Bobby Martinez Takes Win at Teahupoo 2009

TEAHUPOO, Tahiti (Tuesday, May 19, 2009) – Bobby Martinez (USA), 26, has taken out the Billabong Pro Tahiti presented by Air Tahiti Nui, defeating fellow Finalist Taj Burrow (AUS), 30, in clean three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) waves at Teahupoo.

Event No. 3 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Tahiti survived a marathon waiting period, culminating on the second-to-last available day in improving conditions that peaked for a climactic Final.

Martinez surfed a near-flawless heat, opening up with an impressive 8.73 out of a possible 10 before putting his opponent in a combination situation with a Houdini-esque 9.73 out of a possible 10. Netting the highest heat total of the event, an 18.46 out of a possible 20, Martinez claimed his second Billabong Pro Tahiti and fourth elite tour win, establishing himself as one of the premier tube-riders in the world.

“I feel great and a bit emotional,” Martinez said. “I feel wonderful. I waited for the good ones out there and just got lucky. There weren’t too many waves and I was lucky enough to get a couple of good ones and not fall. Things just seemed to work out for me today. I really don’t know what to say. It feels really special.”

The form surfer of the event, Martinez surfed the majority of his heats on borrowed equipment, having broken most of his surfboards early in the waiting period.

“I actually borrowed a board from Alain Riou (local Tahitian surfer),” Martinez said. “He rides Darren Handley shapes and the board was the same dimensions and pretty much the same board I ride. It was great to find that as yesterday, I was a bit skeptical about today in terms of the conditions and my equipment, but everything worked out perfectly.”

Martinez, who is without a major sponsor at the moment, has rocketed himself from 19th to 7th on the ASP World Tour ratings with today’s win, putting him in excellent position for the remainder of the year.

“I’m not thinking about money right now, but rather I’m thinking about the feelings I have,” Martinez said. “I didn’t start surfing to make money. I started for me, and to win today, you cannot put a price on the feelings I have. I’m really going to let it sink it and enjoy it. It’s a great result, but it’s a long year and anything can happen. Joel (Parkinson) has a great lead, and now that this event is over, my focus goes to the next one.”

Burrow’s efforts in the Final were nothing short of spectacular, collecting an 8.17, a 7.93 and a 7.33, but they were not enough to overtake the Martinez stranglehold on the event.

“I definitely had fun but it was tricky against Bobby (Martinez),” Burrow said. “He had a dream heat. The conditions looked pretty good for your forehand because the judges like seeing you pump on your forehand in the barrel. On your backhand, you just have to park it in the pit and you can’t do much, but Bobby did everything he had to out there and deserved the win. I still had a fun Final, but hard to enjoy out there because I was in a combination situation the whole time.”

Burrow now moves into the No. 2 position on the ASP World Tour ratings, setting the Western Australian up well as he eyes up the next events.

“I’ve had two keepers in terms of results and I’m hungry,” Burrow said. “I’m still kicking and I’m looking to win. The next few events, I feel really strong at and I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. I’m stoked to get a result at Teahupoo, I haven’t done well here in a few years so it sets me up really well for the rest of the year.”

Aritz Aranburu (EUK), 23, former ASP World No. 39, was the “Cinderella Story” at the Billabong Pro Tahiti. Having failed to advance through a heat in the opening two events of the season, the Basque Country’s first ever ASP World Tour competitor stormed past Californian sensation Dane Reynolds (USA), 23, former event winner Damien Hobgood (USA), 29, Australian veteran Tom Whitaker, 29, and reigning nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 37, en route to a Semifinals berth.

"I’ve had a tough draw throughout the event, but that’s what has kept me motivated,” Aranburu said. “Coming up against the best guys out there, you need to lift your ability. Beating Kelly (Slater) for me is one of the biggest achievements I’ve ever had. I’ve been looking up to him for so long, and just being on tour with him is an honor. To beat him is a major achievement for me."

The career-best result was halted at the hands of eventual winner Martinez during one of the most exciting heats of the event. Despite coming up short to Martinez (15.23 to the Californian’s 17.17), Aranburu’s equal 3rd place finish boosts the European to 19th on the ASP World Tour ratings.

