SURF REPORT -- Majini Island: surf, party, surf!

Sunrise on Majini Island

Majini Island (part of the Bishara Resorts System) is blessed with an Epic II wave that has a great long run. However, it's the lively surfing crowd, as much as it is the big wave, that seems to make this beach one of the most popular with Second Life surfers. Home break of the Vibrations Surf Alliance (VSA), or more affectionately 'Vibes' (members are known as 'Vibers'), Majini combines socialising, partying and an almost continous line-up of surfing action. One could say that its a 'happening' beach!

With more than 200 VSA members including a hard core group of surfers that take their sport very seriously, there's always something going on on Majini beach and it has become a meeting point for surfers regardless of their home base or surfing club affiliation.

The Majini beach crowd favours the big Epic II waves. Despite having a frequency of one wave at a time, the beach boasts a loyal and friendly crowd that are as enthusiastic spectators as they are surfers (not to mention talkers!). A row of sunbeds lined up along the shoreline and knee-deep shallows in front of the break, help to make Majini surfing an entertaining spectator sport. A temporary aerial wood platform provides the perfect vantage point during competition events.

Majini's EPIC is quite a long run, breaking at the far south edge of the sim and rolling in spitting foam for 250 yards into the beach before folding thirty or fourty feet from the shore. Its a real rush! However, the Majini surf changes to pipes and fluffies every Sunday and on some other occasions, such as prior to SLSA competitions to allow members to practice.

Majini plays host to the first Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) event of the annual competition series (2008's competition took place on 19 January), whilst the VSA organises a monthly Surf Jam competition for Vibers only. The beach has both the open space and facilities to organise other social and surfing events. Majini beach is also home to Bishara Surf School, headed up by surfing veteran and Bishara Resorts Estate Manager VW Sands.

There is a public 'rezz area' directly in front of the Surf School shack at the east end of the beach, which allows non-members to rezz their boards. The rezz area supports a limited number of prims as a measure to prevent griefers from rezzing boats, helicopters and other undesirable motor vehicles that disturb the peace.

Boards are usually available on the beach for those that want to try and haven't brought their own (look for the ones owned by VW Sands). For those that prefer to use their own boards, 'copy' versions are recommended. Although the sim returns visitors' boards to their lost and found folders fairly reliably, the sim has been known to 'eat' them from time to time. A number of surfboard outlets on Majini sell a variety of boards such as Fakt Surfboards, Namiko, SJA Customboards and TCH Surf.

A great place to start if you want to get on board with the Second Life surfing scene, meet other surfers and find out how its done! And, have a lot of apres-surf fun too! Surf, party, surf! Or was it party, surf, party? I forget. Must have been a good party...

SurfWatch: Two new surf spots at Bishara (9 May 08)
SurfWatch: Surfing Calendar - February-March 2008
SurfWatch: ONeill Crowned VSA Surf Jam champ! (2 Feb 2008)
SLURL: Majini Island

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Analog Surf: striking the right balance

Analog Jun with some of his new board designs

Analog Surf has launched 28 new surfboard designs this month, incorporating the latest sculptie prims developed by Sebastian Saramago and has 20 more in the works. SurfWatch caught up with owner and board designer Analog Jun to find out more about his approach to board design and Analog Surf's new SC line of boards (SC standing for sculptie).

"I've been designing boards since September 2007," recounts Analog. "I was very impressed with the board designs of 'Namiko Surf' and they inspired me to start designing myself. At first I was not able to make textures well and I had a lot of difficulty in doing that, but one learns every day."

"I've always been impressed with Namiko," says Analog. "Her works are abstract, artistic and well-balanced. I`ve never seen such highly complete boards - they are so awesome! Obviously, I'm also thankful to Heather Goodliffe and Sebastian Saramago from a technical standpoint."

Today, with at least eight Analog Surf-branded shops and more than 40 retail outlets including franchisees, plus his continual board design and development work , Analog is a busy man. "I spend about thirty hours a week in Second Life. Analog Surf has its main shop in Eastfield sim and more than forty shops in total. I pay attention to the environment so that customers have fun shopping, so I always replace old boards with new in my shops and also periodicaly change the interior and exteriors in my shops. I now spend about 10% of my time designing boards on maintaining my shop."

Does he surf? "Of course, when I have a time, I spend time surfing, but I`m honestly not good at doing it and don't have much spare time to practice. It's fun for me to see highy-skilled people surfing: particularly when they are using my boards." And there are some highly-skilled people using his boards. Team Tsunami surfer Colleen Brennan, currently third in the SLSA 2008 competition standings, has used Analog boards in the both the SLSA competitions this year.

Analog is also an active member of the Japanese Second Life Surfing Association (JSSA) and has seen a marked increase in interest from Japanese surfers. "Japanese residents have been rising rapidly since spring 2007 and the number of Japanese surfers has definitely risen during the past few months. Its obviously very different from the mainstream surfing community: it's still smaller and we have less competitons, but surfing is now becoming popular among Japanese residents and I expect the numbers of people surfing to rise among the Japanese residents in the future."

