I shot down to San Clemente this morning to check out the surf, and got a couple of photos of the wild winds whipping the waves.
It was a bit messy out there, with a northwest windswell in the water. But surfers on the north side of the pier made the best of the day, especially as offshore winds got strong at about 10 a.m.
Here’s some snaps of the day (and a slideshow here.)
The ninth stop of the ASP World Championship Tour finally got underway today in Peniche, Portugal after three days without competition.
Day one was called off due to the lack of swell, day two was too big and stormy and on day three the contest site on the beach was completely damaged due to the large surf.
So finally the world’s top 45 surfers have taken to the water at the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Searchat a backup spot called Mohle Leste which is down the beach from the main contest site Supertubos.
The waves have dropped quite a bit in the last day, but are still offering the competitors plenty of contestable waist to head high surf.
Due to the three consecutive days of no competition, contest organizers have opted to run the new Round One elimination format which means one surfer will be going home early.
The Rip Curl Pro Searchofficial waiting period wraps up on Friday, October 30th. To watch the live webcast, go to live.ripcurl.com.
Wedge local Kevin Mel Thoman shot me an e-mail to let me know that the bodysurfing spot was looking good today, with nice sets rolling through before the afternoon winds got on it.
The water is still nice, at about 68 - 70. Here’s some snapshots he sent over:
OC Register reporter Fred Swegles was following San Clemente’s Patrick Gudauskas all weekend, and reports that the OC local surfer is standing taller this week in his bid to qualify for surfing’s major leagues in 2010.
Here’s what Swegles wrote: 
Gudauskas’ second-place showing Sunday at the $145,000 Local Motion Guaruja Pro in Brazil elevated him to fourth in the ASP’s World Qualifying Series standings. He’d been fifth.
It’s significant, since he secured his highest point score of the year, 2,188, and got to discard his low score, 1,225, from his previous best-seven results, upon which ratings are based.
Normally the top 15 WQS surfers qualify for the ASP World Championship Tour. Gudauskas just missed last year, coming so close that he has been an injury substitution at WCT contests this year.
Are you in the market for a new surfboard or have you ever thought about wanting to shape your own board?
Well here’s a really cool event where you’ll find everything you’ve ever wanted to know about a surfboard.
The third annual Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo is happening next weekend in San Diego. Some of the best shapers in the business will be on hand mowing foam, along with the manufacturers.
The legendary list of craftsman include: Rusty Preisendorfer, Pat Rawson, Robert August, Bruce Jones, Gary Linden, Bing Copeland and many more.
The Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo has something for everyone from board demo’s to seminars to artwork to music. And as always there’s the ‘Tribute to the Masters Shape-off’ with this year’s honoree, Dick Brewer.
This year’s event is also introducing the Vintage Surfboard Antique Road Show where expert appraisers will be on hand. So if you’re attending the event and you have some collector boards in your quiver that you might like to part with, bring them too and find out what they’re worth.
The first 100 attendees through the door will be put on a special “early bird” drawing for a chance to win a new Firewire fish surfboard. Admission if FREE for groms 16 and under and $5 for everyone else. For more info. on the big shindig, go to sacredcraftexpo.com.
Where: Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, Del Mar
When: Saturday, October 10th 10 a.m to 6 p.m and Sunday October 12th 10 a.m to 4 p.m
Contest organizers called off the Hurley Pro contest for today, so the competition down at Trestles will resume Saturday.
The waves were never good enough for the pros, and forecasters are saying tomorrow may shape up to be better. Saturday will be a full day starting at 7 a.m. - they still need to get through Round 4, then it’s down to the quarter finals.
Keep posted for updates.
Checking out Trestles for waves
Just talked to Robert Shadley with ASP, who said the Hurley Pro contest is on hold this morning and the contest has a chance of running later today.
“We’re waiting for conditions to improve,” he said. “A call will be made later this morning on what we’re going to do.”
The next call on whether it’s a go will happen at 10 a.m. Shadley said if conditions improve, the contest will run later today with the hopes of getting through round 4 of the contest. The finals will definitely be held Saturday, he said.
“The swell is supposed to be better tomorrow,” he said.
Check back at thehurleypro.com for updates.
Get your hands dirty Saturday to help keep our coast clean. California Coastal Cleanup Day — now in its 25th year — is being held at various beaches along our 42-miles of coastline. Last year, there were 70,000 participants who took out about 1.6 million pounds of trash along the state’s coastline.
