Inside the Tour with SA's Surf Ambassador - Travis Logie

The world of top level Pro surfing gets underway today with the Start of the Quiksilver Pro. With Jordy being our only surfer in the event and being hectically busy, I thought I would chat to long time WCT surfer, one of the only guys on tour to beat Slater and hopefully full WCT campaigner again soon, Travis Logie. He gives us the lowdown on the new tour format, Jordy and where local surfing is at.

The backhand Shralp that has defeated Champions. (Photo: ASP)

Kai - 

How many years have you been on tour now?

Travis - Been surfing professionally for for 13 yrs but been 100 percent touring for 9 years. 

Kai - 
What have been the major changes to the World Tour since you started?

Travis - 

Well back when I started events had 300 odd surfers in them , the heats were 20 mins long , 4 waves counted and the prize money for first place in CT was only USD15K! Now there's only 32 guys , 2 waves count in 30min heats and you win 75K usd.

Kai - 

What are your feelings on the new tour format?

Travis - 

I'm undecided , it's still a bit fresh to make a call, those round 4, 3 man heats kind of randomise the seedings which I don't know is such a great call. 

Kai - Its great that we have Jordy doing so well, but who are the guys 
that are going to step up for SA Surfing in the next few years?

Travis - 

I think Dale Staples , Shaun Joubert and Jacko could really end up having successful careers! They all have good technique and seem pretty focussed! Casey Grant has huge talent too, if he can channel it he will be a real force. 

Kai - We don't really have a Pro Tour locally anymore, and club surfing 
died a long time ago, how do we reinvent the system here? 

Travis - 

Money, someone needs to step up and sponsor some local events! And club events have died cause people don't really spend all day on the beach anymore. They drive down surf and drive home! I remember when everyone posted up for hours , I think its a crime thing. 

Kai - What are your feelings on bringing back Club Surfing in SA?

Travis - 

Its a must , its what got me and Jordy into competitive surfing and encourages beach culture! 

No one on tour wants to surf against Travis in Small rights! (Photo: ASP)

Kai - Your goals for 2011?

Travis - 

The first half of 2011 is all about making the cut! Second half I wanna do some damage on the CT 

Kai - 

Is this year for Jordy to become World Champ?

Travis - 

Jordys been surfing good enough to be world champ for 3 years! The only thing that has changed is experience, if he keeps managing his heats professionally he will be world champ! 

Thanks Travis. You can check out the start of the WCT at - Quik Pro 

Travis has defeated the biggest names in surfing, just check these two heats from last year's Rip Curl pro Portugal, where he smoked Dane and Mick!

King Kelly Returns for the Quik Pro

So after much deliberation and debate, the world has its answer, Kelly Slater will be returning to the World Tour for the season opener at the Quiksilver Pro. Of course they are his sponsor, so it makes sense they would want him to surf, but I cant shake the feeling that Kelly still wants another title. The man simply cannot stand seeing anyone else with what he considers his title.

The man still has it, Kelly warming up on the Goldy (Photo: ASP)

The ASP Press release:

GOLD COAST, Queensland/Australia (Wednesday, February 23, 2011) – The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover is just a few short days away from commencing and the opening event of the season will be headlined by none other than reigning 10-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 39.
The iconic natural-footer utilized the off-season to recharge in his adopted homes of Hawaii and California, working on equipment and taking advantage of the winter swell season.
“I’ve been hanging in Hawaii and getting boards sorted out in California and having down time,” Slater said. “Surfing myself out most of January was fun.”
Historically coy about his annual plans, Slater maintains that his agenda for 2011 is still undecided, but is motivated to open the season up in high-performance righthand pointbreak of Snapper Rocks.
“The waves at Snapper wake me up enough for motivation but I’d love to get another win at the Quiksilver Pro,” Slater said. “Either a great way to go out or to start another campaign! I can’t honestly answer that (my plans for the year) right now. I’ve thought about doing a farewell aloha tour and saying bye to the tour and I’ve thought about retiring after this event for real.”
The ASP Top 34 comprises the best surfers on the planet and Slater is conscious of the increased level of talent in 2011. Utilizing a variety of varying world-class venues, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast could see the world’s best contest anything from Snapper Rocks to Duranbah.
“It will depend on where the waves show up,” Slater said. “If we’re at the beach break, guys like Julian (Wilson) and Josh (Kerr) will be most dangerous. The points bring out the best tubes and carving typically, but everyone surfs well at snapper. Should be good to watch.”
Slater will face Kai Otton (AUS), 31, and one of the event wildcards in the opening round of competition.

