Beachgoers might not be surprised to see a shark in the surf, but a different pair of predators has appeared on the Brevard County coast.

A rare American crocodile was captured at the Cocoa Beach Pier last Friday and there have been at least two separate alligator sightings in the ocean this week. One of the reptiles left its tracks in the sands of Satellite Beach.

Steven Harp, a professional photographer, followed the Satellite Beach gator, as it swam in the surf. It was the first time he ever saw one in salt water.

“You could tell the salt water was bothering his eyes. He was holding his head pretty high out of the water, not swimming like they normally do,” Harp said.

read the full story at orlandosentinel.com

Waiting Game: Conditions degrade at the 2009 NSSA Nationals as things start to get serious

Conner Coffin didn’t surf before his heat. Didn’t engage in a superstitious pre-heat ritual. Didn’t even employ an elaborate competitive strategy. He just figured, “I’ll try to catch a set wave.” But why bother with that if you surf as good as he does? In his last Open Men’s Round 1 heat of the day, he simply paddled out and reengaged the crowd’s waning attention. A gargantuan snap and a water displacing tail-slide got the blood flowing again. But his dominance shown through more than anything. And some strategy. A set came in, after all, and he caught it. He bruised the wave with every inch of his rail, and was awarded a nine. Clearly, if he maintains such form, expect him to be clawing at the 2009 Open Men’s crown.

This wasn’t ideal Lowers. It wasn’t the Lowers people mind-surf in traffic jams or ditch work to paddle out in. It was onshore, small and plagued by numbing lulls. But it was Lowers with four guys out and these young surfers took full advantage. Before the wind got too bad earlier in the morning, San Clemente local Ian Crane set the day’s pace in his Open Juniors Round 2 heat. Tail blows. Off-the-lips. Critical reverses on end sections. He blazed on with two sevens.

read more at surfing mag

Germany has coastline along both the North and Baltic Seas, and yet its best surfing is found in southern, landlocked Munich. The Eisbach, a small canal, flows through the city’s famous English Garden (Englischen Garten), directly behind the Haus der Kunst art museum. Just beyond the Himmelreich Bridge, the canal surges over a bulge in the streambed, creating a standing wave a good meter (three feet) high.

On warm days, surfers from all over the city make their way to the Eisbach. They jump onto their boards from the concrete bank of the canal and the Eisbach’s flow rate — about one meter per second — provides enough boost to let the surfboards glide on the surface.

Thanks to the Eisbach, surfing is a booming sport in the Bavarian capital. The city boasts surf shops, and local clubs host surfer parties. Weekends see up to 50 surfers waiting in line for their next turn along the banks of the Eisbach. Professional surfers from Hawaii and California have had a go on Munich’s wave — and most have failed to ride it particularly well. Those adept at the sport can keep their boards on the narrow chute of water for several minutes, flitting back and forth as they show off their tricks. A surfer who loses his or her balance is immediately swept away by the current, and has to get back in line again.

read full story at abc.com