Meet the Waterman of Tahiti

Red Bull December 31,2019
Surfer Matt Poole takes part in The Waterman: an all-round ocean based competition in Tahiti, French Polynesia.
At Teahupo'o, one of the craziest waves in the surfing community, there is yet another competition that takes place: an all-round ocean based race, Waterman Tahiti.
The Waterman Tahiti Tour is THE standard against which all other “waterman” competitions are measured. Stand up paddle (SUP), open water swimming, prone paddleboard, body surf and lifesaving highlight the versatility and endurance of the athletes. Each year, they train to be able to meet the different challenges and exceed their personal limits. The Waterman Tahiti Tour is a championship measured in points amassed over 5 stages.

Fishpeople | Lives Transformed by the Sea

 Fishpeople tells the stories of a unique cast of characters who have dedicated their lives to the sea. Featuring Kimi Werner, Eddie Donnellan, Dave Rastovich, Matahi Drollet, Ray Collins and Lynne Cox. Directed by Keith Malloy

Hawaii-born Jason Momoa makes a splash on "Aquaman" movie

It’s fitting that Jason Momoa is catapulting to international stardom in a movie titled “Aquaman.”

Like the comic book superhero he portrays in the Warner Bros. DC Extended Universe blockbuster that opens here Friday, the Hawaii-born actor is a true waterman who learned the ways of the ocean from his ohana and a close-knit network of mentors.

Also like his half-human, big-screen alter ego, Momoa, 39, is a product of two distinct and vastly different cultures.  Read More 

Video - Diana Nyad Completes Cuba to Florida Swim

History in the making - Diana Nyad has become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage. The 64-year-old Nyad stepped ashore in Key West on Monday just before 2 p.m., about 53 hours after she began her swim in Havana on Saturday.

    

Diana Nyad hopefully landing in Key West between 4pm and 6pm today

Diana is on course to swim 112 statute miles. This is 35 more miles than anyone has ever swam. They are expecting her to cross reef marker 32 at 11 a.m.  Then it is 5 miles to Smather’s Beach in Key West, which is 1 1/3 miles east of White Street Pier with a hopeful landing between 4pm and 6pm today.

Teammates are reported earlier today; “During this time, Diana has stopped numerous times to tread water trying to restore herself. We don’t know how strong she is swimming at this point, but we’ll get an update soon.” Usually seeing the dawn helps; daylight tends to uplift her.

Track her current location at;  http://www.diananyad.com/

Is he coming back? Michael Phelps vague about Olympic future

Barcelona, Spain - (AP) -- When Michael Phelps walked away from swimming after the London Olympics, he was adamant about one thing: His career was over.
Now, it sounds like he's not so sure.

Former Olympic and world swimming champion Michael Phelps of the US attends the unveiling of a mosaic installed in his honour at the FINA Swimming World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, July 28, 2013 .

(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

While saying he's never been happier with his life -- and certainly doesn't miss the grind of what it took to become the winningest athlete in Olympic history -- Phelps left the door open to change his mind before the 2016 Rio Games.

"I don't know what's going to happen in the future," Phelps said Monday. "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow."

In Barcelona for the world swimming championships, Phelps spoke to The Associated Press and other international media organizations in a series of one-on-one interviews set up by his sponsor, Speedo. When asked by the AP, yes or no, whether he'll compete at the next Olympics, Phelps coyly said he hasn't planned that far ahead in his life.

ORACLE TEAM USA - Team Building the Tough Way video

 It wasn't the average team building exercise. The Red Bull High Performance Team visited Pier 80 and tested ORACLE TEAM USA's preparation for the America's Cup through a full day of rigorous physical and mental challenges, focusing on teamwork, communication, strength and endurance, all while working under pressure.

The new shark deterrent wetsuit / Surfer Today

Well, I will leave it to the readers here to decide?  The new shark deterrent wetsuit: The world's first shark deterrent wetsuits have been unveiled by the University of Western Australia and Shark Attack Mitigation Systems.

The 31st Annual 2013 California Surf Lifesaving Championships Set for July 26-27 in Newport Beach

The top professional and junior lifeguards in the state will compete in the 2013 California Surf Life Saving Assn. Southwest Regional Lifeguard Championships on Friday, July 26 and Saturday, July 27. The two-day event will be held on the south side of the Newport Beach Pier between 18th and 20th Streets, adjacent to the Newport Beach Lifeguard Headquarters located at 70 Newport Pier. The competition returns to Newport Beach after a highly successful 2012 event.

The California Junior Lifeguard Regional Championship for all CSLSA affiliated Junior Lifeguard programs will be held on Friday, July 26, while the events for California Lifeguards and Lifeguard alumni will be held on Saturday, July 27. On both days, competition begins at 8 a.m.

