Ptolemaic Model of the Heavens

5'7" CyberSim shaped by Daniel Thomson. Photo by Ernie Tyler 11/29/12

"Down at Off the Wall and Pipe the waves were still playful- 3 foot, clean, and performance skewed. Tom Curren was a standout, riding one of Dan Thomson's modern planing hulls, which basically looks like a short, fibreglass shelf. Curren looked to have claimed back five years of his surfing life on the radically designed rectangle." - Luke Kennedy, TRACKS blog, December 8th 2012

Daniel Thomson, Windansea. Middle photo by Dave Frankel.

Vanguardians.

sorry to neglect the blog...we've been busy.

"The house on Westmore Street was a small frame bungalow behind a larger house. There was no number visible on the smaller house, but the one in front showed a stenciled 1618 beside the door, with a dim light behind the stencil. A narrow concrete path led along under windows to the house at the back. It had a tiny porch with a single chair on it. I stepped up on the porch and rang the bell." -Raymond Chandler, The Lady in the Lake, 1943

Board image by Ryan Field. Seed images by RK.

CyberSim

TOMODYNAMICA

Burch 8/21/2012

Ryan with partial Chile quiver, including 5'1" & 7'2" fish. All boards shaped by Ryan. He's leaving tomorrow for three month Chilean sojourn.

Ryan Burch by Jon Frank

Destiny...a foam chunk, a red camera, Jon Frank, & Ryan Burch meet up in the wilds of Western Australia...

Red Ekstrom

"What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."- Oscar Wilde

"In an epoch as somber as ours luxury must be defended inch by inch." - Christian Dior

Asymmetric design by Carl Ekstrom. The bamboo fins, the shape, the glassing...everything... done by Carl, by hand, in his garage and workshop. Hard to put a price on something like this, but I reckon its very valuable.

Photographed by Ryan Field in the Hydrodynamica studio, March 2012.

Power to the People

Daniel Thomson with fresh Hydrodynamica Modern Planing Hulls...for the People. August 14, 2012

2005

With Daniel in the loft, 2005. Formative Hydrodynamica quiver. I went to Australia in March of this year. Mark Thomson picked me up at the airport. I had a cold and was super jet-lagged and spaced out. We drove through Kirra and Mark stopped at that little health food/ smoothie place. He bumps into Slater and the three of us sit down together to eat. I didn't say a word the whole time, but sat there and listened to this crazy dialogue going on for an hour between Mark Thomson and Kelly Slater, just jet lagged out of my mind, thinking, really? Lunch with Kelly and Mark? I wish I had a recording of the conversation. At one point Mark grilled Kelly about what he was riding, if he was trying anything new. Kelly kind of meekly said "well, I'm trying some diamond tails..." Mark just smirked and was like "mate, time to get on something new...I've got the shit..." Wasn't long after that that Kelly started messing around with different stuff. Don't know whether or not that lunch with Mark had anything to do with it...but I'll never forget it.
Photo by Greg Betz, R.I.P.

Kelly: Not missing the point.

...and for those students who still refuse to listen to your teachers, a word from our principal.

Stu vs. Kelly 8/3/2012

Round of 16, Heat 3

U.S. Open of Surfing August 3^rd 2012

1^st Kelly Slater

2^nd Stu Kennedy

Jodi:

We’ve got 11 time world champ Kelly Slater out in the water now, Sal, we’ll send it back to you.

Sal:

Thanks Jodi…in the water right now Kelly Slater and Stu Kennedy. Stu from Lennox Head I believe…

Barton: Yeah, Stu from the north coast of New South Wales, and he’s riding that peculiar surfboard again. We know Kelly Slater experiments with his equipment, but we don’t think he’s ever gone that far left of center.

Sal:

I saw Stu at the Nike Lowers Pro, he had just lost his heat, and he was riding one. It looks like a wake board. I held it and I’m like what is this thing? And he goes “I promise it works really good.” But here he is…

Snip’s:

He’s done really well this week on it, he’s looking quite comfortable on it. That very strange looking nose, almost looks like vee on each side but he doesn’t seem to catch nose… Even though its awkward looking, its been going fantastic for him, but right now, already, the 11-time world champ has dropped a bomb on that first wave, 9.20 with those two massive backside off the tops and, unlike yesterday, it looks like Kelly’s really come to play ball today.

Sal:

Well he was here early, he was taking his time in the competitors area, he was in his groove, sitting there waxing his board for a long time watching heats…you’d be foolish to think he’s disinterested…

Barton:

Here’s a replay of that first wave…a 9.20 for those two turns…they were incredible turns…but aw, Kelly still has plenty of time to improve on that performance with 26 minutes left in this heat.

