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Вынесут приговор хулигану, застрелившему человека в Брянске

http://briansk.ru/incidents - 19. Январь 2038 - 6:14
В ближайшее время передадут в суд дело 31-летнего жителя Брянска, который из хулиганских побуждений застрелил одного земляка и ранил другого
Категории: Брянск, Новости

В Брянске провели ирландский фестиваль

http://briansk.ru/incidents - 19. Январь 2038 - 6:14
На сцене дворца культуры БМЗ выступили как местные, так и зарубежные коллективы, чье творчество посвящено культуре такой народности, как кельты
Категории: Брянск, Новости

В Брянске провели ирландский фестиваль

briansk-afisha - 19. Январь 2038 - 6:14
На сцене дворца культуры БМЗ выступили как местные, так и зарубежные коллективы, чье творчество посвящено культуре такой народности, как кельты
Категории: Брянск, Новости

Top-to-bottom surfing: the art of drawing a line on a wave

Surfing - 18. Март 2024 - 19:11

Surfing is all about working the unbroken wave face and maximizing riding time. But how can you optimize and balance these two goals that cancel each other out?

Many things separate a beginner surfer from a pro surfer.

However, there is one that stands out immediately after each one takes off on a wave - the way they draw a line or trim it.

Unlike a snowy mountain, a wave is in constant mutation.

As a result, surfers have to adapt their riding to the shape and breaking of each wave differently, whether they're going left or right.

Drawing a line on a wave is choosing the ideal path or trajectory to get the most out of the clean, open face and riding for the longest time possible.

Naturally, if you're spending too much time on cutbacks, off-the-lips, and carving maneuvers, you'll lose the "train," i.e., you'll get caught by the whitewater and end your ride prematurely.

Waves don't wait for surfers. They're on their mission.

So, it's up to surfers to read them, adapt, make the necessary adjustments in real time, and then expect to squeeze the waves' potential to the end.

In other words, a perfectly ridden wave is all about timing the surfer's speed to the natural behavior of the moving water.

A common rule of thumb in surf coaching states that the difference between a beginner and an advanced surfer is the line drawn on the wave.

Vertical Surfing

A first-timer will draw a straight line from beginning to end, while an experienced rider will engage in the so-called top-to-bottom surfing.

Let's put it visually:

The yellow line represents the novice, who will catch a wave and ride it straight toward the beach without making the most of its available space.

In the book "Secrets to Progressive Surfing," Didier Piter calls the rider of the white line a "passive surfer."

"The surfer rides the wave's face passively sideways in a linear trajectory called 'trim line,' which enables him to keep balance," notes Piter.

"At this stage, the surfer uses the speed and energy provided by upward motion in the wave face. He uses more of the wave's energy and extends his trajectory over more of the wave."

This straight line could be easily improved by applying pressure on the inside rail, releasing pressure, and then applying it to the outside rail.

The result will resemble a horizontal, stretched S-line that sees the surfer generating speed across the wave face, as shown in the green line.

Experience will bring more dynamic and vertical, top-to-bottom surf.

At this stage, as seen in the orange line, sharper and more abrupt horizontal S-style lines will be drawn on the open wave face.

The surfers will start moving up and down the wave, taking the most out of the wave height, keeping close to curl and on the steepest section.

At the utmost level, represented in red, the line drawn on the wave will be a sum of extremes, going super low (trough) and super high (above the lip) and extremely tight and compact.

The advanced surfer is constantly compressing and uncompressing the body and shifting their body's weight in the right direction, driving off the bottom and eyeing the lip for vertical hacks.

Managing the Moments of a Ride

The concept of top-to-bottom surfing does not necessarily apply to every wave and every moment of the ride.

There are times when an advanced surfer has to choose a higher straight line, for instance, to find space inside the barrel.

And there are also times when a mid, curvy line is the right option to generate speed before launching into an air trick.

The only moment staying low on the bottom of the wave is the right choice is to set up an aggressive bottom that will slingshot the surfer to anything he wants to do next.

On a perfectly breaking wave, the surfer manages the space and time available, ensuring they never lose momentum and are always within close reach of the pocket, the main energy source in a wave.

Reading the ocean and choosing the right wave is, therefore, a prerequisite to advanced surfing.

"When paddling, reading the wave is mainly horizontal, to evaluate what it will do overall, to assess the speed and rhythm with which it will break," concludes Piter.

"Once up and riding, reading the wave also becomes vertical so that you can use the entire slope to execute maneuvers."

The ultimate goal of the surfer is to aim high and low, further and deeper.

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

The historic swell of March 7, 2024 at Cloudbreak

Surfing - 13. Март 2024 - 15:16

On March 7, 2024, Cloudbreak delivered one of the most epic swells in Fiji's big wave surfing history.

The use of superlatives has become commonplace in journalism and writing in general, and sometimes, we need time to let the dust settle and process the information.

However, you can't ignore the facts and the footage as they, in this particular event, could easily replace the role of words.

Unexpectedly, for this time of the year, or maybe not, the famous small island of Tavarua was the center stage of a massive big-wave riding showdown.

The first signs of this anomaly issued an XXL Code Purple alert that put swell hunters on high alert. It was time to quickly book flights to the South Pacific Ocean archipelago.

Surf media followed, with a dozen photographers and videographers eager to shoot anything that moved inside the massive blue cylinders.

Remember June 8, 2012, and the "Thundercloud"?

If so, do know that March 7, 2024, nearly matches its grandiosity in size, energy, rawness, and perfection.

Early in the morning, Cloudbreak was firing 20-foot bombs down the reef.

Nathan Florence, Billy Kemper, Conner and Parker Coffin, and Benji Brand met at Tavarua and got in the boat to the infamous break at sunrise.

Soon, the lineup was invaded by around 30 souls wishing they could have a go at one of these turquoise gems.

Into the Blue

The minutes and the hours passed, and the waves only got bigger and bigger, hollower and hollower, heavier and heavier.

At 11:30, the tide and wind conditions were perfect, and the glassy giants paraded on the catwalk.

Timing the paddle-in was an exercise of geometry punctuated by grains of luck, though.

At a wave like Cloudbreak, triangulation is never quite possible, and Nature's acts of randomness make it impossible to find an optimal take-off position.

The liquid curtain that fell down on every swell pulse was thick and relentless. If a surfer were too deep, he would surely be punished.

But even if you found the sweet take-off spot, you could get engulfed by a faster freight train.

The view from the boats on the channel was mesmerizing and increasingly hypnotizing.

"Every single person that entered the water and rode a wave got one of the waves of their life," said Nathan Florence afterward.

The Fijian lefthander proved to be a dream big wave arena for the regular footers, but surfers like Parker Coffin and Che Slatter made goofy footers proud and inspired to push.

The blue skies and offshore winds were as enthralling as misleading.

Billy Kemper suffered one of the wipeouts of the day after free-falling on a huge avalanche of saltwater. But he was not alone in this league.

More than a succession of waves of a lifetime, everyone was somehow getting to the essence of what it feels like to be alive and of how life really is precious.

The strike mission to Cloudbreak was a resounding success.

Soli Bailey, Jai Glindeman, Mick Davey, Mark Visser, and many others were surfed out. They could only be.

"Today is a day that will go down in history," expressed Billy Kemper.

"I've been surfing for over 30 years now, and I can count on one hand how many days I've seen like that."

Waves of a Lifetime

For many surfers, it was the best day of their lives.

"Every hour, we were saying, 'How could it get any better than this?' And it just kept getting better. We all got the waves of our lives. I've never seen barrels that big and been in barrels that big," added Benji Brand.

Reality exceeded the surf forecast and weather models' best expectations for this Southern Ocean storm that popped off-season.

"We always expect this crazy thing from crazy numbers, and this one had small numbers, and way overperformed. It was epic," concluded Jojo Roper.

Laura Enever got some fresh Fiji tattoos but was more stoked than ever.

"To be honest, when I saw the first bombs come through this morning, I wasn't sure I was going to make it off the boat," confessed the Australian big wave charger.

"I ended up watching for a while, then giving it a crack!"

"I got to be in the front row of some of the craziest tubes I have ever seen. I got some visions, a wild beating, and lost my earrings."

Kohl Christensen, who seems to be everywhere simultaneously, took time to reflect on this "surreal" experience.

"Waves you dream about, the ones you would draw in your notebook while staring out the window in school," wrote Christensen.

"Beautifully shaped cylinders with the perfect lip line, running at the precise speed - no need to pump."

"Deep water swells hit the reef at the sweetest possible conjunction, and cyan caverns slow down time and space for those inside and out."

"It's' days like this that transform surfing into a transcendental experience."

There is a new entry in Cloudbreak's history. It's March 7, 2024, the day a few human beings had the best waves of their lives.

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

El Buey: the big wave oasis of the Atacama desert

Surfing - 12. Март 2024 - 18:18

It's one of the world's most out-of-the-radar big waves and certainly one of the most exciting surf breaks in Latin America and the South Pacific. Bienvenidos a El Buey.