Expect more of this from King Kelly (Photo: ASP)

 Joel Parkinson (AUS), 29, finished last season 24th in the ASP World Title rankings, following a near career-ending injury that saw the stylish natural-footer sit out the bulk of the season.
“I guess the benefit now is that I’m hungry – not only to compete, but just to surf,” Parkinson said. “That’s one of the key things with surfing on the tour, you’ve got to not only stay hungry to surf throughout a whole event, you’ve got to stay hungry over the course of a whole year. The way I’m feeling at the moment, I’m going to paddle out for my last heat of the year at Pipe even hungrier than I was when I paddled out for my first heat at Snapper. That’s how I’m feeling, that’s how hungry I am to surf right now. And the thing now is that I’ve got three kids, so it’s not like I can go surfing five times a day. I’ve got to pick and choose my windows to surf in and I have to make the most of them.”
A perennial ASP World Title contender, the Australian has yet to secure his inaugural crown despite several near misses.
“It’s a big year for me for sure.” Parkinson said. “I turn 30 pretty soon. After what’s happened over the past couple of years, after the injuries and disappointments, if I can surf every event this year at 100% fitness, I’d consider that a victory in itself. And if I can do that I’m confident I’m going to be challenging. But I don’t dwell on what’s happened to me. I’ve learned to just worry about the 30 minutes of the next heat in front of me. It doesn’t even matter who I’m surfing against, doesn’t matter what happened last year, doesn’t matter that I’m turning 30. It’s all about those next 30 minutes. Then it’s all about stringing a lot of good 30 minutes together.”
With his sights set on the 2011 ASP World Title, Parkinson is well aware of the roadblocks that exist in the form of his fellow elite campaigners.
“I think Jordy (Smith) will be a lot more mature in the way he surfs heats, just on the back of the confidence he’ll take from last year,” Smith said. “He’s an amazing surfer and he put together a really good season last year. And Mick’s surfing on the trip we just did blew me away. You can see he’s been working pretty hard on big airs and stuff the judges will really notice.”
Parkinson will battle the South American duo of Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, and Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, in Round 1 of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.
Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, 2011 ASP World Title rookie, has long been touted as one of the most progressive surfers in the world and his 11th hour qualification heroics from Hawaii last winter cemented his position amongst the world’s elite this season.
“It feels really rewarding to have qualified,” Wilson said. “I’ve always had my dreams set on making the World Tour and now I’ve accomplished it. There’s only one place to be if you have a dream of chasing world titles.”
The young natural-footer from Australia’s Sunshine Coast is easing into his first full year on tour, and is excited about opening the season at Snapper Rocks.
“It’s very cliché but my goal this season is to take it one heat at a time, enjoy where I’m at and surf some amazing waves with only one other guy out,” Wilson said. “Snapper is such a fun wave and is my favourite event of the year. I grew up surfing the points at Noosa (two hours North) and even though they’re not always as good, I seem to feel at home in those kind of waves.”
Wilson will take on Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28, and Heitor Alves (BRA), 28, in the opening heat of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.
Dane Reynolds (USA), 25, who finished the 2010 ASP World Title season in 4th, has withdrawn from the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee as a result of an injury he had suffered in Hawaii in early December. He started rehab the week after surgery, and is expecting be back in the water sometime in mid to late March. Cory Lopez (USA), 33, will be serving as his replacement at the event.
The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast will run from February 26 through March 9, 2011 and will be webcast LIVE via http://www.quiksilverpro.com
Running in conjunction with the men’s event will be Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover, the opening event in the ASP Women’s World Title season.
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1:
Heat 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Julian Wilson (AUS)
Heat 2: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Gabe Kling (USA)
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS), Bobby Martinez (USA), Cory Lopez (USA)
Heat 4: Taj Burrow (AUS), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), TBA
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA), Kai Otton (AUS), TBA
Heat 7: Owen Wright (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA), Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Brett Simpson (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 9: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 11: Chris Davidson (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 12: Jadson Andre (BRA), Damien Hobgood (USA), Tiago Pires (PRT)

This will amp you on Snow! Dc and Red Bull bring it.