Stu gets a left and does a blow tail re-entry, fall off.

Slater gets another left, tries a big air reverse, falls.

Snips (on Kelly’s wave):

Well he’s got a nice wall in front of him…he’s looking for a big move here, goes for the air-3,,,

(Shot of Stu paddling his board trying to catch a wave)

Barton:

Must feel weird to spin around for a wave paddling and have no nose in front of you, like Stu Kennedy’s board…

Sal:

It looks like he should have a rope in front of him getting ready to get towed behind a boat…or a kite…but I’ve seen him ripping on it at Lowers.

Barton:

Well even in this event he’s been on fire. When it was tiny, the sensitivity in Stu Kennedy’s board has been beyond anyone else’s. The board is very responsive.

(Replay of Kelly’s reverse attempt, talk about Kelly’s board)

Snips:

Well we know he’s riding a 4-fin, we saw him put the fins in it….

(Sal talks about Kelly’s broad board palate, board caddy, and access to quiver) 

Sal: Call it what you will, it is working.

Snips: It certainly is.

Barton:

Y’know, given his popularity and how influential he is, its amazing that we don’t see more people following that trend and riding quads. Because in the past, when he went real narrow and real thin, y’know, in the eighties the boards were chunky and they were quite wide and they were thick…Kelly was the first guy to take them down in width and made ‘em real narrow…and everybody followed.

Sal: He ruined all of our lives for about five years. (Nods his head and looks at camera, everyone laughs)

Barton:

And now, he’s got something that’s working even better, and we don’t see that following, we don’t see the whole tour riding quads. So that’s kind of interesting to see that. Because everything he’s done in the past everyone’s followed. But not so much this time.

Snips:

In Fiji, the statement he made on the 4-fins there..you could clearly see there, I think, that he was on better equipment than anyone. Not only was he surfing better, but his boards were working better for those types of waves. You could argue the point out here (Huntington)…but that’s a good point. I think that next year at places like Fiji and Tahiti for tube riding you’re gonna see guys, at least a few more guys, riding 4-fins.

Barton:

Well its amazing how fast they are…I think Tom Carroll kind of led Kelly into the quads, because Tom was experimenting with the quads quite heavily…as Kelly’s up and riding on that quad here…

Snips:

Geez that board looks good. That first turn just lightning fast for Kelly. He definitely came to play today. He’s looking sharp.

(Kelly rips a smaller left, Stu gets a right, tries an air and loses it)

Barton:

Aww Stu Kennedy, well I suppose that’s what he’s gotta do. Kelly’s got a 9,20…

Sal:

Kelly’s got that focus eye on….and for Stu Kennedy, that just means he’s gonna have to do more work…

Barton:

Here’s the replay of Stu’s wave, that board is so responsive, but it kind of looked like it skipped a little at the bottom there…

Snips:

Yeah, it did.

Barton:

Didn’t have enough rail there to drive him through that bottom turn. He had a little skip going up the face and then he was in the air, losing control.

(Barton and Parsons talk about quads vs tris in big waves)

Sal:

Here’s Stu Kennedy…foam climb close out…(Stu falls again)

Snips:

I think Kelly Slater’s first score has gotten into Stuey Kennedy’s head. Slater drops a 9.20 on his first wave and that changes Stuart’s…it changes the whole dynamic of this heat. He hears that score and he’s stressing right now a little bit, and its starting to reflect…

Sal:

And you wonder, with priority, and a fair bit of surf, and time still on the clock…why go on that wave?

Barton:

Pressure will do all kinds of funny things to you.

Sal:

Oh, I’m sorry…that’s the guy he’s surfing against. Yeah, that makes sense.

Barton:

When you’re in his position, the last thing you want to do is deviate from what you know…there’s Stu Kennedy (Stu on a left, speed pumping towards a section)

wow…

(Stu throws big full rotation backside air and rides out fast and clean)

Snips:

That’s the way to get back into it. Wow.

(Cheers & hoots audible from the spectators)

Barton:

Whattya think of that one Snippers? That was a beauty.

Snips:

Amazing backside air 3 for Stu Kennedy. Fully rotating, can’t wait to see the replay. But he’s right back in the heat with a single move like that.

Sal:

Stu said do not count me out yet, boys.

Barton:

That’s exactly the way to answer him. Kelly would hate to hear the crowd noise go up…he’d hate to hear that uh oh, something;s happened here…although he’s in such a solid position in this heat…it only takes one ride…if Stu drops a good score. Because those things happen so fast its hard to digest what it is there…but if he drops a 7-plus or an 8 he’ll be right back in this one. Here he goes (Replay starts)

Snips:

Yup… he fully rotes it above the lip, lands it clean…its gotta be up in excellent score range somewhere. This is an incredible maneuver.