Analog Surf now has a reputation for cool board designs and Analog takes the design process very seriously. "I think it's most important to make graphics that have a sense of balance. At least three times a day, I go to check the textures on my new board designs to see if they have the right balance. When I feel sure that there are no incongruities, only then I do prepare to release the new line. I make about 5-15 textures for each board, then I choose the best one and apply it. Sometimes the textures don't go so well and then there is nothing left to do but but give up the design and start again."

Balance is a fundamental requirement for Analog, both on and off his surfboards, and much of his inspiration comes from natural sources such as flowers, birds, animals, fire, water, waves and the planet in general. His new SC boards have names like Phoenix, Woody Hibiscus, Wave, Butterfly, Tiger, and Tropics. "You know, human senses change day to day," he explains. "Especially the human sense of sight and sound. Tomorrow, I may sense some incongruity in balance and a color in my design, even though I am satisfied with the design today."

"I had so much difficulty in applying the new sculptie scripts, because sometimes my textures twist them. However, I'm very happy with the new SC range of boards now. They're very similar to 'real boards' and I hope that they are the kind of boards that surfers will be honoured to own. I do hope surfers enjoy the new line!"

Analog Surf's new SC line of surfboards start at L$555.

SURL: Analog Surf Beach Shop

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Monkeh win catapults Pova to top of 2008 standings

New standings' leader Pova Rustamova at Monkeh Barrel

Updated story -- Pova Rustamova tops the new 2008 SLSA competition rankings, following his win at the Monkeh Barrel event on 23 February.

Pova came fourth at the SLSA Majini Island Competition on 19 January and this, combined with Saturday's win, gives him 1,625 points and a clear lead in this year's standings. Colleen Brennan has moved down to third place in the overall rankings with 1,235 points, after being knocked out in the semi-finals at Monkeh Barrrel, leaving DeVinna Toll with second place in the standings and 1,400 points overall. Milo Voss and Timbo Flanagan, joint-third at Monkeh Barrel, are now listed by SLSA as fourth and fifth place in the standings with 1,080 and 930 points respectively.

This story was up-to-dated at 22.10 hrs SLT 25 February to include news SLSA information on the 2008 season standings.

SurfWatch: Surfing Calendar - February-March 2008
URL: SLSA Season Standings
SLURL: Monkeh Barrel
SLURL: Majini Island

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Pova wins big at a Monkeh Barrel full of surprises!

Winners (left to right): Milo Voss, Timbo Flanagan, Pova Rustamova and Lanelle Saunders

Pova Rustamova took home the trophy after a day of challenging conditions at the SLSA Monkeh Barrel surfing competition on Saturday, where the event and wave conditions delivered a barrel-load of surprises! After more than an hour of waiting, competitors saw the Monkeh's EPIC II wave change to pipeline waves for the competition, after organisers had spent hours trying to adust the sim's big wave to create competition conditions.

Second Life surfers responded to the changes with good humour and commitment to the competition, which is just as well, because Monkeh Barrel continued to monkey around and even the pipeline waves were barely surfable at some points during the first round of heats. "The waves at Monkeh Barrel were the hardest I've seen in any competition," Milo Voss of the Tsunami Surfing Team told SurfWatch after about some six hours of competition. "The gaps between the three wave faces would be out of sync and you would literally fall through the crack as you surfed over it. However, kudos to the SLSA for keeping it all together and the surfers for being flexible."

"Conditions were tough today and the waves were a big challenge," said Monkeh Barrel winner Pova. "They were moving slow and you had to really work to stay in them. Wave conditions improved for the semi finals and the waves started behaving themselves. The pipes were running just fast enough to pull some nice tricks off and keep from bellying."

The tense Monkeh Barrel semi-final match-ups provided some striking competition upsets. Winner of January's SLSA event Devinna Toll was eliminated in the first heat of the semi-finals letting Milo Voss and Reaction Pro's Timbo Flanagan through to the finals, where they both were awarded 11.33 points putting them in third place overall.

Meanwhile, newcomer Lanelle Saunders outsurfed her competitors in heat two and went through to the finals together with veteran surfer Kimmy Fitzgerald, where she continued to beat off the competition ending up with the number two spot on the winners podium!

"Lanelle Saunders was amazing in the semis and then in the finals she pushed very hard, made her tricks look so easy," said Pova. "I was lucky to beat her on points, but I had some good waves in the final and tried to make the best out of them."

"It was a tough day, for everyone, I think," said Reef Rider Lanelle following her first experience on the winner's podium. "I got lucky and didn't fall through any waves or get stuck between sections. The finals had such an incredible class of surfers. I really didn't think I had a chance, so I just kind of threw caution to the wind and surfed hard on my first wave. I didn't think that it was that great, so I surfed even harder the second wave. The third wave was a bit of a disaster. At the end, everyone took a party wave in except me. I waited for another wave and had the best wave of the day! Pure fun! Honestly though, I can only attribute my second place podium position to everyone that has been there for me and helped me out, most importantly, Bobbi Laval."

The next SLSA competition event is on Saturday 22 March at Surfline.

