Down the Line May 15th, 2011

From Down the Line Surf Talk Radio, May 15^th, 2011

You can listen on Sunday morning at 8 AM on AM 1360

Top Five Stories

1) Over the past month and a half we have been following the story in Japan regarding the countries efforts to maintain their nuclear reactors and the waste that has built up in their facilities since the massive tsunami that hit their country. Recently we have learned that even the tankers which come from Japan will register nuclear radiation on the Geiger counters used to detect nuclear weaponry at our ports and harbors. As the story unfolds we continue to see humanity at work, despite disaster. There is one lone surfer who has been seen surfing the waters off of Sendai. He is undoubtedly being irradiated and is aware of the fact that the waters are unsafe, but according to an industry source that is familiar with the situation on the island, he is surfing the waters he has grown up knowing and loving, alone and in spite of the harsh situation life has presented to him. The deeply symbolic act he is partaking in has established him as a sort of martyr to a surfing community with a sympathy and compassion for its brethren around the globe. Although there isn’t much news coming from the mainstream media regarding the month-old situation in Japan, efforts are being established to curb this ominous situation. The disaster that has befallen the established surfing community in Japan should be of the highest importance to the surfing community

Fairwinds.com

2) DavidPuu.com: a new blog with a very unique perspective. The blog is run by David, a noted photographer, surfer, and shaper who has grown up locally in Ventura, California. It is an op-ed from David’s perspective on Californian culture – the premiere of the blog features an article about the manufacturing of the Corvair in California during the early 60’s. Check out this new, entertaining blog as soon as you get a chance.

3) Nike 6.0 announces it will move into the Australian contest circuit, designing a robust set of events which will commence shortly after Nike’s Action Sports Festival in Huntington Beach, California in early 2012. Nike has the backing of iconic Aussie surfers such as “Rabbit” Bartholomew and Barton Lynch. Nike has been building its relationship with the pro surfing tour for many years now and have developed a hot brand through promotional gun-slinging as well as picking up the most talented and attractive young surfers in the world. The up-and-coming company will offer up an enormous sum of money in order to try to lure the best surfers from around the world to attend this event which they plan to hold in Australian between the ASP Snapper Rocks and Bells events. It is rumored that the prize will exceed one million US dollars and may be the biggest prize ever awarded. It seems Nike is poised to create its own PRIME series, holding multiple events in densely populated metropolitan areas around the globe. The combo of cash prizes and points for the World Tour will have a deep draw for the most competitive surfers competing on the World Tour.

Nike's Surf Team

4) Despite Occy’s great physical form, he has posted the worst performance ever on Australia’s Dancing with the Stars according the judges who were highly critical of his performance. Fortunately for us, he made it past heat 1…or, round 1, and will have another opportunity to prove his dancing prowess. At least it can be said that there is really nowhere for him to go from here but up.

5) Check out The Battle of the Paddle

Extra) Check out the video of Garret Maknamera’s motorized stand-up paddle.

Brad Gerlach stops by the studio to talk to Bassy & Baldy about all things surfing. The guys get his thoughts on the new ASP ‘Metro’ Tour, of which he says he is excited and supportive. His claim is that although it may be a different scene then what we are used to seeing, it should be good for the progressive nature of modern surfing. The top surfers are incredible in mediocre surf, almost even more progressive in mediocre surf, and the viewers can actually feel a little bit closer to the guys when they surf mundane beach-breaks versus some aquamarine tropical point. It also lends itself to the brands and getting them more exposure by reaching out to people in populated metropolitan venues. With the use of the waiting period, which is a relatively new system on the tour, you have the ability to hold the event while waiting for good surf to come into town. Gerlach has been spending a lot of time on the beach coaching, picking up a small contingent of young, competitive groms. He noted that Kolohe Andino’s choice to take on Mike Parsons as a coach is going to greatly raise his chances of winning a World Title, and winning it soon. Although Parsons has been a mentor to ‘Brother’ since he was just a young boy, Mike has officially signed on to tour and train with Kolohe throughout the entire year. Brad is coaching young up-and-comer Connor Coffin, who will be competing throughout the year with other young talents such as Kolohe Evan Geiselman, Jack Freestone, and his brother Parker Coffin. Chris Gallagher, a good friend of Gerlach’s, has entered the coaching scene along with other notable name in Barton Lynch. This level of talent on the beach is almost as high as it is in the water, but despite these guys long history of competition the atmosphere remains light-hearted amongst the group of coaches. The guys agree that Dane Reynolds is another young surfer who could greatly benefit from the use a coach or mentor. He has recently overcome of an injury and with those long periods out of the water often comes reflection on surfing motives and techniques. Dane has consistently looked conflicted, surfing well but lacking the killer instinct necessary to make big moves on the World Tour. Perhaps his respectful nature is creating an inner conflict as he tries to motivate himself to take down the surfing heroes he grew up idolizing. All these aspects of Dane Reynold’s surfing contribute to his needing a coach of some kind in order to keep his mind focused on his goals. As the next generation of surfers come into the spotlight and push some of the older, more experienced surfers off the tour, he could possibly find himself a little bit more mature and willing to accept an expert tour surfer onto his team. Quiksilver is doing a great job in working with Dane to establish an entire motif around his laidback style, whether it be a decision of Dane’s or the Quiksilver marketing team. He is a sort of anti-Kelly, and they are running with it.