Two incredible snow videos for the price of one! First up we have the third in the DC "This is Snowboarding" series with Kimmy Fasani. She is definitely one of the better lady free riders out there and this is one sweet little video!

She looks good and rides good!

Second we have the man of the moment, the master of big snow - Travis Rice. This is the trailer for his new movie with Red Bull and the intellect trust at Brain Farm Productions, "The Art of Flight". If you saw "That's it that's all", you know what these guys are capable of and will be pre-ordering this video just like me!

Hawaiin and French pro surfers assualt Boardrider and kicked out of ASP Surf Contest

It seems you cannot take Sunny Garcia anywhere. After his 16 year old son was in a verbal argument with another surfer on the Gold Coast, Sunny ran over, choked the guy and knocked him a couple in the head. Jeremy Flores, who was surfing with Sunny's son at the time, also got involved, though according to him, he did not throw the first punch. Sunny, not done with this then chased down the guy who filmed the whole incident and gave him a klap to. I mean really guys, is this how you wanna portray surfers to the world?



The ASP released the following:
GOLD COAST, Queensland/Australia (Monday, February 21, 2011) -The ASP Rules and Disciplinary Committee has convened this morning to begin assessment of an incident involving ASP World Title contender Jeremy Flores and ASP World Tour surfer Sunny Garcia last Saturday, February 19, 2011 on the Gold Coast of Australia. In accordance with the ASP Rules and Discipline Policy, the ASP Rules and Disciplinary committee will cooperate fully and await the findings of an active police investigation into the matter before reconvening and determining the next course of action.
It is noted that ASP International implements a zero tolerance policy in relation to violence.
In accordance with the ASP Rulebook, immediately following Saturday’s incident, then-active surfer Jeremy Flores was suspended from event competition at Burleigh Heads and then-eliminated surfer Sunny Garcia was suspended from the next event on the ASP calendar that he was scheduled to attend, the ASP 4-Star Burton Toyota Pro in Newcastle.
The ASP Rules and Disciplinary Committee will reconvene following the closure of the active police investigation to determine whether further disciplinary action is required for both athletes.

Flores gets away with a slap on the wrist.

Good start for the Saffers in Brazil - Hang Loose Pro

It was a good start on the World tour for South Africans, with Travis Logie making the Semi Finals of the Hang Loose Pro Prime event. Shaun Joubert also made the quarter finals making it 2 surfers in the top 8.

Brazzas happy with the win. (Photo: ASP)

ASP had the following on the contest:

