Socks Surf Spot of the Week : Southend

By Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent

An unknown Epic?!?! Is it possible? Well, apparently so. I stumbled into this spot a while ago, but had to wait for a hardware upgrade before I could ride here. So, if you're on a slower computer, you might have to skip this one. Sorry.

Southend is a kind of a mystery to me. Every time I'm here, nobody else is. So I'm left feeling like an archaeologist sifting through the ruins of Pompeii trying to figure out the culture left behind here. But, unlike Pompeii, they actually change this spot so obviously it's being cared for.


First, the surfing. The run is a three-panel Epic that runs about 100M E-W. The sim is not a surf-first sim, so your ride is gonna be laggy. There's a 'Hello Kitty' loaner board on the beach, as well as a 'surf party' windsurfer. They also feature hang gliding, some decorative boards, and 7 seas fishing.


But look around, it's worth it. next to the waves is a nice hangout club, which has a locals only know feel to it. Look behind it for the pond, you won't be disappointed. A lot of couples poses all around, dance machines, so obviously there's people who hang out here a lot. But, never when I'm here it seems. It's that whole cat' thing, isn't it?
Well, you may have better luck than I do. Check out this unknown Epic for yourself!

Useful Links

SurfWatch: Socks spot of the week - Easthaven
SurfWatch: Socks spot of the week - Moana'Ina Beach, The Weather Island
SurfWatch: Sock's spot of the week - Grandblue Bella
SurfWatch: Sock's spot of the week - Kekoa

SLURL:
Southend
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Weekend competition coverage

SurfWatch is posting the draws and results for the weekend's surfing contests.

Check out SurfWatch Results for all the results on:


SLSA Robin Coche Pepo Pro - All the results now posted
(13 Dec 08)
Saturday 13 December 2008, 1100 hrs SLT (1800 hrs GMT), Pepo Island


ABSSL Surf Circuit (5th stage) - Line-up for qualifying now posted (13 Dec 08)

Sunday 14 December 2008, 0900 hours SLT (1100 hrs BRT), Crab Island

Updated 0920 hrs 13 December 2008

Useful links
SurfWatch Results: Brazilian Circuit 23 Nov 08 - Final Results (24 Nov 08)
SurfWatch Results: Majini Longboard Epic -- FINALS RESULTS (15 Nov 08)
SLURL: Crab Island
SLURL: Mandhari Island (spectator stand for Pepo Pro)
SLURL: Pepo Island
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Socks spot of the week - Easthaven

By Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent.

It's amazing what you find when you're not looking for anything in particular. That's the case here when I stumbled into Easthaven. As far as surf sims go, this one is very quiet. But that's what I like about it.

It's a residential sim of two people who have opened it up for everyone to explore. I've chosen the teleport point below as it's right next to the waves. Surfing wise, there is a single pipeline wave that's about half the sim, and a very short fluffy run that is more than wide enough to be interesting. Loaner right near the TP point, or bring your own.

As always, it's the area too. It's probably one of the more crammed spots on the grid, and well worth exploring. There's a hidden treasure here somewhere, but heck if I can find it. But the dragon is worth finding for yourself!

So if you need a nice place to get away, try Easthaven for a nice change of pace. I promise, something more exciting next week.

Useful links
SurfWatch:
Moana'Ina Beach, The Weather Island
SurfWatch:
Sock's spot of the week - Grandblue Bella
SurfWatch:
Sock's spot of the week - Kekoa
SurfWatch:
Sock's spot of the week - Nymphs Beach
SLURL:
Easthaven
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4th event of Brazilian surf circuit Sunday

The Brazilian Second Life Surfing Association (ABSSL) will hold the fourth event in its 2008 surfing event circuit this Sunday at Crab Island.

Vana Loire took first place in the third leg of the Brazilian Surf Circuit held at Crab Island in September, followed by Mya Yalin in second and Danyllinho Aker in third. Pauinho Stoop and Ammie Graves were only placed fifth and sixth place at September's competition, however Pauinho still holds on to first place in the Surf Circuit season's table with 3,956 points and and Ammie comes in second place with 3,875 points. Guiloan Graves, who scored fourth in September, is third placed in the table with 3,565.


The ABSSL Circuito Brazileiro de Surf no Second Life begins at 1500 hours SLT (2100 hrs BRT) on Sunday 23 November 2008 at Crab Island. Be sure to check out SurfWatch Results for the competition results.


Updated 2000 hrs 24 November 2008

Useful links

SurfWatch Results: Brazilian Circuit 23 Nov 08 - Final Results
SurfWatch: New wave on Crab Island (27 Aug 08)
SLURL: Crab Island
URL: ABSSL (Portuguese)
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Socks spot of the week - Moana'Ina Beach

By Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent.

This week I want to revisit an old flame. The place I learned how to surf and how to dodge bodies on the water: Moana'Ina Beach at Weather Island.

If you've ever ridden an epic, you have this place to thank. The name epic actually comes from this beach, as it was the first to have one.
The Weather Channel's small cluster of sims is a hangout area, they have all sorts of extreme sports like skiing, mountain biking and big wave surfing.