Pretty much every major beach along OC’s 42-miles of coastline will have a clean up, as well as many watersheds. There’s also events at places like Upper Newport Bay and a scuba dive group headed out at the Montage to get all the stuff that’s below the ocean’s surface.
Check out this list to find a local beach in OC hosting a clean up, or go to www.coastal.ca.gov. Most cleanups start at 9 a.m. Gloves and bags are provided.
The local effort coincides with the International Coastal Cleanup Day, held on the same day, which draws about 400,000 volunteers worldwide who help keep the coast and waterways clean. Last year, people from 100 countries picked up 6.8 million pounds of trash.
If you have a few moments, check out this interactive done by the OC Register on how and why you should clean up.
Just when you thought summer was winding down, the heat wave hits. With this crazy weather hitting the county as we kick off the weekend, you can bet the beaches are going to be packed.
If you are headed to the coast, make sure you use extreme caution, especially Friday. A big hurricane swell sent pounding waves to the coast Thursday, and novice swimmers are being warned to be careful of big waves and rip currents through the weekend.
So if you’re looking to find out what’s going on - to either join the festivities or to avoid the crowds - here’s a glimpse of what’s happening along OC’s coast this weekend:
SIMA Surfing America USA Championships:
A surf contest that showcases some of the best amateur surfers from around the nation is going down in Huntington Beach this week, where competitors are trying to nab the USA championship title.
The 2009 SIMA Surfing America USA Championships presented by Verizon Wireless kicked off Tuesday south of the Huntington Beach pier, and runs through Sunday.
There’s 18 divisions in the contest, everything from young groms to seniors, longboarders and shortboarders.
Read more about the event here, and check out a slideshow of the first day of the contest here.
When: Starting at 8 a.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Where: Huntington Beach Pier
Battle of the Brands surf contest in HB
Come out to check some surfing athletes from top surf brands battle it out for bragging rights in Huntington Beach on Aug. 29.
Athletes from Billabong, Quiksilver, Rip Curl and O’Neill (and the zany editors from Surfer Mag, Surfing Mag, TransWorld Surf, Surfline and Fuel TV) will be going head-to-head during the 3rd annual PacSun Battle of the Brands.
When: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 29
Where: South side of the Huntington Beach Pier.
1-mile swim at Corona Del Mar this weekend
The Don Burns 1-mile scholarship swim is happening down at Corona del Mar on Saturday.
The event is held in honor of Burns, who was a lifeguard for 47 years before he died 16 years ago.
The race - which typically draws hundreds of swimmers - will be held at 10 a.m. at Big Corona Beach. Check in starts at 9:15 a.m. at tower 3, next to the jetty.
Swimmers go out to a buoy 100-yards offshore, then go down coast along the swim lines, past cliff side homes and the rocky coastline to the secluded cove of Little Corona. They then round buoys on their right shoulder, return up coast to the first buoy, and swim to an onshore finish at the starting line.
When: 10 a.m. Saturday
Where: Corona Del Mar State Beach
Catalina Classic paddleboard race
If you can head up the coast a bit, head up to Manhattan Beach to check out the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race. There’s plenty of Orange County paddleboarders to support who do the 32-mile race.
The paddler must have completed last years race by the 9 hour cut-off time or competed in another notable paddleboard competition with a solid standing.
When: Sunday August 30, 2009
Where: Manhattan Beach to Catalina Island
With the winds calming down on Sunday, and an anticipated southwest swell holding strong, the beaches were packed with surfers out to get some action.
I cruised down to West Newport on Sunday to check out the waves, and there were plenty to be had. Though they were a bit closed out at times, surfers were having fun as the surf rolled in.
The surf in this area was hitting about 3 - 4 foot, with occasional 5 footers.
Did you get some good surf this weekend? Tell us where you went in the comment section below.
And check out our slideshow of the surf in West Newport - maybe we caught you in action.
Read more on surfing:
Just thinking about it all still gives me chills.
I’ve gone down to the U.S. Open of Surfing for years and it’s always been entertaining, especially all the madness on the wilder side in the village area.
But this year, you could just tell there was something different in the air: it was all about the surf.
The excitement started to build months prior to the event, as word of Hurley’s involvement and big names started floating around.
Then, Surfline.com caught wind of really big waves – the biggest the contest has seen in perhaps decades – on their way.
During the early days of the contest – when the setting up was still in process and there were still few people on the sand – you could really see just how awesome this year was going to be.
