Thanks in no small part to El Niño, this past winter the Pacific Ocean served up some of the biggest waves in recent history. A one-week span in December saw Mavericks firing heavy bombs, Kelly Slater catching waves at Todos Santos with Greg Long and Grant “Twiggy” Baker, and both Waimea Bay and Jaws serving monstrous sets. Combined with epic contest conditions and an early spring at Teahupoo, the tenth-annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards is serving up arguably its greatest list of nominees.

Note: This story is a special contribution from Nugable.  Go to his website for hilarious, insightful and honest surfing revelations.

First, I need to rant about something. Josh Kerr should be given a special wildcard in every event this year. Period. Take a wildcard away from the event sponsor at each stop. From what I understand ASP doctors misdiagnosed the severity of his ankle injury last season and he lost his spot because of it. He belongs on the Dream Tour. End of story.

Kelly Slater is known worldwide for being the greatest surfer of all-time. Nine World Titles, numerous big wave accomplishments, countless world records, innovative surfboard designs and a style unmatched by surfers around the globe will attest to that. Now Slater has teamed up with The Arbor Collective, a snow and skate operation specializing in eco-friendly gear and apparel, to not only become the sole member of their international skateboarding team, but also to bring you a second-edition signature Kelly Slater skateboard called the Slater Koa.

Surfers playing in Major League Baseball are nothing new. Barry Zito, starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, was the first person to ever surf what has now become a popular break in Fiji. Kevin Correia, who throws for his hometown San Diego Padres, was good enough in his early years as a surfer to earn a sponsorship from a local Pacific Beach surf shop. Former players Ryan Klesko and Brent Mayne were also avid surfers, joining Zito regularly for surf trips. The buck doesn’t stop there; a new guard of surfers is appearing in Major League clubhouses, trying to make their respective clubs while dreaming of catching far-off waves.

Cyrus Saatsaz brings you the latest in action sports news for the week of March 25th.  Stories covered include Mick Fanning's racism controversy involving Stab Magazine, the fight to hold a women's longboard contest at Swami's, Shaun White and Seth Wescott are in your grocery store, the ASP World Tour is about to recommence at Bells, plus the latest update on The Extreme Scene's bid to bring the crew together to tape new shows.

Note: This story is a special contribution from Nugable.  Go to his website for hilarious, insightful and honest surfing revelations.

You have most likely heard about it by now. In its January/February edition Stab Magazine published a story titled “Tales of a F*cking Jew.” In it writer Charlie Smith recounts his altercation with Mick Fanning at a December party in Hawaii to celebrate Fanning’s second world title. Smith stated the newly-crowned ASP World Champion called him a “Fucking Jew” four times. The issue has been subsequently pulled from the newsstands, most likely due to pressure both legally and financially.

The 2009 ASP World Tour was a tale of two seasons. The first saw Joel Parkinson jump out to what at the time was considered an insurmountable lead in the standings. Parkinson started the season with wins at the Quiksilver Pro and Rip Curl Pro, then racked up a third contest victory at the season’s fifth event, the Billabong Pro at Jeffreys Bay. Parkinson was leading CJ Hobgood, who was his closest competitor at the time, by more than the ratings-equivalent of a contest victory. Mick Fanning, the eventual 2009 ASP World Champion, was in seventh place at the midway point of the season.

Among the many marvelous surf breaks that line the coast of California, Swami’s is one of the few that is considered to be a pure gem. God’s gift to surfers. When it’s small, it’s a longboarder’s delight, with soft, gentle waves providing endless rides due to a peeling right-hand reef break. When the swell picks up, it becomes a tasty treat for shortboarders, with hollow bowls providing perfectly-formed barrel sections.

Our former eggy intern Aaron Moss calls us the other day and tells us about an unusual and intriguing online contest where the winning surf clip will appear in Taylor Steele’s next surf movie, Innersection.  To make things even more intriguing, Aaron’s brother, Ryan Moss, directed and produced the short clip.  So go to Innersection.tv and vote for local boy Nat Young’s video now so we can see him in Taylor Steele’s next movie!

The weird phenomenon that is surfing the Great Lakes is nothing new to the surf community. There are surf magazines dedicated specifically just for Midwestern breaks, websites have started providing forecasts for the Great Lakes region, and pro surfers including Joe Curren, Bron Heussenstamm and Omar Etcheverry have ventured north and dived into the freezing waters to make films like Unsalted. The region even has their own nicknames, such as “Third Coast” and “Freshwater Coast”.