Surf Bash :: Lightning Bolt x Bloomingdale's and Surfers Healing

Join Bloomingdale’s x Lightning Bolt and other details for the 2^nd annual Surf Bash To benefit Surfer’s Healing (11 April 6PM-9PM).

Have a cold one and check out a live musical performance by The Tijuana Panthers.

Aloha

The Buntabout contest, powered by Lightning Bolt

When it comes to the purest roots of what surfing is all about, nothing sums it up better than an event that has been held for the last 30 years in St Agnes on Cornwall's west coast. Organised by local board manufacturer Best Ever's Steve Bunt and daughter Nicola, The Buntabout brings together the local surfing community across generations with boys and girls as young as eight up to the grand veterans in their fifties.

This year's event was once again blessed with a beautiful sunny day and highly contestable surf at Chapel Porth for the Ladies, Longboard, Masters and Open divisions. The junior divisions had competed the weekend before at Trevaunance Cove, but Contest Director Minnow Green had made the right call in holding off the Seniors in hope of better conditions. Standouts of the day were under 18 winner Morgan Elston that went on to take 3rd place in the Open with a convincing display of powerful moves, and Paul 'Gib' Dye proved that he's lost none of his flair in winning the Masters. In the Open final European Longboard Champion Ben Skinner went down a few board sizes and showed his versatility with a repertoire of fast fluid surfing, but it was not quite good enough and the judges decision went with last year's winner Robin Kent, surfing the wave he knows inside out.Open Winner Robin Kent
Dritwood Spars Barstaff with their new tees
On Sunday evening the Driftwood Spars Hotel was packed full for the prize giving celebrations, concluding what was once again a most memorable occassion. Not only was it a great event, but once again money was raised for the Precious Lives Appeal.Lightning Bolt is proud to be associated with The Buntabout and supported them in supplying the prizes for the Masters Division. Watch out for Gibby (right side) in his new Polar Fleece Jacket.

Retro Board Challenge returns

The A1Surf.com Retro Challenge in association with Wittering Surf Shop is back for another year on Saturday 10th October at East Wittering.

This legendary charity surf competition will see 50 invited surfers take on each other in a battle to be crowned ‘The Retro Board Challenge Champion’. The two main differences from a usual surf comp is that the surfers have to use retro surfboards (from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s) which are given to them at random before each heat, and they have to wear fancy dress!
As well as bringing together the south coast surfing community for a chilled-out surf competition, the event will also raise money for the local Selsey RNLI Lifeboat Station and Surfers Against Sewage.
And this year’s event will see the fun continue into the evening with a charity ‘Retro Party’ at the nearby Shore Inn. The party will see live bands, dancing and more inside a large marquee. Tickets cost just £5 in advance from Wittering Surf Shop. There will be no tickets on the door.
David Somerville, from A1Surf.com said: “The reaction to last year’s event was amazing so we just had to do it again.
“We’re keen to bring together local surfers in a comp that’s all about fun and also helps raise money for two really worthy charities. We hope people come down to watch the comp then join us to party in the evening. Last year we raised over £500 for charity and we are hoping to do even more this time.”
“Nick Cheshire, from Wittering Surf Shop said: “I’ve been collecting retro surfboards for years now and for too long they have been kept in storage.
“This contest is an excellent excuse to get them out, dust them off and wax them up. It’s great to see people enjoying surfing them…. and in fancy dress too!”.
Lightning Bolt will be there represented by our agent in UK, Brian Hart, and he will offer some gifts for sure.
Don’t miss it
More info, visit the event’s schedule on Facebook.
An image from last year's edition

Team Riders are blasting at Eurosurf 2009

The first two days of competition were just perfect for all Lightning Bolt team riders running Eurosurf 2009.

Despite the tough conditions with small waves, Alexandre Ferreira and Miguel Ximenez (surf open contest) already advanced two rounds and probably they are today running the third round.

