Pollution: the current state of Italy’s coastal areas

Pollution: the current state of Italy’s coastal areas

Here’s a very interesting report by Legambiente, dated August 2010 but currently of interest, depicting the current state of Italy’s coastal areas. This article is useful for both our Italian and international readers, considering the number of tourists who come visit Italy (of which we are very pleased and proud!!), its art and towns as well as sea resorts.   

This report is quite disturbing… unfortunately Italy’s a beautiful country only in a postcard, while if you take a closer look at it it’s pretty dreadful… especially in terms of its huge environmental problems and protection. Over the past few days, the government has been dealing with a protest that sparked in Campania due to the waste disposal issue and some members of the Italian government just dismissed the issue, making arrogant statements. The point is NOT who made mistakes in the past or who’s making the decisions today. Perhaps we are just tired of paying the consequences of other people’s “crimes” and, like Mother Nature, we’ve had enough. Italians are lucky to live in such a wonderful place and it’s time to roll up our sleeves and do something! We owe respect to this country!    

  

      

2010 Goletta Verde’s outcome: 169 critical areas

169 critical areas threaten the “health” of the Italian sea, one every 44 km of coast. 132 river mouths are polluted. Campania, Calabria and Sicily earned the summer 2010 “black shirt” for the most polluted sea. 15% of Italians are NOT connected to sewerage, while 30% of them, i.e. 18 million citizens, dispose of untreated household fluid and solid waste directly in rivers, lakes and the sea.          
Sardinia and Puglia, instead, positively stand out and have been assigned positive points, the so-called “sails”, which are awarded to coastal towns by Legambiente and Touring Club, in accordance with the 2010 Blue Guide.  
This is the final outcome of ‘Goletta Verde’ – the historic Legambiente campaign that aims to monitor and provide information on the “health” conditions of Italy’s coastal areas, sea, rivers and lakes. 
A two-month, 2000-mile journey along Italy’s coast and 25 legs, to monitor the sea and denounce cases of beach access being denied, violations of building regulations in coastal areas, new yet useless tourist harbors and energy threats: oil – off-shore drilling, refineries located on the coast and oil tankers – as well as the risk posed by new nuclear or coal-fired power plants.   
The 25^th Goletta Verde report put a spotlight on the key problems of the marine and coastal ecosystem; it analyzed river mouths and sea stretches that are polluted due to failure of or insufficient waste treatment and illegal waste disposal. And the outcome of this journey is not at all positive: there is a critical area every 44 km of coast and 87% of the contaminated samples collected by ‘Cigno Verde’ biologists are severely polluted, with quantities of bacteria of fecal origin that are double the allowed maximum limit imposed by law. These figures reveal a drop in water quality conditions compared to last year, when 81% of the samples analyzed were polluted.              
The results of the Goletta Verde analysis of river mouths reveal that Italian rivers are extremely polluted: an alarming situation, on the verge of a state of national emergency. Rivers are the main sources of marine pollution, which confirms that untreated sewage mainly comes from inland towns. Out of 169 critical areas, 132 are river mouths, 87% of which are severely polluted.        
As resulting from the analysis conducted by Goletta Verde’s mobile lab, water pollution by sewage is mainly due to the absence of or insufficient waste treatment.   
“The fact that the Italian sea is polluted due to the absence of sewage treatment plants for 18 million Italians is really embarrassing, since Italy’s the seventh most industrialized country in the world” said Stefano Ciafani, scientific director of  Legambiente. “We risk heavy sanctions due to Italy’s failure to meet EU water treatment requirements, and Europe won’t grant amnesty to our country, which has often used this mechanism, that only rewards slyness and deceit. 30 billion euros are needed to complete the sewerage and sewage treatment system: the government and local bodies must take action now in order to find the necessary funds to implement these public works as well as to avoid spending money unnecessarily to pay inexcusable EU sanctions at the taxpayer’s expense”.                 
Summer 2010 was also characterized by an amendment to the bathing water quality regulations, which risks making “the Italian sea clean by decree”. 
“Our analysis reveals that Italy’s sea and rivers are heavily polluted,” pointed out Barbara Meggetto, spokeswoman of Goletta Verde, “despite the entry into force of a new law on bathing waters this year, introducing less stringent requirements with respect to the previous regulations. Unlike what happened in 1982, when Italy decided to impose more stringent rules with respect to the European standards, building one of the best monitoring networks in Europe, this time our country took advantage of the situation and seized the opportunity offered by the EU law, imposing softer bathing rules. Italy therefore takes a step back with this new law, which now considers suitable for swimming certain sea stretches that only a few months ago weren’t”.         
Unfortunately, the threats to the Italian sea and coastal areas are not only posed by fecal bacteria, but also by property speculation and illegal buildings along the coast. As denounced by Legambiente’s 2010 ‘Mare Monstrum’ report, in 2009 unauthorized building along coastal state property increased by 7.6% vis-à-vis the previous year, with 3954 unlawful actions.      
Apart from houses, villas, residences and hotels with sea views, coastal areas are also “attacked” by harbor plans. Tourist harbors, in fact, are clearly one of the best subterfuges to urbanize the coast, bypassing and getting around town-planning regulations. And all this is in addition to the 130 thousand boat dock spaces currently available in Italy; moreover, an analysis conducted in 2008 by UCINA, the Italian nautical industry association member of Confindustria, reveals that, without adding a single cubic meter of concrete, but simply by reorganizing and restructuring existing harbors along Italy’s coast, an estimated 40 thousand new boat dock spaces could be obtained, of which 13,500 within six months.       
Among the new risks that pose a threat to the Italian sea and coast, moreover, Goletta Verde denounced the “Louisiana risk”, i.e. the oil-spill risk due to off-shore oil drilling and tanker transport.  
Currently, there are 9 oil drilling platforms in the Italian sea. Two of them are located in front of the Marche region (Civitanova Marche - MC), three in front of Abruzzo (Vasto - CH) and four in the Sicily channel in front of the stretch of sea between Gela and Ragusa.
Considering these 9 oil drilling platforms, the existing 12 oil refineries and 14 large oil harbors, over 343 million tons of petroleum products travel across our territorial sea every year. These figures place Italy among the countries that are at highest risk in terms of oil-spills and accidents.   
The ‘made in Italy’ oil rush has so far led to 95 grants for hydrocarbon research, of which 24 at sea, for an area of approximately 11 thousand square kilometers (sqkm). Moreover, 65 additional grants have been requested over the past two years, 41 of which at sea, for an area of 23 thousand sqkm. Specifically, the areas concerned are the Central and Southern Adriatic Sea, the Ionic Sea and the Sicily channel.  Sardinia’s sea and coastal areas are also at risk: 4 requests have been submitted for a total of 1838 sqkm in the Oristano and Cagliari Gulfs. Moreover, the enchanting sea stretch between the Elba and Montecristo islands is also at risk, for a total of 643 sqkm exactly in the middle of the Cetacean Sanctuary, in the Tuscan Archipelago National Park.       
An insane search for oil, in order to detect and extract the estimated 129 million tons that, according to the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, can still be found in the Italian sea and land. The game isn't worth the candle! In fact, as the country uses 80 million tons of oil on an annual basis, at current consumption levels, ‘made in Italy’ oil reserves would only last 20 months. Oil extraction in Italy would really put our future tourism development prospects and health at risk.      
The Goletta Verde report doesn’t only touch sore spots, though, it also reveals some positive things. It pointed out Italy’s areas of excellence and promoted biodiversity and Marine Protected Area (MPAs) conservation. In fact, 295 coastal areas stand out in terms of environmental protection and sustainable tourism promotion; these areas have been listed in the Blue Guide of Legambiente and the Italian Touring Club and classified according to the awarding of 1 to 5 “sails”, i.e. the maximum recognition. The summer 2010 areas of excellence are the following: Sardinia, Puglia and Tuscany. 14 towns have been awarded with five “sails”, i.e. Pollica (Sa), Cinque Terre (Sp), Ostuni (Br), Capalbio (Gr), Castiglione Della Pescaia (Gr), Nardò (Le), Capraia (Li), Salina (Me), San Vito lo Capo (Tp), Bosa (Or), Baunei (Og), Noto (Sr), Posada (Nu) and Otranto (Le); while other 42 towns with four “sails”.  
As usual, other Legambiente projects were promoted together with Goletta Verde, such as its sustainable energy campaigns, "Nucleare? Respingilo al mittente!", "Firma per le rinnovabili, no al nucleare" – and other initiatives, such as "Handiamo!", "2010, Anno Internazionale della Biodiversità", "Legambiente Turismo", "Stop ai sacchetti di plastica" as well as initiatives to promote the use of LPG for nautical purposes. 
The 25^th Goletta Verde analysis was conducted thanks to tax donations (in Italy, 5x1000 of one’s income can be donated to an organization of one’s choice) and to the funds granted by the Ecogas Consortium, which promotes the use of LPG not only for cars and scooters, but also for boats, and Novamont, a leading bioplastics producer (ranging from shopping bags to cutlery and other).    

