Posted: October 28, 2010 by
Francesca
Puerto Rico here we come... It’s finally time for the penultimate ASP event of the year, and the Rip Curl Search is taking us to the Caribbean surf mecca of Puerto Rico.
Stop number 9 of 10 on the dream tour will kick off its waiting period on 30th October and run through to 10th November. It’s going to be a good one as both the men’s and women’s contests are run in the amazing waves found in and around Porto del Sol, Puerto Rico. There are high expectations for the new waves, but it will be Kelly Slater and Jordy Smith who will attract the most attention.
The American and the South African are battling it out to win the world title. Floridian Kelly Slater, 9 times world champion and general living legend, is going to try and claim the world title. However, giving the king a run for his money, is young power house South African surfer Jordy Smith. With a points total of 48750, Smith is the only surfer left on tour who is in with a chance at surpassing Slater’s already immense lead of 58,000 points.
So where is the show down going to happen? It is the first time that the Rip Curl Search has visited the Caribbean, as over the past 5 years the Search has been held in the Reunion Islands- 05’, Mexico- 06’, Chile- 07’, Indonesia- 08’ and in 2009 was held in the new permanent tour spot
Peniche in Portugal. Rip Curl always keep their “the Search” site secret for a long time, but the location is finally up and we have a winner- Puerto Rico.
The action will be at Middles, Porto del Sol (just above Isabela), which is a rocky-reef righthander that the regulars will love going to town on. The wave breaks anywhere from 50m up to 300m on a great day and works best when the swell is coming through from the North East. So watch this space for some amazing rides.
As a back up site, there is a wedgy left and right hand break just 15minutes from Middles. The second site is called Wilderness (west of the airport) and will be used if the swell pulls round to the North West. So no excuse not to be maximizing the waves of the Caribbean.
For a second consecutive year the search also has the women’s event. Stephanie Gilmore is looking to claim her world title over Clarissa Moore, but it could all go to Hawaii if Moore gets her way. So it’s definitely going to be an interesting one, watching whether Slater and Gimore can cement themselves further in the surfing history books: Slater with 10 world titles? And Gilmore with a 4 world titles out of 4?
So whilst all the action is going down, fix yourself a tropical drink, watch the contest live on
www.live.ripcurl.com from Saturday, and day dream away of visiting the beautiful Caribbean island of Puerto Rico someday.
Posted: October 26, 2010 by
Nicky
Sometimes accidents just happen... like when you accidentally wack your surfboard either on the car park concrete (oops) or on the rock reef (nooooo!). So what do you do when somehow your lovely old/new board has a gapping hole indented in its side?
It’s time to break out the ‘how to’ guide and learn how to start repairing dings. One of the first things to learn is whether you can fix something. Don’t risk damaging your board further if you don’t feel like you can actually fix it. Start off small with things like small indentations or a cracked nose.
One of your best friends will be solar resins- these are pre-mixed resins that will cure (dry) when exposed to UV light. Ideal for when you need a fix in a hurry and for repairing small dings, all you need to do is:
- sand the ding with some sandpaper
- clean the area
- apply the solar resin
- leave in the sunshine for a few minutes, and hey presto your board is cured.
- Tip: use a wooden stick to smooth the resin into place and create a smooth finish.
For when things are a bit more serious, it’s time to get the resin mixing kit out. Gauze, resin, setting agent, wooden stick and sandpaper at the ready.
- sand the area in need of repair
- clean the area
- cut out circular gauze pieces (the deeper the ding, the more pieces)
- mix the resin and setting agent according to the instructions
- apply a layer of resin with the wooden stick
- apply the first sheet of gauze
- put a layer of resin over the guaze
- repeat the process until the ding is all but gone
- make sure you cover the whole area in resin
- allow to set for at least 3 hours in sunlight, or up to 8 hours overnight
- once resin has completely set, use a fine sandpaper to sand the repair down... and you will be good to go.
Posted: October 25, 2010 by
Francesca
Yesterday the Quiksilver Pro Ericeira was won by Basque surfer Hodei Collazo in a very close final with Gony Zubizarreta from Spain.
Collazo took the win with a combination score of 16.47, including an 8.50 opening ride and a 7.97; however it was a very close final, as Zubizarreta answered back with an 8.90 and a 7.57 in the final minute. The clean, small waves suited both the surfers, enabling them both to show just how much is possible with the waves around Ericeira.
Collazo defeated his good friend Zubizarreta by only 0.20 points, yet this WQS win is Collazo’s first which he was especially pleased about as the contest is rated a 6* on the European circuit. Between the two surfers they took out dream tour surfers Jeremy Flores from
Capbreton, France, and local Tiago Pires, who was one of the favourites to win.
The Basque surfer’s win has pushed him into 6th in the European ASP ratings and 71st in the world rankings, with Zubizarreta sitting in 3rd in Europe and 85th in the world.
Now the attention turns to the final stages of the European tour as the tour moves to the stunning
Canary Islands. Next on the list is the Islas Canarias Santa Pro on Lanzarote from 27th October to 1st November. This event is rated a 6* Prime so is going to be highly contested for both the points and the prize money.
