Surfing ‘Peaks and Barrels’ Is Announcing a New Internet Swell
New surfing website moving into an interactive way to plan your “surf.”
Surfing ‘Peaks and Barrels’ is taking the country by storm and is proving to be more than just your run-of-the-mill surf site. The wave has swelled and has become a Facebook favorite for surfers and beach lovers alike. P&B has been in the works since April ‘09 and is now launching the first version of it’s website, where it will offer popular gear, such as it’s “classic style” T-shirt.
PeaksandBarrels.com is thrilled to soon offer an interactive tool for surfers to plan surf sessions and get in touch with your local surfing community. In the meantime, Peaks and Barrels will have many other interesting promotions and products for fans to check out.
PeaksandBarrels.com is a supporter of non-profit organizations like SurfAid International, Saving the Waves, Saving the Firepits, and Surfrider foundation. Invite PeaksandBarrels.com to your event and let them assist in the fund raising and getting the word out.
Peaks and Barrels, it’s what you surf.
If you would like to learn more information visit http://PeaksandBarrels.com and enter your name & email, then click ‘Get Barreled‘.
Peaks and Barrels Set up for the Board Recycling Project.
San Diego’s Rob Machado, one of the most stylish surfers alive, discusses last summer’s Indonesian sojourn and his new movie chronicling his experiences abroad.
You were drifting around Indonesia on a motor scooter most of last summer; tell us about your Indo experience cruising around Indo.
I prefer to call it a motorcycle. Motor scooter makes it sound like a Vespa or something. I actually bought a Honda CB 100. I cruised around filming for my flick. I spent about six months living…sort of based out of Bali. I ventured out to the outer islands from Sumba to Lombok to Java…spent a bit of time in Java. There are a ridiculous amount of waves there that you can find if you really want to find them.
You sort of did the unconventional surf trip, in that you veered off the beaten path. You hung out with the local people in, as you mentioned, rather remote regions. I see that you helped the local communities out over there too.
As the trip went on I sort of realized that to really get away you have to venture way out. My bike started breaking down, and I used public transport and got into some cool funky places and I did a lot of camping, and I removed myself from my normal routine and it was good.
Your movie is called, tentatively, THE DRIFTER. With whom are you working on this film project? Is this a Taylor Steele production?
Yeah, Taylor and I came up with it, and Hurley is backing it and gave me the opportunity to basically disappear in Indo for six months. I pretty much fell off the face of the earth and chased great waves around for six months.
Undoubtedly, you scored some great waves and some great tubes. Photos have already trickled into the pages of surf magazines and on websites. We’ve seen some insane barrels from your trip. The notion that time stands still in the tube, the old surfing cliché, do you think there is any truth to that?
Wow, that’s pretty deep right there. For me, it’s about not thinking. I like the idea of actually being on a wave…I think that’s the only time that I’m actually not thinking. That’s the magic of surfing for me. There aren’t too many things that you do in life where your brain shuts off and you acting on what you are feeling and you’re not consciously making decisions.
Seems like the free-surfing vibe fits you perfectly. But watching you surf in events, your level of performance surfing is higher than it’s ever been. Do you still enjoy competitive surfing?
Yeah. Occasionally. It’s still fun, and I like watching those guys. That’s where the best surfing in the world is happening. If you watch those guys: Mick and Joel and Kelly and Andy, and now Dane and Jordy, The stuff that’s going on is pretty radical, so it is fun to go in there and mix it up with those guys. It’s hard because those guys are on tour together all the time and constantly pushing each other. When you are not around that level of surfing all the time it is hard to maintain and stay at that level. I try and hang with those guys as much as I can; it is inspiring to see those guys in person that’s for sure.
So the guys at Cardiff Reef aren’t inspiring you too much then?
(Laughs) Oh, you know, not quite the same level. But those guys at Cardiff are cool.
You mentioned Kelly, and I’m wondering, earlier in the year, Slater played in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and hit some great golf shots. Especially on number 17, the par 3, it’s 200-plus yards, he hit it into a strong 20-knot head wind. Kelly put his tee shot 8-feet from the hole and birdied. Being an avid golfer yourself and a friend of Kelly’s, did you see that shot?
No I didn’t see this year’s event. That’s cool. That’s heavy. Serious stuff.
The movie is THE DRIFTER. Where are you at with that?
