“Bruce Irons - It’s hard to say what’s going on with Bruce. The bottom line is he is way too talented of a surfer to consistently be going out in the early rounds. He seemed particularly disinterested in his third round loss to Adrian Buchan at Snapper. How sick would it be to see him go the path of Jamie O’brien and just completely dedicate himself to the freestyle thing? Those two alone are surfing as progressively as any, and would serve as worthy pioneers for a new freestyle movement for surfing.” - March 24, 2008

It has been pretty clear watching Bruce Irons on the ‘CT this year that his heart wasn’t 100% into competitive surfing. When I wrote the paragraph above during this years Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach it was from my perspective as a huge fan of Bruce and his style of surfing. His body language in the majority of his heats this year has screamed that something just wasn’t clicking for him as a competitive surfer. He had the appearance of a caged-animal, someone who was ready and wanting to unleash but was trapped by everything that comes along with being on the ASP Tour. Apparently Bruce has had his fill of the ‘Dream Tour’ and has now made it official - 2008 will be his last full-time year on the WCT. “I’m going back to being a freesurfer,” Bruce says, “It’s what I was meant to do.”

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1. Kelly Slater (USA) 2810 points
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 2340 points
3. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 2318 points
4. Andy Irons (HAW) 2196 points
5. Mick Fanning (AUS) 1989 points
6. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 1932 points
7. Taj Burrow (AUS) 1886 points
8. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 1874 points
9. Kai Otton (AUS) 1800 points
10. Dane Reynolds (USA) 1742 points

While the lack of swell in the opening days of the Billabong Pro Tahiti provided an opportunity for a lot of the guys on tour to enjoy all that Tahiti has to offer and then some, it also made it a bit more challenging to be ready for action once the waves arrived. With the Globe Pro Fiji getting set to kick-off its holding period this Sunday, it’s looks looking very likely the ‘CT surfers won’t have to worry about any rust setting in from multiple waiting days.

According to the official Globe Pro Fiji forecasters at WaveWatch, conditions are expected to be in the double overhead and higher range through the weekend. “I spoke to the Globe crew who are preparing everything for a likely Day 1 start in Fiji,” Contest Director Steve Roberts said.

For the second straight event Damien Hobgood will be the defending champion. He won here in 2006 (the Globe Pro Fiji wasn’t held in 2007) and feels healed enough from his pounding at Teahupoo to defend his crown. “It was really hard not surfing Tahiti but I know it was the right decision if I wanted to be able to surf Fiji and the rest of the year,” Hobgood said.

With the top 5 surfers all bowing out very early at ‘Chopes you can be sure to look for all of them to come out firing in the open rounds. Andy Irons has quietly crept up to 4th in the standings and has yet to be in top form. Top rookie, Dane Reynolds is has moved into the top 10 and will have a real opportunity at Restaurants and Cloudbreak to climb the standings even more. All in all, it’s looking like the Globe Pro Fiji is setting up to be one hell of an event.

Remember, the action is most likely going to begin Sunday so be ready to check out the webcast.

When the highly anticipated documentary Bra Boys was set to be released this past spring, I had a lot of questions swirling in my mind about how a film that seeks to tell a very controversial and very real story would be received. As with most films, especially those dealing with as sensitive and highly charged story-lines as those throughout Bra Boys, the weeks leading up to and then following the film’s release invoked a wide variety of thoughts and points of view. Now here we are a little over two months following the opening premier in Sydney and it appears Bra Boys has successfully grabbed the attention of those not just within the surfing community, but all over the world.

After a successful launch in Southern California, New York and Hawaii, Bra Boys is now trying to fulfill the unexpected demand to markets outside of those that you would typically expect to see a surf-film be received. Berkela Films has announced more showings of the film in states such as Texas, Oregon, South Carolina, and many other areas that weren’t originally anticipated. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the film’s momentum since its premiere in LA last month,” said Berkela Films co-founder Jason Bergh. “Many weren’t sure how the film would be received in the U.S., and their queries are easily answered with the amount of new theaters we are opening and the myriad of requests we are doing our best to honor.”

I came away from Bra Boys very impressed and I’m looking forward to seeing it again. Clearly there are going to be some very different views from others who’ve seen it, but to me it was a very rewarding dive into a story that has been surrounded with so much controversy. Many within the surf community are familiar with the Abberton family and the issues they have faced in recent years but Bra Boys opened the door and helped to show the dynamics of a community that embraces surfing and brotherhood as much as any I’ve ever known.

