The chaps from the Wave Garden have been causing quite a stir for a couple of years now since thay showed off there fun venture. There is talk of the Basque boys bringing a Wave Garden to the UK sometime in the near future and rumour has it that it will be somewhere near Brsitol.

Will have to wait and see when it does arrive – but here are a few images and video clip to check out now.

Consistent Wave

Oh to have one of these in the back garden

Riding a Wave - Garden Style

Wave Garden

Wavegarden (Short) from wavegarden on Vimeo.

It looks like Kelly Slater could be on target for an 11th world surfing title after triumphing at feared Teahupoo in Tahiti.

The American great went into the Billabong Pro ranked No.6 but came out the new No.1 after triumphing over Australian young gun Owen Wright in the final on Monday (Tuesday AEST).

Kelly Slater wins the Billabong Pro Tahiti

He capitalised as Joel Parkinson, Jordy Smith, Adriano De Souza, Mick Fanning and Taj Burrow all failed to reach the quarter-final stage.

Slater won the Billabong Pro Tahiti in clean double overhead waves that produced one of the greatest surf contests in competitive surfing history.

If you were watching the live streaming you will have seen how masive the waves were – and at one point on Saturday the contest was called off because the swell was too big, a reason for not running a contest unheard of in the ASP World Tour.

An impromptu tow-in surf event was called that caused a bit of a stir on Billabong’s Facebook page as the media team struggled to set up the live streaming – but amidst massive waves the Billabong team pulled it out of the bag to record some of the most amazing surfing at Teahupo’o ever.

Bruce Irons Expression Session

In a moving tribute to his brother, Bruce Irons surfed a 30 minute expression session in between the semis and the final.

Bruce Irons Expression Session in memory of Andy Irons

Kelly Wins

Kelly Slater wins in Tahiti

Kelly defeated Josh Kerr in the semifinals before taking down Australian goofy footer Owen Wright 18.43 to 17.10 in a thrilling final that left Wright disappointed and Slater yet again a winner at an ASP World Tour Event, covering over two decades of sheer dominance.

“I felt like I finally hit my stride in the Semifinals this morning,” said Slater. “In the Final, I fell on a couple of waves that were maybe better than what I ended up getting scored on. It put the pressure on me, and took the pressure off him (Wright). He got that really big one at the end that could have gotten pretty close to the score. These are the best conditions this event has ever run in. It’s been a phenomenal week.”

Slater takes over the mantle previously held by the late Andy Irons, who won the event last year.

“You know Andy won last year, and I had my last heat here with him, ” said a choked up Slater. “There’s a lot of things that are really meaningful in it for me. Kind of a bookend for me and Andy. To win these events back-to-back is really nice.”

The win catapulted Slater to the top of the ASP World Tour Rankings, as the previous top five were all eliminated in the first three rounds of the contest. The defending 10-Time World Champion is now in the driver’s seat for an unprecedented 11th World Title.

Jeremy Flores Biggest Wave at Billabong Pro Tahiti

Jeremy Flores (FRA), 23, put in some of the most inspiring performances of the event, bagging the biggest waves and even surfing a Perfect 20 heat in yesterday’s idyllic conditions. For his heroics, Flores was awarded the Andy Irons Award for most committed performance of the event. This is the inaugural year for the award, honoring the late ASP and Billabong Pro Tahiti Champion Andy Irons.

“Andy (Irons) meant everything to me,” Flores said. “He has been the guy I’ve looked up to my whole life. In heavy waves, in all waves, he was the best and to earn this award is so special for me. He inspired everyone on tour and he’s been my inspiration in Tahiti. I know he was smiling on this event. Thank you Andy.”

Kelly Rides a Quad Set up

And what of Kelly’s board set up than won him the final….

Looking confident from his opening heat Kelly was convinced riding a quad was the right decision at the infamous Tahitian reef pass.

“I rode my K2.1 Quad set-up for the entire event, it felt really fast and comfortable in the tube. The quad set-up seems to provide a little more security especially in the barrel, it also gives you more control when you’re riding a shorter board”.

Kelly Slater Quiver Decks for the Billabong Pro Tahiti

The innovative new V1 wetsuit from Billabong

Earlier this year a surfer in Hawaii set a world record paddling into a 57-foot wave off Maui, and his secret weapon was something straight out of a James Bond movie – a self-inflating wetsuit!

The surfer was Shane Dorian and the wetsuit was the new Billabong V1. It’s been described by experts as a total game changer, and it’s easy to see why! For a long time we’ve heard about the dangers of being pushed under by a huge wave, and what this wetsuit does is offer an element of safety to big-wave surfers like Dorian.

Billabong V1 Inflatable Wetsuit

So what’s the secret? When a surfer finds themselves deep underwater, they simply pull the shoulder-mounted ripcord, which inflates the back-mounted air bladder with a small carbon dioxide cartridge. You don’t even need to swim, just let the wetsuit take you back to the surface.