Arica is a well-known surf town in the north of Chile, which has been attracting surfers and bodyboarders for decades.

The region showcases a chain of exciting reef breaks, breaking close to the shore on the wave-rich Alacran Peninsula.

These shallow, hard-breaking lineups like El Gringo have achieved international notoriety since the Rip Curl Search landed in 2007.

At the time, even the world's best surfers struggled to tame the local tubes. Eventually, Andy Irons defeated Damien Hobgood in the final.

The truth is that Arica, the "City of Eternal Spring," is highly consistent for swell and light winds.

The small urban community is located in the coastal heart of the world's driest desert - Atacama.

The Bull

Despite the many options available in the vicinity, there's one gem that stands out. It's called El Buey or The Bull, in English.

It's not as famous as Chile's cold water temple, Punta de Lobos, located 1,365 miles (2,197 kilometers) south, but it surely demands respect and should not be underestimated.

El Buey is a big wave arena breaking 0.25 miles (400 meters) west of Arica's Playa El Laucho.

The offshore beauty is considered one of the best peaks in Chile, providing perfect, fast, and tubular left and right-hand waves.

El Buey can withstand any size swell. It reminds us of waves like Waimea Bay, Mavericks, and Sunset Beach.

The left-hander will focus S-SSW swells into booming barrels, while the right will wall up anything with more W in it and offer steep drops and roller coaster walls. 

The spot can hold 20-foot-plus (six-meter) waves, but there have been surfers lucky enough to take on 40-foot (12-meter) walls of saltwater.

El Buey is quite wind-sensitive, though, and needs an E offshore breeze to pop up in grand style.

Low and mid-tide are the best periods to surf this Chilean beast with sand and rock bottom.

A Heavy A-Frame Barreling Wave

Locals often check its conditions from Morro de Arica, the sand-covered hill that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.

Interestingly, El Gringo and El Buey seem to work coordinately; when the former is unrideable, the latter shines to life.

El Buey has always been low-key on the international big wave surfing scene.

Nevertheless, the Chilean surf break is home to the Santos del Mar Invitational, a competition that attracts international riders.

Ramon Navarro, Cristian Merello, Rafael Tapia, Gabriel Villaran, Miguel Tudela, Carlos Burle, Danilo Couto, Lucas Silveira, Rusty Long, Nick Lamb, and Kohl Christensen were only a few of the big wave riders invited to the prestigious event.

In 2022, Peruvian charger Cristobal de Col found a large, deep, and hollow cavern, stayed pitted, and found the exit to ignite the spectators of the event.

In the end, he stated that he waited 22 years to ride that wave.

The Long Paddle

If you plan to surf El Buey it is important to observe the positioning of the locals in the lineup and be accustomed to inflatable life vests.

A successful ride at the Chilean open ocean wave can take you 200 yards down the line, especially the right-hander.

The deepwater surf break is more consistent from April to August, i.e., autumn and wintertime, because the wave only starts breaking at eight feet (2.4 meters).

The left-hander will produce cylinder waves with S-SW (190-210º) swells. The right will work with swells coming from over 220º swells, that is, more westerly wave trains.

The best way to get to the lineup is by boat or jet ski.

Nevertheless, besides Playa El Laucho, it's possible to paddle from Hotel Arica's nearby parking lot or El Gringo.

It's a long paddle with occasional overhead closeouts, so it's always a tricky call.

Whatever your decision is, wear a helmet. A wipeout here could be nasty and potentially dangerous.

El Buey, Chile | ID and X-Ray

Location: El Buey, Arica, Chile
Type of Wave: Offshore Reef Break
Length: 150+ yards (150 meters)
Best Swell Direction: S, SW, WSW
Best Wave Size: 8-20 Feet
Best Wind Direction: E
Best Tide: Low, Mid
Best Time to Surf: Fall-Spring (April-August)
Skill Level: Intermediate and Advanced
Best Board: Shortboard, Longboard, Gun, Bodyboard
Crowd: Moderate
Water Quality: Fair
Hazards: Hold-Downs
Bottom: Sand and Rock
Water Temperature: 59-77 °F (15-25 °C)
Getting There: Paddle out, Boat, Jet Ski

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

Does ocean water temperature affect wave height?

Surfing - 11. Март 2024 - 19:04

Is there any correlation between warmer or colder ocean waters and bigger waves? What is the influence of temperature on wave height?

When we think about power swells, meteorologists and surf forecasters look into the intensity of low-pressure systems on large oceanic fetches.

Then, they track waves generated thousands of miles from the coastlines and follow their energy-gathering pattern as swells travel toward the shores.

The intensity, duration, and area over which wind blows over the water's surface will dictate the power of a groundswell.

Nevertheless, these are only the essential wave train formation variables.

The existence, for instance, of an underwater canyon near the coastline can then dramatically boost the size of near-shore breaking waves.

One of the best examples is Nazaré's Praia do Norte, where local bathymetry plays a critical role in creating XXL waves.

Poles vs. Equator

But what happens when water temperatures increase?

Is there a difference in wave size or behavior in warmer climates where you can surf without a wetsuit?

Does a wave pool in England perform differently from one in Abu Dhabi? What exactly is the influence of temperature on the life of a wave?

When we look at the map of the world's biggest waves, there's not enough statistically relevant data we can extract to reach a conclusion.

Yes, there are big-wave surfing spots near the Equator line - Jaws/Peahi and Puerto Escondido - but we also have other extreme surf breaks closer to the poles - Mullaghmore Head and Shipstern Bluff.

Also, because of their different surrounding environments and bathymetric characteristics, it's impossible to establish any conclusion or correlation.

Temperature and Density

The only option is to ask science, and the answers are pretty straightforward.

When water undergoes heating, it expands, increasing in volume.

In other words, the greater the water's temperature, the larger the space it occupies, leading to a decrease in its density.

On the other hand, lowering the temperature of water reduces molecular motion, causing molecules to come closer together and occupy a smaller volume, resulting in an elevation of density.

The conclusion is that heated water is lighter than the same volume of cold water.

What about speed/velocity? Does warm water travel faster than cold water?

Does hot water move faster than cold water?

Oliver M. Sun, an oceanographer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, Rhode Island, says it does.

The researcher wrote on the Physics Forum, "The speed of a wave in water is directly proportional to the temperature of the water."

"As temperature increases, the speed of the wave also increases."

"This is because warmer water molecules have more energy and can vibrate faster, causing the wave to travel faster."

Sun notes that "as temperature increases, the wavelength of a wave in water decreases because the speed of the wave increases, but its frequency remains constant."

"This results in a shorter wavelength."

Nevertheless, temperature is not a primary, critical factor in wave velocity.

The speed of water flow is mostly determined by external factors such as the force applied (wind or a wave pool pump), the slope of the surface it is flowing on (sandbanks or reefs), depth, and any obstacles in its path (rocks or islands).

It's worth noting that hot water can appear to flow faster than cold water under certain conditions due to differences in viscosity and density.

Hot water generally has lower viscosity and density than cold water, which means it may flow more easily.

You can witness it, for instance, by observing the flow of liquids in pipes or containers.

Global Warming and XXL Wave Events

Now that we've confirmed that warm water has more volume, occupies more space, and moves faster when compressed than cold water, it's time to dissect the impact of temperature on wave height.

The study of this combination of variables could help weather forecasters and surfers learn more about the ocean's behavior.

However, this unique relationship has never quite been the focus of attention and research from the scientific community.

Never - until recently.

Interestingly, the correlation between warmer world oceans and an increase in wave height is only indirect.

First, let's understand why it is not direct.

"The amplitude of a wave in water is not affected by temperature," Sun stresses.

"Amplitude is determined by the amount of energy that the wave carries, which is not affected by temperature."

"However, changes in temperature can affect the height of waves, which is a measure of their amplitude."

"This is because changes in temperature can cause changes in wind patterns, which can result in larger or smaller waves."

Precisely.

In 2019, Borja G. Reguero, an associate professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, released the conclusions of a study titled "A recent increase in global wave power as a consequence of oceanic warming."

The study analyzed a potential correlation between the evolution of wave power in the world's oceans and global sea surface temperature from 1948 to 2008.

The results indicate that both variables are strongly correlated.

"The effect of climate change in oceanic warming has been increasing the global energy transferred from winds to the waves represented in the GWP," Reguero concluded.

"The impact of climate warming on the wave climate can therefore be seen in the energy transported by the waves, measured through the global wave power as a long-term signal of climate change."

In other words, the increase of surface sea water temperature results in stronger winds, which in turn mean bigger and longer waves.

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

Siqi Yang is the first-ever Chinese Olympic surfer

Surfing - 4. Март 2024 - 17:03

Siqi Yang is the first Chinese surfer to qualify for the Olympic Games. The 15-year-old will represent her country in Paris 2024 at Teahupoo.

It's China's best-ever result in an official international surfing competition.

