The Quiksilver Pro France presented by Orange, Event No. 7 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, got back in motion today at the event’s main venue of Les Bourdaines in consistent-but-testing five-foot (1.5 metre) waves.

Battling against elements with strong currents coming into the equation, Round 2 competitors put on a show of strategic game plans and athletic ss, holding their line-up positions and taking off on fast-breaking five-to-six foot wave faces to grab their Round 3 tickets.

With most top seeds getting the job done in various ways, from solid scores to tight heat results, surprise came with the eliminations of highly-touted competitors Jeremy Flores (FRA), 21, and defending champion Adrian Buchan (AUS), 27, losing to Aritz Aranburu (EUK), 23, and ASP Dream Tour veteran Greg Emslie (ZAF), 32, respectively, creating the biggest upsets of the day.

Emslie eliminated Buchan in the dying minutes of their exchange, netting a solid 8.00 point score to stamp his authority and get away with the win. Emslie, ASP World No. 33, was able to catch-up with Buchan’s early lead using his experience and patience to wait for a good opportunity and rush to victory.

The final round of the British Longboard Championships was held last weekend at Gwithian, based at the Sunset Surf Cafe.

Surf was very small first thing requiring the Juniors/U16's and Ladies in first, but during the afternoon surf picked up from an expected swell, giving the Finals of the Open and Masters a clean 2-3 ft round the corner at South Godrevy.

Ben Skinner is the new British Longboard Union champion.

The overall results are:

Open:       Ben Skinner
Juniors:     Trevellyan Garland
Ladies:      Grace Davies
Masters:    Adrian Howell

The interim event results are...

Open                                           

1. James Parry                                            
2. Sam Bleakley                                       
3. Ben Skinner                                          
4  Ben Howey                                            
       
Juniors

1. Matt Travis
2. Mike Lay
3. Trevellyan Garland
4. Max Welland

Round 1 and the opening four heats of Round 2 of the Quiksilver Pro France got underway today with the world’s best surfers detonating in punchy three-to-four foot (1.5 metre) peaks at Les Bourdaines beachbreak.

Event No. 7 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro France was treated to some fantastic surfing throughout the opening day of the waiting period, with the world’s best surfers letting loose in the playful beachbreaks while the event wildcards stamped their authority as real contenders amongst the ASP Top 45.

Dane Reynolds (USA), 23, current ASP World No. 11, is coming hot off the heals of his best results on the ASP Dream Tour, a 3rd in South Africa and a 2nd in Southern California, and continued to push the limits of high-performance surfing today at the Quiksilver Pro France.

Opening with a blistering 8.83 out of a possible 10 with some rapid-fire forehand surfing, Reynolds then fell behind fellow Venturan Nathaniel Curran (USA), 24, who posted an impressive heat total of a total 15.40 out of a possible 20. Needing a score in the dying minutes, Reynolds detonated another roping righthander for grab and 8.50 and the advancement to Round 3.

Airline company British Airways has changed the surfboard transportation rules for bookings made from 31 July 2009, for customers travelling from 7 October 2009.

The new policy - more surfer friendly - says all sporting equipment (excluding the not acceptable for carriage list - check below) will be accepted for travel only if they are packed correctly within the maximum weight and reduced maximum dimensions of 190cm x 75cm x 65cm (75in x 29.5in x 25.5in).

This means that you can carry surfboards, windsurfboards, kiteboards and bodyboards up to 6'2'' (190cm).

From November 6th 2007, British Airways was not accepting surfboards inside an airplane.

Now, things are not quite perfect for surfers, but definitely got a little better.

The Quiksilver Pro France, Stop No. 7 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, in ON this morning with Round 1 of competition heading out in clean three-to-four foot (1 .5 metre) waves at Les Bourdaines.

“We have some very clean three-to-four foot waves this morning at the main site of Les Bourdaines and we’ll be getting underway at 8am,” Rod Brooks, Quiksilver Pro Trestles Contest Director, said. “

Kelly Slater (USA), 37, reigning nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 6, has been clawing his way back into contention over the last three events, following an uncharacteristically slow start. With four events left on the 2009 ASP Dream Tour, the Floridian admits that France is critical to his bid for an unprecedented 10th ASP World Title.

“This is probably my last shot to get back in this thing,” Slater said. “The idea is to just focus on one heat at a time and one event at a time, but I definitely need to make up some ground in these next events.”

