flat friday!
Couple a smallish dribblers out there this morning.
Heard that yesterday evening was great. bummed to miss that.
Thought that the goodness would carry over to the morn.. but..ummm..
A few little bumps came through.
If you're good at finding the elusive power pockets and backdooring shore-dumpy nothings then you could score.
Folks... Slater is breaking away!!
Slates is the friggin man and my all-time fave. PSYCHED!!!
He beat AI in the final by scoring a 9.5 at the buzzer.
That's his third victory of the season.
Mundaka is cancelled..
next is Japan, then Trestles, then Hossegor, then Brazil, then Pipe.
anything can happen but Slates is looking good.
1 Kelly Slater USA 5342
2 Andy Irons HAW 4596
3 Trent Munro AUS 4286
4 Mick Fanning AUS 4230
5 Joel Parkinson AUS 3732
6 Fredrick Patacchia Jr HAW 3628
7 Phillip MacDonald AUS 3599
8 Cory Lopez USA 3575
9 C.J. Hobgood USA 3546
10 Nathan Hedge AUS
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gvibe sent this is from Spain:
I guess the most poignant experience on this trip was running with the bulls in Pamplona. It was easily the dumbest and most exhilarating thing I've ever done. You know when you see those big wave riders about to get gnashed up by mammoth walls of whitewater and the gaping jaw of a churning barrel? That's about what it felt like, but only for about a minute as the pack of 1200 pound bulls charged by at 30 mph.
Spain is such a rad country, one that I could easily live in if I had a spare liver. Each of the nine daily bull runs of the Saint Fermine Festival is preceded with such complete and total debauchery that New Orleans Mardi Gras looks like a Walton style family picnic.
While most party goers are clad in some form of white garb and blood red accessories, there's dancing, drinking, yelling, stumbling, slurring, and good revelry had by all. I decided to keep some level of sobriety to maintain my reflexes (as if they would have helped).
As the morning twilight eked it's way through the sky, large trucks blasting soapy water at fire hose pressures cleared the streets of trash, beer, and revelers. The police began cordoning off the route with wood fences and the hard core runners were all that remained on center stage.
There were so many characters there it was ridiculous. From the locals armed with newspapers, ready to gain their glory by getting as close to the bulls as possible and smacking them on the butt to the American expats that had been running the race for thirty+ years.
A pair of girls from California ambled up, Sangria heavy on their breath, "Can we run with you?" I told them they might be hampered by their flip-flops, "Oh, we plan on taking those off." She caught my glance downward at the speckled shards of glass lodged in the cobblestone, "Maybe we'll sit this one out."
When the clock on the plaza's church clicked 7:45AM, a voice on the loudspeaker absurdly laid out the rules of running in three languages:
1. Do not run.
2. If you must run, be careful.
3. If you fall, do not get up, cover your head, and wait until someone signals you to stand up.
4. Have fun.
As the surrealism continued, someone mentioned that Dennis Rodman ran a couple days before. Old people, little children, folks of all types poured out onto the balconies to witness the spectacle. A bachelor party to my left shouted one more cheer as they downed a tequila shot.
At 8, the church bells rang through the streets and a hush came over the crowd of tens of thousands. A lone rocket shot up in the air and the runners, now feeling like bull bait took off down the streets.
I had only run 100 feet before I heard a low rumble. Looking back the crowd had parted biblically and out shot 6 confused and angry broncos full charge, and in a split second that felt forever, I locked glares with one in particular, and I thought, "Oh, shit, I'm gonna be the jackass on the front page of CNN," but luckily it chose to stay with the herd, blowing by about 5 yards feet to my right. I breathed a sigh of relief only to hear a second rocket go off. My heart shot out of my chest as I saw the crowd part once again. The man next to me noticed my bug eyes because he said, "Manzitos. Calm cows, to round up straggling bulls." Several people were injured, mostly crowd related. The next day 4 people were gored.
Yesterday, as I sat by myself in the ocean in Portugal, surfing 8 foot glassy waves on shallow shallow reef break, I pondered my predicament. My friends had paddled in, a mysterious fog suddenly engulfed everything, the shore disappeared, and waves were breaking unexpectedly with low visibility like mortar fire around me. As one cracked down on my back, flushed the air out of my lungs, and almost ragdolled me along the reef, a split second of panic shot through my brain. Then I smiled, remembering that it was nothing like being in the path of 6 1200 pound trains charging down the street and desperately searching for a target.
that final was pretty close. how can slates score a 9.5 after falling? seems to me you should finish your wave if you are going to score that high.