The beach is a re-creation of the infamous 'Jaws' on Maui (or call it 'Peahi' if you're a local). Watch for the atmospherics. While surfing out there it's not uncommon to be rained on while riding. Within the last month or so the epic has changed from the old style to the new. But it's still poorly maintained, it could do with a weekly reboot. But the wave is very good, and almost never laggy.


For new riders, when you get to the beach look for 'Sebastians Surf Shack'. In there you'll find a loaner surfboard, and a free shorty wetsuit. Other boards are there as well for purchase. Cross the border into the next sim, drop your board, and ride. Just be warned, the freebie board only works on
The Weather Channel's sims, and nowhere else. Oh, and it's an ancient script too.


The down side is there's no ambient music, which is a real downer. And like I did, a lot of new people go there and ride. But if nothing else, head out there for the history. Or, if you want to appreciate the new boards, go out there and get one of the loaners to try out. To quote Warren Miller, 'let's hear it for the new stuff!'


Useful links
SurfWatch: Sock's spot of the week - Grandblue Bella
SurfWatch: Sock's spot of the week - Kekoa
SurfWatch: Sock's spot of the week - Nymphs Beach
SLURL: Moana'Ina Beach, The Weather Island
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Majini Longboard Epic

11.30am SLT 14 November 2008 -- The Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) today announced the heat draws for the SLSA Majini Longboard Epic surfing competition, which takes place at 1100 hrs (1800 hrs GMT) on Saturday 15 November 2008.

40 surfers have registered to take part in the Majini Longboard Epic. The competition is limited to SLSA members, but anyone can watch and the spectators stands are on the adjacent Bishara Island sim.

All the results for the SLSA Majini Longboard Epic are now posted on SurfWatch Results.

Updated 1930 hrs SLT 15 November 2008

Useful links
SurfWatch Results: Heat draws - Majini Island
SurfWatch: Surf Report: Majini Island

SLURL: Majini Island (competitors only)
SLURL: Bishara Island (spectators)
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The essence of Surf Jam

By VW Sands. Exclusive to SurfWatch.

Surf legend, Bishara Estate Manager, Vibrations Surf Team owner and SLSA Director VW Sands sums up what Surf Jam is about

The Vibrations Surf Alliance or VSA was formed soon after Majini Island was added to the Bishara Estate, . At the time there seemed to be a giant rift in the Second Life surfing community. It was being pulled in different directions and I founded the VSA as a way to try and create a group for surfers to just surf and have fun - no politics, no drama, no power-struggles.

As the Vibrations group grew - very slowly and by invitation only to this day - we decided to schedule surf contests for members and Surf Jam was born. I always tried to schedule contests in between Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) competitions as a way for surfers to stay in shape for the SLSA circuit, but more importantly to allow new riders a chance to compete in a relaxed atmosphere.

Since then, the VSA has grown to around 300 members, Surf Jam has become a regular fixture in the Second Life surfing community and Second Life's best riders are always on the roster alongside of new surfers. Since our first event the level of surfing has increased and Surf Jam's are still a great place for new riders to spend a day in the water with the top names. These days it takes only around 8 hours to fill the roster with riders, if that's any measure of success.

What we strive for at Surf Jam is a relaxed, informal and playful approach to competitive surfing. We, of course, adhere to the well established rules of fair play, judging, wave counts and so on, but in a format less inclined to intimidate new riders. I think that´s what make the Surf Jam so much fun - we all root for one another, we ride as friends, as Vibers, together. It is true to what the VSA was way back then and still is today. It's a day in the water with friends, it´s a vibe and it´s alive and well on Majini beach!

Surf, party, surf!

Useful links
SurfWatch Results: Surf Jam 8 Results (2 Nov 08)
SurfWatch: Surf Report: Majini Island
SLURL: Majini Island

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Socks spot of the week - Grandblue Bella

By Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent.

This week's spot is another slice of tranquility: Grandblue Bella. It appears to be a Japanese sim created as a part of a 'jazz and art' festival. The ambient music is a constant stream of jazz, and a lot of live stuff too. Right away, this sets the tone of the island.

The break is a very challenging one, three pipes unsynched and just far enough apart to make it a challenge to go from pipe to pipe. Assuming that one of the local natives doesn't breach and land on you, that is. It's a diagonal run, to maximize the room to go.

On the beach you can find a windsurf loaner, as well as one surfboard if you're persistent and look for it. Sales of Analog boards here too. However, the beach is open to all to drop your ride and go. If you're in an exploration mood, next door you can find some scuba gear for free and take a quick dive. Or go check out the art in the galleries too.



What gets me about this beach is it's different than all the others. The mood, the style, it's not like everything else. It may just be the jazz too, it certainly sets a whole new mood on the break. So, put Grandblue Bella on your stops list this week.

Useful links

SurfWatch: Sock's spot of the week - Kekoa

SurfWatch: Sock's spot of the week - Nymphs Beach

SLURL: Grandblue Bella
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Surf Jam 8 Video - 'Surfing Bishara'

By Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent.


Missed all the hot action at SJ8 this month? Fear not! Surfwidow Beaumont had filmed every turn of this month's competition, and made it available for free for anyone to watch!

