Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Tropical Action near Puerto Rico

Atlantic Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook

Rincon, Puerto Rico

Andy Irons has passed away.

You will never be forgotten Andy. We love you. Our thoughts are with your family. - Blog | Billabong US

Rip Curl Pro Search 2010

What an exciting time this past weekend was here in Puerto Rico. The contest at Middles Beach was so thrilling and positive. I must say that the recycling efforts brough out for the event were a big plus. There were bins everywhere in order to sort your trash: aluminio, plastico, y basura. The waves the first day of the contest were the best: clean and fun to watch. With deep blue rolling waves with lots of explosions from the sea against the rocks, sitting on the beach gives you the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere, witnessing something truely amazing. The power in the air was palpable.

For me, watching Dylan Graves, Puerto Rico's finalist from the trials, was so fun. He really made an impression on everyone, winning his heat and moving on to compete against 9x world champion, Kelly Slater. This is going to get wild. Here's the highlites:




As for the women, they just rocked. I couldn't believe the amount of bravery and boldness these girls have...shredd'n with the best of them! I knew I was going to be blown away, but WOW! Just the style and strength makes me want to surf biggger and surf better than I ever have before. Sometimes it gets scary out there but they just go for it. So inspirational.

Bethany Hamilton went out there and competed against my favorite surf star right now, Claire Bevilaqua and Sally Fitzgibbons, one of the sleekest fastest surfers I've ever seen. Bethany, famous for her shark attack a few years back did not let it hold her back. We saw from the tent that she uses a handle on her board for duck dives and popping up on her board.Here's a taste of the contest, a video of the women's highlites:



Stay tuned for more top surfing.


Rincon, Puerto Rico

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Puerto Rico Trials


The Trialists

Rip Curl Pro Search Trialist to be Decided on October 29

Preceding the Men's Pro Search main event on October 30, the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search Trials kicks off the show at Middles on October 29 and will feature some of Puerto Rico's top homegrown talent. What better way to raise the competitive bar among Puerto Rico's best surfers than to offer the opportunity to compete against the best surfers in the world?

Following Event #1 of APSPR season, local rankings have been recalculated and the 16 highest ranked Puerto Rican surfers will go blow for blow at Middles the day before the official waiting period begins. You can bet on the big names, like defending APSPR champion Carlos Cabrero and young gun Brian Toth, to be in top form and gunning hard for the chance to show the world that Puerto Rico's own can take on the World Tour Elite.

Confirmed Rip Curl Pro Search Trialists
1. Brian Toth (ASP rating)
2. Dylan Graves (ASP rating)
3. Alejandro Moreda (ASP rating)
4. Josie Graves (ASP rating)
5. William Sue Quam (ASP rating)
6. Wesley Toth (Rip Curl team rider Wildcard-holder #2)
7. Carlos Cabrero (APSPR rating)
8. Leslie Bursain (APSPR rating)
9. Tommy Bursain (APSPR rating)
10. Gabriel Escudero (APSPR rating)
11. Hector Santamaria (APSPR rating)
12. Juan Ashton (APSPR rating)
13. Pablo Dias (APSPR rating)
14. Darren Mushett (APSPR rating)
15. Jose Tavares (APSPR rating)
16. Willie Carrasco (APSPR rating)



Woo-hoo! Go Puerto Rico!!!!

Kelly Slater and Stephanie Gilmore in Puerto Rico

Stephanie Gilmore and Kelly Slater. Courtesy of Ripcurl.com

This is it! Everyone is super stoked here at the thought that Kelly Slater could very well win his 10th world title here in Puerto Rico!!

Stephanie Gilmore only 22 years old!!!! Might set history by being the first ever surfer to win 4 world titles in four attempts.


Check back for more news regarding the Rip Curl Pro Search 2010 in Puerto Rico.

Rincon, Puerto Rico

Monday, October 25, 2010

Porta Del Surf, a surfing event in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Aguadilla is the next town heading north from Rincon. Still a coastal town, they have plenty of surf breaks as well. If you're staying in Rincon, it is just a quick drive on highway 2 to get up there.
Next week, there is a surf event being held at the Museum of History of Aguadilla. They're calling it a symposium on surfing in Puerto Rico and "riding waves" is the central theme. The Porta Del Surf is dedicated to surfing and surf culture.

"The symposium serves as an introduction to a series of workshops and art exhibits in the halls of the MuHA (museum of history of Aguadilla), which will be on display for six months. This historical ride will be full of waves, sun, surfboards, and ocean people brought ot life by professional photographers and surf memorabilia that will surely leave you stoked."
~~ Rosemarie Vasquez Cruz, author of the article found in La Isla Reader Oct/Nov. 2010 issue.