Posted by: at July 22, 2005 09:59 AMI'll take the under on yesterday evening being "great"
Posted by: unless you are a munchkin with a log at July 22, 2005 10:01 AMnot only did i totally lose my bet (i'll be on the run from vegas bookie until i can find a way to come up with that quarter) but that final also proved me wrong that they always pick the competitor sponsored by the sponsors of the contest. it did seem with that one that they wanted to screw their sponsee. i bet ai is hitting things right now. anyone see his reaction to the loss?
Posted by: steamwand at July 22, 2005 10:06 AMsteamy,
Posted by: vegas bookie at July 22, 2005 10:12 AMforward the quarter to my pay pal account
yeah, seems that slates should have finished his wave in order to score that high.
although I seem to remember Brucey scoring a perfect 100 at Waimea event though he got pounded by the shorebreak
south of devils slide was small but clean this am
nice friendly crowd scattered about the various peaks
worked a little lefty on the north side
passed at the beach again; maybe i'll check somewhere later.
here's slater's final ride:
http://billabongpro.com/jbay05/videos.asp?rLingua=gb
it's poor video quality but it doesn't look like a 9.5 to me. maybe this is something like micheal jordan being given lee-way for palming and traveling? it's got to be good for the tour for slater to have a magical season.
Posted by: kloo at July 22, 2005 10:19 AMGreat is relative. Compared to this am, last night was great. The crowd was pretty tightly packed though cuz the waves were "not" great all down the beach. So, it got a bit competetive. Snaking and drop-ins were frequent. I managed to grab about 8 or 10 waves for my session. Best wave was a steep fast head-high right that walled and pitched out and I ducked under and stalled for a narrel--musta been worth a 9.0. A few goofy footers got some long fast lefts though. I was hot wearing a 3/2. One mega-longboarder was trunking it.
This am - wiast high mushers. I asked Judith about teathers for her fins. She only uses them at Mavericks and Pipe. Says they make it dangerous getting out of the water in big beach breaks and she only looses 1 fin per year. In small waves, the fins stay on.
Posted by: Dennis at July 22, 2005 10:21 AMFrom that video, it is pretty clear that Slater pulls his moves in more critical spots on the wave where as AI is ridiculously fast and has a mean frontside crank off the top.
Everything I just types has never been performed on one of my boards. And probably will never be.
These shots are sweet as...
This a.m.: it was small and lonely unless you were down at Kelly's with everyone else. Some sneaker south going on out there? Paddled out by myself, closest person was at Kelly's. I don't like sitting by myself anywhere at OB when the fishing boats are cruising around.
Posted by: Kaiser at July 22, 2005 10:59 AMLast night great? Yup- I got 17 waves in nine minutes and they were all o'head. Deepest barrels of my life. No "narrels" here...Waaaay better than Indo...or Punta Roca or even Linda Mar.
Glad I had my "bonzer".
Awesome "dry hair paddle out"
"pig dogged" w/ the best of'em.
Santana played on the beach.
Water was 87 degrees.
Must be some good green out there....
Posted by: BS at July 22, 2005 11:07 AMhmmm.. sounds like maybe it wasn't that great last night. We all have the summertime beer/wave-goggles on. Conditions that would look shitty come fall look awesome now.. it's all relative.
Posted by: e at July 22, 2005 11:14 AMit was better last friday.
Posted by: bird at July 22, 2005 11:15 AMI'm working in B.C. on an inlet...lots of water, but no waves at all. it is all relative
Posted by: zebra at July 22, 2005 11:16 AM
Posted by: mahavishnu fan at July 22, 2005 11:29 AMSpeaker of summertime wave gogles, the inflatable raft will be in full effect tomorrow, now with the trunkin' it idea added to my retardo scheme.
I hate those fisherman. They tend to be pretty respectful about not hooking me, or setting up infront of where I am surfing (which was not my experience in New York or in Alameda), but because the film in my head has a close-up of the fisherman's line being reeled out at an amazing rate before the fin appears in the water behind me. Stupid fertile imagination.