You can find more information about this issue on the website: www.golettaverde.it.

Source: http://www.legambienteonline.it

www.greenoceansurfing.com

Green products

Green products

Green Ocean Surfing is not the only one interested in ecology and safeguarding the environment. All the major surfing brands (West, Rip Curl, Body Glove, Patagonia, Billabong etc.) are increasingly investing in research and are expanding their lines of “green” products, ranging from wetsuits to surf wear to lycras. And all the best pros in the world have also promoted and shown interest in green products: Mick Fanning surfed in Rip Curl’s green wetsuit during the Billabong Pro Mundaka in 2009 to raise awareness of environmental issues.  Rip Curl Planet Foundation, which was launched in 2008, is working to fight pollution and safeguard the ocean and surf spots worldwide by funding environmental projects.

But let’s take a quick look at some of these green products. West’s Eco-lycra is derived from bamboo, grown without the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and recycled plastic bottles, while Rip Curl has undertaken its neoprene recycling project since Spring '08 and its green wetsuit features a new neoprene that uses non-solvent glues in the lamination process, resulting in a major reduction of chemicals polluting the air. Patagonia uses limestone-based polychloroprene for most of its neoprene products to reduce dependence on oil and oil-derived chemicals and uses recycled polyester and chlorine-free wool in the lining to reduce environmental impact. Body Glove features its bamboo charcoal lycra, Eco gloves and wetsuits made of non-toxic stretch material and environmentally friendly non-petroleum Bio-Stretch rubber using organic and non-toxic water based inks; it even features eco bamboo skimboards! Billabong also features eco wetsuits: 90% recycled polyester and water based inks.