Sal:

I say its gonna be in the seven range, just because it wasn’t tail high. But that’s just from an aesthetic point of view from me.

Snips:

Yeah.

Barton:

The way he landed on the lip and spun around and maintained control was very critical at that point. But its gonna do his confidence a world of good. Because what’s he had? A 1.07, a 1.07, a .09, a .06…he needed that wave. And now here’s Kelly…(Slater takes off on a set wave that looks like the biggest wave of the whole contest so far)

Snips:

Here’s the answer right here…Kelly driving off the bottom, goes for the big blast right in front of the pilings, nails that turn and threads the needle…he’s gonna stay in the middle of the pilings here…did he hit one? Whoa…

Barton:

Whats going on in there?

Snips:

I think he hit one.

Sal:

He Houdinied that….he’s ok…but Stu’s gotta be stoked. He was in a combination situation before that wave, and that’ll get the head space back won’t it?

Snips:

Sal you should be a judge. Stu’s scores are gonna be right what you said.

(Barton talks about Kellys wave)

Snips:

Big single turn here though. (Kelly’s by the pier) Wham, kicks the tail…

Yeah, Stu Kennedy’s score is fluctuating between a 7.5 and 7 so its gonna be in that range and it puts him right back in this heat, with plenty of time on the clock, 12 minutes to go. The fight back wave. He’ll be stoked when he hears that score.

Sal:

When you think about some of the airs that we’ve already seen this week, the judges really, really got it right. Because otherwise they get lost. Because you can’t reward the degree of difficulty, because they’re learning that the air game is as wide a palate as the turn game is.

Barton:

Absolutely, as you see scores coming in for Kelly’s wave as well…as you said, he is gonna improve for one turn. It’s a big score for one turn.

Snips:

Well  it was a big turn B.L., it was such a deep bottom turn , really technical, beautiful surfing from Kelly and its gonna improve his situation by probably a point…

Discuss Kelly’s wave and scores.

Sal:

And the score for Stu Kennedy a 7.33.

Barton:

Well really, if you compare those two scores (Stu’s air and Kelly’s snap) there’s really not much in it for the degree of difficulty for Stuart Kennedy’s maneuver compared to Kelly Slater’s maneuver. In my opinion they are most probably a little too bunched up. I mean if Kelly had done what Stuey did he’d be pretty happy with it.

Snips:

Yeah, good point. I mean 7.33 to 6.17… I would agree with you there.

Barton:

I mean a standard reentry to compared to an air….

Snips:

I think it was better than standard though (Kelly’s turn). Cause he blew his tail on the bottom turn. Lets take one more look here.

Barton comments on Slaters two high scoring rides…

Barton:

…I dunno, I kind of feel like I see those all day in a lot of ways. (the backside hacks like Slater’s high scores)

Sal:

From one guy…

Barton:

Not really. You saw Timmy Reyes do a bunch…

Sal:

You didn’t get those kind of turns yesterday.

Barton:

Think of Adriano, Adriano was doing three of those a wave yesterday. So I don’t know…I think Kelly got some aw…

Sal:

11-time world champion love? Is that what you’re saying?

Barton:

(Laughs) Its hard to uh…well I’m sure that’s what you like about him Snips…its that everything he does is this elegance and this beauty and this flow, the way his body English is…its always perfect, and its hard to deny, isn’t it?

Snips:

Yeah, very hard to deny. Yeah, 6.17, you’ve got a point though, with Stu only getting a 7.33. I think maybe a point and a half…

Sal:

Stu’s back in the game though…he got a 7.33 for a mid-grade air…a good air, but probably mid-grade compared to what he could do at his best…

(Watching replay of Stu’s air)

Snips:

Y’know, I’m gonna agree with you Barton.

Barton:

Thank you.

Snips:

That has to be …that has to be more than one point more than Kelly’s…

Barton:

Two points more than Kelly’s. You agree?

Snips:

I agree.

Barton:

Kelly’s is a re-entry, mate. Which most people can do. Although he makes the re-entry look beautiful. That, Stu’s, was a difficult maneuver that not many people, not everyone, can do.

Sal:

But, they’re not gonna give him more than a 7.33 for that air, compared to the rash of airs we’ve seen all week.

Snips:

But he rotated all the way around though, that was…

Barton:

The criticalness of the landing in the lip, and the speed…I just feel like there was a lack of…yeah well…switch it, switch it and Kelly’s getting a 9 and Stu’s getting a 5.5.