“Bobby (Martinez) is one of the best out there,” Aranburu said. “I had one good one, but he got two good ones, and that was it. It’s my best result ever and I am stoked. I have lots of confidence going into the next events. I just want to go home and train and try new boards for Brazil and J-Bay. The biggest thing for me is to know that if I can do it once, I can do it twice.”

Michael Campbell (AUS), 35, opened his final day affair with a close win over fellow ASP Dream Tour veteran Taylor Knox (USA), 38, in the Quarterfinals, but the goofy-footer’s precision forehand approach wasn’t enough to overtake a rampaging Burrow in the Semifinals.

“It felt like I was a bit out of rhythm in the Semifinal,” Campbell said. “I wasn’t able to capitalize on the waves I got and Taj (Burrow) posted a couple of really strong scores mid-heat that left me wanting.”

Although falling short of a Finals berth, the journeyman competitor’s equal 3rd place finish boosts him from 29th to 16th on the ASP World Tour ratings.

"This is going to do a lot for my cause,” Campbell said. “I’ve had average results this year and last year too, so a third is pretty special for me. All of the heats have been hard and sometimes the luck goes your way. I’ve had a bit of luck this time around, but I’ve also spent some time here and I know it pretty well. Stoked to get a result and looking forward to the next one."

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, suffered an unfortunate Round 3 loss at the Billabong Pro Tahiti, but after two event wins to open the season up, the Gold Coaster remains the frontrunner on this year’s ASP World Tour ratings.

The next stop on the 2009 ASP World Tour will be the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Brazil from June 27 to July 5, 2009.



BILLABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Bobby Martinez (USA) 18.46
2 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.10

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.86 def. Michael Campbell (AUS) 10.00
SF 2: Bobby Martinez (USA) 17.17 def. Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 15.23

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.33 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 14.06
QF 2: Mick Campbell (AUS) 12.84 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 10.17
QF 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) 15.93 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.67
QF 4: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 11.66 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.66

REMAINING BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA) 13.17 def. Andy Irons (HAW) 10.16
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.57 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.67
Heat 7: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 12.56 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 9.16
Heat 8: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 9.43 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 9.40

CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10:
1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 3000 points
2 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 2318 points
3 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 2208 points
4 – C.J. Hobgood (USA) 2196 points
5 – Adriano de Souza (BRA) 2174 points
6 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 2076 points
7 – Bobby Martinez (USA) 2025 points
8 – Tom Whitaker (AUS) 1932 points
9 – Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 1886 points
10 – Kieren Perrow (AUS) 1742 points
10 – Taylor Knox (USA) 1742 points
10 – Damien Hobgood (USA) 1742 points

Parkinson Wins at the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, While Slater is Knocked Out Again

At the second stop of the ASP 2009 at Bells beach Joel Parkinson wins again after the Gold Coast win last month. For Parkinson this win was sweet, "Winning at home is probably the most special win you can have but this is the most special trophy you can have,” Parkinson said. “There is not another trophy in surfing that holds the prestige and honor list that this has. To be back on the trophy again and to hold it for a year is going to be amazing.”



Not to be out done in this competition Adam Robertson, the young local, finished second. Throughout the course of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Robertson went toe-to-toe with the world’s best surfers, eliminating Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), 23, Tom Whitaker (AUS), 29, Bede Durbidge (AUS), 25, among others in the process. Despite not having a major sponsor, Robertson’s nine-heat effort proved to all that he’s capable of world-class surfing. Robertson’s effort at the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach will go down in history, as the young natural-footer’s runner-up finish is the highest ever by a Victorian at the prestigious competition.

2009 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Final Results:
1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.40
2 – Adam Robertson (AUS) 13.37

Also Jody Smith also had a really good run at Bells and probably the best result of his career finishing 4th. While Kelly Slater was knocked out again in round 2 for the second time this year, this time by Owen Wright.

Kelly Slater Wins the 2008 Pipeline Masters

On Friday Dec 12th Kelly Slater won his 6th Pipeline Masters in Hawaii defeating follow American Chris Ward. Pipeline was the last stop on the ASP Tour and is the most prestigious event in surfing. Slater paddled out in eight to 10 foot waves at Pipeline four times today, beating Chris Ward (USA) 14.00 to 7.23 in the in the first man-on-man final* held at the venue in eight years. Slater’s heat totals in the three heats prior to the final were 19.00, 18.63 and 19.40 – all out of a possible 20 points.