"It's awesome footage," says
SurfWidow. "Blur your eyes and it's one of those extreme surf vids you buy at the back of a surfing magazine"

The footage has a speaker-melting soundtrack that runs non-stop from end to end.
SurfWidow captured all the action from the first heat to the last run of the finals. The video is nearly 20 minutes in length, and it'll keep you entertained the whole time.

Where do you find it? It's available on her YouTube channel in two parts, as well as on 'Blip' as one long video. The Blip site can even be streamed into Second Life, with the appropriate screen hardware in Second Life.

Video credit: SurfWidow Beaumont

Useful links
SurfWatch Results: Surf Jam 8 Results (2 Nov 08)
SurfWatch: Surf Report: Majini Island

URL: Surf Jam 8 Part 1 'Surfing Bishara' (YouTube video)
URL: Surf Jam 8 'Surfing Bishara' Part 2 (YouTube video)
URL: Surf Jam 9 ' Surfing Bishara' - Blip TV Link
SLURL: Majini Island

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VSA Surf Jam 8

10.20am SLT 1 November 2008 -- The Vibrations Surf Alliance (VSA) holds its 8th Surf Jam of the year at Majini Island today.

VSA Surf Jam 8 starts at 1200 hrs SLT (1900 hrs GMT) Saturday 1 November 2008. The competition is limited to VSA members, but anyone can watch. The spectators stands are on the adjacent Bishara Island sim.


You can see all the results for VSA Surf Jam 8 on
SurfWatch Results.

Updated 0600hrs 2 November 2008

Useful links

SurfWatch:
Surf Report: Majini Island
SLURL:
Majini Island (competitors only)
SLURL:
Bishara Island (spectators)
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Socks spot of the week - Kekoa

By Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent.

Another week, another chance to go exploring! This one's a new beach that found me, actually. But it's a fun out-of-the-way place if you want to hang out for a while.

Kekoa's LM puts you into a spot where the first thing you're offered is a beer. Already, I like the place. They have two unsynched pipes that overlap slightly, like a zipper. A technical break with a fluffy down the middle.

The rest of the area, however, is why I put
Kekoa in the spotlight. There's a lot of cool spots to hang out in scattered in the main island. So plenty of chances to find a nice, secluded place to hang out with that special someone. A little exploration and you'll find fishing out there too.


Kekoa has a feel of a private surf beach but it's open to the public. The surf might be shorter than some places, but I still maintain that it's the area that makes a surf beach fun. And here is no exception.

Useful links
SurfWatch: Sock's spot of the week - Nymphs Beach
SLURL: Kekoa
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Surfing calendar November 2008

Surfing competitions


VSA Surf Jam 8

Saturday 1 November 2008, 1200 hrs SLT (1900 hrs GMT)


Vibrations Surf Alliance (VSA) Surf Jam 8 takes place 12 noon SLT Saturday 1 November 2008 on Majini Island, Bishara Resorts. The competition will be run on Majini's Epic wave and open to any HG longboard. Open to VSA members only, first 20 entries. Spectators welcome.


Surfers contact: VW Sands


SLURL: Majini Island



SLSA Majinji Longboard Competition

Saturday 15 November 2008, 1100 hrs SLT (1800 hrs GMT)


November's Second Life Surfing Association's (SLSA's) surfing competition takes place at Majini Island's Epic break, instead Livestrong as announced in July. This competition takes place on Saturday 15 November at 11am SLT. Only SLSA surfers may compete. Open for all spectators.


Surfers contact: Ashleigh Dickins


SLURL: Majini Island



ABSSL Surf Circuit (4th stage)
Sunday 23 November 2008 1000 hours SLT (1400 hrs BRT)


The Associação Brasileira de Surf no Second Life (Brazilian Second Life Surfing Association) or ABSSL will hold the fourth event in its 2008 surfing event circuit on Sunday 23rd November at Neart.


Surfers contact: leogarto Burt


SLURL Neart



Surf City Open
Saturday 29 November 2008, 1100 hrs SLT (1800 hrs GMT)


Surf City hosts the Surf City Open at Surf City South beach on Saturday 29 November 2008 starting at 11am. The competition will take place on Surf City South's double pipleline break and board-choice is wide open.


Surfers contact: monq Pinklady


SLURL: Surf City South



Surfing lessons


Bishara Surf School (weekly)

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays 1000-1300 hrs SLT (1700-2000 hrs GMT)


Established two years ago now, Bishara Surf School (on the East side of Majini Island) offers open surfing classes with a maximum of two students per instructor. One-on-one coaching can be arranged by appointment. Instructors include long-time SL surfing instructor Slave Lacey, Bishara Estates Manager VW Sands, Vibrations surf team captain Buffy Munro or Vibrations co-captain QUENCH Spotter. Lessons are free, donations to the sim appreciated.


