Christmas In Hawaii From Surfing Magazine

This gallery is brought to you by surfingthemag.com

With much of the nation under snow, what better time to show you some glimpses of the Hawaii adventure life from Surfing Magazine!

End of An Era? Kelly Slater Contemplates Retirement

Kelly Slater recently won his record ninth surfing world championship, his sixth Billabong Pipeline Masters, and after coming out of retirement in 2002 Slater now finds himself contemplating his future once more.

From the New York Times:

Right now would be a great time to retire and just watch from the sidelines.  A great way to go out. It really is that way for me. I get two, three days before a contest, and I question whether I really want to do it.

The NYT article goes into some detail about Kelly’s career, including his recent Billabong Pipeline Masters title, then discusses the sport of surfing and what it would be like without it’s winningest supporter.   They say that surfing in the U.S. would not be the same without Kelly Slater in the mix.  They also suggest that the sport’s profile would go down a notch if Slater decided to finally hang up the board.  Their comparison runs the way that many felt Lance Armstrong’s retirement would be to the sport of cycling.  A couple of years out, we can see now what cycling was like without Lance Armstrong, and what it is now that he has decided to mount a comeback.

Kelly Slater hasn’t thrown in the towel yet, but he does say that he will participate in the 2009 Australian event, then evaluate how he feels.  It does leave one to wonder, though, when Slater ends the article with a comment like:

I thought for a long time that I felt my best surfing was ahead of me,” Slater said. “I still feel like my best surfing is ahead of me. And now I’ve got some experience in contests obviously.

I would think that the above quote would suggest that Kelly Slater isn’t quite done making his mark on surfing.  If his best is still to come, I would hate to think that he would walk away.  It isn’t out of the question though.  Seven-time women’s world champion Layne Beachley recently decided to cut back her schedule to only a couple of surfing events a year.  let’s hope that Kelly Slater sticks around for awhile longer.  Up to this point, he doesn’t have anyone breathing down his neck to take over his domminating presence.  That can’t be said for Beachley, who has acknowledged that Carrissa Moore is the future of the sport that she has dominated for the past 19 years.

Go read the Times article and watch the nice video talking about Layne Beachley and Carrissa Moore.  Is it over for Slater?  What are your thoughts?

Think Summer Surfing Is Crowded? Try Thanksgiving Weekend!

Transworld Surf has posted a great photo gallery of what it was like trying to surf on Thanksgiving Day 2008 on the North Shore of Oahu.  The photos look to be quite amazing, but there is also a dangerous side to having so many people congragated on so few waves.  Luckily, no one was hurt-

By the way: Check out the cool paddleboarder at he top of the wave!  Baseball cap and all.  That is great!

Check out the other 41 photos in this series by following this link to TransWorld Surf.

Monster Wave: Surfer Rides 41 Foot Wave–Then Wipes Out

Kerby Brown’s story of catching a monster 41 foot wave is sweeping across the internet.  He was recently filmed surfing the rogue wave, in an undisclosed location, before wiping out and nearly killing himself.

I went straight over the lip and did about 10 backflips and then pulled a muscle in my shoulder.

This quote comes from a recent feature in The Daily Mail that showcased Kerby Brown’s amazing ride through photographic moments just before the wave came crashing on Kerby Brown.  This photographic series has been entered into the Oakley Surfing Life Big Wave Awards.  These awards reward surfers for riding the biggest waves in Australasian waters.  I am pretty sure that the competition just ripped up their entry forms..

Follow this link for the rest of the photos, or just click the picture above.

Reminder: Reef Hawaiian Pro Live Webcast Nov. 12-23

The Triple Crown of Surfing will be kicking off on November 12th with the Reef Hawaiian Pro.  The Reef Hawaiian Pro will be taking place at Ali’i Beach within Oahu’s Haleiwa Beach Park.  This year’s event, being sponsored by Vans, promises to be a world-class event worthy of the Triple Crown.  If you are in, or near Oahu beginning November 12th, you might want to head down to the beach and catch some rays while witnessing the best that surfing has to offer.  For the rest of us, a simple internet conection will bring you the live action of each and every day by way of a live webcast of the whole event.  You will be able to catch all of the action LIVE at www.triplecrownofsurfing.com.

For a great video and introduction to the 2008 Vans Reef Hawaiian Pro, be sure to check out the nice video over at Surfer Magazine.

