Irons - who was raised in Hawaii - has been on a break from the World Tour, and apparently it’s showing. The three-time world champ was taking out in heat 16 of round of 96.

Ouch.

The contest only ran two heats today to finish up the round of 96. There’s still plenty  of OC surfers to root for through the weekend.

Huntington Beach’s Brett Simpson is up early tomorrow (if the contest runs) in the round of 64, and will be going up against Andy’s bro, Bruce Irons.

A few heats later, San Clemente’s Tanner Gudauskas is up,  followed by Nathan Yeomans, and then Tanner’s brother Patrick competes.

HB’s Tim Reyes is later in the day, in a heat against Sunny Garcia.

Check out how the OC surfers did earlier in the contest.

Watch the action live here.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Huntington Beach’s Brad Ettinger  placed 2nd in his heat earlier today. HB’s Shaun Ward advanced earlier in the day, and will go up against fellow Huntington Beach local Tim Reyes in heat 14 of round of 96.

It didn’t go so well for San Clemente’s Dane Gudauskas, who came in third after only pulling in a 8.93.

However, his bro Tanner just killed it during his heat about 3:30 p.m., placing first with a 15.0 score. These events are crucial for Tanner, who is on the cusp of qualifying for the World Tour. He is in 17th place on the WQS rankings.

“I was excited, that’s the sort of surfing we want to see,” said one of the announcers.

San Clemente’s Nate Yeomans just posted first place in his heat, with a total heat score of 11.17. He sits on the 8th spot of the tour, and will likely have a spot on next year’s World Tour to surf against the best surfers in the world.

Huntington’s Brett Simpson is up duing the round of 64, as is  the last Gudauskas bro, Patrick (likely to run tomorrow).

The event - to run through Nov. 24 - is a 6-star prime, meaning major points for those on ASP’s World Qualifying Series.  There’s a lot of money on the line during the Triple Crown, with a total prize purse of $1,000,000.

Watch the action live here.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Props out to Capo Beach longboarder Joe Aaron, who can be found gracing the cover of the upcoming issue of Pacific Longboarder Magazine.

Aaron is one of the young surfers currently on the World Qualifying Series longboard division.  Aaron - who was named the OC Register’s 2009 OC Longboarder of the Year,  can also be found at many local surf events showcasing his paintings. His sponsors include Jed Noll Surfboards, Smartwater.

Grab the magazine if you see it on the stands! Find out more about Joe Aaron at joemotion.com.

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The Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational In Memory of Eddie Aikau takes place at Waimea Bay which is one of the most famous surf spots on the seven mile stretch of coast. 

However, the special event hasn’t happened since December of 2004, when Kauai’s Bruce Irons took the win. 

The contest requires the surf to be at least 25 feet Hawaiian scale which is about 30 to 40 feet on the face of the wave, but mother nature hasn’t produced that amount of swell in the last five years.

Some of this years invitees include: 9-time World Champion Kelly Slater, Andy and Bruce Irons, Sunny Garcia, Grant “Twiggy” Baker, Michael Ho, Shane Dorian and San Clemente’s Greg Long.

The 2009/2010 Eddie Aikau event is celebrating the 25th anniversary this winter.  The opening ceremony takes place on Thursday December 3rd.  The official waiting period for the contest runs until February 28, 2010. 

For more info. and a full list of this years invitees and alternates, go to quiksilver.com/eddie.

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An Orange County girl pro surfer landed an entertainment gig.  22-year old Erica Hosseini has been a regular competitor on the ASP Women’s World Qualifying Series for a number of years, but can now be seen on camera.

The Newport Beach local recently scored a job on GrindTV.com in association with Yahoo Sports.  Hosseini is the host of the Weekly Grind.  The show features all the latest news and highlights of the week in action sports.

Erica Hosseini can also be seen in various ad campaigns in all the major surf publications.  Hosseini is currently sitting in 34th place in the 2009 Women’s WQS ratings.

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The most prestigious leg of the ASP World Qualifying Series is about to begin.  The first of three events of the 2009 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing should start later this week.

The 2009 Reef Hawaiian Pro official waiting period starts on Thursday, November 12th and runs until Tuesday, November 24th.

This years ASP WQS 6-star Prime event has several surfers from Orange County competing.  They include Pat, Tanner and Dane Gudauskas and Nate Yeomans all of which are from San Clemente. 

Some of the top talent from Huntington Beach includes: ASP WCTer Timmy Reyes, Brett Simpson and Brad Ettinger.

The Reef Hawaiian Pro is celebrating 25 years in 2009.  Last years defending champion was Michel Bourez from Tahiti.  To watch the live action, go to triplecrownofsurfing.com.

