Coleborn wins the quiksilver saquarema prime in rio de janeiro

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

Australian surfer, Mitchel Coleborn, wins the first ASP event of his career by defeating Marc Lacomare of France in the Quiksilver Saquarema Prime, presented by Coca-Cola, at Itauna Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The prize for first place was $40,000 dollars, which was happily claimed by Coleborn. He also managed to score 6,500 points, which bumped him up to the 14th position in the ASP World Rankings.

Coleborn performed well by winning his last two heats against his compatriot, Dion Atkinson, and the local favorite, Raoni Monteiro, in the semifinals. Despite his defeat, Monteiro received a standing ovation from hundreds of Brazilian fans.

Meanwhile, Marc Lacomare advanced to the semifinals, surpassing none other than Gabriel Medina, another local favorite.

In an interview, champion Mitchel Coleborn remarked, “I knew it would be difficult, but I just tried to keep my strategy and find the best waves. It was crazy because Lacomare got a 10 right at the end, I couldn’t believe it. I was super nervous, but he still had to get his second best wave, which didn’t end up happening though. I’m so happy that everything went well. It was an incredible week here in Rio, the waves were good and I’m happy with the victory.”

Adiel “Tigre” Maldonado Abeja: A Living Legend Of Mexican Surfing

Adiel was fortunate enough to grow up by the ocean, which added an extra bit of fun to his childhood that continued on into adulthood. At 9 years old, his favorite pastime was catching waves (or their whitewater) with discarded cedar doors.

He saw the first surfers in the 1960’s while living at Playa Copacabana. What he discovered—“gringos” riding waves on their longboards and taking long rides—excited him enough to keep him practicing the sport to this day. The North American adventurers that sought perfect waves had reached the coasts of Acapulco and the rest of Guerrero; it was the era of the hippies...

“I remember in 1967, I met Rodrigo Huerta and Edgar Pintos, who surfed at Revolcadero and sometimes at Copacabana.

In 1968, I got my first board by bartering with Martin, a “gringo” that surfed here a lot.

In 1975, I started competing in events organized by the first surf club in Acapulco, the “Club Surf Safari”, which was directed by Rodrigo Huerta. Hugo Soberanis, Vicente Lorreaga, Luis Diaz and Tiquis Villalvazo were a few of the others who also surfed Copacabana.

My first contact with Evencio Garcia was when I accompanied Tiquis Villalvazo, who was there to give Evencio a board that he had made for him. He was something else...

In the 1970’s, I went on a lot of trips with my “gringo” friends. Our adventurous spirit took us to several points, including Petacalco, a paradise with potent tubes of 15 feet that you could stand up in. It didn’t scare us though; the adrenaline and satisfaction we got from riding those waves were unforgettable experiences... We combined fear and courage to get in the ocean and select waves with an exit...because a closed-out wave will get you into trouble...in a perfect wave, you don’t have a problem.”

THE DRAMATIC SCENE OF MARCH 1973 – MY SHARK ENCOUNTER

It was a normal day like any other and we went out surfing at Copacabana early. I was with Pepe “Pando”, Paco Soberanis, el “Moro”, Colin, “Bayo”, and Martin. It was 8 o’clock in the morning and I remember looking out and seeing various fish jumping out of the water. Suddenly, I felt something hit the fin of the board. I looked down and saw a large, black shadow below the surface. I instantly lifted my legs out of the water and paddled towards Martin, who was the closest one to me. I told him I thought I had seen a shark and he quickly laid down on his board and held onto the nose without moving. I thought the shark was beneath us, so I started swimming towards the shore but the movement only attracted it. Suddenly, I saw it face to face, with its mouth open, baring its teeth. Yes, there it was! And it was coming straight at me. I hit the nose of my board three times, making a splash. Because of this, everyone that was surfing noticed and went to the shore. The next attack was on my left side, after it did a few circles. I was also afraid that a wave would crash close to me and leave me without a board. In those days, leashes were hard to come by. I had designed one out of fishing line, the thick and resistant kind used to catch sharks, and would attach it to the board and then to the waistband of my northern cowboy jeans that I had cut off and was using as shorts. But, such was my luck that day that I didn’t bring that protection.

However, my luck hadn’t totally run out and soon a wave broke and the force of the whitewater pushed me to shore. Right before I got to the beach, my fin hit the sand and I thought of getting off the board but...the shark had followed me! I didn’t turn back but saw that everyone that had run to the shore was yelling: “Behind you! Behind you!” The shark had been stranded in an effort to catch its prey—me. Flopping around, the shark tried to get back to deeper waters. My friends came running with sticks, stones, anything they could find to hit the shark with. For a moment, I thought they were coming for me. Another wave broke and the whitewater dragged the shark back out to sea. It hung around the point were we were surfing and when the wave rose you could see its silhouette in the water like it was looking for us.

Before the attack, I was never scared to surf alone. Now, I look for friends inside, at least one or two to feel more confident. "I say to my son, Adrian: Let's go surf Cup and see who kills the first shark, has - has."

