Surfing’s an addiction. It’s like a sexual addiction, almost, (…) You’ve gotta get it all the time and you can’t own it and… the fact you can’t own it sucks you into it. And, it’s why so many people decided it was easier to smuggle dope and get large amounts of money for a small amount of work and then live off the proceeds and go surfing. It caused a lot of people to go down some dark tracks.

~ Indies Trader’s Martin Daly, in Sea of Darkness

Steve Sherman’s photos of the Mundaka (more like Sopelana) WCT event. There’s a feeling of “behind the scenes” in these I like a lot.

If Mick Fanning were to win the upcoming Rip Curl Pro Search Portugal:

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, would need a 9th or better and Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, would need a 3rd or better to prevent him from clinching the 2009 ASP World Title in Portugal.

If Mick Fanning finishes Runner-Up at the upcoming Rip Curl Pro Search Portugal:

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, would need a 17th or better, Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, a 5th or better, Kelly Slater (USA), 37, and Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, a win to prevent him from clinching the 2009 ASP World Title in Portugal.

If Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, finishes 3rd at the upcoming Rip Curl Pro Search Portugal:

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, would need a 33rd, Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, a 9th, Kelly Slater (USA), 37, and Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, will need a Runner-Up finish, and C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, and Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, will need to win to prevent Fanning from clinching the 2009 ASP World Title in Portugal.

(via)

Given that a 10th title is nothing but a mathematical shot for Kelly (not that it looks he’s even caring), I’m rooting for Joel. Mick’s surfs like a aerobics class, Bede just surfs plain ugly (and has been average at the most all year) and the rest is plain unlikely. But, as the author states, sillier things have happened.

Looks promissing, and the Edward Norton narration is part of it.

Watching Tiago Pires surf against Mick Fanning in R2, a cynical viewer might have gotten the impression that the judges decided the outcome of this heat before it began. Match-ups like this are like a coloring book: the outline and shape of the result is there on the page for everyone to see, including the judges. All the surfers have to do is catch a couple set waves that hint at inherent respective talents – hand the judges the right color crayons. They’ll fill in the expected picture from there. So for Tiago to win heats against world champs, he was to do more than make it close. He has to decimate Fanning. Tiago caught the bigger waves, committed to his gouges, and scored perhaps the hollowest barrel of the event. And like fellow Euro Tim Boal, he lost anyway.

Lewis Samuels is a caustic, loudmouth, “hey-look-at-me!” kind of surf writer. But here he is nothing but right.

I’m gonna put a sock in my mouth now!

~ C.J. Hobgood, leaving the commentators booth after Tiago “Saca” Pires’ more than dubious loss facing local hero Mick Fanning at the Bells WCT

Quicktime VR aerial view of Jaws. Had NO idea it was even rideable this small.

It’s not hard to guess what type of personality you’d have if you’d grew up surfing ruler-edged perfection like this. Rinconada del Mar, California.

Maggie Marsek’s photography. That’s one print I wouldn’t mind have hanging in my living room.

Surfing the wake of huge tankers is nothing new for wave-starved Texans, but these are certainly the best looking waves I’ve seen there *ever*. Bonus points for the dolphin shots.