The 2018 Quemao Class invite list has been released. Held at Canarian Pipe – El Quameo, La Santa the event puts the best local surfers and bodyboarders in the best conditions possible against international invitees.
Conor Maguire from Ireland and Tom Lowe and Andrew Cotton are on this years invite list.
The event is on stand by from 20 October – 20 December
You might remember the sad story from a few weeks back of American surfer, Fab Stabile, dying from a rare brain eating amoeba* and the authorities were pursuing the possibility that he got at the Waco wave pool. The results are in and whilst the testing didn’t detect the Naegleria fowleri in the wave pool itself it was found on site. See the report here. So the current home page statement from the pool owners is a bit, err, confusing.
Managing large freshwater installations like this is tricky and hopefully, this terrible event will ensure all future pools can be run incident free. BSR are spending the winter installing state of the art filtration as detailed below.
From the BSR SURF RESORT website… WATER TESTS COME BACK CLEAN
Installation of State-of-the-Art Filtration System Already Underway;
BSR Determined to Go the Extra Mile, Set Highest Standards for Safety
First and foremost, on behalf of the entire staff at BSR Surf Resort, our hearts and prayers are with Fab Stabile’s family, friends, and the New Jersey surf community. A precious life has been lost, and we are deeply saddened for his loved ones.
For the past two weeks, increased awareness of this incredibly rare disease, Naegleria fowleri, has swept the globe. What will come of all this news coverage and commentary? At BSR Surf Park, we are determined it will help save lives.
Although comprehensive test results have now confirmed that the water at BSR Surf Resort meets every standard for safety, today I am announcing that we are going the extra mile and hiring a North Carolina firm to install a state-of-the-art filtration system to make our water in the surf, on lazy river, and at the Royal Flush slide is as clear and clean as humanly possible. It will take us to February to complete the installation of this new filtration system working very closely with local, state and CDC officials.
There are only a few of these man-made surf parks in the country today, but many more will be built. Our goal is to set the highest standard for these facilities. Going forward, BSR Surf Resort will have the cleanest water anywhere in the United States.
I built this water destination resort so people of all ages could learn to surf and wakeboard — and then go home safely to their families. We take pride in our park and the safety of every guest. And to be clear, it’s not just the guests that use the park. It’s also my family, our friends, and our employees that essentially live in our water. My two-year-old twins play on that beach, and — as kids do — they drink the water every time.
So you better believe my cousin, who tests and treats the water every day, is damn sure no one gets sick.
BSR wants to thank everyone that has supported us from the start and believed in what we are trying to do. We want to make people happy — and safe — and that’s what we are going to continue to do.
We will update you on our progress through social media and our webpage, and look forward to seeing everyone soon with clear, blue, clean water.
Thanks
*Naegleria fowleri, colloquially known as the “brain-eating amoeba”, is a species of the genus Naegleria, belonging to the phylum Percolozoa. It is a free-living, bacteria-eating amoeba that can be pathogenic, causing a fulminant brain infection called naegleriasis, also known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis.
Yago Dora (BRA) is the winner of the 2018 Redbull Airborne speciality event after placing first in the final in Hossegor, France.
Today, Yago Dora (BRA) won the Red Bull Airborne France, a World Surf League (WSL) speciality event, in four foot (1.2 metre) waves at Plage des Culs Nus.
The inaugural Red Bull Airborne hosted an 18-man field consisting of a cross-section of the world’s best surfers from the elite Championship Tour and a global field of aerial specialists. 22-year old Dora topped the Final, which included Griffin Colapinto (USA), Jack Freestone (AUS), Kalani David (HAW), Matt Meola (HAW), and Eithan Osborne (USA).
“Being included in this group of surfers was an honour for me and to come out with a win was great,” said Dora. “It is really cool to win the first Airborne. Airs are the future of the sport, so I am so happy and excited to win. The judges are only looking for those progressive and innovative airs, and you just have to go for it.”
Dora got active early in the Final and scored two great manoeuvres in the first five minutes to take a lead he never let go. His first aerial was a huge slob air (front arm grabbing his toe-edge) that came in as a 6.67 (out of a possible 10), his best score being doubled for the overall tally. He then quickly put together another forehand rotation with a frontside grab, the same manoeuvre but with the trailing arm grabbing the toe-edge.
Pictured: Yago Dora of Brasil. Credit: © WSL / Poullenot
“I can’t believe it, ” Dora continued. “I’m exhausted actually, an hour is too long for a heat! I was lucky to start on the inside by myself and I got those two good waves when everyone was still out there. Griffin (Colapinto) needed a low score only and there’s no priority, so there was nothing I could do. I just tried to get another one but I couldn’t. ”
Griffin Colapinto (USA) and Jack Freestone (AUS) were the only other surfers to come close to threatening Dora’s lead in the Final, both going big in the punchy beach breaks. Freestone’s best effort was a massive backside alley-oop. Considering the relatively small conditions, his score came in as a 5.90. Unfortunately the Australian couldn’t quite land a good enough second air to back up his best score and earned third place.
Championship Tour rookie Colapinto threw his signature inverted forehand reverses with no grab – a highly technical rotation projected towards the beach – to post the Final’s highest single score, a 6.77, but could not find the required 4.73 to advance past Dora and take the win.
Pictured: Griffin Colapinto of USA. Credit: © WSL / Poullenot
Unfortunately Kalani David (HAW), Matt Meola (HAW) and Eithan Osborne (USA), who were all among the top scorers in the Qualifying Rounds, were unable to exploit the shifty lineup in the Final and couldn’t showcase the technicality that makes them some of the world’s most innovative surfers above the lip.
Highlights from the Red Bull Airborne France can be viewed at WorldSurfLeague.com and the WSL’s Facebook page.