Here is an overview of some of these eco products, for you to check out and compare!  And remember: always choose an eco-friendly product!!!!!!!!!!! 

West Lycra

West’s Eco-lycra, derived from bamboo and recycled plastic bottles provides a superior quality fabric while conserving the earth’s valuable resources. Quickly renewable bamboo grows easily, the pulp is bleached without chlorine and is easy to dye, lessening the environmental impact from clothing production. This, combined with recycled plastic bottles brings a soft, durable fabric so you can maximize your surfing time, while doing your bit for the planet.

Source: http://westsurfing.com/wetsuits/lycra

Rip Curl – Green products

Project Resurrection

Rip Curl was proud to announce in Spring '08 the success of our neoprene recycling project. Never again would this material - so valuable to surfers in cold waters - be treated as trash! Project Resurrection can now save old wetsuits and production off-cuts from a gruesome end (burial or incineration), by offering worn neoprene a second life: reincarnation as a footwear outsole.
 

Solvent-Free Glues... The Green Wetsuit

Mick Fanning was seen at the Rip Curl Pro Search in Portugal in 2009 wearing a green wetsuit. He did so to get the message out, as he had been joining forces with Australia's Enviroweek.

The green Rip Curl wetsuit features a new neoprene that uses non-solvent glues in the lamination process, resulting in a major reduction of chemicals polluting the air. Approximately 800 tonnes of solvents currently evaporate into the air because of current neoprene laminating processes, so this development will be a huge improvement for the environment and will also benefit worker health.

"Wherever we can we are looking for ways to reduce any impact on the environment that our products may have," said Mick Ray, Rip Curl Global Wetsuit Chairman. "The laminating process has always been a particularly toxic one so this initiative of using non solvent based glues is going to be massive in terms of improving working conditions in the factories as well as reducing the amount of nasty pollutants in our air."

Eco Design In Our Products

Products wearing the Rip Curl Planet label are made with at least 55% eco-friendly fabrics like organic cotton, recycled fibres or other eco-friendly fabrics like linen or hemp. Want to know more about these fabrics?

 

Organic Cotton

Conventional cotton farming uses a lot of insecticides and pesticides. It can take as much as 17 teaspoons of toxic chemicals to grow the cotton needed to make one T-shirt. These toxic chemicals are harmful to farmers, they pollute soils, rivers and oceans.

Organic cotton is grown without chemicals. We are using more and more organic cotton for T-shirts and fleeces, but also in denims, dresses, shirts, caps, bags. 

Recycled Fibres

Recycling saves natural resources and produces less trash. We use recycled plastic bottles and polyester to make boardshorts, bikinis, bags and mountainwear. We use recycled neoprene to make footwear outsoles, and we use recycled wool and cotton to make jumpers and fleeces.

Other Eco-Friendly Fabrics

• Hemp, ramie, nettle and linen fibres: they're all made from plants that need very little farming (water, fertilisers, pesticides) and grow pretty much by themselves.
• Lyocell: a textile fibre made from wood pulp, like viscose, but with an eco-friendly process.

Source: http://www.ripcurlplanet.com/aid

Body Glove's Eco Mission

Smarter, Greener, Cleaner

Body Glove loves water. We love the oceans, the rivers, the lakes, the snow, the streams and the rain that allow us to enjoy the surfing and diving lifestyle. When you love something you want to do what you can to protect, preserve and enhance that love. We know that as humans and as a company who manufacturer products that we are far from perfect. With our Eco iniative we plan to outline how we (and you) can help protect, preserve and enhance what we love. 

Five Fingers of Body Glove's Eco Mission

1. Mission Statement: Body Glove will strive to follow the lead of our environmentally conscious founders and continue to support local and international environmental organizations while also leading the way in product development and corporate responsibility. Our mission is to be smarter, greener, cleaner.
2. Products: Body Glove will continue to expand the Eco line of products. The Eco product series goal is to incorporate, wherever reasonably possible, renewable, recycled, sustainable and/or organic materials to produce unique and high performance product.
3. History: Body Glove will celebrate and continue to highlight Bill and Bob Meistrell's history of environmental action.
4. Organizations We Support: Body Glove will continue to support local and international environmental organizations such as Reef Check, Surfrider Foundation, and Heal the Bay.
5. Take Action: Words can only do so much We are taking action and encouraging you to take action.

Source: http://www.bodyglove.com/eco/

www.greenoceansurfing.com

Tips for a healthy diet/what to eat before surfing

Nutrition is very important if you practice water sports, whether you’re an amateur or a professional; there are three key factors to consider in a diet: a quantitative, a qualitative and a chronological factor.   

In other words, there are three questions to ask about food: how much, what and when should we eat? A person who trains regularly needs a higher calorie intake than somebody who lives a sedentary lifestyle or doesn’t work out much: if you practice water sports you burn up more energy not only because of the physical activity you do but also because you physiologically need to keep your body temperature constant while you’re in the water; this mechanism burns energy. Moreover, when we talk about surfing or other water sports, we should also take weather conditions into account (microclimate: humidity, sun exposure, wind, air and water temperature), which influence individual nutritional needs.        

If you practice sports you should eat a bit of everything: eat a lot of vegetables and fresh fruit, avoid eating too much protein and animal fat. Your daily diet should be divided in at least 3 meals, 5 would be better, and don’t skip breakfast.   

