Whether you’re already a fan of Jonathan Jones’ piano-driven pop or you’re hearing it for the first time, there’s no denying his gift for crafting songs you may eventually need to have lobotomized out of your head. The San Diego singer-pianist used to bang the keys in Waking Ashland; these days he busies himself with the same role in We Shot The Moon, and of course with his own solo work. On his latest release, Community Group (available for streaming on his Bandcamp page), Jones pulls back the big guitars and heavy drums to showcase his graceful piano playing within an organic environment of soaring strings, fearless horns, and even a thunderous tympani.

Check Quiksilver Brazil’s “Hawaii Report” video below, which includes an instrumental version of Jones’ “The Living Dead” from Community Group!

The feature of the weekend will be the Jamie Mitchell-designed SURVIVOR SUP race. Jamie explains the unique format he has devised here.

This weekend’s paddle festival will be broadcast LIVE in Hawaii on Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s digital channels 250 & 1250, also on Time Warner Cable in Southern California and the Desert Cities, and LIVE on the official website: quiksilver.com/watermanevents.

JAMIE MITCHELL TALK STORY EVENT:
10X world paddleboard champion Jamie Mitchell was the featured guest of a Talk Story event at Surfer The Bar, Turtle Bay, on Wednesday April 2 – which also benefited North Shore paddling legend George Ramos, who is currently battling cancer. Mitchell provided insight into this weekend’s race, his career, the future of paddling, and talk about his new documentary: DECADE OF DOMINANCE that’ll be screening at Duke’s Waikiki, Thursday April 3 6-9pm.

PRESS CONFERENCE – MAY 3:
Media are invited to attend an event press conference, Thursday May 3, at 1pm in the Voyager Room of the Outrigger Reef Hotel, Waikiki. Athletes in attendance include: Jamie Mitchell (Australia), Travis Grant (Australia), Connor Baxter (Hawaii), Gerry Lopez (Hawaii), Jenny Kalmbach (Hawaii), and Candice Appleby (Hawaii). Mahalo to the Outrigger Reef Hotel for their ongoing support of the race.

WEEKEND RACE SCHEDULE: (Please note that schedule may change on the day. Athletes should check in and allow plenty of time for their events.)

SATURDAY:
8:30am – Opening Ceremony @ Duke Kahanamoku Beach
9am-4pm – Paddle/SUP Beach Expo including Demos
9:30am – Open SUP 12′6″, 14′ race
11:00am – 12′ Stock prone paddleboard race
12:00pm – Men & Women Survivor SUP Elite race
2:30pm – OC-6 Sprints
3:30pm – OC-1, OC-2, OC-3, Surf Ski & V-1 races
Awards to follow.
All events free for spectators to watch. Food, beverages and entertainment available on the Hale Koa lawn.

SUNDAY: 9am-4pm – Paddle Expo including Demos
10:00am – OC-6 Iron Distance race (starts at Hawaii Kai)
10:15am – OC-1, OC-2, OC-3, Surf Ski, V-1 distance race (starts at Hawaii Kai)
10:30am – SUP 12′6″, 14′, Unlimited/Prone, 12′ Stock, Unlimited distance race (starts Hawaii Kai)
1:00pm – Prone/SUP 4-person relay
2:30pm – SUP 4-person relay
4:00pm – Waterman Challenge: 500m swim, 1,000m prone paddle, 1,500m SUP paddle.
Awards to follow.
All events free for spectators to watch. Food, beverages and entertainment available on the Hale Koa lawn.

PLEASE NOTE: All rules and guidelines for the Quiksilver Waterman Collection Waikiki Paddle Festival and the Jamie Mitchell Survivor race are set up in cooperation with the World Paddle Association.  The Jamie Mitchell Survivor race is a unique format by which rules and guidelines were put in place to be fun, fair and consistent with the current 2012 World Paddle Association SUP Rulebook.  All participants should review the rules for such unique events like the Jamie Mitchell Survivor race since there are some additions that you will help you in your efforts and maximize your success.  Be sportsmanlike and enjoy the sport of stand up paddling.

Four generations of Peter’s family joined him in celebrating his first World Title. While Rep. Rohrabacher presented he and Gary Linden with a special commemorative coin, “Freedom Surf Team,” for Fighting for Freedom and Having Fun. Linden also asked the large crowd for a moment of silence while he honored the passing of longtime friend and swell confidant Sean Collins, founder of Surfline.