Surfers contact: Slave Lacey, VW Sands, Buffy Munro or QUENCH Spotter


SLURL: Majini Island


Judge/Marshall Masterclass
& Competition Surfing Masterclass
Sunday 23 November 2008 1000-1300 hrs SLT (1700-2000 hrs GMT)


Ever wondered exactly how SLSA competition judging works? Want to get involved in running Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) competitions? Or perhaps want to win one of those competitions? The SLSA will hold a masterclass training event on Sunday 23 November between 1000 hrs - 1300 hrs.

Competition Judge Masterclass
Sally
LaSalle will train 6 people at 10am, 11am & 12 noon SLT

Competition Marshall Masterclass
Tauri Tigerpaw will
train 6 people at 10am, 11am & 12 noon SLT

Competition Surfing Masterclass
VW Sands
will train 6 people at 10am, 11am & 12 noon SLT

The training sessions will take place at Chi Island and involve mock competition heats with live surfing, marshalling and judging. Each training session will consist of 20 minutes lecture, 20 minutes of practice and 20 minutes of debriefing to help prepare participants to take part in Second Life surfing competitions.

Surfers contact: Tauri Tigerpaw


SLURL: Chi Island

Updated 30 October 2008

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Sock's spot of the week - Nymphs Beach

By Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent.

After talking with some people, apparently I've got the 'privateer' reputation down now. It's to the point that I've been told that the surf doesn't exist 'till I find it. Well, yeah, I spend a lot of time on Second Life looking for new breaks and new places to go, but come on... I can't have found them all!

I wrote the Rough Guide list as a live document, but even then I only put out an update every three months. A lot of cool places pop up in the meanwhile, and I'd like to share them before the guide updates again. So this isn't a full fledged review of a surfing location. Think of it as a postcard from the grid. A cool surf spot that deserves a little highlighting. Some of these will be 'old' places that are well underloved, some you can still get the new wave smell from the break. But either way, it's a fun place that makes a fun change of pace from your favorite sim.
So this week, I want to kick things off with an underloved sim that's been around a long time, Nymphs Beach.

I've known
Nymphs Beach for a long time, but every time I go nobody else seems to be there. It's a shame too, it's a spectacular surf area. Loaners are on the beach for new people, but no stores, no groups, just the waves. And at night there's a spectacular bonfire on the West side of the sim. In fact, this was the first place I'd ever been on a shortboard in Second Life, as a loaner.


The break runs diagonally, to get the most distance out of the pipe and fluffy. The pipes are also unsynched, so you can play around on them as they come to shore. Very much a no-nonsense surf sim. It's got a nice feel to it, quiet. If you need to practice your riding technique, this is a great place to do it and be left pretty much to your own devices. The area is also spectacular to hang out in too. A great retreat into the woods, some exploring will reward you with a nice waterfall, as well as a few other nice places. Oh, and the sim is still near Helio and Black River Harbor, so don't be afraid to look around there too.

Useful links
SurfWatch: Sock's Rough Guide to Second Life Surfing (July)

SurfWatch Surf Reports: Black River Harbor: surfing serenity (20 Mar 08)

SLURL:
Nymphs Beach
SLURL: Heliopolis
SLURL: Black River Harbor
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Wilfrid widens his lead

Ranked just 18th at the end of the Second Life Surfing Association's 2008 Season I, Wilfrid DeCuir's first place at the Chi Shortboard Pro is now his second win in the Season II competition calendar. Wilfrid started Season II with a big win at Boneyard, but only secured 5th place at the next SLSA event at Morant Cays in September. However, his Chi win and the 1,000 points that comes with it has certainly helped consolidate his lead in the SLSA competition rankings.

Meanwhile, whilst Desirae Beaumont retains her second place in the SLSA rankings, there has been some movement in the rest of the table. Express Zenovka has jumped six places from 9th to take the number three position in the table. QUENCH Spotter has moved down from 3rd place to 4th place and Bobbi Laval has moved down from 4th place to 5th place in the Season II rankings.

The SLSA announced the post-Chi Surfboard Pro surf team table results on Sunday, with Team Tsunami rising up two places and knocking Reef Riders off from the top of the table. Reef Riders are now second place in the team table, with Vibrations Surf Team coming in third.

Useful links
SurfWatch Results: Chi Shortboard Pro Results
SurfWatch: Top surfers vie for Chi title (17 Oct 08)
SurfWatch: Registrations open for Chi Island event (11 Oct 08)
SurfWatch: SLSA 2008 Season II surf breaks announced (30 Jul 08)
SurfWatch Surf Reports: Chi, unique surf breaks with a touch of Zen
URL: SLSA 2008 Season II Rankings
URL: SLSA Team Table (SLSA Forum)
SLURL: Chi Island
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LIVE RESULTS -- Chi Shortboard Pro

11.00am SLT 18 October 2008 -- SurfWatch is reporting live from SLSA SLSA Chi Shortboard Pro 2008 surfing competition at Chi Island. The competition starts at 11am SLT.

SEE LIVE RESULTS NOW


SurfWatch Results is also available on the mobile (cellular) Internet via SurfWatch Mobile

Update 6.30pm 18 October 2008 -- Final results for the Chi Shortboard Pro 2008 now posted. Just click the Live Results link above to view them.

