Archive for the ‘THE SWELL LIFE’ Category

May 2nd, 2011 | By | 34 Comments

Tickets On Sale Today! Billabong’s Design For Humanity 2011

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Billabong is at it again, saving the world one outfit at a time, a different cause a year all while rocking out! Billabong’s 5th annual Design for Humanity Event is being held Wednesday, June 15th at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood, Ca. Started by Billabong’s marketing, art and design teams, Design for Humanity was an opportunity to give back and benefit an organization close to the heart of our community and industry by combining fashion, art and music, all in the name of a good cause. Every year there is a big name band that rocks the crowd, art that’s a killer, and lovely ladies in fashion that are so beautiful they capture every heart. Started in April 2007, the very first Design for Humanity was held at Avalon and Spider Club in Hollywood with Shiny Toy Guns and DJ Vice, benefitting SurfAid International. In the following years they have had musical guests such as Steve Aoki, MGMT, and Fischerspooner, benefiting non-profits such as Surfrider Foundation and Invisible Children. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros will be taking the stage this year in hopes of raising huge awareness and profits for VH1’s Save the Music. And don’t fret, this isn’t an “invite only/someone who knows someone” event; you can go too! Tickets go on sale today at www.DesignForHumanity.com / $30 for General Admission and $99 for VIP. Can’t wait to score your tickets? Don’t panic- you can listen to The Zero’s here while you’re waiting in angst to score your tix!

Thank you for visiting the Swell blog. Visit us on www.facebook.com/swell for more exclusive fan offers, giveaways and more.
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Posted in EVENTS | 34 Comments »
April 30th, 2011 | By | 1,990 Comments

Dorian, Couto, Sanchis, Kennelly and Sion Honored at the 2011 BIllabong XXL Awards

Danilo Cuoto wins $50 at the Billabong XXL Awards

Danilo Cuoto Winner of 2011 Ride of the Year

Friday, April 29, 2011: Anaheim, California. The XXL awards unfolded at Anaheim’s Grove theatre, where big wave pioneers convened to watch some of the latest and greatest chargers push the limits of both tow-in and paddle surfing. Hundreds of the event’s invited guests hooted and hollered as madmen from around the world slid down huge mountains of water on 3 giant screens where the true scale of the waves were definitely illuminated.

Shane's Monster Wave that Won Him 2 Awards

Shane's Monster Wave that Won Him 2 Awards

It was no surprise that Shane Dorian dominated this year’s awards with his massive paddle in at Peahi. He earned both Monster Tube and Monster Paddle prizes for his World Record setting 57-foot bomb at Maui’s premiere big wave spot. Although not winning the $50,000 prize for Ride of the Year, Dorian walked away with an impressive $20k, which he promised a portion would go to the MiIosky family. As many already know, the late Hawaiin charger Sion Milowsky tragically passed away this year during a massive day at Mavericks, California. To everyone’s best wishes he was posthumously honored with this year’s Surfline Mens Performance Award, which his family graciously accepted with an emotional speech. It was a great way to honor the waterman who inspired so many people on the North Shore and the surfing community in general. His passing was a sobering reminder of the dangers of big wave surfing and his presence was greatly felt, honored, and remembered throughout the evening.

The biggest purse of the night went to Danilo Couto who took the Ride of the Year award for yet another impressive Peahi paddle in. The Brazilian’s $50k wave included a gravity-defying airdrop down a monumental windswept face. You could picture Brazilians everywhere rejoicing as he accepted the award. Other winners included Frenchman Benjamin Sanchis’ enormous tow-in at Belharra France snagging Biggest Wave and Keala Kennelly’s impressive Puerto tube receiving the Girls Best Performance Award. Mark Mathews was awarded the Verizon Worst Wipeout award for his hair raising spill at Shipsterns where he was unable to outrun a chunky behemouth after miraculously landing two consecutive inside ledge drops. While no one really aims for this award, the accolade seemed well deserved for such a brave yet disastrous feat.

The crowd at the event included waterman and legends from both inside and out of the industry. Tony Hawk, Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson, were some of the celebs to show face and even the lead singer of Incubus, Brandon Boyd, made it on stage to help present an award. Although unfortunately not winning an award for one of his impressive big waves, Mark Healy was hands down best dressed at the event showing up in a beige leather cowboy jacket with tassels running throughout. The jacket was so impressive that even the event’s MC, Sal Masekela, couldn’t resist recognizing it in the midst of presenting on stage. Throughout the night many a cocktail and Monster energy drinks were consumed and respect was rightly given to those with the cojones to raise the bar of surfing. Even though a somber presence lingered in the room, the event was a great way for the big wave community to come together and honor both present and past surfers.

