Beachbum Beachblog

Billabong has recently announced that it is re-signing one of South Africa’s most talented young female surfers.

Tarryn Chudleigh, the 20-year old surfer from Kommetjie in the Western Cape, has been with the brand’s Girls’ Surf team since she was a tender twelve years old and she is thrilled to have their continued support. “I’m super excited to have re-signed with Billabong again this year. I feel confident going into the New Year backed by such a supportive and strong company.”

Apart from backing her surfing, the former women’s surfing champion has also collaborated with Billabong’s design department to design a co-op signature t-shirt. The shirt will form part of Billabong’s 2010 range and will be available in November. “I’ve had so much fun working on my signature tee,” Tarryn said. “It’s been a dream of mine to have something I designed from Billabong and I can’t wait to see it in store.”

Starting on the 4th of March, Tarryn will also grace our television screens in the reality series Billabong Girls Get Out There Tour. The show, which debuts on 4 March on the Vuzu channel on DStv, details Tarryn’s road trip with seven other Billabong ambassadors as they travelled from South Africa’s surfing Mecca Jeffreys Bay to Durban and on to Cape Town all along the South African coastline in a bright pink bus.

However, Tarryn won’t be hanging about on the couch to watch herself on TV. Come mid-March, she’ll be jetting off to West Australia to compete in the first World Qualifying Series contest. “My goals for 2010 are to make the Top 6 on the ‘Q.S and qualify for the 2011 world circuit.”

Go, girl! If anyone can meet those goals, you can!

Tags: Billabong, Billabong Girls Get Out There Tour, DStv, South African women's surfing champions, Surfing South Africa, Tarryn Chudleigh, Vuzu, WQS
Posted in Industry News, South African surfers, Surfing Events, Surfing Media | | No Comments »

Global Surf News reports that Nixon South Africa has signed local surfer Sean Holmes to be a part of their surf team.

The Wilderness native has been hailed by the international premium watch and accessories brand as an ‘accomplished, all round surfer’ and they said that he’ll make an awesome asset to the team. Holmes’ accomplishments include a quarter final result at the recent 2009 Billabong Pro Jeffrey’s Bay, being a multiple SA & WQS event champion. In 2000, he was also the winner of the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event at Dungeons in Cape Town.

Well done, dude!

Tags: Billabong, Nixon, Red Bull, Sean Holmes, South African Surfer
Posted in Industry News | | No Comments »

The International Surfing Association recently announced the forty recipients of its 2009 ISA Individual Scholarship Programme, and three South Africans are among them.

The lucky Saffas are Brandon Benjamin, Bright Ntuli and Khaye Ngcobo. Congrats to them all!

This is the third consecutive year that the ISA is presenting the Scholarship Programme. It began in 2007 with only five grants awarded. Within one year, it had expanded to 20 scholarships. This year, the ISA has increased the programme by 100%, issuing 40 scholarships to Under 18 junior surfers from 22 countries. They received over 80 applications from 24 countries for this year’s programme.

All the recipients made the cut to become ISA Surfing Ambassadors in their respective countries, because they are inspirational human beings, great surfers and students who want to succeed in surfing and school.

Before announcing the winners, ISA President Fernando Aguerre said: “I believe the Scholarship is a huge step forward by the ISA in areas of the world where we can’t do enough.  Together, we are supporting the dreams and hopes of good students who are also good surfers. We went from five to 40 scholarships in three years and we´re hoping to reach 100 in a couple of years.”

The ISA is able to provide scholarships due to the generous support from Billabong, Quiksilver Foundation, Reef Redemption and Global Surf Industries, Inc.

The 2009 ISA Scholarship recipients from other countries are:

Brian Masmut –Argentina
Martín Carricart –Argentina
Joaquín Castanon –Argentina
Dominic Reisch –Australia
Amiya Doyle – Australia
Ametza Nicholls –Barbados
Jade Niccolls –Barbados
Henry Rivera Hidalgo -Guatemala
Jordan Heaselgrave –Barbados
Cristian Rivera –Puerto Rico
James Philips – Trinidad
Victor Bernardo –Brazil
Isaac Norman –Canada
Tomás Villegas –Chile
Camilo Hernández –Chile
Manuel Mesen –Costa Rica
Alberto Muñoz –Costa Rica
Carlos Muñoz –Costa Rica
Roberto Rodriguez –Ecuador
Brandon García –Guatemala
Freddy Morales –Guatemala
Garren Pryce –Jamaica
Leon McKenzie –Jamaica
Nao Omura –Japan
Arashi Kato –Japan
Aman Ashraf –Maldives
Itzel García –Mexico
Jayda Martin Fitzharris – New Zealand
Joaquín del Castillo – Perú
Juninho Urcia – Perú
Miguel Tudela – Perú
Pedro Alcobia –Portugal
Lucía Martino –Spain
Darío Jordan –Trinidad
Federico Longo –Uruguay
Christian Arballo –USA
Demi Boelsteri –USA

Remember these names. We’re almost certain that there are a few future surfing champions among them!

