The Mavericks invitational was a battle between surfers and 20-40 foot waves of freezing water in the famed Half Moon Bay of California. In the contest, the more experienced riders succeeded, with 40 year old star Grant “Twiggy” Baker of South Africa taking home the grand prize. Remarkably, the final heat of the contest was televised live for the first time in history, and was also the second most watched surf competition ever (according to TheSurfChannel.com).

Results are listed below;

1. Grant “Twiggy” Baker — 29.33

2. Shane Dorian — 25.532

3. Ryan Augenstein— 16.663

4. Tyler Fox — 12.664

5. Greg Long — 12.000

6. Anthony Tashnick — 0.006

Shown during the contest as well was Mark Healy getting caught on the inside of a 25 foot wave. The scene was caught with a GoPro on the nose of his board fortunately, and shows the true power behind the waves at the famed Half Moon Bay.

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There are many ways to pick out newbies, including how they travel with their surfboards. Don’t get caught looking like a sponger trapped on the inside. Instead, use our guide to safely transport your board to our school here in Puerto Rico.

How To Pack Your Surfboard

1. Buy a heavy-duty board bag. Be sure to label the bag as “top load” or “fragile” with a marker or acrylic paint. Make sure the bag is roughly 6 inches longer than your longest board to leave room forcushioning. Consider how many boards will be in your quiver, as many bags have compartments to help separate boards. Although a hardcover plastic bag is heavier, it gives your boards more protection.

2. Remove the fins from your board. If you have removable travel fins (i.e. FCS, Future, O’Fish’l, or Excel Fins), take them off to make the board as flat as possible. Wrap the removed fins in a towel and keep them (and your fin key) with your board. If you have standard fins, cushion them with a fin box. They’re typically inexpensive, but you can make your own using polystyrene boxes if necessary.

3. Remove the old wax off your board. Skipping this step can cause your cold water wax to melt all over your board bag when you land in Puerto Rico.

4. Cut a slit vertically down one side of your pipe insulation, and secure it to the rails of your board with duct tape/shrink wrap.

5. Protect the nose and tail of your board with either bubble wrap or other towels and clothes that you’ll need. The pipe insulation used in the previous step can be used to reinforce the nose and tail as well, but be sure to cut a relief notch in the center of the nose and tail pieces of pipe. The larger the bubbles in the bubble wrap, the more protected your boards will be.

6. (OPTIONAL) Slide the board into a sock or bubble wrap bag if you have one.

7. Place the boards and fins in the bag with some extra padding (i.e. clothes, towels, wetsuits) at the ends to protect the nose and tail. If you’re bringing down more than one board–

Warnings:

• Don’t pack hard items (i.e. the leash) in your board bag, as they could end up crushed against the board.
• Light carbon sandwich boards can explode from the low pressure inside airplanes. Open the caps to create airflow in the boards during flight, but be sure to close them before paddling out.
• Bring a ding repair kit in your other luggage to fix the inevitable dings that will happen. It should contain resin, catalyst, fiberglass cloth, fin rope, sand paper, a small tube of solarez, super glue and/or new skin.

Every surf legend started somewhere; even the greats like Kelly Slater and Laird Hamilton were once groms. Some gringos can come from the Midwest without an ocean in sight, while others have a background from other board sports and can quickly start ripping. Before popping up, there are 5 great exercises that can help your surf capabilities. By doing these for a few weeks, paddling out will come natural.

The Rincon Surf School can set even the most inexperienced surfer on the path to success with our knowledgeable coaches and staff on hand. If you’re still fully stoked after a few hard workouts, then come join us down in Puerto Rico for first-class instructors and tropical swell.

Get down here today!

Athletes beginning a sport can take a couple hints from all approaches. An outsider’s perspective on yourself can be helpful in all fields but especially so in surfing and other board sports, where stance and posture are some of the most crucial aspects to your movement. Similarly, even the greats like Kelly Slater and Andy Irons have coaches who help them make sure their foots in the perfect position.

It takes more than a couple  waves to get 100% comfortable on your board. However, check out the Rookie Video of the Day, and you can get an edge ahead of the other kooks in the water. In this special update, we take you through a detailed analysis of how to properly stand on your board your form.

