Western Oz bombs

WA bombies, as thick as they are tall....not something you'd want landing on your head!

Richie Sills wins UK pro surf tour Sri Lanka

Arugam Bay was firing for the final day of the UKPSA Sri Lankan Surf Championships.
An increase in swell overnight provided 4-6ft barrelling right hander’s for the remaining competitors.

In heat one of the quarter finals Micah Lester took full advantage of the conditions scoring the highest wave of the event (9.4) earning him the return ticket from London to Sri Lanka donated by Sri Lankan Airlines.

The remaining quarter final heats saw outstanding performances from Richie Sills (South Africa) and Newquay surfers Alan Stokes, Mitch Corbett and Tom Butler.

In the first semi final Richie Sills and Sam Lamroy (Newcastle) surfed consistently to edge out Lee Bartlet and Micah Lester.
Four Newquay surfers made up semi final two. Alan Stokes dominated from the beginning with two high scoring rides. Mark Harris scraped ahead of Mitch Corbett to take second with Tom Butler fourth.

The final got underway in front of a packed crowd including the President of Sri Lanka’s son and the Minister for tourism.

In a tactical heat the four surfers struggled to find waves in the early stages.
Richie Sills found his rhythm and picked off two high scoring rides leaving the other three scratching to catch up. Alan Stokes was close behind in second and a final wave with two huge turns left the crowd guessing if he had done enough.
In the end Richie and Alan were tied for first place. A count back (best one wave scored) saw Richie take the title with Alan Stokes following in second, Mark Harris third and Sam Lamroy fourth.

Pic: Jason Feast

Is a reef break the best place to drop bombs on!?

Protect Our Waves campaign action

Surfers Against Sewage’s (SAS) new campaign Protect Our Waves (POW) had it’s first action this month, The Gathering, a mass paddle out, in collaboration with local campaign group Access BroadBench Association (ABBA). Over 350 surfers from across the nation joined SAS and ABBA and paddled out at Kimmeridge Bay on International Surfing Day. The action called on the Secretary of State for Defence to allow surfers’ access to Broadbench, a special wave found on the outer boundary of a Ministry of Defence (MoD) firing range.





Broadbench is a quality wave in Kimmeridge Bay, described by many as one of Britains best. Unfortunately it falls right on the outer boundary of a MoD firing range. SAS are not asking the MoD to reduce their use of this important firing range. However, SAS believe there is a compromise that will ensure surfers and waveriders can have 100% access to Broadbench without impacting on the MoDs full use of the firing range.

Chinese demand for shark fin could cause extinctions

A third of the world's open-water sharks — including the great white and hammerhead — face extinction, according to a conservation survey that singles out overfishing as the main culprit. The survey of 64 species of open-water sharks and rays by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature notes the demand for shark fins, considered a Chinese delicacy, has soared along with income levels in China in the past decade.

Flinders University shark ecologist Charlie Huveneers says the proportion of sharks endangered was higher for the open-water sharks than for sharks in general, mainly because they were large species with slow reproductive rates and were slow to mature. Some, such as the grey nurse, produced only two pups every two years.

"That's one of the reasons why that species is listed as critically endangered in NSW," he said. Open-water shark species also lived in areas that were heavily fished and hard to regulate. The report identified the great hammerhead and scalloped hammerhead sharkand the giant devil rays as endangered. The smooth hammerhead, great white, basking and oceanic white-tip sharks are listed as vulnerable as are two species of makos.

Dr Huveneers said fishermen targeted sharks for their fins. The rest of it was discarded. Shark meat can fetch $1-$5 a kilogram, but the fin could bring up to $200 a kilogram. Commercial swordfish and tuna fisherman also caught sharks such as the blue shark and mako shark accidentally. Sharks are important in the ecosystem, especially those at the top of the food chain such as the white, great white and great hammerhead.

*source. The Age- AU

Western Australia monster slabs

In this media soaked world of ours we are bombarded by endless images of incredible waves and surfers so it takes something remarkable to stand out from the crowd these days, but thats just what an elite few over in Western Australia manage to do time after time.