A surfer’s daily diet should be well-balanced; you should not eat less than the amount of calorie intake for an average healthy adult: your calorie intake should be such that 55-60% of your total calorie intake is contributed by carbohydrates, 10-15% by proteins and 25-30% by fat.    

Your calorie intake should be divided as follows:

BREAKFAST  15-20 %

MID-MORNING SNACK 5-10 %

LUNCH 35-40 %

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK 5-10 %

DINNER 25-30 %

The chronological aspect of a diet essentially regards when to eat before surfing. In general, you have to take into account that: 

• it takes at least 6 to 8 hours before your body can use food for energy.  

• you should eat at least 3 hours before your surfing session (otherwise your body will not have time to digest the food and it will lay in your stomach because your blood has been diverted away from digestion and to the working muscles).

In a surfer’s diet, fats are surely among the highest-energy yielding nutrients. Fats are broken down and converted into energy during physical activity. However, remember that it takes at least 6 to 8 hours before your body can use food for energy.    

Fats supply energy pretty slowly, it takes the body 60 to 90 minutes to break down fats. So, if you can, try to eat fats well before surfing. 

Proteins are used as a source of energy only during intense and prolonged workout and if there is no stored body fat or sugar.

100 gr. of bread - 8.1 gr. of protein

100 gr. of semolina pasta - 10.9 gr. of protein

100 gr. of parboiled rice - 7.4 gr. of protein

50 gr. of crisp toasts - 5.7 gr. of protein

Carbohydrates, also called sugars, are ideal for surfers, because you can eat them before, during and after your surf session, and they help you regain energy quickly after training. Don’t consume too much of them, though.    

An excessive consumption of sugar, for example, causes “reactive hypoglycemia”. Sugar goes right from your digestive system into your bloodstream and increases your blood sugar level.   

At this point the body reacts by releasing a great quantity of insulin, which causes blood  glucose to drop below normal levels. This makes you feel tired and your muscles feel weak.   

Therefore, you have to eat those carbohydrates that do not alter your blood sugar levels at all or at least only in a minor way; but, most of all, as always, just use common sense. Foods rich is starch, fructose, and cereals, like bread, pasta, rice and fruit are ideal.   

These foods are easily converted into energy by the human body; they should be eaten before surfing to increase body glycogen stores for later use to fuel athletic performance.  

An important thing to watch out for when you practice water sports is to make sure you eat well in advance before training: as regards swimming and other water sports in the water you should wait at least 2-3 hours after your meal.      

You should eat light, nutritious meals that do not burden your body but provide enough energy to work out. You should never work out on an empty stomach or right after a meal.  

If you work out in the morning, you should have your breakfast at least 2 hours before your athletic performance, and you should eat light, easily digestible foods, such as: 

• 1 glass of milk, 3-4 crisp toasts or 1 slice of bread with jam;  

• 1 yoghurt, 2-3 tablespoons of breakfast cereals.

• 1 glass of fresh fruit juice and 5-6 dry cookies.

• 1 cup of tea, 1 piece of fruit pie and 1 apple.

• 1 glass of citrus fruit juice and 2 slices of toasted bread with honey.

• 1 glass of milk with barley and 1 piece of fruit pie or buttermilk cake or yoghurt plumcake.

If you work out in the afternoon, you should have a light, easily digestible lunch at least 2 hours before working out.

Pasta with tomato sauce; vegetables and high-protein foods (meat, cheese or fish, but less than 80 grams) are the ideal meal. 

Some suggestions for lunch:

• fusilli pasta with tomato sauce and basil; 1 teaspoon of parmesan cheese; 1 bread roll; mixed grilled vegetables; fresh fruit salad.   

• penne pasta with zucchini; 1 teaspoon of parmesan cheese; salad with raisins and pine nuts; 2 mandarins.

• spaghetti with olive oil and parmesan cheese; 2-3 slices of toasted bread; mixed salad with tomatoes, julienne carrots and corn; 1 small piece of fruit jam pie.

If you lunch out, at a bar or at the beach, you can choose among the following:   

• 1 cereal bread raw ham and salad sandwich; 2 kiwis. 

• 1 large mixed salad with cheese cubes and hazelnuts; 1 packet of crackers; 1 piece of buttermilk cake. 

• 1 mixed salad with emmer; 2 pears. 

• 1 slice of pizza with mozzarella and tomato; 1 apple.

As regards surface water sports, which, although they are performed atop water, still require great physical effort, we advice you to have a light, nutritious snack approximately 1 hour before. Pre-training snacks should consist of easily digestible carbohydrate-rich foods, as for breakfast, such as:   

• 1 fresh fruit or 1 glass of fruit juice.

• 1 piece of cake without cream.

• 1 glass of milk with barley; 1 slice of toasted bread or 2 crisp toasts with 1 teaspoon of jam or honey.

• 1 fruit yoghurt and 2-3 dry cookies.

• 1 cup of fruit salad and 2 cookies.

• 1 glass of fresh orange juice and 2 crisp toasts with honey.

• 1 slice of bread and 2 pieces of chocolate; 1 cup of tea or barley.

After your surf session you should eat a light, healthy and vitamin-rich snack to regain lost energy; for your post- and pre-training snacks you should eat the same kinds of foods. Otherwise, have a carbohydrate-rich dinner to replenish your glycogen storage. Here are some examples:  

• legumes and cereal soup; a 2-egg zucchini omelet; 2 kiwis.

