I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – surfers are an innovative bunch. When there are no waves to be found, surfers find a way to improvise. For instance, landlocked Europeans do a fair bit of surfing in rivers.
YouTube’s got several videos of river surfing in Munich. There’s even a project called Tube6 to make a wave in a river for the sole purpose of surfing.
Thanks, 70percent
Here’s a little something to help you while away the hours until that five o’clock bell rings. Oh, that sweet five o’clock bell….
Not all seafood is good for you. In fact, some seafood can actually be bad for you and the environment. Here’s a cool guide that tells you how eco-friendly your favorite type of seafood is. The guide also indicates whether there is a health advisory for each species. Pretty nifty.
Yesterday, over 100 people gathered at Muizenberg beach in Cape Town, South Africa to attempt a new world record for the Most Surfers Standing on One Wave. Once approved, the South African’s unofficial record of 73 surfers riding the same wave will beat the official record of 44 currently held by the Lahinch Surf Club of Ireland.
The purpose of the South Africans’ world record attempt was to help draw attention to an open debate on the current shark situation around the Cape Peninsula. Shark attacks have been a growing concern in the area as the number of interactions between sharks and humans has increased in recent years. What better way to draw attention to the shark situation than by staging sort of a buffet for the sharks. By setting the world record in this fashion, the South Africans have sent a powerful, taunting message to the sharks. The South Africans will not be cowed.
It kinda surprised me when I read about the recent earthquake that occurred just off of Florida’s Gulf Coast because the area isn’t very well known to be all that active, speaking strictly tectonically of course. Luckily, it wasn’t the type of earthquake that can cause a tsunami.
A friend showed me this cool site where you can track all earthquakes that occur worldwide over various stretches of time. Red circles are quakes that happened today. Orange = yesterday. Yellow = last 2 weeks. The size of the circle is proportional to the size of the quake.
Very cool. Thanks, Shane!
Scientists have reason to believe that if you don’t reapply sunscreen after having been in the sun for two hours, then you might be better off not using sunscreen in the first place. Going without sunscreen is certainly not advised, so the take-away here is to be more diligent about reapplying. Check out this brief article that overviews their research.
Surfrider found a pretty tasty looking point (rights AND lefts) that has likely never been surfed. Can you guess where it is?
Hint: If you wanted to score some really sick waves there, all you’d have to do is clear out some of the islands that sit about 500 miles offshore to the east (to make a window for some groundswell)….and it’d pay to be as covert as possible because the locals probably won’t shine a liking to your presence in the lineup. My guess is a high-altitude air drop would be the best way to make your assault. Getting out is gonna be a whole other ball of wax.
Competitive surfing events don’t get the same level of media coverage as things like NASCAR and Pro Wrestling because they don’t have the same mass appeal. The scoring system is subjective and all those land-locked people in the world just don’t appreciate the art of riding waves. Well, I think these guys have figured out how to make competitive surfing more accessible to the average media consumer. Their twist on the standard surfing competition might not be as simple as watching a bunch of guys make 1000 left-hand turns around an oval race track (ala NASCAR), but damn if it isn’t entertaining.
This video is pretty funny, but the slide show on the original post is even better. The sequence of slides 11-15 really cracks me up.
Thanks, 70percent!
Surfrider is having their 3rd Annual Paddle for Clean Water this Sunday. If you’re wondering exactly what a "Paddle Out" is:
A “Paddle Out” is a public rally where citizens concerned about the state of our coasts and ocean gather on a specific beach to make public presentations and take action. Some of those attending will paddle surfboards, kayaks, etc, into the nearby water to form a “circle of solidarity” in a showing of commitment to turn around the trend of degradation. The event is not only for those willing and able to paddle – it is open to everyone who shares our concerns for the coast and ocean.
It’s basically a media event, to garner attention and support for a worthy cause. The focus of this year’s paddle out is to highlight the findings of Surfrider’s annual State of the Beach Report. Presumably, even if you can’t make it to the official rally, you can do your part by spreading the word where ever you decide to paddle out.
This is a video of a PBS special from last year. It “explores San Diego beaches, from lifeguards to surf divas, ocean pollution to skin cancer…”. I particularly enjoyed the segment on lifeguards (the 1st segment). It gives some insight into how the lifeguarding profession has evolved over time.