Rowley and his girlfriend/videographer Minnie Vuong, from Torquay Victoria, have based themselves in Hawaii for three months to catch and document the monster North Pacific winter storm surf. Rowley and Vuong flew from the island of Oahu to Maui Tuesday night, and arrived at the infamous Peahi ‘Jaws’ cliff top before sunrise to see the 50-60 foot waves (15-18m) for the first time.

The surf at Peahi, aka “Jaws”, is considered the worlds biggest and most dangerous and until recently has been considered impossible to catch and ride without the use of a jet ski ‘tow-in’ and foot straps.

Rowley and a small group of big wave surfers including Shane Dorian and Garret McNamara pushed the boundaries of big wave surfing by refusing to ‘tow-in’ and choosing to ‘paddle-in’ to the monster waves.

“The waves were moving about 50k’s an hour and the wind was absolutely howling so every instinct is telling you it cant be done, but we did it- its unbelievable” Rowley said. In doing so Rowley became the first Australian surfer to paddle into the infamous waves at Jaws. I’m so proud to be the first Aussie to paddle in at Jaws, it was a historic day and we pushed the limits and survived”.

During the historic session Rowley rode a special 10’2” (3m) Al Merrick quad fin surfboard designed for 30-40 foot (10-12m) waves, but it nearly wasn’t enough. “My 10’2” is my biggest board but Jaws is so big and so powerful it felt like I was riding a toothpick- I need an 11 foot plus board!” Rowley and other surfers surfaced from wiping out under the waves thanks to buoyancy jackets and a new emergency inflatable airbag wetsuit. “Having a buoyancy jacket and the emergency inflatable wetsuit definitely gave me piece of mind that I would surface after a wipe-out, I don’t want to surf big waves again without one.”

Rowley’s biggest ride involved a vertical freefall take off from the top of a wave, which could have ended in disaster. “I was going to catch that wave no matter what happened, it was massive and I was in the right position and it was my time to go for it. I stood up and the wind hit me and tried to rip my board from under my feet as I started freefalling, I couldn’t see a thing but I pushed down as hard as I could and made the ride. It was like trying to catch and ride a Tyrannosaurus Rex with your bare hands- the best thrill but you’re so glad to be alive”.

Rowley’s biggest wave fulfilled his personal ‘Charge For Charity’ quest to paddle-in to a 50-foot wave whilst raising money for Breast Cancer Australia. “I caught the biggest wave of my life and achieved my goal wave height- now I am asking people to donate.”

To donate to Rowley’s Charge For Charity, visit www.jeffrowley.com for details.

Rowley’s rides from Jaws will be entered into the 2011-12 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave surfing awards. Rowley remains in Hawaii preparing for more giant surf which may hit somewhere in the North Pacific in coming weeks. The 2010/11 XXL awards were won by Shane Dorian and Danilo Couta with rides at Jaws last year.

We gather in the park opposite the beach at Currumbin as before. So get your boards ready and bring the family and a picnic lunch. Look forward to meeting you all next year.

Please remember it is a non competitive and non commercial gathering of board riders and builders of these sweet craft.

It’s about shapers who craft these boards and those of us who enjoy the ride. Each year we see many new ideas on the the original theme and that’s what is great about the evolution of the fish. If you are not a shaper bring your fish and enjoy the stoke and celebrate the fish with everyone else who enjoys the ride.

If you have pics of boards you are building please feel free to email me or check the web site.

Despite offers from alternative sponsors, Barry has chosen to continue working with Tiki. They are genuinely honoured that Barry remains a part of the Tiki R&D team. Barry was an integral part of this team that helped them develop and test the new Zepha model wetsuit. There is no better testing ground that the massive waves of the North Atlantic and no better athletes than the core guys, living the winters over there.

The winter season of 2011/12 promises to be a year when new ground is broken – a historic year in big wave surfing in Ireland. Tiki is proud to be a part of this momentus era. With Barry and Cotty forming their big wave team, they are excited to see what this winter will bring.

“Im living above the wave in a cottage on the hill and the wave is basically in my front garden, I’m surfing it as much as possible. Im so stoked to have one of the best heavy water waves in Europe/The world on my doorstep and am feeling more in tune than ever right now. I’m super stoked to be resigning with Tiki” said Barry.

Barry – perfect positioning on a Mully drainer. Credit: Pete Clyne

This year, what are the women’s highlights? Steph posing naked for ESPN instead. I agree that if you’ve got it, flaunt it and I do think Alana looks super hot in her bikini bottoms, but I would much rather watch her surf.

There are barely any women’s surf videos, so I enjoy watching the girls compete. Watching the best female surfers in the world pushing their surfing to new heights is inspirational. It motivates me to go out and surf better, to challenge myself.

And what did a heat at Pipe cost the sponsors? 25 minutes and some prize money, and not a lot of prize money at that. The money put up is most likely less than a contribution to fund the listing of a range of surf branded beanie hats in the Argos catalogue.

The biggest disappointment is that the surf industry itself openly demonstrates considerable bias. This is easily illustrated by the attached chart, with women’s events having to find alternative supporters rather than industry sponsors.

