You may or may not have already noticed from your latest surf-shop excursions, but it’s looking more and more like bright is back. The fluorescents that lit up the ’80s are once again popping up in line-ups everywhere and apparently making a loud comeback from their nearly 20 year stay in the penalty box of style.

Before I go any further I have to throw out a disclaimer - Fashion trends and styles aren’t exactly my cup of tea. 90% of my entire wardrobe has more than likely come from surf shop outlet stores. T-shirts and boardies are my version of the suit and tie, so an expert on fashion sense I am not. With that being said, I am all in for this return of brightness onto the boards, shorts, pictures, and videos of surfers all over the world.

I’m sure much of this excitement for me as well as many others comes from the nostalgia brought by the return of colors from the days when Potter was king and Kelly was cutting his teeth. If you’ve ever strapped on a pair of A.P.E. gloves or applied un-godly amounts of purple sunscreen to your nose then you know where I’m coming from.

The infusion of brightness back into surfing is going to be entertaining to watch no matter how you feel about its return. At the very least, even if bright colors just aren’t your thing, when this go-round of the fluorescent phase is over we’ll be reloaded with fresh images and videos to look back on when we want a reminder of the days when bright came back.

Less than a month after 24-year-old Adrian Ruiz of San Francisco died after being bitten by a shark while surfing off Troncones beach in Acapulco, another surfer has been attacked and killed by a shark just 6 miles away. Osvaldo Mata Valdovinos, 21, was attacked Friday while surfing off Pantla beach, which is located west of Acapulco. The species of shark involved is not yet known.

This continues a string of attacks at beaches not typically known for these types of encounters with sharks. Exactly four weeks ago, Dr. David Martin was taken by what is said to be a 17 ft. Great White while swimming off of Solana Beach in San Diego. The following week saw the death of Ruiz by a shark whose identity is still being debated, many suspect it was a tiger while Mexican authorities claim it was a reef shark.

Aside from the tragic and unexpected life of another fellow surfer, this second attack near Acapulco is sure to escalate the tensions between those with two very different views on how to react. The response following the Ruiz attack by the Mexican authorities raised an incredible firestorm of opposition. The day after the attack, baited hooks were set to catch any sharks in the area without discretion. Environmentalists vehemently opposed the hunt and demanded that authorities post signs in the area’s beaches warning about sharks as an alternative to shark-slaughtering.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones of Osvaldo Mata Valdovinos. We will keep you posted as more information is obtained

“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.

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!