This years Pipeline Masters victory was doubly sweet given Parkinson made headlines earlier in the week by earning the first-ever perfect 20 out of 20 heat total at Pipeline – only the second perfect heat total in ASP history under the two wave format. Also Parko won the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which is the highest score for competitions at Haleiwa, Sunset Beach and the Pipeline Masters.

So now this the ASP Surfing tour all wrapped for 2008, this is how the final top ten standings look.

1) Kelly Slater (USA)
2) Bede Durbidge (AUS)
3) Taj Burrow (AUS)
4) Joel Parkinson (AUS)
5) C.J. Hobgood (USA)
6) Adrian Buchan (AUS)
7) Adriano de Souza (BRA)
8) Mick Fanning (AUS)
9) Bobby Martinez (USA)
10) Jeremy Flores (FRA)

At the age of 36, Kelly Slater’s 50-6 record is the most dominant in pro surfing history, which validates what we already knew, that he’s also surfing better than ever. But what does it all mean? Is Kelly Slater going to come back in 2009 to compete for his 10th ASP World Championship? I guess we will see on February 28 at the Quiksliver Pro, Gold Coast Australia, tour stop. I can’t wait for another year of the exciting ASP Tour.

Surf Movie Review – Dude Cruise

Since I have been recently getting more and more into surfing I when to my local board shop and pick up the new DC surf video called Dude Cruise.


Dude Cruise is the first movie from Irons Bros. Productions, the new film company formed by Bruce and Andy Irons, and the first-ever movie featuring the DC surf team and just the DC surf team.

The concept of the film is a DC team trip, with Bruce Irons, Dane Reynolds, Ry Craike, and amateur Garret Parks, through Australia for a two-week road trip complete with world class surfing, and a view into the boy's personalities. Have you every wondered what it is like to experience a surf trip through Bruce Irons' or Dane Reynolds' eyes? With this movie you get an inside view of what a two week surf trip with the world's top surfers is really like. Dude Cruise shows sessions start to finish--not just the banger clips--to offer a more realistic look at what happens when you're just out with your friends having a good time.


Now for the review

1) Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Dude Cruise is amazing with many big name artists on the bill. Some of the names dropping songs in this flick are the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beck and NIN. The soundtrack is also properly placed with the flow of the scene. My favourite soundtrack scene is Bruce Irons’ outro with Lost Valentinos “17 Deaths” and Dane Reynolds intro with NIN.

I have to say that I really only seen a few surf videos but this soundtrack is the best I have seen even considering all the snowboarding videos I’ve watched.

2) Cinematography

Cinematography within the movie was well done, it wasn’t ground breaking just good. I have to say that I really appreciated seeing a full session of riding rather than just the highlights from a session. It gave me more of a realistic sense of surfing rather that just seeing all the bangers. It kind of reminded me of watch Robot Foods Lame, a snowboard video along the same concept as Dude Cruise. It was just fun to watch.

3) Segments / Riders

Since the flick was filmed all Australia the scenes blending in a bit too much but the segment that got me amp was Bruce Irons’ outro scene. With the combination of Bruce’s powerful surfing and the kick ass song it was an awesome scene. Over I think Dane Reynolds was amazing…man that guy have a lot of style when surfing and the tricks and airs where off the charts.

4) Extras

The extras segment in Dude Cruise consists of all the trailers, photos from the trip and the car crash scene. They also offer director commentary throughout the movie if you turn that option on in the extras segment…it pretty cool.

5) Overall

Overall Dude Cruise was an amazing surf video with world class surfer. The only downside is that the flick seemed short, even though it was about 40mins and I was hoping for a bit more variety in locations. But still if you want to see cutting edge surfing at it’s best get Dude Cruise…it will amp you up to hit the waves.

Surfing 2008 Best Trick

Ok, I know this is not the movie review you were looking for but I have yet to receive my new snowboarding videos from action sports videos. But fear not I will have a review guaranteed for next Monday. Just to let you know I did dispute the charges through my mastercard and got my money back for the videos that were never sent to me, so I'm just going to go to my local shop and pick them up this week. Check out my experience with ASV here: ActionSportsVideo Review

Now I know this is quite old, as the 2008 Surfer Awards were already handed out but I really think some of these tricks are amazing. So I just wanted to share them with you. The nominees were:

- Dane Reynolds / Dude Cruise (WINNER)
- Dion Agius / Behind The Black Curtain
- Dane Reynolds / Dude Cruise
- Pat Gudauskas / The Pursuit
- Clay Marzo / Just Add Water


More surfing videos on SurferMag.com

Dane Reynolds with his trick in Dude Cruise took took home the award for best trick of 2008....that was suck a sich trick!!!