Brad is content with the tour as it stands, and is appreciative of the new rules and ideas the ASP has recently instituted. When asked about the possibility of creating a sort of final playoff at Pipeline between the top four surfers at the end of the ASP Tour season, he tended to disagree, leaning more towards the surfers well-being and competitive mindset. Although he agrees it would be a very entertaining finish to the year, it might be a hindrance to the competitive nature you see at each of the stops on the tour. If the top ten guys begin thinking that they can coast into the final rounds of the tour, looking just to get a fourth place finish and make the final, we could see a real deterioration in the level of surfing.

You can see Brad Gerlach surfing this year in the Pipe Masters Contest.

A Few E-mails:

“Dear Bassy, I have to take issue with your Alana Blanchard is Anna Kournikova of surfing take. Yes, they are both hot and get lots of sponsorship opportunities because of their hotness. The thing is Anna Kournikova has never won a WTA singles Title, thus the nickname, ‘Anna Quarterfinal-ica, where as Alana Blanchard has gotten wins and beaten the best female surfer out there head-to-head, Stephanie Gilmore. Sure Steph may have gotten a bad deal with Rip Curl signing only Alana Blanchard and not Step, but that’s not Alana’s fault. You’re being a bit tough on Blanchard to call her Anna, it’s not her fault she is super hot. Just some thoughts - from a fan of you and Anna.

Mark, NC

BASSY: Let me just say this, Alana Blanchard has never won a WT event. The analogy is that neither one of them has ever won an event – they’re both super hot and they’re being marketed for that hotness. I’m not against Blanchard – I think that she should take some capital from her Rip Curl earnings and payouts to start her own brand. Her father, whose a smart guy, would be wise to start an Alana Blanchard Bikini brand – stuff you can wear in the surf that is super hot, put an ad in Transworld Magazine, just call it Alana, and get running with her own brand. She could make millions of dollars just like Anna Kournikova. I don’t believe she needs Rip Curl. The paradigm has already been established by Anna that you don’t have to win to be a hot brand in certain markets. She looks like a supermodel because she is a supermodel in the world of surfing. She lost her heat this morning in Rio, Brazil, but really, who cares…

“I want to comment on the world tour and Matt Warshaw’s article on the search and using Travelocity to find San Francisco. I understand a bit of what Warshaw is saying about it being a non-search because you don’t have to search for the OB in San Fran - everyone knows that it exists, but I also like what Chris Cote, editor of Transworld Surf, had to say about it being a place where people can go and watch the pros while having easy access to watch them. I’m on Long Island in New York and its going to be very interesting to see what happens when Quiksilver comes here this summer. Its good for Quiksilver and the sport of surfing, but if the waves are marginal to crappy, which they are most of the time here, who knows what’s gonna happen. Most of the places on the tour can hold a swell for a week or so, but a Long Island swell in September may only last 5 – 8 hours if you’re lucky. I’m hoping for the best so it’s not just a skateboard and lifestyle festival in New York City. Otherwise, I’d rather be watching a webcast of the pros surfing in G-land. Thanks for the great show.

