Surfing Commentary and Surf News | Surf Contest News, Surf Movies and Book Reviews, Surfboard and Surfer Information - DailyStoke.com

Ride the mechanical bull? Forget that. Try the Mechanical Surfboard.

Surfing HQ — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Wow. This hot surfer chick is totally, like, stoked dude! There’s a company servicing Michigan, Indiana and some other land locked states that offers not a mechanical bull, but a mechanical surfboard! Looks like fun.

NOHO surf trainer - a surfing product review

Surfing HQ — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Instead of busting your head open with an Indo Board, a great new product to try (or buy for a logger near you) is the NOHO Surf Trainer, with damn cool video shown here. Invented by Mark Carlson, the California-designed product consists of four pod-like-things strapped to the bottom of your board. The pods are made of rubber, as are the straps, and there’s no danger of dinging your board. So what’s the point? Said Carlson: “The biggest barrier to improving my surfing technique was the difficulty of doing enough repetitive training while out in the water. A crowded line-up, poor surf conditions, or a busy schedule kept me away from my goal of becoming a skilled surfer.” Crowded line-up indeed.

Enter the NOHO surf trainer. This is one surfing simulator that works.

I gave it a go this past weekend. At first, I felt very, very kooky on one of my most familiar longboards. In fact, the sensation was similar to getting on a surfboard for the first time. Totally wobbly, not very coordinated. Carlson suggests that you practice with something to hold on to, and at first, I was glad I did. After about 30 seconds of getting used to the balance features, and trusting my own surfing ability, I was off an running. Or at least, cross-stepping. If you tend to break out a longboard on flat days, I don’t think there’s a better surfing simulator out there. Cross-stepping? Check. Drop-knee turn? Check. Pop up, walk up, cheater five then toes on the nose? Check, check and check.

You’ll learn a whole lot about your own surfing with the NOHO surf trainer. I, for one, had never developed a great feel for the stinger on my board, just trusting my feet to find the right footing. With the NOHO surf trainer, I was able to get more of a foot-on-board sensation, giving me the opportunity to fine tune my foot placement without having the sensation of water running over them. I also spent some time self-diagnosing my popup, foot versus fins placement and cross-stepping.

Without a doubt, the NOHO surf trainer makes for a great training device for beginner surfers at surf schools, weekend warriors, or those seeking to refine their skills such as getting all 10 on the nose. Every surf school should have a couple of sets to practice technique on land - it’ll make it that much easier to get students up and riding in short order. It’s a must have.

Coming in at $159 plus shipping for four pods, or $99 for two (and the shortboarder in you), the NOHO surf trainer is a highly recommended Christmas gift for surfers. Check it out here.

A 3D aerial view of Jaws

Surfing HQ — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

AerialPan, a Washington company, has taken some pretty cool shots of Peahi aka Jaws in Maui using a remote control helicopter. A screen grab is pasted here, but to get the full effect, you should check it out at the link below. And while it’s not an epic day at Jaws by any stretch, it’s still pretty damn cool. This is as close to surfing Jaws as you’ll get from sitting at your computer. Check out the 3D version here.

Technology and the ASP World Tour - bringing surfing to your desktop

ASP Addict — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Not being able to watch the Boost Mobile Pro because I was chained to my desk many miles away from the heart of the action was not fun. But the ASP World Tour made it fly with the webcast concept. Indeed, even pro surfers like Tom Curren are in on it. In recent interview with DailyStoke.com, Curren says he stays on top of the tour by the webcast when he can’t be there live. The ASP has managed to stay on the cutting edge of technology, bringing the top contests live to our homes, via the internet. Said Rabbit Bartholomew, President of the ASP: “Technology is something we’ve been working on for a long, long time. We identified it as an area we really needed to develop. The credit for all we’ve accomplished really goes to our Brazilian IT guru, Mano Ziul, who had a vision for developing a global surf webcast community. TV has always been king, but the media format wasn’t right for surf contests which run over a number of days.”

Indeed, pro surfing is a different sport, with fickle waves and weather. The ASP World Tour wanted to be at the forefront of technology and it has succeeded. Beyond surf videos and live at the beach audiences, it gave surfers the world over an opportunity to see all of the top events as they happened. It gave stars such as Kelly Slater the global audience he deserves, and it has helped to promote the ASP brand and a lot of the lesser known of the world’s best and up-and-coming surfers.

“We realized we needed something different. We’re pro surfing. We have no apologies to make, but we’re not tennis and we’re not football. Surfing, is just not a stadium sport. The webcast was our answer,” says Bartholomew.

Surfers around the world can share in the stoke, even if over the wire.

