The Queensland leg of the Rip Curl GromSearch presented by SNICKERS came to a close with champions crowned today.

The morning broke with nervous expressions donning the faces of competitors who shone through to the final day of competition at the prestigious grommet event.

The surf gods looked down on the final day of competition providing surfers with fun, contestable 1 metre (2-3ft) waves.

Competitors across all divisions lined up for battle with the aim of being crowned the Rip Curl GromSearch champion.

The road to the finals was no easy feat with only the hungriest surfers prevailing, but the final that everybody came to watch was the 16 boys.

With the completion of the final event of this year’s ASP World Tour at Pipeline and after Mick Fanning’s second ASP World title crowning, the official list of qualifiers for the 2010 ASP World Tour has been released.

From the record seven European representatives who competed on the 2009 ASP World Tour, three only have made the cut and will get another chance amongst the world’s best surfers next year starting their run at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in Australia next February.

Jeremy Flores (Capbreton/New Caledonia, FRA), 21, despite pulling out of the last events due to an ankle injury, has once again secured his ticket for the elite of surfing, the French and European leader guaranteed to compete for a fourth consecutive year as a member of the ASP Top 45.

SurferToday.com has announced the winners of the «Athletes Of The Year 2009» award.

The laurels are presented to the surfers, kitesurfers, windsurfers and bodyboarders that represent the cutting edge of performance in each individual wave and wind water sport.

SurferToday's «Athletes Of The Year 2009» are:

Congratulations to the winners!

With the culmination of the 2009 ASP World Tour and ASP Women’s World Tour in Hawaii, the qualifiers for the 2010 ASP Dream Tour season have been decided.

Taking the Top 27 surfers from the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Top 15 from the 2009 ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) and three ASP wildcards, the 2010 ASP Top 45 are as follows:

ASP Top 27 (ASP World Tour)
Mick Fanning (AUS)
Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Bede Durbidge (AUS)
Taj Burrow (AUS)
Adriano de Souza (BRA)
Kelly Slater (USA)
C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Bobby Martinez (USA)
Damien Hobgood (USA)
Dane Reynolds (USA)
Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Taylor Knox (USA)
Tom Whitaker (AUS)
Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Dean Morrison (AUS)
Kai Otton (AUS)
Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Mick Campbell (AUS)
Chris Davidson (AUS)
Michel Bourez (PYF)
Ben Dunn (AUS)
Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Tiago Pires (PRT)
Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Roy Powers (HAW)
Drew Courtney (AUS)

Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, has claimed the 2009 Billabong Pipe Masters, defeating fellow Finalist Kelly Slater (USA), 37, in clean three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves at the Banzai Pipeline.

The final event of the 2009 ASP World Tour season, the Billabong Pipe Masters culminated the Vans Triple Crown (an ASP Specialty Series), and provided non-stop, high-caliber action from the outset.

Burrow wasted little time in putting Slater on the ropes in the 35-minute Final, racking up a 7.00 out of a possible 10 on his opening ride for an electric air reverse followed by some solid forehand maneuvers. With deteriorating conditions, Burrow stayed busy before collecting a 5.83 for an incredible full-rotation alley-oop, putting the pressure on Slater as time ran out.

The final stop on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pipe Masters, will commence this morning at 9am in three-to-five–foot (1 – 1.5 metre) conditions at the famous break of the Banzai Pipeline and will whittle the field down from the eight remaining Quarterfinalists to crown a champion by day’s end.

“We have a building swell and three-to-five foot conditions right now so we’ll be getting underway at 9am,” Randy Rarick, Vans Triple Crown Contest Director, said. “We expect to be commencing the Finals some time around 1pm.”

Think you have what it takes to be the next Stephanie Gilmore?? Well, come along to the Surfing Australia High Performance Centre (HPC) at Casuarina from January 18-22 to surf and hang out with undoubtedly the best woman surfer in the world.

The Surfing Australia HPC is excited to announce the weeklong camp that will be open to 16 lucky 8-17 year old girls. The application process is first in best dressed, and will give aspiring surfers a fantastic opportunity to train with the coaches that helped shape Gilmore’s professional career.

The 3 x World Champion commented on the HPC saying, “The Surfing Australia HPC has all the right facilities and ingredients to help fuel Australia’s future sport stars. The team down there really provide the best information to achieve top results and have helped myself and many of my peers become not just surfers but professional athletes”

The Surfing competition of the 1st South American Beach Games came to an end today, Sunday, December 13, in a true Olympic spirit. The winners’ flags waved at the podium and the gold medal country anthems were played. It was a great surfing day, with waves reaching six-foot with good conditions.

The Brazilian Team was the standout, winning the gold in the two divisions held today: Aloha Cup and Air Show, achieving with this, three out of the four gold medals in contention of the entire surfing competition.

Gabriel Medina (BRA) posted the highest scores in the Air Show qualification heats and went to the final as the man to beat. Once in the last heat of the day, and after landing a massive aerial maneuver that gave him a 9.17 he confirmed why he was considered the favorite and jumped to the first place to win the gold medal. The silver went to Peruvian Matías Mulanovich and bronze to Argentinean Martín Passeri.

Small surf in the three-to-four foot (1 metre) range is on offer today at the Banzai Pipeline, prompting Billabong Pipe Masters event organizers to call a lay day for competition.

Event No. 10 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pipe Masters also marks the third and final jewel in the Vans Triple Crown (an ASP Specialty Series), and will swell projected for the coming days, event organizers are confident in holding out for better conditions.

“The surf is small today so we have called the Billabong Pipe Masters off,” Randy Rarick, Vans Triple Crown Contest Director, said. “We’re expecting a swell to build throughout the evening and are looking for a possible start tomorrow.”

Despite small waves and temperatures that were pushing 40 degrees, a mix of WA celebrities, sporting identities, pro-surfers and local junior grommets converged on Trigg beach for the second event of the Coastalwatch Surf for Life Series. The fun, exhibition-style surf event was run to raise vital funds and awareness for the Starlight Children’s Foundation which delivers programs across the country to lift the spirits of ill children when they need it most.

With clean one foot waves were on offer at Trigg, plus a strong beach crowd soaking up the action, it was the team of Ry Craike (Kalbarri) and Chad Fletcher (Subiaco) that took the honours in a day filled with laughter, fun and excitement. Arguably one of the world’s hottest free surfing talents, Craike didn’t hold back throwing his trademark fin whafts and futuristic surfing to the amazement of the packed beach. 2006 West Coast Eagles premiership player Chad Fletcher traded his boots for a board and looked as comfortable in the water as he does running the wings of Subiaco Oval.