Nightdrive, a short film by Patrick Trefz for SAVAGE CINEMA
Mavericks during one of its biggest days ever. Is it a dream or a nightmare?
Shawn Dollar is restless the night before, then drives from Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay where he rides one of the biggest waves of the day during the Expression Session.
More info: sansebastianfestival.com

After the huge audience success enjoyed by BIG FRIDAY last year, and the quality of its movie proposals, this year sees the birth of SAVAGE CINEMA, a new section in collaboration with RED BULL MEDIA HOUSE, set to bring the best from the world of action sports, adventure, and the great outdoors to San Sebastian.

This new proposal is the perfect set up to become the world leading platform for presenting the latest and most outstanding productions in the rapidly growing field of adventure and action sports films. SAVAGE CINEMA is opening its doors to new techniques of filming, production and innovative ways of storytelling in action sports and outdoor film making, and aims to demonstrate the obvious evolution in the quality of these films.

The Anoeta Velodrome and different cinemas throughout the city will host these exciting screenings with regular attendance of the protagonists and filmmakers. A perfect occasion for the general public to enjoy the adrenaline of these adventures, almost as if they were actually doing the heart-stopping feats themselves. Because this is what these films set out to do: take the viewer to places that are usually not accessible to him, emotionally as well as physically. Audiences will experience real heroes by nature at the top of their game.

Rock-climbing, snow and mountain sports, surf and skateboard showcase some of the disciplines featured in the films to be presented in a programme of, at least, 5 titles. With no restrictions in genre, length or other formal criteria, we will feature documentaries as well as short and experimental films alongside fictional works.

Savage Cinema joins the Festival as a non-competitive section with its own selection committee: Maialen Beloki (member of the San Sebastian Festival Management/Selection Committee), Phillip Manderla (Filmmaker and Head of Feature Films at RBMH) and Sancho Rodríguez (Coordinator of Savage Cinema).

An ambitious project that turns the spotlight on the San Sebastian Festival as a global reference in the coming together of film and action & adventure sports to present the audience and industry (producers, distributors and exhibitors) with the best titles each year.

MARINE MINERALS LIMITED CARRY OUT UNLAWFUL SAMPLING FOR DREDGING PLANS

We can reveal that Marine Minerals Limited (MML) has unlawfully undertaken the first significant works associated with their dredging proposal. Considering St Ives Bay is one of only 3 sites Marine Minerals Limited is applying to dredge, they are either incompetent or negligent in failing to apply for the necessary permission to carry out their sampling under the Coastal Protection Act 1949.

SAS has serious concerns about the project and how Marine Minerals Limited is operating. Marine Minerals Limited is simultaneously making very limited information available whilst they and their PR agency are promoting unsubstantiated claims. Marine Minerals Limited is yet to announce the method of dredging they will use to remove tens of millions of tonnes of sediment from the North Cornish coast, or how they have arrived at the number of jobs they believe their proposed activity will create. Without this information SAS and other stakeholders cannot identify the level of environmental impact that will be felt at the coast or the true number of established jobs that could be threatened or new employment that might be generated within the county.

St. Ives area’s Godrevy Beach, where mining samples have been taken. Photo by surfhog.com

Marine Minerals Limited has no excuse for not securing the appropriate licences before undertaking the seabed sampling work within St Ives Bay. SAS not only referenced the Coastal Protection Act 1949 but also even named the licencing authority in their response to Marine Minerals Limited’s scoping opinion. The Marine Management Organisation also clearly stated in relation to every license they grant that they “…would further advise you that the issue of this licence does not absolve you from seeking any other consents or approvals which may be required before you embark upon the work to which it refers.” It’s clear that the responsibility to ensure all licences and permissions falls with the applicant, Marine Minerals Limited.

Surfers Against Sewage’s Campaign Director Andy Cummins says: “Carrying out these works without the relevant permissions, as Marine Minerals Limited has, are not the actions of a responsible developer. Showing such blatant disregard for the environment and the licencing authorities demonstrates why SAS is right to have serious concerns about this proposal. The North Cornish coast is too valuable to allow irresponsible and unprofessional operators to carry out potentially devastating works.”