Posted by: Andrew in Alameda at July 22, 2005 11:41 AMmmm....love the taste of bile
http://www.manufacturers.com.tw/sports/surf-board.html
Posted by: j at July 22, 2005 11:45 AMall your base are belong to us
Posted by: all your base are belong to us! at July 22, 2005 11:46 AMAndrew, I have an extra raft [ w/ drink holder of course ] if your gf decides that grand adventure is a fun idea. However I'm reserving the one person inflato rowboat for myself. If I squish up enough, it's possible to pack a lunch, bring a book, and ride the current from Sloat to Kelly's. :P
Posted by: s.s. sharkbait at July 22, 2005 11:57 AM
Posted by: at July 22, 2005 12:17 PMhttp://www.dmsjr.com/couchmedia/izzyfight.mpg
Posted by: Pawtucket Red Sox at July 22, 2005 12:38 PMgreat pamplona post from gvibe. i ran in 1993 with an american woman i met the night/morning before. (my traveling companions had scored an ideal spot to sleep - an enclosed atm - but the comfort caused them to oversleep and miss the running.)
the bulls caught up with us much earlier than we expected, but they got no closer than 5 feet during the run. the surprise of them getting near us alone was very scary - we could feel the anxiety rippling through the crowd as the bulls approached, then we heard the noise of heavy hoofs on cobblestone, then there they were, white & red clad people scurrying in all directions - and then it was just a gamey-smelling wind in their wake. we got into the stadium unscathed but inside the ring a bull came at us and my companion did not scamper up the wall high enough, and took a glancing blow from a dull horn to her lower back, ouch. her outlook on travel quickly changed as the bruising set in, but she was OK ... we parted ways later that day.
the most serious incident i recall from that year was when a guy from australia jumped to his death from a 15ft statue - he failed to verify that the crowd below was willing to catch him. that was my first experience with large groups of partying aussies, wow...
Posted by: loon at July 22, 2005 12:38 PMGood going loon. No sense hanging onto damaged goods with all the fresh produce hanging around.
Posted by: Dennis at July 22, 2005 12:41 PMGreat posts gvibe & loon
I was there 1999- Total madness! Partied all night and then ran with the bulls- slept a little- repeat.
Although the scariest part was driving out of town taking a breathalizer/roadside sobriety checkpoint after 3 continuos days of partying- clothes soaked in red wine- We passed and were stoked!
Carnage! Bull headbutt ( check out the horn hooked on the guy's shirt) I would say that might be the equivalent of TOH OB to the head
The Aussies invented this one- Sit infront of the bulls entrance and see how long you can stay there before getting trampled
Posted by: artifact at July 22, 2005 01:15 PMawesome photos artifact!!! damn.. that's crazy.
Posted by: e at July 22, 2005 01:27 PM
Posted by: clapton fan at July 22, 2005 01:31 PM
Posted by: at July 22, 2005 02:37 PMOne more The ultra- dangerous fountain surfing
Posted by: artifact at July 22, 2005 02:45 PMJ, sure bud I'll mail you out my stylemasters. what's yo email again?
Posted by: Hb at July 22, 2005 03:07 PMThat was the best contest of the year. Not a big Slater fan but he deserved the win. Huge success for Timmy Reyes. Watched it all night. Getting paid to watch the ASP, not bad for a night shift RN
Posted by: dave at July 22, 2005 03:10 PMThis may have already been posted, but here is a little background on the mishaps in Mundaka:
http://money.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/07/04/wsurf04.xml
Posted by: at July 22, 2005 03:13 PMopening day (hat day) at del mar wednesday
sort of related to surfing
Posted by: off to the races at July 22, 2005 03:15 PMwell at least close to the beach
Posted by: mundaka RIP at July 22, 2005 03:38 PMallright mundaka RIP posted a pic of me going backside on a sweet left. i know thats me, i always wave to the crowd like a politician in a parade.
Posted by: mig at July 22, 2005 03:42 PMis that mundaka story true?! farking tragedy if so.
Posted by: 3to5setsof7 at July 22, 2005 03:43 PMIf that is you Mig, lose the waving arm and bend your knees. You are looking a bit stiff for dancing.
