Coach Ian Cairns joins Chris Mauro to discuss all the Lowers Pro fallout
One of the sport's most compelling personalities...for good reason
The top seeds take to the Lowers skate park just in time for a rising swell
Big wave surfers celebrated the best year of giant surf in over a decade
John John Florence -- Hawaii's super grom -- handed Dane Reynolds a dose of his own medicine Friday, landing a dramatic air reverse 360 that helped knock Reynolds out of the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro. Reynolds was wave starved for much of the heat, and despite a late charge on the lefts, he fell short in the end. Aussie Blake Thornton won the heat with a solid carving performance.This is the second event in a row that Reynolds has been shot down by the same kind of progressive surfing he's famous.. More >
Hide your girlfriend, be on the lookout for strange flying objects and tread carefully at your favorite watering hole, because the world's best surfers are invading Southern California this week for the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro. Thanks to the new world ranking system adopted by the ASP this year, more than 30 of the sport's Top 45 will be on hand, making it a boon for the hardcore surfing fan. Among those appearing are new-crew phenoms Dane Reynolds and Jordy Smith, rookie sensations Owen Wright.. More >
A new swell greeted the top seeded surfers at the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro on Thursday, and surfing's vanguard put state of the art surfing on display in the skate park conditions at Lower Trestles. As expected, Dane Reynolds, Jordy Smith, Owen Wright and Jadson Andre delivered with their mind-bending assaults. Reynolds' ridiculous blend of power hacks and tail blows got the most crowd reaction. Reynolds was in the groove his entire heat, and delighted spectators with a high-performance clinic... More >
South African Jordy Smith was a long time coming. Contrary to what some may have you believe he didn't sneak up on anyone. Jordy's progress has been charted since he was a pre-teen back in Durban.
As the son of a shaper, surfing was predestined. And by the age of 12 he was winning almost everything in sight back in South Africa -- a country desperately trying at the time to reclaim its gravitational pull on the surfing scene.
While a couple of South Africans were always straddling the line between the WCT and WQS, none were major threats. But the proud surfing nation sees its salvation in Mr. Smith, which, no doubt, is a heavy burden to carry.
In 2008, during his rookie season on the world tour, it looked like it might be too much. After signing one of the biggest contracts in pro surfing history Smith went out and underwhelmed. A massive growth spurt, a new tour and new judges were all a little too much to handle -- and Smith was subsequently roasted by a very cynical press.
But Jordy was the first one to examine his chart and spot a very clear pattern: his first year at each new level -- without fail -- was one where he struggled. It was a learning year. And in the depths of his 2008 season Smith knew all he had to do was survive.
Survive he did. In 2009, even while looking a little shaky he managed to finish in the Top 10. Now, in 2010, Jordy Smith has found his sea legs on the world tour. Today, the third-year pro has yet to earn his first win, but he has found some momentum -- momentum that may just make him a contender.
After a long wait in the ice and ash Thurso delivered the goods
The 2009/2010 season is likely to go down in history as one of the best