BWWT Runner-up, Ben Wilkinson said, “The evening was a gathering of the big wave tribe, positive vibes, great personalities, legends of all ages! It is truly an honor to represent Australia on the Big Wave World Tour! It is also a huge honor to place second behind Peter Mel, one of my heroes! He has set the benchmark in competitive big wave surfing and deserves to be World Champ! I am looking forward to this year’s competition and the up coming Quiksilver Punta de Lobos event in Chile. Yeeeeeewwwww!”

Outgoing BWWT Champion, Jamie Sterling said, “Thanks Gary. He built the platform for us, and here we are celebrating what we do at a competitive level, the Big Wave World Tour.”

The BWWT would like to thank all those who helped to support the event including: Quiksilver – Dick Brewer Surfboards – Solraiz Organics Maca -Surfline / BWWT Official Forecaster – Longboard Vineyard – Freeline Surfshop, Santa Cruz – Electra Cruises – Meridian Graphics – Linden Surfboards – The Barnwell Shift

Based in the Los Angeles-adjacent city of Pasadena, the Thing About Rivals possess a sound that’s clearly adapted to their sunny Southern California environs. The quartet not only weaves elements of shoegaze, reverb-rich surf guitar, acoustic folk-rock, and — gasp — even jazz fusion into their cinematic sound, but they also know when to rip the cord and kick things into high gear on the driving “Oh Well,” an instrumental version of which soundtracks the teaser for our “From The Office:” series.

The Thing About Rivals’ excellent six-song debut, Sabrina, is out now and streaming on the band’s website!

Check out legendary surf breaks “The Pass” and “The Wreck” from your private, sun-drenched deck. Wake up to the sound of the waves and go surfing or do laps in the 50 metre public pool out front. Kick back with a beer and a local band at “The Beachie” or take an afternoon stroll to the lighthouse and watch the sun setting over the hinterland.

White-washed interiors, sun-kissed timber floors and the uber-cool, surf-inspired decor provide the ultimate chill-out zone.

Book Online.

Jamie will be at the premiere, so don’t miss this chance to meet him and share in his journey at 6:15pm Saturday, April 28th at the Lido Theater in Newport Beach.

If you’re in the area, the Quiksilver Waterman Collection store is well worth a visit. You’ll find a collection of boards including a 1998 Kelly Slater board hand painted by Kelly himself and a vintage Tom Carroll 1987 Brewer Gun. Additionally, the store has a one-of-kind collection of photos chronicling the journeys of Quiksilver Waterman athletes.

259 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA
(949) 718-9792

Garrett Parkes // Troppo from Garrett Parkes on Vimeo.

Taken from a time so famous Quiksilver and J Crew bring back the aloha, country ad bamboo prints in four distinct designs – all fit for the modern man. This fully curated collection is sure to please both the mean and the boys ’cause the line is made for both.

Sold online at jcrew.com and in the J Crew catalog through summer 2012.

Decade of Dominance
Jamie Mitchell dominates the SUP racing scene, but that’s not all. Before SUP blew up, the Aussie was already on a winning streak, dominating paddleboarding’s most challenging race, the Molokai to Oahu. Paddling the 32-mile stretch of the Ka’iwi Channel, or ‘Channel of Bones,’ is no small feat as it’s one of the world’s most treacherous channels and the ultimate test of endurance. Since first competing in the race in 2002, Jamie has won ten consecutive years, creating his decade of dominance.Follow Jamie on his journey to win number ten of the Molokai to Oahu race in Decade of Dominance.
April 28th Decade Of Dominance @ Lido Theatre 6:15PM

Art of Flight
Equal Parts action and adventure mixed with the inevitable drama encountered along the way, iconic snowboarder Travis Rice and Friends redefine what is possible in the mountains. Experience the highs as new tricks are landed and new zones opened, alongside the lows, where avalanches, accidents and wrong turns strike.
April 29 Art of Flight @ Triangle Square 12:30pm

H2IndO
In late March, SUP magazine Editor Joe Carberry and seven of the world’s best standup paddlers including Connor Baxter, Chuck Patterson, Slater Trout, Dave Boehne, Jamie Mitchell, Dave Kalama and Talia Gangini went on a dream trip to the Mentawais in Indonesia. With the help of world renowned surf photographer Jason Kenworthy, they collected some of the finest standup photography ever captured on film. Look for the feature in the Fall issue that hits newsstands in September.
April 29th H2Indo SUP Film @ Lido Theatre 6:00PM

Stacked
A short film shot this past September during the Quiksilver Pro New York. The film captures the unprecedented surf competition through the eyes of local surfer and contest competitor, Balaram Stack.
May 3rd Stacked@ Island Cinemas 6:00pm

FOR MORE INFO AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS PLEASE VISIT: nbffaction.com

Here are some photos from the evening shot by John Salangsang.