Photo Courtesy of Angelo Cordero, a local photographer in Rincon, PR
I know that Ernie Alvarez's paddle board from the "Plastic Free Oceans" campaign will be there. This is the board in which he rode a stand up paddle board (SUP) around the entire island of Puerto Rico in an effort to help bring education and awareness of recycling and protecting the planet's oceans. How exciting!

Fall in Rincon, Puerto Rico

Feeling a little chilly up north? Is your surf session requiring a thicker wetsuit top? Or maybe even the whole thing? Not to worry about that nonsense here in Rincon, Puerto Rico, where the water is currently 85 degrees.
Not to brag or anything but... it is awesome.

The weather has just started to change. Just a little less humidity makes all the difference in this little town. It is still 86 degrees at the moment, but that's what a jump in the ocean is for. Just walking around you see everyone coming back to life after the hot, hot, sticky summer days. The energy is rising and everyone is smiling just a little bit more. 

Want to plan a trip down to Puerto Rico? Rincon has crystal clear water filled with sea life and sea turtles popping up to say hello between sets. Palm trees sway on shore and it feels like heaven out there. The season is just starting up this Halloween, when waves, babes, and action are an everyday occurance on the most western point of the island. Rincon, Puerto Rico, the town of beautiful sunsets that you can watch from your board.

Rip Curl Pro Search 2010 t-shirt

I've seen the new t-shirts popping up in Rincon, Puerto Rico, the town just a little bit south from Isabela.  They have this logo on them and are black. Just the other night I saw someone with a white one on too, which I personally like better. The black one was hanging in the SurfTown Surf Shop window in town. Go get yourself one so you can look cool.

Rincon, Puerto Rico is gearing up for the contest, that is for sure. La Isla Reader, one of the west coast's local magazines, has a great article about all of the local surfers looking to gain a wild card entry into the contest as well as an event calendar listing all of the events happening from Oct. 29th- Nov. 10th. Live music, give-aways, drinks galore, food, fun, and festivities. You can find a copy of La Isla Reader in Banana Dang coffee shop on rt. 413 in Rincon as well as La Paz yoga & pilates studio on rt. 155 in Rincon. They are everywhere up north in Isabela and Aguadilla as well. Full of information and great articles about the happenings on the  western coast of Puerto Rico.


Rincon, Puerto Rico

Waves in Rincon

Here's what happened last week with those waves we anticipated!
Playa Domes en Rincon, PR

We got this image from Rinconsurfreport.com. They have cameras set up at most of the local surfing spots around Rincon, Puerto Rico. They update whenever there is swell...so in the summer that means not so frequently. However, things are looking up for the upcoming week and there may be fun waves coming in tomorrow (Tues. Oct. 26th) and on. Pray to the wave gods for wave action!

Rip Curl Pro 2010 at Middles Beach

The Surfrider Foundation of Rincon has partnered with the Department of Natural Resources, the Vida Marina program at the University of Puerto Rico, and Rip Curl Planet to help make the Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico more environmentally friendly.
Here's a video of the work they've done.




Make sure if you're out there at Middles for the contest, you watch where you step in order to avoid crushing our little sea plants that are out there! The plants help protect against beach erosion and provide a habitat for animals. Also, we've got some coco palms growing out there and one day, that means lots of shade out there!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Waves in October in Rincon, Puerto Rico

Although it is painfully flat here at the moment, there are waves predicted to arrive next week! As early as Monday! Wax your boards boys and girls, because after a flat couple of days in Rincon, Puerto Rico, I bet you're ready to get out there!

Here's the surf report for the upcoming week in Rincon. Will you be here on vacation? A surf get-away? Or maybe you live here and just never had the cahones to get out there and give it ago. Well, try a surf instruction session just for a day and see what happens. You may get hooked just like us on the western side of the island!

Sandy Beach wave Prediction for next Week. October18th, 2010.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Surfing at Domes, Rincon, PR

We're moving into fall, which means the more "noreasters," or blustery winter weather that moves towards the eastern coast of the U.S, the better waves we get : )

I surfed at Domes beach in Rincon, Puerto Rico, just yesterday and it was wonderful. Only a couple of people were out there, so it was perfect for a relaxing afternoon paddle. Domes is notorious for getting extremely crowded and very localized because it often gets the better aspects of the swell. To surf almost alone was a special treat. However, respect of the ocean and local surfers is a must wherever you go, which makes for a more enjoyable experience for all.

