News Update from Transworld Surf:

A snowboard manufacturing company out of Huntington Beach, Signal Snowboards, has a cool little show they produce called, Every Third Thursday where they get weird and have fun (which is right up our alley). For this particular episode, they chose to make a surfboard/snowboard hybrid—something that could be ridden on both mountain and in the ocean. With Rob Machado as their test pilot in the surf and Baldface Lodge in Canada acting as their canvas, we think the bros at Signal Snowboards may be on to—or just on—something…

Watch the video of the boys surfing and snowboarding this bad boy:

Tipping Barrels – Journey Into The Great Bear

Nestled between between Vancouver Island and Southeast Alaska, there is a region rich in life and beauty called the Great Bear Rainforest. Tipping Barrels a unique short documentary that combines surfing and environmental journalism to explore serious environmental issues.

The movie follows Arran and Reid Jackson on a trip into the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest, where they learn more about the region and the issues confronting it.

Directed by Ben Gulliver

Produced by Rene Gauthier and Michael Reid

Filmed by:

Ben Gulliver
Ian McAllister

Cineflex Provided by Sherpas Cinema:

Dave Mossop
Eric Crosland
John Trapman
Malcolm Sangster

Helen Interview by Michael Reid

Underwater by Jason Sturgis

WWW.PACIFICWILD.ORG

WWW.SITKA.CA

The simplest of ideas sometimes prove most difficult, as the Reef team learned firsthand. “Those guys were super lucky to get a few hours at perfect, three-to-four-foot Teahupo’o” says Ben Bourgeois, who thanks to Delta airlines got stuck for 30 hours in the Atlanta airport en route to Tahiti, thus missing the day in which these images took place. “Once I arrived the surf was huge, blown out, and junky the rest of the trip. If it weren’t for that first day, the concept would have been blown and these photos wouldn’t have happened.”

According to Reef photographer Chris Straley, “Our concept isn’t 100 percent original, as underwater photography has been seen before, but we wanted an organic, raw feeling. We didn’t want to do helicopters or any of that shit because it doesn’t fit with our brand direction. We’ve seen so many rad below-the-surface photos that guys like Brian Bielmann have shot, and that gave us the idea for an underlying theme—which is to try and portray what a reef would have seen throughout the years since the creation of surfing.”

Reef
If A Reef Had Eyes

Directed By: Chris Straley
Photographed By: Chris Straley
Surfers: Rob Machado, Jay Thompson, Sean Moody

Seasons Greetings from Tahiti’s warm and sunny lagoons and our Tahitian blogger Vainui! Enjoy some recent photos of Vainui taken by Richard Boudia and try not to be too jealous that we aren’t there with her.

Billabong sent the Spring 2012 Surf Capsule collection and the girls surf team to the Maldives. Here is what they came back with.

Shop Billabong Girls here

I’ve been kiteboarding for 3 years now, and the more I ride, the more I realize what an incredible sport it is. Seriously. You can cruise, you can surf, you can jump higher than you ever thought possible and you can land wake boarding-inspired tricks. You can do pretty much everything you want with a kite and a board.; you can even use props!

Just 2 weeks ago the guys gathered together to organize the very first kicker contest in French Polynesia. The idea is simple: using kickers & sliders to land the most radical tricks you can.
Here are the shots of this fun & sunny day: lots of killer maneuvers, but lots of crashes too =)

-Vainui

O’Neill has a new video chronicling life on the North Shore Hawaii seen through the eyes of O’Neill’s surf team. The video is called 7 Mile and is set to premiere soon, but until then here is a taste of what is to come in a teaser highlighting John John Florence. And did we mention John John is the youngest to ever win the Van’s Triple Crown?! We heart you John John. Enjoy.

Shop New O’Neill Arrivals at KillerDana.com

You know those days when you wake up and you feel like your day is going to be a crappy one? I felt like that just a few weeks ago: I wasn’t feeling that good, it was raining outside and I really didn’t have much to do. But my phone rang and I heard there were some waves somewhere around the Island.

My friend and I immediately packed our stuff (surfboards for him, camera for me since I’m still unable to surf because of my injury) and headed to the dock where we got picked up on a boat, searching for some good surf. And we found what we were  looking for in no time: nice 4 to 6 foot waves, with a few barrels now and then, with just a few guys in the water.

Even if we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving over here in Tahiti, well… we still had lot to be thankful for. Enjoy the video which features more photos from the day:

-Vainui

Take a mental vacay right now and enjoy this video of Parker and Conner Coffin’s Hawaii Vacation… wish you were there? We sure do.

You know what? It feels good to be back in the water after 5 weeks spent on my couch doing nothing. Finally, I can kite again. Of course, no high jumps & no tricks for now, but at least I can cruise on the crystal clear lagoon of my island home of Moorea, go play with the stingrays, chase the little reef sharks (you know the 3-ft black tips), get closer to the dolphins in the pass and even catch a few waves at the reef. Not to mention the fact that I finally get to practice my sport and hang out again on the beach with the coolest people in the world; smiling, easy going, just friendly. To tell you the truth, I feel like I’m finally coming back to life: feeling the wind in my hair, the warmth of the sun on my skin and the water flowing on my body is priceless.

Better yet, it feels good to realize how much better I’m getting every day. Of course, my lower leg is still sore, and I think it’s going to take at least 3 more weeks before everything gets back to normal. But during the last 2 weeks, I’ve undoubtedly made some progress: when I first got back into the water, 6 weeks after my accident, I could barely stand on my board, I couldn’t do a basic turn, and every minute was just uncomfortable and painful. I think it was the first time that I ever hated to be in the water. The only feeling that came out of this first session was one of intense frustration.

But then, session after session, I could definitely see some progress: I started to feel good again with my kite, to turn properly, to ride like I used to, without feeling any discomfort. Every session was getting longer, and every time I would go back in the water, it was all about pushing myself a little bit more, either staying longer or starting to go back in the waves. I thought: I can’t surf for now, I can’t jump with my kite, so I’m going to surf with my kite. I started catching the waves on the shoulder, just to make sure I could ride them with a weaker leg, and slowly made my way to the peak as I was feeling more confident.

So yes, to path to recovery is all about focusing on the progress you make every single day, without forgetting how far you’ve come from: just 8 weeks ago, I was lying on my couch, crying and taking painkillers every few hours. Now, I can’t surf, but at least I can kitesurf., thus combining my 2 passions in just one session. Magic, huh?

Now I’m not going to lie, I’m part of those people who think “If you can’t do something 100%, don’t do it – do or do not, there is no try”, so I still feel kind of frustrated because I can’t do the tricks I love and continue to progress in my sport. And I know it is far from being a healthy state of mind, since you’re always aiming at the top without being able to reach it all the time. However, I’ve learned that paying attention to every single step you’re taking on this path, is the best way to reach your destination.

-Vainui