FINALS RESULTS

1. Pova Rustamova (14.33 points)
2. Lanelle Saunders (13.50 points)
3. (tie) Milo Voss/Timbo Flanagan (11.33 points)
5. Vic Bonetto (11.16 points)
6. Bailey Dazy (10.83 points)
7. Kimmy Fitzgerald (NA)

SEMI-FINALISTS
Note: Semi-finalist scores are an addition of 1st Heat score plus Semi-final scores

8. Christine Daffodil (25.16)
9. Selina Otsuka (25.13)
10. Devinna Toll (24.83)
11. Colleen Brennan (23.49)
Abel Halderman (23.49)
13. Ashleigh Dickins (22.99
VW Sands (22.99)
15. Charlotte Fearne (22.16)
16. Jesse Compton (19.99)
17. Carlos MacAlpine (18.99)
18. Buffy Munro (18.16)

HEATS RANKINGS

19. Jaqueline Infinity (12.66)
20. Jhuriel Hax (12.5)
21. Carolin Gausman (11.83)
Desirae Beaumont (11.83)
23. Desne Aabye (11.66)
24. QUENCH Spotter (11.5)
25. Paeida Allen (11.16)
26. Bobbi Laval (11)
27. Payten Harrop (10.5)
28. Mateus Rieko (10.16)
29. Lollypop Congrejo (10.11)
30. LeahJane Cazalet (10)
Malcolm Sydney (10)
32. Mick Lunasea (9.66)
33. Whamdamnit Merryman (9.33)
34. Coz Okelly (9.16)
35. Cipriano Grut (8.66)

Competition results updated from latest SLSA information 25 February 2008

Photo credit: Sierra Sugar

SurfWatch: Surfing Calendar - February-March 2008
SLURL: Monkeh Barrel

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SURF REPORT -- Monkeh Barrel takes no prisoners

The fury of Monkeh Barrel unleashed on the beach

Slow, short and unforgiving it may be, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the Monkeh Barrel remains one of the most challenging and popular surf breaks in Second Life. The Monkeh is one of several surfing spots in Helio Estates, which include Heliopolis itself, Nymphs Beach and Black River Harbor. The big wave break also provides the setting for one of the most demanding competitions in the SLSA annual series.

Named Monkeh Barrel because its more fun than a barrel of monkeys, the Monkeh's dark brooding EPIC II wave breaks a few yards short of the Western edge of the sim and runs in for about 150 yards onto a green rocky shoreline. For comparison, the wave runs in about 50 yards short of the distance that the EPIC II wave at Majini beach does, or roughly about the same length of ride as the EPIC II wave at Neart. The wave also has the reputation of having a mind of its own.

The short duration of the break means that surfers must get up and running fast if they are to make the most of the wave. The slower forward movement means they must also pay attention to their speed so as not to stall and end up belly-riding all the way into the beach. This wave takes no prisoners!

This beach has no onshore facilities, but due to the short wave run and elevation of the beach, the Monkeh Barrel offers surfwatchers an excellent view. For surfers, the rocky shallows on the shore make a convenient place to rezz your board into the water, while the wave itself is perhaps the ultimate test of SL surfing skills and technology.

Update 28 May 08 -- Monkeh Barrel has disappeared, we understand, following the sale of the sim to a new owner.

SLURL: Monkeh Barrel (not valid as of May 08)

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Monkeh Barrel Heats Drawn

Short run and lag concerns preoccupy competitors ahead of Saturday's competition (updated story)

The Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA), organisers of the Monkeh Barrel surfing competition on Saturday 23 February, announced Thursday the match-ups for the first round of heats. The second SLSA competition of 2008, the event was originally scheduled for 16 February, but was postponed to this coming weekend. Sim lag and the short wave run is top of mind for many competitors. "Sim performance can be an issue unfortunately," said one surfer at the Monkeh on Thursday. "There's a nasty lag spike up by where you enter the wave these days."

Devinna Toll tops the SLSA table after the association's first competition in January, followed closely by Colleen Brennan and Ritch Goalpost. Ritch is not now going to compete in Saturday's event, but instead will be one of the competition judges. "I expect some fierce competition at Monkeh Barrel. No one has ever won back to back competitions, so it's a lot of pressure on Devi: maybe she will make SL surfing history," said Rich. "This could be the weekend that the top dogs establish themselves. Its so much pressure and I'm excited for everybody taking part."

"Am I ready? Well I never feel ready," said Colleen when SurfWatch spoke to her on Thursday. "I find EPIC waves to be especially challenging. The run is short and it is a challenge to get in a good ride with innovative and sharp moves while also using as much of the wave as possible. It is way to easy to belly. Lag will be a major factor as usual."

"Monkeh Barrel is kind of my back yard," said captain of the Reef Riders Surf Team Bobbi Laval during practice on Monkeh beach, who was fifth in January's competition and has several competition wins under her belt. "I spend as much time here as I do at Neart, so I hope to do well. I hope to get in the finals."

"I'm fired up about it," said Pova Rustamova as the heats were announced. "Its the first EPIC of the year and its gonna be a challange! Its a short run and so you have to figure how to score high on a slower moving big wave and do a lot in a little bit of time."

