, sick photos, and a live webcast of tonight's event at http://www.billabongxxl.com/main_page/index.html.

Read more...

Congratulations to HSS Team Riders Courtney Conlogue, Andrew Doheny, Quinn McCrystal, and Sarah Taylor for making the USA Surf Team!

After six months of training and evaluation under the instruction of Coach Joey Buran it all came down to a final show down for the spots on the competition roster. Buran began with a training squad of 34 of the nation’s best junior surfers following the 2007 SIMA Surfing America USA Championships and precisely selected his athletes over the course of four training camps.
“I believe that this is an excellent team to represent the United States in international competition,” said Buran. “All of these team members are outstanding surfers, but more importantly have proven themselves to be hard workers and team players. Not only do they rip, they carry themselves with character, class, and dignity in representing our great country. I’m proud of every one of them and I look forward to leading them in the ISA World Junior Games.”
Congratulations to all who made the team. Go USofA!
For a list of the new Team USA click here.

Read more...

The Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River presented by O'neill is on!

The Drug Aware Pro Margaret River presented by O'Neill is a men's 6-Star Prime-rated and women's 5-Star-rated World Qualifying Series (WQS) event held at the world class venue of Surfers Point, Margaret River, Western Australia.With USD$135,000 up for grabs in the men's division and USD$30,000 on offer in the women's division, expect the world's best surfers to lift their performance to all new highs in an attempt to win and secure valuable points on the 2008 WQS ratings’ race.

Tomorrow there will be an huge increase of swell, with conditions forecast to reach death-defying sizes throughout the week, which will be sure to test the skills and courage of all surfers and be a great spectacle for all.

Read more...

O'Neill Psycho 2 Wetsuit and Mutant/Mod Boot Series Nominated for Best Wetsuit and Accessory of Year

The Psycho 2 wetsuit by O'Neill has been nominated by the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association as the best wetsuit. The Image Awards gives the surf industry the opportunity to recognize fellow surf industry companies for their outstanding contributions to the industry. The goal of the SIMA Image Awards is to identify the surf industry's most influential companies and recognize them for their efforts to advance and grow the industry over the past year.
As the original wetsuit brand, O'Neill has been influencing the surf industry since it's infancy but it is still rewarding for O'Neill to see the brand's efforts recognized. The product is at the heart of what we were about in the beginning and what we continue to be about today so it is satisfying to see the Psycho 2 and the Mutant Boot series be nominated in their product divisions, stated Bert Aramburu, O'Neill Wetsuit Director of Sales and Marketing.
The Psycho 2 fullsuit has been the premier cold-water wetsuit on the market for the last half decade, but O'Neill exceeded consumer's expectations again by further improving the Psycho 2 in 2007. O'Neill made improvements to its patented ZEN Zip; a closure that was already the most sought after and imitated entry system on the market. The Z.E.N. Zip was reprogrammed with performance upgrades including the new deconstructed Barrier, a baseline drain hole, and a seamless shoulder design for flexibility and comfort in key paddle zones. Add the new Firewall X-type with X foam, completely new D-tox knee padz, and the Psycho 2 continues to be the ultimate cold-water wetsuit.
O'Neill's commitment to Cold Water gear was also recognized with a nomination for Accessory of the Year for its Mutant/Mod boot series. Committed to designing the best performing boots available O'Neill took the Mutant boot series to the next level in 2007 by introducing the 6/5/4 internal split toe, and Women MOD versions to accompany the 3mm Mutant boot.

Read more...