Also the big winner of the night was no surprise, Kelly Slater for number 1 male surfer. Well deserved since he won his 9th world title this year.


More surfing videos on SurferMag.com

CJ Hobgood Wins Billabong Pro Mundaka

It’s been a hell of a few days for Florida. Yesterday the newswire was abuzz with Kelly Slater’s ninth title, today it’s CJ Hobgood’s name who’s all over the headlines. With time ticking off the clock, and needing a solid score, a two-wave set rolled into the lineup. CJ paddled for the first, but with Parko holding down priority, the Australian was able to keep him off the wave by taking it for himself. Bad move. CJ got an absolute drainer with no time left on the clock, came flying out into the channel, broke Parko’s heart, and won the Billabong Pro Mundaka in the process. Parko may be a bit broken hearted, but it was a hell of a final, and after a few beers and some time there’s no doubt he’ll rebound. But for now, a huge congratulations goes out to CJ on a job well done.



But the big story of the Billabong Pro Mundaka was Kelly Slater winning his 9th world title.

Kelly Slater's 9TH ASP World Title

Kelly Slater Wins 9th World Title at the Mundaka Pro in Spain

K9, Nine lives, Revolution #9, call it what you want, Kelly Slater is a 9-time ASP world champion. Slater clinched the world title at the 9th ASP tour stop in Spain today by making it to round 4 where he was up against Tom Whitaker but lost. Whitaker has a perfect 10 ride and backed it up with an 8.00 for a total of 18.00. While Slater started out early with 9.33 but couldn't bust one out again finishing with a final score of 12.43.

But this is not about Slater winning this tour stop. It's about the world title and all he had to do was past round 3, which he did.

Also I just wanted to add this quote from the CEO of Quiksilver, which sums up the ability of Slater. "Kelly Slater is an extraordinary human being, physically and mentally. His talent and accomplishments are unmatched in surfing and perhaps in the history of sports," says Bob McKnight, Quiksilver President, Chairman and CEO.

Congrats Slater, hopefully he comes back to contend for a 10th world title.

Surfing in Tofino at Cox Bay

This past weekend I went surfing on Vancouver Island, Tofino to be exact. For those of you who don’t know Tofino is Canada’s best and really only surf spot. Since there was a fall special at a very nice resort I stayed in the Cox Bay area of Tofino.



If you have the chance and don’t mind spending the cash for accommodations I would really suggest staying at 1431 Cox Bay resort. This resort is right on the beach and is virtually brand new as it was built only about 3 months before and still establishing is full resort amenities like hot tub, gym and sauna. At 1431 they have one and two bedroom condos that you can rent. Now in peak summer time the cost per night is about 300 for a one bedroom but we saw this fall deal online for 125 per night. Each condo has a full kitchen so you can save some cash by cooking your own meals, an LCD TV and wireless internet so you can check up on the daily surf report. But still regardless of the price I still recommend this place if you are going surfing in Tofino.



The weather couldn’t be better for the end of September on Vancouver Island. It was pure sunshine and about 20 degrees celsius both days, which is really unusual for this time of year because it is usually overcast and rainy. The swell at peak times were anywhere from 6 to 8 ft and the water temperature about 12 degrees celsius, so wetsuits are necessary. Cox Bay is one of the best surf spots in Tofino as it gets some of the best waves out of all the beaches in the area.



Since I have only gone surfing a couple of times I had to rent my gear from Long Beach Surf Shop for $95 for 2 days. The rental included wetsuit, board, gloves, booty’s and gear insurance. Surfing at Cox Bay was awesome as the sets came in so often with quality waves, so no long waits between sets. The only down side to surfing at Cox Bay is the under tow, which is really strong compared to surfing in SoCal. In my opinion, is if you are a true beginner and can’t swim to well go to Long Beach as it is a bit easier from what I was told. All in all I had a really good surf session over the 2 days and got many good quality rides in, even craved in the wave a bit on my best one.