Pova came in fourth in the January event. "Pova is one I always worry about," said Bobbi. "We end up together often in heats it seems and he is consistantly strong. He is more than ready for a win, as are several other strong contenders. There are a few surfers that can do really well if they are on"

"I'm looking forward to it! I think we all are, especially after the delay," said VW Sands of the Vibrations Surfing Alliance (VSA), who took 6th place in the last SLSA event. "I hope the sim holds up well for us on Saturday and I´m sure we´re all gonna have a blast! As far as my hopes, well, survive the first round! With so many great surfers all one can really hope for is to have way to much fun regardless of the results."

Saturday's competition will start with 8 heats, with five competitors in each heat. Heats are expected to start around 1100 hrs Second Life time (SLT). The following heat competitors lists were announced by the SLSA.

HEAT 1
DeVinna Toll (RED)
Cipriano Grut (BLUE)
Charl0tte Fearne (GREEN)
Coz Okelly (ORANGE)
Paeida Allen (PURPLE)

HEAT 2
Colleen Brennan (RED)
Desne Aabye (BLUE)
Vic Bonetto (GREEN)
Kathy Heberle (ORANGE)
Jaqueline Infinity (PURPLE)

HEAT 3
Pova Rustamova (RED)
Amphiprion Watanabe (BLUE)
Selina Otsuka (GREEN)
Jhuriel Hax (ORANGE)
Lollypop Congrejo (PURPLE)

HEAT 4
Bobbi Laval (RED)
Milo Voss (BLUE)
Timbo Flanagan (GREEN)
Payten Harrop (ORANGE)
Carolin Gausman (PURPLE)

HEAT 5
VW Sands (RED)
Desirea Beaumont (BLUE)
Kimmy Fitzgerald (GREEN)
Lanelle Saunders (ORANGE)
QUENCH Spotter (PURPLE)

HEAT 6
Carlos MacAlpine (RED)
Whamdamnit Merryman (BLUE)
Jesse Compton (GREEN)
Bailey Dazy (ORANGE)
TBC (PURPLE)

HEAT 7
Christine Daffodil (RED)
Abel Halderman (BLUE)
LeahJane Cazalet (GREEN)
Malcolm Sydney (ORANGE)
TBC (PURPLE)

HEAT 8
Ashleigh Dickins (RED)
Buffy Monro (BLUE)
Mick Lunasea (GREEN)
Mateus Rieko (ORANGE)
TBC (PURPLE)

Note: SLSA announced changes to heats on February 21st night. Cierra Theriac, Oroonie Oh, Kertin Gollob, Wendy Bouchard and Jaay Zymurgy have now dropped out of the competition. Carolin Gausman and QUENCH Spotter are now in.

Updated 21 February 2008, 05.40 hrs & 21.50 hrs SLT

SurfWatch: RL throws wrench at the Monkeh
SurfWatch: Surfing Calendar - February-March 2008
SurfWatch: INTERVIEW-- DeVinna Toll
URL: Judging Criteria
URL: Competition Day Requirements (for Surfers and Spectators)
SLURL: Monkeh Barrel

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Jaqueline Infinity tops Reaction Pro Competition

Podium dancing for winner Jaqueline Infinity!

The Reaction Pro surfing team held a private surfing competition for its team members on Saturday 16 February at the Reaction sim. A field of 8 surfers battled it out for points, with Reaction Pro newcomer Jaqueline Infinity taking the top spot, followed by Sally laSalle and Bailey Dazy.

URL: ReactionBlog

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Action board burning

Action surfboards burning outside TCH Extreme Sports

Burning surfboards were seen on the beach outside the new TCH Extreme Sports store together with a sign encouraging Action surfboard owners to burn their Action surfboards! The fire and sign board, which read "PUBLIC BOARD BURN PILE, SAVE A SURFER, BURN AN ACTION SURF BOARD TODAY", were spotted by SurfWatch during the past few days. At time of posting it is believed that at least 15 Action surfboards have already been burnt.

"I put the bonfire on the beach to burn Action surfboards, because I don't believe in Action's product or its business practices," said ATown Fall, CEO of TCH Enterprises. "However, this is just a bit of fun, we have our new range of boards on show inside the store and are launching a board exchange program for people to exchange their old boards for new ones: even Action surfboards!"

Action Surf&Sk8te makes and sells mens and womens clothes, skins, hair and accessories, plus Action surfboards and skateboards with a big showroom located on Bushido Bay. According to some it is an enterprise founded on copying others' designs, scripts and business practices. Allegations against Action include copying designer clothing, surfboards, shop fittings and even advertising. "Action has continually ripped and taken things that Kaysha Sion and I have done," said Radical Twang, founder of Reaction, about his designs and those of Kaysha Sion's WRONG. "It all started with some guy in my roof saying 'Who the f**k is Radical Twang", 'You're all a bunch of nerds and fags', 'I know where you live' and other such language."