Useful links

SurfWatch Results: HEAT DRAW - Chi Shortboard Pro
SurfWatch: Top surfers vie for Chi title (17 Oct 08)
SurfWatch: Registrations open for Chi Island event (11 Oct 08)
SurfWatch: SLSA 2008 Season II surf breaks announced (30 Jul 08)
SurfWatch Surf Reports: Chi, unique surf breaks with a touch of Zen
SLURL: Chi Shortboard Pro spectator stands
SLURL: Chi Island (surfers only)
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Top surfers vie for Chi title

Second Life's top surfers are getting ready for the Second Life Surfing Association's (SLSA) third surfing competition of the 2008 Season II the Chi Shortboard Pro 2008, which takes place on Saturday 18 October. However, just who are Second Life's top surfers? As the SLSA surfs well into its second year of competitions, picking winners has never been more difficult. We took a look at the top ten ranked surfers in 2007 and 2008 seasons and tried to make a little more sense of the line-up.

Veterans
Veteran surfers Bobbi Laval, Colleen Brennan, Cipriano Grut, Craig Stallion, Christine Daffodil and last 2008 Season II Pova Rustamova (see pic right) have all registered for Chi. Only Pova and Colleen have made it to the winners podium this year, but Bobbi has surfed well in Season I and is well placed to breakthrough at Chi.

Surfer - Rank (Season)

Bobbi Laval - 9th (2007), 10th (2008 SI), 4th (2008 SII)
Pova Rustamova - 14th (2007), 1st (2008 SI), 6th (2008 SII)
Colleen Brennan - 4th (2007), 3rd (2008 SI), 19th (2008 SII)
Cipriano Grut - 19th (2007), 15th (2008 SI), 8th (2008 SII)
Craig Stallion - 3rd (2007), 8th (2008 SI)
Christine Daffodil - 10th (2007), 7th (2008 SI)

First Season Talent
Meanwhile, Desirae Beaumont (see pic left), QUENCH Spotter, VW Sands and Abel Halderman have all made names for themselves this year. Desirae took 2nd place at Surfline, 1st at EL Corazon and 2nd at Boneyard. Quench surfed to 1st place at Neart earlier this year and managed to secure a first at the last SLSA competition at Morant Cays. The top spot on the podium has so far eluded VW Sands, but he has come close with a 2nd at Neart and a 3rd at Boneyard. Abel has just one podium finish under his belt, but it was right on top at Surfline. Desirae has surfed consistently well since hitting her stride halfway through 2008 Season I and is a strong contender for the 1st prize on Saturday.

Surfer - Rank (Season)
Desirae Beaumont - 2nd (2008 SI), 2nd (2008 SII)
QUENCH Spotter - 11th (2008 SI), 3rd (2008 SII)
VW Sands - 6th (2008 SI), 12th (2008 SII)
Abel Halderman - 5th (2008 SI), 20th (2008 SII)

Surfers to watch out for
Wildrid DeCuir (see pic right), Crusader Arado, Fungus Kamachi, Express Zenovka and Carolin Gausman all shredded well during 2008 Season I and have managed to significantly upped their performance for Season II. Wilfrid DeCuir's biggest hurdle last season was taking part in enough competitions, only making it to Surfline and El Corazon, but coming 4th and 7th at those respectively. Now Wil is ranked number one in Season II after a first place at Boneyard and a 5th at Morant Cays. The other up and coming surfers have improved significantly over the past few months and are all now in a position to threaten more established competition surfers.

Surfer - Rank (Season)
Wildrid DeCuir - 18th (2008 SI), 1st (2008 SII)
Crusader Arado - 22nd (2008 SI), 5th (2008 SII)
Fungus Kamachi - 49th (2008 SI), 7th (2008 SII)
Express Zenovka - 29th (2008 SI), 9th (2008 SII)
Carolin Gausman - 13th (2008 SI), 10th (2008 SII)

The SLSA Chi Shortboard Pro 2008 starts at 1100 hrs SLT (1800 hrs GMT) Saturday 18 October 2008 at at Chi Island.

Heat draws now posted on SurfWatch Results.

Useful links
SurfWatch Results: HEAT DRAW - Chi Shortboard Pro
SurfWatch: Registrations open for Chi Island event (11 Oct 08)
SurfWatch: SLSA 2008 Season II surf breaks announced (30 Jul 08)
SurfWatch Surf Reports: Chi, unique surf breaks with a touch of Zen
URL: SLSA
URL: SLSA Forum
SLURL: Chi Shortboard Pro spectator stands
SLURL: Chi Island (surfers only)
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One Track Mind debuts on Facebook

One Track Mind, the newest film from Chris Malloy and surf film house Woodshed Films will premiere on Facebook, the world’s largest online social network, for 48 hours straight starting on Thursday, 16 October 2008. The movie will be the first to be introduced via the 'Film on Facebook' project.

Shot on location in Mexico, Indonesia, Micronesia, Australia and Southern California, One Track Mind explores the mindset behind what it takes to be one of the best surfers in the world. The movie features world champions Kelly Slater, Tom Curren and an all-star cast that includes Andy Irons, Mick Fanning, Dane Reynolds, Joel Parkinson, Sunny Garcia, Mark Occhilupo and Wayne Bartholomew. The cast also up-and-comers, such as Jordy Smith, Kolohoe Andino and Julian Wilson.

