New Hawaii Five-O coming this fall

When Lost ended last month, surfers around the world lost their weekly glimpses of Paradise. Fortunately, the spectacular green mountains, beaches and waves of Oahu, Hawaii will return to television this fall with the revival of a Hawaii Five-O. And based on the preview above, surfing looks to play a role in the new series.

Will Gulf oil spill reach Nova Scotia?

NOAA has released animation depicting how wide the oil spill Read More…

Proposed new park gets mostly positive reception

Councillor Jackie Barkhouse (middle) discusses proposed new park with area residents.

More than 40 local residents, surfers and HRM officials were in attendance at Cow Bay Hall on Thursday night for a public meeting regarding a proposed new park which would provide easy access to two popular surf breaks known as Minutes and Backyards.

During the meeting, District 8 Councillor Jackie Barkhouse and HRM park planner Blair Blakeney unveiled an artist’s rendering of the new park, which would be located on a 9.2-acre parcel of oceanfront property recently purchased by the city for about $211,000.

Although plans are not set in stone, Phase I of the new park will most likely feature a non-paved parking area and a boardwalk through a marshy wetland to the shoreline where surfers can access the surf breaks.

Feedback from those in attendance was largely positive. Read More…

NOAA expects busy Atlantic hurricane season

Path of Hurricane Bill (2009)

An “active to extremely active” hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year according to the seasonal outlook issued today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service.

Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is projecting a 70 percent probability of the following ranges:

• 14 to 23 Named Storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including:
• 8 to 14 Hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which:
• 3 to 7 could be Major Hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)

“If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall.” Read More…

Public information meeting on new Cow Bay park

A public information meeting for a new park that will provide access to two popular surf breaks will take place tonight (Thursday, May 27) at the Cow Bay Community Hall beginning at 7 p.m.

Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) will present a proposed plan for the park, which will be built in phases, according to District 8 Councillor Jackie Barkhouse.

Construction of the first phase, which will likely include a parking area as well as a boardwalk, could be begin as early as late summer, said Barkhouse. A second phase could commence next spring.

The park will provide easy access to two premier surf spots known as Minutes and Backyards, both of which have become difficult to access in recent years due to private property concerns.

Barkhouse was instrumental in persuading HRM council to purchase a small vacant wetland in Cow Bay for the park.

“I think it’s the right thing to do,” she said. “So much of our property is in private hands. We’re Canada’s ocean playground and we’re making it difficult for people to play.” Read More…

RipCurl STEW to serve as trails for O’Neill CWC

The Rip Curl Stew is slated to go for June 5 and 6 at Cox Bay in Tofino BC this year.

“The top two finishers in the Rip Curl Stew will receive entry into the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Canada main event, with all the remaining surfers being seeded according to their standings at the Stew,” said O’Neill spokesperson Marc Fuller. “If the full field of 144 is not realized by the closing date, those seeded surfers from the Stew will gain entry into the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Canada according to their placing in the Stew.”

This sounds like a good idea as it may, depending on how well they surf in the Stew, allow for more Canadians to make it into the O’Neill CWC. If the full field (under 142) or less show up, there’s a good chance we’ll see more locals in the comp since the spots will be open.  However, the CWC being a 6-star event, it’s hard to say that most of the international surfer’s wont’ be showing up!

New park will ease access to Minutes and Backyards

The long, cold, foot-bruising walks over a rocky shoreline will be soon be over for devoted surfers looking to access two premier Cow Bay surf spots.

On Wednesday, the Coastal Access Committee (CAC) officially announced the future establishment of a new public park on a small vacant wetland in Cow Bay. The park will provide surfers with easy access to the surf spots known as Minutes and Backyards.

Establishment of the park became possible after the vacant wetland was purchased this year by Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). CAC was instrumental in lobbying HRM to purchase the property from a Cow Bay Resident.

While CAC has been in discussions with HRM for a few years about a park, talks picked up momentum in 2008 when easy access to Minutes and Backyards via private property was cut off by landowners in the area.

Although opening up access to the two surf spots was one of the driving forces behind CAC’s efforts to establish a park in the area, the future Cow Bay park is not intended for surfers alone. Read More…

Surfboard Sale: All OBO

Wave riding vehicles

Email us (info@scotiasurfer.com) and we’ll hook you up with a good deal.

We’re looking to clear out our stock. Serious inquiries only.

No low-ballers

Click here to see the rides.

Reef: Cancer to Capricorn (trailer)

State of the Coast: Public Consultations

This month the province is holding public consultations with regards to ongoing coastal policy development and the province’s State of the Coast Report.

Since we all share this indispensable resource, it is very important for residents, especially surfers, to make our voices heard on what we want to see the government do, how they should do it and how important the coast is to us.

Please take the time to attend one of the public forms listed below when it’s in your area:

• Bridgewater, May 4, Bridgewater Curling Club, 90 Dominion St.
• Yarmouth, May 5, Rodd Grand Hotel, 415 Main St.
• Digby, May 11, Digby Fire Hall, 163 First Ave.
• Wolfville, May 12, Acadia University, Athletic Complex, Main St.
• Truro, May 18, NS Agricultural College, Cumming Hall, 62 Cumming Drive
• Antigonish, May 19, Royal Canadian Legion, 294 Main St.
• Sydney, May 20, Days Inn, 480 Kings Rd.
• Dartmouth, May 26, NSCC Waterfront Campus, 80 Mawiomi Place