Yang finished the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games in 15th place among over 110 female surfers and secured a historical Olympic ticket.

But the remarkable story of Siqi goes back to 2022.

In a surprising turn of events, China started emerging as a rising force in the world of surfing at the 2022 ISA World Surfing Games in Huntington Beach, California.

The youthful Chinese surfers, led by the then 13-year-old sensation Yang Siqi, shattered expectations and captured the attention of international media.

Traditionally, surfing powerhouses such as Brazil, Australia, the USA, and Japan have dominated the scene.

However, China's remarkable performance at the ISA World Surfing Games signals a potential shift in the sport's landscape.

At the time, Yang, the youngest member of the Chinese team, etched her name in history by reaching the fifth repechage round, finishing an impressive 29th.

Under the guidance of South African coach Wade Sharp, the Chinese team formed in 2018 and showed exceptional dedication and progress in a short period.

Sharp, who previously coached Team Japan at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, saw immense potential in the Chinese surfers, predicting future success on the global stage.

"They're very dedicated to their sports, and they take their training seriously," Sharp told the Olympic channel.

"I think a few years down the road, you're going to see China right up in the top earning medals, just like all the other countries."

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited their training opportunities abroad, the Chinese surfers displayed remarkable adaptability.

Siqi Yang started surfing in 2018 when she was just nine years old.

"I was so scared about it at the very beginning, but after getting through that period, surfing has made me pretty happy."

Siqi's dedication and fearlessness in competition caught the eye of Coach Sharp, who noted she has a "super rad future."

In 2022, China's surfing head coach Wang Xiaofei set its sights on the long-term goal of making a mark at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

"Our goal for LA 2028 will be ranking into the top 8 of the Olympic Games," he stated at the time.

A Stellar Performance in Margara

However, the Chinese surfing dreams arrived a bit earlier, and the Asian nation will be represented in Tahiti's Teahupoo.

The year 2023 was a rehearsal for the upcoming surprise with a 31st finish at the ISA World Surfing Games among more than 120 women surfers.

In 2024, 15-year-old Siqi Yang stepped up her game.

In Round 2 of the World Surfing Games, the Chinese wonder kid beat two-time WSL champion and two-time ISA World Junior champion Tyler Wright.

Yang excelled in the waves of Puerto Rico's Margara with a powerful performance and one of the best single turns of the day.

"This is my first time surfing Margara," the young Chinese gun said.

"Before the event, it was totally flat, so we were surfing El Pico. This wave is amazing, and I just went with the flow."

"For me, I just keep a low profile to try and learn from the experience of surfing with a two-time world champion. Puerto Rico is beautiful. The waves are amazing."

Yang progressed through to Women's Repechage Round 7, where she was able to validate the ticket to the Summer Olympics in Tahiti.

"The Olympic dream is my dream, to qualify for the Olympics," concluded Yang.

"I'm super happy, super excited to accomplish this today. Thanks to my country for supporting me in getting here and to my coach for bringing me to this level. I'm so happy. I've been training so hard for this."

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

Surfline revolutionizes beach monitoring with SurfZone AI

Surfing - 27. Февраль 2024 - 20:57

SurfZone AI is the new cutting-edge coastal surveillance and analysis product offered by the veteran ocean monitoring and surf forecasting company Surfline.

With a legacy spanning 35 years, Surfline has evolved from catering to surfers and beach enthusiasts with live condition monitoring to providing a comprehensive suite of services through SurfZone AI.

The new service Surfline\Wavetrak, Inc. aims to address a new market using the mother company's data science, machine learning, and camera installation knowledge.

The project has been collecting data labeled since 2019 at a rate of 24 billion frames of video per year.

This data allows for very specific analysis and outputs on paddling versus sitting time, tracking crest and trough to determine wave height, lifeguard coverage needs, etc.

But what exactly does this new venture make available to its customers? Are you about to witness the Big Brother of Surfing watching all over the surfing community?

Camera Installation and Management

SurfZone AI provides full-service camera installation and management, deploying high-quality 1080p-4K weatherproof CCTV cameras.

The system boasts internet connectivity, remote reboot, and control features, maintaining an uptime of over 98 percent globally.

With permanent staff strategically located in the US, UK, and Australia, the project manages installations worldwide, including diverse locations such as Costa Rica, Morocco, Portugal, and Indonesia.

People Counting and Beach Monitoring

A patented solution for accurate people counting on the sand and in the water sets SurfZone AI apart.

The system utilizes a network of beach cameras, independently verified for accuracy.

Lifeguarding organizations, local governments, state parks, universities, and more across three continents leverage SurfZone AI's technology for beach monitoring and risk analysis.

Surfer Tracking and Wave Monitoring

SurfZone AI's capabilities extend to tracking surfers and recreational water users, providing detailed data on amenity usage.

The system can identify ridden waves, paddling, sitting, surfing, and wading, offering high-frequency time series data, heat maps, and aggregate statistics.

Additionally, the platform excels in wave monitoring, delivering precise measurements such as wave heights and periods, breaking estimated bathymetry, and other wave statistics for the surf zone.

Predictive Modeling and Environmental Monitoring

SurfZone AI employs physical ocean modeling and machine learning to predict various parameters in the short or long term.

The platform's environmental monitoring extends beyond waves to include comprehensive forecasts and predictions for footfall and other relevant parameters.

Data Visualization and Analysis

The SurfZone AI platform also promises to shine in visualizing data and creating interactive heat maps.

With cloud-based data warehousing, the system ensures secure storage and backup while providing users access to data in bulk or near real-time via a modern API.

The in-house data science team offers bespoke analysis and research services, updating models, detecting different parameters, and providing detailed risk modeling.

How SurfZone AI Works

The core of SurfZone AI lies in its custom machine-learning algorithm designed for small object detection.

Trained on a vast archive of coastal imagery from a network of over 1,000 beach cameras, this algorithm outperforms generic object detection models.

It understands and segments scenes at the pixel level, enabling detailed data derivation on various aspects of the surf zone environment.

Also, risk models and extended analysis face a susceptibility to inaccuracies in detecting false negatives.

In instances where the camera encounters obscurities like fog, rain, dirt, or obstructions, the proprietary model recognizes these issues and marks the associated data as unreliable.

The system addresses challenges related to occlusion, where individuals may be concealed by waves or each other, by employing a date-led statistical averaging over time, combined with high frame rate analysis.

SurfZone AI could also be useful in surf economics research and coastal management.

How much of the new surf-oriented machine learning technology will be channeled to business and consumer markets is something time will tell.

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

How are surfers seeded into WSL competition heats?

Surfing - 27. Февраль 2024 - 15:22

How are surfers distributed in heats? Can two top-ranked athletes match up against each other in the opening round of a contest? Here's how seeding works in the Championship Tour (CT).

The World Surf League (WSL) introduced a new competition format in the 2019 CT.

The goal was to fine-tune an athlete's past achievements while simultaneously rewarding performance in a running season.

Seeding is the process of assigning a rank or position to a surfer based on their previous achievements or current performance.

Seeding aims to create a structured bracket or draw for the surf competitions, ensuring that higher-seeded athletes are initially paired against lower-seeded ones, theoretically providing a more balanced and competitive progression throughout the event.

In modern competitive professional surfing, each elite surf contest features the following stages:

  • Seeding Round;
  • Elimination Round;
  • Round of 32;
  • Round of 16;
  • Quarterfinals;
  • Semifinals;
  • Final;

The Seeding Round

The Seeding Round (see image below) is the first competition heat and features 12 three-man man heats, i.e., 36 athletes.

The top two surfers from every heat progress directly to the Round of 32, whereas the surfer with the lowest placement in each heat moves on to the Elimination Round.

But what are the criteria for distributing surfers through the 12 heats?

Can two top surfers in the overall rankings meet in the inaugural stage? How do you set up a fair seeding?

For the seeding calculations, WSL designed a system with two variables:

  • Base Seed Points;
  • CT Seed Points;

The Base Seed Points apply to the previous season's CT athletes, the wildcards, and the replacements.

They are determined by WSL before the first CT event of the year and have a gap of 40,000 points between the world champion and the 34th-placed surfer.

The world champion gets 60,000 points; the last in the rankings gets 20,000 points.

The gap is determined by the precise percentage difference in rankings. 

For instance, if the 2023 WSL world champion Filipe Toledo holds 60,000 points and Ethan Ewing lagged 19 percent behind him in the previous year's rankings, Ethan will start the 2024 season with 19 percent fewer seeding points than Filipe.

Therefore, the initial seeding reflects each surfer's performance from the preceding year.

Then, all surfers will have 25 percent of those initial Base Seed Points deducted from each of the first four CT events of the season.

As a result, Base Seed Points will be zero from the fifth CT contest onward.

The goal is to reward performance and allow lower-seeded surfers to get rid of their initial handicap, if you will.

CT Seed Points are the sum of the Base Seed Points plus the current CT rankings points earned in the regular season.

The Brackets Formula

How are surfers seeded into the inaugural round?