• minestrone or vegetable soup; 1 bread roll; 1 slice of veal with balsamic vinegar; steamed spinach; fresh fruit salad.    

• legumes cream soup; cod fillet with tomatoes; mixed grilled vegetables; 1 bread roll.

And don’t forget to drink a lot. Replenishing lost fluids is as important as eating a healthy diet. First of all, the main rule to follow is not to drink during meals, to avoid diluting digestive enzymes and stomach acids, making it harder to break down food and making you feel stuffed.    

As regards what to drink, beverages that replenish lost mineral salts are the best choice, but don’t exaggerate. 

Make sure you drink before, during and after your surf sessions; you should avoid drinking large quantities of water at a time, try to drink frequently to constantly restore the minerals your body needs. It’s a good habit to carry a bottle of water or sugar-containing beverages, such as no-sugar-added fruit juice, with you when you go surfing.       

By: Dr. Fontana Lucia – Health and Nutrition Specialist  

Clinical nutrition - diabetology 

http://www.greenoceansurfing.com/

Stephanie Gilmore wins her 4th ASP World Title in a row!!

Stephanie Gilmore wins her 4^th ASP World Title in a row!!

It's monumental for women's surfing, too. Green Ocean Surfing wants to also pay attention to women’s surfing. Unfortunately it usually all revolves around men’s surfing and women are sort of out of the spotlight… it’s something GOS just can’t stand!! The level of women’s surfing is really very high and there are amazing and very talented women surfers in the world, for instance Australian Stephanie Gilmore. She started surfing when she was 10, when she stood on a bodyboard. By age 17 she was entering world tour events as a wild card competitor, and won the 2005 Roxy Pro Gold Coast. Only one year later, at 18, she won her first ASP world title. What else is there to say? 

Gilmore, like Slater, is a dominant force. Even though the pro surfing spotlight remains on Kelly Slater, who just won his 10^th ASP World Tour title, we should not forget what Stephanie Gilmore has accomplished.

22 year-old Stephanie Gilmore from Newcastle, Australia won her 4^th ASP World Title in a row – and took the 2010 Rip Curl Search title as well on Monday, November 1, in Puerto Rico.

She SHREDDDS!!!!

She defeated rookie sensation Carissa Moore (HAW), 18, in the finals, in two-to-three foot (1 meter) waves.

In challenging afternoon conditions, Gilmore locked in a near-perfect 9.80 out of a perfect 10 for a searing forehand assault on a rare clean righthander.

“I was just really fortunate that that wave cleaned up for me to do some damage on,” Gilmore said. “Even afterwards, I just couldn’t find a solid backup. Carissa (Moore) has been ripping all event long and she’s so dangerous. I was honored to be in the Final with her and to win it, just makes everything that much bigger.”

“I actually dreamed this one up last night,” Steph said. “Maybe I’m still dreaming. It’s been a monumental day for me. I mean, the best mindset to have in your heats is to be relaxed and calm, and after winning the title in the Quarters, I just felt really calm. So it worked out well and I think I actually surfed better after it was done and dusted.”

“This title means a lot to me,” Steph said. “The girls on tour this year have been the best they’ve ever been and I’ve been pushed in every one of my heats. The younger girls especially have a whole new approach and they’re gaining confidence in every surf. The future for the sport is going to be excited and I can’t wait for it. But for now, I’m going to celebrate my win.”

4x world champ....

Stephanie beat out Melanie Bartels (HAW) in the quarterfinals.
“I’m really at a loss for words right now,” Gilmore said. “Mel (Bartels) is one of the most dangerous surfers in the world and has had my number on several occasions. Even on that last wave there, I was certain she’d got the score. I was blown away when they called it out and I’m rapt right now.”

4 titles in 4 seasons means she’s unbeatable at this point. Gilmore has displayed an incredible level of dominance in her sport. She's now the most likely surfer to match Slater with 10 world titles.

“I guess I haven’t really been thinking about that,” Gilmore said. “But to hold a record that Layne (Beachley) or even Kelly (Slater) never got is pretty special. I never thought I would even win two consecutive titles so to win four is a massive achievement for me.”

“I probably wouldn’t have gotten four titles without Kelly to push me along. He was in my dreams the other night before I won”, revealed Stephanie Gilmore.

Kelly Slater, after winning  his 10^th ASP World Title in Puerto Rico, in reference to Stephanie Gilmore who won the women's title days earlier, said  “To come out and win the contest today and cap it off, getting a little bit of Stephanie Gilmore inspiration there”. “Stephanie was drinking champagne and then went out and still smashed everyone, but I didn't drink, I still stayed focused” Slater added.

Sources: http://www.aspworldtour.com/2010/11/01/four-time-asp-women%E2%80%99s-world-champion-stephanie-gilmore-takes-out-rip-curl-women%E2%80%99s-pro-search-puerto-rico/

http://surf.transworld.net/1000118266/features/steph-gilmore-wins-fourth-asp-world-title-in-a-row/2/

Here he goes again!! Kelly Slater wins his10th ASP world title

....and 10!!!!

Here he goes again!! Kelly Slater wins his10^th ASP world title
Kelly Slater (USA), 38, has made history, claiming an unprecedented 10^th ASP World Title at Rip Curl Pro Search Puerto Rico, on November 5.
Slater became the youngest world champion when he was crowned in 1992 and then recorded five consecutive world titles from 1994-1998. After a four year sabbatical Slater returned to win again in 2005, 2006, 2008 and now, in 2010.
 
