sinister

A little overcast, but fun surf at V-Land today...

Having received notification of the swell from Swellnet almost a week earlier, the Billabong team flew down in advance and were in the water at sunrise, prepared for an entire day of tow surfing. The lineup at Shipsterns included three times world champion Andy Irons (Haw), former world number two Joel Parkinson (Coolangatta), young Australian charger Laurie Towner (Angourie), Dylan Longbottom (Gold Coast) and Brendan Margieson (Gold Coast).

Irons, who had towed into heavy sessions both in Hawaii and last years huge surf at Teahupoo just prior to the Billabong Pro Tahiti, rates Shipsterns and one mean mother of a wave.

Laurie Towner

Fun surf on all shores today!

10-20ft on the North Shore

6-10+ on the West side

and 3+ in town

A 56-foot, 60-ton sperm whale died on a beach in Taiwan in January, 2004. Researchers wanted the carcass to perform an autopsy and for research, so they loaded the whale onto a tractor-trailer and set out through the city of Tainan, heading for the Shi-Tsau Natural Preserve. It took 13 hours, three cranes and 50 workers to get the whale loaded on the truck. Unfortunately, on the way through the city, gasses built up to a critical level in the whale and it exploded, spewing whale guts in the street, on the cars and over pedestrians. According to witnesses, the smell was pretty bad. Residents and shop owners put on masks and tried to clean up the mess. Eventually the whale continued its journey to the research center.

Sunday morning's session at sunset beach was small, but uncrowded...

for more north shore videos, check out www.lokahisurftours.comSurf Report: 2-3ft+ | Clean