Obviously not put off by controversy, Action's hardhitting "Why Action Boards Rule!" signs appeared in its showroom last year comparing its boards with Namiko, Reaction, G&S and SJA boards. 'SUCKS' is written in red across the columns for the non-Action boards.

The 'sucks' sign from Action's main store

"They've tried to rip off board designs from several designers" said Radical. "However, I think its all been for nothing really: anyone who has tried an Action board knows what they are like."

Meanwhile, TCH Extreme Sports store offers only L$25 for Action surfboards as part of its second hand surfboard exchange program (for surfers buying new boards from its store). The store was careful to point out that it reviews its product sales every week and determines the current exchange rate on old boards and that the exchange rate does not reflect the quality of the board itself, rather sales trends and customer demand.

The board exchange program in TCH Extreme Sports new store

bobn4uyes Winkler, owner of Action Surf&Sk8te, was asked by SurfWatch for comment on this story and here it is: "How old are you? Burning boards? Don't involve me in kindergarden crap. Go stroke someone else while I spend my weekends on my local surf spot in RL not SL. (P.S. please don't let this stop your post, SLSA is known for noobs and wanna be surfers and this story fits)."

Update: 2130 SLT, 19 February 2008
Action Surf&Sk8te has now started its own bonfire outside the main Action Surf&Sk8te store, burning TCH surfboards! Enough said.

SLURL: TCH Extreme Sports
SLURL: Reaction
SLURL: WRONG
SLURL: Action Surf&Sk8te

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RL throws wrench at the Monkeh

One big empty beach! The Monkeh this weekend?

The Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) directors announced via IM on Tuesday night that the SLSA Monkeh Barrel surfing competition scheduled for this Saturday 16 February had to be postponed. Forty surfing competitors, plus SLSA officials and spectators were expected to descend on Monkeh Barrel beach this weekend. Citing 'real life obligations and requirements' and its intent to provide the best experience for surfers, the association postponed the event until Saturday 23 February.

"Due to unexpected real life conflicts with a number of directors and supporting help we were concerned about the ability to provide a quality and enjoyable competition," Sierra Sugar, one of the SLSA directors explained to SurfWatch after the announcement. "As directors of an organisation that represents a large community its quite important to maintain a high standard for SLSA events. Unfortunately, real life does interfer with SL sometimes. Rather than completely let the surfers down with a botched event, we postponed it."

The VSA has now rescheduled its 20-competitor Surf Jam event that was scheduled for February 23rd at Majini Island to March 8th. "Surf Jams are a fun way for VSA surfers to stay on top of their game in between SLSA events and therefore we always try to remain flexible so as to best serve our surfers," said VW Sands, VSA Surf Jam organiser. "The event will now take place on Saturday 8 March. No worries!"

Story updated 0200 hrs SLT

URL: SLSA competition calendar
SLURL: Monkeh Barrel
SLURL: Majini Island

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TCH Surf launches new longboards

TCH Surf Company will launch a new range of longboards this month, according to an exclusive interview granted to SurfWatch. Primarily a custom board range, but also available in standard forms, the boards are based on a shape created by Sebastian Saramago. TCH will release 30 board designs in the first wave of its new marketing campaign and may introduce up to 60 additional retail production boards by the end of 2008. TCH Surf plans also plans to release a range of snowboards in the same style as a winter line.

Established at the beginning of 2007, TCH Surf Company is part of TCH Enterprises, which holds many interests through out Second Life, including scuba diving, surfing, land management, private SIM Development, private dive reef development and dive education. The new line of boards will be launched in conjunction with the launch of 'TCH Extreme Sports', the corporation's new four storey sports store being constructed in the southwest of the TCH Enterprises sim. SurfWatch was fortunate enough to get a sneak preview of the megastore and, well, what can we say: its BIG!

ATown Fall previews a few of TCH Surf's new line of longboards

So why start another surfboard company and launch another brand? SurfWatch asked TCH Surf's ATown Fall. "It's our feeling that TCH Enterprises can fill a nitch in board design that some other companies have either overlooked or decided to not develop into," explains ATown. "We have the upmost respect for the other companies and are already in communication with companies like FAKT, Reaction and Analog Surf about how we can all work together to develop the industry. Our goal is strictly to provide a new style of board designs in an effort to give surfers greater choice."

A team of 10 graphic designers at TCH Surf are involved in product development. Sebastian Saramago's board shapes are being used by a number of other surfboard design companies and so are, to an extent, pretested, however, TCH Surf does test each board before putting it to production. TCH Surf is currently testing three new board shapes that will remain in the testing phase for at least the next two to three months. The firm is also has a short board in the testing phase and plans to make information on this shape public in the near future.

All retail boards will be available with embedded surfboard scripts and feature sets created by Heather Goodliffe to ensure compliance with SLSA competition standards. However, TCH Surf custom boards will include additional animations. "We do have some tricks up our sleeve," says ATown. "And TCH Surf has a very special line of surf boards coming to the market in the near future. This boards will not be SLSA approved and are designed more for the physical aspect of surfing. Watch this space!"

