Ever launched a huge punt off a perfectly formed potato chip or been mindlessly shacked in a leafy cave? Waves are all around us, you just need to use your imagination to find them.

The FCS MINDSURF Photo challenge is about using your imagination to find waves in random places. To enter simply find and shoot an imaginary wave then submit your photo.

It’s simple… SEE it, SHOOT it, and WIN a stack of mindblowing prizes.

The FCS MINDSURF Photo Challenge runs from 24th June 2009 until the 1st September 2009. Check out www.surffcs.com/mindsurf for full details on how to enter.

PRIZE PACKAGE:
•    6’1 Julian Wilson model LSD surfboard
•    Lomo fisheye underwater camera
•    6’3 FCS Dayrunner
•    6ft FCS Comp leash
•    Set of FCS fins of your choice

original story via surfinglife.com

Never let first impressions fool you, especially at a contest that involves hordes of hormonal teenagers, demanding parents, and National titles. Day 2 of competition marked just that — revealing thick tension infecting the event’s fun-loving façade. Trestles began to morph from playground to Coliseum — the frontlines of the battle of America’s brightest young shredders.

Although Round 1 of the Open Juniors saw mediocre Lowers lefts and rights, there was no less heart in every kid in a singlet. The usually peaceful cobblestone Trestles shoreline had become a war zone: Family base camps stretched farther north and south and on-deck contestants gazed seaward, ready for the race of paddle-battles and position. They were suited in the latest aquatic armor and equipped with fiberglass blades tucked tightly under their arms, thrust forward, ready to charge. Some were already bruised and broken, like New York wave guerilla Balaram Stack, who had a waterproof cast wound around his wrist — plaster proof of an unwavering commitment to his sport.

Though the Volcom brigade onshore fought to keep the amusement levels high with a sizeable onslaught of arts and crafts, finger paint wasn’t enough to make every contestant a happy camper. The word around the tents was that there had been a bit of a tussle the day before between two competitors — one, a San Clemente local, the other a Hawaiian. Frustration, a natural side effect of tense rivalry, had infected the two groms who were both in hot pursuit of eternal NSSA glory.

read more at surfingmag

Aussie takes down local favorite Royden Bryson in freezing Cape Town barrels

Final

1. Blake Thornton (AUS) 1 500 points $12,000
2. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 1 313 Points $6,000

Semifinals (Winner to final, 2nd = 3rd place, 1 125 pts + $3 500)
SF1: Royden Bryson (ZAF) def. Glenn Hall (AUS)
SF2: Blake Thornton (AUS) def. Jarrad Howse (AUS)

Quarterfinals (Winner to semis, 2nd = 5th place, 975 pts, $2 000)
QF1: Royden Bryson (ZAF) def. Kyle Lane (ZAF)
QF2: Glen Hall (AUS) def. Damien Fahrenfort (ZAF)
QF3: Jarrad Howse def. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
QF4: Blake Thornton (AUS) def. Jean de Silva (BRA)

CONDITIONS: Frigid but pumping offshore conditions came together on the final day with a solid six-foot swell on tap, while just the day prior, nasty storm conditions had forced a lay day. Luckily, the groomed conditions for the finals allowed the venue, Kalk Bay, to pass out some reeling lefthand barrels.

HIGHLIGHTS: Kalk Bay provided Cape Town with its first professional surf competition in 21 years and had hometown hero Royden Bryson taken the win, the local crew surely would’ve thrown a rowdy bash for the boy.
Blake Thorton, who ended up ousting Royden in the final, mentioned that the cold was affecting their surfing. Big, heaving surf at Cape Town in the middle of winter = gnarly. Or just way too much neoprene.

Perhaps more of a lowlight than a highlight, but it’s worth noting that World Tour surfer Jordy Smith went down to Glenn Hall in the Round of 16.

see more at http://www.oneill.com/cwc/southafrica

read  the full story and see more pics at surfline