And for those who have yet to see it but are putting it on their “to-do” list, remember the name “Cyclops.” Bra Boys contains surf footage that went beyond anything I have ever even dreamed of surfing and that in itself made this a movie that I will not soon forget.

In what is becoming all to common of an occurrence, the bodies of 4 Americans were found shot to death near their car in Rosarito Beach, Baja California last night. The bodies of three men and a woman were discovered at about 6 p.m Mexican police said, all shot execution-style. Officials have yet to identify the victims or the cause of the crime.

Obviously violent crime exists everywhere, not just in Tijuana and it’s surrounding areas. However, the continued rise in both the number and the level of violence used in crimes on U.S. citizens in the area is something that needs to be alarming to all of us. The Baja trip is one that many of us have made or still make with regularity. It holds unbelievable surf and scarce crowds for those who know where to look. For those who make the trek south their has always been the risk of needing to pay off the over ambitious local authorities and this was known to simply be part of the experience. Those days appear to be long gone and these days visitors are risking much more than a few bucks when deciding to venture on down there.

You would think the obvious dent in the economies of Tijuana and such would be enough for the Mexican authorities to want to take more action in curbing this type of violent crime. Then again, it’s hard to really know who is running things down there. This much is for sure - until things change significantly, anyone thinking about heading down needs to take a real hard look at what you are risking. The second you cross that border you become a target for those seeking out easy prey. Is a wave really worth that much?

Update: As a couple of our readers pointed out in the comments below, only one of the four people found dead was an American. The others were Mexican citizens.

Last night, Fuel TV aired the opening episode of the immensely popular “Drive Thru” surf adventure series, “Drive Thru: New Zealand”. The debut episode kicked off the sixth installment of the series that is based around a two-week trip to a specific surf region with a small group of pro surfers. With the combination of characters and personalities as well as the likelihood of world-class surf at one of the truly beautiful countries in the world, the heads at Fuel have very high hopes for Drive Thru: New Zealand and think this one will top the previous five. If last nights opener was any indication of things to come, they may be right.

To be honest, the actual surf footage in the opening episode was less than spectacular. The weather and swell simply weren’t cooperating at Raglan and the boys were stuck with surfing cold, two-foot mush. But what makes this show fun to watch and my personal favorite on Fuel is the cast of characters they put together and the fact that they spend a lot of time crammed together in accommodations that in no way can be considered “rock-star”.

Continuity is kept from the previous shows with the return of Pat O’Connell, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Benji Weatherly. The chemistry that these three have is very evident and will make it fun to watch the integration of Alex Gray, Mark Occhilupo and Oscar “Ozzie” Wright as they search for perfect waves across the pristine coastline of New Zealand.

Watching Benji and Donavon be rolled down a hill in a Zorb(giant bubble) was one of the highlights of last nights show and almost had me in tears. These two feed off of each other and keep things fresh throughout. Adding Occy into the mix is only going to be a recipe for more pure comedy.

For Fuel’s and the rest of the 14 Day Productions crew, thank god you have Pat O’ there to keep things in line. Drive Thru: New Zealand looks like it’s going to be one helluva ride.

When the legendary career of Australia’s surf legend Mark Occhilupo came to a close following last years Pipeline Masters, it felt like a void would be left on the ASP Tour that would be impossible to fill. Occy’s meteoric rise at such a young age, his cameo as himself in the 1987 surf-classic North Shore, his well documented life-struggles, and his perseverance that led to his eventual world championship in 1999 made him a figure that many of us could relate to. There was no doubt about it when Occy retired, the ASP was losing a surfer and a personality that is simply one of the all-time classics.

I was curious to see how Occhilupo would handle his retirement from a tour he has been a part of for over two decades. True to Occy-style, it appears he has settled in quite nicely and is giving back to a sport and an organization that he as well as many of us are extremely passionate about.

He has been at each of the three 2008 WCT events held to this point and is becoming a big brother and voice of reason for many of the worlds best surfers. He spent the Billabong Pro Tahiti staying in a house with Joel Parkinson and the Irons brothers, as well as floating in the Teahupoo channel during their heats to handle their caddy duties. Andy Irons was quick to mention Occy’s calming advice when A.I. was struggling to get things going in the early going, even offering up his own board to Andy in a later heat when the swell was on the downswing. Considering the T-3, T-5, and T-5 results put up by Parko, Bruce, and Andy respectively, Occy is clearly handling this role quite nicely and the boys couldn’t appear to be more stoked to have the super-caddy by their side.