The Quiksilver Pro France, Stop No. 7 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, will kick off in one day on the South West Coast of France, settling down between the world famous beach breaks of Hossegor and Seignosse, and the famous Basque reef break of Lafitenia. A fully mobile event with 42 km at its disposal, the Quiksilver Pro France (the only French stop of the ASP World Tour) will give the world’s best surfers two weeks of tube-riding, high-performance waves and big surf possibilities.

While 2009 the ASP World Title race remains wide open and very close amongst the top contenders (including reigning and nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 37), the Quiksilver Pro France will also stage the highly-anticipated battle between ratings’ front-runners and struggling ASP Top 45 re-qualifiers.

Adrian Buchan (New South Wales, AUS), 27, defending Quiksilver Pro France champion, will be back on the battlefield where he clinched his first and only ASP World Tour victory in 2008 after defeating Slater in an exciting Final – postponing the Floridian’s 9th ASP World Title claim. Buchan, a.k.a. “Ace”, whose season has been interrupted by a serious knee injury that forced him out of two events already, will be eager to get back to his best level when he competes in France next week.

More than 230 surfers have paddled out to save another wave in danger, this time in Cabedelo, Figueira da Foz, Portugal.

The "SOS Cabedelo" called everyone in order to try and defend one of the best waves in Portugal.

The local authorities have plans to strengthen the northern jetty, a decision that will forever change the wave.

The human logo was a huge succes and "SOS Cabedelo" believes that the local politicians will change their mind and will preserve this natural treasure.

The ASP Women’s World Tour will be getting a boost next season with the addition of New Zealand’s Taranaki region as a dream tour venue.

The Taranaki Women’s Surf Festival will host the world’s best female surfers from April 14 – 18, 2010 along Taranaki’s Surf Highway 45, with mobile venue options including famed locations such as Fitzroy Beach, Rocky Point, Stent Road and Opunake.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be adding New Zealand to the ASP Women’s World Tour schedule,” Brodie Carr, ASP Intl CEO, said. “The region is ripe with world class waves and it’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talents of our outstanding female athletes.”

Paige Hareb (NZL), 19, 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie and current ASP World No. 3, is New Zealand’s first female ambassador at surfing’s elite level of competition, and the addition of another ASP Dream Tour event in her backyard could prove advantageous to the young goofy-footer’s bid for an ASP Women’s World Title.

“I’m pretty happy about the ASP Women’s World Tour coming to my home town in New Zealand next year,” Hareb said. “I know a lot of the girls have never been before and have wanted to come here for a long time. The surf is really consistent around that time of the year so I can’t wait to show the girls what my coast has to offer. It’s going to be pretty exciting!”

The SSA - Swiss Surfing Championships 2009 will kick on the 23rd September in Vieux Boucau, France.

There is a forecasted clean 5-6 feet swell!

The rider's meeting and the deadline for inscription is on Tuesday 22nd evening at the Wavexperience Surfcamp.

The Swiss Surfing Association is also inviting everyone to support the construction an artifial river wave in the river Limmat, in Zurich.

The standing wave would be often used by surfers, bodyboarders, windsurfers, canoeists and wakeboarders of Switzerland.

The Limmat wave would the only place available for riding wave in Switzerland.

The Swiss surfers are lobbying for the dream to become a reality.

Owen Wright (Lennox Head, NSW) became the most famed junior surfer in ASP Australasia Pro Junior Series history today winning the Dripping Wet Pro Junior presented by Arrive alive.

Following on from his younger sister’s, Tyler, win yesterday, Wright created history in nearly every available category at Manly today.

Having not been defeated in a single heat all year, Wright has also accrued the most prize money in a year, whilst wrapping up the ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series crown with an event to spare.

Defeating his good friend, and number two seed, Dean Bowen (Gerroa, NSW) in the final, Wright was over the moon with what he achieved today.

“I feel awesome,” he said with a massive smile on his face.

“I knew that Deano has been in devastating form so I wanted to wrap up the Series here at Manly,” he said after outpointing Bowen 13.00 (out of a possible 20) to 8.00.

“I didn’t want to leave it up to him at Bells.”

Leading up to the final, the stage was set for the two top seeds in front of a mass of spectators.

A win would have seen Wright crowned ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series champion on the spot, however a win from Bowen would have seen the Series title dragged out to the next event in Bells, where Wright won’t be competing.

And so began a memorable final, rife with dynamic, powerful, innovative surfing, suspense and anticipation from the current ISA World Junior champion and the heir-apparent to the king, Kelly Slater.