When: Thursday, November 12th through Tuesday, November 24th

Where: Haleiwa, North Shore of Oahu

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If you want the chance to meet the first ASP World Champion then this is something to check out in the coming weeks. 

Peter ”PT” Townend will be hosting “Coffee Conversations, Talk Story and Bustin’ Down the Door at Huntington Surf and Sport.

The Aussie legend will be discussing surfboards and telling stories about what the surf scene was like back in the day. 

And if you’re in the market for a new stick, PT’s Santa Cruz surfboard model,the Stylemaster retro single fin will be available to check out or buy.

There will also be a ton of FREE giveaways and a drawing for a chance to win a FREE Santa Cruz Cruzer skateboard.

Where: Huntington Surf and Sport, 300 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach (714) 841-4000

When: November 14th, November 28th, December 12th and December 19th which is a special Groms day for Christmas.  Each event goes from 7 a.m to noon.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

From Wednesday: OC surfers are coming through strong during this week’s O’Neill Cold Water Classic and Oakley Pro Junior up in Santa Cruz.

The Cold Water Classic – a WQS 6-star prime event – kicked off on Monday with solid surf conditions, but was put on hold today. Some of the best surfers in the world – including many from Orange County – are up north for the prestigious event.

A call is made at 7:30 each morning to determine whether the WQS or Junior event will be held.

The juniors went at it today, with Newport local and one of OC’s top young surfers Andrew Doheny winning his heat with a score of 13.37.

In the first round of junior’s events, Newport’s Chase Wilson advanced with a score of 12.00, but in that same heat Taylor Thorne, of Newport, was knocked out after coming in 4th place.

Capo Beach’s Luke Davis and San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino both placed first in their heats to advance.

In the pro event, several World Tour surfers are taking on the World Qualifying Series surfers, making the competition tough.

World Tour surfer Timmy Reyes, of Huntington Beach, had a great showing Tuesday with the heat of the day, finishing with scores of 9.33 and 8.50. 

“I knew where to sit out there,” he said in a statement. “I’ve been back and forth here my entire life. It makes it easy when you come to a place that you really like. I feel really good here.”

On the first day of the event, San Clemente’s Mike Losness was knocked out. HB’s  Micah Byrne had a great showing, with a score of 11.84 in heat 4 of round 128. He competed again Tuesday and made it through with a 10.03. 

Seal Beach’s Chris Waring also came in first during his heat, scoring a 13.33.

If the pros compete on Thursday, Huntington surfers Brett Simpson and Brad Ettinger will be going up against each other early in the day. Simpson is the top point holder in North America in the WQS rankings.

HB’s Shaun Ward will be going up against some tough competition, as he goes up against Jordy Smith and three-time world champ Tom Curren.
 
The pro competitors are battling it out in 13 degree waters to see if they can nab a piece of the $145,000 in prize money. The juniors are surfing for $10,000.

See it all  live at www.oneill.com/cwc/california

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If you want to watch the best men and women surfers in the business walking the nose and hanging ten, then this is an event you won’t want to miss.

The 2009 Professional Longboard Association is holding the PLA Pro Championships in a little more than a week from now. 

The ASP sanctioned  Longboard Qualifying Series contest is the final event of the five stop tour.

Some of the top talent competing from Orange County includes: San Clemente’s Josh Baxter who’s the current points leader in the North America longboard tour ratings andColin McPhillips who’s also from San Clemente.

Some of the notable names taking part in the women’s division include: Cardiff’s Cori Schumacher and Pacific Beach’s Jennifer Smith. 

The 2009 PLA Championships will also host a division for the best amateur longboarders and a stand up paddle board race.  For more info. check out surfpla.com.

When: Friday, November 13th, Saturday, November 14th and Sunday, November 15th

Where: Oceanside Pier

Post from: OC Beach Blog

One of North America’s most prestigious surf contests is just a couple days away from starting.  The 2009 O’neill Coldwater Classic will attract some of the world’s best surfers.

The 6-Star Prime ASP World Qualifying Series event happens at Santa Cruz’s most famous surf spot…Steamer Lane. 

Some of the notable names from Orange County competing in the big event include: Huntington Beach’s Brett Simpson and San Clemente’s Nate Yeomans.

There are also a handful of Dream Tour surfers such as Jordy Smith, Adriano De Souza, Nathaniel Curran, Roy Powers and Huntington Beach’s Timmy Reyes taking part in the contest. 

19-year old Nat Young took home the win at last years prestigious event.  So we’ll have to wait and see if the Santa Cruz local boy can do it again.  For more info. or to watch the live action, go to oneillcwc.com.

When: Monday, November 2nd through Sunday, November 8th

Where: Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz

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