We are elbow deep in the editing room right now, so we are looking at a summer time release, we hope.
Are you involved with the music on the movie?
Oh yeah, I’m involved, and it’s pretty exciting. We just had Warner Brothers music come on board so we’ll be adding some of their acts to the flick. I recorded some music. We recorded some music in Indo. We are throwing everything we can into the mixing bowl and see how it goes.
Rob, thanks for the time today. Can’t wait to see the movie.
Thanks for calling, and thanks for the inspiration at Cardiff (laughs).
DEE WHY, New South Wales (Wednesday, September 30, 2009) – The opening day of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic saw current ASP World No. 5 Melanie Bartels (HAW), 27, and reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21, lead the world’s best women’s surfers through Round 1 in two-to-three foot (1 metre) surf at Dee Why.
Gilmore stayed busy throughout her entire Round 1 heat today and emerged victorious in a tough battle over defending Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic champion Tyler Wright (AUS), 15, who eliminated Gilmore in Round 3 of last year’s competition, and 2005 ASP Women’s World Champion Chelsea Hedges (AUS), 25, to advance directly through to Round 3 with a solid 14.00 out of 20 heat total.
“I wasn’t really focusing on redemption over Wright, but it was more about shaking off the first heat nerves,” Gilmore said. “Chelsea (Hedges) and Tyler are a couple of my favorite surfers and Tyler did so well here last year, so I guess it felt good to come back with a win after a long break. It’s a bit disappointing that we’re not surfing at the point this morning, but it’s (Dee Why) a great wave and who knows what’s going to happen later in the week, maybe we’ll be up at the point for the Final, that’d be awesome.”
Although the talented regular-footer felt pressure entering the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic after a long mid-year break, Gilmore showed no sign of nerves and the poise shown by the defending ASP Women’s World Champion carried her directly through to Round 3.
“I think there is pressure after such a long break,” Gilmore said. “There’s sort of that safety net of Round 2, but I wanted to go out there and surf hard and my equipment is amazing at the moment and I’m stoked to be through to Round 3.”
Aside from the pressure of returning to contest mode after a long break, Gilmore also expressed the weight of entering an ASP Women’s World Tour event as the top seed.
“The pressure is always sort of there if you’re within the top five on the ratings, especially when you’re No. 1,” Gilmore said. “You’re expected to be fit and ready to go. I’m feeling fit and happy and I’m excited to be back in the action.”
Gilmore will have a Round 3 rematch against Wright when competition resumes.
Bartels surfed impressively throughout her entire opening round heat, but found her two best waves in the back half of her bout to claim the highest heat total of the day, an impressive 15.25 out of 20, while capitalizing on a rare barrel, leaving fellow competitors Rosanne Hodge (ZAF), 22, and Amee Donohe (AUS), 28, needing a combination of scores to top the Hawaiian standout.
“I’d been eyeing that little barrel out there,” Bartels said. “I was just waiting and that wave came to me and I was able to find that little barrel which gave me the good score. It’s been such a long time between events that I forgot I was surfing in a contest out there. I just tried to get a wave and surf.”
The explosive Hawaiian veteran started her year off strong with a runner up finish at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast before suffering a 17th place finish at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Bartels was elated to advance directly through to Round 3 at Dee Why and get the second half of her season off in the right direction.
“Bells is a very hard wave and it was really small when we surfed it, so it was tough for me,” Bartels said. “The waves out here are offshore and bigger than two-foot, so it’s perfect, I’m stoked.”
The Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic holds a waiting period from September 30 through October 5, 2009. Event officials will reconvene at Dee Why at 7am local time tomorrow to assess conditions for the potential start of Round 2 at 8am.
With last weekend’s Unsound Pro surf contest in Long Beach, Long Island; the second annual New York Surf Film Festival in TriBeCa, which ended last night; and the recent art opening of the female longboard pro Kassia Meador of California at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, the New York area has been crawling with the biggest names in surfing. A friend of Waves, the surf writer Tetsuhiko Endo, caught up with the film festival over the weekend.
Rob Machado, professional surfing’s ambassador of soul, was standing outside Tribeca Cinemas on Friday, waiting for the national premiere of his new movie, “The Drifter,’’ at the second annual New York Surf Film Festival.