Although Mark Occhilupo’s days as a surfer on the WCT are officially behind him, I have a feeling his presence will continue being felt throughout the surfing world for decades to come. He is relishing this opportunity to give back to the next generation of surfers and has a passion for this sport that is unmatched and immeasurable. Cheers Occy! We’re glad you haven’t gone far.

Mark Occhilupo

It was the wildcards, Manoa Drollet and Bruno Santos, that stole the show today at the Billabong Pro Tahiti. Ultimately it was Bruno Santos who won the event after defeating Teahupoo local Monoa Drollet in a very undramatic final. Big congratulations goes out to the Brazilian, Bruno Santos, as he was an absolute giant slayer defeating Mick Fanning, Taj Burrow, CJ Hobgood, and others on his way to winning one of the biggest events on the ASP World Tour.

It was a long-slow day at Teahupoo as one of the most notorious waves in the world failed to deliver any kind of a consistent swell. The heats throughout the day were very slow as the 2-3 ft swell was on the decrease which made for long waits between sets. Unfortunately, that left many of the surfers unable to find any kind of decent waves in their heats, often times seeing competitors catch one or less decent wave in a 30 minute period.

It’s unfortunate that a contest of this caliber at a break this heavy has to be decided in small waves like this. It would’ve been interesting to see what would have happened had mother nature cooperated. We can’t take anything away from Bruno Santos though as he rightfully deserves the victory he earned today. Here’s to hoping Fiji’s pumping!

teahupoowctasp world tourbillabong

A lot of big names bowed out early at the Billabong Pro Tahiti today as Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, Bede Durbidge, and Jordy Smith were all defeated in round 3 action at 4-6 foot Teahupoo.

Kelly Slater wasn’t looking too sharp again and was caught a couple times dropping in too deep, getting drilled in the head by one of the heaviest waves in the world. It didn’t matter though, as he suffered an early interference penalty and was literally surfing a heat he couldn’t possibly win. It seems there’s something about going up against local favorite Manoa Drollet that gets in Slater’s head, as he performed similarly when then two competed against each other in rd. 1 action. “This is just one of many events, you’re going to have throw-aways,” said Slater.

The highly anticipated matchup between Jordy Smith and Dane Reynolds saw Smith go down as Dane was on absolute fire. If he continues to surf like he did in round three, Dane could possibly in serious contention for his first ever ‘CT victory, only three events into his rookie season. He was looking good. CJ Hobgood is another surfer to watch this event. He posted an amazing 19.64 in round three and has been looking awfully good here at ‘Chopes. Seems super-confident as well when you listen to his interviews and he no doubt wants to keep the Billabong Pro Tahiti title in the Hobgood family.

Andy Irons and Joel Parkinson - who are both tied for current world #6 - can definitely smell blood. All five surfers ahead of them exited early from this event and now they’ll definitely be taking advantage and looking to gain as many points as possible. Look to both of these guys to make a run at winning this event.

kelly slatertaj burrowteahupoojordy smithbede durbidgewct

For the first time in 2 years, reigning world champion and current world no.3 Mick Fanning will finish a WCT event with the dreaded T-33 next to his name. Fanning was upset by Brazilian wildcard surfer Bruno Santos 10.00 to 9.17 in round 2 of a Billabong Pro that is really starting to liven up. “Things could be better,” Fanning said. “Every wave was a battle for fours and fives out there. They weren’t opening up and then I was either too wide or too deep – I couldn’t find the happy medium, but it happens. The waves were good, I wasn’t good.”

Fanning won’t be the only big name making a sooner than expected exit from Teahupoo. Jamie O’Brien had the unexpected misfortune of meeting Kelly Slater in rd. 2 following Slater’s round 1 loss to ‘Chopes-specialist Manoa Drollet. Kelly came out firing in their heat and O’Brien quickly found himself in an a combination hole that would lead him to sharing the same fate as Fanning following an 18.70 to 13.90 loss.

Kelly has now moved into rd. 3 where he will face the man responsible for putting him up against O’Brien in the first place, Manoa Drollet. “It’s excellent to beat Kelly,” Drollet said. “I feel bad, he was a bit pissed, but it’s a contest. I was lucky to get the best two waves of the heat, Kelly got one in the end and he almost came back. In this competition, the guy who gets the good waves is going to win the heat, and that was me today.” Drollet kept Slater out of position for most of their rd. 1 heat, forcing Kelly to take off deeper than he wanted do which resulted in the 8x world-champ getting pitched a time or two. Their rd. 3 match-up will surely see both surfers coming out ready for battle.

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