Before each event, WSL assigns seeding to the surfers within the range of 1 to 36.

Subsequently, these 36 individuals, including the wildcards, are distributed across four brackets.

The initial bracket encompasses seeds 1 to 4, the second bracket consists of seeds 5 to 12, the following bracket includes seeds 13 to 24, and the last one comprises seeds 25-36.

Consequently, a surfer is confined to movement solely within their designated bracket during the competition.

This seeding system allows wildcards and replacements to have a chance to not draw the top surfers again in Round 32, something that happened before 2019.

In the past, a wildcard who beat a top-ranked surfer would have to meet him again in the previously designated Round 3, current Round of 32.

With the new system, a wildcard that wins the Seeding Round will not be up against a top-four athlete in the Round of 32.

In other words, performance and results are rewarded.

First Surfs Against Last

It's important to note that in the opening round, the highest-ranked surfer is seeded with the lowest-ranked athlete plus wildcards, the second-placed surfer is matched against the penultimate-ranked surfer plus a replacement surfer, and so on.

Only the order of heats was reshuffled mainly to avoid overlapping heats with top-seeded surfers who eventually battle in separate heats for the world title.

In Round 32, the competition adopts a horizontal pyramid-style, two-men, single-elimination format in which the winner advances through to the next match-up and the loser is eliminated.

It's important to underline that the Brackets Stage (see image above), from the Round of 32 to the final, splits the leaderboard into two sides (Heats 1-8 and Heats 9-16), meaning that the winner of each side's heat only meets the winner of the other side's heat in the final.

According to WSL, professional surfing's seeding does not follow an automated algorithm. Instead, heat distribution and organization are supervised manually.

The competitive surfing seed formula is not perfect nor always fair, but that's virtually impossible because the weight of the variables at stake is subjective.

For instance, how do you weigh the importance of winning the Challenger Series (CS) against placing last in the top 22 CS rankings?

Who should be seeded above, a 10th-place finishing CT surfer or a runner-up CS campaigner?

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

Depression Louis triggers historic XXL swell in Nazaré

Surfing - 26. Февраль 2024 - 14:14

Depression Louis brought some of the largest swells of the decade to Portugal, Spain, and France, courtesy of the North Atlantic winter storms.

The extreme weather event raised national alerts and put big-wave surfers on hold on Europe's infamous XXL surf breaks.

Most storm-chasing fraternity converged in Praia do Norte, Nazaré, for another go at the Guinness World Record race.

The Portuguese underwater canyon has been the gold mine of many athletes and media professionals eager to ride and capture the sport's superlative stunts.

The Code Black swell brought a lot of wind, gusts, and heavy rain but also plenty of record-breaking opportunities for the usual suspects.

Three names in particular have been making a living in Nazaré in recent years: Lucas "Chumbo" Chianca, Sebastian Steudtner, and Rodrigo Koxa.

Whenever Praia do Norte fires its most brutal missiles, they're either strapped to their surfboard or towing someone into the massive avalanches of water.

The big wave surfing business has become a niche industry in the once quiet and picturesque fishing village.

Extreme surfers get the most out of the winter season the best way they can - free surfing or competing in events like the Nazaré Big Wave Challenge or the Gigantes de Nazaré.

The former is run by the World Surf League (WSL), and the latter by Brazil's TV Globo.

Gigantes de Nazaré is an invitational event that explores the monetization of online video content and broadcasting to large TV audiences.

A Potential New World Record

On Saturday, February 24, Nazaré witnessed the peak of Depression Louis, with the beach break detonating 80-foot plus (25-meter) walls of water.

Chianca and Steudtner had an informal duel in the heavy waters, with both the Brazilian and the German entertaining the audience at São Miguel Arcanjo fort and on the cliffs with some impressive runs.

They were towed into the biggest waves of the day by Ian Cosenza and Eric Rebiere.

Some say the current 86-foot (26.21 meters) world record wave has been broken, but no one dares to say by whom and on which wave.

The WSL officials will have the last word, using their fine-tuned wave height measuring method.

Once again, the safety rescue teams were busy driving jet skis around massive whitewater and backwash waves and taking their partners out of the impact zone.

The striking 360s and double backflips are becoming the playful standard for foot-strapped surfers descending long liquid slopes.

They're the signature tricks and bonus factor for the patient crowd watch from the safety of terra firma.

But surprises can happen, and throughout the week, as the swell's energy was building, other players emerged confident and audacious.

Lucas Fink, Balaram Stack, Eden Edwards, Alessandra Marinelli, Lourenço Katzenstein, Will Santana, Kalani Lattanzi, Michelle des Bouillons, Gabriel Sampaio, Manuel Fróis, and Vítor Faria also had their share of stoke.

They will definitely keep an eye out for when opportunity knocks.

The quest for the 100-foot wave is a work in progress, one that will require a flawless and rare combination of weather elements to take place.

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

Indar Unanue conquers 10th edition of La Vaca Gigante

Surfing - 23. Февраль 2024 - 18:32

The 10th edition of La Vaca Gigante has etched its mark in history.

In a stunning display of skill and courage, 24 surfers, both local and international, embraced the formidable Cantabrian waves, reaching heights of over 23 feet (seven meters).

The waves crashed dramatically against the Cantabrian coast, creating an epic day of XXL surfing in Santander.

Ultimately, the day belonged to Indar Unanue, who emerged victorious, shaking the cowbell and hoisting the coveted milk jug that signifies triumph in this prestigious competition.

The day commenced under cloudy skies in Cueto, with minimal wind. The only sound disrupting the silence was the eager anticipation of waves awaiting their moment to shine.

As the tide rose, the La Vaca Gigante 2024 competition kicked off around noon with the trial round. Seven surfers vied for the last coveted spot in the main event.

The action commenced swiftly, featuring impressive waves and powerful surfing, notably by Frenchman Pierre Rollet, who dominated with 24.11 points, securing a spot in the final phase.

With the main event roster finalized, 18 surfers engaged in three heats of six riders each, competing for a prize pool of €10,000.

The audience swelled as spectators gathered at the imposing cliffs, eager to witness a day of electrifying surfing.

The competition format involved 45-minute heats, where surfers aimed to accumulate points from their two best waves, with the better of the two counting double.

The initial rounds showcased local talent, with Nico García and Nano Riego claiming the top two spots in the first round, earning them places in the grand final.

The second round saw a reversal of fortune, with foreign surfers Indar Unanue and Nic Lamb delivering exceptional performances, securing scores of 25.27 and 25.39, respectively.

A Perfect 10

In the third round, local Juan Merodio and Frenchman Pierre Rollet made their mark.

Merodio achieved a perfect score of 10 on his best wave, contributing to a combined score of 26.90.

Rollet, meanwhile, achieved the highest combined score in the qualifying rounds with 28.27 points.

As the final list of contenders for this year's title emerged, approximately 10,000 spectators crowded the cliffs of Cueto, eagerly awaiting the grand finale of La Vaca Gigante 2024.

With six finalists and an hour-long heat in a challenging sea, the riders faced a formidable challenge.

Patience, talent, and wisdom would be the determining factors in the championship's golden round.

Cantabrians Nico García and Nano Riego asserted their local dominance, securing third and second place, respectively, with combined scores exceeding 20 points.

Pierre Rollet, a standout performer, showcased his prowess with a stellar 9.77 score.

However, lacking a second wave, he narrowly missed a podium finish or the chance to challenge the unbeatable Indar Unanue.

Unanue, in a spectacular display, scored two waves above 9 points - 9.67 and 9.93 - accumulating an impressive combined score of 29.53 out of a possible 30.

The Basque surfer's achievements in this 10th edition of La Vaca Gigante are remarkable. After a hiatus from the competition, he clinched victory, having finished as the runner-up three times before.

"The organization has done a great job and has been right with the call for the event because it is a complicated wave to get the timing right," expressed Indar Unanue, the La Vaca Gigante 2024 champion.

"I came wanting to make a final, and I went for it once I saw myself there."

"I was very excited to win the championship because, after several podiums, I was really looking forward to it. Thank you to all the riders, safety patrol, public, and organization staff for making it possible!" 

La Vaca Gigante 2024 | Results
  1. Indar Unanue (EUK) 29,53
  2. Nano Riego (CAN) 22,21
  3. Nicolás García López (CAN) 20,61
  4. Pierre Rollet (FRA) 19,54
  5. Nic Lamb (USA) 17,99
  6. Juan Merodio Velasco (CAN) 2,46
  • Best Cantabrian Surfer: Nano Riego
  • Best Wipeout: Juan Merodio
Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

The 3D perspective of a wave and the tube

Surfing - 22. Февраль 2024 - 15:51

Robbie Crawford calls himself a multimedia specialist, but he's certainly more than that. Meet the 21st-century digital artist who has dreamed of waves since childhood.

He's been pushing the boundaries of graphical 3D wave simulation and sharing the developments with the world in the form of art and creative imagination.