Cool Vid: Quicksilver Kelly Slater Extreme Surfing ATP White Lies

New Book Explores The Life Of Kelly Slater, Nine-time Surfing World Champion

Kelly Slater recently won his 9th World Surfing Championship, an unprecedented number that lines him up to considered the greatest surfer of all-time.  If Kelly Slater were Lance Armstrong, he would still need two more Tour de France victories to match this accomplishment.  That is a huge feat that may not be surpassed…EVER.

Kelly Slater, being in a sport that draws a special crowd of onlookers, hasn’t been represented to much in the mainstream press.  As a matter of fact, unless you visit a couple of blogs, or the few surfing publications in existance, you may not even know who he is.  That is kind of sad for someone who has won nine world titles. I guess everyone is more intrigued by Lance Armstrong, whose face probably has it’s own branded wallpaper for homes.  Sorry, but that guy is everywhere!

Kelly Slater has been around the world of surfing for many years and has dominated the sport, thought by many, to be that of the ‘younger generation’.  Kelly will finally be getting his say-and some much deserved kudos-for changing the world of surfing forever.

On November 17, 2008, Chronicle Books will be releasing “Kelly Slater:  For the Love”.  This 192 page book will take a look at the life of Kelly Slater through personal interviews and more than 200 photos of the man.  The interviews will include some pretty intriguing tales by some of his more notable friends (Jack Johnson, Eddie Vedder, Pamela Anderson, Tom Curren, Shaun Thompson, and more).

Veteran surf journalist Phil Jarret has spent an enormous amount of time interviewing Slater and his friends.  This book will take an inside look at the world of being a top pro surfer, as well as touch base on many of the topics close to Kelly’s heart:  the environment, politics, music, and of course surfing.

If your interested in picking up this book on Pro Surfer Kelly Slater, be sure to check out the Chronicle Books website.  I think the going rate will come out at $35.00 when it is released on November 17th.  This is just a guess, but I am betting that his is going to be a coffee-table sized book with some really spectacular photography.  There is nothing better in the winter than to kick back, hit ‘play’ on that Jack Johnson cd, then flip through some pages of fantastic wave riding while dreaming of 2009.  I/m already getting my winter blues.

Billabong’s Grant “Twiggy’ Baker Rides The Biggest Wave Ever

Billabong’s Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker rides the biggest wave ever in Cape Town

Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker, Tafelberg : photo Craig Kolesky/SanDisk

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 12 August, 2008 : - - Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker rode what he says was the biggest wave he has ever ridden in Cape Town on Saturday when he and fellow Billabong team rider Greg Long towed each other into waves estimated to be over 70 foot (22 meters) in height.

The 35 year-old from Umhlanga, near Durban, and Long, 25, from San Clemente, California, started the day towing into waves at Dungeons, the notorious open ocean reef outside Hout Bay where Baker won the 10th anniversary edition of the Red Bull Big Wave Africa paddle-in event two weeks ago.

After three hours of epic rides and as the low tide approached the duo rode their Honda personal watercraft (PWC) out to the indicator reef known a Tafelberg, a kilometer outside of Dungeons, where the huge waves usually just peak and crumble as the reef is eight meters below the surface.

Read more

Kelly Slater Takes Billabong Pro J-Bay 2008

Kelly Slater picked up his fourth ASP 2008 win of the year at the Billabong Pro J-Bay 2008. Slater had to defeat current world champion Mick Fanning in the finals, but the 36-year-old Slater still showed why many think he is the man to beat. His 4th tour championship has placed him at the top of the ASP World Tour standings, where he now holds a huge 1200 point lead over nearest competitor Joel Parkinson of Australia.

The Billabong Pro J-Bay 2008 ASP World Tour stop, in South Africa, featured some of the toughest competition seen thus far and was highlighted by Slater Vs. Fanning in the finals. You couldn’t ask for a better finale to an awesome event, yet Fanning would probably tell you different. He miffed the finals and took a fall from the board allowing Slater to easily move in and steal the show.

Check out the highlights of the final heat: Slater vs. Fanning on July 17th. Enjoy.

Kelly Slater is attempting to capture his 9th World Title this year. Not bad for someone that is four years older than I am—

To read and see more of this spectacular surfing challenge, check out the Billabong Pro website, the ASP World Tour site, or Mountainfit, which currently has a nice highlight video of the final day posted.  Good stuff, Mark.

Surf’s Up: Laird Hamilton