Jim Rawlinson, a 68-year-old carpenter from Anahola, was back in the Hanalei Bay waves yesterday, and expecting to rip again today, even after a shark took a bite out of his board there Monday afternoon.

In fact, he continued to surf for at least an hour after the attack, which had him ending up on the back of the shark that bit his board, he said yesterday morning.

When the shark hit his board, the board went up in the air and Rawlinson went into the water where he ended up smack on the back of the tiger shark, he said.

While on the shark’s back, he decided it would probably be a good idea to detach himself from the board, which was still in the shark’s mouth, he said.

“It was relatively calm at that point,” he said.

So, he took off his board leash from his ankle and put some distance between himself and the shark, estimated to be around 14 feet long.

Rawlinson then swam from the point surf break to a reef area nearer to shore, recalling that deep-water sharks don’t routinely patrol shallower waters.

He turned around, saw his board floating in the water, swam to retrieve it and never saw the shark again, he said.

Rather than counting his blessings and making a beeline to shore, he stayed out in the water for around another hour, buoyed by other surfers around him, he said.

Rawlinson, who has been surfing for 50 years, said the incident won’t keep him out of the water.

“I don’t want fear to hold me back from doing what I’m doing,” said Rawlinson, adding that he will continue surfing “as long as I live and can.”

story via honoluluadvertiser.com

NOTE: Controversy over the effectiveness of magnets on sharks see wiki.

A company over the weekend introduced its new shark bite repellent anklet at the Boards and Waves Expo in Cocoa Beach.

The anklet, made by Repel Sharks, LLC, is made of a series of magnets and attractive beads that fits like a piece of jewelry, but repels sharks.

“The magnets interfere with the shark’s sensory abilities,” said Bob Millings of Repel Sharks. “The shark’s electrosense, located in its nose, detects the electrical currents produced by the magnetic fields, creating a repellent response.”

The anklet was designed for situations when low visibility and high surf combine, an environment in which sharks have a tendency to bite.

In many shark attacks, particularly on the East Coast of the U.S., the shark will take what scientists call an “investigatory bite.”

In field tests, the magnetic anklet caused curious sharks to turn away quickly after coming into contact with the electromagnetic field radiating from the anklet.

New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County is considered the shark bite capital of the world.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story

www.repelsharks.com

story via clickorlando.com

ASP International has awarded PRIME status to this year’s U.S. Open of Surfing presented by Hurley, Nike 6.0 and Converse at Huntington Beach.

The ASP Technical Committee, comprised of representatives from the surfers, judges, events and ASP administrators, confirmed the awarding of ASP PRIME status to the event based on a variety of factors including: increase to a US $250,000 prize purse for the men, web quality, site infrastructure, marketability of the event, history and prestige of the event, the inclusion of a women’s ASP Star event, etc.

“The U.S. Open of Surfing is one of professional surfing’s longest-running and most prestigious events,” Brodie Carr, ASP Intl CEO, said. “The history that pumps through the sands of Huntington Beach is like nothing on Earth and NIKE, Inc. has stepped up in a major way to provide the surfers, the fans and the sport a landmark event in the heart of the surfing industry. We’re thrilled to announce the awarding of ASP PRIME status to the 2010 U.S. Open of Surfing and hope the swell delivers once again this season.”

“IMG has worked diligently to maintain the 50 year tradition and integrity of the U.S. Open of Surfing while building this ‘major’ event into a world-class forum for the industry, competitors and consumers,” said James Leitz, Senior Vice President of IMG Action Sports. “We’re pleased that the ASP has taken into account the far-reaching impact the U.S. Open has on the sport of surfing in awarding the ASP Prime status.”

Brett Simpson (USA), 25, defending U.S. Open winner and 2010 ASP Dream Tour rookie, posted the biggest win of his young career at home in Huntington Beach last season, and the awarding of ASP PRIME status to this season’s event has the progressive natural-footer fired up for a repeat performance.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Simpson said. “It’s a huge addition to this year’s high class ASP Prime series. It always turns out to be one of the more dramatic events of the year, and the addition of ASP Prime status is indicative of the prestige and audience numbers surrounding the event. The top surfers come to Surf City in the prime time of summer as they battle it out in the biggest arena on the globe. Home sweet home!”

The event is owned and produced by IMG Action Sports, a division of IMG Worldwide the premier global sports, entertainment and media company. The U.S. Open of Surfing pres. by Hurley, Nike 6.0 and Converse will run from August 2  8, 2010 at Huntington Beach in California.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com and www.aspnorthamerica.org

story via ASP