Tags: 2009 ISA Individual Scholarships, Billabong, Brandon Benjamin, Bright Ntuli, Fernando Aguerre, Global Surf Industries, International Surfing Association, Khaye Ngcobo, Quiksilver Foundation, Reef Redemption, surfing
Posted in Industry News, Surfing Events | | No Comments »

Surf accessories brand Dakine South Africa has announced that they have signed a deal with South African competition surfer extraodinaire, Capetonian Sean Holmes, making him their leading South African brand ambassador.

Dakine SA’s brand manager, Reinhardt Fourie, who himself has been a long-time member of the Cape big-wave community and surfing buddy of Holmes, is “super stoked” to have Holmes on the Dakine team.

“He is one of my favourite surfers to watch and is a world class performer in surf from two feet to 20 feet. Sean is also one of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet and embodies the Dakine spirit in every way. A true Aloha guy!”

The excitement and respect seem to be mutual. 31-year old Holmes is excited about the advantages Dakine’s superior products will give him in the variety of surf conditions that he enjoys and has huge respect for the brand which has been relaunched locally after it was bought by surfwear multi-national Billabong.

“I have a lot of respect for Dakine. It’s a solid brand with a hard edge, and I have full confidence in the products which is a vital factor when the surf is bigger,” Holmes said. “Now all my equipment needs are in place for the winter waves in Cape Town and I’m looking forward to spending time out at Sunset and Dungeons, which produce some of the world’s biggest rideable waves.”

Holmes is a multiple South African and international event champion. He won the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event in 2000 and is also a member of the Billabong Adventure Division along with internationally renowned big-wave maestros Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker and Greg Long.

He is looking forward to competing in specialty events here and overseas during 2009 and will be starting in the trials of the major ASP World Qualifying Series contests in South Africa over the next three months to boost his world ranking and qualify for the top rated international events in 2010.

Tags: Billabong, Dakine South Africa, Reinhardt Fourie, South African Surfing
Posted in Industry News, Surfing Events | | No Comments »

South African surfing champion Sean Holmes has just been re-signed by Billabong, Kustom and VonZipper to extend his role as one of their team riders for another three years.

The 31-year old is best known for his incredible surfing at Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay and particularly his feats as an uber-wildcard in the Billabong Pro ASP World Tour event where he twice eliminated former three-time World Champion, Hawaiian Andy Irons in Round 3, earning him the nickname of ‘The Nemesis’. Sean also gained international acclaim by winning the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event at Dungeons in 2000.

“Sean is one of South Africa’s greatest surfers and he has not reached his full potential on the world stage,” said Billabong South Africa CEO, Ernest Bendeman. “With the way the world ranking system is evolving the timing for Sean is perfect – he is surfing better than ever and he could cause some major upsets. He is truly an asset to our team.”

Sean who is a former Billabong SA marketing manager and now the marketing manager for a national restaurant chain, is looking forward to raising his game, competing internationally and assisting with the Billabong Adventure Division where he and big wave chargers Grant Baker and Greg Long will challenge some of the world’s biggest waves that batter the coastline of the Cape Peninsula every winter.

The Capetonian says he is looking forward to his future big wave exploits. “I’ve never really put my mind to competing in big waves but I’ve been free-diving for training and feel that my mind is now in the right place.”

“I’ll also be trying to get into the 6-Star rated Cold Water Classic events in big, hollow waves in Cape Town, Scotland, Canada, Tasmania and Santa Cruz,” added Holmes. “And of course I’m looking forward to contesting the VZ Wildcard Trials at Supers again and hopefully the trials of a couple of other World Tour events, as well as specialty contests like the Billabong Cloud Nine in the Philippines and the Quik Goodwave in Durban.”

“It was an easy decision to make as I received a huge amount of support from the SA surfing fraternity to start competing again,” commented Holmes. “I’m going to free up more time at work, spend a lot more time in the water and it’s going to be exciting giving it another go.”

Tags: Andy Irons, Billabong, Ernest Bendeman, Grant Baker, Greg Long, Kustom, Sean Holmes, Surfing South Africa, VonZipper
Posted in Industry News | | No Comments »