Joel Parkinson took home the win today at the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing at the Vans Triple Crown. Sunset was pumping for the finals with waves up to 20 feet. Sunny Garcia started off the heat with a super-long barrel giving him a score of 9.47. Near the end, Parko took the lead with a 6.17 point wave and won the event. Today might have been the most crowded day we've seen at the Triple Crown, a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Sunset Beach to watch the finals. Now Sunny Garcia is heading into the Pipeline Masters in second place in the Vans Triple Crown and looking to take over Parko with a great contest in what looks to be big waves. Parko's second jewel victory doesn't put him any closer to an ASP win, as it will be a duel between him and Mick. We also crowned the 2009 Noseguard Rookie of the Triple Crown: Brazilian Alejo Muniz took it with honors. Next event: The Billabong Pipeline Masters!

Labels: Joel Parkinson, O'Neil World Cup of Surfing, Vans Surf

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While on the North Shore, be sure to visit Oahu's only surf museum to learn the history of this Hawaiian sport of kings. Their collection of surf memorabilia traces the evolution of surfboards from large crude planks, to sleek more organic foils. They have many ancient boards dating far back in the hawaiian culture. As well as other items like classic 1950s surf-meet posters, 1960s surf-music album covers, old beach-movie posters with Frankie Avalon and Sandra Dee, the early black-and-white photos by legendary surf photographer LeRoy Grannis, and trophies won by surfing's greatest. Curator Steve Gould is working on a new exhibit of surfing in the ancient Hawaiian culture, complete with Hawaiian artifacts. The museum is located at 66-250 Kam Hwy in the North Shore Marketplace. Be Sure to stop by and soak in a little of Hawaii's history!

Labels: North Shore Surf Museum, O'Neill World Cup, Vans Surf

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At 8am this morning we kicked off the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing. On the beach, spectators got a good mix of some world class surfing as men's heats 1-8 ran, and then switching gears into the women's Gidget Pro. We thought maybe a couple competitors would be moving a little slow today, after stuffing their faces yesterday post Thanksgiving meal. But that wasn't the case, there was major shredding going down in the water. Hawaiian's; Ola Eleogram, Torrey Meister, Joel Centeio, Alana Blanchard, Carissa Moore and Megan Abubo all won their heats today creating a strong Hawaiian presence early in the contest.
It also happens to be Black Friday, so if you haven't already, click on over to itunes, and download the Vans Triple Crown iphone app. It keeps you in the loop with updates, live webcasts, and everything else you can think of thats Triple Crown related, and its only $0.99.

Labels: Gidget Pro, O'Neil World Cup of Surfing, Vans Surf

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Ted's Bakery, located at 59-024 Kamehameha Hwy, occupies the space that is/used to be the Sunset Beach Store, which has been around since the late 50's. They are most famous for their cream pies, most notably, the chocolate haupia cream. Everyday at Ted's you can find tourists and locals lined out the door, ordering food and purchasing baked goods. In addition to their delicious pies and other baked goods, Ted's has an awesome array of sandwiches and plate lunches. If you happen to find yourself at the O'Neil World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach, be sure to stop by Ted's for a delicious cream pie, you'll be glad you did.

Labels: O'Neil World Cup of Surfing, Ted's Bakery, Vans Surf

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Tomorrow we continue the race for the Vans Triple Crown, with the start of the O'Neil World Cup of Surfing. This is a 6-Star Mens World Qualifying Series Event, with a prize purse of $135,000. The holding period for this event will stretch from November 24-December 6th. Last years Champ is CJ Hobgood, who is already on a heater so far, placing 2nd days ago at the Reef Hawaiian Pro, we'll see if he can do it again. CJ is the first goofy-footer to win the O'Neil World Cup in 11 years. The O'Neil World Cup is also the last chance for all those looking to qualify for the ASP dream tour (AKA-The Big Show)

Labels: O'Neil World Cup of Surfing, Vans Surf

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What has changed about Sunset Beach, that it’s no longer the focal point of the north shore of Oahu?



In the late 60’s early 1970’s Sunset Beach was the premier location for professional surfing, and still is without a doubt one of the most challenging waves in the world. Located at the top of the north shore, it was the ultimate proving ground for every surfer. In 1965, the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship was born. It was the first surfing event to be broadcast on a regular basis by ABCs’ Wide World of Sports. This made it every teenagers dream to come to Hawaii and surf the big waves.





When 1975 came around, surfing Pipe and Off The Wall became extremely popular. Around this time surfers in Hawaii began bringing new performance elements to their surfing, pumping in the barrel, laybacks and radical maneuvers. During this time equipment was changing as well, modern technology and new foils were making boards smaller, lighter and more performance driven. These waves were geared toward getting radical, getting barreled, and going fast. Does this mean that Sunset is no longer a challenge? And when was the last time you saw a photo in the magazines of someone free surfing Sunset? Anyone that’s surfed out there will tell you it’s an extremely hard wave to ride. It basically pops out of nowhere, starts pitching hard as you drop into a steep open face, followed by a monster wall of white-wash, then sends you into a wicked inside barrel section. It takes a different style surfer to perform well at Sunset; it’s a whole other ballgame out there.

As the second stop on the quest for the Triple Crown, Sunset Beach is a crucial part of the competition. Everyday busloads of visitors pour out of tour buses for a chance to see this historic site. In my opinion the idea behind the Vans Triple Crown was to showcase the most well rounded surfers in the world. Today, there have been many new waves discovered. But that doesn’t mean we should discount these three waves. Sunset can be a wildcard for many competitors. Some might be comfortable in snappy playful waves, but big wave surfers will perform better. The finalists in the Triple Crown are the ones that excel in all areas of surfing, well-rounded surfers that adapt to different wave styles. It makes perfect sense, the Hawaiian style of surfing was to blend in naturally with the waves. In today’s world it’s all about trying to destroy the wave.



Pipe and OTW are the playing fields today, it’s easy to shoot photos and film. They are high-performance waves that offer more to surfers today, while the Pipeline Masters has become the biggest spectator event of the Triple Crown. As the third event, it’s by far the most exciting to watch. But what if Sunset was as close to shore as Pipe? Maybe then there would be more photographers on the beach then tourists. Sunset Beach is one of the most iconic waves on the north shore with so much history behind it, as if it’s the grandfather of all the other waves along this short strip of world-class waves.

Labels: O'Neil World Cup of Surfing, Sunset Beach, Vans Surf

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