Jim, NY

BALDY: I was with a guy who was visiting down from San Francisco. He lives right on Ocean Beach front and center who was saying, ‘I can’t wait, I’m so excited.’ I think Quiksilver’s model is different with the skating, DC is involved, and there is a lot of other stuff going on.

Wow this is really late, but here you go anyways...

Down the Line Surf Talk Radio, from the April 17th show.

Brought to you by the ‘Stand-up Round-Up’ Flat Water Festival and Board-works Knockout Race on Sunday, May 1^st, at Bonita Cove. All of the stand-up paddle industry manufactures will be down there with their boards – this is a chance for you to get out and try out some flat water boards. It’s a great way to get in shape, do some paddling; bring your family out, it’s going to be an all-day affair featuring a friendly knockout race to cap the afternoon.

The New Centaura Surf Company will cruise you around in comfort and style on their fully modernized surf vessel, the Pelarue. Visit Indosurfboat.com to book the trip of a lifetime.

We have more news on the Travis-sham mockery of the decade, the 9/11 of ocean tragedies. Last week, the fire was stoked on Down The Line Radio regarding the news that up to 7.5 million times the legal limit of irradiated waste is being disposed of into the oceans off the coast of Japan as a result of their problems with the nuclear reactors in tsunami effected territories. The main focus of the discussion was on the response that the Surfrider Foundation and other various organizations were arranging to counter-act the illegal procedures. We should note that it is understandable for a certain type of aftermath to result after calamities of this scale, but for there to be no reaction on the part of individuals and organizations who claim to facilitate ocean activities is completely unacceptable. While the main thrust of the blame was cast upon the big name foundations, such as Surfrider, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, even major brands in surfing, fishing, diving, or boating could easily get involved by offering services or donating money. A major movement needs to be seen within the surf industry itself to contribute funds to this cause. The official response from the Surfrider Foundation is that their only course of action is to refer people to the Japanese Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation with donations. The organization has maintained its position that is will not request sums of money from large organizations, but prefers to help make an impact by connecting individuals with those in need of money or services. The official statement of Down The Line Surf Talk Radio is simply 100 for 100. Bassy has initiated the first $100 donation, followed by Surfrider President Jim Moriarti and other personal friends. The idea is: 100 people donate $100, equaling $10,000 – the Surfrider Foundation matches the funds raised. Unfortunately, the Surfrider Foundation is not known to offer such large amounts of money for aid situations, as they do not have the funding or man-power to generate those sums. The sentiment has been offered that “if now is not the perfect time to change that[Surfrider’s] mentality, when would be?” Before we can expect any large contributions from major organizations, we must find ourselves personally accountable. You can join the effort on Facebook and be part of the 100 for 100 movement.

Down the Line on Facebook

Rip Curl has mustered up a lot of press this week regarding the Indonesian tidal bore known as ‘Seven Ghosts’. This phenomenon of nature is a true wonder to see, with up to 20 barreling lefts lined up next to each other across the span of the river. The tidal bore is created a few times a year as the moon swings its gravitational focus upon the little Indonesian island and the tide fills in to form this mystical, swirling perfection. One wave can be ridden for up to an hour and a half as it rushes down the river but as a result it is a tow-in wave only. Check out the footage below:

Soul Surfer: the Bethany Hamilton story, premiered at number four at the box office its opening week, reaching $10.6 million in sales. The movie had high hopes but it is uncommon for surf movies to make a huge impact in Hollywood. It not only has outdone itself regarding opening sales, but is also captivating its audiences with great surfing and an inspiring message. The story resonates with many different groups of viewers and is a great family movie. It is a film about surfing, triumph, living, learning, hardships, and ultimately being true to yourself. You can see it at a local theatre near you.

Dancing with the Stars: Australia, has hooked up with its newest star; former surfing world champion, Marco Jay Luciano Occhilupo. Marc ‘Occy’ Occhilupo is known by many to enjoy his fair share of karaoke, and may have even displayed a slight ’groove’ from time to time, which should make his transition to the dance floor a smooth an easy one. His professional dance partner is professional dancer Jade Brand. Which high profile American surfer could you see in the American version of Dancing with the Stars? Gerlach? Slater? Machado? Let’s make it happen.