Dorian’s idea for the wetsuit came about last year after he experienced one of the worst wipeouts of his life, and only narrowly escaped drowning. He wanted a wetsuit which would improve safety for the big wave surfers, and took his suggestion to Billabong.

They went away and got a bit of know-how from a team of military equipment manufacturers, who were able to offer advice on designing the underwater air bladder. A prototype of the Billabong V1 wetsuit was created and then tested by Dorian , first in calm waters, then the real test – the Cortes Bank, an open ocean surf-break 100 miles off the coast of California.

The test went exactly as hoped. After being pulled underwater following a bad wipeout, Dorian would have been in big trouble without the V1 wetsuit. He yanked the cord, and it inflated and carried him swiftly up to the surface. Success!

V1 Wetsuit Release

Billabong is still waiting for the patent for the V1 technology, and hasn’t announced when the suit will be available on the market yet. It looks like a winner though, so hats off to Billabong for a genuinely groundbreaking piece of innovation!

Billabong V1 Wetsuit Video

Here is Shane Dorian himself, introducing the Billabong V1 big wave floatation wetsuit:

Visit the Wetsuit Centre for the latest Billabong wetsuits

Billabong XXL Awards

FMG surfer Benjamin Sanchis from Hossegor, France, has won the BIGGEST WAVE category at the Billabong XXL Awards, which took place at the famous Grove Theatre in Los Angeles on April 29th. Benjamin rode the wave at the spot of Belharra in the French Basque Country on February 16th 2011.

Check out Benjamin’s wave with the other Billabong XXL nominees:-

To see more from this session check out this little clip:

Says Benjamin: “This is so amazing and I think I need to sleep over it and let it all sink in! I have worked so much over the last few years, chasing swells, trying to surf big waves. I work really hard to stay fit, to be on the ball. Now I rode the biggest wave over the last year. That’s pretty crazy. This is what I love to do, this is what I strive for, so to succeed and get recognized for all your hard word and endeavors is a huge bonus. I will try to push the envelope even further in the future that’s for sure. I’m so happy right now and want to thank my girlfriend Luna, all my friends and family at home, my sponsors and my management FMG!”

Follow Benjamin Sanchis on his blog http://bensanchis.tumblr.com/

Benjamin is sponsored by Billabong, Monster Energy, Electric Sunglasses, Nixon watches, Kustom, Eastpak and FCS.

Sorted Surf took over Boscombe Beach at the weekend with the second annual Sorted Surf Festival.

We’re absolutely delighted with how it went. The festival went down an absolute storm, with everyone having a great time down on the beach and out in the water.

We may not have had the wind we were hoping for, but otherwise it was perfect weather, and we spent the weekend basking in the gorgeous sunshine.

Thousands of people turned out on the Saturday and Sunday to take part in the festivities, so we’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who came down to support us – you made the event the great success it was. It’s events like this that show just how far Boscombe seafront has come in terms of the regeneration of the area over recent years. Great job everyone!

While we weren’t able to go ahead with the competition as planned, we made the most of the gentle surf with lots of stand-up paddle boarding events, races and relays.

The seafront was packed with hundreds of yards of stalls, flags and tents, proving that when it comes to staging big surfing events, Bournemouth can rival anything the rest of the UK has to offer.

All the exhibitors near Urban Reef and Sorted Surf Shop told us they were buzzing with trade all weekend, and they were able to give plenty of people the opportunity to try out different sports for the first time, which is really what the festival is all about.

As well as the great local support, we had folks attending from all across the South of England, who made the trip over to Bournemouth to take part and soak up the festival vibe. Thanks guys, we hope you’ll be heading back again for Sorted Surf Festival 2012!

Sorted Surf Festival 2011 Gallery

Tourism Australia and Quiksilver Announce ‘Surf, Sun and Social Networking’ Facebook Contest

Calling all Bloggers and Facebook Fans…..

Here’s a Chance to Win a Trip to Australia to be the Official Blogger for the 2012 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast

Tourism Australia and Quiksilver announced today they have launched a Facebook contest, “Surf, Sun and Social Networking in Australia,” that will send one lucky winner to Australia to be the official blogger for the 2012 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

Beginning March 14 and ending April 8 contestants will have the opportunity to upload their best adventure photo to either Facebook.com/AustraliaWorkandPlay or Facebook.com/Quiksilver and describe in 100 words or less what they think is the best adventure Down Under. Whether it’s hiking in search of wildlife, on a quest for the perfect break, or discovering a new world underwater, Australia’s got it all.

And for those who aren’t familiar with Aussie adventures, they can get inspired by visiting Australia.com or Quiksilver.com. The winner will be determined by who has the most “likes” at the end of the contest period.

“There’s nothing like an Australian adventure,” said Daryl Hudson, vice president, the Americas for Tourism Australia. “From our iconic beaches, to our world-class cities and of course our native wildlife, the winning blogger will be on the front lines of some amazing experiences.”