The new range of TCH Surf longboards will be available for sale at all TCH Surf locations, although whether the company makes its boards avialable for purchase at non-TCH locations has yet to be decided. Retail trans-enabled boards are expected to sell at L$555, copy-enabled boards L$1,200, while custom boards will vary in price based on the client requests. Custom board pricing will start at L$2,500.00 per board. However, surfers seeking 100% custom designs will be billed a RL billing rate of US$35.00 USD per hour. Team discounts will be available.

TCH Surf's new longboards are expected to hit TCH retail outlets by Valentines Day.

SLURL: TCH Extreme Sports

Up-dated story 1 March 08

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SURF REPORT -- Chi, unique surf breaks with a touch of Zen

Water ~ Fire ~ Air ~ Earth ~ Surf
Few visitors to Chi these days realise that this tranquil island was one of the very first surfing spots to appear in Second Life. Created and still owned by Sally LaSalle, the island combines a mountainous Zen retreat (complete with active volcano, water features and a plunging waterfall) together with green areas, beaches and, of course, surfable waves. The Island of Chi was the proud host to the first ever SL surfing competition, the Namiko Pro in March 2007, and SL's first windsurfing competition too.

"Chi is special in many ways. It was designed to be a place to relax, express yourself, find yourself and to get a sense of the interconnectedness of everything and everyone," explains Sally. "Chi was one of the first surf sims in SL and the island encourages surfing and embraces the diversity and free spirited nature of the surfing community. Chi also promotes ecological awareness and bio-diversity and so we don't allow jet skis or other motor vehicles. Good for surfers: good for Chi."

Sally LaSalle at the pipeline wave break in Chi's sandy bay

Chi is a unique surfing location with three very different surf breaks. The largest, and most accomodating, is a 25 second pipeline run into a small bay. Both pipeline and ocean foam waves break from about 100 yards offshore and roll in across the whole width of the bay. The shoreline on both sides makes the surf more challenging and also provides a perfect venue for people to watch the action close up sitting on the beach, on the hills or on natural dunes around the water. Which is great if you manage to pull off a few tight pipeline turns and surf right into the shallows, but can be embarrasing sometimes wiping out and ending up stuck up on the dunes face down on your board!

There are two other breaks on Chi. Firstly a small patch of whitewater surf that comes in for about 50 yards onto the beach in front of the Chi Shopping Mall. Its a very small beach and so the waves are only about 40 yards across here (a good 15-20 yards narrower than in the bay). The more interesting break runs down the entire Eastern shoreline of the island or about 250 yards, but - and here's the catch - the fluffies are only a maximum of 20 yards across. This break is a real test of surfing skills and agility.

Chi's small ocean foam surf beach (left) and the long Eastern shore break (right)

Zen Surfing is the motto at Chi and the island is the home base of Soul Surfers, founded by SLSA Hall of Fame inductee Kimmy Fitzgerald. Chi is also a VSA (Vibrations Surf Alliance) friendly sim and organises joint events with VSA on occasion (such as a weekly Friday surf night). The beach is completely free and open to anyone (as is the rest of the island) and surfers can rez their own boards. There are usually a few free boards around for public use. Board shops include SJA Custom Boards and Namiko in the island's shopping mall and a beach outlet selling a variety of boards and windsurfers.

Chi has a steady stream of surfing regulars and is a place where people come to surf, chill-out and spend some one-on-one time with a special someone. Many relationships and marriages have developed on Chi. Chi is also home to Bubbles the llama, Grace the turtle, plus eagles, giraffes and other free spirits of the land, sea and air.

SLURL: Chi

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Surfing Calendar - February-March 2008

SLSA "Monkeh Barrel"
Saturday 23 February 2008, 1100 hrs SLT (1900 hrs GMT)

The Second Life Surfing Association's longboard event at Monkeh Barrel in the Heliopolis Estates is a big wave competition on the bay's EPIC II. 40 surfers are expected to take part in 8 heats starting at 1100 hrs Second Life time (SLT) on Saturday 23 February. Registrations for SLSA events fill up fast and all 40 competition places for February's event are now taken and SLSA is building a waiting list.

Devinna Toll currently leads the SLSA standings this year after the Association's inaugural event of 2008 on Majini Island on January 19th, with Colleen Brennan and Ritch Goalpost trailing her in second and third place respectively.

Monkeh Barrel is expected to be a busy event, so please check out the requirements for attending on the SLSA website before you teleport to Monkeh Barrel.

Surfers contact: Sierra Sugar, Craig Stallion, Rani Decosta or Portia Roelofs

Useful links
URL: SLSA competition calendar
URL: Judging Criteria
URL: Competition Day Requirements (for Surfers and Spectators)
SLURL: Monkeh Barrel


VSA Surf Jam
Saturday 8 March 2008, 1200 hrs SLT (2000 hrs GMT)

The Vibrations Surf Alliance's second outing of the year, the VSA Surf Jam takes place on Saturday 8 March at 1200hrs SLT on Majini Island, part of the Bishara Resorts sim, promising some more big EPIC II wave action. The monthly Surf Jam's are members only events, limited to 20 competitors. Surfers will face off in four preliminary heats, narrowing down to 12 surfers in the semis and 6 for the finals' heats.

