Surfing

I can see this break 15 miles away from my living room window up on the hill. When there's a hint of whitewater I know there's surf. I was handling stuff around the house all day Sunday and kept a keen eye out the window, and it paid off. Surfed from 3 til about just before dark then grabbed the camera. Was bigger earlier as the swell was tapering off, but still some fun ones to vid.

BoardRoom is the ultimate 84 minute ride back in history to the beginning of surfboard building

CDM III.

A team of Stellenbosch University (SU) researchers have developed an eco-friendly shark barrier, known as “Sharksafe”. They are heralding the barrier as an alternative for shark nets “which result in the death of thousands of sharks and other sea animals every year”. Seals and other marine life find swimming in between the shark barrier to be no problem at all. Prof Conrad Matthee, Head of the Department of Botany and Zoology and member of the research group that has developed Sharksafe, says that because of existing shark nets shark populations are declining drastically. “It is estimated that the numbers of certain shark species have decreased by up to 90% over the past 20 years – particularly the number of great white sharks. Sharks are top predators and if they were to be taken out of the ecosystem, the latter will be disrupted. It is for instance speculated that there is a direct relation between the decline in shark numbers and the decline in other bony fish species.” The problem, he says, is that shark nets also result in the death of many other sea animals, such as dolphins and sea turtles. “Great pressure is currently being put on countries that are using shark nets, to do away with these – among others Australia, USA, Japan, Argentina and South Africa. In addition to destroying the sea life, shark nets are also not 100% safe for humans since they are not placed right down to the seabed and there are also overlapping gap areas where sharks can swim through. So, even though you are safer in an area with shark nets, you are not 100% safe.” He explains that certain shark species, such as the Zambezi shark found in KwaZulu-Natal, are sensitive to strong permanent magnetic fields, while others, like the great white shark in the Cape waters, do not like kelp at all. “Members of the team saw how seals chased by sharks swam into kelp and how the sharks time and time again turned away, not entering the kelp areas. “Using these concepts we then developed a patent consisting of a rigid upright pipe which resembles kelp when it floats in the water. The structure also contains magnets to make it more effective for various shark species. The pipes are anchored to the seabed and stand upright up to the height of the water level during high tide. Our structure can resist waves of up to seven metres.” The first test phase of Sharksafe was erected at Gansbaai and is currently redeployed by Mike Rutzen and Craig O’Connell – both part of the research team. “In our research we put bait behind the barrier to attract sharks, but no sharks swam through the barrier,” claims Matthee. “In addition to the fact that the barrier looks like kelp to them, they are also being deterred by the magnetic fields. If correctly deployed our barrier forms a ‘cage’ consisting of loose pipes without a net, resulting in no sea animals being caught while sharks are kept out effectively.” A diver fitting the “Sharksafe” barrier that resembles kelp into the seabed. Matthee envisages that if the right material is used, the barriers will be able to remain in the water for at least 20 years with little maintenance required. “We are already establishing that marine life grows on the cement blocks which anchor the barriers to the seabed, which now forms an artificial reef.” The research team intends to get permission to fence in the Muizenberg and Fish Hoek swimming beaches at an estimated cost of approximately R10 million each. The current patent consists of three rows of overlapping pipes, but in the deployment phase the idea is to employ five rows of pipes. They would like to implement this in collaboration with the developers of the so-called “mesh nets” which are currently being considered as alternative for shark nets – a finer woven net than the traditional shark nets. “We hope our green alternative will be supported by the City of Cape Town as it is environmentally friendly and also much safer for humans. It will be wonderful if the Cape beaches which currently

Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning, Josh Kerr, and more score at Kirra and elsewhere on the Gold Coast.

Ry Craike's got himself a new TV show. Here's a little taste.

Current ASP World No. 2 Jordy Smith is the firm local favourite at this year’s Mr Price Pro Ballito Mr Price Pro Ballito ASP Prime event Ballito, KwaDukuza, South Africa Monday-Sunday, 1-7 July 2013 Monday May 20, 2013, Ballito, South Africa - South Africa’s premier surfing event the ASP Prime Mr Price Pro Ballito has once again attracted the crème of international professional surfing, with eight of the Top 32 surfers in the world confirming their entries into the event that offers a R2,2 million prize purse. In its five years in KwaDukuza on the KwaZulu Natal North Coast, the Mr Price Pro Ballito (July 1 – 7, 2013) has witnessed some of the best surf ever seen on this pristine coastline. It’s no wonder then, that it attracts an elite calibre of surfer one expects to see competing at this year’s event. South African surfing superstar and former Mr Price Pro Champion Jordy Smith (2010) heads the star studded line-up and is expected to draw record crowds as the firm local favourite in Ballito. The current World No. 2 has enjoyed a stellar start to the 2013 season. Fresh off a victory at the Billabong Rio Pro in Brazil this week, Smith notably earned Gold at the X Games in Brazil in April and placed equal third at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Australia over Easter. Smith’s prowess in everything from thundering Ballito barrels to punchy, wind affected ramps makes him among the best in the world and he will relish the opportunity to turn it on for his home crowd. “It is in my home city and I would love to win in front of a home crowd, to be doing a contest at home for once is great and gets me really excited!” Smith said. Defending Mr Price Pro Champion and fellow ASP World Championship Tour campaigner World No. 23 Glenn Hall (IR) has confirmed he will be back to defend his Mr Price Pro Ballito title this year. A former eight-year veteran of the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS), Hall’s victory at the Mr Price Pro Ballito 2012 was the catalyst that saw him leap to elite status as a fully-fledged campaigner on the ASP World Championship Tour in 2013. “It’s a long way to travel but South Africa is truly one of the places that I look forward to going back to each year. My victory last year was the highlight of my career but I would be going back whether I was defending champ or not.” World No. 19 and the only other South African surfer currently competing on the elite WCT, Travis Logie, will add might to the South African camp. A former runner up at the Mr Price Pro Ballito, Logie has gained an international reputation for taking down some of the toughest heats in pro surfing history. With a number of stellar results over the past few seasons, the powerful goofy footer has shown signs it is time for a win. “When Ballito is turning it on or even when it’s average, it’s still a world class wave and I’ve definitely had some of the best waves of my life out there,” Logie said. “The Mr Price Pro is an important event for both tours (WQS and WCT) because it counts towards your overall rating and it’s one event I’ve always wanted to win.” South American surfers have enjoyed a history of success at the Mr Price Pro Ballito over the years with a total of four of the last 12 winners hailing from Brazil. It is no surprise then that the event has attracted the likes of ASP World Tour rookie and aerial master World No. 7 Felipe Toledo (BRA), World No. 26 Alejo Muniz (BRA), World No. 29 Miguel Pupo (BRA) and former ASP World Junior Champion Caio Ibelli (2011). 2013 World Tour rookie Sebastian Zietz (HAW), currently rated World No. 12, will bring his extensive experience in the powerful waves of Hawaii to the South African surf. The 2012 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Champion proved his expertise in waves of consequence this Hawaiian winter and is expected to be a standout should Ballito turn it on with a big swell this year. Current World No. 12 Kai Otton of Sydney, Australia, and World No. 26 Kolohe Andino of California are the remaining WC

http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-11-17/news/ibogaine-hallucingen-heroin/ http://hbo.vice.com/episode-seven/ep-7-seg-2