Rip Curl Pro Search Puerto Rico 2010 Teaser

Rip Curl Pro Search 2010


View Rip Curl Pro Search 2010 Puerto Rico in a larger map


Follow those blue squiggly lines, that is Middles beach, the location of the Rip Curl Pro Search, one of the last competitions in the ASP World Tour.
Just a little bit north from Rincon, Puerto Rico. For lodging information, get on it quick...places are booking up! With the span of dates ranging from October 30th to November, 10th, people are traveling up and down the coast anticipating the arrival of their favorite surfers.

2010 Rip Curl Pro Portugal ~Competition Highlites~




Just giving you a taste...

Surf Middles, Puerto Rico

Rincon, Puerto Rico has plenty of waves to choose from. However, sometimes if it is flat here due to the shape of the island and wind/swell direction, people decide to travel north for wave time.

Middles, a spot in Isabela, PR, is a big one. This is where the Rip Curl Pro Search 2010 is going to be.

Check out all of the action you'll see when the "greats" like Mick Fanning, Kelly Slater, and Sophia Mulanovich make it out to Puerto Rico for the contest.

Rip Curl Pro Search 2010 en Puerto Rico!

It has been decided! Middles in Isabela Puerto Rico is going to be THE spot for the Rip Curl Pro Search 2010. El Nuevo Dia, a local Puerto Rican publication has just announced that the "Somewhere in Puerto Rico" tag line of the contest is in fact on the north western side of the island. This means huge tourism, super amazing athletes, parties galore, and wave riding like most of us have never seen!

Although the exact date hasn't been set, this time of year is getting everyone excited for what will kick off the wave season right! "The time of year is (ideal) for this event because we know that there is a 'swell' (marejada, in Spanish) which is going to help the waves become bigger and better," said Jose 'Nono' Sierra, Rip Curl representative in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, and organizer of the championship.
If you were on the fence deciding whether or not to travel to PR for the contest, now you know it can't be missed. Middles is one of the most challenging and exciting waves in Puerto Rico, and the event will be phenomenal. From Coors light parties, the Halloween extravaganza, and a chance to see the worlds best surfers make their mark on the caribbean, the people of Puerto Rico are stoked.

Rincon, Puerto Rico is only 30 mins. south and perfect for shacking up early while waiting for the best surf conditions. Why not stay that whole two weeks and make an adventure out of it? 
October 30th-Nov. 10th are the official black out dates for the contest, while officials wait to choose the best days, kick back, drink a medalla, and surf the whole western coast of PR.







Monday, October 4, 2010

Save the Oceans. They need YOU!

The oceans are in a crisis. Greenpeace has a plan to save them. | Greenpeace International

If you've ever been to Rincon, Puerto Rico you'll know we need to help out as much as we can.

Surfrider Foundation of Rincon, Puerto Rico

The Tres Palmas Marine Reserve signs at Maria's Beach, Rincon, Puerto Rico
Living on and island, one has to appreciate, respect, and take care of the ocean's surrounding them. As a way to give thanks for all the great waves we catch, we like to volunteer as much as we can with the Surfrider Foundation. Rincon, Puerto Rico has its own local chapter here. They're the ones who put together the Marine Reserve and kept it safe.

Tres Palmas, Rincon, Puerto Rico
The Surfrider Foundation has many projects in line for the 2010 season. They've already organized multiple beach clean ups, including participation in the International Coastal Clean Up in September.
In Rincon, Puerto Rico, many of the residents work to ensure the protection and enjoyment of their beaches in order to enjoy it not only themselves, but for future generations of little surfers and snorkelers.








Rincon, Puerto Rico

Surf in October in Rincon, Puerto Rico

We travelled up north a little bit this morning to surf. Up in Aguadilla, the town just 30 mins. away has a good spot called Surfer's beach that breaks even when there's no waves in Rincon. Here's an explanation of some good spots here in Rincon, Puerto Rico:


The Surf Site.

So, even if you're here on vacation and its flat, just a hop skip and a jump away you could be surfing in the offseason of October in Rincon!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Rincon Puerto Rico Pro Search 2010

The more I read about the upcoming surf contest, the more excited I get. KELLY SLATER, one of the best surfers ever, is coming here. To this tiny island. It is so exhilarating to even think about.

This contest is going to be insane. The Rip Curl Pro Search 

In this article the author even mentions the possibility of the contest taking place in Rincon. Most likely it will take place up north... they just have to choose the location. Rincon Puerto Rico is only a hop skip and jump south from the northern surf breaks. I know this town is going to be pumping. It is all people are talking about. Places are already filling up fast so if you were in the mood to travel to an island and watch pro surfers do their thing...booking lodging in Rincon would be smart. Pronto.

I know I'm going to be out there. I can only dream of paddling up next to surf legends getting some waves before the contest. I'd be in awe. Ahhhhhhhh. Just like that.