Will ONeill Auer be able to defend his first Surf Jam victory of the year? Come down to Majini beach on 8 March to find out!

Surfers contact: VW Sands

Useful Links
SurfWatch: VSA Surf Jam report, 2 February
SLURL: Majini Island

SLSA Surfline Competition
Saturday 22 March 2008, 1100 hrs SLT (1900 hrs GMT)

The Second Life Surfing Association event at Surfline on pipeline waves.

Surfers contact: Sierra Sugar, Craig Stallion, Rani Decosta or Portia Roelofs

Useful links
URL: SLSA competition calendar
SLURL: Surfline

Other events

Friday Surf Night at Chi, 22 February 2008, 1700 hrs SLT (0100 hrs GMT)
Centre yourself, get in touch with your life force, find your happy thought and get over to Chi on Friday night for the island's weekly surf session! Plenty of pipes and fluffies to shred-up out in Chi's unique surfing breaks, a great chance to chill with some old friends or make some new ones, plus advanced level SL surf lessons and competition coaching. See you there! Peace.

SurfWatch: Surf report on Chi
SLURL: Chi

Updated as of 16 February 2008

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ONeill Crowned VSA Surf Jam champ!

Competitors shred the beach's big EPIC II wave (photo: Seb Saramago)

Pushing off at 12 noon SL time on Saturday, the VSA Surf Jam brought dozens of SL surfers and surfwatchers down to Majini Island beach for the first VSA competition of the season. Organised by the nearly 200-strong Vibrations Surf Alliance, the competition drew a big home crowd, who were not disappointed to see Vibes surfer ONeill Auer walk away with the Surf Jam crown!

A Surf Jam field of 18 competitors took full advantage of Majini beach's big EPIC II wave, which crashes across most of the Majini Island sim making it one of the most exciting for both surfers and spectators. Four preliminary heats of big-wave surfing helped to sort out the men from the boys (and the women from the girls!), allowing three from each heat to go forward into the semis. If the Surf Jam heats were simmering nicely, the semis were positively boiling!

Surf Jam time! Kitty cuts back on a big blue Epic (photo: Seb Saramago)

ONeill Auer's natural flair and dedication to the sport paid off with him edging out Timbo Flanagan and Jaqueline Infinity, to take the Surf Jam's number one spot. Timbo took second, while Jaqueline third place, making it a big day for the ladies on Majini beach.

FINAL STANDINGS

1. ONeill
2. Timbo
3. Jaqueline
4. Buffy
5. Kitty
6. Matt
----------------
7. Coz
8. Tony
9. Pinky
10. Kage
11. Curt
12. Vic
13.meka
14. ATown
15. Fin
16. Lollypop
17. Bodie
18. Abel
19.Lopez (NS)
20.mao (NS)

Photo credits: Seb Saramago, Jaqueline Infinity

SLURL: Majini Island

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SURF REPORT-- Bundoran Reef: surf, grass & Guiness

Above: Pipeline wave breaks on Bundoran Reef

Home to the Reef Rider Surf Team, Bundoran Reef is nestled between the West of Ireland to the South, Crab Island to the North and the big wave break of Neart to the East. Named after the surf capital of Ireland (RL) in County Donegal, Bundoran Reef offers some of the best mixed-wave surf in Second Life and as the name suggests, the waves break over a rock reef and then roll in for about 210 yards onto rocky beach. Bundoran Reef has a striking green coastline, which gives its own special ambience, distinctive from SL's many golden sandy tropical beaches.

Surfers can teleport into Bundoran Reef and paddle out past the break, but its also possible to TP into the ajoining Crab Island which is near to where the waves begin. A good variety of pipeline and ocean foam waves with good frequency break down most of the length of the beach. Bundoran Reef offers some interesting terrain and features for spectators. A green headland juts out about 40 yards on each side of the reef break, providing a raised platform to watch the surf. The West headland also has a medieval stone lookout post which is ideal for surveying the surf below. The East side has a semi-submerged rocky headland which extends almost to the end of the sim: good for taking a short break from surfing the waves, but you wouldn't want to have a party on it! An eternal wood fire burns on the main beach suitable to gather round for after-surf story telling.

Just inland, bordering Neart, Bundoran Reef has an inlet which provides anchorage for a recreation of a 16th century Spanish galleon. Surf shops on Bundoran Reef beach sell Heather Goodliffe and Namiko boards and wetsuits (no doubt essential, for Bundoran Reef's temperate climate!). A few steps away in West of Ireland are more shops (including Analog Surf) and Nancy Blake's Irish pub, ensuring the sim's flow of draught Guiness continues uninterrupted.

SLURL: Bundoran Reef

Read more SurfWatch Surf Reports

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Second Life Surfing 101

If you are new to Second Life (SL) or new to SL surfing, here is a Q&A covering basic questions about surfing in SL.