A spokesperson from the North Coast Protection Association said: “North Coast Protection Association (NCPA) are disappointed, but not surprised to learn of this development. Already we are aware of the countless contradictions made by Marine Minerals Ltd (MML) in their public relations and application documents which can only be seen as disingenous at best. We continue to have serious concerns that this company does not act in a professional way and the potential loss of jobs, and damage to the environment are simply too great to allow the project to go ahead”.

Cornwall Seal Group co-ordinator says: “I am sad to say that this description fits with our experience of Marine Minerals Limited. Marine Minerals Limited forced Cornwall Seal Group to work to extremely short deadlines of a few days because Marine Minerals Limited had booked a sampling boat before having obtained their original MMO sampling license.”

SAS are pleased that Cornwall Council is in the process of writing to both the MMO and Marine Minerals Limited setting out that it fully expects to that should Marine Minerals Limited wish to conduct either further sampling runs, or a larger scale extraction of materials from the sea bed, it is to first to get permission from Cornwall Council for this extraction as the licensing authority under the 2002 Order. However, SAS are extremely disappointed that a prosecution is not being sought.

The UK’s coastline and surfing waves need better protection from inappropriate developments like this and pollution. Join SAS in calling for legislation to Protect Our Waves by signing the petition at www.protectourwaves.org.uk

This year’s lineup of films and events is shaping up to be pretty spectacular. Here’s a sneak preview of some of what’s planned, starting May 31st and going on until June 10th.

This is our official image for our 10th anniversary.
Designed by Borja Garmendia from Pensando en Blanco
Photo by Nick Waplington.

For this year we can claim a pretty cutting edge program, some of the best international surf films, up & coming local filmmakers, and a new killer concept!

Extended Vision(presented by Patagonia). Masterclasses + collaborative short film shooting with IPhones! Jack McCoy (above),Keith Malloy, Kepa Acero and Igor Bellido are gonna tell us all their secrets for the making a good surf film! Then 4 hours of filming in La Zurriola Beach, 4 directors, 4 groups of students, 4 hours of editing and Voila! A project curated by Juan Azpitarte. Reserve your slot fast! Very few available spots!

The festival kicks off the 31.05, 20.30, with a double program of Surf + Skate in the Trueba Cinemas, the spanish premiere of Skatistan and another very special title we will unveil soon…. Friday june 1st we go to the Aquarium with HUGE SURF: paddle vs tow then FUTURE!

Saturday june 2nd we´re back in the Guardetxe! The first spot for our memorable parties, this magic space overlooking Donostia hosts Kutxa Gaua, from 18.00 we welcome JapaNing, a project curated by Kurando Shogi that brings us a slice of the freshest japanese surf culture, then the premiere of Gastrologging. An evening of films, art, music and FOOD!

This year, we´ve got to thank specially our longtime supporting sponsors, PATAGONIA and Kutxa, and we want to give a “cold” welcome to our local favorite beer! KELER is now part of our family, and it will be with us for the next 4 years!!

The complete official program will be unveiled on 30.05.

Meantime, here’s entry number 1: Zazie Goes Surfing


zazie goes surfing
Uploaded by bienoui17. – Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.

“Canoes, surfboards and dinghies are to be given the same legal status as cruise liners and oil tankers in a clampdown on reckless behaviour at sea.

Unpowered craft including sailboards and bodyboards are to be reclassified as ships to bring their users within regulations for merchant shipping.

Users face prison and fines of up to £50,000 if they are held liable for any accidents. A family in a dinghy or a beginner oarsman could be prosecuted if they collided with a swimmer. Anyone out on the water would be liable to a random breath test. The change was initially prompted by pressure to reduce accidents involving reckless use of jet skis, which have caused nine deaths in the past ten years. But the Department for Transport has infuriated many of Britain’s four million water sports enthusiasts by proposing to extend the regulations to unpowered craft. All watercraft would be classed as “ships” and thus bound by safety regulations enshrined in the Merchant Shipping Act, 1995. Surfers and canoeists in particular are adamant that they should not be subjected to such legislation.

Mark Wesson, a member of the British Surfing Association’s executive council, said: “We shall certainly be opposing this, and goodness knows what holidaymakers are going to make of this. It may put a lot of people off investing in a surfboard.”

Rob Barber, owner of a bodyboarding school in Newquay, Cornwall, suggested that the plan was too bizarre to enforce. “Common sense says you don’t go out on a surfboard when you are drunk — it’s not something you do,” he said.

