The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau, fueled by Monster Energy, has officially been called “ON” by Contest Director George Downing. The ASP specialty sanctioned event will kick off at 8am. Wave face heights are in the 25-35-foot range.

In Hawaii, the event will be broad live throughout the day on Oceanic channel 250 and HD1250, courtesy of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. News feeds of event highlights will be produced today, along with high-resolution images.

In addition to the major placings, Monster Energy will be presenting the Monster Drop Specialty Award for the surfer who makes the most critical and rides out of it during the event. The judges will determine the winner on the day of the competition and will present the chosen surfer with a unique Monster Drop Specialty Award Trophy.

QUIKSILVER IN MEMORY OF EDDIE AIKAU ROUND 1 HEAT MATCH-UPS
Heat 1: Andy Irons (HAW), Jamie O’Brien (HAW), Michael Ho (HAW), Peter Mel (USA), Kala Alexander (HAW), Grant Baker (ZAF), Carlos Burle (BRA)
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA), Ross Clarke-Jones (AUS), Mark Healey (HAW), Reef MacIntosh (HAW), Darryl Virostko (USA), Clyde Aikau (HAW), Pancho Sullivan
Heat 3: Titus Kinimaka (HAW), Shane Dorian (HAW), Keone Downing (HAW), Ramon Navarro (CHL), Bruce Irons (HAW), Brian Keaulana (HAW), Takayuki Wakita (JPN
Heat 4: Sunny Garcia (HAW), Noah Johnson (HAW), Greg Long (USA), Brock Little (HAW), Rusty Keaulana (HAW), Makuakai Rothman (HAW), Ibon Amatrian (EUK)

read more at asp

The final stop on the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Billabong Pro Maui, is on this morning in pumping eight-foot (2.5 metre) surf at Maui’s famed pointbreak of Honolua Bay.

The Billabong Pro Maui is not only critical to surfers’ campaigns on the bubble for requalification for the 2010 ASP Women’s World Tour, but is also the final stop on the prestigious Vans Triple Crown.

The Billabong Pro Maui Trials will kick off this morning’s action and will see top up-and-comer Carissa Moore (HAW), 17, who claimed the last event on the ASP Women’s World Tour at Sunset Beach, battle for a spot in the main event against fellow trialists Felicity Palmateer, Paige Alms, Monyca Byrne-Wickey, Lani Doherty and Kati Minami. Competition will then launch directly into Round 1 of the main event and will continue through to Round 3 to conclude the day’s proceedings.

“We’ve got great surf this morning and are going to start the event off with the trials before ning Round 1 of competition,” Rodney Kilborn, Billabong Pro Maui Contest Director, said. “We want to capitalize on the great surf at Honolua today and plan on running through Round 3.”

The Billabong Pro Maui will at 8am local time and holds a waiting period from December 8 through 20, 2009. Event information, live scoring and heats on demand can be found via www.triplecrownofsurfing.com or www.billabongpro.com

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com

Billabong Pro Maui Round 1 Match-ups
Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Paige Hareb (NZL), Bruna Schmitz (BRA)
Heat 2: Coco Ho (HAW), Samantha Cornish (AUS), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Jacqueline Silva (BRA), TBA
Heat 4: Silvana Lima (BRA), Rebecca Woods (AUS), TBA
Heat 5: Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Rosanne Hodge (ZAF), Megan Abubo (HAW)
Heat 6: Chelsea Hedges (AUS), Melanie Bartels (HAW), Alana Blanchard (HAW)

original via asp

Twenty-six surfboards are up for auction at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel during the Second Annual Holiday Surfboard Auction to benefit Surfers Healing, a surf camp which introduces children with autism and their families to the therapeutic properties of surfing.

Items for auction include signed surfboards from such legends as Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, Matt Archbold, Makua Rothman, Sunny Garcia, Garrett McNamarra, Dustin Barca, Michael and Dereck Ho, Shane and Gavin Beshen, The Malloy Brothers, and Lisa Anderson, as well as celebrities Scott Caan, Benjiman Bratt and Robert Hays, to name just a few. All surfboards will be on display through December 31, 2009 with the bidding closing at noon on December 31, 2009. Items will be available to take home on Friday, January 1, 2010. You can view the boards on The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/ritzcarltonlagunaniguel?ref=mf#/album.php?aid=161874&id=129566299574)

Surfers Healing was founded by Israel and Danielle Paskowitz. Their son, Isaiah, was diagnosed with autism at age three. Like many autistic children, he often suffered from sensory overload– simple sensations could overwhelm him. The ocean was the one place where he seemed to find respite. A former competitive surfer, Israel hit upon an idea–with Isaiah on the front of his surfboard, and Izzy steering from the back, the two spent the day surfing together. Surfing had a profound impact on Isaiah. Israel and Danielle decided they wanted to share this unique therapy with other autistic children. They began to host day camps at the beach where autistic children and their families could be exposed to a completely new experience of surfing.

The Holiday Surfboard Auction is part of The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel’s Community Footprints program. Community Footprints was created to encourage leadership in volunteerism, fundraising, product donations and mentoring programs at a local level. No project is considered too large or too small. Dedicated Ritz-Carlton Ladies and Gentlemen provide a wide range of support and services to their community, including fund-raising for local charities, reading to the blind, preparing and serving lunches at homeless shelters, donating books to schools and volunteering at food banks. The Ritz-Carlton Community Footprints stresses that the most important resource is not always money, but time.