Kelly Slater (USA), 38, former nine-time ASP World Champion, has claimed his fourth Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by SNICKERS title over reigning two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, in clean three-to-four foot (1 metre) waves at the backup venue of Johanna Beach.

The second stop on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach was completed over four different venues this year, with Round 1 at Bells Beach, Round 2 at Thirteenth Beach, Round 3 and the opening half of Round 4 at Winkipop before the final day was completed at Johanna Beach.

Following a relatively slow start to the highly-anticipated Final, Fanning unleashed with a 7.17 to take the lead. The lightning-fast Australian strung together a series of high-speed maneuvers to pull ahead and put the Floridian on the ropes.

However, Slater would answer back with an incredible Alley-oop aerial maneuver, boosting so high his feet separated from his board before he recovered for an 8.93. Slater then paddled out into another excellent wave, scoring an 8.10 to bring his total to 17.03 out of a possible 20  a lead that Fanning would not surpass.

“It was a lot more difficult than it looked out there,” Slater said. “The tide came up and the takeoff was a lot deeper than we thought it would be. I was getting bumped and bounced and falling, and I had five or six waves before I got something going. On that 8.93, I was up in the air and when I landed, I kind of fell on my butt and did the one-footed shuffle, but I recovered there. Then I paddled straight into that second wave and that was it.”

story via asp

Surfersvillage First in Surfing News iPhone app launched

The Surfersvillage First in Surfing News iPhone app has been released and is aimed at surfers, the surf-industry, and lifestyle enthusiasts. The launch coincided with Apple’s iPad going on sale in the USA for the first time.

Available to download for free on the Apple App Store, the tool helps surfers, surf-Industry personnel, surf-media, and lifestyle entusiasts keep up to date with the latest news in surfing from around the world. The Surfersvillage iPhone App is the first and only app dedicated to Surfing News.

The Surfersvillage First in Surfing News iPhone app launch version features:

FREE download to users

Content includes:
– International Surfing News
– Surf-Industry News
– Big-Wave News
– Regional Surfing News from;
– Africa
– Australia
– Brazil
– Europe
– Hawaii
– USA

Free download

story via surfersvillage

Oregon-based firm will hold sponsorship rights to the annual Huntington Beach event, which drew 500,000 attendees in 2009.

The owners of the U.S. Open of Surfing have inked a multiyear agreement with Oregon-based NIKE Inc. for sponsorship rights to the annual Huntington Beach event.

The world’s largest professional surfing competition, slated this year for July 31 through Aug. 8, drew 500,000 onlookers last year. The number was a record high, according to Los Angeles-based IMG Action Sports, the event’s executive producer and owner.

The event brings $25 million into Huntington Beach, according to estimates by IMG Sports.

The 12-acre festival is held adjacent to the pier and also features skateboarding and BMX events, among other activities.

NIKE’s subsidiaries, including Hurley, Nike 6.0 and Converse, will maintain visual branding at the event.

“Some of our best creative work comes out of the collaboration of our three brands,” says Sandy Bodecker, vice president of global design and action sports for NIKE. “Our goal is to help transform the U.S. Open into one of the most exciting sporting moments of the summer.”

“Last year’s relationship with Hurley, Nike 6.0 and Converse provided a glimpse of the U.S. Open of Surfing’s true potential,” says James Leitz, senior vice president of IMG Action Sports, a division of IMG Worldwide. “The NIKE Inc. action-sports family raised the bar in all areas and continues an aggressive push toward excellence in 2010.”

The Huntington Beach venue is the only location in North America to offer combined six-star World Qualifying Series-rated men’s and women’s events. IMG Action Sports calls the competition a “pivotal point” in the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour.

“As we saw last year, there’s no better ‘surf stadium’ than Huntington Beach,” says Bob Hurley, Hurley founder and chairman. “We’re always looking to improve the experience both in the water and on the sand, and we’re excited to continue working with Nike 6.0 and Converse to help make that happen in 2010 and beyond.”

The U.S. Open was founded in 1994, but the event’s roots go back to 1959 as the U.S. Surfing Championships.

Huntington Beach, also known as Surf City USA, is home to the International Surfing Museum, the Surfing Walk of Fame and the Surfers’ Hall of Fame.

story via ocmetro.com