If you took the exact same surfing, and called it different people, I’m calling that the gap between those scores would be significantly different.

Sal:

Probably right.

Barton:

But I should shut up because I’ll get myself in trouble. (everyone laughs)

(Sal makes basketball analogy)

Snips:

What a great heat though.

(Barton, Sal, and Parsons talk about Kellys career & dominance etc)

Barton:

One good score would do it for Stu…but the question I’d ask is whether that board is capable of looking good enough, in a backhand re-entry heading towards the pier, to get a score like that (Like Kelly’s)

Snips:

I think he almost has to go to the air on that equipment to get that big of a score. It’s a good point. Because they’re gonna compare it to how Kelly looks on his backside…and on the regular turns, in my opinion, the board doesn’t look as good.

Barton:

Yeah, I’m with you on that.

I don’t see traditional surfing doing it on that board, as you said Snips, you hit it on the head, he’s gonna have to go to the air and that’s been the thing that’s been successful for him to this point…

Sal:

It really sucks, but that board, aesthetically, takes so much to look good. If you don’t have a perfect dynamic, top to bottom, any sort of hitch in your giddy-up starts to make you think, aw it’s the board, it’s the board…

Snips:

Would we be saying that if Kelly was riding it?

Sal:

That’s the question.

Barton:

Yeah, right. It’s almost like you look for an excuse. Because the board is so dramatically different it becomes the thing that you look at and may blame, though it might not be that at all in reality.

Snips:

I actually love the fact that he’s trying something different ‘cause its fun. Its very cool that he’s put himself out there and he’s going “I think it works better and watch this. All you guys are wrong.” And so far he’s proven that it does.

Sal:

Surfing is a funny sport because we get so excited about progress in the water, maneuvers etc etc, but when it comes to progress with different equipment…we’re a pretty slow bunch.

Barton:

Yeah, yeah, that’s right. Self-conscious.

Sal:

A self-conscious, emotional bunch.

Barton:

You see that sheep mentality when theres one person out on a whole beach and everyone paddles out at that same peak where the guy is. Yep, we’re pretty much followers.

And Stu Kennedy’s breaking out of that mold, so big props to him for taking a chance, and as you said, he’s in the round of 24, he’s up against the greatest surfer of all time, so its gotta be working.

Snips:

Yeah, absolutely. Hes got three minutes to get busy… (There have been no waves for 9 minutes. Big lull)

Sal:

longlulls .com….we’re logged on.

(Lull continues till end of heat. No more waves for Stu or Kelly)

Sal:

9 seconds remaining, you can see the frustration on Stu Kennedy’s face there, as the ocean said no more for you. And Kelly Slater, once again, figures out a way to get it done…

Hydrodynamica: Remember the Future

"Changes come like bullets..."
Future coming on strong.
Film and edit by Torrey Jay.
January 2012

Theology & Geometry II

Modern Planing Hulls by Daniel Thomson. Photographed by Ryan Field in the Hydrodynamica studio, March 2012.

Heat 3 Round of 24 US Open 8/2/2012

Heat 3 Round of 24

US Open of Surfing

Thursday August 2^nd 2012

1^st Jesse Mendez

2^nd Stu Kennedy

3^rd Dane Reynolds

Fuelie:

2012 Nike US open…and Rob Machado, welcome back…

Rob:

Thank you, good to be back…Miguel Pupo surfed amazing in that last heat…

(Mendez starts heat with throw tail reverse right off the bat…)

Fuelie:

…Stuey Kennedy, 90^th in world rankings, Dane Reynolds 94^th..

Rob: He’s that high? Wow.

Fuelie:

Dane Reynolds has been one of the form surfers as well…this is gonna be a tough one….

Rob:

I would venture to say that in a heat like this we would see Dane letting loose…but he’s been letting loose the whole event…

(Stu gets his first wave, a left…)

Dino:

“This kid right here, Stuey Kennedy, he’s been the giant killer. Flying on this board.

Rob:

Riding a different type of equipment. Still a thruster, I believe. Kind of a double-ender type of surfboard. I believe it was made by Daniel Thomson.

Dino:

I think its epoxy, as well, as you can see its got that little bit of extra squirt…

Fuelie:

Lets have another look at that wave and that board here for Stu Kennedy. He’s only got one score on the board here, a 5.43.

Rob

Well, having that type of surfboard, very parallel rails with a wider nose and a wider tail, I’m guessing that its gonna create a lot of speed and some looseness, as we see him throwing the fins out…that first backside turn you could see he kinda spun that tail around…but very interesting type of surfboard. I’m a fan. I like to see alternative equipment being brought into the main stage, if its working and guys are able to keep up with the level of surfing that is needed on tour…

Dino:

(talks about epoxy being lively) …that board looks really quick under his feet. That first bottom turn top turn combination was really good for Stuart.