The film will be broadcast on Facebook through the Kyte digital media platform and Chris and crew are celebrating the release by inviting fans to participate in a live chat on the One Track Mind Kyte channel, which will begin at 5:30 pm Pacific time on October 16th. Kelly Slater and Tom Curren and other featured surfers from the film such as super grom Kalohoe Andino, along with Brushfire Records recording artist Matt Costa, will join Chris in discussing the film from Patagonia’s headquarters in California before the film airs.

Patagonia, the environmental clothing manufacturer and Etnies, the action-sports footwear and apparel company, will co-sponsor the premiere with Surfing Magazine and Wetsand.com as promotional sponsors. People that want to watch are encouraged to RSVP on Facebook.com/film in advance. To view the film, just type in www.facebook.com/film, then click on the One Track Mind Kyte channel. Anyone can view the film at facebook.com/film and share it with their friends.

Useful links
URL: Film on Facebook
URL: Surfing Magazine interview with Chris Malloy (audio + slides)
URL: One Track Mind trailer (video)
URL: Woodshed Films
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Registrations open for Chi Island event


The Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) opened registrations for its third surfing competition of the 2008 Season II, the Chi Shortboard Pro 2008, which takes place on Saturday 18 October.

"I'm very happy and excited to have the SLSA return to Chi after more than a year," said Sally LaSalle, SLSA director and owner of Chi Island. "I look forward to everyone having a fun day 'surfing the old fashioned way'."

One of Second Life's first surfing spots and the venue for the first ever Second Life surfing competition (the Namiko Pro in March 2007), Chi has a unique surf break that is sure to challenge surfers next Saturday. One of the shortest pipeline breaks in Second Life, pipeline and fluffies break for about 100 yards into the bay in the Northwest corner of Chi Island. The pipeline break is just one section across and runs very close to the shore line on both sides of the bay leaving little room for error and plenty of opportunities for surfers to end up grounded if they overshoot the end of the wave.

With the postponing of October's VSA Surf Jam and
ABSSL (Associação Brasileira de Surf no Second Life) surfing competitions and the cancellation of the TCH Surfers Open, the SLSA Chi Shortboard Pro may be the only surfing event to take place until November.

A new spectator sim called Tai is expected to open next to Chi on Friday 17 October.

Useful links
SurfWatch: SLSA 2008 Season II surf breaks announced (30 Jul 08)
SurfWatch Surf Reports: Chi, unique surf breaks with a touch of Zen
URL: SLSA
URL: SLSA Forum
SLULR: Chi Island
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Heliopolis latest victim of economics.

Heliopolis and Black River Harbor sims may soon disappear from Second Life.

By Ashleigh Dickins
.

A storm moves in over Heliopolis' double pipe break

As much as many people like to keep the real world and Second Life separate, sometimes one can't help but effect the other. Now, as the stock markets plunge and global economics spiral out of control, Surfwatch has learned that classic surf spot Heliopolis and it's sister sim Black River Harbor in Helio Estates are up on the proverbial chopping block and the real estate is to be sold.

"I did not expect to need to do this," said the owner of Helio Estates, Carenahh Kuu, who told SurfWatch that the sale of the sims has come about due to unexpected real life expenses. Helio Estates closed and sold its Monkeh Barrel surf sim earlier this year due to economic pressures.

Black River Harbor in the morning

Just last month Surfwatch reported on the seemingly forced sale of TCH Enterprises and most of the estate sims. Now it seems that Heliopolis and Black River Harbor could be just closures in a long line of sim closings affecting the surf community. Earlier this year the community was saddened to see the disappearance of the Surfline and more recently Livestrong sims. In fact, there have been at least 7 or 8 surf sim closures during the past three months.

It is common knowledge that many sim owners in Second Life are facing economic challenges and there are questions on everyone's minds, as owners scramble to find ways to keep their sims going in difficult times. "I do hate giving it up," Carenahh told Surfwatch, "I love Heliopolis."

All this leaves Second Life's surfing community hoping for the best and wondering which sim will be the next to fall.

Useful Links:
Surfwatch: TCH Estates For Sale On Ebay (26 Sep 08)
Surfwatch: TCH Headed For Watery Grave (24 Sep 08)
Surfwatch: Surfline Shuts Down (28 Jun 08)
SurfWatch Surf Reports: Black River Harbor: surfing serenity (20 Mar 08)
SurfWatch Surf Reports: Monkeh Barrel Takes No Prisoners (22 Feb 08)
SLURL: Heliopolis
SLURL: Black River Harbor
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Board design contest trawls for new talent

By Ashleigh Dickins.

Reaction co-owner Radical Twang at Boneyard

Reaction recently launched a public board design contest to help promote aspiring Second Life surfboard designers. The winner of the contest could see their design included in the new line of Reaction surfboards using Heather Goodliffe scripts and based on Reaction co-owner's Radical Twang's 'Quad Wing', which SurfWatch reported on during August (New Wing Board Under Wraps). According to Reaction, its Quad Wing boards are now almost ready to hit the water and the competition offers new Second Life designers a chance to get some recognition.