You can usually find Adiel every weekend (or at least when there are good waves) surfing at Playa Bonfil in Acapulco. I have a deep, firm voice and is very cheerful, which is to say, he's a jokester. But don't ask for Adiel, because he's not known by his real name, ask for "el Tigre" (the Tiger) instead.

This was just one story that I have shared out of the thousands that have ' s experienced throughout his lifetime (like being amongst the finalists at the first National contest in Petacalco, or becoming friends with the champion Evencio Garcia, just to name a few).

Asp confirms 4-star surf open acapulco

Translation: heido sundstrom

To the delight of all and for the second year in a row, the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) has officially announced the 4-Star Surf Open Acapulco, presented by the State of Guerrero and Vans. The event will take place on July 2nd – 7th, 2013 on the Mexican beach break of Playa Revolcadero, which gained notoriety for hosting the same event there last year: “Come on down! Acapulco has great waves.”

The confirmation of the Surf Open Acapulco further establishes the presence of Latin American surfers in the ASP North America series. As is the case with Mexico, which represents the second of four events scheduled to take place in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America this season.

“We are pleased to announce the return of the Surf Open Acapulco”, said Matt Wilson, Vice President of Events and Regions. “The developments in Central and South American countries and in the Caribbean have been a major focus for ASP North America. In recent years, the return of the Surf Open Acapulco, in conjunction with the event in Los Cabos (Mexico), Puerto Rico, and the upgrading of El Salvador to 6-Stars, are all key measures of our development plan and, most importantly, provide greater opportunities for surfers from all over the region to compete in the ASP World Tour.”

The 4-Star category of the Surf Open Acapulco is an excellent opportunity for young talent to flourish and establish a global name by obtaining points to compete in prestigious ASP 6-Star events. Tanner Hendrickson, of Hawaii, will return to defend his title from last year’s Surf Open Acapulco. Hendrickson has taken the next step in his career after his victory in the inaugural ASP event in Acapulco last year and is quick to point out the importance of the Surf Open Acapulco for aspiring talents.

“Winning Acapulco last year was a dream come true,” said Hendrickson. “I can’t wait to get there and compete in the event. This is my first professional victory and it’s given me more confidence in my surfing. In regards to where it’s taken my career, I’m still pushing hard to get a good position on the tour. I hope to there soon, that is the real dream.”

For more information about the Surf Open Acapulco, visit

www.aspnorthamerica.org  or www.aspworldtour.com

Surfing Greece

Whenever you hear the word “Greece”, the words that probably come to your mind are “sun”, “sea”, “history”… and “crisis”. Does the word “surfing” ring a bell? Well, probably not… Surfing arrived in Greece quite recently and only a few Greeks have ever stepped foot on a surf board.
Surfing is a sport recently introduced in Greece and, although we have 16,000 km coastline, it's getting more and more popular. Moreover, Greece is in the center of the Mediterranean Sea and we have more wind swells that come from all directions—one doesn’t come across swells like ocean swells all that often.

Great conditions do exist though, but only at certain times and in certain places. So, these few existing surfers just make sure they keep updated on the weather with dedicated sites that provide location tips on a daily basis. Keeping all this in mind, the locations with the best conditions throughout the year are the along the coasts of Western Greece and the island of Crete.

As far as mentality and culture are concerned, Greeks are considered rather laid back compared to their Central and Northern European friends. Though life in the city has turned hectic, time is still valued differently–being 10 to 15 minutes late on your appointment still means you’re punctual. In addition, the impact of the financial crisis hasn’t only been reduced to depression and a lower standard of living. After the first shock and the stage of realizing that we’re in trouble came the stage of having to do something about it. The lousy job market and the limited money one can now make for a nerve-wracking, time-consuming “office” job, has pushed people to professions that were once their hobbies. In general, not being able to satisfy your greed sometimes helps you look within at your deeper wishes.

All these facts have added to the appeal of surfing and, as long as folks can share cars, expenses and their camp, the surfing community in Greece is expected to grow fast. For the time being, it’s still small, so surfers always stumble upon each other on the beach; the mood is positive and friendly and, more often than not, they end up grabbing a souvlaki or a beer and carrying out long conversations about the most random subjects!
Well, enough said. I can’t think of a good reason not to come and see for yourself! You’re more than welcome!
Andreas Tsamtsouris – BIO

Up until two years ago, I would surf and take photos for 80% of my spare time. But my spare time came in small supply and just wasn’t enough. Then, my boss came with the following phrase:
“Well, times are tough. It’s take it or leave it.”

Deep salary cuts were announced at the wholesale and import clothing company I worked for as brand manager—with rough calculations, I wouldn’t make enough to pay for my rent and nutrition!  No thanks, I replied, with decency and a good amount of worries in the back of my head.

Ever since, I’ve been making my living from photography but have the most fun when surfing and shooting. We’re still a small bunch here in Greece, butsurfing is really growing day by day. Tough financial conditions and weather conditions that require you to look hard for the proper swells have just made this undertaking even more adventurous For the time being, I keep working on my photography day in, and day out.