Robbie is also a surfer and passionate lensman, two sides of his personality that surely help us understand his extremely popular work in social media.

However, the Huntington Beach-based imagery creator is not your typical professional surf photographer or videographer with a creative, hipster-driven vein.

Crawford operates mainly on the side of fantasy.

In the past couple of decades, the Californian has significantly contributed to establishing the compact action camera as a legitimate tool in professional media.

With the experimentations made with standard waterproof shooting devices showcasing their capabilities and features, Crawford's work has been featured in diverse media outlets such as the Discovery Channel and Thrasher Magazine.

More recently, Crawford started unveiling some of the results of his interactions with generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) software and programs like Midjourney.

His literally fantastic digital creations involve surfers and waves in hallucinogenic visions and LSD-inspired trips.

Robbie's supercomputer-based work around 3D environments, ultra-slow motion shots, virtual reality, and AI-immersed realities is unique and unparalleled in the surfing world.

Volumetric Video Waves

Crawford is fascinated by waves and their natural motion from birth to whitewater.

The fact that he "missed the glassy days in the summer when the sun is perfectly positioned in the tube" inspired him to "figure out how to make the 3D wave simulations."

Crawford vigorously defends his digitally-backed art.

"What some people don't get is that art doesn't compete with reality - art compliments reality," Robbie wrote on his Instagram account.

"It's real-world experiences that drive artists to translate feelings we have toward certain subject matter to a medium. These aren't fake waves - they're real art driven by a true love for the ocean."

While you can witness a progressive evolution of AI-supported creations in Robbie's work through time, there is something that captivates everyone's eyes - the 3D perspective of a wave.

In the real world, the motion nature of waves never quite allows us to pause them and look at their beauty from all possible angles.

It is nearly impossible. You’d need a multi-axis array of cameras at the right place and time shooting the passing and breaking of a wave.

However, thanks to the ever-growing technological advances, three-dimensional views of an ocean wave are now, shall we say, virtually real and possible.

And Robbie Crawford is enchanted by this possibility.

"If I took people on a trip around the volume of a single frame of one of my wave simulations, it might better convey what they actually are," added the digital artist.

"When I create them, I'm not really making them for cellphones. I'm creating them with a future vision when they can be translated volumetrically into augmented virtual experiences."

Crawford stresses that each simulation is so complex that it takes around 100 to 200 GB of data.

According to the multimedia magician, "we will have the ability to turn traditional media volumetric" by the end of the decade.

Can you imagine experiencing volumetric video of waves and swells using augmented reality (AR) headsets?

The 3D image contemporary artist even imagined and designed a wave pool with glass walls so people can see above and beneath the waves.

Computational Power for Seconds of Viewing Pleasure

But make no mistake: each rendering takes ages, and all mistakes have to be corrected and then re-rendered again.

This is something that takes time, patience, and up-to-date technology. All for a few seconds of viewing pleasure.

Water is a highly complex topic in the multimedia field.

The physics of ocean waves is one of the last uncharted territories of digital fluid simulation.

The behavior of a breaking wave has been simultaneously a mystery and challenge, for instance, for game developers and animated motion picture computer-generated imagery (CGI) specialists.

Despite progress in recent decades, waves always seem rather unrealistic on the big screen or in video games.

For his physics-based fluid simulations, Robbie uses Blender, a powerful and open-source 3D computer graphics software for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D printed models, motion graphics, interactive 3D applications, and more.

The evolution of Crawford's renderings is quite notable, but there's always room for improvement.

The Soothing Effect

Robbie Crawford's innovative digital artworks and cutting-edge multimedia content go beyond the contemplation.

They transmit a soothing effect and relaxing aura to the hundreds of thousands of fans who follow the Californian's creations on his Instagram space (@robbiecrawford).

The light, the hues, the speed and pace, the angle, and the journey into the heart of a wave - the tube - are somehow meditative and enthralling without ever losing appeal.

Next stop: 3D holograms of waves, please.

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum win 2024 Hurley Pro Sunset Beach

Surfing - 22. Февраль 2024 - 13:12

Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum claimed the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

The finals got underway in six-to-eight-foot perfect rights at Sunset Beach.

The proving grounds of Oahu's North Shore once again offered a real challenge to the best surfers in the world with solid waves and shifting lineups, but overall, plenty of opportunities to showcase their talent and kick off the new season. 

A monumental change in women's professional surfing happened over the course of the season's first two events, with the top 17 taking on serious conditions at Pipe and Sunset and some of the youngest competitors showing up with massive performances and commitment to raise the bar.

Picklum was an integral part of the charge in making history this month as she collected huge scores for her relentless approach to hitting the biggest sections of the waves, holding nothing back.

Today, she earned back-to-back titles at Sunset.

This win marks Picklum's second victory on Tour, out of four finals surfed, and the Australian will be wearing the yellow Leader jersey heading to Portugal for the next stop of the 2024 CT as the new world no.1.

"What a moment! Defending a title is so hard in our sport because the ocean is in charge," Picklum said.

"The ocean played its part for me, and I'm really, really happy it did that."

"Every event feels different, so I'm just taking it for what it is and trying to find the little fun moments in between it all."

"I definitely wasn't as confident in this event, but I always kept belief, and I think that's one of my strengths."

The women's final was a rematch of the second semifinal at Pipe last week between Picklum and Sakura Johnson, with a lot in the balance as the winning surfer would get to wear the rankings leader yellow jersey, leaving the Hawaiian leg.

Both surfers found similar waves to kick off the final, but the Hawaiian won the first exchange with better-timed turns in the critical sections for a 7.17 (out of a possible 10) over the Australian's 6.50.

Picklum backed it up quickly to take the lead midway through the heat and apply pressure to Sakura Johnson, who was surfing in her first-ever final on the CT.

But the Haleiwa local stayed patient, sitting in the lineup with priority, waiting for the right wave.

Her calculated approach, unfortunately, did not pay off as time ran down without offering any more opportunities for either surfer.

Picklum added yet another highlight to a spectacular four-week stint on the North Shore today with one of the biggest turns ever seen on the women's Tour at Sunset Beach.

Bettylou: The New Kid on the Block

In her semifinal bout against Brisa Hennessy, the powerful regular foot posted a near-perfect 9.67 for a high-risk, high-reward single maneuver on a double-overhead wave.

Bettylou Sakura Johnson reached her first CT final in her third year on Tour and has upped her game big time in 2024.

The 18-year-old posted some of the event's biggest scores, including a 9.17 in her first heat at Sunset yesterday.

One of the most confident surfers in the Pipe barrels and the big open faces of Sunset, the Hawaiian will be a force to be reckoned with this season.

"It's been an unreal last couple of days. We've been so fortunate to get good waves," said Sakura Johnson.

"I'm really just blessed to be home and to represent home, and have my coach behind me and have the confidence I needed to do well in this event. It's pretty unreal."

"Molly and I talked about it two years ago, and now we're doing it, and I'm really happy to be a part of it and to hopefully keep pushing this level, and it will be a new level of surfing for women's surfing in the next few years."

Robinson on Fire

Jack Robinson continues to build his legacy on the North Shore as he picks up win No. 6 on the CT, his first at Sunset.

After an upset loss in the Round of 32 at Pipe, the Australian bounced back in the best way with total domination all week, an incredible display of his signature carves, and the ability to find the deepest, cleanest barrels at Sunset.

"It was a crazy last few months at home; I had a baby and everything before coming here, and it's all new and just adapting," said Robinson.

"I'm just enjoying it so much today. I know I didn't start good at Pipe, but it didn't matter. I was just trying to enjoy it so much, and it's so special."

"It was a cool wave, almost bending, and I've never been tubed twice on the inside here."

"And to have a final with Kanoa, we've grown up together, and we've been doing this for a long time. It's a cool history and a lot more to come."

Two surfers with a lot of history, competing against each other since their early grom years, Robinson and Kanoa Igarashi met in the final after dominating all week at Sunset.

The Australian pulled the trigger first and wasted no time as his first wave went straight to excellence, an 8.17, to make his intentions clear to his opponent.

After an unlikely mistake on his first attempt, Igarashi fought back with a 7.33 to stay in fighting distance.

But Robinson kept building momentum and found an absolute gem, locking into two barreling sections after a massive carve and was rewarded with a near-perfect 9.87 to put the Japanese surfer into an 18.04 combination situation (out of a possible 20).

Despite his best efforts, the gap was too much for Igarashi to overcome, and Robinson claimed the win. The West Australian will leave Hawaii ranked second in the world.

Kanoa Igarashi was in need of a big result as well after a disappointing early exit at Pipe and found his groove on the big open walls of Sunset, where he could lay down his lightning-fast turns to overcome some of the toughest competition this week.

"Growing up in California, Hawaii was just one flight away and a place we had to come and train, and back when I was younger, I would dread coming over because it'd be scary to be here on the North Shore to surf bigger waves," said Igarashi.