"It's always fun having customers input on things," said Radical. "And Reaction is keen to promote original Second Life design work and this is a way for us to get to know new designers. I know for a fact that I'd be stoked if I was able to design and have a popular board sold by Rip Curl, Lost, or Rusty for example."

However, residents that want to try their hand at designing a new Reaction board have just a couple more days left to get in on the action. Designers must submit a simple visual of their design, with full permissions, to Radical Twang by October 1st. The competition rules are simple: a design visual is all that's required to enter, the visual must be the original design of the individual submitting it, plus designers must agree that by submitting their design they are turning the ownership of the design concept over to Reaction.

In addition to seeing their design on a Reaction 'Quad Wing' surfboard for sale via Reaction's retail sales channels, the winner will receive a L$5,000 Reaction gift card, the next 10 releases free in advance of release and a free surfboard with their own design on it. More information is available at Reaction's flagship store.

Useful Links
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TCH Estates for sale on eBay

"8 SIM ESTATES *FULL TRANSFER* SECOND LIFE" - eBay deadline 28 September

Eight of the ten TCH Estates sims, including the surfing spots of Barbuda, St. Maarten and Mandi Island have been posted for sale by ATown Fall on online auction site eBay under the heading "8 SIM ESTATES *FULL TRANSFER* SECOND LIFE". However, former TCH Surfers Open venue Saba Island is not included in the package. Investors must register their bids by Sunday 28 September and the deal must be concluded by the successful bidder within 12 hours of the auction close.

eBay's listed 'Buy It Now' price for the seven open sims and one full sim is US$3,500. In addition to the cost of bidding for the sims, the new owner of TCH Estates would need to pay Linden Lab $100 per sim to transfer the ownership of the sims and then pay monthly tier fees to Linden Lab of US$75 per month for each of the seven open sims and US$100 per month for the full sim.
TCH Estates could cost the new owner US$6,175

According to our calculations this could mean a total investment of US$6,175 by the year end (should someone pay the 'Buy It Now' asking price), although the eBay listing indicates that the seven of the sims already generate enough revenue to pay their own tier, which may bring this investment down to US$4,600. According to eBay's records ATown Fall has been trading on eBay since March 2008 and he has a 96.4% positive approval rating from other eBay users on his eBay transactions.


Barbuda, one of four surf sims on TCH Estates (May 2008)

ATown's eBay listing also includes a clause protecting current TCH Estates residents from tier free increases stating that "the current tier can be lowered but not raised from the current amount which is $L3.85 per sqm".

Useful links

SurfWatch: TCH headed for a watery grave? (24 Sep 08)
SurfWatch:
Surfline shuts down (28 Jun 08)
SurfWatch:
Estates join forces to create massive watersports development (23 May 08)
URL:
8 sim estates *Full Transfer* Second Life (eBay)
SLURL:
Barbuda
SLURL:
Mandi Island
SLURL:
Saba Island
SLURL:
St. Maarten
SLURL:
TCH Enterprises
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TCH headed for a watery grave?

Saturday’s competition cancelled, ATown Fall missing and the prospect of four more surf sims being wiped off the Second Life Grid
Second Life is awash with rumours and speculation about TCH Enterprises, following the recent disappearance of ATown Fall, the founder-owner of TCH.
Friends, employees, business partners and other residents found that ATown’s profile was no longer available in-world soon after he vanished and answers to any questions regarding TCH are thin on the ground. Other efforts to contact ATown outside of Second Life have also apparently been in vain. A popular theory is that TCH is a Second Life economy casualty, but there are other schools of thought that speculate that this being a knock-on effect from Wall Street crashes and some speculate about possible infringements against Second Life’s terms and conditions. ATown himself talked about the likelihood of other surf sims shutting down to SurfWatch in June following the closing of Surfline, but if he did harbour grave concerns about TCH Enterprises, he didn’t let on.
ATown's sometimes hard-nosed business practices were not appreciated by everyone, but he was certainly recognised for his vision and attention to detail in developing TCH Estates.
"Well, I have to take my hat off to him, in terms of sim development," said Dumisani Ah, owner of Bishara Resorts "TCH has the most fantastic diving experiences built into its sims and ATown's vision of joining the sim groups to form a mega-estate was super cool!"
If TCH collapses as a direct result of poor economics, then this would offer little comfort to other sim owners, many of whom are talking openly about a Second Life recession. Designers, retailers and land owners have all seen a general slowdown in sales and many of the most successful are simply struggling to maintain the status quo. Second Life residents are not growing fast and it sort of stands to reason that the current real world economic climate can’t provide much encouragement to residents to spend money in Second Life.

Saba Island, the venue of the TCH Surfers Open


Although ATown reputedly had invested in between 90 and 117 sims on the Grid, TCH Estates itself currently accounts for 10 islands in a mixed-use estate which has residential properties, night clubs, live music venues, shopping and other recreational activities including facilities for a variety of sports including surfing. TCH Estates is home to the four surf sims of Saba Island, Barbuda, St. Maarten and Mandi Isle, plus Bonaire, Guanaja, Lex Estate, Nervis, St. Kitts and the group’s headquarters TCH Enterprises.

