Archive for the ‘SURF’ Category

May 11th, 2012 | By | 1,427 Comments

Greg Noll Moons Crowd at Billabong XXL Awards

On stage at the Billabong XXL awards with two Playboy Playmates at his side, 75 yr old Greg Noll pulled down his pants.

While Noll was presenting Garret McNamera with a $50,000 check for Biggest Wave of the Year, everyone enjoyed “Da Bull” retell his own quest for the world’s biggest waves in his signature black and white boardshort. He then alluded to the fact that his original short style was being copied by surf companies and poser brands. But, patenting black and white stripes would be harder than laying claim to boardshorts themselves, so he did what any pissed-off surfer would, and mooned the crowd with his signature stripes across his bare ass.

It was not what many expected from a nice looking old man, but Noll is a real bad-ass and has a core perspective about wannabe fads in the surf industry. Here’s what he said about the trendy surf guitar genre of the 60s “Crap, all of it. That’s what real surfers thought. Dick Dale was okay, but the rest was garbage. We hated all that stuff; all the surf music and the Beach Blanket Bingo movies. It (The Beach Boys) just sounded kind of pussy to us.”(Warshaw, 2006)

Playboy’s Miss June 2012 Amelia Talon, and Miss April 2011 Jaclyn Swedberg weren’t the ones taking their clothes off this time, so they cheered him on along with the rest of the industry in attendance.

Who Stole Surfing?

Noll mentioning rip-off surf companies comes just weeks after Hollister Co. became the world’s largest (so-called) surf company, posting 2 billion dollars in annual revenues. This upset many in the surf industry who are dedicated to maintaining an ocean-first mentality, and an overall sense of respect to the heritage of people like Greg Noll.

Hollister aka “Mall-ister” mass produces kitschy knock-offs of our coastal classics, and waters down our sacred surf culture.  Making shirts that say “Hollister Surf Team” is blatant rip-off of smaller surf companies who actually invest in their fellow rippers who keep the dream alive.

SUPPORT BRANDS WHO SUPPORT SURFERS!

Shop the Greg Noll X Billabong Collection Here

Warsaw, M. (1996). Photo/Stoner: The Rise, Fall, and Mysterious  Disappearance of Surfing's Greatest Photographer (pp. 46). San
Fransisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

 

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Posted in EVENTS, STYLE, SURF | 1,427 Comments »
May 8th, 2012 | By | 1,861 Comments

Kelly Slater Injures Foot -Drops Out of Billabong Rio Pro

While practicing for the third stop on the 2012 World Championship Tour, Kelly Slater’s right heel suffered a 1/2 inch deep cut from a coral reef. The world’s top ranked surfer then dropped out of the Billabong Rio Pro noting, “I can pull into the tube but that’s about it. I can’t turn with the stitches in my heel, and with the small waves (in Rio de Janeiro). It’s probably going to turn into an air contest.”

The coral reef that punctured his right heel embedded small pieces, infecting the area and requiring additional procedures. Last week commentators at the Nike Lowers Pro marveled at Kelly’s (40) lack of injuries during his 22 years on tour, but this injury will not affect, nor was caused by the longevity of his career. Coral lacerations and resulting infections are a very common surf injury in the South Pacific. Last year, 19th ranked Matt Wilkinson was sidelined with Golden Staph Infections after bouncing off the reef at the Billabong Pro Tahiti.

Kelly visited Bali with girlfriend Kalani Miller, where her swimwear company, Mikoh Swim is headquartered. While surfing the beaches around Bali, Slater tweeted about the polluted state of the beach posing major health risks to beach-goers.


If Bali doesn’t #DoSomething serious about this pollution it’ll be impossible to surf here in a few years. Worst I’ve ever seen.
April 22, 2012 1:21 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite
@kellyslater
Kelly Slater

Damien “Dooma” Fahrenfort snapped this picture of a wheelchair-bound Kelly leaving the Indonesia Airport wearing his favorite new travel gear from VSTR Clothing. Slater is back surfing (at right, barreled in Duranbah) and expects to recover in time for Tavarua, continuing his 12th world title campaign.

Additional content compliments of Surfline and The Mad Hui’s

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Posted in SURF | 1,861 Comments »
May 7th, 2012 | By | 1,588 Comments

Behind the Scenes: Spring/Summer Catalog 2012

Photographer Art Brewer and SWELL models headed to the Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach for the 2012 Spring/Summer catalog. Enjoy a behind the scenes look at the beautiful ladies and line-ups that were on tap for this season’s shoot

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Posted in STYLE, SURF, VIDEOS | 1,588 Comments »
May 4th, 2012 | By | 1,622 Comments

Featured Photographer: Jeff Hornbaker (Summer Catalog 2012)

SWELL UNVEILS THE SUMMER 2012 CATALOG FEATURING PHOTGRAPHY FROM SURFING VISIONARY JEFF HORNBAKER –Forefather of modern surf photography contributes museum quality imagery and interpretations to SWELL’s latest publication.

San Clemente, CA – In an ongoing campaign to spotlight surfing’s best lensmen, SWELL partnered with Jeff Hornbaker, who focused this collaboration on the universal allure of the ocean. Jeff elaborates on each picture with the worldly accounts that inspired his subjects. He gives subscribers a departure from mainstream surfing with a more spiritual approach to destinations like Indonesia, and the west side of Oahu.

“With summer upon the Northern Hemisphere, the Northern Hemisphere, the ocean will team up with the sun and attract people from all walks of life to her shore. The movement of the waters will caress the ankles of the meek, the knees of the pensive, and the bodies of the bold.” Jeff Hornbaker describes the early summer sensation in the forward of the catalog.

Jeff traveled the globe for 30 years evolving his unique perspective that caught the eye of Larry Flame Moore at Surfing Magazine. There, Hornbaker became one of the world’s most talented surf photographers, and helped Surfing propel the young magazine into the forefront of surf media.

The throwback feel of the photography compliments the summer trends of the top brands in surf apparel. Michael Nutt explains his decision to work with Jeff. “I knew Jeff would give us a break from the exclusive nature of surfing. His photos celebrate the universal sense of fulfillment that anybody can receive from the ocean. His captions read like lyrics to a song”.

The current trends in surf apparel draws on classic color-ways and designs from the days when Hornbaker’s work regularly graced magazine covers, making this issue a must-have magazine for every surfer’s coffee table.

Free subscriptions to the SWELL catalog is available here.
See the digital issue version here.

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Posted in STYLE, SURF | 1,622 Comments »