Here’s a little story…
Back in 1984, on the Gold Coast, Australian surfing team coach Paul Neilsen got a call from Quiksilver founder Alan Green.
It was after the Pacific Cup, an international teams event, and Green wanted to get the goss on some kid from Florida.
"What's this kid like?" Green asked.
"He's the best surfer I've ever seen," Neilsen replied.
That kid was a 12-year-old Kelly Slater.
"In that era, most surfers surfed either on their front foot or their back foot," Neilsen recalled. "What was so noticeable was that he was so perfectly balanced. He was head and shoulders above the rest, even at that age. It was clearly visible where he was going. I'd never seen anyone so well balanced through every maneuver."

But let’s go back to present time. The title was solidified in the quarterfinals of the World Tour contest, after Slater won his heat against Brazilian Adriano de Souza. In his heat against Adriano de Souza, 23, Kelly started things off quick in the quarters by backdooring a barrel for a 9 and then followed that up with a longer double barrel for a 9.87. Five minutes into the heat Kelly had 18.87 points, while Adriano had yet to catch a wave. Slater played it perfectly, the heat was done after Kelly’s first two waves. The win gave Slater enough points that the second surfer behind him, South African Jordy Smith, has no way to catch up. 



“I don’t know, it just happened,” Slater said. “If you look at the heat, Adriano (De Souza) passed one up and let me have it and that was a good wave and that was pretty much it a few minutes into the heat. I just want to send my condolences to Irons family. It’s been a week of extremes for me. If it wasn’t for Andy (Irons) there is no way I’d be here in this position right now. I don’t really know what else to say, I’m a little overwhelmed right now. I want to dedicate this to Andy and to my family.”
Slater surfed against Australian Bede Durbidge, in the final, and capped off a memorable day with a perfect 10 ride. 



 
"It's pretty amazing . . . that wave just sat up perfectly and I wasn't thinking I was going to get a 10 in those conditions", said the world champ. 

Slater, who spent a large portion of his youth in Puerto Rico, had a huge support crew of family and friends to witness the incredible heat as well as the support of the tens of thousands in attendance on the beach. 

“It’s nice to win this in Puerto Rico with my friends and family here,” Slater said. “I haven’t been surfing here on this part of the island since ’88 and I used to come here a lot. This was like a second home to me. It was like my little Hawaii. I used to come here in the winter and I have a lot of good friends from here. It’s the closest event ever to my home, so it feels like home.” “This is the only event close to my home” Slater added “and I spent a lot of time in Puerto Rico when I was a kid. I used to surf a lot of contests at Jobos and Wilderness, so this was kind of like a homecoming for me. A lot of my friends here I’ve known for 25 years and to surf with Dylan (Graves), I used to surf with his father in Florida when I was a kid. It was a special time. To be close to Florida and to win the 10th and get that wave (the Perfect 10) in the Final, there is nothing else I could add to it.”

Slater said he doubted whether he could win a 10^th title. “I feel relieved, honestly,” said Kelly. “It’s been the most stressful title I’ve ever had, because it’s sort of an unknown place and you know at my age people say ‘you shouldn’t be doing this.’ And all the young guys are getting better and it’s a challenge to believe in yourself and not believe what other people tell you. I know how good Jordy, Dane, Mick, Taj and all those guys are, and it’s a marathon, you know? It’s not one wave, it’s not one maneuver, it’s not one contest. It’s a year-long thing and I know how to focus and it came together and I’m just so relieved.”

"It means a lot of hard work, a lot of focus, a lot of years focusing on one thing and to have it come to fruition is pretty crazy," Slater said.

When he is asked whether he wants to aim for an 11^th surfing world title, he reveals he wouldn't mind giving professional golf a shot. "I've been thinking about that, I'd love to win a pro golf tournament one day," Slater said. "I'm just going to need to think about it for a little bit. (…) After 10, I've got to question what is there for me, and if the idea of 11 becomes appealing then I'll focus on that. If not, then I'll focus on the rest of my life."

“A long time ago Kelly asked himself the question if he had what it takes to win a world title and the answer was he had what it takes to win 10 world titles”, said Tom Curren.
I guess there’s nothing else to say… 

Next champ on the green?!?!?

Source: http://www.aspworldtour.com/2010/11/06/kelly-slater-clinches-historic-10th-asp-world-title-in-puerto-rico-3/
http://surf.transworld.net/1000118019/features/kelly-slaters-road-to-10-in-2010/
http://surfertoday.com/surfing/4403-kelly-slater-wins-10th-asp-world-surfing-title
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/kelly-slater-caps-stellar-career-with-perfect-10/story-e6frg7mf-1225949111897

Longboard: Cross-stepping

Let’s go straight to the point: you just HAVE TO cross-step on a longboard.

This post aims to encourage beginner longboarders to walk up to the nose of their board by cross-stepping. 

HOW to cross-step is easy… and difficult at the same time, since another key factor comes into play at this point: WHEN to cross-step (i.e. when and in what section of a wave).  

If you’ve followed our Free Online Surfing Course, you know that to gain speed and momentum (and to walk up to the nose) you have to move forward on your board, to slow down (or execute a maneuver) you move back. Cross-stepping is easy (in theory): bring your back foot in front of your front foot and cross-step over it (or bring your front foot behind your back foot – if you want to walk backwards), as if you were stepping over your front foot, maintaining your feet angled, then swing your front foot around the back of your back foot (heelside) and into your normal stance.      

