Alacran Surf

Well-known faces in the modern surfing community

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Surfing has become a contest between snarling hydrological monsters and the legendary men who tame them with style and grace.

Kelly Slater

Many consider Kelly Slater to be the greatest surfer who has ever lived and it would be hard to argue since Kelly has been crowned the Association of Surfing Professionals World Champion 10 times and has a history of tournament wins that is mind boggling. Kelly has a natural style that makes even the impossible look easy.

Laird Hamilton

Although Laird had always shunned competitive surfing his name stands out like a beacon on the sea as the very best big wave surfer on the planet. Laird once had a career as a male model, he was the innovator of tow-in surfing and has rode the heaviest wave ever ridden on the reef break at Teahupo, Tahiti.

Rob Machado

Rob Machado is known as Mr. Smoothy for his laid back style both on land and on the water. Machado has 12 career WCT victories and has been in the top ten eleven years in a row and was inducted into the Surfers Hall of Fame. Rob is perhaps the sports greatest ambassadors, travelling the world to promote surfing.

Taking a look at popular surfing magazines

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are several popular surfing magazines that one might find when they’re not catching a wave at Mavericks or Bells Beach. The aptly named Surfing Magazine first ran in December 1964, and continues to see a strong monthly release. It is perhaps best known for the special issues that it runs on an annual basis. These include a special feature on International Surfing Day.

Surfer is another magazine that doesn’t try to get too fancy with the name. John Severson founded the magazine in 1959, and his photography was something of a trendsetter in the surf media industry.The whole story can be found at http://lunasurfshop.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/will-bailey-portfolio/ There is still a lot of respect for the publication today, and many have considered it a premier magazine. A good portion of this comes from the fact that it reads like a forum for surfing culture.

Transworld Surf also has a strong following, and has the advantage of being part of a family of other extreme sports magazines. Along with skateboarding, snowboarding and motocross, the Transworld series carries top content about the latest in each aspect of the surfing community. Regardless of which surfing magazine a person reads, however, one of the main things to watch out for are the awesome images that they will be treated as soon as they open the cover.

Big-screen waves: the best surfing movies

admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When it comes to surfing movies, there are a few classic films that have truly been able to capture the essence of this sport. There cannot be an article on surfing movies at least without the mention of the original surfing classic, “The Endless Summer”. This was the first movie to truly depict the surfing lifestyle instead of just depicting surfing as a dangerous water sport as it detailed the strenuous process of not only surfing the waves, but finding that perfect wave to ride. Ninetees’ films “The Green Iguana” and “Momentum” provided a more realistic look at surfing culture, surfing teams and most importantly the impressive tricks and stunts performed by some of the world’s best surfers. “Momentum” even featured a then relatively unknown Kelly Slater as he performed some of his never-before-seen skateboarding inspired tricks on some truly treacherous looking waves. These films showed audiences something most people had not seen before and that is the danger, dedication, and athleticism involved in professional surfing, and showed these images in a raw gritty manner that captivated viewers. Finally there is “Stranger Than Fiction” that is similar in fashion to “Momentum” only without Kelly Slater, this movie, shot in amazing quality was released in 2008 and showed some of the most gravity defying and impressive surfing tricks ever attempted in the sport.Want to know more? Go ahead: Billabong Pro – how it all began

How The Surfing Culture Uses Modern Technology

admin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Surfing is the ultimate thrill for some who desire to take on one of the most awesome forces of nature on the planet Earth, the ocean. The ocean is a fickle and somewhat harsh mistress. One minute she can caress you with soft waves and the next carry you off to a watery grave.

If you are out there on the beach looking for the perfect wave, you owe it to yourself to have the best technology the world can provide you to help you in your search. Satellite internet such as is provided through http://get.wildblue.com helps surfers keep track of weather conditions and provides a means of communication outside of mobile phone coverage areas. However, surfers haven’t always had access to such impressive technology.

Well known for their love of both the beach life and the ocean, surfers have been with us since the early 20th century. The surf culture started to spread through the 1950′s and has continually adapted and evolved into what we see today. Surfers who were looking to bring their surfing experience on land created the skateboard. Skateboarding has become very popular with both surfers and non-surfers alike and the skateboarding industry generates an average of 5.7 billion dollars in revenue each year. Quite an impressive accomplishment considering it all started with one man, one board, and one desire to surf on land.