Watch Danilo Cuoto’s $50,000 Wave Here:

For more information or to watch the winning waves and nominees head to http://www.billabongxxl.com/

The event will premiere Sunday, May 1 on Fuel TV

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Posted in EVENTS, SURF | 1,990 Comments »
April 21st, 2011 | By | 1,392 Comments

Celebrate Earth Day with SWELL (+ Score Some Swag)!

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WHO?
You (+ your friends/family!)

WHAT?
SWELL Earth Day Celebration

WHERE?
Online & at San Onofre State Beach

WHEN?
4/22/11 – Join us all day online and/or show up to the beach clean up at 10am

WHY?
Come help preserve our beaches and oceans + score some free swag along the way

Click HERE to join us online!

Posted in EVENTS, OUTREACH | 1,392 Comments »
April 18th, 2011 | By | 868 Comments

Follow the Light- And Submit Your Photos!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FOLLOW THE LIGHT FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR THE 2011 FOLLOW THE LIGHT FOUNDATION SURF PHOTOGRAPHERS GRANT

SAN CLEMENTE, CA- The Follow the Light Foundation (FTLF) is calling all photographers to submit their applications for its annual $5,000 grant in honor of the late Larry “Flame” Moore. The deadline is one month from today: entries must be received no later than May, 17, 2011.

The FTLF was founded after Moore’s passing to ensure that up-and-coming surf photographers continue to get the recognition and support they deserve. Flame — legendary Photo Editor of SURFING Magazine for more than three decades — made it a priority to teach and inspire anyone with a passion for photography. This grant helps keep that legacy alive. The application and details can be found on the FTLF website. (folllowthelightfoundation.org)

Now in its sixth year, the FTLF continues to recognize photographers on the rise and help fuel their vision. During this year’s submission process, photographers will edit their images and cue it to the music of their choice. The “visual presentations” of the Top 5 finalists will then be shown at an awards night at the Shorebreak Hotel during the US Open of Surfing on Tuesday, August 2. “Recognizing the world’s best up-and-coming surf photographers fits right in with the spirit of the US Open of Surfing,” says FTLF sponsor Bob Hurley. “It’s so fun to see such an amazing showcase of young talent in one place — very inspiring.”

Judging from the career paths of past winners, the FTLF recipients will continue to inspire. 2010 recipient Morgan Maassen is quickly becoming the surf world’s freshest eye. Former winners Chris Burkard and Todd Glaser and Ray Collins are three of the most prolific and talented photographers in the sport today, and they all give credit to Flame and FTLF for helping their dream job come true. “It was such an honor to be picked for this grant,” said 2008 winner Todd Glaser. “To be recognized and critiqued by legends like Aaron Chang — and get funding on top of it — will always stand as a career highlight.”

To help round out the wide spectrum of gifted photographers, FTLF will be honoring the late Leroy Grannis this year, a surf photography pioneer and founder of Surfing Magazine.

Follow The Light also wants you to be a judge. The People’s Choice Award will be a text to vote format, where you can vote for your favorite. Winner will be announced at the Shorebreak Hotel.

To submit an application, contact Peter Taras (peter.taras@sorc.com) or Jeremiah Klein (miahklein@s7mg.com).

The FTLF is proud to be working with Surfing Magazine, SWELL, Hurley and Oakley to provide this year’s grant. For more information, go to followthelightfoundation.org.

About Follow the Light: On October 10th, 2005, the surfing community lost one of its most influential figures. After a nearly three-year battle with brain cancer Larry “Flame” Moore, the Photo Editor of SURFING Magazine for 30 years, passed. He left behind a legacy of brilliant photography and an army of photographers trained by him. Through his work at SURFING Magazine, Larry literally gave three decades of surfing their “look.” Today, honoring Larry’s request, we have established Follow the Light Foundation (FTLF), an organization that will help finance the dreams of surf photographers, pushing the sport and its lensmen forward.

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Posted in OUTREACH, SWEEPSTAKES | 868 Comments »