After more than three months of waiting, contestants and fans alike were rewarded for their patience with an historic day for big-wave surfing, as Chris Bertish etched his name in Mavericks lore and was crowned champion of the
2009/2010 Mavericks Surf Contest® Presented by Sony Ericsson and Barracuda Networks.

With waves described by the competitors as some of the biggest they have ever paddled into, and in front of a crowd of approximately 50,000 fans, Bertish outlasted Shane Desmond, Anthony Tashnick, Dave Wassel, Carlos Burle, and Kenny “Skindog” Collins to claim the Jim Beam Jersey and a $50,000 check from prize purse sponsors Moose Guen and Jane Sutherland of MVision and Barracuda Networks.

The total prize purse of $150,000 was the largest in big-wave surfing history, with $50,000 going to Bertish, $25,000 to Desmond in second, $15,000 to Tashnick in third, $10,000 to Wassel in fourth, $8,000 to Burle in fifth, and $6,000 to Collins in sixth.

2008 Champion Greg Long summed up the day perfectly while passing along the Jim Beam Champion’s jersey to Bertish.  “The entire book of big wave surfing was rewritten today.”  Bertish, a native of Cape Town, South Africa was overcome with emotion, adding, “It was an honor just to be here today and paddle out with these other guys.  I flew 36 hours to be here, and this has been a dream come true.”

The competitors were greeted by huge waves as soon as the Contest began, with heats one through four being won by Dave Wassel, Peter Mel, Alex Martins, and Ryan Seelbach respectively.  “These were  definitely the biggest waves I have ever paddled into,” said second-place winner, Shane Desmond.    After two memorable semi-f-inals which were won by Anthony Tashnick and Carlos Burle, the hard-charging Bertish pulled through in the final round.

read more at surfertoday

Mitch Crews (Currumbin, Qld) today claimed the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Grade–5 Oakley Pro Junior in a dominating fashion ahead of Narrabeen’s (NSW) Davey Cathels.

Held in clean three foot (1 metre) waves at Main Beach on Queensland’s (Australia) North Stradbroke Island, Crews defeated Cathels in the Final of the prestigious professional junior event, registering a combined two-wave total of 16.30 points (out of a possible 20) to Cathels’ 13.00.

“The monkey is finally off my back,” Crews said. “I won a Pro Junior about three years ago as a grommet and have been struggling to get over that final hurdle again for ages, so I’m just super stoked. This year had been so frustrating, because in the first three events of the series I’ve finished Runner-Up twice and made a Semifinal, so to finally win one…I’m just over the moon.”

After disposing of 140 of the world’s best international surfers this week, today’s result levels the score between Crews and Cathels at one win a piece in finals this year, after Cathels toppled Crews in the Final of last month’s opening event of 2010 ASP Australasian Pro Junior Men’s series.

read full story at asp

2010 ASP Australasian Junior Men’s Series Ratings
* After The Oakley Pro Junior:

1. Mitch Crews (Currumbin, QLD) 9490 points
2. Davey Cathels (Narrabeen, NSW) 8000 points
3. Chris Friend (Alexandra Headland, QLD) 7130 points
4. Dean Bowen (Gerroa, NSW) 6830 points
5. Chris Salisbury (Newport, NSW) 6230 points

Visit www.oakleyprojunior.com for news, photos and updates relating to the 2010 Oakley Pro Junior.

The Oakley Pro Junior will commence February 9 and conclude on February 13, 2010.

Billabong today announced the launch of its next generation of wetsuit technology – a super-lightweight steamer that has the fit of a second skin. The new SGX, available for  delivery into Australian retail stores on March 18 is significantly lighter when wet than traditional wetsuits.

It is made of durable lightweight material that soaks dramatically less water than conventional wetsuits and its water repellent characteristics minimise resistance when paddling. “The new SGX has all of the qualities a surfer expects in a high performance wetsuit – warmth, comfort and flexibility – but it’s so much lighter and has less resistance,” said Billabong wetsuit designer Scott Boot.

The wetsuit, the only one of its kind on the market, utilises advanced Japanese technology that includes a high-grade, yarn-coated exterior, a specially-knitted carbon-infused jersey and a high-grade foam core to maximise its thermal properties. The lightweight SGX weighs just over 900 grams when dry and only absorbs 268 grams when wet, tipping the scales at a meagre 1.196kg.

It also uses optimum seam positioning to ensure greater flexibility without compromising fit. The new SGX is the next generation of Billabong’s technology-focused wetsuit program and follows last winter’s introduction of the B9 environment-conscious wetsuit made largely from recycled materials.

It will be available in all good Australian surf retail stores on March 18, 2010.

www.billabong.com.sgx

original story via surfersvillage