CACIMBA DO PADRE, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco / Brazil (February, Sunday, 20, 2011) - Brazilian Alejo Muniz, 20, has won the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME Hang Loose Pro Contest in three-to-five foot surf at the Cacimba do Padre, Fernando de Noronha, island, located at 345 kilometers from the Brazil’s northeastern coast.
Alejo Muniz earned US$ 40,000 in prize money and 6,500 points towards his ASP World Ranking. The runner up Dion Atkinson (Australia), 24, scored 7.14 points in the final, well under Alejo Muniz who won the event with an impressive combined two-wave heat tally of 13.00 points (both scores out of a possible 20).
For Muniz his first ASP PRIME event Title is also pretty much like a birthday gift, as he is turning 21 next Tuesday.
“Winning is the best feeling of all”, said Alejo Muniz, as soon as he got to the podium over his mates shoulders. “This is Brazil’s biggest event. Last year I got so close (I was defeated in the semifinal), but now everything worked my way this time, and it’s awesome to start the year like this. Winning here in Fernando de Noronha is fantastic.”
Next Monday Alejo will be flying to Australia where he makes his debut on the ASP Dream Tour. He is now one of five Brazilians in the elite group of the 34 best surfers in the world.
“I’m a little nervous for this next event. I tried not to bring this nervousness to Noronha, and I really have to say thanks to everyone who supports me, all my friends here and special thanks to my family which is 100 percent committed to my career as a Pro Surfer.”
To get into the final the Australian, Atkinson first defeated South Africa’s Shaun Joubert in a very close heat where he scored a total of 10.44 over Joubert’s 10.06. Then he faced Brazilian Heitor Alves, and once again Dion Atkinson won by a slight margin, posting a total heat of 10.73 to Alves’ 9.17.
“I’m very happy with the result. Alejo (Muniz) got all the best waves in the final, also he fired the whole contest showing very mature surfing, so he deserved this win”, said Dion Atkinson. “I really would like to win, but anyway it was good to make the final in this beautiful place. Few events are held in such hollow waves. It’s one of my favorite events in the world and I’ll still come back here in the coming years to try to win this event.”
The Hang Loose Pro Contest has completed its 25th anniversary and Alfio Lagnado, owner of the company and the father of the idea of running the first ASP event in Brazil, also sponsored by a Brazilian Clothing company gave the trophy to the Champion, Alejo Muniz. Alfio talked about the first Hang Loose Pro Contest in 1986 at Praia da Joaquina in Florianopolis.
“We were young dreamers by then and had the opportunity to bring tan ASP event to Brazil, so we didn’t think twice and took the chance to make it,” said Alfio Lagnado. “It turned out to be so nice that we continued running it for the last 25 years. Most athletes competing here were not even born. Surfing in Brazil has grown a lot compared to those days, with so many wins with the Brazilian surfers competing as equals with the best surfers in the world.”
He also talked on the new Hang Loose Pro Contest champion, Alejo Muniz.
“I’m very excited to give this trophy to this young surfer here, who was one of my team surfers until two months ago. It’s a kid we know and took care of since he was a kid, really a very good boy. I hope he has all the success in his professional career, congratulations”, concluded Alfio Lagnado.
Then Alejo dedicated his win to his former Boss at the podium.
For highlights on the 2011 ASP PRIME Hang Loose Pro log on to http://www.hangloose.com.br/procontest2011/
Hang Loose Pro Final Result:
1 - Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.00 points
2 - Dion Atkinson (AUS) 7.14 points
Hang Loose Pro Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.77 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 12.26
SF 2: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 10.73 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 9.17
Hang Loose Pro Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.10 def. Masotashi Ohno (JPN) 5.83
QF 2: Travis Logie (ZAF) 13.67 x 10.20 Jihad Kohdr (BRA)
QF 3: Heitor Alves (BRA) 13.17 def. Hizunome Bettero (BRA) 10.50
QF 4: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 10.44 def. Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 10.06

Wavegarden - Surfing made available to the masses

My eyes literally popped out of my head the first time I saw this installation on video. I immediately got on the mail to the Wavegarden guys in Spain and was thanked for my enthusiasm, but told I would have to wait with the rest of the world till the 15th February roll out and launch. So here we are and this morning I received my press release and photos, as well as links to the videos below.

Perfect waves in your back garden?

So what is the Wave Garden? Wavegarden is a man-made wave that creates ideal conditions for surfing, as well as a broadly appealing range of other wave sports. With Wavegarden you can create a surf spot anywhere in the world and surf it anytime you like.
According to Chief Engineer and Instant Co-Founder José Manuel Odriozola, “The key differences to Wavegarden from previous wave generation technologies are that the wave is customizable to suit any skill level or age, it costs much less to build and maintain, and it is vastly superior in energy efficiency than any other system available today.” Odriozola continues, “Being passionate surfers, the founders of Wavegarden wanted to share surfing with others not fortunate enough to live near natural waves. Our goal was not only to bring the joy, adventure, and fitness of surfing to people everywhere, but also to open up new opportunities for both public and private enterprise.”

Bobby Martinez "training" for the tour.

Surprisingly, even expert surfers who have typically been hard to impress by man-made waves are amazed at the quality, authenticity, and virtually unlimited length of Wavegarden’s waves.
Elite professional surfers, such as basque phenomenon Aritz Aranburu, were using Wavegarden’s test center as a sort of laboratory to sharpen up their competitive games. He says, “Wavegarden has helped me improve my technique to take on championships. This wave is a great tool for learning and perfecting your style.”

Top ranked Californian pro, Bobby Martinez, recently posted this to his followers on Twitter, "Found a goofy footer’s dream yesterday!!!!!! Let me put it like this...the window never closes!!!!!Hahaha!"

All I can say is that I cannot wait to give this a go, especially considering they are almost done with the new version that will push out a wave twice as big. I reckon this could seriously increase surfing's growth world wide. I mean, the Johannesburg inland crew can actually start surfing, though they will probably drown when they try take their Wavegarden learn't skills into an active, current infested ocean.

Check out more at - Wavegarden

I want one!

Jordy Smith's Top 10 waves in 2010

Number 1 in 2010?

