Surf Scene
by Ace Cool

Howzit Hawaiian Chopper Readers! It’s been a while since we last visited, so let me get right into it…

It’s now officially an “El Nino” season. Waves WILL GET BIG this year. The action has really been heating up on the Foster’s ASP World Tour of Surfing, and as the spray cleared from the Billabong Pro in Mundaka, Spain this past October, Kelly Slater emerged as an 8X (in all) ASP World Champion. No one else has a chance of beating him, or even catching up for that matter. INSANE!!

On the female front, the Australian pros are dominating the World! After the Rip Curl Mademoiselle Event at Hossegor/Seignosse in France last September, they Aussies dominated, which resulted in an all Australian final. Top four in the ratings were #1 Melanie Redmann-Carr , Havaianas Beachley (Sydney Classic), wildcard Stephanie Gilmore, who became the only individual in surfing history to win two WCT tour events as a “Wildcard”. Gilmore won $20,000 for her efforts, and Layne Beachley earned the #1 position on the women’s 2007 ASP/ WCT tour rankings! Congratulations girls…

Just when it began to feel like the surf would never return (it always feels that way at the end of summer), Oahu’s North Shore hosts the major event of this year’s pro surf season. The 2006 XCEL PRO is on at Sunset Beach. Who will start the new season on top? This year’s XCEL PRO has upgraded to a 4 Star ASP/WQS contest with a $75,000 Prize Purse. With the State of Hawaii joining SoBe Drinks and American Savings Bank as sponsors, this should be a fine event. For more: www.xcelwetsuits.com.

Hawaii’s season is just getting underway and there are a lot of opportunities to get in the mix. Events like the ASP Pro World qualifying tour (WQS) for men, and women, the ASP World Longboard Tour, ASP Pro Junior Tour, Hawaii Pro-Am Circuit, the HLF, HASA, NSSA, and ISA Tours. The list seems endless...

Then there’s the bodyboarding men’s and women’s world tours, and we even have a bodysurf tour scheduled at Sandy Beach, Point Panic and Pipeline. Wow! What a season!!!

If all that wasn’t enough, I’m proud to announce the World Championship Tour of Big Wave Tow-In (that’s a mouthful) surfing event!

This year’s “3rd Annual North Shore Tow-In Surfing Championship” (with a holding period from 12/15/06-3/31/07) has received sanctioning by the Association of Professional Towsurfers (APT). As one of the main events on a quickly evolving first year schedule of worldwide tow-in surfing, this year’s North Shore Tow-In will be a HUGE event. That is HUGE for the sport, and it’s HUGE for Hawaii. Finally the land of big wave rider is getting some love.

Remember, the Earth is 70% water and surfing is the ultimate watersport!

Until next time, this is Ace Cool!