Also in the surf senior contest, David Raimundo made the best score of the first round heats, as he got a 15,67 leaving behind John McCarthy and Erwin Duin.
In the surf ladies contest, our youngest team rider there, made it to the second round also with the first place in the first round.
Stay tuned at http://www.eurosurfing.org/eurosurf/Alexandre "Xaninho" Ferreira placed first both in round 1 and round 2 heats
photo: David Ferguson

Azores Islands Pro – Miguel Ximenez in action

After the last 6 stars in Lacanau, the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) caravan is on its way for the first ever ASP sanctioned event to run in the Azores archipelago, three hours off the Portuguese coast in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, on Sao Miguel Island. A beautiful island completely surrounded by unexplored green fields.
This ASP WQS 6-Star rated event is starting today and running till Sunday, August 30, 2009. The show brings also some of the WCT stars like Tiago Pires or Aritz Aranburu.
Being the seventh of eleven events counting for this year's ASP WQS European Series, the Azores Islands Pro will host an international field of competitors, with 144 athletes answering the call for the premiere. As the year keeps going and the international ratings' race is heating up, the ASP WQS Top 15 will be looking for valuable points counting for their ASP World Tour qualifying campaign.
Miguel Ximenez, our Portuguese team rider, will be running the round of 144 in the heat#20 and he’ll face Erice Rebiere (Fra), Nat Young (USA) and Robertson Gonçalves (Prt).
Current regional No. 1 and international No. 10 Joan Duru (Ondres, FRA), will be much awaited for his start in the event that could give the 19-year-old surfer another precious result for his ASP Top 45 dream to come tru. Duru, who has had an excellent year, leads the European contingent on the international stage at this stage and is in good position to join fellow European stars on next year's ASP Dream Tour.

Stay tuned at http://www.aspeurope.com/live/azores09

Miguel Ximenez on Relentless Boardmasters

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 5-Star Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans will kick-off today at Newquay in England, one of the United Kingdom’s most renowned surf cities, for another edition of the prestigious contest that has seen some of the world’s best surfers raise its coveted trophy for over twenty years now.

Scheduled at the start of the month of August and opening a series of five consecutive events that will run through mid-september, the Relentless Boardmasters promises to showcase surfing’s finest World Qualifying Series (WQS) athletes with current ASP WQS ratings’ leader Daniel Ross (AUS) leading the assault.

Our team rider Miguel Ximenez from Portugal will start in the heat 17 of the first round (round of 96). In his heat, it’s only confirmed till now João Guedes (PRT).

Check out http://www.relentlessboardmasters.com/ to watch it live and see all the news, photos and videos.

Mad Professor live act powered by Lightning Bolt

It seems that Neil Fraser changed his name Mad Professor because of his passion inventing new electronic gadgets, such as a radio and a telephone system.
He has collaborated with reggae artists such as Lee "Scratch" Perry, Sly and Robbie, Pato Banton, Jah Shaka and Horace Andy, as well as artists outside the realm of traditional reggae and dub, such as Sade, Massive Attack, The Orb, and Brazilian DJ Marcelinho da lua.
Now, this master dub producer that already participated in almost 200 albums, and is always travelling around the world, is coming to Oporto (Portugal).
Next Friday (5th June), he will be compacting his wide discography in Gare Disco, one of the trendiest discos in this emerging party zone located in the oldest city centre.

Congratulations to our friends of Primeira Linha, that made possible this big party

Portuguese Surf Tour - Bolt team riders results

The first event of the portuguese surf open tour was during the last weekend in Edífício Transparente, a surf spot in Porto, a northern region in Portugal.

The Bolt team riders achieved a great overall performance both in mens and girls events.

In the Mens event, two riders were in the podium. Alexandre Ferreira got the second place and José Ferreira, who is only 17 years old got the fourth place, his firt podium in the surf open.

In the Girls event, our junior star, Maria Abecasis, got a third place and was only 1 point away from the victory.

We highlight too, Miguel Blanco, the youngest Bolt team rider that was awarded for being the youngest competitor in the tour.