Basically to (literally) take your first baby steps, it’s very useful to slightly turn your front foot toward the nose of your board: it will make it much easier for you to take your first steps. You’ll find out that cross-stepping forward is pretty easy, while walking backwards is a bit more complicated!! (In fact even good surfers sometimes ‘hop’ their way back in critical situations).

Once you gain experience and you get used to it, you’ll see that there is a huge difference in terms of performance between, for example, four short steps and two long steps. But what matters is that you put your mind to it. Try to practice cross-stepping on the ground (at home) first, to familiarize with it.

Surfers generally hate rules. Why get obsessed with this then? First of all, it’s a question of style and who loves longboarding knows style’s key. Otherwise he’d use a shortboard. 

Secondly, because there’s no feeling like cross-stepping and feeling your board gradually, smoothly but definitely gaining momentum.

Any other way to walk up and down your board will inevitably affect the board’s trim and gliding.   

Cross-stepping, on the other hand, doesn’t. In no way does it affect the way water flows under your board nor does it break the spell of a longboard gliding smoothly. That’s why you should cross-step, no matter what.  

Green Ocean Surfing

www.greenoceansurfing.com

GOS PRO WAVES - FRONTSIDE BOTTOM TURN and OFF THE LIP

GOS PRO WAVES

But, apart from having fun watching some good surfing, how can we improve Our Surfing by watching pros? GOS knows how: we’ll teach you the best possible way to study pros surfing technique and analyze their surfing or yours. The best way to improve your surfing skills is to watch your surfing, understand what you’re doing wrong and learn from your mistakes! You can send us your videos and we’ll analyze them together! We’ll explore your strengths and weaknesses together, but we’ll also teach you how to analyze and learn by watching the pros – or you  – surfing… have fun with GOS and don’t forget to check out our GOS website for more pro waves!!!!       

Trick tips: FRONTSIDE BOTTOM TURN AND OFF THE LIP

Today we’re going to try to analyze some basic surfing maneuvers together.  We’re going to learn with the pros! We’ll watch a video, Mick Fanning versus Dane Reynolds (you can view the whole video on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42yAIWPNCfU), and we’ll try to explain the maneuvers Mick Fanning executes step by step.  Watch the video first, then read our comments while watching it again, pause it to really understand every move he makes. What we want to do is explain every single move he makes, and provide you with the exact timing, so you can easily check it out and learn how to improve your surfing skills! To achieve the best possible results, we suggest you watch the video, read our comments, and try to really understand what we’re telling you. Then  sit comfortably on a chair, close your eyes and picture it in your mind, try to repeat these moves in your mind and the next time you go surfing, try to concentrate on what you learned with GOS and do exactly what you did in your mind. One more thing: just enjoy your surfing!  

We’ll start with the frontside BOTTOM TURN and OFF THE LIP. 

The BOTTOM TURN involves riding to the bottom of the wave and curving; it’s the most important maneuver in surfing because it allows you to gain speed at the bottom of the wave to ride back up the face of the wave and hit the lip. 

The OFF THE LIP is a great maneuver which involves riding vertically up the face of the wave, hitting the lip, turning and releasing your fins, then re-entering. 

 
(0:30) when Mick Fanning takes off, he rides down to the bottom of the wave, leans forward toward the nose of the board and keeps his knees bent;  

(0:31) his right hand is almost touching the water, as if to use it as a pivot to hang on to and he’s looking at the section he wants to hit;  

(0:32) at this point his body is leaning forward on the inside rail of the board, knees still bent, he’s ready to extend his legs; he’s pushing down on his toes to tilt the board onto the rail;

(0:33) his right leg is pushing on the tail – explosive power – he’s rotating his left shoulder and arm towards right, he’s extending his legs and releasing power, his torso is still leaning forward toward the nose of the board while his head is turned toward the lip, as he’s looking at the section he wants to hit ; his board is not tilted on its rail but is now flat on the face of the wave as he’s starting to head upwards;

(0:34) his front foot helps the board go upwards vertically while he turns his head back down and he’s now looking at the bottom of the wave - always look to where you want to go and anticipate your next move -  he keeps his left arm down and raises his right arm to facilitate torso rotation later on; his knees are bent for balance - a low center of gravity provides better balance;

(0:35) the board comes over the lip, his torso and legs are totally bent forward on the board and the power is once again released on his back foot, on the tail of the board; the board turns, its nose is facing the bottom of the wave;  

(0:36) now he’s extending his legs again and pushing on the board to descend;

(0:37) he leans forward again, toward the nose of the board, he’s looking at the lip, ready to hit it again.

Now that we’ve watched and analyzed this video together step-by-step, we can say that the BOTTOM TURN is the most important maneuver in surfing and that it’s essential for any other maneuver.

If you want to get more RADICAL in your surfing, you have to learn to turn at the bottom of the wave.  

Green Ocean Surfing

The first totally free interactive online surfing course

www.greenoceansurfing.com

Andy Irons: the bad guy?

Andy Irons: the bad guy?  

Apart from what goes on behind the scenes and all the gossip that will be spread about his death, we searched the Internet for the many interviews and articles about him, to try to understand if he was really an ice-cold, arrogant competitive animal as he was depicted.

Three-times world champion Andy Irons died on November 2, 2010, at 32, from complications of an unknown illness, presumably dengue fever.

