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There’s something about the fall. On the ASP tour it’s most concentrate number of contests with the Boost Mobile Pro Trestles, Quicksilver Pro France (Hossegor), Billabong Pro Mundaka, and Hang Loose Pro Santa Catarina, Brazil all being run off in quick succession. Incredibly, Taj Burrow actually has a chance at catching Kelly Slater for the world title (assuming Kelly implodes and Taj turns it on for the last couple of events). But watching this video of Kelly at the Boost Mobile Pro makes it hard to argue that he’s not the best surfer in the world.

New Smyrna Beach, FL set a new record for most shark attacks in a year at 23. In case you don’t think that’s a lot of shark attacks, consider that in 2007 there were 74 shark attacks globally! My question is why is anyone out there surfing at all?! The Fear Beneath reports on the last attack. Although with three months left in 2008, I doubt that the sharks of New Smyrna will rest on their laurels.

Check out all the latest shark news on Surftherenow.com here.

See Other Top Posts:

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Your Chances of Dying of a Shark Attack – Pretty Slim

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See Other Amazing Posts on SurfThereNow:

Diver Fights and Kills 12 ft. Tiger Shark (Photos)

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Incredible HD Footage of Surfer in the Barrel

Clark Little’s Stunning Images of Waves

OK, granted this actually happened in January of 2008, it’s still worth posting. A couple of bodyboarders decided to charge huge storm waves in Cornwall, England. Originally posted in the Daily Mail UK, the newspaper claims the waves are 50 ft. The whitewash might be 50 ft, but the waves look more like 12. Still pretty heavy for the UK. This guy either charged hard or got caught in the worst rip current of his life.

Kelly took second place behind Adrian “Ace ” Buchan at the Quicksilver Pro France (more on the finals at 5ones.com). So far this year, he’s won 5 out of 8 events and taken second twice. Still Taj is 1800 points behind (competitors are awarded 1200 points for finishing first in an event) with three events left. Mundaka and Brazil are wildcard events because of inconsistent conditions meaning there’s no particular advantage to Kelly Slater but he’s always done well at Pipeline (the last event on the WCT tour in December). So Taj get over losing at Trestles and lock down a couple of wins here if you want any chance at winning the World Title. Official ASP rankings below. Oh and by the way, this will be Kelly’s 9th World Title.

Couple video clips from Surfline TV. First up is one of the craziest barrels I’ve seen: Michael Brennan at Shipsterns’ Bluff. The Second clip is off urban surfing in San Francisco.

Quicksilver Pro event on the beaches of Hossegor kicks off. Round one and two have already been held and they’re waiting for the surf to build again for round three. Andy Irons made it through the first round only to be a no-show for his heat for round two. How can a pro surfer not show up for his heat is incredible to me, but he’s Andy Irons. Seems like he’s just rolled over to Slater and given up on competing this year. He’s been pretty mediocre on the tour this year (ASP rankings). Check out the slideshow at Transworld Surf.

The coastline of the middle east, the last surfing frontier? Likely. Countries of Somalia, Yemen, Oman, Iran, and Pakistan all have significant coastline exposed to Indian Ocean swells (check out how long Somalia’s coast line is). A quick search on Wannasurf.com listed one spot in Somalia, none in Yemen, 12 in Oman, and not surprisingly none in Iran or Pakistan.

Yemen is an elusive surf destination. A very conservative Muslim country that has in past been an enclave of Al Qaeda. The government isn’t too keen on tourism and you’ll likely be the only surfers in the country. A few adventurous surfers hit up Yemen and charged the various breaks down there. Check out the article at the LonelyPlanet.com.

“You’ll need ample time, determination and money; but for the experienced wave rider looking for quality surf spots and empty beaches, Yemen is the ultimate adventure playground. The mainland has a number of gentle points, some good-quality beach breaks and one world-class wedge that, day after day, chucks out massive barrels with a predominantly offshore wind.”

“If circling hammerheads and the risk of terrorism aren’t enough to put you off, you could be among the first to blaze a trail to this top-class surfing destination. Local tour operators are only just starting to latch onto what they’ve got. For the moment independent surf travel is all but impossible – you’ll need to employ a tour company to source jeeps, guides and permits. Though this all adds up, making a Yemeni surf trip anything but cheap, you’ll be getting some dream waves in return.”

The writer claims Yemen offers long reeling points, beach breaks, and wedges. Suqutra, Yemen’s largest island is located conspicuously offshore in the line of swell pumping off low pressure systems during the monsoon season from May to September. No doubt you’ll have the place to yourself.

So the time to go is between May and September. You’ll want to bring your standard short board, a satellite phone, a copy of the Koran, and any connections you have with the US State Department.

Here’s an insane slideshow of photos from the competition and the final of the Boost Mobile Pro at Trestles. Photos were taken by San Diego photographer, Nathan Petty. Check them out. Click the link to the full screen slideshow. (Photo credit Nathan Petty: NathanPetty.com)

Talk on the ASP is that Taj got robbed by the judges in the final heat at Trestles. Being there at the heat, it definitely felt that the judges were pulling for Kelly. Taj scored two high waves (9.0 and 9.63) and had combo’ed Kelly with 20 minutes left (it should be noted that the judges pre-heat decided to extend the usual 30 minute heat to 40 minutes – a decision that ended up being crucial for Kelly). I was there at the heat and thought that Taj’s second wave and Kelly’s first wave (9.70) were both over scored. I thought Kelly’s final wave at the horn (9.2) was deserved though. It was a mediocre wave that Kelly surfed insanely well. Anyway, see for your self: here’s the interview with the head ASP judge and the video of the final heat on Surfline (link).

“The variety played a major part in the outcome of the final. Where Taj was surfing with speed and lots of turns, Kelly was surfing on a wave that did not allow a lot to offer. He turned this wave into exceptional surfing with full rail carving turns in the critical sections with variety on each section of the wave. Over the years it has been the surfers themselves who have stated that ALL guys on tour can surf the perfect set waves but it takes real talent to take off on an average looking wave and destroy the thing for what it’s worth. This was one area the judges who were working on the final felt strongly about when I spoke with them at the after-final meeting and wrap up.”