Fantasy Surfer League...Be Part of the Action

Last year sometime I was reading SurferMag and came across an ad for an online fantasy surfing league. When I got home that night I checked it out online and created an account, which is free by the way. Now since I was traveling so much for work, last year, I really had no time to dedicate to it.

At the beginning of Jan 2008 I got an e-mail from SurferMag, who runs the fantasy surfing site, about the upcoming season......oh ya I forgot I hand an account. So I logged in and started to become acquainted with the site, the ASP tour and it's surfers. Now at this point I really did not know much about surfing and it athletes but now after 9 months of being a part of the fantasy surf site and playing I'm much more knowledgeable.

So I just wanted to introduce this site and league to you because it makes you be part of the action....ok maybe not physically but it's just as fun to strategize and pick your team.

As I had mentioned before to create an account is free at http://www.fantasysurfer.com/ and the rest is a piece of cake. The overall concept of the league is to pick as many surfers as possible with your $50,000,000 salary cap limit will allow for each ASP tour stop. Simple right.....it's similar to many other fantasy leagues out there on the net.

The reason I really like this fantasy league is because it is really based upon the surfer on how well they do and not tied to a team results. Not to mention the fact that surfing is not your tyical main stream sport....it's much better. When picking your team you really have to do your homework for each event because each ASP tour stop is different from each other, bringing out some surfers strengths and other surfers weaknesses.

The grand prize for the top point getter at that end of the season wins an awesome surf vacation for two in an exotic location......live the surf life for a bit. Also if you join varies clubhouses you are also eligble to win prizes each tour stop basis on your standing, such as signed surf board by your favourite pros and other gear.

Also you can watch every ASP surf even live via webcast, which is streamed with pretty good quality, to cheer on the team you built for that event. Just google the event name to find the site, found on the ASP tour site.

It's never to late to join the league and take part in the last couple of events and if you enjoy the fun of fantasy sports leagues and surfing this is dream.

Have fun and surfs up...Dudes....LOL.

Quiksilver Pro France 2008 - Ace's Wild over Slater

Kelly Slater was not able to wrap up his 9th ASP World Title in France this week as Adrian "Ace" Buchan edged him out in the finals, 15.74 to 15.16. It was close to the previous tour stop final with the exception that Slater could finish strong in the end. Buchan had two relatively high wave scores in the first 15 min of the finals at 8.17 and 7.57, which proved to be the only two waves he need to beat Slater. Kelly Slater did score an 8.43 with 13 mins left but couldn't come up with enough to beat Ace.

Quiksilver Pro France 2008 Finals Video Highlights - Ace vs. Slater

Also interesting that heavy hitters like Mick Fanning, 2007 Pro France winner, was knocked out of the compettion in the round 2 by Gabe Kling and Joel Parkinson beat by the wild card Michel Bourez. Actually Michel Bourez ended up finishing 6th, which is really amazing for a wild card but he did beat Kelly Slater last year so he has skills.

All in all it was another great ASP tour stop in France and all eyes will be on Kelly Slater in his quest for world title # 9 in Mundaka, Spain.

Save Trestles

Attention...Attention...Urgent Message.

Cool, now that I have you attention I want to share some information on an issue that I recently became aware of from my trip to San Clemente, California which is "SAVE TRESTLES". For my readers who are not surfers, Trestles is a famous and historical surf spot just south of San Clemente in the San Onofre State Beach.



What is occuring in this area is that the Transportation Corridor Agency is seeking to build an extension to an existing toll highway that will pass right through the coast line in the San Onofre State Beach, including Trestles Beach. If constructed this project would directly threaten the world class surf break at and around Trestles (including Uppers, Lowers, Middles, Church and Cottons), the project would also result in the destruction of Southern California’s last remaining pristine coastal watershed and substantially degrade habitat that is critical for the survival of at least seven endangered species, including the Southern Steelhead trout.

From this project of destruction came about a movement so that voices can be heard to protect this area from development called "SAVE TRESTLES".

Save Trestles website

Save Trestles....At Issue

On September 22, 2008 10:30am to 8:30pm, in O’Brien Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, the SAVE TRESTLES movement will be attending a hearing to show their strong support for San Onofre State Beach. So if you are passionate about surfing show your support for this beautiful area so that generations to come can enjoy what Trestles has to offer.