Ok, so we are fast approaching the start of the ASP World Tour at Snapper Rocks and I thought it would be nice to look at our very own Mr Smith's top 10 waves of 2010. He came in at number 2 last year, but after watching him surf the last month in the Cape area, I am feeling good about a SA World Champion in 2010.

Back country Pow DC style

We are having one serious summer and I actually am about ready for some winter at this point! Lucky, or maybe thats actually unlucky, DC are releasing one of their team riders "This is Snowboarding" videos every week. This week is Devun Walsh, with some serious back country boarding.

The future of SA Surfing - the good, the bad and the ugly

Some people might wonder what the hell I am talking about here? There are more surfers than ever in SA, the shops do alright, surf lessons are booming and all in all everyone wants to be a surfer. This in itself might be the problem. The growing popularity of our lifestyle is bringing more and more people into the lineup, but at the same time these new surfers are not being groomed and taught by the older more experienced surfers in the lineup. They are not being taught the basics, the guy on your inside has priority, don't paddle around someone on your outside, if you are a kook stay away from the main peak with your mini-Malibu until you have learn't how to actually make the drop on a fast 4ft wave. Remember this point as I move on...

Want more of this?

Professional surfing in SA is on a one way ticket to the grave! I hear the choruses of, "Thats rubbish!" wafting out like the pong from the sewerage factory on the N2 as I drive by, but unfortunately my point is valid. Yes, we have Jordy Smith, the world number 2, but what comes after? We only have 3 other surfers in the World Tour top 100, Travis Logie, Lord Royden Bryson, Brandon Jackson and Dale Staples, who gets a prime seading thanks to his 3rd place in the 2010 Junior rankings. Four guys out of 100 of the top surfers in the world, is that really how good we are? The new ASP system is also designed to make it harder for surfers to crack the WCT field, so how long will it be before Jordy has support on the premier tour?

No reason this cant be a local club contest!

How do we go about changing this status quo? Logic says that like the Brazilians, Australians and Americans, who dominate the world tour, we need strong local junior tours and a very strong local tour for our surfers to learn how to compete on the world tour. We need our guys and girls to surf competitive heats as much as possible, we need them to earn money for their accomplishments and we need them to be sponsored properly so that they can afford to actually go out there and attack the world tour. Unfortunately, our local surf tour, the PST, has pretty much ceased to exist. Of the 3 major WQS competitions we had in South Africa, only one remains and we have one WCT in Jbay. This leaves South African surfers with woefully little opportunity to gain experience, points and prize money to gain enough leverage to get on tour. Our local surf brands simply don't have the money to support multiple campaigns and we desperately need to gain more corporate support for the sport. Where does this leave us?

South African surfing needs an overhaul. My solution is simple, we need to start at the bottom and work our way up. First step to getting SA surfing back on track is the rebirth of club surfing in our country. Why are the Australians dominating world surfing? Because they have the strongest Club system on the planet and this rolls through to the provincial, national and professional tours. Growing up in the Eastern Cape we had a couple of surf clubs we could join and this was the same for all the major surfing towns. I got taught by the older guys, I got abused as a grommet, earned my spot in the local line up and had a really good time throughout. Our surf history is peppered with great stories, moments and events from the inter club rivalries of the seventies and eighties. Our greatest surfers such as Sean Thompson, Martin Potter and many more grew up in the club scenes of their day. This is where they learnt to surf (Take note of the first paragraph of this commentary), grew their competitive strategies, were supported by the fellow club members and ultimately found their stride as professional surfers.

The groms need surf clubs!

This is not just a statement on my part. Myself and a couple of other concerned surfers, namely Robby MacDonald, Dutchie and our local surfers have started the process. This past Saturday we had the first West Coast Boardriders versus Llandudno Surf Club competition. Eight guys from each club surfed in heats till Royden, representing Llandudno, eventually won, with the West Coast guys taking the club win. Everyone who came had fun, everyone who came wants to do it again. The process has started. Tasha Mentasti, from Surfing SA, was there representing and backed up my feelings on this matter - without club surfing, SA professional surfing will die.

Dutchie and the boys from the West have started their club.

