Seasons greetings sea dogs!

Seasons greetings sea dogs! The past four weeks began plagued with miserable winds, and poor swell which dampened our hopes after an epic autumn. Then with Christmas just around the corner, December threw us a curve ball, low pressure of the deepest kind, a depression that battered our coasts in what the press have dubbed ‘the perfect storm’. A crew of the finest big wave surfers from Britain and Ireland headed to Donegal to ride a swell estimated at 16.7 meters (55ft for us old skool Europeans). Duncan Scott the super stoked South African, was teamed with Plymouth Uni graduate Alistair Mennie (star of the Driven documentary). Alongside them jordie Gabe Davies worked with Donegal local Ritchie Fitzgerald. Crowds gathered on Mullagmore Head to watch as the committed surfers put their lives on the line for the ultimate thrill. Duncan seemed thrilled that all his years of training paid off, whilst Al’s being saying it was his best surf ever. What’s really cool, is it was members of the British Tow Surf Association that scored the waves first, because no doubt now Ireland will be the focal in the world of big wave hunting.
Besides Ireland cementing its reputation, November saw Mick Fanning claim his first Foster’s ASP World Title after winning the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Brazil. A deserved champion, Fanning’s win caused a storm down under, with numerous flash videos doing the round online. One thing is for sure though, I bet his countryman Taj Burrows is disappointed not to be the Ozzy wearing the crown.
In next month’s issue, look out for Firewire surfboards, and an exclusive interview.