Jason Smith, editor of Canoe and Kayak magazine, said: “There is a clear difference between a powered and an unpowered craft and it seems draconian if someone is in the sea in a beginner’s-style kayak after drinking a beer and then they may be prosecuted. I don’t think readers will like it one bit.”

Gus Lewis, legal officer at the Royal Yachting Association, the governing body for dinghies, yachts, rigid inflatable boats and sailboards, said everyone at sea should follow the same safety rules. But he said the association did not support new drink-driving rules for amateur sailors, since it is already an offence to behave in such a way as to endanger a ship or an individual.

Mr Lewis questioned whether the laws should apply to canoes and surfers. “We would include windsurfers, though, for we would say they navigate waters. If you got injured by a windsurfer or a dinghy, you’d be angry if they were somehow above the law.” The proposals, in a consultation paper, are intended to close a legal loophole identified in the Court of Appeal four years ago. Judges overturned the conviction of Mark Goodwin, of Weymouth, Dorset, who nearly killed a man when riding a jet ski. They ruled a jet ski was not a seagoing ship, so not subject to the merchant shipping legislation. The new rules would bring Britain into line with a Convention on International Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea.”

All over the world people have been trying Stand Up Paddle surfing, from Pierce Brosnan talking on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart about his love for the sport, to Jennifer Aniston giving the sport a go in Hawaii and Laird Hamilton taking the sport to new levels in monster waves in Hawaii and Tahiti.

The UK has also been gripped by this exciting sport. Last year a group of stand up paddlers, gripped by the sport, set up the British Stand Up Paddle Association, and decided to run a series of competitions to find a national champion, the first organization in the world to represent stand up paddle surfers at a national level.

The first national Stand Up Paddle Championship series in the world, has now come to a close. The British Stand Up Paddle Association (BSUPA) have run four events in Cornwall, Isle of Wight, South Coast and West Wales and now have national champions in distance and surf disciplines.

With a field of over forty competitors which included European surf champions, masters surf champions, national and world cup ranked windsurfers and kite surfers the events have shown how far the sport has come in a very short space of time. There were also Juniors from 6 years old and ladies taking part in their own categories.

The events were run, in surf, on a heat format where the top riders would be judged on surf performance with use of the paddle. Each heat winners would progress through to the next round. The panel of judges would be looking for the highest scoring wave or maneuver combinations and riders would go out in heats of four with the top two progressing through.

The distance was run on a first past the post and each event was slightly different in terms of course, each race generally lasted 25-30 minutes and tended to be a sprint from start to finish.

Simon Bassett (BSUPA Series Director) said: “At the beginning of this year we wrote the rules for this series which is a first of its kind and our aim was to find the British Champion who could perform the best in all conditions. The beauty of SUP riding is that if you do have a small wave, you can generally always ride it.

We were hoping for bigger surf this year, but unfortunately this season it didn’t coincide with our event schedule. I am convinced that results of some of the top four riders will be similar next season when we do get bigger surf. It was also great to see SUP riders who turned up to their first contest and really enjoyed the experience, to see the juniors committed to competing at these events.

What we have leant about this year is the riders who have come to the BSUPA events have all made some good friends at the contests, and there is some really stoke at the events.”

BSUPA is proud to announce that the 2008 Champions are:

Stand Up Paddle Surfing Open Mens
1st Neal Gent
2nd John Hibbard
3rd Scott Gardner

Stand Up Paddle Surfing Womens
1st Claire Blacklock

Stand Up Paddle Surfing Juniors
1st Bobby Cooper
2nd Holly Bassett

Stand Up Paddle Distance Mens
1st John Hibbard
2nd Neal Gent
3rd Mark Slater

Stand Up Paddle Distance Womens
1st Claire Blacklock

Stand Up Paddle Distance Juniors
1st Bobby Cooper
2nd Holly Bassett
3rd Connor Griffiths

Neal Gent commented “The one I really wanted to get was the surfing Champion for stand up paddling so I am really pleased, it’s been a really good year battling with John (Hibbard), I hope that next year the events will be bigger and we get better waves!”

John Hibbard added: “it’s really good to be the first National Stand Up Paddle Distance racing champion in the UK, I think that at the start of the year nobody knew if this format would work, but it ended up being an extremely competitive discipline. It’s great to do something where the result is black and white!”

