Finals Results:

PRO-AM
1. Shane Valiere $500
2. Ryan Burch
3. Russel Fawley
4. Josh Buran
5. Drew Irons
6. Justin Quirk

“So Hawaii 08 is in full swing on the North Shore. I have been here for 2 weeks now, and my pasty white haole skin is gone with a solid Hawaiian bronze. I rocked up from flat Cali straight into a solid 10 foot west swell and firing pipeline.

Didn’t get too many waves out there, but just one is better than any wave you’ll ever catch back at home in San Clemente. Just yesterday I was out surfing Pupekea and there were sea turtles swimming everywhere. There was one turtle in particular that was huge, definitely the biggest turtle I have ever seen. So I figured I would swim down and check him out. As I swam down and was getting closer to him, I thought, I wonder if you could grab on the back of him and let him pull you around. Like the stuff you see in the movies. But unfortunately there is a reason you only see this in the movies.

It happened so quickly I didn’t have time to clear the area……….. and since I was directly behind him I was an easy target All of the sudden a brown cloud filled the once crystal clear water. Wait whats going on, why is the water all of the sudden brown. Then it hit me. I couldn’t believe it, I just got crapped on by a turtle… As he swam away, I think I heard him say,” welcome to Hawaii haole now go home.” So Im claiming this is a first. Shit on by a turtle has any boady else had this happen to them?  Wow I got crapped on by a turtle…..”

Shaka Mahalos- Nate

check out Taylor Jensen’s signature longboard traction pad at a store near you. Available NOW!

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (Sunday, November 16, 2008) – Taylor Jensen (Oceanside, CA), 24, claimed a victory at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) 1-Star Costa Del Mar Pro Championships today over fellow finalists Harley Ingleby (Coffs Harbour, AUS), 25, Kekoa Uemura (Kaimuki, HAW), 26, and Tony Silvagni (Kure, NC), 21, in peaky two-to-four foot (1 metre) conditions.

The ASP LQS gives all competitors a chance to qualify for the prestigious ASP World Longboard Tour (WLT). Once qualified, each surfer on the coveted tour strives to earn the title of ASP World Longboard Champion.

Jensen, who won the last ASP LQS at Huntington Beach, the Honda U.S. Open, posted a repeat victory today with his win at the Costa Del Mar Pro Championships. The regular-footer jumped out to an early lead, ping a 9.00 score on his opening wave and expanded his lead throughout the heat. The Californian eventually walked away with the win by earning an impressive heat total of 16.67 out of a possible 20 point score.

“I’m stoked to win back-to-back events at Huntington,” Jensen said. “The waves are good. Usually for the U.S. Open the waves are two inches, onshore and terrible and it’s just nice to get some good waves for the first time in a contest here.”

The repeat victory for Jensen was no easy task however, as he defeated several ASP WLT competitors on the way to his Costa Del Mar Pro Championships win.

“Those guys that are on the WLT that are in the Final really raise the bar a lot and it’s good to compete against them.” Jensen said.

Ingleby, who finished third on the ASP WLT, finished second today and was in amazing form throughout the event’s entirety. The Australian got off to a slow start in the Final and was unable to find the scores needed to pass Jensen despite a remarkable effort.

“I had a pretty slow start and I was comboed for about half the heat,” Ingleby said. “I got one good one and needed another high score to come back and I think my mentality was still in combo land and I went for more than I probably should have on the last wave, but I’m stoked.”

Silvagni, was the runner-up to Jensen at the Honda U.S. Open, and was a returning finalist at the Costa Del Mar Pro Championships. Silvagni finished fourth overall and was elated with the result.

“I’m really happy to make the Final,” Silvagni said. “This is a really big result for me. I cannot be any happier. I’ve always done really well at this place.”

The young surfer hailing from North Carolina expressed the significance of the Costa Del Mar Pro Championships due to the plethora of big name talents that competed throughout the event.

“There’s so much talent in this contest,” Silvagni said. “With people like Colin McPhillips, Taylor Jensen and Harley Ingleby, they all surf really well. To have this type of talent here, with the guys from the ASP WLT sticking around, it’s made for a really good event.”

Uemura was also in form today, combining stylish noserides and massive vertical snaps. Uemura finished third overall.

Today’s Costa Del Mar Pro Championships marks the final ASP LQS event held in North America and the series will be back next year. For more on this weekend’s event, log on to www.surfpla.com

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org

Costa Del Mar Pro Championships Final Results:
1 – Taylor Jensen (USA) 16.67
2 – Harley Ingleby (AUS) 16.16
3 – Kekoa Uemura (HAW) 14.06
4 – Tony Silvagni (USA) 9.80

It was really cool to arrive home to Stradbroke Island in Australia and find my family and friends had organised a party for me after winning in Brazil.
It was a great buzz and drove home the good feeling around securing my third WCT contest win and moving to No. 2 in the ratings behind Kelly ahead of Hawaii.

I’m a believer in celebrating your victories but you can never stop moving.
So my mind has also been fully focussed on the Pipe Masters and the Vans Triple Crown where I am defending both titles.
It’s given me a real focus for Hawaii.
Basically, Parko and/or Taj need to win at Pipe to overtake me in finishing second on the WCT for 2008.  I’ll be stoked if I can hold the position as it will complete a solid season where I will have moved from No. 5 to 2 – providing real confidence for a shot at the world title in 2009.
We’re all dropping equal ninths in terms of our best results counting, so it’s going to be hard for people to make up points with just one event remaining.
But it’s a bonus to also have the Triple Crown to aim for as well as Pipe.
I was stoked to take out last year’s Triple Crown.
The respect the Hawaiians alone hold for the Crown makes you proud to have won it.
I guess it’s because the three events are often held in such diverse conditions at different North Shore breaks and it’s a real challenge to prove consistent across all of them.
The opening event is at Haleiwa which I reckon is an awesome wave.  It gets huge (and a bit scary) there but it’s still a real high performance wave even when it’s big.
The contest at Sunset is different.  When Sunset is on, it’s a full ocean wave with its own unique feeling to it.  Longer boards are required and conquering Sunset is a feat in itself.
Then you finish off with the Wimbledon of surfing, the Pipe Masters.
It’s the premier event in the premier wave.  To have your name on that trophy is just so awesome.
But I’m greedy….I want to see it there twice!
The Pipe Masters also has the best trophy in surfing.  You get a handcrafted special board made by Gerry Lopez.  I’ve had it on display in the Mt Woodgee shop window in Coolangatta for the past 10 months and it certainly draws attention.
For obvious reasons, Hawaii is also the ultimate proving ground for your equipment.
I’m taking over 10 boards.  With the five I left over there from last year, I’ll have 15 in my quiver all up.  The lengths range from 6’2 to 7’6 and the reality is you could surf your shortest board and longest one on the same day – the swell can rise that quickly, often within hours.
My boards went insane there last year so having the best of last year’s batch and a few new ones as well has me amped.
It really helps that my shaper from Mt Woodgee Wayne Mckewen has spent so many seasons in Hawaii himself.  Wayne is so onto what is needed there and knows exactly what I need to surf well in those kinds of waves.
I’ve tried a few Hawaiian shapers’ boards in the past but Wayne’s just felt better – and that gives me plenty of confidence.
My wife Tarryn and I will be staying in a nice little studio at Sunset with a nice family we know who have two young boys who surf.  We stayed there last year and I am really looking forward to getting back, seeing them and surfing some big hollow waves.
Aloha everybody
Bede

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“you open beer with your teeth”- Chris Malloy

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One Track Mind premiered at the Patagonia headquarters up in Ventura…