Fuelie:

This is his first ride, and this gives you an idea of how fast it goes (Stu does a sweeping roundhouse)

Rob:

Wow that was some neat projection, you can see it wrapping around …you can see on that bank off the foam there the tail getting a little squirrelly, its got a wide tail …he comes through the inside, blows the tail out and spins it around…I’m sure with a wide tail like that you have to be careful, I’ve noticed this with boards when I’ve had wider tails, in heats you have a little more adrenaline and you want get up into the lip, and you almost have to tone yourself down a little bit…cause you have a tendency to get a little squirrelly so you could almost blow it out on bottom turns…but you can see how he’s really working that board to his advantage.

Fuelie:

But he’s stuck to his guns…he rode this board also at the Nike Lowers Pro a couple of months ago at Trestles, and just the other day in his last heat he was in 4^th spot and in the dying seconds of the heat he was able to hold it together and get the score that he needed. So he’s been able to handle things under pressure and he’s sticking by his equipment. But you’re a man who likes to ride a lot of different craft, would you take a go on this board?

Rob:

Oh, most definitely. Actually, I know Daniel, I’m good friends with Daniel, I surf with him a lot. He lives down in San Diego, we spent some time in the water together and I haven’t had a chance to get my hands on one yet but we always talk about it, I’d like to definitely get out the on one…as we see Stuey making the connection through, as you said Dino, on the epoxy, blowing the fins out…

Dino:

Great control there to cram that last maneuver into that tight little pocket.

Rob:

For sure.

(Mendez gets  a good ride rips it, they talk about Mendez, who is leading the heat)

Dino:

Look at Dane Reynolds you guys…13 minutes into the heat and he hasn’t stood up yet.

(Dane has been waiting for a wave, but heat has very few. No sets.  Stu & Mendez grabbed all that was available on the inside.)

Dino:

Stuart Kennedy, on the other hand, he’s real serious. He’s trying to get a 6.9

(Tide has completely killed surf, no waves at all. 23 minutes in and Dane has not had a chance, literally, to catch a wave)

Stu gets a right

Fuelie:

Heres Stuey Kennedy, he needs a 6.93…

Rob:

The wave’s hitting that deep spot, flattening out, but look at that board, look at that thing… his board speed…just flying down the line looking squirrelly and skatey…boom! Huge rotation…aw his foot slipped of the tail…

Dino

His foot came off the back of the board there…he didn’t grab, I wonder if he would have grabbed if he might have been able to pull that maneuver off. That would have been the score, I think, that was a pretty high air..

Rob:

Real high…I like this little snapping cutback right there, keeps the board speed, the board  moving, weaving it through…finds this little power pocket right here and flies down the line right here… Dino you see him…boom! Nice rotation…maybe if he would have compressed a little more in the air…

Dino:

Yeah, great effort there from Stuart Kennedy…

(Stu gets another wave)

…heres Stuey Kennedy on some modern equipment, didn’t really get anything going on the outside lets see what he can pull off on the inside…aw…nice air there for Stuart.

Rob:

Nice grab there…chanced his approach, maybe he was listening (laughs)

Fuelie:

And Dane, 27 minutes in…still no wave..he’s scratching his head he’s going “Where are my waves? I just want ONE…”

( Dane is having nightmare heat. Nothing coming to him at all. Dane finally gets a wave at 29 minutes in. Surfs it really well but no opportunity to do anything spectacular))

Rob:

As we see Stu Kennedy…got a nice little runner, down the beach…huge spinner…gets a little squirelly…

Dino:

Yeah that board has so much squirt its really hard to control in the air…

Fuelie:

So Jesse Mendez wins it and we’re gonna be seeing Dane Reynolds and Stuey Kennedy in the round of 24…

(Stu draws Kelly Slater in his next heat…the first round of man on man heats)

Theology & Geometry

 

“The ironic thing about that program is that it is supposed to be an exemplum to the youth of our nation. I would very much like to know what the Founding Fathers would say if they could see these children being debauched to further the cause of Clearasil. However, I always suspected that democracy would come to this. A firm rule must be imposed upon our nation before it destroys itself. The United States needs some theology and geometry, some taste and decency. I suspect we are teetering on the edge of the abyss.”

-       Ignatius J. Reilly

-       A Confederacy of Dunces

-       John Kennedy Toole, 1963

 

July 31st, 2012, continued...