Honoring Hawai'i's Outstanding Käne and Wähine O Ke Kai / 2013 Waterman Hall of Fame

Aloha! Hawai'i is steeped in the legacy of the waterman beginning with the ancient Polynesians who crossed the vast Pacific Ocean in canoes and then practiced the art of surfing for centuries using long, heavy wooden boards before western man ever encountered the Hawaiian Islands.

 

Led by the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation, the Hawai'i Waterman Hall of Fame is paying tribute to Hawai'i's extraordinary waterman athletes of more modern times, with this showcase of remembrance honoring their achievements.

Hawai'i's watermen and waterwomen have been vital to the cultural heritage of the Hawaiian Islands, their stature essential to the aura of unmatched qualities that makes these islands so special to so many people worldwide.

Each Hall of Fame inductee celebrated here has had a profound impact in perpetuating Hawai'i's waterman legacy, and establishing the Hawaiian Islands as the focal point in the ocean-sports universe.

The Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation is proud to recognize the 2013 Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame Inductee Class:

 

Steve Borowski - Swimming

Tommy Conner - Paddling

Linda Kaiser - Open Water Swimming

Bill Smith - Swimming, Ocean Safety

China Uemura - Surfing

Source; Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation

Seafarers, Four Young Surfers With Passions Beyond The Riding Of Waves

Surfer Magazine - Surfing’s beginning and end are in the storms out at sea. As the collective focus of the surf world narrows, spiraling toward a singular obsession with performance on a wave, the big blue ocean’s role in the grand scheme of things is unjustly diminished. There’s much more to it than a swell meeting a sandbar. Tracing surfing’s lineage for perspective, we find our forefathers to be watermen who made their living by the sea, those who planted the seed from which this sport sprouted. While surfing’s spotlight focuses on heat scores and hashtags, four young watermen are tapping into a connection with the ocean much deeper than the basic riding of waves. Don’t get the wrong idea, as surfers, they all rip—it’s just that they’re fine with losing sight of the shoreline as well.

Read more about these amazing Seafarers

All For One, One For All Swim Across The Molokai Channel

Every channel swimmer knows it takes a team to successfully cross a channel. An expert pilot, a dedicated crew, trusty paddlers or kayakers.

And now Molokai Channel swimmers have the opportunity to take their own teams across the Ka’iwi Channel, one of the famed Oceans Seven channels.

Jeff Kozlovich and Steve Haumschild are organizing the first Ka'iwi Channel Swim this summer. 26miles across the Ka’iwi Channel from the west shore of Molokai to Sandy Beach on the east shore of Oahu.

The race will be held on August 24th, 2013 and is limited to 40 teams of 2 or 6 swimmers. Kozlovich say, "The race will put some meaning back into the word epic."

While there have been 29 swimmers recorded as having crossed the Ka’iwi Channel on their own, this is the first organized team race across the channel. Both Haumschild and Kozlovich have served as personal escorts to Bill Goding, Penny Palfrey, Darren Miller, Oliver Wilkinson, and others. "Our experiences have led us to imagine an event that would bring the giants of the field to compete with, and against, each other, with a healthy representation of the open water swimming community joining in on the fun."

But this relay is not just for the elites. Haumschild and Kozlovich mention on their blog, "This is shaping up to be one incredible race that will strengthen the open water swimmer presence in Hawaii and create amazing memories and friendships." Haumschild says, "The race participants are some of the most competitive, experienced and trained athletes in the world." Registration for this race opens on March 15th 2013. For more information, visit the Ka’iwi Channel Swim website here or by contacting Jeff Kozlovich at kozhawaii@gmail.com.

The date is set. The challenge has been offered. The 26 miles (42 km) will be epic, no doubt about it.

Source; Open Water Swimming

Are Open Water Swimmers Watermen?

Thursday, January 10, 2013 - Open Water Source

To answer that question, we first must understand what is a waterman, a term used frequently in the surfing world?

Watermen - or its feminine equivalent, waterwomen - are individuals who are considered by their peers and the marine sports community to be well-adept, experienced and highly skilled in various marine sports and aquatic activities, performed safely and courageously in myriad conditions.

Their abilities are matched by their passion and comfort levels in the ocean. They surf, swim, paddle, kayak, body surf, boat, and dive. They can do rowing, fishing, stand-up paddling, surf lifesaving, lifeguarding, kite sailing and windsurfing.

Ocean Rescue Lifeguards of Florida - # 1

Deerfield Beach Lifeguard Tower - C Michael Hager

 

As we prepare to enter into a new year and with the coming beach season, we thought it would be fitting to feature a different type of watermen!  We will look at some of the different agencies, tryouts, training, day to day work and lifestyles of Ocean Rescue Lifeguards in Florida.