Alana Blanchard. Need we say more? Alana Blanchard has become the Anna Kornikova of surfing, trade marking the women’s surf industry with her gorgeous looks and ever-shrinking bikini. Photos of her rarely display any surfing, preferring to market wetsuits, swimsuits, and surf gear through the age old adage of ‘sex-sells’. I don’t think too many people are complaining. Her celebrity has superseded her surfing ability and she has been able to create a brand of herself by attaining a certain pop status. We should keep an eye on Alana, because we want to witness the evolution of this young surfing powerhouse - who are we kidding?

Rattlesnake season is here and Southern California is known to be a hotspot for dangerous snake bites. Many people will underestimate the range and speed with which a coiled snake can strike. Bites will often occur when humans startle the snake or provoke it, and you should be particularly careful when you come across items that can shelter a snake such as fallen trees or large rocks. Rocky outcroppings and ledges are the most popular places for rattlesnakes to sun themselves but you can often find them in the middle of a trail trying to get warm. If you are walking down any trails or paths that are brushy or overgrown, maintain a keen sense of awareness as you can find these snakes in very uncommon of familiar places and if you do encounter a snake, allow it room to retreat. As the weather warms up and the spring rains fall, the snakes begin to search for food or shelter, often crossing well known walking or jogging routes. They are very aggressive and can attack without being provoked. If you plan on going into any area that is habitable by rattlesnakes you should keep a very close eye out on the ground as well as areas just off the path. Often simple precautions and awareness can make the difference between seeing a rattler and being bitten.

The 50^th anniversary of the competition held at Bells Beach in Austrailia will kick off on April 19^th. The extensive history of this event sets it apart from any other event on the tour - it being the only venue that has more than twenty years in running competition. Couple that with the incredible list of former world champions that also share the Bells title and it becomes a storied tradition among surfing culture worldwide . Previous Bells Champion, Mark Richards is quoted as saying, “this is the only trophy that matters in surfing and the rest of them are bullocks.” It is a place that lies close to the heart of local surf culture and ‘a Bells run’ is a long-lasting Australian surf tradition. A few names to consider as frontrunners for the title are Owen Wright, Julian Wilson, Adam Melling, and of course, Kelly Slater. Although regular-footers usually have the run of the break, we may see some radical backside wave riding from some of the ‘goofies’ on tour. Although we have 32 different surfers to watch, most bets are that one of the guys from the top ten will be leaving with the trophy. The amount of surfers on tour seems to be superfluous as most viewers are really only interested in watching those matchups featuring the top ten or twenty surfers, something that usually only happens in the later rounds of the contest. We’ll leave you with a quote from Jeff Baldy Baldwin to sum it up: “Everyone’s going to be ripping, but if you’re rated 20 or below, you could have the best heat of your life, but nobody cares…isn’t it a sad truth.”

Rip Curl Bells Beach

The San Diego North County Senior Olympics Surfing Event will be held on Saturday May 7^th, at Oceanside Harbor. There will be various age brackets within the ‘senior’ category so that you can participate with your friends and peers. Jon Rinehart of Rinehart Insurance is organizing the event and is volunteering a large amount of time. Go to www.SDseniorgames.org to sign up for the SDNC Senior Olympics.

April 19th

Top Five Stories: (in no particular order)

1) Damien Hobgood, 29, and Courtney Conlogue, 19, win the Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River. The contest saw just about every different type of surf, beginning with beautiful six to ten foot peelers, followed by 10-15ft, victory at sea conditions, and finally three to four foot dribblers on the last day of the event. Although the fixture ended in barely contestable surf, it seemed fitting that the harsh and testing conditions of the first few days would yield to a sunny offshore final, with celebration and relaxation on everyone’s mind moving into ASP stop number two at Bells Beach in under a weeks. The final saw Hobgood face off against local favorite Yadin Nicol. Yadin had been watching conditions all day and opted for an eventually losing strategy: waiting for the one or two wave set that would never materialize. Early in the day, despite tapering conditions, every heat would still be able to produce one or two scoring waves, but by the end of the afternoon, the fading swell left Nicol out in the water wondering. The wave at Margaret River, according to Baldy, is, “Unlike anything around here.” The wave breaks on a reef and taking the predominate left will move you towards a section known as the surgeon’s table, where the reef becomes exposed on a low tide. This path leads you towards the channel and as a result, if you make the section, you can cruise back out into the lineup with ease. The Telstra drug aware pro saw many of the contestants choosing the right, due to the crossed up nature of the swell. The right offers a little bit steeper of a wall, followed by a close-out section with high scoring potential. The jet-ski assist is what makes the right out at Margaret’s River workable, since it is a battle to paddle back onto the peak after cruising down the line. Hobgood’s performance in Western Australia demonstrated how much of an effect rhythm can have on one’s performance. Damien never let the break get the best of him, catching wave after wave, despite height or scoring potential, ultimately using everything that the ocean was offering up to him. Congratulations to both surfers, who received hefty amounts of points and cash.

