Dude, after my bottom turn I cutback into the barrrel, and when the wave started to close-out, I pulled off a floater before pearling. If this sounds like a foreign language to you, please see our glossary of surfing terms
The Surfing Association of Nova Scotia (SANS) will be hosting the annual Nor’Easter surf contest on Saturday, April 10 at Lawrencetown Beach. If there are no waves, SANS will try to hold the contest on Sunday, April 11.
If the surf conditions are not contestable on either the 10th or 11th, the contest will be called off. There will be no waiting period. By Tuesday, April 6, SANS will announce on its website whether or not the contest is on.
Registration is $20 for entry into one division. Entry into each additional division is $10. Surfers can register for the contest at your local surf shop. Registration is now open and will close April 4.
Here is the trailer for the documentary on winter surfing in Nova Scotia, which was broadcast on the CBC television show Land and Sea. The entire doc can be viewed on the CBC website
Sitka is proud to announce the addition of Maui local, Wes Larsen, to their Surf Team. Wes’s full profile and more photos are available on Sitka’s website.
While the debate about the causes for global warming rages on, renown Halifax-based photographer Yassine Ouhilal has proof positive that warming is indeed taking place in the Arctic.
On Friday, March 12, Ouhilal will be opening an exhibit of his Thawscapes collection at Halifax’s Argyle Fine Art, 1869 Upper Water St. On display will be a series of exquisite limited edition, pure pigment on watercolour prints along with select, unique edition pieces.
Thawscapes explores Ouhilal’s deep interest in Arctic geology. The landscapes which appear in the collection are new, revealed for the first time by rapidly receding glaciers.
“At first I was unaware of how quickly global warming was altering the Arctic landscape,” said Ouhilal. “Now, with the second warmest year in a row on record, the changes are accelerating exponentially. Read more…
Following the resounding success of the inaugural Cold Water Classic Series blending adventure, exploration, surf and competition, the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series makes a much-anticipated return for 2010.
Last year saw the series push the boundaries of surfing in a way never seen before with five ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) events exploring spectacular surf spots throughout remote corners of the globe with the word’s best surfers competing for the prestige of winning the O’Neill CWC Series and the $50,000 prize money.
“It’s pretty much the next best thing to winning the ASP World Title,” says World Tour star Jordy Smith.
It’s not only the prize money and accolade, but the integration of exploration and adventure into surf competitions that the surfers themselves relish. Read more…
Having been deemed eligible, SANS will now apply for actual funding. If successful, SANS will receive core funding over the next four years.
Once allotted, funding will be used by SANS to fulfill goals outlined in its strategic plan. The goals include helping build the province’s surf community, supporting recreational and amateur surfing and promoting coastal protection.
“Basically what this funding would allow us to do is put the rad back in radical,” said SANS Co-President Graham Bondt. Read more…
Surf: 4/5 = Great but seasons make a difference here. Price: 4/5 = Cheap! Party: 1/5 = Good luck. They’re strict on alcohol. Localism: 2/5 = It’s not your wave, and don’t forget it. Thieves: 1/5 = Pick pockets and car break-ins are common, very common.
Time Frame: Oct/Nov 2009
Where do I start on this short story of a surf trip? With the most important points I guess.
How to get there: I’d recommend using one of Europe’s low cost carriers once you already have a flight to one of Europe’s major airports (e.g. London, Frankfurt, Paris). Ryanair, Easyjet and Royal Air Maroc are pretty safe bets to get from Europe to Morocco. I flew return with Ryanair from Frankfurt for $120 CDN taxes-in.
Here’s a basic rule of thumb: A 100 km bus or train ride costs around 25 DH or about $3.50 CDN. Read more…
Surf: 5/5 = This one is always on.
Price: 2/5 = Slightly expensive. Thankfully beer is not.
Party: 4/5 = Great bars and good people.
Localism: 5/5 = Nope.
Thieves: 4/5 = Barely any.
Time Frame: September
Having gone on a bit of hiatus since university I’ve found myself in Germany frequently. After initially going there to mountain bike I have been wondering where one could surf in this practically landlocked country seemed like a bit of a dilemma to me.
There is ocean access in the North, namely the Balitc and North Sea, but that was at least eight hours away from where I was staying. Like most of you reading this article you’ve heard about standing waves before and most likely this one in particular.
Munich wasn’t far away from my mates place in Nürneberg, two-hour drive at the most, so I decided to check it out. Here’s what happened: Read More…
We all witnessed what West Coast surfer Pete Devries did at the recent international surfing event in Tofino, BC. The 26-year-old Canadian surprised the surfing world by winning the O’Neill Cold Water Classic.