Rincon Puerto Rico

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

1968 Surfing Championships

Rincon, Puerto Rico made its mark on the surfing world in 1968 during the world surfing championships.
That lil guy looks like he's having fun right?

Sea Urchins in Rincon

Now these ugly looking creatures seem to be everywhere here. Watch out! Make sure you enter the beaches carefully and look around on the sea floor to avoid stepping on these guys. They hurt.

My advice is to get a Rincon local surf instructor who will show you where to get in and out of the ocean at the local breaks if you're unfamiliar with the area.

In case you do come into contact with an urchin spine, don't panic! Here's some help: Sea Urchin First Aid

Once you get it taken care of, its time to explore the Rincon Nightlife and get yourself a strong cocktail.

Big Waves in Rincon, PR

Check out this photo montage of all the amazing local surfers here in Rincon ripping on the last set of hurricane waves. We had consecutive storms roll in on the western side of the island from Danielle, Earl, Fiona, to Igor.
Rincon Puerto Rico Surf Gallery

Brought to you by local photogs and surf documentors:  rincon surf report.


Inspiration!!!

If you're in the mood to travel to PR to catch the tail end of this hurricane season, come on down and cruise the surf breaks here for the time of your life. Sign up for a Guided Surf Tour of Rincon and an experienced, local surfer will show you all of the local breaks from Rincon up to Isabela: The whole west coast of Puerto Rico.

No need to research each individual break and corresponding boards to pack. The surf guide will tell you everything you know ahead of time in order to maximize your surf experience here in Rincon, PR.

This package includes transportation and an hour of video. They've got it all covered. When you're done, sit back, relax, and watch your day all over again while drinking a cold Medalla.
Paradise!

Surf Lessons in Rincon, PR

Surfing looks amazing, intense, and sometimes intimidating from the shore. After watching surfer after glorious surfer paddle out into sea kind of gets you amped up to try it yourself! If you're on vacation or evern if you're living here and haven't given it ago, its worth a shot to get out there and see for yourself just how spectacular this sport really is.
As a newbie out there, its good to know the  Beginner Surfing lessons before even paddling out into the water. Having the mindset of having fun and enjoying the water makes all the difference when you're feeling off balanced or nervous.

I would always recommend getting an instructor before paddling out anywhere in Rincon. Often times the breaks are decieving and there's no way of knowing what possible obstacles you might face. For example, at Maria's Beach there are old rusty boat pistons to watch out for that an instructor would be able to warn you about and also keep you clear away!

A beginner's surf lesson in Rincon would be perfect for a day out in the sun, salt, and spray. Just remember the sunscreen and have a blast!

Rincon Puerto Rico

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Rip Curl Pro Search PR 2010


We do have some nice spots here.Rip Curl has recently announced they're holding Rip Curl Pro Search 2010 here in Puerto Rico. The colorful banner describes its location as "somewhere in Puerto Rico." With so many breaks to chose from up and down the west coast, the contest is yet to get nailed down to a specific location. It all depends on the swell, winds, and the wave gods to provide some movement in the water for everyone!



The dates of the contest range from Oct. 3th to November 10th, 2010. There's talk of lots of people traveling down to witness the event (And maybe give a pro surfer a hug?!?) Rip Curl Pro in Puerto Rico The island is buzzing!

If you're looking to come down and haven't a place to stay, here's a good resource for finding local places in Rincon. Rincon Puerto Rico Lodging You'll find a lot of amazing guest houses as opposed to hotels here. Most are super close to the surfing beaches here. Our town only has one stop light so nothing's too far. That is just one of the things that makes it so unique here!

Rincon Puerto Rico

Learn to surf...when its smaller.

The surf season here generally runs from about December to April, with random swells in between. Like today's grande swell from Hurricane Igor.  Here's a way to check out our typical seasonal wave patterns here on the island. Rincon Puerto Rico Wave Patterns
Anyone can surf here, you just have to give it a good go. Today is a big day, but there are mulitple breaks close by suitable for your needs. I'd recommend paddling out with a quality instructor who knows first hand all of the breaks and what you're in for. They can keep you safe, informed, having fun, and riding waves!
Need help finding that special instructor?This website's great for finding everything at once. No matter what level of experience, you can customize your surf experience here in Rincon.
Rincon PR Surf Lessons


Rincon Puerto Rico

Summer Hurricane Swell in Rincon

Check out this photo of the notorious "Tres Palmas" in all its glory. This wave usually does not break in the summer months here but Igor, the last hurricane that passed us by, has produced some monster waves. There are a lot of happy campers here in Rincon, PR. This is one of the most loved parts of the west coast: untouched land meeting big, blue ocean.
Photo Courtesy of Rinconsurfreport.com