The oddity of the location for his United States premiere — the theater is on the concrete corner of Varick and Laight Streets — was not lost on Mr. Machado, who can more regularly be found in Hawaii, Tahiti or Indonesia, where “The Drifter” takes place.
“There’s this crazy, underground surf scene here that no one seems to know about,” he said while waiting outside the theater for his film to begin. “And it makes it really cool to come to an event like this.”
In his narration of “The Drifter,’’ Mr. Machado says, “The surf world moves like a traveling circus.” Well, that circus came to town this weekend along with the festival, whose organizers were hoping to showcase the eclecticism of a spreading area surf scene that is increasingly drawing fascination from other parts.
A quick look around Tribeca Cinemas on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday underscored his point: The New York/New Jersey surfing scene showed up in force, from swaggering hipsters to suit-wearing bankers, to the Jersey boys in their flannel-shirt-and-baseball-hat uniforms. The rest of the crowd was a mélange of industry types from California, Aussie expats, a handful of Irish, the odd Basque, and even a couple of Ohio lake surfers. The filmmaker Andrew Kidman and local pros like Will Tant and Dean Randazzo blended in happily with local recreational surfers, including the fashion designer Cynthia Rowley .
“It doesn’t feel like a typical surf event,” the Australian filmmaker Stefan Hunt agreed. Mr. Hunt’s movie, “Surfing in 50 States,” was one of 18 featured over the weekend along with 13 shorts. “Usually, theses things are filled with the surfer dudes with bleached hair, the skinny girls in bikinis, and a bunch of surfing films that all look the same.”
Homogeneity is one of the things that the event’s founder, Tyler Breuer, who is also manager of the Sundown Surf Shop on Long Island, said he specifically tried to avoid. “I want the old guys I grew up surfing with in Long Beach, I want the grommets who are just interested in the shred flicks, I want the artists, and I want the people who don’t surf at all,” he said.
Sancho Rodriguez, the founder and organizer of the San Sebastián Surfilm Festibal, who was also in attendance, praised the mix of the crowd over the lip of his beer can. “New York is a strange place for a festival like this, but doing things that are slightly out of the ordinary is good for surfing,” he said. “We have to understand that our sport is growing and maturing, so the role of festivals like this is to convey the best parts of surfing to people that may not have been exposed to them.”
Ms. Rowley suggested that the surf world was ready for some distance from its traditional epicenter on the West Coast, and that New York seemed to be providing it.
“Californian surf culture has been a little mined,” she said, in that dismissive way that only fashion designers can fully evoke. “People are inherently interested in things that are alternative.”
When asked what she thought of the general surfing vibe in the room, she called it “aspiring to be non-aspirational,” and added: “New York surfers are a stylish bunch. In fashion, it’s got to be genuine to be cool, and this definitely feels genuine.”
Waves is an occasional City Room feature chronicling surfing in and around New York City, and the issues important to local surfers. Its author, Jim Rutenberg, is a Washington correspondent who grew up surfing in New Jersey and continues to surf regularly on Eastern Long Island. Ideas and comments are welcome at Wavesnyt@gmail.com.
DEE WHY, New South Wales (Monday, September 28, 2009) – After a lengthy break on the ASP Women’s World Tour, the third of seven stops will begin tomorrow with the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic which holds a waiting period from September 30 through October 5, 2009 at Dee Why in New South Wales.Layne Beachley (AUS), 37, who is a seven-time ASP Women’s World Champion, is set to battle the onslaught of hungry up and coming talent on this year’s Dream Tour. Although Beachley is only competing part-time on this year’s tour, the veteran campaigner’s valuable competitive experience makes her a threat in every heat.
“There has been a big break on tour so it is somewhat fitting for it all to get back underway with the richest prize-purse on offer,” Beachley said. “It’s wonderful to have support from Australia’s leading bank, the Commonwealth Bank, and I’m looking forward to a terrific start tomorrow.”
After standing on the leading front of competitive female surfing for nearly 20 years, Beachely is now blending her competitive spirit while working hard to continue to create a future for the sport by founding events like the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic.
“I really find myself in juxtaposition this time of year,” Beachley said. “Emotionally I am invested in staging a great event but also wanting to compete at the best of my ability. I’m really focused on running a wonderful event for the surfers, sponsors and fans.”
