Judging surfing competitions is going to be a little bit easier in 2007 as the ASP tour is embracing video replay technology. ASP president Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew explains,
“As a result of the performance standards being raised, judges at top tour events are forever facing increasing pressure to be 100 per cent accurate in the delivery of scores and results,” he said. “For this reason, for the first time ever in the sport, ASP will be introducing instant replays via personal monitors for each individual judge so they can access previous waves and further scrutinize over wave scores….It will aid the guys in judging when two competitors are riding or when something is critical…”
I think this is a good move for the ASP. Having a scoring system that is more accurate and reliable can only make the sport more attractive to spectators.
Ever wondered why Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza all happen to fall around the same time of year? It turns out that they’re all originally celebrations of the winter solstice, which is the point at which the days stop getting shorter and start to grow longer in the northern hemisphere. 
And Santa Claus – he actually originates from an old Danish sea god who had the power to control storms and resurrect the dead. With powers like that, I’d imagine he dominated the line-up.
This article provides a pretty comprehensive overview of the real meaning of the holiday season.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Science Wire does a cool overview of the scientific aspects of surfing. Most of it will seem pretty basic if you’re already an accomplished surfer, but it’d be a good resource for any beginners out there.
I like their step-by-step instructions on how to generate your own surf forecast. The section that covers the physics of the ride is pretty cool, too.
NASA’s website has a cool article about how satellites have helped to generate more accurate surf forecasts by providing accurate measurements of wave heights and wind speeds across the entire globe. The data that these satellites collect is freely available in case you’re interested in using it to create your own surf forecast. Here’s a link to the Winds Report from QuikSCAT.
And here’s a satellite image of Point Reyes, California. You can see the swell lines pretty clearly. That’s a lot of waves.
If you’re reading this, then that means you found broceanography’s new home.
At first glance it may seem as though nothing’s changed. The new site has a couple of new features:
- Navigation bar at the top of the page just underneath the broceanography banner.
- On the side panel there’s a section for surfLinks.
- There’s a link at the bottom of the page that let’s you page chronologically through Previous Entries. This had been a popular request.
Hopefully, it’s an improvement over the old site. Let us know how you like it.
Here’s a cool article about Kelly Slater from the New York Times.
