Former NSSA National Champion, the 2008 ASP World Junior runner-up, 2009 WQS ranked # 14, and Rip Curl team rider, Bethany Hamilton, will have a theatrical film released tentatively late 2010 based on her inspirational and courageous story.

See post on film set

It’s been over six years since Bethany lost her arm in a shark attack that changed her life forever. Since then, Bethany has inspired millions of people around the world, as she has not only continued her dream of becoming a world-class professional surfer, but she has overcome all obstacles to become one of the most well-rounded female surfers in the world. From towing into 20-foot Jaws waves to proving a consummate competition threat in any conditions, Bethany’s unfathomable journey has led to the production of SOUL SURFER, a theatrical film based on Bethany’s life.

With a star-studded cast including Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Anna Sophia Robb and Carrie Underwood, amongst others, filming has just completed in Hawaii and is a production of SONY/AFFIRM FILMS.

“This is a new step in my life to have a movie made about my family!  Being a part of the production was really fun and interesting. Alana Blanchard and I did some stunt surfing for our characters, which was really fun,” Bethany recently stated. “I’m so glad to have Rip Curl apart of the movie and keeping the movie core! They have been apart of my life since I was ten years old so its a huge blessing to keep it real.”

While Bethany won’t be doing any acting (Anna Sophia Robb to play Bethany and Lorraine Nicholson to play Alana Blanchard), both her and Alana will be taking on “stunt duties” by surfing for their characters. Quite simply, only Bethany Hamilton and Alana Blanchard are at the performance level to represent themselves.

Rip Curl is both honored and excited to partner with Bethany, who has been a Rip Curl surfer for 10 years, on the making of this amazing production, but also to support her as she strives for 2011 ASP Women’s World Tour qualification.

For more information on SOUL SURFER, please visit www.soulsurferthemovie.com or www.bethanyhamilton.com

For additional media inquiries, please contact Rip Curl marketing coordinator Chelsea Johns: cjohns@ripcurl.com

Surfing’s dirty secret is easy to find in the drab enclave of San Clemente known as the surf ghetto, where the ocean breeze is spiked with the sweet smell of chemicals and men wearing flip-flops and coated with white dust search for magic inside blocks of toxic foam.

Joey Santley is looking for something equally elusive: an environmentally friendly surfboard. Or at least one with a carbon footprint that’s less titanic.

“A ‘green surfboard’ is inherently an oxymoron at this point,” said Santley, 44, a frenetic surfboard shaper and entrepreneur. “Hopefully in the future it won’t be.”

Two years ago, Santley and a partner formed Green Foam Blanks, which makes rigid foam surfboard cores by fusing polyurethane with recycled polyurethane dust gathered from workshops that would otherwise discard it. That yields more boards per ounce of toxic polyurethane. The company recently signed a deal with a leading maker of traditional blanks to manufacture and distribute its product in North America, Japan, Europe and Costa Rica.

Still, this being a start-up, Santley is chief dust collector as well as part-owner.

He darts down a gangway between two nondescript buildings and bounds up the stairs of one of the neighborhood’s numerous surfboard factories. Under a whirring cutting machine, he hits gold: a pile of white polyurethane foam shavings as light as Rocky Mountain snow.

“This is like a perfect powder day,” Santley said, shoveling the stuff into a trash bag and holding it aloft. “Probably enough for about a dozen boards. And it won’t end up in the landfill.”

Carissa Moore (HAW), 17, 2010 ASP Women’s World Tour rookie, has claimed the 2010 TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival over Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 19, in pumping offshore barrels at Fitzroy Beach.

The third stop on the 2010 ASP Women’s World Tour season, the TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival enjoyed a veritable cornucopia of conditions throughout the six-day event window, culminating in exciting fashion today in front of a capacity crowd at the primary site.

Moore wasted little time in the hard-fought Final, posting an excellent 9.33 out of a possible 10 on her opening wave for a flurry of electrifying backhand surfing. The Hawaiian rookie was quick to back it up, lighting up another running lefthander with unfettered ferocity and a complete repertoire of maneuvers for 9.83, collecting the highest heat total of the event, a 19.16 out of a possible 20, as well as the victory.

“The conditions definitely turned on for us this afternoon and I knew I couldn’t leave Sally (Fitzgibbons) a lot of room to maneuver,” Moore said. “She has been getting the highest scores every round and she’s so dangerous. I just felt like I was building momentum throughout the event and fortunately peaked in the Final.”

Following a relatively slow start to 2009 with two Equal 9th place results, Moore (who has long been considered one of the most promising young surfers on the planet) was growing frustrated with her former 9th place ranking. Today’s win vaults the young Hawaiian to ASP Women’s World No. 6 and establishes her as a legitimate threat to the 2010 ASP Women’s World Title.

“I wasn’t very happy with the start of my year,” Moore said. “I expected more out of myself and couldn’t figure out what was going on. Things really fell into place for me here in New Zealand and it’s a great result for my campaign this year. I’m really excited and looking forward to Sydney.”

In a show of unprecedented generosity, Moore chose to donate her US$15,000 first prize winnings to the local Waitara Bar Boardriders Club, a gesture that received undulating support from the thousands in attendance.

“I fell in love with New Zealand and I’m fortunate enough to have great support from my family and my sponsors and that puts me in a position to do things like this,” Moore said. “The Haka that the Waitara Bar Boardriders Club performed before the event was beautiful and they’ve really opened up their community and waves to us. For this, I am very thankful.”

Despite Moore’s domineering start to the Final, Fitzgibbons fought back admirably collecting a 7.50 and an 8.67, but it would not be enough to overtake Moore.

“It’s frustrating but Carissa (Moore) just went mad in the Final,” Fitzgibbons said. “The waves were really good, and it was an exciting heat. I’m disappointed to not get the win, but it’s still a good result for me.”