Boost Mobile Pro 2008 Final - Kelly Slater vs. Taj Burrow

Hello fellow boardsport enthusiasts just wanted to share with you some of the best competition surfing ever that when down in San Clemente, Lower Trestles, yesterday. It was 8 time ASP champ, Kelly Slater, against Taj Burrow.

The finals competition heat was 40 mins long and in the first 10 mins Taj Burrow busted out two amazing waves, 9.00 and a 9.63 out of 10 to put the pressure on Slater early. But that only seemed to fire up Slater because in the last 2 mins of the heat Kelly Slater ripped through the waves and scored a 9.27 to beat Taj by a total of 18.97 vs. 18.63...Slater had a 9.70 after Taj scored his high waves. It was definitely an amazing sight to see Slater work his magic in the dying mins of the competition and you can see it too in the link below.

Boost Mobile Pro 2008 Final - Kelly Slater vs. Taj Burrow

Kelly Slater is going for his unprecedented 9th ASP championship this year and it looks like he just might get....this is history in the making.

Surfing in San Clemente

While in vacationing in San Clemente I had chance to give surfing a shot. I have always loved the sport of surfing since I was a young kid. What attracted me to surfing was the aspect of connecting with your environment, traveling to exotic locations and the smooth flow of the surfing style. Now what kept me from pursuing surfing was first the obvious, I didn't live near the ocean growing up in Toronto, second I really sucked at swimming. Two main ingredients to be a good surfer. For me the closest thing to surfing was snowboarding, but in the back of my mind I always want to surf in the ocean. Don't get me wrong I love snowboarding and the mountains and that won't change....it's so much a part of who I am now.

Back to my surfing experience in San Clemente. The first day on the board I was just getting a feel for padding and trying to catch the waves. It wasn't too bad because San Clemente is one of the best places for beginner surfers and the water level where I was was not deep, about waist to should height. Also I read on the net that beginners should start learning to surf in the white waters of the waves, which is basicly the tail end of the wave cycle. I did pretty good for my first day, almost fully stood up and rode away. The next couple of days I did much better, started to get use to popping and standing on the board with a little more confidence in the white waters. One my last day I wanted to try to get more in the wave rather than the tail end white waters...boy was that a mistake. Each time I tried to catch the wave like a more seasoned rider I got slammed by the wave, and let me tell you it was the hardest falls I have ever experienced. The waves energy is really powerfull even if they are not that large. Boy was I hurting the day after.

Overall I was proud of myself for trying surfing even though I'm not the best swimmer and it looks like I will be doing alot more surfing in the future here in BC, Tofino, and in SoCal in San Clemente...my new favourite place. Also I going to take some surf lessons, most likely in Torfino, so I can really learn the fundaments to be a better surfer. If you have the chance give surfing a shot, it's a really unquie experience and it's not as scary as I thought is was going to be.

San Clemente, California

Hello all,

Just writing a short note from here in sunny California. I have been here in San Clemente, California for a couple of days now and loving it. San Clemente is a somewhat small city, a population of about, 65,000 in between LA and San Diego. It's a beach town right on the pacific ocean that get amazing waves.



Actually San Clemente area is one of the best spots to surf in North America. It has an area that beginners can start surfing, all the way up to more advanced surf spots. Also this area, more specifically Trestles beach, will be hosting the upcoming 2008 Boost Mobile Pro surf competition from Sept 7th to 13th. I wish I could stay longer to watch the comps, it should be a really good one.

2008 Boost Mobile Pro in San Clemente

I am staying at a condo that is pretty much right on the beach, with a view of the pacific ocean. It's pretty awesome, check out the pic below. It's really amazing to wake up everyday and have the ocean right there for a quick swim or surf in the morning before you start your day.


San Clemente Vacation Condo



Today I went bodyboarding, since I never surfed before, and it was so much fun. The waves where pretty gentle to my surprise and a good size for someone, like me who is not the best swimmer. Tomorrow I'm going to give surfing a shot, want to see how close or not it is to snowboarding. I already know it's going to be hard because I was trying to stand on my bodyboard and it's not easy.

Well I just want to say that San Clemente is a beautiful city with sand, sun, surf & really nice people. I think this could be my new favorite place....we'll find out. Definitely a city to check out if you have the chance.