Whether you have absolutely no experience or you’re looking to learn how to ride out some floaters, join us down in the Rincon Surf School in warm Puerto Rico to start paddling out today!

INQUIRE TODAY!

Like this article? Check out our article on how to properly pack a surfboard.

The Dominican Surfing Federation (FEDOSURF) will assist the group the Waves of Health, a nonprofit organization founded by surfing physicians dedicated to supporting community health in underserved regions around the world, in providing free medical care to the communities of Dajabón and Cabarete, Dominican Republic October 29 – November 4, 2011.

The Waves of Health was founded in 2007 by American physicians and began providing modern medical services to underprivileged communities in the Dominican Republic by bringing full medical, surgical, and pharmaceutical services to the Country. The group completes bi-yearly missions, and on average treats approximately twelve hundred patients per trip, with the goal of treating 2,000 patients on this mission. This is the first mission for the town of Cabarete on the North Coast and plans are in development for future missions on the South coast of the Island.

Waves of Health has a focus on surfers’ health and sports medicine, and shares goals with the Surfers’ Medical Association (SMA) and other surf related nonprofit organizations. The group contributes medical support to athletes and spectators during professional surfing events, such as the recent Quiksilver Pro in New York and Volcom Pipeline Pro in Hawaii. FEDOSURF is grateful for the tremendous contribution that Waves of Health has provided to the Dominican Republic, and is committed to working together with them in solidarity for ongoing and future missions.

FEDOSURF athletes will attend both missions in Dajabon and Cabarete as volunteers, assisting as needed. Jesmarín Puente, National Director of Fedosurf worked closely with members of Waves of Health in the coordination and planning of this first medical mission in the village of Islabon in Cabarete. Councilor Claritza Ruiz and the neighborhood union were instrumental in facilitating the logistics of the mission, with approval of the Mayor Mr. Gabriel Canoa Mora. Waves of Health will provide free medical service to an estimated 100 hundred patients in Islabon, with plans to return for a larger-scale mission within a year.

In Dajabon, The Waves of Health will continue a regional study of diabetes, and with the help of local Peace Corp volunteers, discuss cholera prevention, recognition and treatment. The Waves of Health will continue to deliver outstanding medical care with team members specializing in cardiology, infectious and tropical diseases, pulmonology, rheumatology, emergency and general medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, oncology, and radiology. They will continue to offer free medications for every patient seen and will continue their support for regional nursing homes.

The LIG Global Foundation is the new surgical arm of Waves of Health, delivering humanitarian relief to people in great need around the world by bringing together dedicated medical and non-medical volunteers, supplies and technology. LIG Global will base operations out of the Hospital Principal in Dajabon, with 200 planned surgeries in 4 days. LIG will be performing a wide range of surgical interventions with capabilities for both local and general anesthesia, assisted by local staff and physicians. They will serve the local population by offering procedures in plastic and reconstructive surgeries, obstetrics and gynecology surgeries, and general and abdominal surgeries. Pre-operative evaluations for potential patients will begin on Sunday morning, October 30th, at the Hospital Principal in Dajabon. They will also be identifying potential candidates for operations when the group returns to the DR in the Spring of 2012.

For more information regarding the Waves of Health or LIG Global, please visit their website at http://www.thewavesofhealth.org or http://www.ligglobal.org. If you or someone you know may benefit from the wide range of services offered by the Waves of Health or LIG Global, please contact Dr. Jeremy Pinyard, drjpinyardwoh@gmail.com.

ABOUT FEDOSURF
The Dominican Surfing Federation (FEDOSURF) is the National Governing Body of surfing in the Dominican Republic, and is recognized by the Dominican Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation, The International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Pan American Surfing Association (PASA). It is a non-profit entity, whose main goal is to support and advance the sport of surfing and high-performance athletes in the Dominican Republic.

http://www.fedosurf.org

http://www.facebook.com/fedosurf

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Most of North America is slogging through some brutal heat right now, and all I can say is thank god we got our AC working again here in the SGT headquarters.  If you’re on the East Coast, you’re also suffering through the traditional suffering of an East Coast surfer, summer flat spells!  Well luckily Matt Kleiner, an Aussie filmer/photographer with a keen eye for light and scenery, has dropped a pretty flashy 2011 showreel that will get you mind off your armpit stains and into some cool, steep, glassy barrells…