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High Hero aka Kaohsiung

Posted May 8th, 2008 by Thelo Aiken

Kaohsiung is my favorite city in Taiwan. I lived there for six years, both my sons were born there, and we have many great friends that still live there. It is the second largest city in Taiwan and the fourth largest port in the world. (Read more)

Eisbach
Posted April 10th, 2008 by Thelo Aiken

Found this great clip of the Eisbach on YouSurfTubes.com

I surfed this wave way back when and it was pretty darn tricky…these guys are busting airs, 360’s, alley oops…dang. I was lucky to get one turn off. You can check out my feable attempt here.  I was the guy without a wetsuit in late October…yeah it was cold.

The Road to J-Shui
Posted March 4th, 2008 by Thelo Aiken
Thelo posted some really great photos (with discription) in our blog which give some of us old farts a flashback into the good old day's of surfing Jailoshui, Taiwan.


Swim4Life
Posted January 24th, 2008 by Thelo Aiken

Swim4Life
Here is a really cool event that I want to pass on to get more people involved with. Check it out and tell your friends. Swim 4 Life to benefit SurfAid International is your opportunity to turn a couple hours of effort into life-saving support for isolated regions of the world. Teams and individuals register in advance and in the days and weeks before the event get sponsored by friends and family for a 30 minute swim at one of our four pool venues. Prizes will be awarded to all participants based on their fundraising totals, and the top fundraisers, top fundraising teams, and top swimmers receive premium prizes like new surfboards, surf vacations, and high-end gear. Sign up today for Swim 4 Life!

Locations & Dates
San Diego March 29, 2008 @ 12pm: Coggan Family Aquatic Complex in La Jolla (La Jolla H.S.)
Orange County March 30, 2008 @ 12pm: Los Caballeros in Fountain Valley
Los Angeles April 5, 2008 @ 12pm: Pepperdine University in Malibu
San Francisco April 12, 2008 @ 12pm: Golden Gateway Tennis & Swim Club in San Francisco
 

It’s on at Mavericks!!
Posted January 10th, 2008 by Thelo Aiken

The Maverick’s Surf Contest is on this Saturday January 12th after a much anticipated wait having missed the window last year with no significant storms to speak of. This year has had some really good warm up sessions from Mavericks and Ghost Tree to Cortes Bank and Todos. Great weather is forecasted. It will be broadcast live online as well as at AT&T ball park on the jumbo trons.

Taken from the MavSurfer site:

“We cannot stress it enough, don’t try to come watch the event. You won’t be able to see anything. If you can’t resist the urge to come out and you make it through traffic, respect the coastside residents and the surrounding areas. Maverick’s is located smack dab in the center of a very eco sensitive area. Use common sense, stay on the trails and pack out all your trash and if you see any on the ground pack that out as well. (Read more)

It All Came Together
Posted November 4th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken

It is rare, but when it all comes together it is beautiful. San Francisco is one of the few places where as you get closer to the Ocean the real estate prices drop. It takes a special type of person to weather the thick fog, harsh winds, and damp cold. As a surfer, it is the only place I would want to be. The smell of the ocean and the roar of the waves at night is what makes me feel alive. People often question those who live out here and when you say you live in the Outer Sunset they say, oh you must surf.
(Read more)

Kill the Spill
Posted November 28th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken
I go away for Thanksgiving and look what happens. Beaches open and OB goes off. You guys have to check out Surfline.com if you haven’t already.

The past couple weeks have been a nightmare with the environmental atrocities caused by the oil spill. I haven’t been in the water since the spill and am most impressed and appreciative of all those that came out to help.

The Kill the Spill group has done a tremendous job of bringing people together to assist in the cleanup efforts. Next week there will be an appreciation night at the Potrero Hill Sports Basement here in SF. (Read more)

Silver Dragon
Posted November 9th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken

The stuff of legend. The Silver Dragon as it is called comes careening down the Qiantang River in Mainland China producing a wall of whitewater in most parts, but in shallow areas perfectly peeling waves. It can travel for nearly 75 miles and produce nearly a 6 hour ride for those with thighs of steel.

About a week and a half ago a small team comprised of a stand up paddler, longboarder, and jet skier challenged the Dragon riding it for over an hour and traveling over 10 miles.

Hundreds of people have perished over the years and it is illegal to conduct any water activities during the bore, but after showing the Chinese government the tourist potential that this holds there have been questions as to how this could be used to their advantage…perhaps performing on the bore in coming years. (Read more)

Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!
Posted November 7th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken

Mick Eugene Fanning clinched his maiden World Title at the recent Santa Catarina Pro in Brazil and brings it back home to Australia for the first time in eight years. He dedicated his win to his brother Sean who passed away in a car accident when they were teenagers.

