An increase in swell overnight saw the final day of competition at the Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles conclude in style as competitors in the Under/16 and Under/18 boys and girls divisions revelled in the offshore 1.5m to 2m conditions at North Stradbroke Island’s Main Beach.

‘Coolangatta Kid’ Jack Freestone continued his impressive form with an emphatic display of technical surfing to secure the title in the blue-ribbon U/18’s boys division. Freestone now holds a commanding lead in the series ratings points after claiming victory in last month’s opening event on the Gold Coast. Freestone’s selection in the state team to represent Queensland at the Arnette Australian Surfing Titles in November now appears imminent.

“Before the last Arnette [Queensland Junior Surfing Titles] event, I hadn’t won an event for a while so it’s good to get another win and get back into some rhythm,” Freestone said.

“I’m really looking forward to hopefully making the Queensland team for the Australian Titles,” he said.

read more at surfingqueensland

IMBITUBA, Santa Catarina (Tuesday, June 30, 2009) – Another lay day has been called for the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro, Stop No. 4 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, with only small two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves on offer at Praia Vila this morning.

Swell models are projecting some solid pulses to tomorrow and Thursday, and with only two days of competition remaining in the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro, event organizers will look to finish in the best conditions possible.

“The winds have calmed since yesterday but the surf has ped as well,” Perry Hatchett, ASP Head Judge, said. “We’ve called competition off for today, but are tracking some swell models that look to be coming from a better direction over the next couple of days so we’ll be back tomorrow morning for a possible Round 3 start.”

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:30am to assess conditions for a possible Round 3 8am start.

When Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro competition recommences, first up will be defending event champ Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, up against ASP Dream Tour rookie Michel Bourez (PYF), 23.

Highlights from past days’ Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro will be available via www.aspworldtour.com

HANG LOOSE SANTA CATARINA PRO ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)
Heat 2: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Tim Boal (FRA)
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Dustin Barca (HAW)
Heat 7: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) vs. Dean Morrison (AUS)
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Nathaniel Curran (USA)
Heat 10: Dayyan Neve (AUS) vs. Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 11: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Ben Dunn (AUS)
Heat 12: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. Chris Davidson (AUS)
Heat 13: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Michael Picon (FRA)
Heat 14: Mick Campbell (AUS) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 15: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Roy Powers (HAW)
Heat 16: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Chris Ward (USA)

story from asp

Surfers are always in search of the perfect wave. The problem is those moving mountains of water are rare in Florida, so much that dedicated surfers scour the state and beyond to find the right conditions.

Surf parks were supposed to be the solution. They were designed to offer real thrills in an underwater world of concrete and chlorine, delivering a steady supply of man-made waves that would eliminate the waiting for perfect surf.

Now, surf parks are on the verge of wiping out.

Last year, Cocoa-based Ron Jon Surf Shop pulled its name off a proposed surf park in Orlando that touted waves as high as 10 feet and the use of new technology that could alter the contour of the bottom of the pool to emulate some of the more famous ocean breaks. The project was delayed by technology flaws since it was announced in 2004, and developers are searching for other investors to continue.

“We signed on as a bigger scope project,” Ron Jon spokeswoman Heather Lewis said. “The developers were wanting to go with a scaled-down version, and that didn’t meet our criteria.”

Another proposed surf park, the Randall’s Island Aquatic Center in New York City, was nixed in January 2008 because of a lack of funds.

Even surf parks that were completed have not stayed open for long. The Ocean Dome in Japan, listed in the Guinness World Records as the largest indoor water park, closed this year because of poor attendance.

The struggle of surf parks to become a mecca for wave-riding enthusiasts comes at a time when the sport is trying to define itself.

Surfing purists have never been fond of surf parks. To them, it makes surfing boring because part of the sport is searching remote beaches for the best waves.

But professional surfers saw the potential of surf parks as a way to reach a mainstream audience…

read the full story at tampabay.com