Today, surfers, skateboarders, and other athletes use the internet to communicate with each other across the world. Satellite internet can reach parts of the world where cable is unavailable. Coincidentally, those may be some of the best places for catching a wave.

Surfing Dictionary

www.alacransurf.com — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 04:56:52 +0000

Most people are aware of the fact that surfers have their own lingo. As with other specialized terminologies (valley girl, internet slang, etc.), some phrases have even been appropriated for general use. These terms are closely associated with surf culture, which gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in Southern California. See which ones in this introductory dictionary (introductionary?) you recognize.Air/aerial: riding the board into the air and then landing back on the waveCaught inside: a surfer who cannot get through the surf to reach the wider oceanCarve: a turnCutback: a turn back toward the breaking waveDrop in: the act of entering the waveDuck dive: pushing the board underwater and diving under an oncoming waveGoofy foot: standing with your left foot in the backGrom/Grommet: a young surferHang ten: putting five toes over the nose; also see “hang five”Hang loose: the meaning of the classic surfer hand signal (thumb and pinkie up, middle three fingers down); means either “catch that wave” or “well done”Kook: unskilled surfer wannabeOff the hook: refers to a good surfspotOver the falls: when a surfer falls off and is carried in a circular motion by the wave lipPearl: accidentally pushing the nose underwaterPop-up: jumping up on the board from a lying-down positionRe-entry: hitting the lip and dropping back into the waveSnake: a surfer who steals a wave from another surferStall: to slow down by shifting weight or putting your hand in the waterSwitchfoot: being able to surf regular foot or goofy footTube riding: riding within the curl of a waveAnd last but not least:Wipe Out: a surfing accident; immortalized in the Surfaris 1963 song of the same name

Surf songs and liquid lullabies

www.alacransurf.com — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:09:31 +0000

At the same time that surf culture started gaining popularity in Southern California, a new sound began emerging in the local music scene. Since most of the musicians were surfers, anyway, the name “surf music” was an obvious choice for the new genre. The first entries into the genre were dance instrumentals, with medium-to-fast tempos and an emphasis on electric guitar. The “wet” spring reverb feature, which started appearing on Fender amplifiers in 1961, was thought to mimic the sound of waves, and was also a consistent feature of surf music.Guitarist Dick Dale is credited with starting things off with his 1961 hit “Let’s Go Trippin’,” which was later covered by The Beach Boys on their 1963 album Surfin’ USA. However, Dale would become even more popular with his 1962 rendition of the Greek song “Misirlou.” Other instrumental groups who emerged in the early 1960s include The Bel-Airs, The Challengers, and Eddie & the Showmen. The Chantays released the top 10 hit “Pipeline” in 1963, and the genre-defining “Wipe Out” was released by the Surfaris in 1963. This song, known for its opening “Ha ha ha ha hawipe out!” and drummer Ron Wilson’s solos, swept the nation and has been covered numerous times since thenincluding by Animal of the Muppets.Of course, instrumental songs weren’t the only classic tunes in the genre. The other side of the coin was known as “vocal surf pop,” and is best represented by a little group known as the Beach Boys. These songs featured surfing, girls, and cars as popular subjects, and were based around classic rock and roll, doo wop, and vocal pop by groups like the Four Freshmen. The Beach Boys first charted with “Surfin’” in 1962, but their later material left their classic surfing themes behind. Coincidentally, the Beach Boys were the only surf group to survive the British Invasion in 1964. However, there were plenty of acts that burst onto the scene for a short period beforehand, including Ronny & the Daytonas (“G.T.O.”), the Rip Chords (“Hey Little Cobra”), and Jan & Dean (whose song “Surf City” reached number 1, and was co-written by the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson).Instrumental surf rock provided the background for many spy movies in the 1960s, including the James Bond series, and influenced later musicians, including Keith Moon (The Who), East Bay Ray (Dead Kennedys), and Joey Santiago (Pixies). Dick Dale once again came to prominence with the release of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), which featured his version of “Misirlou” in the opening credits.