So here is my challenge to you all, as surfers, parents of surfers and marketing directors of brands in and out of surfing. Get together with your mates at your local beach, form a club, get hold of Tasha (Surfing South Africa) and get your local club off the ground. If you are a member of a current club that is still running, register with SSA. if you have a brand that benefits from surfing in any way, get behind your local guys and support club surfing. The goal? To create a strong and enjoyable club surfing culture in South Africa, supporting grass roots surfing and development. We can make surfing competitions fun again, while strengthening our representation in World Surfing. Get this off of the ground and I promise Llandudno Surf Club will host the reborn SA Club Surfing Champs in 2012. I guarantee it. I will make it happen if I have to spill blood to make it happen. Get involved and we can not only save surfing in SA, but we can make it better!

Freeride Riders are Nuts!!

I can't even say to much about this video, except, these guys are simply off their heads!! This is from 2009, I am searching for the latest stuff as we speak.

WARNING - you may piss your pants if you watch this!

Travis Pastrana enters the world of NASCAR

Travis has every reason to smile!

As if Travis Pastrana had not lived out all of our fantasies already - he is a 16 times XGames medalist, 4 times American Rally champion and has his own tv show, Nitro Circus, where along with his mates get to travel the world and do whatever he wants to do - now he enters the world of super charged V8's and hi speeds. If you were not such a likable chap Travis, i would hate you, haha!

The next level - Paddling Jaws

It all started a couple of years ago with our very own local crazy man, Chris Bertish, deciding he would be the first to tackle Jaws, the notorious tow surf spot in Maui, paddling in. He got caned, made history and it has been rather quite on the paddle in front since then. But I did a little digging and it turns out there are a bunch of guys still tackling Jaws for the paddle.

For more photos check out Surfer Magazine's Slide show - Paddling into Jaws

Aah how I wish to ride Pow Pow

IIKKA BACKSTROM showing us that even while we are sweating like Indian coal miners in the middle of summer, there is beautiful Powder somewhere in the world.

Up the Creek - one awesome festival

Ok, so for years now, literally years, I have been told about the Up the Creek festival. For those same years I somehow just never got round to going. Enter 2011 and comedian Paul Snodgrass invited me to join himself and serial blogger, Dan Nash, for a weekend at the alternative festival. First off, let me put some rumors to sleep that I heard over the years:
1) This is the old people's music festival - I saw so much good looking 20-30 ladies my eyes were in need of a retinal massage for much of the weekend.
2) There is no breaking boundaries music - Taxi Violence playing with Lonesome Dave opened a new chapter in rock in South Africa, as did the Dirty Skirts with the Rudimentals and Jack Parow blew minds including his.
3) The festival is slow - I am sitting here 3 days later and still tired! I literally did not stop partying for 36 hours, my skin feels like an afghan salt flats workers after 80 years of laboring in the sun and my liver actually tried to leave me, we negotiated a settlement.

2000 people partying in a river to live music.

So we arrived on Friday, set up camp, drank some cooling lager and went for a swim in the river. All very mellow and relaxed. We get visited by a fun guy at our camp, drink some more cold lager and decided to move onto the bar. Nash and I are already cruizing at 120km, while Snoddy is talking to girls and a little behind the speed limit - not for long. Suddenly I am watching the Rudimentals rock out with the Dirty Skirts - how and when did this happen my addled mind inquires? Oh well, moving on, but suddenly the main stage is closed and I am watching an Idols winner convince the crowd at the bar he is a blues master. Bit much for me, but hell some people are loving it. It is at this point that George from Taxi Violence decides it would be a good idea to welcome this new player in SA Music properly, rock star style, and he attempts to puke on Elvis Blue. I almost wet my pants, some of the crowd look horrified, Elvis copes well and simply ignores the fact that he has just survived a vomit shower attempt and the show goes on. The photographer was not so lucky and reckons George owes him new shoes. This is what rock festivals are all about. Snoddy has long since dissapeared to his tent, we think with a member of the opposite sex. Nash and I end up on the river bank till the early morning talking cuck and I wake up alone with my feet in the river, on a rock with the sun coming up. Shew, Day 1.

Ryan from the Little Kings enjoyed a weekend off.

