Whilst its great to be able to check the surf so easily when you are near a computer with internet access, and even using WAP etc on your mobile it still involves you remembering to check and actually doing it..

We have come up with the solution! Sunset Surf is now trialling a buoy height and wind text alert service.

Currently this is just in trial to see how usefull people find this. Parameters that you can specify are: Buoy number, wave height, wind direction and wind speed. So for example when a buoy hits 10ft and the wind direction is Northerly you will get a text each hour those conditions are met. You can also specify the time you wish to be alerted, i.e dont get texts at 3am in the morning!

Currently this service is only available in the UK and to UK Mobile phones.

If you are interested in taking part of this trial, please drop us a note using the contact us form on the left and we will arrange to get you added!

If it works out sucessfully we will bring it online as a full service.

The Nixon WTA, now in its third year, will award the surfer with the highest single heat score a custom Nixon watch valued at over $10,000 USD. Any wave from trials to finals counts, leaving the WTA award open to all contenders during the weeklong event.

According to Nixon’s Marketing Manager, Mike Murciano, “The wave at Jeffrey’s Bay offers a little for everyone. From turning sections to amazing tube sections, it’s the perfect arena for competitors to showcase their skills. I’m really excited to see who runs away with this one.”

Each WTA watch features a Swiss Made chronograph with day and custom color date, a titanium carbide coated case and band with rotating bezel and countdown timer, sapphire crystal, a custom-engraved caseback and custom set diamonds and rubies.

Previous Nixon WTA J-Bay Winners for Highest Heat Score include:
2008- Taylor Knox

2007- Kelly Slater

Video content of each of the WTA stops and winners will be available to view on billabongpro.com

Ryan Payne Wins Inaugural Xcel Supertubes Showdown
Sets Up Perfect 10 in Final Heat for Victory

JEFFREYS BAY, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 29, 2009 – In what can only be described as perfect 4′-6′ J-Bay, Ryan Payne outpointed Warren Dean in a dramatic and incredibly close final of the inaugural Xcel Supertubes Showdown.

Joining Payne and runner-up Dean in the 4-man final were consummate barrel rider Deon Lategan and stylemaster Stan Badger. The long, smooth tuberiding style of Badger helped him advance into the final, but left him short in the last 45 minutes. Lategan started off strong and fast, with some big hooks and long barrels, but the last 20 minutes belonged to Payne and Dean going wave-for-wave.

Ryan Payne

Towards the end it seemed impossible to separate the two, but a perfect 10-point ride saw Payne edge out the experienced Dean, taking the Supertubes crown and the wildcard into the Von Zipper trials.

“It’s the best contest I have ever competed in,” said a stoked Payne. “To have Supers as good as it was with just your mates in the water – we were all winners! I just got lucky and ended up with the contest win as well.”

“It was an amazing event,” said Mike Ginsberg when the dust had settled after the final. “Warren Dean surfed well, but after Ryan’s tube on his last wave he was the clear-cut winner.”

One stand-out of the day was 14-year-old Dylan Lightfoot, who charged Supers but missed making the final by a mere 0.4. Another competitor, Ashley Walter, caught a wave in his heat that he dubbed his “best wave in 17 years.”

Contest organiser Koffie Jacobs was also pleased with the conditions, event turn-out, and support of the local community. “It doesn’t get much better than this,” said Jacobs as the crowds cheered the final heat’s 10-point tube ride by Payne.

Xcel Supertubes Showdown Final Results:
1. Ryan Payne
2. Warren Dean
3. Deon Lategan
4. Stan Badger

Best Move: Deon Lategan
Best Barrel: Ryan Payne
Wave of the Day: Warren Dean

The event was presented by Xcel and sponsored by DaKine, Von Zipper, Red Bull, Billabong, Nixon, and Sector 9.

For more information on the Xcel Supertubes Showdown, please contact Koffie Jacobs.

About Xcel
Founded in 1982, Xcel International, Inc. (Xcel) is a global wetsuit brand distributed throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim. Headquartered on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Xcel’s core wetsuit business focuses on the cutting edge of material and design development. Xcel’s primary markets include surf, dive, wakeboard, paddle, and sun (UV protection). In addition to its North Shore office, Xcel has stores on Oahu, Kauai, and Maui; and a warehouse/repair facility in California.

To learn more about Xcel, please visit www.xcelwetsuits.com.

We need you to come along to the first action of our new Protect Our Waves (POW) campaign.  Simply turn up to Kimmeridge Bay

Kimmeridge

(directions below) with your wetsuit and board at 10am on Saturday the 20th of June, International Surfing Day and show the Secretary Of State for Defence how important waves are to surfers and waveriders.  This is your chance to be an active part of a solution-based campaign protecting waves at The Gathering.

Windsurfing

The Gathering will be a mass paddle out at Kimmeridge to demonstrate how significant and passionate the UK’s surfing and wave-riding communities are, not least local Bournemouth and Dorset surfers.  Winning this campaign will set a strong precedent for protection of all waves and all waveriders’ rights to access them, so all surfers have a vested interest!  The Gathering will form the foundations for the Broadbench campaign and we need the foundations to be as strong as possible. We need you to attend!