Chart

The reason given that marketing budgets are being slashed during the recession, therefore women’s surfing has to take the hit is a poor excuse, and a short sighted one. An investment made now, however small grows into something much larger. It reassures a younger generation of women that their leisure pursuits are just as worthwhile, and they, of course will invest in equipment and clothing for a lifetime to perpetuate the industry.

Does surfing discriminate? Make your own mind up and let us hope the ASP Women’s World Tour will actually run for a full year in 2013.

The ‘Zon North Canyon Show’ focuses on massive swells that break off the beach at Nazaré in Portugal – where “Cotty” as he’s known, towed Hawaiian Garrett MacNamara into what’s believed to be the biggest wave ever ridden at 90 feet a couple of weeks ago.

The surf spot is unique because massive swells launch out of a deep water canyon onto a sand bottom beach, not a reef like many of the world’s other big wave breaks like Waimea in Hawaii and Teahup’oo in Tahiti which are on reefs. Plus this unique project is backed by the local Nazaré government who are using the film to promote their area worldwide as a watersports destination.

The film night is being organised by local surfer Tom Sharpe, a North Devon based designer and illustrator; “I wanted to do something to help raise funds for the Museum of British Surfing charity, because it is bringing something really important and special to our local area.”

“When Cotty – who’s from Croyde – hit the headlines around the world by being in the thick of this incredible story, I thought it was the perfect combination of an exciting unique film, giant dangerous waves and local interest.”

Tom has pulled off a global scoop getting the film for a UK preview, making local and international history.

There will also be a live Q & A with Andrew Cotton before the film screening, a chance to see his big wave board which was made in Woolacombe by Gulf Stream, and some boards from the Museum of British Surfing collection.

The fundraising night will also feature a raffle, with prizes being donated by surfing businesses. Among the sponsors are Croyde Deckchair Cinema, Tiki, Saltrock, Analog and St Austell Brewery.

100 tickets are now on sale through the Gulf Stream shop in Caen Street, Braunton (advance tickets only), with the first 32 moviegoers getting comfy deckchairs!
Prices are £5 for adults and £3.50 for under-16s including a free cup of winter vegetable soup & a roll provided by the King’s Arms at Georgeham, with all proceeds from the night going to charity.

Doors open at 7.30pm on Thursday December 15th and there is a licensed bar at Croyde Village Hall.

The Museum of British Surfing is a Registered Charity (1131433) and is opening in Braunton in April 2012.

For further information call Tom on 07780 713282

Photo shows Andrew Cotton surfing a giant wave at Nazaré, Portugal – picture credit: Bruno Aleixo

In this short form profile, VitaBrevisFilms interviews Eric Arakawa for the third exploration of our PROFESSIONal series. Shot on location on the North Shore of Oahu, Eric gives a candid account of the people who both inspired and guided him. From the novice fabrication of his first board, to shaping the late Andy Irons last custom job, Eric shares his hope to pass his knowledge on to his young employees and those around him.

An exciting project for the entire VBF crew to have the opportunity to capture the essence of Eric’s inspiration.

The conditions are perfect for the trials. The winning team will secure a spot in the international big wave competition that will take place in 2012 at Praia do Norte, being the first of its kind in Portugal.

There will be a live webcast of the event. In between the semi- and finals Garrett McNamara and CJ Macias will attempt to surf giant waves at Praia de Norte without a tow-in on WaveJets, surfboards equipped with a revolutionary new clean energy propulsion system. The Wavejet! Come watch as history is made.

Today, nine cities from all over the world got together in Donostia-San Sebastián to create the first network for surf as an economic driving force contributing to business, wealth, and job creation. This goal – promoted by Fomento de San Sebastián through the Surf City Cluster– is shared by Arica (Chile), Durban (South Africa), Ericeira (Portugal), Hossegor (France), Gold Coast (Australia), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain), Newcastle (Australia), Santos (Brazil) and, of course, the host city, Donostia-San Sebastián (Spain). These are all surf-oriented cities, understanding surf in a broad sense that goes beyond just sports.

The members of the World Surf Cities Network met at the Kursaal Conference Centre today at a conference on “Surf and Innovation.” The conference was considered to be the first step towards the consolidation of surf as a driving force in local economies, leading to business opportunities and strategic projects for job creation. The event was organised by Fomento de San Sebastián within the framework of the Poctefa 2007-2013 European programme.

“Surf and Innovation” is a two-day event during which the surf network will be officially established and successful international business and research case studies will be discussed. Keynote speakers include Jess Ponting (Center for Surf Research, San Diego State University), José Manuel Odriozola (Wavegarden project for the development of man-made waves), and Urko Esnaola (Tecnalia; development of a high-performance surfboard).

In addition, representatives of Fomento de San Sebastián will talk about the latest activities of the Surf City Cluster, gathering about 50 economic actors, including companies, public agencies, research centres, and universities. The cluster’s coordinated action is intended to meet the challenges of the sector, committing to technology and innovation in all business processes and to adequate training as basic tools to improve company competitiveness and sustainability.