Heat 6, Round of 48, Nike U.S. Open of Surfing

July 31^st, 2012

Kelly Slater

Michel Bourez

Stu Kennedy

Sebastien Zietz

Fuelie:

Here’s Kelly…he’s coming up against Stuey Kennedy. We saw a good performance by him yesterday.

(Slater puts on red jersey, walks through competitors area, ready to paddle out for the heat. Cut to close up of Kelly’s board)

Dino:

He’s riding a 4-fin with a little trailer fin. Probably not a bad choice for these conditions.

Fuelie:

Well, he has been at the forefront of experimentation with boards and fins…

Stu Kennedy is shown putting on white jersey. Stu picks up his Daniel Thomson modern planing hull and prepares to paddle out for the heat.)

Fuelie:

What about this board, Dino? Check out Stuey Kennedy’s board.

Dino:

He’s going out on a limb, isn’t he? That boards a little different than anything I’ve seen.

But aww, y’know…

Fuelie:

He surfed well yesterday…

Dino

It’ll probably go well today, really fast I imagine…

Fuelie

We saw him win his heat yesterday with this…just really fast full rotation air 360…it definitely looks a lot more like a wakeboard than a surfboard…but its been working for him.

Dino:

If I’m not mistaken I think that board was made by Daniel Thomson, who is a guy that grew up in Lennox Head. His father is a famous surfer from the area. Daniel is really a brilliant surfer himself…Daniel’s from the same area as Stu…and he rides those boards in all types of conditions. It’ll be interesting to see how he (Stu) performs on that type of design.

Fuelie:

Well he surfed really well yesterday, and he’s going to need to surf really well today, because he’s up against Kelly Slater….

(Dino & Fuelie discuss the inconsistent, small waves and how it may effect the competitors and equipment choices…)

Fuelie

Yesterday we did see that Stu’s board went through the flat sections like it had a motor on it. It just kept planing right through those flat sections, and he was able to link up to the inside almost every time. So this is going to be a very exciting last heat…

Fuelie:

Kelly Slater is red…Stu Kennedy in white…this should be a great heat. Barton Lynch, welcome back.

(Fuelie and Barton talk about Slater’s genius and sense of pageantry & showmanship)

Dino:

This is Kelly right here, starting his account…wow looks like he’s on a really fast board.

Barton:

He’s got a quad but he’s got that little keel trailer back there that he likes to put in the middle for stability. There’s Seabass…oh no, I mean that’s Stuey Kennedy, on that unusual looking board…aw, its strange looking…but lots of speed. (Stu flies across the flat spot rail to rail and throws a clean reverse on a tiny wave) He throws it there, pulls off an air reverse, little one on the inside, and uh this heat is off and racing. Interesting to watch Kelly on that wave. How loose and fluid he is through the upper body, there is no tension involved…

(Seabass rips a good left but can’t connect the reform)

(Barton & Dino discuss Slater’s fluidity & general super-human surfing ability, competitive prowess etc. Slater gets a wave, falls on 2^nd turn)

(Seabass gets a wave falls on 3^rd turn then gets a right, nice air reverse, surfing very well)

(Dino and Barton discuss why Michel Bourez got a 7, the high score of the heat, on a somewhat average ride.)

(Stu gets a left, blows tail on a vertical snap then connects the reform and goes right, gaining speed the whole time)

Barton:

Stuey Kennedy…geez, that board is so responsive, isn’t it?

Dino: Do you think that board, the way looks, could hinder the scores with the judges?

Barton:

The aesthetics of that board, for me…it doesn’t do it for me. (Stu connects the reform right after the snap, flies down the line and ends with a clean air-reverse as Barton is talking. Compared to Bourez’ wave, this ride should be an 8. Stu gets a 4.5 for it) I mean…I look at the board and I think gee, it’d be nice if it had a nose on it. With a nose you have that little bit extra with everything that’s going on so, yeah I do think so (the way it looks hinders scoring)

Dino:

Yeah, you notice it more when it goes vertical if it’s got a point to it. But that’s kind of unfair, really, if you think about it.

Barton:

Yeah, if you just watch what he’s doing, it is incredibly responsive and fast and its got this twitchiness to it where he looks like he could just do anything at any time on that board.

(Slater gets a good left but does not connect the reform)

(Stu gets a left and then connects the reform right again…)

Barton:

Great ride for Stuey Kennedy, look at that board…so quick and responsive…comes unstuck on that little 360 attempt at the end, but aw…from a surfing perspective, Stuey Kennedy has got everything going that anyone else in this heat has, and maybe even a little more speed and a little more vibrancy in that short, whippy board that he’s riding…

Fuelie:

Yeah, it’s a very very fast board…but he’s sitting in 4^th, he does have a few scores yet to drop..

