TheSurfersView chats with bodyboarding icon Jeff Hubbard about the sport, stoke, and more. We are in the midst of a bodyboarding resurgence.  Though the IBA (Int’l Bodyboarding Association) faltered this past year, the APB (Association of Professional Bodyboarders) has fully taken over.  Backed by the likes of Jeff Hubbard and the iconic Mike Stewart, it promises to be the organization bodyboarding needs to re-establish its pro ranks and bring in the money .  Additionally, groms are taking to the sport in greater numbers than ever before.  But even more importantly, the bodyboard is finding its place among surfers’ quivers.

Dean’s THE MAN.  He set the path for all aspiring NJ and northeast pros and is the one guy that every single one of them points to as their inspiration.  Dean made his mark in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s with a repertoire built on power surfing and a fierce determination.  After taking scalps on the PSAA and Bud Tours, he secured a coveted spot on the elite WCT in ’92/’93, going head-to-head with the likes of Kelly Slater, Damien Hardman, Martin Potter, Barton Lynch, Richie Collins and Sunny Garcia.

Fate would test Randazzo’s mettle though in the form of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma only a few years after his WCT debut.  He has since battled the disease 4x, but, in true Dean fashion, kicked its ass up, down and sideways.  Dean didn’t stop there though, raising money to fight HL through his Dean Randazzo Cancer Foundation and through such events as the Freeze for a Cause and Paddle for a Cause. He’s helped countless individuals both financially and emotionally and has, in no small fashion, changed the world.

Dean’s latest endeavor includes Randazzo Surfboards, which are functional works of art.  I’ve seen several of the shapes under the feet of a bunch of guys and will tell you that they are the real deal.  Plus, Dean is the day-to-day guy who is happy to apply all his knowledge to the stick that’ll go under your feet. Ain’t many chances to talk to such a master.

So, what I’m trying to say is that his induction into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame is well deserved and a long time coming.  From all of us at TheSurfersView—Congrats Dean and thanks for your kick ass spirit.  You are NJ! 

You saved up all your $ for a year to go to Hawaii in the wintertime.  You get days off work, nail down the plane ticket and suddenly find yourself, a few weeks later, soaking in the hot tropic air, heavy vibes and thumping line-ups of the North Shore. You feel a whole lot like 'Rick Kane' and a little less like Slater....

 

 

Wow was all I could say when I saw these photos on Surfing Magazine's site of Sam Hammer and Balaram Stack...

With a storybook climax at 10’- 12’ Pipe that included two last second charges to win his 5^th Round and Quarterfinal heats, Mick Fanning took his 3^rd World Title.  He had to get to the Semis in order to win the World Title or else it was 11x World Champ Kelly Slater’s to lose.  And that’s never someone you want to be in charge of your fate.  Truth is that Fanning never looked that solid in his heats against CJ and Yadin, but both times, he did enough to get through and he did it in the dying seconds.  Yadin Nicol-a WCT veteran and West Oz hellman-took control from the first couple of minutes of the Quarterfinal heat and looked to be man-handling Fanning.  The opening for Mick came when Yadin had to grab a wave to hold him off, but the necessary move gave priority to Mick.  One last 3^rd reef set rolled in w/ seconds to go and Fanning grabbed a drainer that secured him a 9.7--only .13 over what he needed.

Mark Cunningham is a bodysurfer.  In his words, he’s a “one trick pony” and he’ll guffaw at the mere mention of the title ‘waterman’.  But calling Cunningham a ‘bodysurfer’ is to call Kelly Slater ‘a surfer’, Picasso ‘a painter’ or Shaun White ‘that snowboard guy’.  Mark is magic in the water and has been referred to by those in the know as one of the best surfers to ever grace our oceans.  Watch his sections in Keith Malloy’s bodysurfing movie Come Hell or High Water and you’ll get a glimpse at his extraordinary abilities.

Women’s pro surfing needs Erica Hosseini.  She’s the package that provides the answer to what it’s been looking for since Lisa Andersen won her world titles. Why? Because she’s putting it all together with ridiculous beauty, a nerd-level love of technology & social media, raw surfing talent, a penchant for branding and smarts.

It's official! Matt Warshaw--surfing's most prolific chronicler--launched the long-awaited website www.EncyclopediaofSurfing.com.  The site is an extension of the book that was published in 2003, which has stood as the ultimate listing of all things surf. As a former pro, editor of Surfer Magazine and author of such books as The History of Surfing, Surf Movie Tonite!, Maverick's and Photo/Stoner, Warshaw is THE source for surf history, stories and profiles.  Surfers wouldn't want anyone else putting up a definitive source of surf info and now it's all at your fingertips.  Check out the site and check back here for more on Matt and his work.

The net has been blowing up lately about the oceanic and coastal effects that radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant is causing in the Pacific as a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Blogs, in particular, are using the image below to depict scenes of “an out-of-control flow of death and destruction” and imminent outcomes of widespread radioactive waters off the West Coast of the US. Dire prophecies are so overwhelming that it seems we are all going to burn in a fiery radioactive haze in mere hours. But there’s just one problem, the images you see don’t reveal actual conditions, but rather simulations, which makes a very big difference.

We got to talk with Chris Kelly to hear his thoughts on the contest, hangin’ with Parko in Bali and a few dreamy days at the fabled Desert Point.  Read on…