2) T.K. Brimer and his iconic Newport Beach surf shop, the Frog House, have received special zoning rights by the city of Newport Beach after initially being given notice that they would have to shut their doors due to new governmental regulations. The city was considering rescinding the businesses’ permits in accordance with the zoning districts that had been drawn almost forty years ago, but were never properly enforced. The area where Frog House now sits is considered a residential zone, but until 2008, when new legislation was passed, the city had never needed to protest the shops’ location. The 39 year-old mom and pop style surf shop, as well as other various small businesses, were out of place in the residential only district and were required to apply for special rezoning. After much support and protest from local surfers and residents, the city of Newport Beach has decided to ‘grandfather-in’ the Frog House and it’s sister shops in an effort to maintain the rich surf culture of Newport Beach.

3) A man was bitten by a snake during his morning surf check at Trestles State Beach in California. He parked his car and took a quick walk down the trail along the cliffside to have a look at the conditions, but on his way back to his car he was surprised by a fully grown rattlesnake. Early spring is the time of year that snakes will come out of hibernation and begin looking for food and shelter. This from the Orange County Register:

"Surfer bitten by rattlesnake on trail near Trestles"

San Clemente landscape contractor Jim Miller, a lifelong surfer, determined he would not go in the water for an afternoon session Sunday after checking the waves from a popular clifftop lookout off Basilone Road above Trestles surf beach.

As he returned to the road along an overgrown cliff trail, he was bitten on his right foot by a rattlesnake he never saw.

The trail he usually takes is overgrown because of recent rains and has narrowed to less than a foot from the usual 3 feet, he said.

"I heard the rattle just as he got me and then again as he was taking off," said Miller, 54. "I knew it was a rattlesnake right away and called 911 with my cellphone.

"At the hospital, the nurse asked me twice if my affairs were in order and if I had a will."

4 & 5) The ‘Travis-sham’ mockery of the decade is worth two ‘top-stories’ spots and is currently happening thousands of miles across the Pacific. After the enormous earthquake and tsunami that Japan recently suffered, many of the country’s nuclear power facilities began experiencing problems keeping their radioactive waste contained. This has led to Japan’s releasing up to 7.5 million times the legal limit of radioactive waste into the coastal waters around the island. Of course, the surfing culture in Japan has all but been destroyed, and this type of fallout will only contribute to further difficulties in re-establishing a solid surf family there in the future. The Surfrider Foundation is one of the few outlets who have even broached this subject, and theirs’ seems to be a minimal effort. You can find the blog-site explaining the situation and asking for donations for Japan’s Surfrider Chapter online. Unlike the non-stop news coverage received regarding the radioactive waste that was being released into the air, this story, which holds as much weight or more, seems to be shunned by the major news sources. A greater effort needs to be organized in order to mitigate the damage that is currently being done to our oceans. Of course, the people in Japan are suffering greatly right now, and they have huge problems to deal with, but loss of life does not equate to the degradation of our oceans on such a large scale.

Excerpts from Bassy and Baldy’s interview with Bill Sharp, executive director of the Billabong XXL Awards:

Bassy: Thank you for waking up and being with us so bright and early on this crisp Sunday morning. Now I’ve got to tell you Bill, last week, Baldy and I went through our potential winners, and I believe Jeff chose David Scard, at Cloudbreak, for its aesthetically pleasing style, and I claimed that Brennan at Shipsterns would be the winner. How do you feel about these picks?