The winner will receive a two-week trip to Australia including round-trip international economy airfare from Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, or New York to Australia; one week in Queensland attending and blogging from the 2012 Quiksilver Pro, and vacation and blogging for one week in another Australian state of their choice.

“The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast is the premier surf event in all of Australia and the kick-off to the world tour every year,” said Eddie Anaya, Marketing Director of Quiksilver. “It’s exciting to partner with Tourism Australia to offer one of our fans a behind the scenes experience where they get to blog and rub elbows with the best surfers in the world at one of Australia’s legendary surf breaks – Snapper Rocks.”

Good luck if you are entering – we have already started work on ours !

Graphics from the Facebook.com/Quiksilver

Become the next Quiksilver Blogger at 2012 Quiksilver Pro

Flash Bomb - from Rip Curl

Well there has been a lot of talk about the Rip Curl Flash Bomb Wetsuit in the industry recently and the word is slowly getting out that there is a new “wetsuit on the block”!

This is one of those suits that pushes the boundaries just that little bit further and who know could well be the start of a new trend in wetsuit technology.

The Flash Bomb is not due out until the Autumn / Winter of 2011 /2012 but the kind chaps at Rip Curl gave Sean one off the first run to try out.

Rip Curl Quick Dry Wetsuit

The most amazing feature of the Flash Bomb is that it is touch dry in 15 minutes – so no more getting in to a cold and wet suit after your early session. Just turn the suit inside out and because the new “furry lining” technology it will dry in no time at all.

Flash Dry Lining, E3 neoprene, and Stitch-less Seam Technology.

The Flashbomb also features a fully waterproof zip and new stitchless technology which means zero water penetration allowing you to stay dry and warmer for longer. The new Rip Curl wetsuit uses the latest E3+ tape to reinforce all the seams on the inside which is more stretchy than the traditional liquid tape and it gives the same durability to seams of the suits, so no more pinholes.

Rip Curl Flash Bomb Video Review

Jeff shows off the latest technology from Rip Curl and introduces the main features of the Flash Bomb.

Rip Curl Flash Bomb Gallery

Here’s our first few shots of the Rip Curl Flash Bomb before we hit the water with it. Once we have tried it a few times we wil bring you an update.

Alana Blanchard Rip Curl

Billabong’s Spring Collection has been causing quite a stir in the office – but then we got wind of the new Rip Curl Bikini Zine and now we just can’t decide which collection takes the top slot.

The new Rip Curl Zine shows off Alana Blanchard’s signature bikini-clad derriere very nicely!

But you will have to make your own mind up which collection comes out on top.

Click the link to view the full Rip Curl Bikini Zine and download the screensavers below (click the image, right mouse click to save to your desktop).

Download - Rip Curl Bikini Wallpaper

Download - Alana Blanchard - Rip Curl

Download Cali - Rip Curl Bikini Screensaver

Billabong Bob Marley Surfwear Collection

Collaboration seems to be the name of the game at the moment. We have seen the major surf brands go this route before with Sony signing a deal with Billabong to create the Sony VAIO W Billabong Netbook – and more recently they teamed up with the band Green Day to release the Billabong Green Day Mass Hysteria Boardshort .

One World, One Love

Well, Billabong have done it again. This time they have announced an exclusive deal with Marley & Co to present The Billabong X Bob Marley Collection.

Ziggy Marley, son of the late Bob Marley was excited with the news:-

I love it! The collection is cool and conscious,” as it takes into consideration the environmental sensitivities that have been used in this collection.

“Hanging on the beach after a surf, listening to Reggae is part of the surfing culture no matter where you are in the world,” said Graham Stapelberg, VP of Marketing at Billabong USA.

“Bob Marley’s music is timeless – and a natural fit for Billabong.”

His songs fuse social awareness, irresistible reggae beat and cultural relevance into a celebration of life embraced universally.

Billabong is committed to the development of earth-friendly, innovative products that adhere to the Marley family’s core values: Equality, authenticity, and sustainability. Or as Bob might put it: “Make way for the positive day.”

The Billabong X Bob Marley Collection

The Bob Marley Surf Collection consists of boardshorts, tee shirts, tank tops, and selected accessories, the line reflects the energy, passion and fun that infused Marley’s life.

The whole collection is made using premium recycled and organic materials, supporting environmentally safe products. This means less pollution, with superior quality, function and performance. The collection will be marketed in store, online and print.

The collection will be available Feburary 1st, 2011.

Billabong x Bob Marley Collection Gallery

Ok, the snow might have disappeared and the weather in the UK has actually been feeling quite mild the last few days – but we are still in the depths of Winter.

However, the designers at Billabong have obviously been busy and launched their ladies Spring Surf Series collection to whet our appetites – and not a Billabong Wetsuit in site.

The range includes 4-way stretch boards shorts made from recycled PET bottles and a rather daring neoprene cut out racer back one piece swimsuit.

Billabong Spring Series Gallery