Four young East Coast surfers dream of one day accomplishing similar feats. Those four kids hope to begin pursuing that dream in January at the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in New Zealand.
The four kids hoping to compete include South Shore surfers Connor Marsh, Isaac Norman and Jacob Albury, and Halifax-area surfer Kris Rambeau. All four were chosen by the Canadian Surfing Association (CSA) to wear the Maple Leaf at the upcoming international contest.
Albury recently finished first in the boys division of the Shut Up and Surf Classic contest held in Cow Bay last month; Norman finished second followed by Rambeau. Both Norman and Marsh represented Canada at the 2007 World Juniors in Portugal.
Getting to the other side of the globe is obviously very costly and all four kids are looking for funding and donations to help get them there. Read More…
This may be ‘the ticket’ for our winter months when getting between the comfort of your warm car and the line-up is more than a frigid and depressing ordeal. It may also be a great way to save some major $$$ versus buying a Rip Curl H-Bomb at around $800.
This new product by Quicksilver will retail for around $200 to $250 dollars and may keep you just as warm.
Either way here’s the news from the horses’ mouth:
The Cypher Heat Vest provides battery powered heat and a lightweight thermal layer to warm your core and extend your session.
The heat system is incorporated into a .5mm polypropylene vest allowing freedom of use under any wetsuit.
The controller can be operated through any suit and utilizes vibration pulse feedback to let the user know when the heat vest is turned on or off.
Rechargeable battery provides 2.5 hours of full heat. If switched on and off, the battery will have no problem lasting any marathon winter session.
- Impact resistant waterproof design.
- Flexible heating pads with high and low heat settings.
- Comes with both car and wall battery chargers.
The Surfing Association of Nova Scotia (SANS) is a provincial organization – established to represent the interests of surfers from across the province.
SANS is working on an strategic operational plan at the moment and one of our key goals is to ensure that SANS represents interests and issues related to surfing from across our province.
At our next Board Meeting on December 10, I plan to make some recommendations on how SANS can do this better.
If you have any ideas or thoughts on the following, please send a message to surfridersns@gmail.com:
How can SANS represent the interests of surfers/surfing areas in all parts of Nova Scotia (not just HRM!)?
What are the issues/needs/highlights/challenges about surfing or the surfing community in your region?
How can SANS get more input from people from various regions of Nova Scotia?
The main objective of the 2010 Individual Scholarship Program “is to provide financial support to junior surfers who demonstrate an actual need, in order to facilitate an experience in surfing while encouraging the importance of education.”
The money must be used by the recipients to travel to surf contests and/or upgrade their surfing equipment, as well as to foster their education.
Nova Scotia surfer Isaac Norman was one of 20 scholarship recipients in 2008.
Who is eligible?
All junior surfers who were 17 years of age or younger on January 1, 2009 and are enrolled in school and in good standing.
Applicants must also have a credible financial need for a scholarship that could not be provided by their families, sponsors or local government. In other words, the scholarship must make a big difference in a surfer’s academic and surf career.
And finally, applicants must be an inspiration to others.
The deadline for applications is December 11, 2009.
For more information on the ISA scholarship program or to apply, please contact Canadian Surfing Association President John Fluke by email at: canadiansurfing@yahoo.com
Seventy-two-year-old Tofino-area surfer Ruth Sadler relayed the Olympic flame to West Coast pro surfer Raph Bruhwiler during a tricky torch turnover in Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island Sunday.
Bruhwiler proceeded to catch a second wave and surf the flame into shore.
This was just one of many stops for the Olympic torch on it’s 106-day journey that will commence with the winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler in February.
The 26-year-old Tofino-area surfer beat Australian Jay Thompson in final heat on Saturday. Devries scored 16.43 points with his best two waves, easily surpassing Thompson, who notched 9.47 points.
Devries earned $20,000 U.S. for taking first place in the Cold Water Classic, the first pro surf contest held in Canada that was endorsed by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), the governing body of pro surfing.
Devries was local wildcard entrant for the 6-Star World Qualifying Series (WQS) event. He had never before advanced to the top 16 of an event endorsed by the ASP.
Imagine waking up and going for a morning surf before heading to work or school. This four-bedroom house, only a 5 minute drive from Cow Bay, is currently up for sale. The asking price is just $189,900. For more details, click here.
ScotiaSurfer.com is a website devoted to surfing in Nova Scotia. If you have any questions about surfing in Nova Scotia, or if you have suggestions on how we can make the site better, please email us
Surfing is about to reach a historic milestone in Nova Scotia.
The following letter is from Amy Schwartz, Vice President of the 
The 