Sharp: I think those are valid, and I kinda have to laugh because I think, more-so this year than in the past, a case can be made for every single ride. Everyone’s talking about [it], Mark Healey on his wave that looks like a flea circus; how can you not get excited by Danilo Couto paddling into Jaws, with that air drop, pulling into the pit.

Baldy: We went through every different idea like that, because you have three tow-ins and two paddle- ins, and they’re all kind of different angles and colors; Healey’s is hard to see, with the color and everything, you kind of lose some of the dynamics of how amazing because it’s just grainy and dark and far away.

Bassy: Yes, Healey’s ride is just not aesthetically pleasing simply because you can’t see it.

Sharp: That’s true. And without the advances in modern camera technology that wave would have never been seen by anyone that wasn’t there.

Bassy: I appreciate you throwing a bone to Mark Healey because that is an incredible ride. Obviously, it’s one of those waves where, if you could have had better clarity there, we probably would have been blown away. It’s something that only Mark Healey could have pulled off. He’s an incredible surfer, in the top two all time big wave chargers, right up there with Shane. Quite frankly, Benjamin Sanchis is an incredible ride but when you stack that up against Teahupoo - it’s just an average ride at Teahupoo.

Sharp: Ya, which is interesting, not to get off topic, but where was Teahupoo this year? We had so many places that are usually complete machines at cranking out XXL contenders that just didn’t come through this year; there wasn’t a single ride that came in from Teahupoo this year

Bassy: Bill is so good at deflecting. Did you notice that? He got away from the whole Ireland thing.

Baldy: A lot of places didn’t break. It was funny because right up until the day that Dorian and Walsh got that paddle in at Jaws - I was actually talking with Mike Parsons that night – there was nothing coming in from the North Pacific. It just came alive that week before the cutoff, but not as much paddle-in, where as the year before there was so many paddle- ins.

Sharp: A lot of the paddle-in missions didn’t quit live up to what had been hoped for. That November 2^nd swell at Mavericks, there was a whole crew there frothing to ride giant waves but it just wasn’t quit over-the-top big; a group of us went overnight to Cortez Bank, and again, it was solid, but compared to what had gone on the previous year it wasn’t that mind-blowing. That stuff just barely made it into circulation.

Bassy: The Europeans have got to be feeling like they got shafted at the last minute - it seemed like this was the year for the Europeans, just because the Pacific Northwest basically shut down while big things were happening in Europe. Then at the last minute, a flurry of stuff seems to have taken the ‘mojo’ from the Eastern Hemi.

I’d like to talk to you about the ‘big wave’ award. I’ve done some research and by my calculations the wave by Francisco Porcella, at Jaws on Maui, is 63 feet and this is the wave that will win the award. What are your thoughts?

Sharp: Well, it’s all unofficial until the group of surfing supreme court justices get in and measure it. I think that one is really big. Belharra is in contention too, even though they’ve got the short end of the stick in the past. If you look at the Bellharra wave just based on pure height, it could be the winner - and it’s not as soft as some of the Belharra waves of the past – it is certainly in contention for pure height

Baldy: It’s hard, they all look huge. It’s all just hundreds of feet to me

Bassy: Let’s move on to the paddle-in winner. As I went through these, the Danilo Couto wave with the air drop and thirty seconds of pure leg burning, driving his toes into the wax; that one stands out as the winner. Quite frankly, Dorian didn’t make the wave. I know he got to the bottom and made a bottom turn; perhaps that makes it a contender, but in my opinion he didn’t make that wave. Scion doesn’t really make his wave either. The Waiamaia Bay wave is just not as heavy as Danilo’s wave - Healey’s is the only one that might have a chance.

Baldy: The other wave that didn’t make it was Ian Walsh’s wave with Shane Dorian in that same session. Like we said last week, ‘Why did he do that? ‘It looked like he just fell when the hard part of the wave was done, and his wave would have been amazing had he finished it.

Bassy: Well Bill, you’ve got to be excited for the paddle-in nominees. I’ve got a question for you. The awards ceremony that will be on April 29^th is such an incredible event. The montage that Bill and his crew put together is insane and you can see it on the webcast. What is the webcast URL?