Tim Boal (Anglet, FRA), 25, has been crowned ASP European Men’s Champion after his last title contender Marlon Lipke (DEU) was eliminated in the Quarterfinals of the ASP WQS 6-Star Estoril Coast Pro at the weekend. Boal, who clinches his maiden regional title, did not attend the event in Portugal due to a foot injury but adds another title to his stellar year after qualifying for next year’s ASP World Tour.

Boal, who watched Lipke losing to Australian Dion Atkinson (AUS) via the webcast, had a tense week seeing his closest followers Michel Bourez (PYF) and Glenn Hall (IRE) both suffering early eliminations and was relieved to eventually clinch the crown after a very consistent run on all WQS events this summer in Europe.

“I am super stoked to get the title,” Boal said. “I placed 2nd as a Junior, was the runner-up last year behind Aritz (Aranburu) as well as in the ISA European Surfing Games so it is great to grab that one, eventually.”

Boal, who is currently going through many medical tests because of his injury, will probably not be able to attend the last ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) events in Hawaii next month but is guaranteed a berth among next year’s ASP Top 45.

“It has been a long year and I am happy I qualified early enough,” Boal said. “The European title is the icing on the cake and motivates me even more. I wasn’t expecting too much from the European race and I knew that Michel (Bourez) was in reach as well and that a 5th in Portugal would have guven him both the title and a spot for next year’s ASP World Tour. That would have been great because we are really good friends. I am sure he will manage in Hawaii.”

Jean Da Silva (BRA), 23, won the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star Estoril Coast Pro at the back-up venue of Guincho today, in testing 6-8 foot waves.

Da Silva, who defeated American Gabe Kling (USA) in the last battle of the ASP WQS European Series, clinched 2500 valuable ratings’ points and confirmed he was back in form after a tough year. Although he ended up winning the event with a low 9.83 point score (out of a possible 20), Da Silva found the best wave of the final which happened to be enough while Kling was struggling against the strong currents and enduring some hard time with some nine foot sets breaking at Guincho.

“I caught that wave right at the beginning before I even had the time to sit out there,” Da Silva said. “It was really hard and we could not hear the scores. It was probably one of the trickiest heats of my career but to take the win here is somethiing really special. I am so stoked right now.”

Da Silva, who has had a tough year with no significant result, suffered a serious hip injury and had to stay away from the water for four months, a moment he remembered after the final which made his victory today even more special.

“I got injured and it affected me so much that I almost quit surfing this year,” Da Silva said. “It was the worst time of my life but the support from my family got me back to work slowly and I just restarted from scratch in July. I trained hard to come back to this level and this win means a lot. I was focused 150% on winning all week and I made it. It is just perfect.”

Da Silva, who was the only one of the four last competitors in the event not to have any pressure points’ wise, left Kling with a runner-up finish, an excellent result for the American who is guaranteed to surf among the ASP Top 45 next year.

Gabe Kling, 28, a former elite surfer who got back in the race for the ASP World Tour qualification in the last three events, did not find any good enough waves during the final finishing with a poor 9.67 point total (out of a possible 20), missing his first win in a couple of years.

“I am stoked with the result but it is very disappointing not to be able to surf,” Kling said. “The conditions were testing and I surfed four times today which made it hard for me but I just couldn’t sit at the right place and I missed a couple of better waves.”

Kling, who opened 2008 with a final in Brazil, suffered a pneumonia and knee injury and was left away from the Top 15 until the beginning of October where he started performing well in Brazil then in Lanzarote, finishing today in Portugal to secure his 2009 Dream Tour berth.

“It has been a strange year and I almost feel like it was two years in one,” Kling said. “To have that many big events until the end just made my year and I am lucky I had the opportunity to come back that fast with three events in a row. I am stoked to be back on tour next year.”

The first man to fail in the Semifinals was local hero and ASP World Tour No. 31 Tiago Pires (PRT). Pires, 28, who displayed smart and solid surfing throughout the week, was stopped by Da Silva in Semifinal No.1 after a tough battle where he broke a second board in a week that made him lose confidence in the last minutes of the heat.

“I really wanted to win in front of the Portuguese crowd but I am still happy with that 3rd,” Pires said. “It was very hard out there and I did not really know what was going on. I could not hear the scores well and Jean (Da Silva) was surfing 50 meters from me so I did my thing until I broke my board. It was a bigger one for these conditions and breaking it was a shoker and made me feel weaker.”