Paige Hareb (NZL), 19, is currently sitting in the No. 3 spot on the ASP Women’s World Tour and is the leading rookie after the first two events. The young New Zealand talent has been keeping busy after the lengthy break by competing on the ASP WQS while spending some of the down time at home.
“It’s been like one big holiday,” Hareb said. “I’ve still been doing the world qualifying series in between but had a three-week break in California and have also been at home a bit hitting the snow!”
Although Hareb exceeded her expectations in the first two events on the 2009 calendar, the young Kiwi is hoping the keep the ball rolling at this week’s Commonwealth Bank Beachley classic and is looking to climb to the top of the ASP Women’s World Tour ratings.
“To be honest I’m surprised,” Hareb said. “I’ll take it though and of course I’m going to try and stay there if not better it.”
There will be an official press conference Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 10:45am at Dee Why Surf Club. Surfers Layne Beachley, defending ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21, and defending Commonwealth Beachley Classic Champion Tyler Wright (AUS), 15, will be attending.
Tuna Aquaculture Project Threatens Wave at Pavones, Costa Rica
Tuna excrement, red tides, algal blooms, and hydrogen sulfide are not the first things that come to mind when planning a surfing vacation to Costa Rica. But the country’s recent approval of a tuna farm project could contaminate coastal waters and dismantle one of the areas best preserved surfing destinations.
A proposed tuna farm project at the mouth of the Golfo Dulce, located along Costa Rica’s remote southern Pacific coast, threatens the area’s water quality and the overall pristine state of the wave at Pavones – considered to be one of the world’s longest lefts.
The company responsible for the tuna farm project, Granjas Atuneras de Golfito S.A. (GAGSA), selected this section of coastline because the area’s swift running currents would bring a consistent flow of clean water to the captive tuna. However, these same currents could sweep the massive quantities of fish excrement and food waste produced by the tuna right up to Pavones’ doorstep.
Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court suspended the project’s approval in 2007, sighting inconsistencies in GAGSA’s environmental impact study. A part of the suspension, the court ordered a detailed independent investigation be done on the superficial and deepwater currents to better understand where the tuna byproducts would end up. This study was to be undertaken before any future environmental viability approval would be issued by the Costa Rican Environmental Ministry. However, in May 2009 Costa Rica’s environmental minister, Jorge Rodríguez, reopened the case and approved the project’s environmental viability without performing the court-mandated study.If the project is allowed to proceed, there is a high probability that the unappetizing mix of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and methane – all chemicals found in tuna excrement and leftover decaying food products produced at other tuna farm projects around the world – would reach Pavones. If this were to happen, algal blooms, decreased dissolved oxygen amounts, and wide spread dinoflagellate occurrences resulting in red tides and widespread fish kills could contribute to the dismantling of the area’s aesthetic beauty, artisanal fisheries, vibrant ecotourism businesses, and surfing industry.
Local surfers and conservation groups are vociferously campaigning against the tuna farm project (see related articles below). They are urging the international surfing community to write letters to Costa Rica’s Tourism Minister’s assessor, Marissia Obando, reminding her how important surfing is to the country’s economy and how crucial it is to protect coastlines and marine areas for recreational and economic opportunities.
Pavones was recently nominated to Save The Waves’ World Surfing Reserves program – an initiative designed to proactively protect the greatest and most threatened surf breaks around the world – because of its world class wave and the local community’s dedication to conserving the area’s natural surroundings.To get involved in the campaign and urge the Costa Rican government to protect the wave at Pavones – please send a letter to:
I am extremely concerned about the fate the wave at Pavones, one of the most pristine surfing destinations in Costa Rica. Please act now and work with the Environmental Ministry to revoke the environmental viability given to the tuna farm project planned for the mouth of the Golfo Dulce and comply with the Constitutional Court’s resolution 2007-06315 to perform an extensive study of the areas currents in order to determine the environmental impact of the project.
Thank you.
–For more information please contact Andy Bystrom at mailto: andy@pretoma.org or visit the following websites:
September 22, 2009 Some dirty rotten scoundrel just made off with World Number Four CJ Hobgood’s entire quiver of boards for the Euro leg…
"They slipped in through the back sliding door that leads to the garage," Ceej said from his Hossegor abode. "They’re probably in Spain or Portugal by now."
This was a special quiver, too. "I spent about two years dialing in that quiver," he said. "Some Euros are gonna be having some sessions of their lives on them things."