Red Bull Airborne Final Leaderboard:
1 – Yago Dora (BRA) 18.27
2 – Griffin Colapinto (USA) 17.21
3 – Jack Freestone (AUS) 15.3
4 – Kalani David (HAW) 5.66
5 – Matt Meola (HAW) 5.40
6 – Eithan Osborne (USA) 0.00
Qualifying Round Leaderboard:
1 – Kalani David (HAW) 16.83
2 – Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.29
3 – Yago Dora (BRA) 13.83
4 – Matt Meola (HAW) 12.46
5 – Eithan Osborne (USA) 12.34
6 – Jack Freestone (AUS) 11.26
7 – Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 9.84
8 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 9.80
9 – Albee Layer (HAW) 9.76
10 – Eric Geiselman (USA) 9.60
11 – Mason Ho (HAW) 9.17
12 – Leif Engstrom (USA) 8.63
13 – Kael Walsh (AUS) 8.36
14 – Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 6.20
15 – Italo Ferreira (BRA) 4.96
16 – William Aliotti (FRA) 2.60
17 – Chippa Wilson (AUS) 1.46
18 – Sebastian Williams (MEX) 0.00
Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) surfing in Qualifying Round Heat 2 of the WSL Redbull Airborne event in Hossegor, France.
Mason Ho (HAW) surfing in Qualifying Round 2 Heat 1 of the WSL Redbull Airborne event in Hossegor, France.
Matt Meola (HAW) surfing in Qualifying Round 2 Heat 2 of the WSL Redbull Airborne event in Hossegor, France.
Jordy Smith (ZAF) surfing in Qualifying Round Heat 2 of the WSL Redbull Airborne event in Hossegor, France.
Check out the sick edit of Leonardo Fioravanti throwing fins free in France.
Crafted from cutting-edge technology, relentless creativity and pushing the limits of wetsuit design and materials so that you can push your own limits in the water, C-Skins deliver on warmth, fit, flexibility and durability to maximise your time in the water.
Wired 5×4 Chest Zip Wetsuit
A C-Skins team favourite, the Wired range continues to evolve with the latest 2018 features. The all new Wrap Around Mesh panelling gives the surfer 360 degree defence with a seamless barrier against wind chill. Dryknit lining, combined with new ThermoTech and Ultimate Flex linings make this one of the warmest Wired suits ever.
Wired 5mm Hidden Split Toe Boots
Dryknit lined for ultimate warmth with increased lightness, fast drying and performance. Xtend Fusion Isolation taped seams provides a tape that stretches with your body and gives extra waterproofing to the seam. Asymmetric arch support to give crital support in the arch of your foot plus laser cut soles and multi layer sole rubber reinforcement for ultimate grip and stick.
Wired 3mm Gloves
Multi-layer PE ink gives excellent grip and improves paddle power whilst the 100% Xtend neoprene provides a flexible, lightweight and super hydrophobic external lining that has excellent multi-directional stretch. Plus Glued and blind-stitched seams and liquid sealed seams to enhance waterproofing and strength and provide superior warmth and maximum comfort.
A winner will be drawn on Friday 12th October at 5pm and will be contacted via direct message on Instagram.
For more on C-Skins head to their website here or Instagram here.
Top photo courtesy Kian Bourke Steer | Bottom photo courtesy Sharpy
It’s no surprise to hear that there are Russian surfers. Most of us have met a few on our travels – usually somewhere tropical. What’s less well known is the wealth of surfing terrain that Russia is holding. Priboi, premiering at this year’s London Surf / Film Festival Oct 10th – 13th, sets out to lift the lid on one of surfing’s last undiscovered frontiers. Tickets are available HERE:
Told through stunning cinematography and over mind blowing distances, this is certainly a surf movie that blows the usual stereotypes out of the water. We caught up with surfer and filmmaker Sergey Rasshivaev to find out more.
“When we started this project the idea was to show the world the people who surf in Russia – and the places they surf,” explains Sergey. “Many people don’t believe it’s possible to surf here. But the waves, the people, it all exists.” In Priboi, Sergey and his filmmaking partner Konstantin Kokorev, take the viewer on a journey across the vastness of the Russian continent – and what they reveal is pretty mind blowing. There are surfable coastlines on the Baltic, Barents, Black and Caspian Seas all the way to the Pacific – from European to Asia – from 6mil suits to boardshorts.
I ask him how people reacted when they turned up to surf at many of these spots. “People were in shock,” he explains. “Even when we come to surf in their town. Some of them tell us it’s impossible. After watching how we do it, everything changes for them. When the people watch our film, they start to believe not only they can surf, but they can do anything that they dream about. That’s was main idea of the film.”
With such a vast landscape, it was no overnight project. “The Surf Siberia project has been about 5 years, while the movie we work about two years.” When you see surfers wading through knee deep slow in a blizzard, or using a skidoo to reach the breaks, that is serious commitment. I ask what the hardest part of the project has been. “If we talk about the trips – the Arctic and Kuril Islands,” Sergey explains. “It was the most dangerous situation there. But the hardest part was not filming and expedition. This project was self-financed and to find support to keep working was a big deal – so thanks everybody who helped us.”
In many parts of the world the surfing bug bites pretty hard when it becomes established. I ask how big the surf communities are in Russia now. “It’s difficult to say really,” he says. “But this summer I counted at one spot in Finland Bay, near to Saint Petersburg, over a 100 people at the same time in the water. So overall I’d say there are a few thousand… but who knows.”
Hosted 10-13 October 2018 at London’s iconic Regent Street Cinema we’re bringing to the UK a handpicked line up representing the pinnacle of contemporary surfing – documentaries to inspire, travelogues to stir up the wanderlust and of course some of the most mind blowing surfing.
Photos: ©taniaelisarieva