Surfilm Festibal in San Sebastian

In Spain, more concretely in the Basque Country, from 11 to 14 June, the surf videos fans will have a special gift.
The Surfilm festibal, a short film contest has already the awards and prizes defined and even the names that will evaluate the participants.
To watch the videos that are arriving every day, go to the festival's daily motion channel.
Thanks to the creators of flamengo, we have a great opportunity to watch new video perspectives and new talents in surf video.

Supersession
Uploaded by surfilmfestibal7

This one here was considered one of the best in the 2008 edition

Miguel Ximenez goes to O’Neill Coldwater Classic in Scotland

With the first stop on the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series successfully concluded in a remote corner of Tasmania, it’s now up to the other end of the earth for the Cold Water Classic Scotland.
Staying true to its ethos of scouring the globe for the remote locations holding world-class waves, the Cold Water Classic Series is hosting the northernmost event in professional surfing in a choice of barreling fast reef breaks and powerful beachbreaks.
The second CWC event, a 6-star World Qualifying Series (WQS), will start 29-April till 6-May.
The Lightning Bolt team rider Miguel Ximenez is ready to surf with his kilt to go through some tough heats.
Miguel please don’t take your scotch bottle to the heats. We know it’s very tempting, but you can always wait for the night parties.
God Bless the moustache surf man.
Swell charts indicate an awesome start to the Cold Water Classic in Scotland.
Stay tunned at the official event website

Lightning Bolt team riders go to Vendée Surf Pro

The Protest Vendée Pro, an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 4-Star Men's event, will start April 6 at La Sauzaie on the West coast of France kicking off the 2009 ASP European Tour. La Sauzaie, one of the best reefs of France renowned to deliver some consistent and hollow waves when the surf reaches the three to four foot (1 to 1.2 meter) range, will welcome some of the world’s best surfers competing for the valuable 1500 ratings' points and US$ 85 000 prizepurse on offer.

Lightning Bolt Team Riders, both portuguese Alexandre Ferreira and Miguel Ximenez will try to improve their last season’s result. Stay tunned at http://www.aspeurope.com/

Lightning Bolt Team Riders go to ISA World Junior Surf Championships

From March 28 to April 5 the waves of the Playa de las FAE in Salinas, Ecuador, will host the greatest junior surfing event in the world: the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.
Lightning Bolt Team Riders, João Kopke, José Ferreira, Maria Abecasis and Miguel Blanco, will be in charge to boost the Portuguese team score.

photo: André Ferreira

More than 200 of the best athletes of about 30 different countries will be competing for one of the greatest honors to which a junior surfer can aspire: a podium in an International Surfing Association (ISA) event. The ISA is the World Governing Authority of Surfing and all its disciplines, recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

photo: André Ferreira

The event will crown the world champions in the categories Boys Under 18, Boys Under 16 and Girls Under 18, as well as the World Junior Champion nation, after the results of all its participants have been added. Each team will be represented by four members in each of the categories; therefore, a complete team will be composed of twelve athletes.
Stay tuned and watch all live at the event website

photo: Hugo Matos

photo: André Ferreira

About the Place
Salinas is a beach resort located 136 km from Guayaquil, the second largest city in Ecuador. Its main and most renown surfing spot is the Playa de las FAE (FAE meaning Ecuadorian Air Force, for its initials in Spanish) will be the event scenario.
The wave is a long, perfect and consistent left-leaning point break that maintains the good shape in swells of up to 8 feet. The beach acquired fame after the World Surfing Games were held there in 2004.

Pow Pow Movement and Dennis Bovell powered by Lightning Bolt

The third anniversary of Primeira Linha, a portuguese company specialized in concerts will be fulfilled of reggae masters.
Next Friday (20th), the germans Pow Pow Movement, one of the best European soundsystem is the responsible to lead the crew in Gare, a trendy disco in Porto.
One week after, Dennis Bovell, who earned himself the reputation of being Britain's reggae maestro and renowned as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist (playing guitar, bass and keyboards), is performing in one of the most acclaimed discos in Porto, Industria.