The 2011 ASP women’s world title was settled this past July, when Hawaii’s Carissa Moore clinched it at the Roxy Pro in Biarritz, France.  Although no one disputes her talent or worthiness, Moore’s first world championship will go into the record books with an asterisk stamped next to it.  To have a so-called world tour end in the middle of summer (with no event in Hawaii!) is just not right, but the ASP was hamstrung and could not schedule anymore events for the Wahine because they ran out of sponsorship funding.  Unfortunate as that situation is, Queen Carissa will represent the fairer sex in the upcoming 2011 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, and hopefully she makes enough of a stir against the boys that surfing’s industry giants recognize the snafu and open up their pocketbooks for the ladies in 2012.

The ASP men’s tour will also have an asterisk next to it as a “mid-year rotation” was implemented after the Quiksilver Pro New York event in September.  The highly controversial process is highly involved and complex, so I won’t get into all the details here, but let’s just say a few tour veterans were knocked out of the world rankings (and their livings) when the dust from the reshuffling had finally settled.  During a post-heat interview at the QPNY, Santa Barbarian Bobby Martinez pulled no punches in a profanity-laced tirade against the ASP officials, their system, the rotation, and all those he deemed to have unjustly benefited from the reseedings or were lesser talented surfers.

As it turns out, at least one of the new seeds; 17 year old Gabriel Medina of Brazil proved that there was some merit to the change when he blew up against defending world champion and current ratings leader Kelly Slater in the finals of the Quiksilver Pro France and clearly won the event.  We’ll see if Medina turns out to be a fluke, but there’s no denying his talent. The other Elite Top 34 newcomers; Brazil’s Miguel Pupo (winner/Mike 6.0 Lowers Pro), John Florence of Hawaii (Backdoor Shootout & Volcom Pipe Pro) aren’t exactly slouches either.

A defiant Martinez, in the meantime, was booted off the tour UFN and he’s stated emphatically and publicly that he is through with professional surfing, at least where the ASP is involved.  He’s currently back home in California, mulling his immediate future (as are his sponsors). This is really unfortunate because Bobby is an amazing surfer, and it’s the tour’s loss that he (and his passion) isn’t around anymore.  I hope he returns one day and helps maintain a presence for speed and power-based full rail surfing on the tour.

As of this writing, the remarkable Kelly Slater leads the world title race coming into the Rip Curl Search San Francisco.  Slater turns 40 years old next February and he just keeps blowing the minds of his fans, competitors, and the media.  He may have already clinched the Men’s title by the time you read this, needing only to place equal 9th or higher at Ocean Beach, SF, and this guy can get 9th place finishes in his sleep.  If he cannot, he’ll nail it down at the Billabong Pipeline Masters in December, basically by just showing up at the beach.

For awhile there, things were looking pretty chippy as 21 year old. 6’3” Owen Wright of Australia went into three consecutive finals against Slater in Tahiti, New York, and California.  “The Avatar” looked like he may be gaining on the defending champ, rattling and beating him with flawless wave selection and poise at Long Beach.

But Kelly, ever the obsessive competitor, battled back to win the Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles, re-establishing himself as the world tour’s alpha male.  Top Fiver’s Wright, Adriano De Souza, Joel Parkinson, and Taj Burrow are closely packed 2 through 5, but it would take a miracle for any of them to pass Slater at this point.  Subconsciously, they’ve all conceded to Kelly, and the fight is now on for second place and maybe a few empty barrels at Pipeline.

With her giant winter swells, numbingly cold and murky water, white sharks, howling onshore winds, thick fog banks, shallow sandbars, and endless bands of whitewater out to the horizon, Ocean Beach in San Francisco can be a very fickle and temperamental lady.  But easy money is on one man’s beaming smile and an 11th ASP World Title crown to bring a warm ray of light to the event site. 

Coming up on Oceanic SURF Channel in November

Frigid temperatures, tons of whitewater, and potent surf await the world’s best at the 2011 Rip Curl Search San Francisco, November 1st through the 12th.  Ocean Beach is known for its testing conditions and potential for huge winter swells.  Current ratings leader Kelly Slater could clinch an amazing 11th ASP world title in this event.  Can he do it?  Tune into Oceanic SURF Channel and find out!

It’s time to break out the big guns as the annual Vans Triple Crown of Surfing kicks off with the 2011 Reef Hawaiian Pro from Haleiwa’s Ali’i Beach.  This ASP men’s prime draws the world’s best surfers, in the world’s best waves, and Haleiwa is known worldwide as one of the pre-eminent high performance big waves on the planet.  Tune in November 12th through the 23rd and watch all the thrilling action!

Renowned as surfing’s most challenging big wave arena, world famous Sunset Beach hosts the 2011 Van’s World Cup of Surfing, November 24th through December 6th.  The playing field is massive and complex, with towering peaks exploding on the reef with one-of-a-kind Hawaiian style power.  It’ll all be televised live in crystal clear high-definition on Oceanic SURF Channel!

Surfer Magazine is bringing the 2011 Surfer Poll Awards back to the North Shore, and Oceanic SURF Channel would like to take 6 lucky Oceanic customers to the show as our special VIP guests, where they can rub shoulders with the world’s top surfers and cinematographers in the midst of the Vans Triple Crown excitement!
It will be held at the Turtle Bay Resort ballroom on Tuesday evening, December 6th, and will be televised live from 7pm – 11pm. Click here for contest rules and the online entry blank.  Hope to see you there!

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