(Slater gets a good left, connects reform right, best wave of heat. Nothing too technical, especially for him. He gets a 9.0)

(Stu gets a right, does blistering carve to tail slide followed immediately by another small snap. Wave completely vanishes in the gutter and he can’t connect the reform))

Barton:

Nice work by Stuey Kennedy

Dino

Wow, that was impressive getting that second move in after that big tail-slide…lets see if he can get the reform, nope, but great surfing there by Stuart.

Fuelie:

He doesn’t seem to be getting the scores though. He’s doing some great maneuvers but the scores aren’t reflecting it.

Barton:

Is it aesthetics? I mean, quite honestly its great to see a nose out in front of someone, getting high on the face,…(Seabass does a really nice turn on a right, surfing very well) this is a great little heat here…

Fuelie:

And the crowd is building up on the beach, waiting for Kelly Slater…it doesn’t matter how he finishes, there will be thousands of people waiting for him.

(Stu gets another left, rips two big snaps on the outside and connects the reform and keeps doing turns all the way to the beach)

Dino:

Wow.

Fuelie:

Stuey Kennedy is surfing so well here…he needs a 9 as Kelly Slater has taken the lead.

Dino:

This wave of Stu’s here, if you think about Michel Bourez’ 7 earlier in the heat, I mean this has to be pretty close if not better. I mean two big snaps and reformed it and did two more maneuvers on the inside…he didn’t really have that one maneuver as powerful as what Michel had, but definitely a good score. (Seabass gets another good one)

(Dino and Barton praise Seabass’ technique)

Barton:

These next scores will tell us how the judges feel about Stuey Kennedy’s board…

Fuelie:

I don’t think you can really fault his surfing…

Barton

No, I don’t think so either, its been a great performance.

Fuelie:

But it comes down to the board…sometimes its just timing.

(Some scores come in for Stu. They are low.)

Dino:

Well the judges aren’t buying it Barton, they’re not feeling that board.

Barton:

No, it doesn’t look like it, a 5.37 for Stuey Kennedy…here he is up again…trying to make something happen…

Fuelie:

And with 5 seconds remaining, here comes the king, Kelly Slater…this is gonna be a victory lap. (mob forms on the beach as heat ends)

Fuelie:

Great surfing also by Seabass and Stuey Kennedy…and we’ll be back with the final results:

Results come in.

Fuelie:

Wow.

Stuey Kennedy, on his final waves, he gets the score! He gets a 7 and a 5.57. So the judges in the end, they give it to Stuey Kennedy. Wow, talk about an upset right there, Michel Bourez bundled into 3^rd, Sebastien Zeitz in 4^th.

Dino:

Well, we were kinda wondering when that score was gonna drop, we thought they were gonna write him off due to his equipment…but he deserved a really good score for that performance.

Barton:

Yeah, seemed like they had trapped him there with those low scores but surprise, surprise. They gave him a 7…what a great result for Stuey Kennedy.

Fuelie:

Its great to see that Stuey Kennedy got the reward ..its a big risk when you bring out a new piece of weird equipment.

Barton:

It certainly is…but he stayed active until the end, and there was a desperation in what he was doing, you could see that he wanted it, he was working hard for it, and he got rewarded.

Dino:

The 7-point ride was a great ride. He didn’t have that one big turn like Michel had, but he had multiple turns.

Barton:

Yeah, you had speed and fluidity and action going on all the time with Stuey’s waves…

Fuelie:

But Kelly Slater was the man here who dominated…

July 31st, 2012. 63 years later...to the day. An appropriate date for Stu Kennedy to put Daniel Thomson's modern planing hull to the test. Results: 1st Kelly Slater 2nd Stu Kennedy 3rd Michel Bourez 4th Sebastien Zietz

 July 31st, 1949. Bob Simmons at Malibu. Dual keel, concave planing hull with foam core and plywood veneer laminate.

Nike US Open of Surfing Heat 11 round of 96. 7/30/2012

Heat 11, Round of 96, Nike U.S. Open of Surfing, July 30^th 2012

Stu Kennedy wins heat riding modern planing hull designed and shaped by Daniel Thomson.

