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

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!

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.

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.

Flight info for Rincon, Puerto Rico

Waves, Rincon, Puerto Rico 

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!