I am stoked that all the hard work and dedication Mick has shown throughout the season has paid off for him. According to Pete Thomas of the LA Times, Fanning described having a dolphin out there just chilling in every heat he was in and said that it made him think that his brother, also an accomplished surfer, was not gone after all. (Read more)

It All Came Together
Posted November 4th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken

It is rare, but when it all comes together it is beautiful. San Francisco is one of the few places where as you get closer to the Ocean the real estate prices drop. It takes a special type of person to weather the thick fog, harsh winds, and damp cold. As a surfer, it is the only place I would want to be. The smell of the ocean and the roar of the waves at night is what makes me feel alive. People often question those who live out here and when you say you live in the Outer Sunset they say, oh you must surf. (Read more)

It’s the Bomb
Posted October 30th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken

My last wetsuit was falling apart…literally. I had a big tear from the neck to the chest that I had repaired haphazardly with some wetsuit repair Goo, and the knee had a hole in it almost as big as my knee cap that would send a chilling rush into my nether regions as I entered the water. It was time for a new suit.
(Read more)

Gar Bage by Andy Hughes …pronounced like you were French only he’s from Cornwall
Posted October 29th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken
Don’t you hate it when you think you have this brilliant idea and then you realize that someone has been doing it for much longer than you had the thought and probably much better than you could have done it. Yeah, me too. It happens alot.

When I was living in Taiwan you would come across these beautiful empty beaches without a soul in sight. They didn’t get your usual beachcombers walking up and down picking up shells and interesting rocks as in some of the more frequented locales.

By the way, Taiwan is the only place I’ve ever been to where they have shops devoted to selling rocks that you would find on the many cobble lined beaches of the East Coast. Yeah, Rock Shops… but thats a whole nother story.

In addition to the beautifully shaped rocks you would also find the most interesting garbage. (Read more)

 

     
The Surfer's PathMonday Morning "Quote"
"Sometimes surfing is like storming a castle: Getting inside is only half the battle; you must get back out."
-- Ryan A. Smith (surfer, writer, director of California Surf Museum)

Justice for Kyle
Posted by Dawn Zielinski

Kyle was killed as most of you know, by a boy who was out with his friends. A lot of information has been out there but not all of the information has been correct. This is what I can tell you I hope it gives some closure to some of the people who knew and loved Kyle.

Mr. Yu is a 20 year old boy who was in college at the time of the accident, after he hit and killed Kyle he fled and then later turned himself into the police. Since that time Mr. Yu has taken full responsibility of his actions and has never denied the fact that he was at fault. (Read More and post a comment)

Taiwan Men's Shortboard 06
theBoardWok.com - Jason Sedor
Click image for video

Click Here for Video

South Taiwan Surf
Tubetime Productions
Click image for Video

Click Here for Video

November Hooky
Young Kyle Z. Dawu, Taiwan
Click image for Video

Click Here for Video

Cold Water Classic
Santa Cruz - 2007
Click image for Photos

Click Here for Photos

Taiwan Men's Longboard 06
theBoardWok.com - Jason Sedor
Click image for video

Click Here for Video

NorCal Lights Up
Posted October 24th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken

NorCal and its lucky waveriders lit it up on the first swell of the season.

It started out on Friday night talking with my family about the plans for the weekend. We decided to take a spur of the moment weekend trip down the coast. Didn’t really have any plans but were excited for the forecasted warm weather and solid swell hitting on Saturday.

Woke up Saturday morning way too early and it was already shaping up to be a beautiful day. My son and I walked out to Ocean Beach to check the waves and it was a pretty good size…no one out and a lot of water moving. Not the best shape, but plenty of good swell. We packed up the car with boards, suits, and other toys and meandered our way south.

The waves at Pacifica weren’t all that encouraging as it looked to be only slightly overhead on the best portions, but you could see on the points and just south of OB that there was some good swell running. A bit windy, but had a lot of potential.

Driving past Montara and all the other nooks and crannies before Half Moon Bay I had to struggle to keep my eyes on the road. Montara was pretty large with no one out... (Read more)

Cold Water Classic 2007
Posted October 11th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken

Well the 4 Star WQS event is back in Santa Cruz this week and continuing through Sunday. I was there watching last year and saw Timmy Reyes ripping it up before his injury and saw all the local boys putting on a good show. This year should be pretty exciting too.

Round one on Tuesday started out small, but yesterday filled in with some solid 4-6ft pulse. The swell is expected to hang around over the next few days which should make for an exciting run on the 75k purse and bonuses on hand…including a new Jeep.

Check out the Live Webcast at the official site or Wavewatch.com.

Here are the official results courtesy of SurfersVillage.com
(Read More & Comment)

The Race is On!!
Posted October 4th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken

It’s a very exciting title race with Mick Fanning still holding the pole position and Slater gunning for a ninth world title. Taj could certainly upset it all and come through for his first world title. It’s going to be very exciting from here on out. The Mundaka pro has been postponed due to lack of surf, but we all know that place can go off.
(Read More & Comment)

Summer is Officially Over
Posted September 23rd, 2007 by Thelo Aiken

The dog days of Summer have come and gone and the good ole’ N.Pacific is slowly starting to wake from its long slumber.