Commentary:

Fuelie:

Welcome back to Huntington Beach and the Nike U.S. Open of Surfing for 2012…heat 11 of the round of 96 and in red is Matt Wilkinson, Yadin Nicol is in white, Hodei Collazo in black, and in blue is going to be Stuey Kennedy of Australia. Joining me in commentary is 12 year veteran of the world tour is super-coach and big wave charger Mike Parsons, and, one of our favorite human beings in the world contest director and also world tour veteran Pat O’Connell….now we saw there Stuey Kennedy who is riding some interesting boards, we saw him at the Nike Lowers Pro as well…

Snips:

Yeah, interesting stuff, he’s got the sorta sawed off nose effect. The rail line still holds true, but he loses like that last 5”, it’ll be interesting to see how it goes for him…as we see Yadin Nicol, last year’s finalist, throw an air-reverse there…but interesting choice of equipment there for Stu Kennedy and fun to see these guys experimenting with something different…

Pat:

Yeah absolutely, and as the wind has come on now there’s a little bump on it…it actually seems pretty smart, really, without all that nose you’re not going to catch, you’re not gonna hit that bump…(Stu gets a wave and does a floater…) I’m watching here as he (Stu) really got across that section really, really, well…the board definitely did not hold him back. It looked like, if anything, he got a little bit more squirt.

Snips:

Almost looks like theres a little bit of vee in the nose, or its cupped to keep the nose free, and aw, like I said, fun to see these guys experimenting with equipment and we’ll see how it goes for him.

Fuelie:

Scoreline right now- Stu Kennedy, with that unique surfboard, looks more like a wakeboard, is out in front…

Snips:

There’s Stu Kennedy, wow, that was a quick, vertical blast off the top on that very unconventional surfboard, it looks like Cheyne Horan’s board from the 80s the way it moves…(Stu is skating across the big flat spot, rail to rail, gaining speed)

Pat:

He’s really flying on it…

Snips:

He’s going on it, isn’t he? Wow, nice snap there, so bringing some good energy to that wave, Stu Kennedy, I think that’s gonna be a good score…

Pat:

I think that’s his best wave so far…

Fuelie:

Lets take a look at Stu Kennedy up and riding now…

Pat:

He’s getting a lot of speed-aww-does a real nice air-reverse, that was great.

Snips:

That was fantastic.

Pat:

Considering the conditions…but he falls out the back..does he make that?

Snips:

Oh absolutely. He rides out of it clean, he gets in front of the white water, he has total control. That’s definitely deemed a completed maneuver…and its gonna be a really good score. He’s gonna rocket himself into an advancing spot based on the strength of that one move. That was the best move of the heat so far.

Fuelie:

Lets take another look at Stu Kennedy’s wave…and Snips…so much speed…

Snips:

Yeah, that was incredible. Full rotation, throws it towards the beach…way up in the excellent score range. I mean, that was so technical for the conditions out there…

Fuelie:

Super innovative maneuver there , an 8.17…one of the top scores of the day….

Snips:

…he’s surfing pretty inspired and making a pretty good statement I think. He obviously wants it, he’s bringing a lot of passion to the heat, and he’s looking good…

Fuelie:

Do you think, Pat, that this is a board that any average surfer could ride? Or do you think there’s something difficult in riding that board?

Pat:

No, no, I absolutely think its something that the average would like…a lot of these guys ride boards and they funnel their way down to the average surfer. I mean, without the nose it looks a little strange, and sometimes when I watch him I’m sort of looking for that nose…but if you really watch it, it looks pretty functional. As Mike says, it looks like there’s a channel through the front, and it looks like he’s getting a lot of squirt and speed…

Snips

…I just think its fun that guys are riding different stuff and experimenting during contests. Its great for us as fans and spectators to check out, y’know.

Fuelie:

…so…right now, Stuey Kennedy, who is riding the most unique surfboard of the contest, is out in front, Yadin Nicol is in 2^nd, but Matt Wilkinson is within striking distance with a minute to go…but the battle now is definitely for second place…so, now Yadin Nicol moves through in second place, and Stu Kennedy, with that massive frontside air, moves through in first. He makes a strong statement.

Snips:

Yeah he really did. It was an amazing maneuver…

Post heat comments from Matt Wilkinson:

Jodi:

Stuart Kennedy was on a really strange board. Do you know anything about those boards?

Wilkinson:

Not really…I’ve seen him ride it a little bit. I dunno. I put his board under my arm this morning and it feels like nothing that I’ve ever ridden, the rails are different, the tail is different, the nose is different. Everything is just really weird on it. But he beat me. (laughs)

Sleeping at Sea redux

June 2009. Ryan Burch and Lucas Dirkse riding short alaias. Filmed by Ryan Field in one afternoon. By summer's end Ryan, Lucas, and Snortum were on the foam Lindsay Lord Board rectangles. Music by Jalopy...Gabe, Rachel, Nachman, Justin, et al. Short alaias were made by Jon Wegener.

photographs of the Tijuana Sloughs by Ame Curtiss 2006