Short board, long board, no board, International Surfing Day returns, on Thursday, June 20.

Now in its ninth year, International Surfing Day (ISD) continues to unite surfers around the world to celebrate the sport of surfing, while raising awareness and showing appreciation for our coastal environments.

“Part of the beauty of International Surfing Day is that people everywhere can celebrate and give back,” said Surfrider Foundation Director of Marketing & Communications Laura Lee. “Whether that’s paddling out for the very first time, sneaking in a quick session with friends, or picking up trash at your local beach, ISD is as big as you make it.”

Surfing has a history as diverse as the characters that shaped it; it has grown from an almost forgotten sport of kings to a billion-dollar industry. ISD began in 2005 with a small handful of local observances in the United States and has since expanded to more than 200 events in 30 countries worldwide.

As in previous years, the Surfrider Foundation will be organizing various surf sessions, beach cleanups, and coastal restoration events for people to participate in. In 2012, International Surfing Day participants removed more than 3 tons of trash from our coastlines. Additionally, 1,800 people joined or renewed their Surfrider membership and hundreds of thousands of people watched the first-ever ISD Web-A-Thon.

Surfrider Foundation encourages you to start planning now and save the date for June 20 so you don’t miss out on this awesome annual celebration. For additional information on International Surfing Day or to plan your own event, please visit www.intlsurfingday.com.

find out more @ http://isd.surfrider.org

original story @ transworldsurf

Adriano de Souza (BRA), 25, has claimed the 2013 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford over ASP Dream Tour rookie Nat Young (USA), 21, in clean three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves at Bells Beach today.

Event No. 2 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach culminated in dramatic fashion Tuesday with the young Brazilian claiming the first South American men’s title in the event’s storied 52-year history.

“This is the most important event on tour to me,” De Souza said. “Guys like Andy Irons, Kelly Slater, my hero Mick Fanning, they have all rung the Bell. I have been coming here a lot of years. I love the place. It has been a tough time for me recently. I started 2013 without a sponsor for the first time in many years. I had to believe in myself that a company would believe in me and one did. I have to say thanks to Pena for believing in me. I have a lot of people to thank, but all I want to do right now is ring the bell.”

De Souza’s win today vaults the young South American to ASP WCT No. 4 heading into the third event on tour in Brazil.

“Next stop is at home in Brazil,” De Souza said. “I feel comfortable at home, but there is also pressure to perform. I am going to enjoy this win, recharge for the next one and hopefully I can keep it going.”

Young, the rookie goofy-footer from California’s Santa Cruz, posted a career-best result today, wowing spectators and competitors alike with his run to the Finals.

“It was a huge event for me,” Young said. “Just to be in the field is a dream for me. I’ve looked up to the surfers in this event my whole life. The event has such a history behind it and I was honestly just excited to be here. Making the Final, I don’t even have words for it. Of course I wanted to win it. I want to ring the bell as much as anyone else on tour. Don’t get to it this year, but a Runner-Up finish is a big result for me and I’ll take that into the next one.”

read more @ ripcurl.com

Economic correspondent Paul Solman reports on an American-born product hit hard by globalization: the surfboard. In Southern California, U.S.-based manufacturers fear they will soon be wiped out by competing, foreign companies due to discrepancies in labor costs and duty taxes.

Watch Is Globalization Wiping Out the American Surfboard Industry? on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

originally seen @ pbs.com