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!

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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.

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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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Having been raised in a single parent household by his mother, living-legend Laird Hamilton sought to be part of a clothing line that embodies what he and his lifestyle all about while remaining affordable for all. He has done that with his soon to be launched ‘Wonderwall,’ a surf and skate collection for men that will debut in Spring/Summer 2008.

Hamilton has partnered with a team of designers from Steve & Barry’s, a casual apparel retailer that offers high-quality merchandise at low prices, to put together a line that is representative of the places he spends his time as well as his personal motto - “Every man is equal before the wave.” Every item from the line is set to be priced at $14.98 or less.

“Wonderwall represents everything I’m about - not only what I wear in and out of the water every day, but also those aspects of life that I’m most passionate about. I’m excited to work with Steve & Barry’s to create clothes that look great and are comfortable, but also affordable,” said Hamilton.

As the prices of the majority of surf-clothing continue to skyrocket to levels I never imagined possible, it’s somewhat refreshing to see a line come out that puts an emphasis on being affordable. While Laird is more than likely not setting out to compete with the likes of Quiksilver, Volcom, Billabong, or any of the other big boys in the action sports industry, maybe they can take note of this and work to keep the costs of our favorite brands at reasonable levels.

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After 5 days of waiting and watching, the 2008 Billabong Pro Tahiti is officially getting underway. The waves are in the 3 foot range and although it’s not the Teahupoo we’ve all come to love seeing, 3 foot swell here is still able to lay down a dirty-licking from time to time.

As the first heats are getting going there is still no sign of Kelly Slater anywhere in Tahiti. It has been assumed that Kelly will show up, but maybe the lack of swell has sent the WCT point leader chasing waves in some other part of the world. He’s scheduled to surf in heat 8 today against C.J. Hobgood and Manoa Drollett so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Looks like just another case of Kelly being Kelly.

Contest Director Luke Egan has been on pins and needles with each passing day of the holding period. The new swell is expected to continue building and has him as well as all of the competitors optimistic. The plan today is to cram in as much surfing as possible and hopefully begin moving into the 2nd round. That should make for one hell of a day and anyone interested in catching the action live can check it out here.

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Vestal Watch just added 15 year-old North Shore surfing-phenom John John Florence as the newest member to their team. They didn’t stop with just John John either, they have also signed John John’s brothers Nathan and Ivan to be a part of their team as well - ‘Signing John John, Nathan and Ivan will help Vestal further their already strong presence within the surfing community.’ says Vestal Surf Team Manager John Oda. ‘John John has already won three National titles in the NSSA and is the youngest surfer to ever compete in the Triple Crown of Surfing on the North Shore.’

Having had the chance to watch John John surf live and in living color, it’s pretty easy to see what all the hype surrounding this kid is about. He’s electric, explosive, and is constantly pushing to surf progressively. Again, this kid is only 15 years-old and already has many of the top surfers in the world paying attention to what he’s doing in the water. He’ll still have to face the challenges of physical growth and needing to get stronger over the next few years though; just like it did for Julian Wilson, I’m sure the added strength from his natural growth will only do wonders for John John’s surfing. Seeing what he has accomplished already in such a short period of time….that’s a pretty scary thought.

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In May of 1908, Alexander Hume Ford started the Outrigger Canoe Club next to the newly opened Moana Hotel on Waikiki Beach. Ford did so with the vision of a club where “men and boys might ride upright on the crest of waves.” Little did he know that throughout the next century it would grow to become one the respected and well-recognized waterman clubs in the world.

Ford’s hope in founding the club was that surfers, swimmers, and canoe paddlers alike would always have access to the ocean. As he stayed true to this desire, his club grew to see the memberships of some of Hawaii’s most elite watermen. Duke Kahanamoku, one of surfings founding fathers, joined the club in 1917 and was from that point, a lifelong member. Surfing world-champion Sen. Fred Hemmings and big-wave pioneer Rick Grigg are also among those who call themselves members of the club. “The Outrigger Canoe Club contributed significantly to me personally, sponsoring me at surf meets as an amateur surfer,” Hemmings said. “It’s where I learned to surf and it’s been home to many great Hawaiian watermen.”

With chapters now all over the world, The Outrigger Canoe Club embraces and promotes ocean sports in every sense of the word. That was the intended purpose of Alex Ford 100 years ago, and that is still their purpose today. It is for this reason that Sen. Hemmings went on to call the Outrigger one of the “greatest clubs in the world.”

Happy 100th Outrigger Canoe Club!