The week 5 boardhsort winner is misfitscarclub for their photo of a fortune cookie surprise. Congrats!

That fortune cookie has some words of wisdom. Photo: misfitscarclub

And now the 3 BIG WINNERS who will each be receiving a Quiksilver Surfboard are jeremy_j, tomcat99 and shookyx4. Each of these guys came through with awesome photos of a ‘Quiksilver Moment’ and we are stoked they shared them with us.

In no particular order, here are the 3 grand prize winners:

#NoPhotoshop and we’re believers. Photo: jeremy_j

Dedication to the max. Photo: tomcat99

Waterman in the making. Photo: shookyx4

Drawing compositional inspiration from minimal music pioneer Steve Reich while – stay with us here – not sounding unlike new age legend Michael Hedges, Alexander Turnquist may well be a party of one on today’s guitarist/composer landscape. The New York-based Turnquist is a masterful musician, employing a brilliant finger-style technique to create remarkably lush sounds on his 12-string acoustic guitar – an approach that renders each opus on his latest album, Hallway Of Mirrors, in graceful fashion. Turnquist’s gorgeous music and singular composition skills are the perfect match for the third episode of our snowy Eh Roadtrip series, featured below!

When: Tuesday, April 24th from 6-8PM
Where: Quiksilver Waterman Collection Store at Fashion Island, 259 Newport Center Dr. Newport Beach, CA. (949) 718-9792

Come down to Boardriders Thursday April 19th from 6-9pm and enjoy live art, music local DJ Kevyon Pierre, refreshments including beer frin PRIMO and Central Cal Wines and shopping to benefit Venice Family Clinic. This event is free and open to the public. A 20% discount will be offered and 20% of all proceeds will be donated towards the Venice family clinic. See you there!

585 Boardriders is located at: 585 North Venice Blvd., Venice, CA.

The best way to check the surf. Photo: mcfarty

Thanks to everyone who tagged their “Quiksilver Moment” with @QuiksilverUSA and #QuiksilverMoments. keep the photos coming as we still have boardshorts and 3 Quik surfboards to giveaway.

Contest dates: March 9 – April 15, 2012

Official Rules

Here are some honorary mentions:

Photo: ratamayo

Photo: cassuhdilla

Photo: nyclunchbreak

Photo: theproperbrettwilliam

Photo: raynorsurf

Photo: nick_j_a

Photo: aussiecrossie

Photo: katiemtk

Photo: armandoreid

With La Nina in full affect for the North Pacific season, bad winds and small swells prevailed. The Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic (Lincoln City, Oregon, USA) and The Peligroso at Todos Santos (Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico) were unable to find suitable conditions to run their respected events.

Peter Mel’s semi final berth in Chile and his win in Peru catapulted him to the top of the ratings and the World Title race.

”Although we were unable to hold our two events in the Northern Hemisphere, Peter Mel our newly crowned Champion did a spectacular job representing the Region. His high performance approach on both the giant lefts of Chile and the long rights of Peru significantly raised the level of Big Wave surfing. The respect he has earned from his peers throughout his career will be echoed around the World as we rejoice in the crowning of this extremely deserving Champion” Gary Linden, Tour Director.

This year brought the unexpected passing of our dear friend and partner, Sean Collins. Sean and his company, Surfline.com, have been involved since the beginning giving the tour valuable information, insights and spot specific detailed intricacies which allowed the BWWT to call events in the best possible conditions. Trusted colleague, Kevin Wallace, and his team at Surfline.com will carry on Sean’s incredible legacy.

The 2012/2013 BWWT season has official commenced with the holding period for the Quiksilver Ceremonial Chile, Punta de Lobos (April 1st – May 31st).

Congratulations Pete from everyone at Quiksilver. You’re a huge inspiration to all…keep it going!

Stay tuned to quiksilver.com/chile for the Ramon Navarro’s weekly updates from Punta de Lobos, and keep your fingers crossed for gigantic surf!