Hurley’s decision to step up as title sponsor of this event was genius. For years, surf companies have avoided the event, not wanting to put up the money it takes to pull it together.
Hurley made the investment, and in my opinion, it paid off. They used the space wisely, putting their latest products on display and posting signage everywhere. Their involvement gave the U.S. Open of Surfing a sense of legitimacy – even respectability – by bringing surf back to the forefront.
You could almost hear all the other surf companies say: Why didn’t we think of that???!!!
Hurley took it up another notch when they said who was showing up: Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, Rob Machado, Mick Fanning. How are the up-and-coming surfers going to be able to beat them?
And at stake? A cool $100,000 to the top male surfer.
With that foundation set, this year’s event – which marked 50 years of surfing contests at the pier — all came together as we witnessed one of the most dramatic, jaw-dropping surf events to hit Orange County’s shores.
I had a quick chat with Evan Slater, Hurley’s director of digital communications, about his top three moments of the contest. Here’s what he said:
1. Courtney Conlogue’s quarterfinals: A 9.93 and 9.7 on the biggest day. That was what I believe is the highest combined score in U.S. Open history. She’s a real gutsy surfer. I’ve never seen a female take on waves like that at Huntington. You just saw the level being raised in all the divisions. It was really challenging surf – Courtney said it was the biggest Huntington she’s ever surfed. Check her out here.
2. Kelly Slater’s Perfect 10: That to me, solidified the reason we worked so hard to make sure the world’s best surfers were there. I thought it was kind of a gift back to the fans. It made everyone’s morning to witness something like that. It was amazing to see that Kelly was in the right spot, put himself behind the peak and he basically got barreled on the biggest wave of the day, and came out with 15-feet of whitewater all around him. Check out the video here. 
3. Brett Simpson’s win: I’d have to give it up for Brett. The last area local was Richie Collins in 1989, he was from Newport. Brett’s considered a true Huntington Beach local. It was really cool for the city of Huntington, which is celebrating 100 years, and for the 50-year anniversary for surfing at the pier. This will certainly help Brett’s chances for qualification, which we would love to see. See the video here.
Slater’s thoughts are right on. I can’t tell you how proud I am of both Courtney’s and Brett’s win. Voters got it right when they picked both for the 2009 OC Surfers of the Year contest put on by the Register. Through that contest, I learned a lot about these surfers. I’m sure anyone who knows them would agree – the wins couldn’t have happened to nicer people, who have both worked harder than we’ll ever know.
This much-anticipated south swell is cranking, just like forecasters from Surfline.com predicted.
Spectators up on the Huntington Beach pier watching the U.S. Open of Surfing are getting sprayed by the big waves that are crashing under the pier.
And with the rising high tide, people on the sand are getting drenched as big waves come up on shore.
> Get more U.S. Open coverage - slideshows, video, schedules, results and more.
If you want to see Kelly Slater up close and personal then come on down to the southside of the Huntington Beach Pier at lunch. The 9-time World Champion is surfing his Round of 48 heat at the 2009 U.S. Open of Surfing on Thursday, July 23.
Slater is meeting up with Huntington Beach local boy Brad Ettinger, Aussie Nic Muscroft and Gony Zubizarreta from Spain. One lucky surfer will walk away with $100,000 for first place at this year’s 6-Star ASP World Qualifying Series event.
> Click here for shots from Slater’s heat on Wednesday.
> Get more U.S. Open coverage - slideshows, video, schedules, results and more.
If you’re an Andy Irons fan then check this out. The 3-time World Champion is about to paddle out at the 2009 U.S. Open of Surfing. Irons will be surfing against Glen Hall from Ireland, Charles Martin from Papua New Guinea and Aussie Corey Ziems.
Andy Irons stepped away from the competitive surf world in 2009 for personal reasons, but is expected to make a return to the ASP World Championship Tour in 2010.
It was probably one of the most exciting heats of the day at the 2009 U.S. Open of Surfing on Tuesday, July 21. The four man heat was made up of two up and coming junior pros, a top WCTer and a former U.S. Open of Surfing champion and veteran to the sport.
Taking the win in Heat 5 of the Round of 96 was Santa Cruz’s Nat Young who was unstoppable with his backhand attack. Coming in second was Tonino Benson from Hawaii followed by Florida’s Damien Hobgood and finishing in fourth was Sunny Garcia.
Both Nat Young and Tonino Benson now move on to the Round of 48 in the U.S. Open. Meanwhile both of these junior pros will also meet up in the quarter finals of the Nike 6.0 Pro Junior which is also taking place on the southside of the Huntington Beach Pier this week.