Broadbench is a quality wave in Kimmeridge Bay, described by many as one of Britain’s best.  Unfortunately it falls right on the outer boundary of a MoD firing range.  Obviously SAS are not asking the MoD to reduce their use of this important firing range. However, there is a compromise that will ensure surfers and waveriders can have 100% access to Broadbench without impacting on the MoD’s full use of the firing range.

For more information contact Andy on 01872 555 952 or 07711 767 548 or email andy@sas.org.uk

Parking is £4 at Kimmeridge Bay.  Directions below.

Kimmeridge

Head to Wareham, Dorset.

From Wareham it’s a 7.7 mile drive (16 minutes approx)

Head south out of Wareham on the B3075 for approximately 1.3 miles

At the roundabout take the second exit onto Furzebrook Road

Continue on Furzebrook Road for 3 miles then take a right onto an unmarked road

Follow this road for just over a mile and then take a left

Continue for another mile then another right turn followed by an immediate right turn again

Continue for another mile until you see the big grass car park on the right hand side

Look out for loads of surfers, wind surfers and kite surfers, the Surfers Against Sewage tent and signs!

The hard work is over and the Gul night surf ticked all the right boxes. The weather was fantastic, the quality of waves and performances from British surfers, was amongst the best we have seen at a UK surf event and thousands of people turned up at Fistral beach, Newquay to be part of this truly unique event. 

Alan Stokes wins the Gul Night surf with a spectacular display of surfing, scoring a perfect 10 on the way to the final. Alan now has the most wins for an individual event on the UK Pro Surf Tour, making it three times over the nine year history of the competition. Runner up was local surfer Tom Butler, who must have put on the most improved performance by any individual surfer and was unlucky to loose out in the final, despite scoring the best wave of the heat. Third place went to Reubyn Ash of Bude, whose semi final heat raised the bar for the other surfers. Fourth place went to Oli Adams who failed to catch the better waves coming through in the heat.

Jo Denison from Pembrokeshire dominated the Women’s event throughout all her heats, also taking the Queen of the wave award, for the highest Women’s scoring wave of 9.5, sponsored by King of watersports.com. Second place went to Gwen Spurlock of Swansea making it her second runners up place on the Tour. First time finalised Laura Crane who normally competes in the under 16 Girls division took third place, followed by forth place for Hannah Harding of Totnes.

Ben Skinner in the Longboard category took first place making it two years in a row of UK Pro Surf Tour titles at the Night Surf. Second place went to Nathan carter, followed by James Parry and Adam Griffiths.

The First Stand up Paddle board event sponsored by Custard point was won by former European and Current Welsh Longboard champion Elliot Dudley. Second place went to event sponsor Tim Mellors, third place was taken by French Surfer Gregory Closier and forth was two times finalised Adam Griffiths.

Winning the Relentless money move for the best floating manoeuvre was past tour champion Micah Lester of Australia. King of Watersports.com highest scoring wave was of course taken by Alan Stokes.

Many thanks go out to all the sponsors of Gul Night Surf including the International Surf Centre, Ann’s Cottage, Fistral Blu, Beach Night Club and Custard Point.

Director of UK Pro Surf Tour Dave Reed comments “I would like to thank all the sponsors of this spectacular event, one which will be hard to improve on in the future, but I am sure we will, with the commitment of leading UK Surf Brand Gul International. Without their foresight and support of surfing the event would not have taken place this year.”

The Gul Night Surf came to a close on the Sunday with some spectacular surfing from the Groms, tomorrow’s generation of Professional surfers.

First place in the U16 boys event went to Beau Bromham of Croyde with an excellent display of high class surfing, in waves which were unfortunately not as consistent as the previous day. Max tucker of Porthcawl made the most of the day and took a well deserved second place. Third place went to Luke Dillon at his home break and a very respectable forth went to Welsh surfer Tom Good.

In the U16 Girls event, first place went to Lucy Campbell of Woolacombe with a standard of surfing that secures her as one of our best Junior female surfers in the country. Second place went to Sophie Sainsbury of Port Issac with an impressive a confident display of her talent seeing her in another Grom final. Juide lowe of Newquay came third with Gabi Rowe taking forth.

The Under 12 Open went to St Ives youngster Harry De Roth, with a display that impressed the judges throughout his heat becoming a real name to watch as the future of British surfing. Second place went to another Cornish surfer Max Payne who surfed consistently to secure a very respectable result. Third place went to Will Bailey and forth to Angus Scotney.

Jake Patterson of Gul comments “the weekends surfing talent was excellent and when you see these youngsters competing you have to look twice to comprehend what you are seeing. It is so hard to believe how outstanding these young boys and girls are at such young age. It very encouraging to see the future of British surfing, at such a high level that was seen at the Gul Night Surf. We may all have witnessed the future Men’s and Women’s world champion this weekend!”