Pires, who will fly out tomorrow morning to Brazil to surf in the second to last event of this year’s ASP World Tour, secured precious points for his WQS requalification campaign and leaves Portugal with 11750 points, a total that should be enough to see the best Portuguese surfer ever surf among the elite ASP Top 45 next year.

“My goal was to do well at all the WQS I could surf in and I think I have achieved my goal,” Pires said. “It has been a lot of work to make it back and surf both tours this year and I hope I don’t have to surf in the last events in Hawaii and have time to rest before the Pipeline Masters in December.”

Pires goes No.6 on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) ratings, one spot behind 2008 ASP European Champion Tim Boal (FRA) who is already guaranteed to join Flores and Pires on next year’s Dream Tour.

Dion Atkinson (AUS), who ended his European year with an equal 3rd today after losing to Kling at the back-up venue of Guincho in the solid surf, was not able to best the inform American and finished Semifinal No.1 with a 14.50 point tally (out of a possible 20), not enough to secure a ticket for the final.

“These solid conditions usually fit my surfing but I was a bit mixed up with the change of location and the totally different waves,” Atkinson said. “I think I surfed a pretty good heat but Gabe got an amazing wave. I did what I paddled out to do and I thought that two 7-point scores would be enough after watching the previous semifinal but Gabe just got the better wave in the end.”

Atkinson, who placed 2nd in the ASP WQS 6-Star Sooruz Lacanau Pro last August, was definitely willing to grab another opportunity but failed to make the final. Atkinson still clinched valuable 1875 ratings’ points that throws him back into the Top 25.

“I was getting down on myself after the Canary Islands and was questionning my surfing,” Atkinson said. “I got a bit of deep thoughts and almost calling the year off but that 3rd place gets me back on track even if still far from the qualification. I know Hawaii can suit me as I am big guy and can do well in bigger waves so I will see there. I am coming back from a knee injury that made it hard last year and looking back on 2008, there’s definitely a good progression.”

FINAL
1st: Jean Da Silva (BRA) 9.83 pts
2nd: Gabe Kling (USA) 9.67 pts

SEMIFINALS
Heat 1: Jean Da Silva (BRA) 13.50 pts Def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 12.16 pts
Heat 2: Gabe Kling (USA) 15.66 pts Def. Dion Atkinson (AUS) 14.50 pts

QUARTERFINALS
Heat 1: Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.84 pts Def. Mike Losness (USA) 10.67 pts
Heat 2: Jean Da Silva (BRA) 14.10 pts Def. Gavin Gillette (HAW) 12.23 pts
Heat 3: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 14.83 pts Def. Marlon Lipke (DEU) 9.90 pts
Heat 4: Gabe Kling (USA) 17.00 pts Def. Jay Thompson (AUS) 8.17 pts

There were cheers all round as the first section of Europe’s first artificial surf reef slowly rolled off a barge to be laid on Boscombe seabed in Bournemouth. The first section makes up one sixth of the volume of the reef and is constructed from a geo-mat, webbing base and 16 huge geo-bags with an area of 50m x 50m.

David Neilson, the Construction Manager for the Surf Reef, said: “This is D-Day. We’ve been for several weeks for the winds to drop and today has provided us with the perfect conditions to accurately place the reef section on Boscombe sea-bed. After years of planning, it’s very exciting to get to this stage. If we have consistently good weather, we should get the reef completed by the end of October.”

The eastern-end of the reef was attached to five-tonne anchors on the seabed by a team of expert divers. The barge was then slowly winched along the reef site, allowing the section to gradually unfold and peel off into the water. Winches then pulled down the reef onto the seabed and SCUBA-divers secured it in place.

The reef is now ready for filling. Each of the 16 bags on reef section 1 will be filled one at a time. This takes between 1-4 hours each, depending on the size. Once this has been completed, section 2 (already built on land) will then be deployed and filled and so on, until the reef is completed when fifth section is deployed and filled.

Councillor Beverley Dunlop said: “It has taken 10 years to get to this point. This regeneration project is unique and innovative and is turning Boscombe into a fantastic place to both live and visit. The surf reef will turn Bournemouth into a water sports Mecca, as it will be a free facility to be enjoyed by surfers, snorkellers, windsurfers and divers. To accompany the reef there will be a new seafront restaurant, café, surfing facilities and retro beach huts. Boscombe is the place to be.”

Stay tuned for updates!