The story behind THIS Kelly Slater vid - Talking with Morgan Maassen

Surfing HQ — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

If you haven’t seen this YouTube vid of Kelly Slater saying “Hello, Rincon”, you should. We tracked down the dude who made it, and he just so happens to be Santa Barbara local, Morgan Maassen. What’s more, and more important, is that this surf filmmaker is only 18 years old, and already creating some pretty amazing surfing videos. Morgan Maassen is the real deal. We recently caught up with Morgan to find out more about how Slater knocked the logger down…

DailyStoke: So I’m surfing around, and I stumble upon one of the best vids of Kelly Slater’s surfing style. It’s a video entitled “Kelly Slater Ripin’ Rincon.” Yes, indeed. So how does one happen upon Kelly Slater surfing at Rincon, and shoot a vid of it?

Morgan Maassen: I was down at Rincon surfing, when his holiness showed up- my friends and I were floored. I changed and sprinted back to the car to grab my camera and tripod in literally a minute. As I got back down to the cove he was picking a board from his Channel Islands demo quiver, with no other filmmakers around! I was in heaven!

DailyStoke.com: Has Kelly Slater seen your vid?

Morgan Maassen: About two weeks after I posted the clip, a close friend of mine went to the Channel Islands factory (and headquarters). When in the office he saw Kelly and the mythical Trav Lee (Kelly’s manager) watching the clip, studying his surfing and laughing about his “bump”.

DailyStoke.com: How did you not stop filming and laugh your ass off where at 1:38, Slater knocks a logger off his board? (Was that Shaun Tomson? I could’ve swore it was Shaun Tomson.)

Morgan Maassen: When my friends and I watched it happen live, we weren’t laughing; we were left speechless. It happened so quickly, and was so fluid, subtle, and well-executed, that our jaws dropped. Upon further (and countless) reviews, we’ve spent a good amount of time laughing at his handling of the surfer. Believe it or not, that guy snaked Kelly (as Slater was two sections behind, but caught up anyways)….

DailyStoke.com: You’ve also got a pretty sweet vid of Tom Curren at Sandspit. So, who is the master, Slater or Curren? Or is it the Dolphins in your flick, Fine Tea?

Morgan Maassen: I view both as masters, for different reasons. No one has gone through the evolution, seen the changes, perfected the moves, or reigned over the industry and media like Slater has. But Curren is a timeless master of water. Watching him surf (anything) is always indescribably beautiful.

DailyStoke.com: Our readers will be surprised to know you’re 18. That’s pretty sick. Are you really 18, or are you 32 with a beer belly?

Morgan Maassen: HA! I’m actually a 47 year old Software Engineer from Palo Alto. Several years ago I quit my job, divorced my trophy wife, sold my valley home, bought a video camera, and never looked back. I claim I’m 18 so people will pay attention to my stuff.

DailyStoke.com: How did you get so good at filmmaking, so quickly?

Morgan Maassen: I love surfing and music… I don’t know? I draw a lot of inspiration from Chad Campbell’s “5th Symphony Document”, that film taught me so much. I just play around, pretty soon I will be able to start taking filmmaking classes.

DailyStoke.com: What do you shoot with? What do you wish you shot with?

Morgan Maassen: I use a Canon XH-A1 hdv camera, Del Mar waterhousing, and an assortment of fisheyes/telephoto adapters. I have an army of ancient Super8 cameras from ebay, but I rarely use the same one for more than 5 rolls of film as they always break! Finally, I own a 16mm Bolex HBM with 10, 20, 50 and 75mm lenses, but I have yet to find the money to film even a 5 minute clip on it. Basically I wish I could shoot with my 16mm Bolex…. Soon. I can’t wait for Red to ship the Scarlet camera, I’m ordering one with a Nikon mount the day they ship.

DailyStoke.com: It seems like you’re a pretty creative and passionate filmmaker. What are your plans for the next couple of years? Film school? Filmmaking? College chicks?

Morgan Maassen: I am going to college at the moment, with no major in mind. I’m entertaining the idea of filmmaking, photography, or art, but the more I try to decide, the more confused I become. I just want to travel, and practice all three of my passions.

DailyStoke.com: What’s the best surf film you’ve recently seen, other than one you’ve produced?

Morgan Maassen: The more surf films I see, the more I respect and love I gain for Chad Campbell’s older “5th Symphony Document.” It’s seriously perfect. Other than that, Globe’s “Secret Machine” has mind-blowing water cinematography; that knocked my socks off. 5’5” x 19” 1/4 redux has some killer footage. The first half of “One California Day” was great.

DailyStoke.com: What do you think is missing from surf films these days, and what are you going to do about it? Or is that your secret recipe?