"But, over the years, I would try to put as much time as I could, and I have a really good team in my corner. Thanks to them, they always pushed me, and I knew that if I wanted to be a top surfer on Tour, I'd have to get good results here. I'm really happy with my start so far this year and just want to keep it going."

2024 Hurley Pro Sunset Beach | Finals Men
  1. Jack Robinson (AUS) 18.04
  2. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 15.16
Women
  1. Molly Picklum (AUS) 11.83
  2. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 8.67
Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

Why are hip replacement surgeries so common in surfers?

Surfing - 20. Февраль 2024 - 14:45

Hip replacement surgeries are relatively common among surfers, and it's easy to understand why.

A surfer's body is constantly pivoting and absorbing impacts.

On top of that, the surfer's regular or goofy stance generates uneven and unbalanced pivoting, for instance, when cutting back or carving.

Therefore, professional surfers and highly-active recreational surfers experience repeated stress and trauma to the hip joint.

Last but not least, surfing in challenging conditions for several years and decades can lead to various injuries and wear and tear on the hips.

Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, and Griffin Colapinto are some of the few examples of different-generation athletes who had to undergo surgery to replace a hip.

But what exactly causes excessive wear and tear to the hip region, especially among the wave-riding community?

Causes of Damaged Joints

Some reasons why hip replacement surgeries are more prevalent among surfers include:

Repetitive Stress and Sudden Movements

Surfers often perform repetitive motions, such as paddling, popping up on the board, and making quick turns.

These behaviors can place significant stress on the hip joint over time, contributing to the development of issues.

Also, after quick and dynamic movements, surfers may sometimes find themselves in awkward positions or make sudden movements that can strain the region, leading to injuries.

High-Impact Landings

Surfing, especially in larger waves, involves high-impact landings and maneuvers.

Surfers may land forcefully on the water, and this impact can lead to injuries or accelerated wear of the hip joint, including damage to the labrum and cartilage.

Underlying Structural Factors

Some individuals may have underlying structural issues with their hip joints, such as abnormal shapes or alignment, making them more prone to injuries and wear and tear.

Age and Career Duration

Older surfers or those with long surfing careers may experience a cumulative effect of wear on their joints.

The longer someone has been actively surfing, the more likely they are to develop hip issues over time.

Environmental Factors

The type of waves and conditions in certain surf spots can contribute to the stress on the hips.

For example, powerful waves, point breaks, and pounding beach breaks may increase the risk of lesions.

Kelly Slater's Hip Replacement

Kelly Slater is one of the many surfers who had to undergo hip replacement surgery.

"The first time I ever injured my hip, I was 19. I was trying to figure out how to surf Sunset Beach," Slater explained after the surgical intervention.

"I was trying to hit the lip to a floater, and I got pitched out. So, I probably fell like 10 or 12 feet. I tried to stick it, and when I hit, my back foot came off."

"I did the splits, and the lip landed on me, and I actually thought I broke my femur - that was the feeling. I'm like, 'Oh, the legs broken up there.'"

"So I'm underwater just getting absolutely drilled, trying to hold my leg, and then I came up, and I was just like, 'what the heck just happened?'"

"That was the first time I hurt my labrum. And then I did it about two or three more times in my 20s."

"One time, I was towing with Kalama in Tahiti, and we were just like trying to do flips off waves, and I tried to land one at the back, but I was like trying to err on the side of falling, so I kind of took my back foot a little out of the strap, and I split again from eight feet high.

"I just was too above the board. I should have been more on my butt. So I came from doing the splits a few times."

"I had surgery on my hip in the summer of 2000, labral cleanup, and just a basic arthroscopic, and I was basically back in the water in about a month and a half."

"This one's gonna be like three to four months."

"So this surgery was much more sensitive, and they have better techniques now, 23 years later."

"So I had a complete labral reconstruction where they took a cadaver labrum and inserted it and tied it into my bone."

"I had bone fragments, like four big bone fragments in the joint, that were like embedding into the labrum and tearing it, and I had some other foreign bodies - I don't know what those were that had to get taken out."

"Warren Kramer said that my labrum was basically shredded from end to end except for a small section about an inch long."

"And then I had bone spurs on the femur head. They had to clean up and shave and then the socket joint; they also had to shave and clean up as well. So, pretty extensive."

"What happens with some people is when they're young if they're if your hips a certain shape it can bang up against the socket, the femur does, and then the socket will start to grow bone just to stop that from happening, and then you lose range of motion, and you get stiff, and then you start like ruining your cartilage."

"The body's smart, so it's trying to stop that movement. I also had a lot of scar tissue cut out. Warren got in there and said it looked like a war zone."

"He said before he could get in, he had to chop through the woods and cut a bunch of scar tissue out, so there was a lot of stuff going on."

"It would explain why I don't want to surf a lot because my hip hurts so much. I'm in pain a lot. It's also affecting my back radically because I'm constantly having to try to get to a position like I internally rotate and pull my hip back, and then that throws my back off."

"I actually have pretty extensive scoliosis, but it's functional."

"I think because my hips are kind of level, so my legs aren't really like different lengths, but I've been able to let that functional pattern work with my muscle somehow and figure out where I need to be."

Surfing after Post-Hip Replacement Surgery

Surfing after a hip replacement is always possible.

However, it depends on various factors, including the type of surgery performed, the individual's overall health, and their dedication to rehabilitation.

While many people can return to surfing after a hip replacement, there may be some impact on their surfing ability.

The replaced hip may not have the same range of motion as a natural hip, and individuals might need time to adapt to the changes.

Here are some considerations regarding surfing after hip replacement surgery:

Recovery Period

The initial recovery period after hip replacement surgery typically involves restrictions on certain activities, including those involving high impact or excessive hip twisting.

Following the surgeon's recommendations and adopting physical therapy to regain strength and mobility is crucial.

You should count on at least one and a half months of rest and recovery.

Surgeon's Clearance

Individuals should seek clearance from their orthopedic surgeon before returning to surfing or any physically demanding activity.

The surgeon will assess the recovery's progress, the stability of the hip joint, and the individual's overall readiness to resume sporting activities.

Individual Variability

People vary in their recovery timelines and the extent to which they can resume sports like surfing.

Factors such as age, overall fitness, adherence to rehabilitation, and the success of the surgery play a role in determining when and how one can return to surfing.

Modified Surfing Techniques

Even after recovery, some individuals may need to modify their surfing techniques to reduce stress on the replaced hip.

It might involve adjusting their stance, avoiding certain maneuvers, or being cautious about the impact when paddling or popping up on the board.

Self-Monitoring

It's essential for individuals with a hip replacement to pay attention to their bodies and avoid pushing themselves too hard.

Any pain, discomfort, or limitations should be communicated to healthcare professionals, and adjustments may be necessary.

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

Tiago Stock wins 2024 Capítulo Perfeito

Surfing - 19. Февраль 2024 - 12:31

Local charger Tiago Stock claimed the 10th annual Capítulo Perfeito at Carcavelos Beach, Portugal, by defeating Rob Machado, Dylan Graves, and Balaram Stack in the final.

Carcavelos Beach dished up a day of punchy, barreling waves for all 16 contenders, with the world's best tube specialists and the top Portuguese locals performing a full-day surfing exhibition in the 10-year anniversary of Capítulo Perfeito.

In the end, the 18-year-old Portuguese surfer claimed the top honors, bagging the €20.000 winner's check as the first trialist to ever win the event.

Adding up to local dominance, 16-year-old Salvador Vala won the Next Generation Special Heat, which opposed the young surfers featured in this year's New Generation category (U-18).

An 8.25 ride set Vala apart from his opponents, granting him €1,000 in cash, a €500 travel voucher, and a 7-day double stay at the Hiddenbay Resort in the Mentawai islands.

He also took the Worst Wipeout by Nixon prize (€500).

Despite failing to make the final, former Capítulo Perfeito champion Bruno Santos made it all the way to the semis after an auspicious start that saw him score the best wave (9.90) and the highest heat total (16.90) of the event in the first duel of the day, nabbing the Best Tube (€2,500) and Best Score (€2,000) prizes.

Also, hats off to semi-finalist Lucas "Chumbo" Chianca, who claimed the Ricardo dos Santos Commitment Award (€2,000) by taking on the biggest and most technical waves.

With the swell remaining consistent throughout the day, the elite crew of world-class barrel riders saw powerful eight-foot sets storming across Carcavelos Beach, a playing field of hollow A-frames that is considered one of the best beach breaks in Europe when it turns on.

A crowd of twenty thousand people gathering on the beach, as well as thousands of surf fans watching around the world via live stream on YouTube, were in for an unforgettable surfing day, making their support loudly clear to the local heroes.

Apart from the athletes mentioned above, Anthony Walsh, Aritz Aranburu, Francisca Veselko, João Maria Mendonça, Nathan Hedge, Nic von Rupp, Pedro Boonman, Tiago Pires and William Alliotti also took part in the competition.