It was a pretty slow heat with not a lot of set waves, but two Orange County boys still advanced today at the 2009 U.S. Open of Surfing.
Huntington Beach’s Brett Simpson took the win in the heat, and San Clemente’s Tanner Gudauskas came in second in the knee-to-chest high broken up lines.
Simpson said he was watching the prior five heats before his heat to see what his strategy would be. The waves weren’t great, but Simspon looked for opportunities when he could.
“I was just tried to stay busy and not sit around,” he said.
Tanner Gudauskas said: “It was kinda tough out there, but I opted to sit down to the south”. He said he was “kinda freaking at the end, but super stoked to make it through.”
Brett Simpson is currently sitting in 9th place on the ASP World Qualifying Series ratings, while Tanner Gudauskas is in 6th place.
San Clemente talent Patrick Gudauskas, 23, and Floridian transplant Cory Lopez, 32, will do battle in the man-on-man Round of 16 heat when the ASP 6-Star PRIME SriLanken Airlines Pro recommences.
Both Orange County surfers continued to dominate the tough international competition at the premier location of Pasta Point in the Maldives to advance through their Round of 24 heats.
Gudauskas, who has been a top performer throughout the event’s entirety, eliminated current ASP World Tour sophomore Aritz Aranburu (EUK), 24, and former ASP Dream Tour talent Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA), 35, with a 16.03 out of 20 heat total to claim the heat victory.
In addition to the win, Gudauskas logged one for the competitive record books, demonstrating the world’s first completed aerial flip in ASP competition.
Lopez found his way through to the Round of 16 by advancing in second behind the young Brazilian talent Wiggoly Dantas, 18, and now the former ASP Dream Tour standout will go head-to-head against Gudauskas when competition resumes.
Check out this video from the Pasta Point competition:
The San Clemente trio known as Patrick, Dane and Tanner Gudauskas are back on the road after a brief respite on the ‘QS and twin talent Patrick was a standout yesterday in his opening heat at Pasta Point in the Maldives.
An ASP WQS 6-Star PRIME rated event, the SriLanken Airlines Pro not only offers up idyllic scenery and waves, but the most points available towards qualification for the G-Boys’ ultimate dream, a spot on the ASP World Tour.
Patrick earned the day’s top honors at the marquee event, smashing the highest heat total of 16.76 out of a possible 20 point score en route to his heat victory.
“That was a great start for me and I was really surprised,” Gudauskas said. “My warm up surfs yesterday and this morning were really ordinary and I was concerned with my surfing, but then right on time I had a fantastic heat.”
For the full report or to watch the SriLanken Airlines Pro log on to www.aspworldtour.com
An invite-only paddleboard event is happening in the Newport Harbor Saturday, bringing together surfers who are trying to help those suffering from Cystic Fibrosis.
The event precedes this year’s Pipeline to a Cure gala on July 18 in Huntington Beach, which raises money for the cause.
Organizer Todd Elder, Dave Kalama, Jeff Clark and Mickey Munoz and athletes such as Jason Lezak are expected to give lessons, and Kai Kalama from American Idol will be singing during the event.
At the last event at the Hyatt Regency, the Pipeline to a Cure event raised about $450,000.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). The defective gene cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food, according to the website.
In Australia a few years back, scientists found a direct correlation between surfing and CF – those suffering with the disease who surfed could breathe better. After researching, they found that the salt water helps clear out their lungs.
For more info, go to: www.pipelinetoacure.com.
Check out this video of a young surfer suffering from CF:
After a full day of volleyball on the sand during the first competition day of the AVP Crocs Pro Beach Volleyball Tour , the reigning Olympic beach volleyball gold medalists proved they aren’t going to give up their title easily.
Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers battled it out on the sand on the south side of the Huntinton Beach Pier on Friday, going undefeated throughout the day.
The team on Saturday will go up against Huntington Beach’s Ed Ratledge and Ryan Mariano.
On the women’s side, Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs also moved on unscathed, according to a press release sent out by AVP.
Both second seeds - Jake Gibb/Sean Rosenthal and Jen Kessy/April Ross - also moved on undefeated.
There’s more happening than just the competitions - stop by to check out some of the booths, and free giveaways. Here’s more about what they’re handing out on site.
The competitions go on through Sunday. For tickets, go to www.avp.com
Local surfers recognized Surfline wire news