Ceej is offering a 1,500 euro REWARD for whoever finds the boards. Pass it on.
4 x yellow rail CGD 5′10" pin 5′10"pin 5′11"squash 6′1" pin 1 x yellow rail Tokoro 5′10" swallow 1 x yellow rail Merrick 5′9" swallow 1 x clear TL2 Timmy Reyes Model 5′10" pin 1 x blue rail CGD 6′0" squash 1 x clear Merrick 5′7" wing swallow twin fin
Email localknowledge@surfline.com with any information.
http://www.peaksandbarrels.com/ http://www.mysurfboardbag.com/
Mick’s hungry again with leap to #2 in the ratings
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 21 September, 2009 : – - Costa Mesa – Mick Fanning’s resurgence to the winner’s circle was an emphatic one. On the platinum-esque stage of so-Cal’s most high performance surf break, Lower Trestles, the 2007 World Champ scalped the 2009 Hurley Pro Trestles with an intensity that eerily resembled his ASP World Title form.
After taking out Kelly Slater in the semi-finals, Fanning found himself pitted against the always-exciting Dane Reynolds. However, it’s been nearly 2 years since Mick won an event, and with $105,000 on the line for the winner, Fanning wasted no time putting the final in a chokehold. A pair of mid to high 8’s left Dane combo’d, and Fanning officially became the winner of the richest event in surfing history.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Fanning stated. “I guess it’s more about building momentum again this year and getting the hunger back.” The $105k was obviously nice, but for Mick, it’s the massive leap frog to #2 in the ASP World Tour rankings that makes it exciting. With 4 events remaining, Mick is very much back in the hunt to win the ASP World Title.
Tom Curren’s section from 5′5 x 19 14. Curren shapes his own board then rips the shit out of it on the Gold Coast. Curren proves again that you don’t have to ride a 6′1 squash tail to rip. Section from the Lost Video 5′5 x 19 1/4. Tom’s never ridden …Lost boards or even heard of us for all we know but he’s the gnarliest surfer ever…. So watch closely kids, team riders, pros and joes – this is surfing. Psychedelic footage shot by Mark Thompson (father of Daniel the fish kid) at George Greenough’s Compound. Song by some guy named Epperly – never seen nor heard from him again and nothing on the world wide web about him either. 5′5 x 19 1/4 was never released on DVD. Lost was and is waiting for 5′5 Redux to come out to re-release it.
http://www.mysurfboardbag.com/http://www.peaksandbarrels.com/
There’s always been that comparison between the way Gerry and I surfed, but we had never spent any amount of time together. The first time I hung out with him was in 2004. We had crossed paths many times before and had known of each other for a long time. We were in Indo filming for Waterman and both Gerry and I showed up late, and the boat was already gone. The rest of the crew had gone down to Thunders, and Gerry and I had to jump on a speedboat to catch them. We basically sat on a boat from sunrise to the late afternoon. It was just a small little speedboat and it had one little bench seat. We sat on that seat for eight hours straight. At the time, I thought to myself, “This is how you get to know someone.” We talked about everything and anything. I asked him about G-Land, Uluwatu, Padang—spots he had pioneered. Of course, there would be these awkward silences and I would suddenly think, “Gosh, I’m sitting here with Gerry Lopez, I could ask him about anything.” Banzai Pipeline in 1979. Photo: Jeff Divine
We just went from one thing to the next, speaking about life and love and surfing. When we arrived at Thunders, the boat wasn’t there. They were surfing somewhere else. There were a couple of guys out so we unpacked our boards and paddled out. Within minutes everyone went in. We surfed these perfect little 3- to 4-foot barreling lefts with no one out, just us. There were no cameras. No one was watching. We were out there hooting each other into waves. When Gerry’s surfing, you can really just tell just how much he enjoys the actual act of riding waves. When you watch him surf you realize there’s something else going on there beyond what normal humans encounter—like he’s tapped into something that the rest of us are not.
Fifty years from now, Gerry will probably be remembered for his tube-riding, and the way he surfed Pipeline, but I think his contribution to surfing has been more than that. He’s inspirational, not just in the way he makes difficult situations look easy, but in his whole act from head to toe, from sunrise to sunset. There is a relationship he has with riding waves and with being in the ocean, there’s that synergy between the two, and you can just see it.
