Pipe Masters, Foam Dust, 2005 Hurricane season…best ever?

Fresh Friday for December 9th 2005

Pro Surf Ramblings

The Pipe Masters contest window started on Thursday Dec. 8th. In the morning the surf was small so they postponed the contest. A new swell filled in on Thursday afternoon and Friday in Oahu should have some pretty big surf! 1 PM Florida Time (EST) is around the time they make the decision and we will know if the contest is on. Live Webcast can be found through this link here: ASP World Tour Main Index

Surfing is really on the cutting edge with these live webcast. The ASP has been broadcasting the contest on the Internet for a few years now and it is neat to be able to watch the contest. I hope they continue to do this.

The Pipe Masters had a 35 year reunion this past week. Many of the past Pipe Masters were in attendance and presented themselves up on stage. It turned out to be a pretty funny event with the ‘80s’ Pipe Masters stealing the show! Here is the streaming video of the event:

Pipe Masters 35 Years Streaming Video

Foam Dust

This past Monday it was announced that Clark Foam had closed for business. This rather abrupt closure sent shock waves through the surfing industry. Clark Foam has been one of the leading suppliers of surfboard blanks and will leave a huge vacuum in the manufacturing of boards. I don’t know the ramifications of this but I’m sure we will see a cosmic shift on how custom boards are made and supplied!

2005 Hurricane Season

With Hurricane Epsilon finally being downgraded to a depression yesterday (Thursday Dec 8th), the Most Active Hurricane Season of all times comes to an end. It is only fitting that this year’s Hurricane season extended into December! This is a year to remember for Hurricanes as we have had some of the worst Natural Disasters and best Swells this year.

Katrina, the beast, devastated New Orleans and the surrounding area was probably the worse in total destruction. Rita was another blow to the Gulf States and Wilma put the hammer down on South Florida. We also received very nice swells from all three of these Hurricanes on both the East and Gulf Coasts.

Wilma Panama City Surf Shots

Katrina was a Bitch

Hurricane Ophelia will probably be remembered as the storm that was the best for the East Coast. Ophelia formed right of Cape Canaveral and spun for days as it slowly moved up to Hatteras. Ophelia goes in the record books as one of the best swells. Not only did we get the size, but the conditions were great, not to mention it lasted for a week! Also, Philippe, Nate, and the other Hurricanes leave a lasting impression on this writer’s brain. What a season!

Ophelia providing the goods!

We Are Water Happenings

Swell Memories has another article out and it is titled Fear. Dermot tackles why we challenge ourselves in bigger surf. Just recently a big-wave surfer, Malik Joyeux, passed away while surfing Pipeline. (SurferMag.Com Online Story)

Although Dermot wrote the article Fear a couple of years ago, the timing of the article is eerie. Fear is something every surfer has to face. Wither it’s a shark cruising the line-up or large surf, fear is something every surfer needs to manage. Swell Memories FEAR by Dermot

I got great feedback on Dermot’s Pier and Uncle Chuck’s article from last week. Thanks for the e-mails and the encouragement!

Once again, another Friday is here and once again the surf is breaking pretty good. The Buoys reads 10 feet and the wind is offshore…Gone Surfing!

David Reid
Sales@WeAreH2O.Com

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