Watch it live at
www.aspeurope.com/live/santa2010, and whilst you are waiting, check out the vid of how Collazo defeated Zubizarreta in the sunny conditions in Ericeira.
Posted: October 22, 2010 by
Francesca
Whether you’ve spent months planning your
surf holiday, or are ready to go surf today, making the most of your time in the water is essential.
One of the best ways to prepare for your surf session is to have an energy boosting snack beforehand. Then, after your great time out in the waves, it’ll be food-o’clock, so choose healthy muscle feeding foods to help replace the energy burned and help build a stronger and fitter surfing body for yourself.... You’ll be ready for your next session before you know it.
Before
- Smoothie - time to get creative, try using either a fruit juice base with frozen fruits, or for something more filling, a milk, banana base with oats, frozen fruit again and even a teaspoon of peanut butter... sounds strange but will make the smoothie thicker
- Coffee - this may be surprising, but the caffeine in coffee can be just the boost you need to help paddle that bit harder whilst surfing.
- Banana - a quick energy boost and full of good vitamins and minerals
- Cereal - this one’s for the breakfast addict, a small bowl of cereal will contain a good amount of carbohydrates that will release their energy over the next 3 - 4 hours. Perfect for a good surf session.
- Flapjack/Nuts - for a quick snack, the oats in flapjacks will keep you going for hours with their slow energy release, whereas nuts contain the right amount of healthy oils and calories to keep you surfing for longer
After
- Anything mexican - simply because it tastes amazing and tends to be clean healthy food... think brown rice, salsa, lean meats and lots of vegetables all stuffed in your tortilla wrap. Delicious.
- Jacket potato with filling: tuna/bean/cheese/egg mayo - time to refuel with the natural carbs found in the jacket potato and the protein in the filling that will help repair muscle tissue. For an added boost, eat the potato skin as it is the part that contains the most vitamins of the potato.
- Brown rice/whole wheat pasta with fresh veg and chicken or quorn - make the most of getting some healthy protein in you to help your surfed out arms. Choose organic chicken where possible or the tasty veggie equivalent of quorn.
- Milk or OJ - the quickest answer to hunger: got milk? Full of calcium, protein and energy, milk will stave off hunger until you are ready to eat a proper meal. Whereas, if milk isn’t your thing, then down some orange juice to replenish your vitamin C levels and give yourself a calorie boost... just remember this is only a temporary fix until your next meal.
- Prawn, vegetable and noodle stir fry - seafood is some of the easiest protein to digest, so have fun creating oriental inspired stir fries with egg noodles, green leafy vegetables, prawns, scallops and shrimp to name but a few.
Posted: October 18, 2010 by
Francesca
Tomorrow, in the beautiful waves of
Ericeira, Portugal, Quiksilver will be opening the second to last European ASP star event of the year.
After a two year absence, the Ericeira surf contest returns with the new sponsor of Quiksilver and will be held between 19th to 24th October. Run for twenty years in various forms, the competition is the oldest and one of the most treasured contests in Portugal, so there is a tangible excitement now that it is back.
This year the competition will be held at the stunning beach break of Ribeira D’Ilhas, a right hander that is said to rival Bells Beach. However, Quiksilver are all about the options and making the most of the excellent Atlantic swells that hit the Portuguese coastline in Autumn. The event is mobile, so if there are better waves to be had- the contest can up and move over to Pedra Branca, a thick slabby left, or to Sao Juliao which is a beach break found just south of Ericeira.
This year contest director and local surfer Jose Gregorio is hoping that the mixture of the great waves, excellent location and the importance of the ASP’s event rating system will encourage the very best surfers in the world to compete.
Ericeira itself attracts visitors, holidaysmakers and surfers throughout the year. It not only has great waves for beginners through to experts, but people love the bars, cafes and restaurants tucked down small cobbled streets and in timeless squares.
Hoping for a great result will be Ericeiral’s own Tiago Pires. Part of the ASP’s elite surfers, Portugal’s most successful surfer and former contest winner back in 2005 and 2006, Pires will be looking to improve his points total as he is currently sitting at 18th in the rankings.
The contest will be have a very strong European flavour to the surfers, and is attracting some of the best in up and coming surfers. France’s Jeremy Flores will be one of the biggest names to compete, he is currently sitting in 15th place in the ASP’s ratings after matching his year’s best of 3rd place in the Rip Curl Pro
Peniche.
However, watch out for event wildcard Vasco Ribeiro. This fifteen year old Portuguese grom, made heads turn with his surfing and third place finish at Quiksilver’s King of the Grom’s contest held in Hossegor last month. Also check out current European ASP regional leader, Marc Lacomare from
Hossegor, France. Lacomare has had a great European season already, where he won the Relentless Boardmasters in Newquay back in August. It is certain he’d like to extend his lead over Frenchman Tim Boal and our Irish Glenn Hall in the ratings.
Other stand outs to watch will be former elite ASP competitors Miky Picon from Capbreton, France, and Bernardo Miranda from Brazil; or hot off his win at the O’Neill Cold Water Classic in Canada- Australian Josh Kerr.