Residents that have invested in property on the TCH Estates (priced $3.85 per square meter for residential locations) have no answers and little recourse to address their potential loss of land should the estate be closed and taken off the Grid by Linden Lab.

Broadwater Antilles
SurfWatch reported on plans to create a massive water sports continent in May, linking up TCH Estates, Hedonism Estates and Wilder Estates. The new mega-estate was to consist of 26 sims in the first two phases of its development, with plans to add at least 12 more sims in phase three. This project now almost certainly cannot continue in its current form, although Hedonism and Wilder Estate owners were quick to confirm that their estates remained committed to the concept.

"I am sad that it looks like Broadwater will not happen they way that it was originally planned," said Hedonism Estates owner Phelan James. "I hope that we can salvage something and still have a private island land mass. We have talked with Wilder Estates and both Hedonism and Wilder remain committed to the concept of creating a mega-estate. Unfortunately TCH was in between us, so we have to make a span, but we are optimistic about it."

Hedonism and Wilder Estates have already gone through the lengthy process of moving their sim groups closer together on the Grid, but these are now straddled either side of TCH Estates. Wilder Spirit, Wilder West, Wilder Mills Lagoon, Wild Dagger, Wild Tizzy, Wilder Keys and Wilder Shores are now located to the Southwest of TCH Estates and Hedonism, Hedonism I, Hedonism II, Hedonism Beach II, Lil Hedonism, Lost Hedonism, Mai Tai Cove, Sensual Hedonism and Rum Bay are now located to the East of TCH.

Surfers Open: closed
Meanwhile, surfers that were looking forward to this weekend’s TCH Surfers Open this Saturday will be disappointed. Locksley Blitzstein, until recently TCH Estates events manager, was unable to shed much light on the status of TCH Estates or the TCH Surfers Open surfing competition planned for this weekend. "I am no longer associated with TCH, however, I suspect it is cancelled because ATown has been missing for three weeks now."

The third event in the series, it was due to take place at 12.15pm on Saturday 26 September 2008 at Saba Island and 11 surfers had already registered for the 16-man competition. However, with the outlook for all TCH Estates’ surfing sims being so bleak, the cancellation of a single weekend's surfing event is perhaps of minor concern.

SurfWatch's advice to surfers: get your surfing in on TCH Estates surf sims whilst you can! At this point, noone can tell you how long they will remain active for!

Useful links
SurfWatch: Surfline shuts down (28 Jun 08)
SurfWatch: Estates join forces to create massive watersports development (23 May 08)
SLURL: Barbuda
SLURL: Mandi Island
SLURL: Saba Island
SLURL: St. Maarten
SLURL: TCH Enterprises

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LIVE RESULTS -- Morant Cays

12.40pm SLT 20 September 2008 -- SurfWatch is reporting live from SLSA JJ Lanes Shortboard Epic Surfing Competition at Morant Cays. The competition started at 11am SLT

SEE LIVE RESULTS NOW

SurfWatch Results is also available on the mobile (cellular) Internet via SurfWatch Mobile

Updated with final results 4.30pm SLT 20 September 2008
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Heats drawn for Morant Cays

The Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) drew the heat line-ups Friday for the SLSA JJ Lanes Lanes Shortboard Epic surfing competition at Morant Cays, which takes place at 1100 hrs SLT (1800 hrs GMT) Saturday 20 September 2008.

35 surfers are registered to take part in Saturday's competition.


The full list of heat draws for Morant Cays is posted on SurfWatch Results

Useful links

SurfWatch Results: HEAT DRAW -- Morant Cays (19 Sep 08)
SurfWatch: Wilfrid DeCuir tops new table (18 Aug 08)
SurfWatch: Surfing Calendar September-October 2008
URL: SLSA Website
URL: SLSA Forum
SLURL: Morant Cays
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SLSA rules on new board scripts

Responding to Second Life Surfing Association member Abel Halderman's post in the SLSA Forum, the Association today informed that SSI beta surfboard scripts will not be permissable in the JJ Lanes Shortboard Epic at Morant Cays this coming Saturday.

According to the SLSA, the board of directors voted on the matter and ruled that SSI Surfboard 5.6 and 5.8 board scripts are not available for general access and therefore cannot be used at the Morant Cays competition. The 5.6 and 5.8 scripts include new features being tested by SSI making it easier to execute some tricks (like rolls, for example) and the beta boards behave differently to those with the commonly available
5.1 and 5.2 board scripts.

Meanwhile, just 28 surfers have registered for Saturday's event, which has a total of 40 competition places. The JJ Lanes Shortboard Epic is the second event in the SLSA's 2008 Season II and takes place at Morant Cays 1100hrs SLT on Saturday 20 September 2008.

Useful links
SurfWatch: Wilfrid DeCuir tops new table (18 Aug 08)
SurfWatch: Surfing Calendar September-October 2008
URL: SLSA Website
URL: SLSA Forum
SLURL: Morant Cays
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