Morgan Maassen: A good balance of music, lifestyle, and performance surfing is very hard to come by. Surf movies are too specialized; i.e. trashers (“Stranger than fiction”) or art projects (“Sprout”). Up until now I’ve only made fun vignettes as I’ve been so committed to surfing, working, and school, but in January I started a massive, funded film project which will hopefully be just the right combination… more soon….

We’ll be keeping an eye on what Morgan Maassen has got up his sleeve.

Check out more from him at Bogus Media, his company’s website, and you can view more really well done short films, here.

Signs the end of the Surfing World Is Near

Surfing HQ — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Oh boy. First it was SUPs. Now it’s this. I have no idea what it is, but dammit I’m going to find out. It is clearly something to do with motorized surf. Gas guzzler? No se, hombre. The dude on the surfboard/boat has a shiz eating grin on him, so it must be fun on flat days. Hmm.

Car surfing is like real surfing, except the wipeouts aren’t as fun

Surfing HQ — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

There’s a surfing-like activity that is all the rage for surfers that are battling flat conditions (ie. None of us, right now) and for dumb kids finding themselves far from surf: car surfing. Don’t do it. Don’t let your younger brother do it. The guy in this video is just totally asking for - oh, wait, he actually gets it, hard. A whole bunch of kids keep doing it, and the results are just plain stupid. Yeah, it’s fun for about 15 seconds, and then you wipeout and it’s not fun. Like Teahupoo, sort of, but much, much worse. Not stoked.

Dear Kate Bosworth

Mr. Kook — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Dear Kate. I loved Blue Crush. Don’t you think, some six years after release, it’s time for the sequel? Please don’t make us wait like the Endless Summer II.

Bicycle Surfboard Rack: Cheap n’ Easy

KL Pontz — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Let’s start at the beginning and assume nothing.

Assumption 1: You are a surfer.
Assumption 2: You live near the ocean.
Assumption 3: You probably always drive to the beach.
Assumption 4: A larger portion of you live close enough to the beach to a ride a bike.
Assumption 4.1: Of that portion who could ride a bike, I imagine 65% of you own a bike.
Assumption 4.2: The rest who don’t own a bike obviously know how to use the Internet and could find a cheap bike at craigslist.com.

Conclusion: Eighteen of you actually ride your bike to go surfing.

It has been firmly established, beyond a reasonable doubt, that more of us should ride a bike to the beach–I mean look at the logic; it’s watertight. If you are unconvinced, then read “Being Green is About Being Human”. Hopefully it will make you think about saving some gas, and convince you not to drive your H2 Hummer the five minutes it takes to get to the beach.

We now need to consider how to get your board to the beach. This may not be true for you, but I don’t trust anyone in a car when I’m on a bike–not even my friends…actually, especially my friends–and I want to have both of my hands on the handle bars. As such, we should consider a surf rack for the bike, and one that isn’t outrageously expensive, or look like something a bike company made instead of a surf company. Exhibt A:

But, with a short inspection you find that most of these bike racks cost as much as a house on the North Shore in front of Pipe.

Do not fear! You will be riding your bike hands free thanks to some PVC pipe and this website. The directions given on the website are a little convulated, but the main idea gets across through some diagrams and a little imagination. The structure may need a little tweeking, i.e. reinforcing, but this is a cheap alternative to blowing your yearly income on a surf bike rack.

Let it be known that I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of this bike rack. Alright. I haven’t made it yet. And some may fault me for writing a review for a product I haven’t tested. That would be fair, but I will do my hardest to completely ignore you. And know, this bike rack will be made and tested. Do not worry yourself.

Disclaimer: Now, as some of you may point out, ‘Dude, you don’t even own a bike though.’ Well you would be correct. So I am heading over to craigslist.com to find a cheap bike.

Bar Rafaeli is the hottest surfer chick in the world

Surfing HQ — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Muchas gracias to Hurley, who has recently signed up Bar Rafaeli, pictured here, to be one of their models. Now, Bar Rafaeli does not, to our knowledge, surf. Nor does her boyfriend, Leonardo DiCaprio (though we hear he’s going to play Miki Dora in the movie adaption of the book by David Rensin, All for a Few Perfect Waves.) Anyway! Enough about Leo, we absolutely love Hurley’s pick regardless of whether she’s ever been on a soft top. Said Rafaeli: “I love that Hurley’s beach culture lifestyle incorporates fashion and makes it look and feel sexy and effortless.”

This woman is absolutely gorgeous, and I know for a fact that Hot Wahine just wants to run out and buy up some Hurley bikinis as a result. Dudes, support the poor folks at Hurley, and your woman can be kitted out just like Bar!