With every session that WA based photographer Russell Ord captures the waves seem to get heavier and the shots more critical. This is a recent shot taken of Ozzy charger, Alfie Cater buried deep in the pit of a wave so thick it looks like the ocean is landing on his head!

Fair play lads!

For more info visit-
http://www.russellord.com/

Access to UK reef break threatened by the British Military

Surfers Against Sewage’s (SAS) new campaign Protect Our Waves (POW) is having its first action, The Gathering, a mass paddle out, in association with local campaign group Access BroadBench Association (ABBA). Surfers from across the nation will paddle out at Kimmeridge Bay at 11am on Saturday the 20th of June, which is International Surfing Day.

The action will call on the Secretary of State for Defence to allow surfers’ access to Broadbench, a special wave found on the outer boundary of a Ministry of Defence (MoD) firing range.

PHOTOCALL: 11am, Saturday the 20th of June, in front of Kimmeridge Bay car park there will be a mass paddle out by surfers, wind surfers, kite surfers and other water users. (Directions below.)

Broadbench is a quality wave in Kimmeridge Bay, described by many as one of Britain’s best. Unfortunately it falls right on the outer boundary of a MoD firing range. SAS are not asking the MoD to reduce their use of this important firing range. However, SAS believe there is a compromise that will ensure surfers and waveriders can have 100% access to Broadbench without impacting on the MoD’s full use of the firing range.

We are calling on the Secretary of State for Defence to implement SAS’s compromise, changing where the MoD currently fire from. This will in turn change the direction of the MoD’s firing and could leave Broadbench outside the boundary of the firing range. It will not impact on the MoD’s use of the firing range, leaving surfers and waveriders with 100% access to Broadbench and the MoD full use of their range.

International Surfing Day (ISD), will see surfing events taking place all over the world. There will be events in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia but nothing like the Gathering. SAS expect the Gathering to be the best-supported event with mass participation for the paddle out protest on ISD.

Andy Cummins, Surfers Against Sewage Campaign Manager says: “SAS’s Protect Our Waves campaign is galvanising a mass of support for the Broadbench wave. The water sports community is standing up for their rights, and lefts on International Surfing Day. We’re calling on the Secretary of State for Defence to do everything in his power to implement a compromise at Broadbench.”

Dr. Robin Canniford from the University of Exeter Business School says: “My studies have highlighted the social and economic benefits of waves, and Broadbench is a prime example. The wave benefits people from every walk of life and the tangible benefits are far reaching, way beyond the surfing community. We should learn from previous cases in the US and Australia and embrace these valuable commodities and not let the MoD restrict their use.”

Guy Penwarden, local Broadbench surfer and campaigner says: “Broadbench is a special wave, a jewel in the British surfing crown and having to watch it going unridden is heartbreaking. Surfers and the MoD can use this area without conflict and we hope the Secretary of State for Defence will recognise this. ”

www.sas.org.uk
www.broadbench.co.uk

*Image: SAS

How far North can you surf? The Iceland experience

The name says it all, Iceland, you just know its going to be cold. Not far from the Artic circle there are few places further north than this where surfing is possible, but the surf bug has hit Iceland in a big way and theres a small band of hardcore individuals leading the crusade, increasing the sports popularity and teaching their nation to surf. Heres a little more about Icelandic surfing from our friends at surf.is:

"Surfing in Iceland has been kind of a hardcore sport until now, put its becoming more popular as we have introduced the sport to the public with our one day learn to surf course. We never know what conditions we'll have for the courses or which location we'll go to surf with our clients until the day before after reading the forecast. Sometimes we stop at the local gas station on our way in the morning and take a final decision (after reading the forecast on the internet) on our destination. Theres no population in most of these surf spots so we can't call to ask about conditions. This makes our course more exiting and its never the same. The good thing we have plenty of locations to choose from. So the course is not only about surfing, it is also the anticipation of what lies ahead. We're also sure that there are plenty of surf spots in Iceland yet to be discovered"

for more info visit: www.surf.is