The first day of Fall began with overhead surf that is still hanging around here in Northern California. Lefts and rights on hand with the occasional hollow bowl to be found.

I can only recall two half way decent days this whole summer. One was the 4th of July and the other was a few weeks prior when it was really windy with only two other guys out. There were a few others, but nothing to get too excited about or blog about for that matter.

This is the best time of year as the winds tend to die down and the temperatures rise and we get that Indian Summer action. I have a few decent photos I will be posting in the gallery in the next day or so…a good sequence in particular of one lucky guy that got a nice little cover up to start the day. Until then, here is a little teaser. (Comment on this post)

Hi Shredability
Posted Octoberer 3rd, 2007 by Gazza
Here is what host Tyler Manson has to say regarding a new surf show on VBS:

This is a show that profiles surfers who are actually doing and making stuff. It isn't exactly a day-in-the-life of pro surfers deal, and it isn't a Cribs type of show. I guess we are still figuring out exactly what's going on, but we are trying to be personal with the sufers and maybe even say something about the state of the surf industry today. The first five or so episodes show basic profiles of people we think are doing something rad, and the common thread is that they all like to float around in the ocean and shred.

Alex Knost
Video Part 1

Video Part 2
Video Part 3

Ry Craike
Video Part 1

Dan Malloy
Video Part 1
Video Part 2
Video Part 3

YouSurfTubes
Posted September 26th, 2007 by Thelo Aiken
Part of what I like to do here is share information from my explorations whether they be organic or cyber oriented. My friend Dean runs a site that is a play on YouTube, but for surfers. It is really cool and is gaining some momentum. They have some of the best collections of videos online and because of the viral nature, it is growing pretty quickly. One California Day is a great little trailer I watched the other day, but I really liked the old Surfer Mag episode with Brad Gerlach. Check this one out and support YouSurfTubes.com by posting some of your own vids.

Kaiwan
July 25, 2007
SurfersVillage.com Press Release gives props to Jason Sedor and his vid Kaiwan.  We have always known Jason had skills so its cool to see him get global recognition.  Good on ya!  Check out the video here Kai Otton surfs Taiwan, dubbed ‘Kaiwan’

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 24 July, 2007 : - - Years before his WCT campaign commenced on the ASP tour and the rookie sensation began racking up semifinal finishes at Teahupoo and giving the world’s best a serious run for their money, Insight’s Kai Otton traveled to some random places like Taiwan and ripped the shit out of anything he caught.... (Read More)

Earthquake Island
February 19, 2007
Taiwan surfing. Killer sessions with good friends never forgotten. On tape, a reoccuring dream. Doesn’t take too long on the ROC to feel the earthquake shake either. This island seems to give so much, take its share. Stoked to be able to go back in time to firing AK point with the late Kyle Z and Terry M, aka the Mayor.

Images for this movie pieced together from old footage, as far back as the 9/21 Puli 1999 earthquake, up to last year’s typhoon season. Featured music from Taiwan foreigner bands: The Deadly Vibes, MILK, and garage band jam-out recorded with Studio D.
Check it out!
安東尼
aka redneyrude

Skegs and Channels......A progressive steering device under your board? You decide!
February 16, 2007

Ok...well not sure what to make of this next little innovation. It looks like a science project, but It just might be the next thruster. We are certainly in one of the most unique times of experimentation in regards to board designs, materials, and fin set-ups. Most shapers and designers in the industry would agree that it is one of the most exciting times to do what they do, since everyone is more open minded than ever. Just think, we've got Randy French with SurfTech.com, and hollow Carbon Fiber boards at AvisoSurf.com, and parabolic balsa composite combinations like FirewireSurfboards.com. Pretty exciting stuff. Well enough of the suspense...check this out. (Comment on this Post)

Taiwan's Classic Surf Video's
February 14, 2007

The Board Wok, a surf video website created by Jason Sedor is a must see... Jason, originally from the US and currently living in Taiwan has put together a collection of spectacular high quality Taiwan surf videos.

Courtesy of “The Board Wok”, Bluebird Surf has created a video album in our own video webpage which gives you a description and direct link to Jason’s Board Wok Videos.

Thanks Jason, and keep pumping out those entertaining Taiwan surf videos.

XXL
April 18, 2007
Puerto Escondido delivered for Santa Cruz local legend Ken ‘Skindog’ Collins as he went big this year winning the

XXL
ride of the Year and the Monster Barrel Award at the Billabong XXL Award ceremony this past weekend.  Check out the action here.

While we are talking about gnarly waves like Puerto, have a look at this clip from Down Under.  The Bra Boys show how its done at a place they own called ‘Ours‘.  One of the best clips I’ve seen in recent years. The Bra Boys
These two clips will keep everything in perspective next time you paddle out.  HOOT! (Comment on this post)

     


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