This week we are pleased to bring you a couple of videos posted by Luke Gartside (Lukedreams), so settle down to 10 minutes of action. The first shows surfers in the area just to the east of Bournemouth, that is soon to be transformed by the first artificial reef in the northern hemisphere.
And this second, rather more colourful, video shows highlights from the Animal Windfest at Sandbanks, Poole, which is just to the west of Bournemouth. It illustrates the sort of board, beach and surf activities that cause adrenaline junkies to flock to England's south coast. In case your not familiar with this region, it is bounded by the New Forest, Lymington and Solent Water to the East, and Weymouth, site of the 2012 Olympic sailing events, to the west.
After a long summer of waiting, Europe's first artificial surf reef has started to be laid at Boscombe/Southbourne, just east of Bournemouth on England's south coast. A 45 minute drive west of Bournemouth takes you to Weymouth/Portland, which is to be the sailing venue fot the 2012 Olympics.
The Boscombe reef will be the world's fourth artificial reef and is designed to double the size of waves. It is hoped that when it is finished in October, the reef will produce perfect 70 metre barrels; surfing paradise.
Further to Tuesday's post about Sunway Lagoon, this video clip from a coup;e of years ago, gives the flavour of the Quiksilver Surf Beach Party at Sunway Lagoon Resort.
Sunway Lagoon, in the heart of the land-locked city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia comprises three major theme parks, the Wild Wild West, the World of Adventure and the Waters of Africa. The man-made surf reef in the water park is the largest in the world and produces perfectly shaped waves; perfect enough to attract world class surfers on demonstration tours.
Part of the 2008 Quiksilver Revolution 2.0 tour is scheduled for January 26, 2008 and features surfing aerial specialist Ry Craike (Kalbarri, West Australia), top-ranked Australian surfing professionals, Troy Brooks (Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia) and Josh Kerr (Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia), together with Peurto Rican hotshot Dylan Graves and Indonesian surf star Wayan 'Betet' Merta (Bali, Indonesia).
The surfing superstars will be joined by an international line-up of skateboarding champions, who will be making the anticipated crowd of 30,000 gasp when they perform on a half-pipe skateboard ramp.
Two-time German Half-Pipe Champion and world number 13 Sascha Mueller (Münster, Germany), X-Games and World Championship finalist Renton Millar (Melbourne, Australia), European Champions Jocke Olsen (Malmõ, Sweden) and Jurgen Howarth (Berlin, Germany), together with former world number three Trevor Ward (Moama, NSW, Australia) are expected to put on a show to remember.
News of a new Hawaiian island ferry which will offer a daily service between Oahu and Maui, and also offer a service between Oahu - Kauai which will operate everyday except Saturday. The ferry service begins in July and will be expanded in 2009, with another ferry that will operate between Oahu and Hawaii, while also providing a second daily service between Oahu and Maui.
Hawaii Superferry's catamaran-style vessels are environmentally friendly, designed and operated to take care of all ocean life and each island's unique ecosystem; even the ferry routes are modified during the Whale season.
With island hopping becoming so easy and journey times of around 3 to 4.5 hrs, presumably there is plenty of space to store all those surf boards they can expect to accompany foot passengers.