What is Second Life Surfing?
There are many beach sims in Second Life with virtual waves coming into the shore. Orginally developed for their aesthetic appeal, Second Lifers soon identified waves as a source of potential fun. Today there are a variety of wave types, which have characteristics that allow surfers to ride them. Different waves have different characteristics. Different boards have different scripts, allowing them to perform different maneuvers on Second Life waves. Second Life surfers try to perform many of the same maneuvers that surfers execute in real life.

Where is it possible to surf?
To surf in Second Life, you need surfable Second Life waves. Most beaches with surfable waves will mention this in their profiles or on notices on the beach. If in doubt, look for surfboards on the beach and ask the regulars. Check out Socks' Rough Guide to Second Life Surfing for the full run down of surfing sims.

Is Second Life surfing difficult to learn?
Fortunately for many, Second Life surfing is much easier to learn than real life surfing. For one thing, you don't have to hold your breath for long or be a good swimmer! Second Life surfing is easy to start, but remains difficult to master.

What do I need?
Many surfing beaches have established beach clubs and club boards available for use by novices and regulars alike. Other beaches have surfboards for rent. Frankly, we suggest that you try using a club board a few times and see how you get on. If you like Second Life surfing, then buy your own board.

Can I surf anywhere in Second Life that has waves?
It's possible to surf most waves in Second Life, since the majority of waves on popular beaches are now surfable. However, as with other sims in Second Life, some beaches are private or members only and its not possible for visitors to surf. You may also come across beaches that do have public access, but don't allow you to use your own board. Read more about some of the best surfing locations in Second Life in SurfWatch Surf Reports. For a full guide on Second Life surfing spots read Socks' Rough Guide to Second Life Surfing.


Where can I buy a board?
There are many, many surf board shops in Second Life. Major surf beach locations generally have several surf shops offering a variety of boards and accessories. So, there are basically two ways to buy a new board: 1) find a popular beach location and check out the surf shops 2) search for surfing or surfboards in Second Life search (inworld).

Are boards expensive?
Boards range from L$ 450 to L$ 2,000, although most seem to be about L$ 555. Prices depend on how new the board design is, the features included in the board's script and the manufacturer.

Are there different types of board?
Yes. There are long boards and short boards. Some boards have scripts that enable more maneuvers than others. And then you have a myriad of graphic designs. The majority of surfboards in Second Life use animation scripts developed by Heather Goodliffe. However, you will also find i) non-HG boards that use scripts created by other developers (eg. Action Surf & Skate, HP Surf Boards and Rob John,) and ii) hybrids that use HG scripts, but also incorporate some extra scripts of their own for special features/functions. Custom board designers can create surfboards to your own specifications, with a unique design and sometimes with customised scripts.

I have a surfboard but it looks like its sinking: why?
Linden Lab updated the software server code for Second Life sims in April 2008 and the new update changed the 'physics' of how objects behave in Second Life. As one consequence, surfboards made before the update rezz a few inches below the water instead of on top of it. See the SurfWatch article on Heather Goodliffe's board update program.

Are there rules for Second Life surfing?
Not rules as such, although each sim will have its own rules, but there is a generally accepted surfing etiquette, which is much the same as real life surfing. In brief, the key points in Second Life surfing etiquette are:

* Line-ups -- Get in line and wait your turn in the line-up (queue to catch waves)

* Rights of way -- The surfer closest to the wave has the right of way

* Drop-ins -- Don't catch a wave already being surfed by another surfer (this is called 'dropping in' and is not polite)

* Paddling out -- Paddle in either side of the surf (via the 'channel') not straight into the waves

How do I meet other surfers?
Most Second Life surfers are friendly people! They are all to happy to meet other surfers (and wanna be surfers). Identify the surfers, go up, say hello, ask about the beach and the surf. Surfers are usually pleased to help and give advice.

What is the difference between the types of Second Life wave?
There are three types of popular surfing wave at the moment: 1) Ocean foam or 'fluffies': these are white waves that sit low on the water and are easy to maneuver on; 2) Pipeline waves: these are rollers that have a curved shape and allow surfers to surf up and down the face of the wave; 3) EPIC: this is a big, tubular wave that provides the closest thing to a tube riding experience in Second Life , allowing surfers to surf inside the tube.

Are there any surfing clubs?
There are a growing number of surfing clubs, competitions are becoming more frequent and more and more Second Lifers are taking up virtual surfing. Many core surfing beaches have members surfing clubs, so go to the beach and ask!

What is the best way to learn Second Life surfing?
As with many new pastimes inside Second Life and out, you can learn by trial and error (simply start surfing and find out first hand what works and what doesn't work) or you can get lessons. Some Second Life surfing beaches have beginners surfing lessons to help you fast track your learning process. Majini Island has a surf school.

Where can I find out more about Second Life surfing?
Come back to this blog! And often! Also 1) check out the Second Life Surfing Association site 2) join an Second Life surfing club 3) talk to other Second Life surfers.

First published 27 February 2008. Updated 21July 2008.

Useful links
SurfWatch Surf Reports: Socks' Rough Guide to Second Life Surfing (9 Jul 08)
SurfWatch: Heather Goodliffe announces board update program (5 May 08)
SurfWatch: Surf Reports
URL: Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA)

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