Common people

Wednesday afternoon at Pozo Izquierdo, with all the pros at Sylt here you have another take of "Common People" and a not so common special guest under these lines.

Beautiful day

As Bono says "it's just a beautiful day".

Windy again, 4,7 - 7,2

After a cople days lighter than we are used, the wind is back in Pozo Izquierdo, perople are sailing now with 4,7 - 4,2.

Nearly no waves, but who cares, after a few days with no wind, I just want to go in the water!

Gollito wins the single elimination at Sylt

Jose “Gollito” Esteredo arrived at Sylt as 2010 freestyle world champion, but that didn't mean he wasn't taking seriously the last event of the season, and he just won the single elimination.

For more information: PWA

Fat and ugly

Spectacular session the one they had yesterday at the Quiksilver Pro France, there were big barrels on offer, but it was hard to find them among the fat and ugly closeouts. I’m not sure if it was fun for the surfers, but for sure, was amazing to watch.

Colgate World Cup Sylt

Yesterday the wind at Sylt was just not enough to start the competition, but today is looking better, so freestyle or slalom could start anytime.

For more information and live webcast: PWA

Quiksilver Pro France is ON

After the stormy conditions yesterday, today there's some nice waves for the start of the Quiksilver Pro France 2010.

To watch it live: QUIKSILVERLIVE

Fall season begins

Yesterday at El COnfital, and the forecast looks good for all the week.>

El Confital

I knew it was some NW swell and I had to go to Las Palmas for work, so I managed to finish work early and went to El Confital.

Now I know why this wave is so good for a competition, the swell was messed up, the wind was wrong and was small, but despite all these factors, there were good waves, not perfect, but every set had a couple of juicy ones.

Tonight I’ll post more pictures from the session.

Epic session at Cloudbreak (Fiji)

Cloudbreak September 2010 from Australia's Surfing Life on Vimeo.

I saw the pictures at Surfline yesterday, but as soon as I've seen the video at Niegà's blog, I had to post it myself too.

Classic windsurfing videos

Summer 2010 (1)

 

It's been a busy summer, and I have hundreds of unpublished photos in my hard disks, so now, with the quiet days of september (still windy, but nothing spectacular) I'm starting to select, edit and publish them.

The King

Kelly Slater wins the Hurley Pro and climbs to the first place at the world rankings. On the first rounds looked like the waves al Lower Trestles belonged to the new generation, but in the last rounds of the contest, they didn't have the consistency they had in the first rounds, and here we have to talk about Bede Durbidge, who had Jordy Smith in quarters and Dane Reynold in the semifinals, to loose in an amazing final against Kelly Slater.

For all the details: ASP  and  HURLEYPRO

This one has nothing to do with the competition at Lower Trestles, but I just had to post this video from Kelly too:

As good as it gets

If yesterday the competition at the Hurley Pro was amazing, today could be epic for the finals, with absolutely perfect waves.

For the live webcast: HURLEYPRO

Third round at the Hurley Pro, live

At 16:00 (GMT) starts the third round of the Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles, California, and the waves are pumping (the photo is from yesterday, today is bigger and better).

For the live webcast: HURLEYPRO

Pandora’s box has been opened

Was awesome to finally be able to watch live on internet and in great quality a full PWA competition, a highlight in windsurfing history and maybe the great opportunity this amazing sport was needing. And this first time came with one of those memorable moments in the history of the sport, Victor Fernandez’s comeback from the first round of the double elimination to the superfinal of the event.

I think we are at a critical moment for windsurfing, the long awaited arrival of the live webcast, in my opinion is just what windsurfing was needing to become what it deserves to be, and for the world to see the virtues and the greatness of this sport; but with the live webcast also have been exposed the flaws and defects of the World Tour.

In my opinion, if we want professional windsurfing to succeed, it’s essential con continue with the live webcast for all the events of the tour, I have no numbers, but I don’t think I’m wrong if I say that the audience and the impact of the live webcast at the KIA Cold Hawaii World Cup at Klitmöller, was much higher than expected and I’m quite sure the sponsor is more than happy and satisfied with the investment.

What we can’t allow if we want to have a truly professional circuit with professional windsurfers, being sponsored by big brands, is to keep giving this lame image with absolutely lack of seriousness with the heat scores. Professional judges and live scores must be a priority, it’s not possible to have the results of the heat fifteen minutes after the end of the heat (sometimes even more) and in a peace of paper with erasures and scribbles, and sometimes with huge score differences from one judge to the other for the same jump or ride.

What we had at Klitmöller was an armed robbery (is not the first time this happens, but it’s the first time is been broadcasted live) and not because I say so, and I’m not talking just about the double elimination final, I’ve only seen the live webcast on the screen of my computer so I was not there seeing both competitors all the time, so I can’t have a proper opinion by myself about it, but in blogs, forums and facebook pages from competitors and spectators who were there, they say anything about the judges but beautiful, even just to see the faces of the finalists on the podium before the announcement of the winner, Kauli was head down and crossed hands, defeated, and Victor was exhausted but happy, till the speaker announced the winner, then Kauli’s face turned into absolutely surprise and disbelief.

And maybe I’m wrong, and Kauli really won that second final, but the doubt shouldn’t be there, where are the scores? in all the sports with judging criteria, the spectators can see the scores live, and we (windsurfing fans and spectators) never get to see the scores.

I didn’t want to be the one to say this in public, but if someone doesn’t take action on this, these people will kill professional windsurfing.

Competitors already had a meeting in Pozo Izquierdo this summer after the contest, to talk among others about this same subject, but apparently nothing changed for the good.

Anyway, from here I would like to congratulate all competitors for their hard and good work at the tough conditions of Klitmöller, the local organization and the broadcast team.