Sharp: www.Billabongxxl.com

Bassy: Tell me about this year’s awards, the montage - I’m sure you’ve been working on it - is it something we should be excited about?

Sharp: Yes. This year, with the help of God, we’re going to be taking the production values to an entirely new level. I think they’ve been pretty sophisticated in the past but this year Fuel TV and Fox Sports are coming in and handling a lot of the technical upgrading. We aren’t using the same system at the Grove. Not only is it going to be an amazing experience for anyone that is there, but it’s going to air as a TV show two days later, which is pretty unprecedented. So you’ll be able to tune into Fuel TV at 6-9 PM on Sunday night - settle in and make some popcorn, watch the show on TV.

Baldy: That’s gonna be great. And being there live, watching all these waves played on the massive screen, with the big sound system - my hearts already in my throat; it’s incredible

Sharp: Some people are saying that this year the waves weren’t as amazing as last year, but when you distill it down to the top five in each category, and turn it into a montage, there’s no getting around that there is some amazing surfing going on. It’s pretty astonishing stuff

Bassy: One of the biggest crowd pleasers, the Verizon Wipeout of the Year, has some mental ones. My favorite is Mark Matthews’ spectacular wipeout at Shipsterns - its right in your face. That’s the beauty of Shipsterns, from a cinematography standpoint, they are right there in the channel, sitting on their boats or skis – it’s such a good angle into what’s happening. Mark Matthews takes a spectacular wipeout, one in which the crowd is going to be…well, some laughing, some crying. It’s just incredible stuff.

Baldy: Some of the waves are shot from a helicopter, like Dorian’s and Danilo’s, and you wonder how they would look if they were filmed off a ski because the wave has that much more size, girth, and fear factor at a water angle.

Sharp: Well, I’ll tell you, actually none of those shots were off a helicopter. It’s off a cliff - those fellas sauntered down to a perilous point on the cliff to get the slightly different angle. And, ya, a lot of the times those water shots offer a more shocking view. For whatever reason no one was there to hook up on some of the great rides. I don’t think I saw a single A+ water shot at Jaws for some reason.

Baldy: I just wonder how big Dorian’s barrel was from the channel on a ski, looking in it?

Sharp: That’s an incredible question. That would have been a cover shot. How everyone missed that one - just the way it goes - how did they miss Healey’s wave? There had been a bunch of shooters out there earlier but they had all gone in to have dinner.

Baldy: On Danilo’s wave, you only see how steep the wave is by his body movements, where the board is dropping out and his arms fly up involuntarily. If it was from the water you could see how vertical and massive that thing was. It almost flattens it out from that cliff angle.

Bassy: Bill is there a changing of the guard? Where are Mike Parson, Peter Mel, Garret Macnamera, and the other guys we normally see involved in the awards?

Sharp: They’re out there doing it, but there is a luck factor in that there are only so many swells per year. I think there were five major storms in the Pacific where as last year there was something like 12. If you’re number doesn’t come up you can be left out of the rotation. Not only did those older guys miss out – where was Greg Long, Grant “Twiggy” Baker, and up until the final week, where was Shane Dorian? Those are probably the three top performers over the last four or five years and they almost went the entire year without an A+ wave. Shane did his part to climb back up into the history books, I’m sure we’ll see more shocking things to come. The rest of those guys haven’t gone anywhere, their number just didn’t come up this year.

Baldy: Breaking it down in that sort of context regarding the Billabong XXL awards, I don’t think those guys look back on their year an think that they haven’t got an A+ wave, but from the award’s perspective, they really didn’t get that perfect wave. They spent their whole year throwing themselves over giant ledges, getting beaten up, and having their skis die in front of sets and whatever other horrific things happened to them – from the viewers point, they just didn’t get an A+ wave this year.

Sharp: Well, in relation to that, you can go out in the ASP and have a “shocker”, come in and have the microphone shoved in your face for a few minutes, but then you’re done for a couple months – there’s always another wave coming in, there’s always tomorrow’s swell in the XXL so things can change quite rapidly.

Watch the webcast Friday April 29^th at www.Billabongxxl.com or catch the live show on Fuel TV, May 1^st. You can also head over to www.facebook.com/billabongxxl and “like” the event to let all of your friends know.