Former Capítulo Perfeito champions include Tiago Pires (2012), Nic von Rupp (2013), Nic von Rupp (2014), Bruno Santos (2015), Aritz Aranburu (2016), William Aliotti (2018), Anthony Walsh (2020), Aritz Aranburu (2022), Nic von Rupp (2023). 

2023 Capítulo Perfeito | Final
  1. Tiago Stock (9.75)
  2. Rob Machado (5.25)
  3. Dylan Graves (2.60)
  4. Balaram Stack (1.25)
Awards
  • Best Tube: Bruno Santos (BRA) 9.90
  • Best Score: Bruno Santos (BRA) 16.90
  • Worst Wipeout: Salvador Vala (PRT)
  • Ricardo dos Santos Award: Lucas Chianca (BRA)
  • New Generation Special Heat Winner: Salvador Vala (PRT) 
Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

How to deal with unsolicited surf advice in the lineup

Surfing - 16. Февраль 2024 - 18:56

Surfers tend to think they perform better than they actually do.

But that's just human nature and applies to every aspect of our lives as social individuals.

Generally speaking, we are all better at pointing out others' flaws, faults, and deficiencies than assessing and improving ourselves.

Judgment is one of our most over-developed characteristics.

Whether we're watching a pro surfer in the heat or someone tearing a wave to bits in front of us, there's always something wrong or could be improved.

The problem is when we decide to share our thoughts and experiences with others in the form of a condescending lesson or tip.

This free, unrequested wave-riding consultancy-style advice may be authentic, honest, and truly helpful, but the receiver could not be open or interested in it.

Despite the consistent changes witnessed in the 21st century, surfing is still a sexist sport.

The male surfer's inclination for mansplaining women in the lineup is out there all over the world, in crowded and secluded spots.

But the surf professor that exists in all of us is sometimes stronger than our own insignificance. And so we open our mouths when we are supposed to keep it shut.

Tips to Keep Surfsplaining Away

Dealing with unsolicited surf advice and coaching from random surfers can be challenging, especially when the person is persistent and potentially aggressive.

So, what could you do to keep surfing on your own without getting gratuitous tips on how to improve your wave-riding skills?

Here are some polite and passive ways to handle such situations:

  1. Wear Ear Plugs: Wearing surf earplugs can be a subtle way to indicate that you're not open to conversation. When the person starts talking, you can point to your earplugs and mention that you can't hear well because you're wearing them;
  2. Express Gratitude and Disinterest: When the fellow surfer offers advice, respond with a simple "Thank you" or "I appreciate that" without engaging further. Follow it up by stating that you prefer to focus on your own experience and enjoy the waves without too much external input;
  3. Engage with Humor: Inject humor into your responses to deflect tension, lighten the mood, and discourage persistent behavior. For example, you can use the excuse of learning from your own mistakes by saying something like, "Hey, I've got a PhD in wipeouts planned! No need for the unsolicited advice - I'm taking the scenic route to surf wisdom." or "I've decided to become a connoisseur of epic fails in surfing. Save the advice for my success party – or should I say, wipeout celebration?" or even "I'm embracing the 'Do It Yourself' surfing method. No advice needed – just me, the waves, and a spectacular collection of faceplants!";
  4. Use Sarcasm: Repeat what the person is telling you to someone else nearby or use absurd statements like "You can't tell me what to do; you're not my real dad!" could be effective;
  5. Repeat Responses: If the person persists, you can calmly repeat a generic response, such as "I'll keep that in mind, thanks," without committing to implementing the advice. Repetition may signal that you're not interested in further discussion;
  6. Paddle Away Politely: If the person paddles toward you in the water, you can make a hand gesture indicating a stop sign and say, "Not today," in a calm yet assertive tone. This sets boundaries without escalating the situation;
  7. Express Intent to Have Fun: Politely let the person know that you're just there to have fun, not seeking improvement or coaching. A statement like, "I'm just doing my own thing and having fun. I don't care what I look like," can deter further unsolicited advice;
  8. Use Non-Engagement Techniques: If the person is aggressive or potentially mentally unwell, non-engagement techniques, such as not making eye contact, staring into the ocean, or paddling away quietly, can help avoid confrontations;
  9. Suggest Coaching Outside the Water: If the person persists and you feel safe, consider addressing the issue directly outside the water. Express that you appreciate their intent but prefer to enjoy surfing without constant advice. Suggest that they seek certification if they enjoy coaching;
  10. Seek Support from Other Locals: If the person continues to bother you, seek support from other locals, especially those who may have observed the behavior. Having allies in the lineup can discourage the person from singling you out;
Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

What causes the morning sickness in the ocean?

Surfing - 15. Февраль 2024 - 20:12

Morning seasickness in surfing refers to the temporary, rough, and messy ocean conditions experienced by surfers during early morning sessions, particularly prevalent in locations like California, Hawaii, and Bali.

Surfers are a sports tribe that usually wakes up early to enjoy glassy, uncrowded waves.

The so-called dawn patrol enthusiasts tend to believe that when it comes to getting the best ride, the earlier, the better.

But is it always like this? Do the early morning hours only bring perfect, windless swell lines?

Maybe not.

If you've been surfing for a while or have watched a surf contest's online broadcast, you might have heard about the concept of "morning sickness."

It's obviously not the same as the condition women experience during pregnancy.

The key to understanding morning seasickness, the ocean's ailment, lies in the dynamics of the early morning environment.

Dawn's Seasickness

The meteorological and oceanographical phenomenon is attributed to a combination of factors.

One of the first to address this unusual occurrence was surf forecaster Sean Collins, the founder of Surfline.

Firstly, the early morning is often characterized by haze, fog, or a marine layer from overnight moisture, creating a dark gray gloom that can distort perceptions of water conditions akin to a hangover.

You'll notice slightly choppy, bumpy wave faces morphing over the twilight sky.

You'll say it isn't good enough to paddle out, but that isn't necessarily true; it raises doubts about the quality of the upcoming session.

So, what's at stake?

The water surface conditions contribute to morning sickness due to variable winds overnight, leading to mixed-up and semi-sloppy conditions.

Additionally, tides at dawn are often either too low or too high, further affecting the wave quality.

As the morning progresses, the leftover wind bump gradually subsides, resulting in a smoother water surface.

The sunlight also plays a role, casting a clearer light on the scene, transforming the grayness into blue.

Certain regions, like Hawaii, may benefit from offshore winds as the day progresses, further cleaning up the conditions.

It's actually a very frequent phenomenon at Banzai Pipeline, forcing contest organizers to put events on hold for an hour or two.

In his explanation, Collins was clear: opt for a later start to your surfing session to avoid the initial challenges posed by morning seasickness.

Air and Land Temperatures

It's also important to underline the difference between air and land temperature in the early morning hours.

At dawn, when it's still early, and the sun hasn't warmed everything up yet, the land is cooler than the ocean.

This temperature difference causes something called a "land breeze," where gentle winds blow from the land towards the ocean.

Now, during the night, there might have been winds blowing from the ocean towards the land, creating some bumpiness on the water surface - the morning sickness.

Even when the wind stops, the effects can still be there in the morning.

As the morning goes on, the land starts to warm up, and the land breeze continues.

This period, before the wind changes again, is when the ocean becomes cleaner, and the waves get smoother and less rugged.

It's like a brief moment of calm just before things change.

Some places might have their local features, like mountains, that make this morning effect even stronger.

In desert areas, the offshore winds might not last long, and the sea breeze takes over pretty quickly, affecting the waves.

A good example is Namibia's Skeleton Bay.

So, with time, the ocean tends to settle into a more favorable state, offering surfers a cleaner, oily-like, and more enjoyable wave-riding experience.

In the event of an overnight offshore wind, the chop generated by a short-period wind swell should quickly disappear as opposed to 10-second-plus, long-period groundswells.

Ultimately, the balance between this unpleasant ocean condition and having an uncrowded surf spot just for yourself isn't easy to manage.

It's a fine line made of choices and compromises.

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

The differences between the GFS and ECMWF weather models

Surfing - 13. Февраль 2024 - 19:18

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and Global Forecast System (GFS) are the leading global numerical weather prediction systems. But what are the differences between them?

A global numerical weather prediction system/model is a sophisticated computer-based tool that uses mathematical equations to simulate and forecast atmospheric conditions on a worldwide scale.

These models employ numerical methods to represent the complex interactions and processes occurring in the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land surface, including temperature, pressure, humidity, wind patterns, and other relevant parameters.

The Earth's atmosphere is divided into a multi-dimensional grid, and the models calculate the state of the atmosphere at each grid point over time.

Numerical weather prediction models use data assimilation techniques to incorporate real-time observational data from various sources, such as satellites, weather stations, ocean buoys, balloons, and aircraft.

These models then run simulations forward in time to predict future atmospheric and oceanic conditions.

GFS and ECMWF are the most widely used global numerical weather prediction systems on the planet.

They are used every day by national weather services, shipping and airline companies, and professional and amateur meteorologists and surf forecasters for multiple purposes.

