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...
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.
