10 ‘great’ surf wipeouts

by Gadling Staff on

From sandy beaches to indoor water parks, surfing is a popular sport worldwide. Needless to say, funny surf wipeouts are just as popular… and oftentimes far more amusing!

See below for some of the best surfing wipeouts anywhere. And remember: if you’re visiting the beach this summer, maybe you should take some surfing lessons before you wax your board. Just saying.

This poor guy is cut down hard and fast by a small but painful wave.

Wave: 1. Windsurfer: 0.

This is why you shouldn’t try to windsurf a big wave. On second thought, maybe it should be… Wave: 100. Windsurfer: 0.

Talk about some major air! This surfer literally “explodes” onto the surfing scene. (See what we did there?)

Not only does the surfer get thrown from his board but it appears as if he may get whacked with it as well! Watch it in slow-mo and decide for yourself.

He shoulda worn a face mask, I guess.

Never get too cocky about skills: it could be you bouncing off the water, on your face, in this video.

Riding the top of the wave, a surfer is tossed from his board into one unforgiving wave.

This enormous wave engulfs several surfers — board and all!

This surfer drops off his board and almost takes out another surfer during his free fall!

Be glad you’re not the guy running this surf ride! On the other hand, I’m pretty sure the dad in this video defies the laws of physics on several occasions.

And finally, check out this roundup of surf wipeouts, including one that caused a horrible neck injury.

Gadlinks for Thursday, 1.28.2010

by Katie Hammel on

The weekend is almost here! Are you headed anywhere fun? I’m off to sunny Puerto Rico to escape Chicago’s latest cold snap. Here are a few bonus travel stories to keep you dreaming of warmer days.

  • Winter in the northern hemisphere means summer in Buenos Aires. If you’re headed down south, here are a few places to gorge yourself silly, courtesy of Matador writer Tom Gates. [via Matador Nights]
  • Nothing says summer like the sight of tan surfers catching some waves. How does a pro surfer globe-trot? Find out with BootsnAll’s How I Travel profile of surfer Holly Beck. [via BootsnAll]

More Gadlinks HERE.

The Drifter documentary now on DVD

by Grant Martin on

Drifter Trailer from Poor Specimen on Vimeo.

The Drifter film just finished it’s autumn tour around the United States and is officially making its way around the adventure and surf circuit. The film centers around the writings of legendary surfer Rob Machado and his time spent in the South China Sea, exploring, learning and well, drifting. More potently, however, the topic strikes home for any long term traveler or lover of the Pacific Island culture, and having been there myself I find the film engaging.

With what appears to be a limited tour and release, tracking the film down to see in theaters may be a bit of a challenge, but if you’re inspired enough by the trailer to order the DVD, it looks like a solid documentary.

[Via The Cleanest Line]

Get out and go: Events around the world (November 18-21)

by Brenda Yun on

It’s time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly international selection of happenings. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

  • Mexico – Birders will unite in the Yucatan Peninsula for the Yucatan Bird Festival from November 19-22. For the 8th consecutive year, the festival offers a wide range of field trips, exhibits, conferences, and a “birdathon.” Objectives of this annual festival include promoting the rich diversity of bird species found in the Yucatan and developing a conservationist culture among tourists and tour providers.
  • California – The California Surf Festival celebrates awareness and support for surf history preservation this weekend from November 19-22. It is an international event destination bringing people from all over the world to Oceanside, California, to experience surf culture through films, music, art, photography and interaction with those who embody the culture as well as highlight the surf community of California.
  • Amsterdam – The International Documentary Film Festival begins this Thursday, November 19. The film extravaganza will present over 300 documentaries over the course of 10 days, ending on the 29th.
  • Israel – Shalem Dance Festival will begin this Thursday, November 19 in Jerusalem. Over 50 Israeli and guest dancers perform in original contemporary dance works. This year’s highlight will feature contemporary dance ensembles from Africa. The festival ends on the 21st.

  • India – The Mim Kut and Pawl Kut Festival will be celebrated this Friday, November 20 in Mizoram. Celebrated in the last week of November or the first week of December, the festival celebrates the completion of the harvesting season.
  • Helsinki – This year Helsinki’s Chocolate Festival has a larger “box,” as it is held at Wanha Satama fair centre November 21-22. The festivali celebrates the diversity of the sweet stuff. Choco-connaisseurs share their sweet wisdom about the impact of chocolate on health, wellbeing, history of chocolate, production and variety.

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an event that’s coming up, please let us know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.

24 Hours in Rio de Janeiro: The easiest best beaches

by Grant Martin on

It’s cliche to think of The Girl from Ipanema and feel corny when planning your beach excursions on a 24 hour jaunt to Rio de Janeiro, but the fact of the matter is, Ipanema and Copacabana beaches (they’re adjacent) are the among the best, easiest to access stretches of sand in the town. Located in the Zona Sul, the heart of tourist activity, they’re also the most popular. So what makes these two beaches better than the rest?

Part of it is the view. It’s easy to find sand, a few palm trees and a gentle ocean breeze anywhere between Malibu and Buenos Aires, but the landscape around Rio is what sets it above the rest. The massive, granite peaks that shoot out of the Atlantic Ocean are most breathtaking, and as you gaze south down the coast line you can see Sugarloaf Mountain and the cable cars sleepily ferrying passengers to the summit. Behind you, Christ the Redeemer gazes onward as always from Corcovado.

And part of the beach experience in Rio is, well, the view. Beauty fits into a wider spectrum in Brazil, with the beautiful people more attractive than anywhere in the world and the uglier more horrifying. Naturally this is exacerbated when you’re on the beach and everyone is wearing next to nothing.
But that’s part of the beach culture here. People come to the beach just to loaf around and socialize, and there’s an entire economy dedicated to revelers. Those that forgot a towel or beach chair or umbrella can rent one anywhere on the beach, and food, drink and trinket vendors snake through the crowds hawking their wares. On a busy warm Sunday, it can be hard to find a spot to pitch your umbrella, let alone take a seat.

The sand, weather and views are with the trip are worth it, however, and no good tourist should visit Rio without a trip to the beach. Be forewarned that the surf at both beaches is quite strong. Anyone braving the waters is subject to an extremely strong undercurrent, and those that aren’t carefully can easily be dragged away. At the minimum, due to constant currents you’ll exit the water far from the point that you entered.