Irons passed away during a layover en route to Kauai, Hawaii, after withdrawing from a competition in Puerto Rico, the Association of Surfing Professionals said.

He began his professional career in 1998 and won three straight world titles from 2002 to 2004 and is the only surfer to win at every location on the elite tour, where he collected 20 victories. He last competed in September in Tahiti.

On September 3, 2010, in TEAHUPOO, Andy Irons won the Billabong Pro Tahiti, besting C.J. Hobgood in an explosive final clash in three-to-four foot (1.5 meter) waves at Teahupoo. The Hawaiian was emotional when regarding his first win in over three years (won Rip Curl Pro Search Chile 2007). “I did it!” Irons exclaimed. “I surf because I have to put my jersey on some time. I took a lot of losses, but I put in the hard work too. I dedicate this win 100% to my wife, Lyndie, she is everything to me and without her, I’d be nothing. I really, really like competing because I love to win and I feel on top of the world today. I surf because I love to win. I love this feeling.”

Irons opened up with a massive, freefall wipeout before utilizing his unparalleled backhand tube-riding skills to net a 14.67 out of a possible 20 and collect the win.
“He (Hobgood) paddled me inside and caught the first wave,” Irons said. “The next wave was better and I just fell out of the sky. I thought my board was going to break. It has two buckles on it already. I just went after it out there. C.J. is so dangerous here. I knew he would be getting tens or twos, and I was lucky it was twos today.”
Mark Occhilupo, the 1999 world surfing champion, said that Irons had struggled with dengue fever since first contracting the viral disease in Bali, Indonesia. “When he gets run down it comes back,” Occhilupo said in a televised interview with Australia’s Fox Sports News. “Somehow he tried to get home and he didn’t make it. Words can’t explain it. He was such a vibrant and lovely person to be around.”

Here’s part of an interview of Andy Irons with Surf Transworld magazine (2004) after he won his third world title. You can tell, from his words, that he was probably misunderstood and his reputation as a fierce competitor was affected by the media’s attitude towards him.  

Q: “How has surfing for a living affected how you feel about it?” A: Surfing for a living is the one thing I knew could keep me surfing. Even if I wasn’t a pro surfer, I was always going to be surfing–even if I was working a job, I’d make sure it was around surfing. Getting paid to go surfing is just icing on the cake.
Q: “A few days ago you surfed against Layne Beachley (six-time women’s world champ who was given a wild card to surf in a four-star WQS event) at Newcastle”. A:(Andy laughs.) Oh, f–k yeah. That was weird.
Q: “How was that?” A: Nightmare. From where I’m at right now, that was one of the lamest things I’ve had to do. And the media over here (in Australia) is so hyped up on it, and they made me look like such the jerk.
Q: “Really?” A: Yeah, full media entrapment bullshit. I was doing this press conference for them, and there was this female reporter asking me why do I think men get paid more money, and why are the men so much more marketable than the women. So I just answered the questions the best I could, and they put it on the front page of the newspapers–”Sexist”–and they made me look like a full dick. It was so lame. Down on the beach, some people were just trippin’ on me. They made me look really bad, and it made me never want to do an interview again.
 
(you can view the whole interview on: http://surf.transworld.net/1000002602/features/the-dynasty-the-andy-irons-interview/)

Here’s part of another interview of Andy Irons with Surfermag.
Q: “Do you feel like the world champ yet?” A: It's weird. I do but I don't. Even now. When I think of world champions I think of the guys you just mentioned and I don't feel like I fit that mold, so it's really hard to feel like I'm wearing the shoes.  
Q: “But obviously you're having a bit of a problem playing the bad guy, which begs the question. Why not just play along with that role until you're no longer perceived as that guy?” A: Well at first I was playing into it. I was fine being the nemesis you know, being the up and coming kid, and I liked feeding into it. I deliberately said a few stupid things like, "Kelly's time is over." But it's funny because I totally underestimated the kind of stink those kinds of comments can create. The drama became way too much for me. After a while it didn't feel like playing around.  Q: “So lets be clear, you don't think he's (Kelly Slater) washed up?” A: [Laughs] I know he's kicking ass. (…)  
Q: “There definitely seems to have been a movement to portray you as the bad boy in black opposite Kelly the superhero in white. (…) But you just see it for what it is, right? Just media hype?” A: I try, but like I said it's hard when you become the focus of all this negative energy, and people are saying things about you that aren't true. There are still times when I feel pretty insecure about things and want to turn away from all the microphones because I feel like people are thinking, "Awe, this kid doesn't deserve it." You know, Kelly's perfect in every way and I'm this guy with all these flaws. It's hard. It can be overwhelming. You read a Sports Illustrated article that calls you out and insults your family and it's like, man, is the whole world conspiring against me? I know they're not, but it feels that way after you win a title and every single article you read is about the guy who lost.

(you can view the whole interview on: http://surfermag.com/magazine/archivedissues/bgissaiintrvu/index2.html)

We would like to remember Andy while, as a surfer and a man, he shows his commitment to environmental protection at a Surfrider Foundation meeting in Ostia.

By: Green Ocean Surfing - www.greenoceansurfing.com

Sources:
http://surf.transworld.net/1000113942/features/andy-irons-wins-the-2010-billabong-pro-tahiti/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-03/three-time-world-surfing-champion-andy-irons-dies-at-age-32-tour-says.html