It's 8am in the morning and my tent is doing it's best impression of the inside of a volcano with severe heart burn! I feel like I am a pie in the microwave at a BP Express stop. Seems most of the festival feels the same way, as most people are up and about, grabbing a greasy and very cheap I might add breakfast, the bar is already making a mint in cold beer sales. Load up Nash's inflatable boat, the coolerbox, smokes, brollies and a giant inflatable slip-slop and head for the river. There are about 1000 people already frolicking at 9am. We start wading across for the sandbank beach across the river and never make it there. In fact we ended up spending close on 6 solid hours in the river. Brollies go up in the shallow water, beers are cracked, smokes are smoked, girls are flirting in bikinis, bands are playing on the small stage on the river bank and everyone is having an absolute ball. This is the best time I have ever had in a river, I am even getting slightly emotional at this point, bloody awesome!

Can you say Flotilla of Fun 20 times fast?

Head up from the river for G&T's, more flirting and Dave Rabinowitz absolutely owning the crowd for an hour. Seriously the man had me in tears. This is followed by the largest portion of food I have ever eaten for R50, thanks to the local Swellendam farming community putting on a Pork/Lamb spit braai combo. Felt a little slowed down here for a while, untill Jack Parow rolled in and gave the entire festival a great big "PussKlap" - his words not mine. The man was on a mission, what that was is not clear to anyone except himself, but personally I feel he performed the best at the festival. On top of this we clearly counted at least 6 triple brandy and cokes going down his throat by the time he had finished his set. Legend! Bed on Bricks play with Lonesome dave, what a mind fuck! Then they play with Taxi Violence and my mind is in tatters. Then Lonesome dave plays with Taxi Violence. My mind goes blank. Walking back to my tent, I trip over something lying in the road. Is that a body my mind inquires - as my vision clears I realise it is none other than Jack Parow. Try wake him up, it aint going down. Oh well its a festival, he can sleep in the dirt.

Its morning, the heat is climbing. Snoddy left his radio on and we search for jumper cables. Get the car going, do we hang around or go, Breakfast and the Ocean are calling my name. Head out, leaving some 2000 people in the dust and river. I get home, have a shower and nap, then paddle out for a surf at Llandudno. The water is warm for the Cape, waves are fun, loads of peeps cruizin the line up. "So how was your weekend Dude?" I get asked from all sides. I smile and say,

"Totally fucken Insane!"

A Dingo's Tale - the life and surf of Dean Morrison

I still remember the first time I saw Dean Morrison surf. I was paddling up the point at Supertubes and watched this tiny guy get tubed from outside the point all the way through the parking lot section and right by me busy paddling at Impossibles. I was pretty blown away, but there was no way he was going to be making it through impossibles to, shame what a waste. But, as all surfers, I had to turn and watch the back of the wave just to make sure he had not made it. Boy, did my jaw drop when I see him pop off of the back of the wave almost at Tubes. So I sit and wait up top of the point for my next wave and low and behold the little guy paddles up and sits next to me. I can't help myself, "That was the seeeekest tube I have seen for quite some time bro!" He just laughs, "Thanks mate, hope to get some more! I'm Dean but you can call me Dingo." Just like that I have met one of the best surfers ever out of the Gold Coast, one of the greatest tube riders in generations and a bloody good bloke.

Dingo can throw an air or three!

With the release of his movie, I thought it would be a great idea to catch up with Dingo and see what it's all about - 

Kai - Lets start with the basics - why do you surf? 

Dingo - love the feeling of being free in the ocean an riding waves.
 

Kai - What impact did surfing have on your early life - this is a strong theme in the movie is it not? 

Dingo - It gave me a way out of the situation I was in an gave me direction an goals to achieve.
 

Kai - Who were your mentors? 

Dingo - Alot of local surfers from home really inspired me an took me under there wing.
 

Kai - The friendship between yourself and Mick and Joel has been well covered. How has that friendship changed over the years? Has competition altered the relationship at all? 

Dingo - Some ways yes but they are my best friends an every hard time ive gone through in life they're the first ones there, I love them both like brothers.
 

Kai - The three of you made 3 degrees together, Joel and Mick have had there personal videos, what made you wait this long for your movie?

Dingo - It was just the right time to tell the story.
 

Kai - What was the high lite of the production for you? 

Dingo - Just being truth full.
 

Kai - Do we see any South Africa in the movie? 

Dingo - yeah some (Mhhh Cryptic!)
 

Kai - Whats next for the Dingo?

Dingo - Just surf as many good waves as I can!
 

Kai - How much does the WCT figure into your future?

Dingo - At the moment not to sure.

Kai - Message for the fans? 