But what are the differences between them? Which one is the most accurate weather forecasting model?

Global Forecast System (GFS)

The Global Forecast System (GFS) is a numerical weather prediction model designed and run by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), part of the United States National Weather Service (NWS).

The GFS is a global model that provides weather forecasts for the entire globe and is one of the primary models used for medium-range weather prediction.

The GFS provides predictions on a global scale, covering the entire Earth and making it a valuable tool for meteorologists and researchers worldwide.

The North American numerical weather model is particularly known for its medium-range forecasts, typically ranging from a few days up to about two weeks into the future.

It is less accurate for short-term forecasts compared to high-resolution regional models but excels in providing a broad view of weather patterns on a global scale.

The model runs four times a day, providing forecast outputs for different lead times and allowing meteorologists to track and analyze the evolution of weather patterns.

The GFS has a relatively coarse spatial resolution compared to regional models focusing on specific areas.

In other words, while it can capture large-scale weather patterns, it may provide less detail for smaller-scale phenomena.

The GFS produces various output parameters, including temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure, and more.

It incorporates real-time observational data into its initial conditions through a process called data assimilation, i.e., incorporating the latest observations from satellites, weather stations, and other sources.

The GFS is subject to ongoing research and development efforts to enhance its performance and accuracy.

Updates and improvements are periodically implemented to keep the model at the forefront of numerical weather prediction capabilities.

European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is an intergovernmental organization supported by 35 European countries.

These member countries contribute financially and technically to the center's operations.

The cooperation allows for sharing resources and expertise, fostering advancements in weather forecasting and climate research.

Established in 1975, ECMWF's mission is to provide accurate medium-range weather forecasts (up to 15 days ahead) and other related services to its member countries.

It is recognized as one of the leading global centers for weather prediction and atmospheric research.

ECMWF has its headquarters in Reading, United Kingdom.

The center operates a high-performance computing facility, crucial for running complex numerical weather prediction models.

ECMWF employs advanced numerical weather prediction models to generate medium-range, monthly, and seasonal weather forecasts.

The accuracy and reliability of ECMWF's forecasts have made it a globally respected institution.

To improve the accuracy of its models, ECMWF relies on a vast array of observational data, including satellite observations, ground-based measurements, and data from other meteorological instruments.

The assimilation of this data into the models helps update and refine the predictions.

Local vs. Regional Vs. Global Weather Predictions

Both global and regional weather models require significant computational power to solve the governing equations of the atmosphere. 

The sheer complexity of these calculations, considering every point on Earth's surface and in the atmosphere, makes it impractical to achieve a perfect forecast in a reasonable timeframe.

The key tradeoff in weather modeling is the spatial resolution.

If fewer points are chosen for calculations, the forecast is completed faster but is less accurate.

More points result in a more accurate forecast but with a longer computational time.

Global weather models typically calculate governing equations with points separated by about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) horizontally.

This is effective for predicting large-scale features like mid-latitude storm systems and major heat waves or cold snaps.

These models are the primary means for forecasting weather patterns beyond 3-5 days into the future due to their broader coverage.

With higher resolution, regional models are used to predict localized phenomena such as individual storm cells or tomorrow's high temperature in a specific town.

To achieve higher resolution, these models focus on a smaller geographic region. They are particularly useful for short-term forecasts (1-3 days).

Regional models address the limitation of global models in predicting small-scale phenomena like severe thunderstorms.

By running at a high resolution but for a limited area, they provide more detailed analyses for short-term forecasts.

Global models are best for forecasting large-scale features and long-term predictions, while regional models excel in detailed, short-term forecasts for specific regions.

Both models are valuable tools, and their effectiveness depends on using them appropriately based on their strengths and limitations.

Despite their higher resolution, regional models still have limitations in predicting the exact locations affected by severe storms.

They may offer accuracy within a county or two but struggle with pinpointing specific towns.

Both global and regional models are essential for weather prediction, each serving a specific purpose.

The better we understand their strengths and weaknesses, the better we'll use them effectively and avoid misinterpretations in forecasting.

GFS vs. ECMWF: The Differences

The ECMWF generally outperforms the GFS statistically, but there are instances where the GFS may perform better for specific events.

Let's summarize the main differences between both leading weather forecasting models:

  • Resolution: GFS runs at a lower resolution than the ECMWF model. The grid points in the GFS model are located farther apart (every 13 kilometers) than the ECMWF model (every 9 kilometers). Lower resolution generally implies less accuracy in forecasting, as the model may miss finer atmospheric and topographic features;
  • Model Skill Score: Statistically, the ECMWF consistently performs better than the GFS. Studies indicated that since 2007, the ECMWF has consistently produced more accurate 5-day forecasts for the Northern Hemisphere between 20 and 80N compared to the GFS;
  • Performance for Specific Events: While the ECMWF generally outperforms the GFS, there are instances where the GFS has been more accurate for specific storms. For example, the GFS predicted the formation of Tropical Storm Dorian before the ECMWF did. However, such cases are considered exceptions;
  • Model Variety: ECMWF runs one global model and 51 ensemble members, providing a comprehensive range of forecasts. In contrast, NCEP has a suite of models ranging from the global GFS model to specialized models like the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) for regional predictions and the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) for hurricane-specific forecasts;
  • Frequency of Runs: The HRRR model runs every hour, allowing forecasters to re-evaluate predictions more frequently than waiting for a global model to run every six hours. This is particularly useful for predicting small-scale features like heavy snow bands and thunderstorm clusters. ECMWF's atmospheric and wave models run every six hours;
  • Hurricane Intensity Forecasting: The HWRF model is specifically designed to provide more accurate intensity forecasts for hurricanes and tropical storms. Both the ECMWF and GFS models are noted to be good at predicting the track of hurricanes but less accurate in forecasting their intensity;
  • Comprehensive Atmospheric View: The suite of regional models supported by the US Government's weather prediction system, while potentially limiting the accuracy of the global GFS model, provides a more comprehensive view of the atmosphere. This includes specialized models that offer detailed predictions for specific regions and weather phenomena;

The ideal scenario for weather prediction in the US would be to have enough resources to support both a global model matching ECMWF's skill and a full suite of specialized/regional models.

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости

Filipe Toledo withdraws from the 2024 Championship Tour

Surfing - 12. Февраль 2024 - 14:54

In an emotional message shared on his social media accounts, Filipe Toledo announced his withdrawal from the remainder of the 2024 Championship Tour season.

The decision, as Toledo expressed, was not an easy one and followed days of discussions with those closest to him.

Toledo acknowledged the support of the World Surf League (WSL), expressing gratitude for being granted a wildcard for the start of the 2025 season.

Despite the challenges and difficult decisions, he remains committed to returning to the competitive scene better than ever.

The two-time world champion opened up about the toll that a decade of competing at the highest level has taken on both his physical and mental well-being.

Toledo has been candid about his struggles, not only with injuries but also with mental health, emphasizing the need for a break to recover and prepare for the next chapter of his career.

"The platform of the CT has given me everything - it is a dream life that has allowed me to support my family in ways I could never imagine and have incredible experiences," Toledo shared in his message.

"I love this. I live for this. I have so much respect for my fellow competitors, both the men and the women on tour. You guys are amazing."

He Will Be Back

The decision to step back from the 2024 Championship Tour reflects Toledo's self-awareness and dedication to his overall well-being.

The Brazilian expects that the break will allow him to heal physically and rejuvenate mentally, ensuring that he returns to the competitive scene with the vigor and enthusiasm that have made him a fan favorite.

Lastly, Toledo expressed his passion for the sport and his intention to use this time off to fully recover, emphasizing that he aims to come back stronger than ever.

He thanked his family, friends, sponsors, and the WSL for their support and loyalty throughout his career.

"I hope my fans around the world understand this decision and will stick with me when I return to the tour next year. I wish my fellow competitors a great CT season ahead. I will be watching!" Toledo concluded, expressing his gratitude and respect for those who have been part of his journey.

As Filipe Toledo takes a break from the 2024 Championship Tour, it is not yet clear whether he'll compete for Olympic medals in Teahupoo, Tahiti.

Withdrawal After Hate

The decision to step away from the 2024 professional surfing season comes a week after Filipe's withdrawal from the Pipe Pro.

The reigning world champion's move ignited an unprecedented wave of hate, mockery, and public humiliation from public humiliation from anonymous internet surfers, surf media, and surfing court jesters.

Despite citing illness, the Brazilian's words were interpreted as fear of surfing by a few and soon followed by the remaining online mob.

At the time, despite the uncontrollable chain reaction of loathing and shame, there were nearly no public messages of solidarity from fellow competitors and notable surfers.

However, after the decision to put his career on pause was taken, many previously silent athletes praised Toledo's courage, self-care, and dignity.

In a month, the WSL's Championship Tour lost three world champions from three different countries: Stephanie Gilmore, Carissa Moore, and Filipe Toledo.

Coincidence, correlation, or causation?

Категории: Виндсерфинг, Новости
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