Posted by: at July 22, 2005 03:52 PMlike to be dancing with them silicon things in the shot above me
Posted by: mig at July 22, 2005 03:56 PMThe Mundaka story is true. My co worker is from Basque, and he just got back. We were discussing this and he forwarded the link to me. He was also there a week ago for the running of the bulls, as well as the tour.... Lucky Bastard.
Posted by: obsurfer at July 22, 2005 04:00 PMHey dudes!
Here in Salvador the land of Rights. Met up with Ian this AM and surfed Punta Roca with one other guy for a couple hours, head high with the occasional bomb. Super fun wave, especially since there was only three of us. Ian is a cool cat, he's been here a couple of weeks and knows everyone in town by name. Ian likes to hoot and thus people like him, I am more the quiet type, people think I'm grumpy. I'm just passing through catching a bus to Guatemala tonight, I am definately coming back here, the place is rough around the edges, but so am I.
E, this site rules it really has done great things for the communty, and it brings people togethor... your karma should be most excellent.
Posted by: Mexi at July 22, 2005 04:02 PMSo what happens now when a big swell comes into Mundaka at a good angle? Big closeout? I don't understand.
Posted by: Mundaka help at July 22, 2005 04:11 PMYeah Mexi! Make sure you check out Antigua, Lake Atitlan is sweet- and the grand daddy Tikal- Copan in Hondo is another worthy side trip
Isn't Mundaka flat this time of the year anyway, it was when we cruised by (in July)- all the locals told us it doesn't really start cranking until Sep or Oct, even then it only goes off a couple weeks a year
Posted by: artifact at July 22, 2005 04:23 PMhttp://msnbc.msn.com/id/8666753/
Posted by: j at July 22, 2005 04:45 PMj; that aticle is awesome...woman fell on a manhole cover over a leaky steam pipe and got branded. It takes away from the hardcore factor that she is suing though. Unless her lawyer has the imprint of a parking meter on his chest. That'd rock.
Posted by: Andrew in Alameda at July 22, 2005 04:59 PMPunta Roca? WOW!!!
Posted by: The Gang at July 22, 2005 06:38 PMWE will be there next year too!
Should WE bring our 9'8" Funboards or our 10'6" Funtops?
I'll give Johnnie a call and he can bring his gang too! Cool!
What about St. Theresa? Or how about Cowells?
We'll bring The Gang! Cool!
Thanxs Mexxi!
Posted by: at July 22, 2005 06:48 PMunreal stories and photos loon, artifact...
i learned to surf in el salvador, when crackheads would rob you on your way out to punta roca in the cemetary. luckily i knew most of them and would pay a "contribution" of a couple colones. so many sketchy stories from that country. a 12 year crack addict glued by the hair to a sidewalk in la libertad.
another one broke into my buddy's room. i wake up in the middle of the night, hearing my friend wrestle this kid to the ground yelling, "you know what i'm going to do to you?!!! you know?! i'm shoving a shampoo bottle up your ass! we're going to wreck you!"
another surfer got hepatitis b from the water which has sewage dumped in it twice a week.
one day, when punta roca (internationally renowned so no spot leakage) was going off, my friend gashed his foot on the shrapnelly sewage pipe used for the walkout, attacked by a pack of dogs, scored a jellyfish tentacle around his neck, and snapped the fin off his board on the way in.
i love that f'ing country...
Posted by: gvibe7 at July 23, 2005 03:37 AMI found a spot in my soul. Smoked it real good.
Posted by: Guppy at July 23, 2005 11:00 PMGot stopped by the Sherrif.
The Bolinas Road ran dry.
Cuffed and clinked.
Saw Spiderman drive by.
Hey gang, I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression, I only brought my homemade fish. Oh and Salvador has a way of regulating itself, be it by the crack heads or banditos, the gang bangers or the pollution. Bur if you and your pals insist on coming, learn Spanish and then you can hit up Wavehunters, Mango Tours, or any of the others' I'm sure they'll accomodate. As for Santa Theresa, I'm sad to say tghey are ready for you, condos are going up and the buildings and businesses have gone crazy. Soft tops are plentiful.
Art thanks for the info all that stuffs on the list, and I enjoyed the story of the gringo getting hacked up by a machete in Libertad.
Posted by: Mexi at July 24, 2005 03:27 PM