Dingo - Life has many ups an downs an you dont get to feel one with out the other, so enjoy it embrace it, cause you never know whats around the corner.

Kai - Where can we Africans get the movie? 

Dingo - Not sure mate, VAS Entertainment has global rights to the movie, we really want to ensure that the film hit S.A, these peeps distributed Scratching the Surface and Who is J.O.B, ideally whom ever sold these two titles in S.A will be selling the film.

I personally cannot wait to see the full movie, in the meantime enjoy the trailer -

1 Wave Wonder - Entry 1

ZigZag Magazine and Oakley have come up with a marvelous idea called the One Wave Wonder. Video and Stills guys, teaming up with surfers, enter 1 wave. The best wave every month and the best of all right at the end can win serious dollar and a trip to Gland.

You can check it out at One Wave Wonder  

Check out my first entry with Roosta ripping an old single fin - and please VOTE

Watch and Vote here - Vote for Roosta

The pipe Grom who would be King - John-John Florence

This kid has been on the radar on the North Shore since he was 7-8. He's been called a future world champion and many more accolades. What he really is, is the new man at Pipe/Backdoor. Winning both Pipe contests in January, against the biggest names in the business. Watch out for this kid!

Motorbike vs Mountain Bike

This is one of the funnest videos I have seen in quite some time. Well done to the crew at Amped. Gives me such ideas...

Ken Block's amazing 2010 - Monster World Rally Team

First of all, I got say I was a Ken Block fan before he ever got behind the wheel of a Rally car. DC Shoes have been my favorite footwear brand and one of my supporters for many a year and Ken along with, Damon Way started the brand way back in 1993. DC was all about providing good looking but super functional skate shoes for what they considered professional athletes - just look at the heights action sports have reached now!

I would be happy to!

Ken started his action sports career in skating, snowboarding and Motorcross, so it was not to much of a surprise when he decided that his real career was going to be behind the wheel of an all wheel drive rally car. Bless the day he made that decision, as it has provided the world with some of the greatest youtube videos ever made. His videos on Youtube, including "Gymkhana 2" and "Snow Park NZ", have garnered over 50'000000 views online and keep growing. As an online media junky, the man is my hero!

Oh how I wish this was my toy!

So, in 2011 Ken will be looking for success in WRC, Rally America and of course the XGames. I am also pretty sure we are going to see another in the Gymkhana series and hopefully more crazy antics from the DC Video series - such as racing through a Snow park. Take a look at his highly successful 2010 and I guarantee the green monster will raise his little jealous head -

A surfer's Paradise - Australian Goodness

Why can we not get show's like this one on our local SA Channels. Is it that hard for the broadcasters to realize that this is the inspirational stuff people wanna see? Sometimes I think those dam Aussies have it all!

Brought to you by Matt Gye and Simon 'Shagga' Saffigna, the talented team who made such surf video hits as Montage and 3 Degrees (Still my favorite surf movie), you can expect the best surfers in the best locations. Check out their website at - A Surfer's Paradise

What makes the show even more unique is the Cellular component.  Their website states:

The A SURFER'S PARADISE application has been specially created to bring this unique surfing media into the palm of your hand.
Using the technology and interactive features built into this device we give you the opportunity to socialize internationally with all whom use this application.
As an owner of the A SURFER'S PARADISE application we give you the ability to vote and comment on the video's, rating these videos and letting the other A SURFER'S PARADISEapplication owners know what you love.

Giving you the dream in the palm of your hands.

You can download the app from their site.

Check out an clip from the show below - jeez these guys are lucky haha

Dragon Power enters the EFC Cage

I have been awaiting the date when Quentin "The Dragon" Chong, would enter one of his fighters into the EFC, MMA cage and that time has arrived. This Thursday evening, Ruan Potts the MMA instructor at Dragon Power Gym will be taking on EFC heavyweight, Calven Robinson, at the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg. A lot of smack talk from Robinson heading into the fight with Ruan being a debutante, but I would caution that he takes this fight very seriously. Ruan is a black belt Jujitsu fighter and has been trained in MuayThai by world champion, The Dragon, as well his brother, Winston "The Tiger" Chong, a Superfight Champion. Quentin is also contracted to train Randy Couture for his big UFC fights and this experience will greatly enhance Ruan's training and fight readiness. I cant wait for the live web cast on Thursday evening at 7:30pm - EFC Live Broadcast