Saltfest this Sunday 1st of March

 

"Saltfest is a unique Surf Festival held at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast. The event is a fusion of surf products, surf lifestyle and surf culture all in the one amazing location.

Our first year sees the event held on 1 March 2015 to coincide with the Quiksilver Pro, Gold Coast, held at the Kirra Community Hall perched on top of a grassy hill overlooking the spectacular Pacific Ocean. The event catches the best of what the Gold Coast has to offer in terms of surf culture and history.

The day will cater for ocean lovers and families who are looking for a unique experience and a taste of what the Gold Coasters enjoy from one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

Come and meet local shapers, surf photographers, surf clothing businesses, surf rider groups and local tasty food vendors. Most businesses will have their products for sale so make sure you pack some cash in your sock."

http://www.saltfest.com.au/

Surfers celebrate form and function

When you hear the words "fish fry" a battered fillet of lemon fish probably comes to mind, not a non-commercial, non-competitive surfing event.

But the Cove Fish Fry is garnering a name nationally and internationally as a Northland-based gathering of surfers and shapers celebrating the various forms of the surfboard, most notably the twin keel "fish".

"It is a day of show and tell, so surfers and shapers bring surfboards that are loosely based or influenced by the fish," said organiser, surf enthusiast and Northern Advocate photographer Michael Cunningham.

The second annual Waipu Cove event on March 8 will include other alternative boards such as hand planes, traditional Hawaiian belly boards, mini Simmons, longboards -- traditional and new styles-- and wooden boards.

"It should be a real mixture of new and vintage New Zealand surfboards, plus some international surfboards as well," Mr Cunningham said.

The Cove Fish Fry, Douglas Pearson, Whangarei, who will be there on the day with some of his vast collection of surfborads.

And it's not only the boards that will be international. Overseas visitors to this year's event include well-known Californian shaper Rich Pavel and the founder of the Gold Coast's Alley Fish Fry, Grant Newby.

They will joined by shapers from across New Zealand, including Northland's own Roger Hall of Surfline and Jamie Scott from Tribal Surfboards, as well as Bobby Crisp from Deluxe Industries, Jay Jackman from Christchurch-based Sadhana Surfboards and Steve Morris from Morris Surfboards, displaying their handiwork for people to view and possibly have a surf on.

"It's kind of grown and evolved into almost like a car show, but for surfboards," Mr Cunningham said.
"It's not really a swap-meet, more a networking day that's good for people that are interested in surfing and learning how to surf to get an idea of what different things are out there.

"It's also a good day for surfers who have been surfing for a while and who are looking for something different to ride or try. It's good for shapers to be able to see what people are interested in, and what direction surfing is going in. And it's also interesting for people that don't know a lot about surfing to come along and see how varied and different surfing actually is."

It's an annual event Mr Cunningham would like to see continue for a number of years.
"At the moment the Fish Fry spirit is pretty strong, but, as with all events, it will fizzle out at some point. It'll have its longevity, it might last five years, it might last 10 years. I'd like to think it would go a little bit longer than that.

"It's an excuse to get all of the people in the surfing industry locally and nationally and whoever we can get from overseas in one place at the same time to talk about surfing and surfboards, and exchange ideas, and hopefully come away with a new direction."

The Cove Fish Fry will be held at Waipu Cove beach on March 8 from 8am.

Content from The Northern Advocate Newspaper New Zealand

The "Cove Fish Fry " New Zealand

 

Sunday 8th March Waipu Cove   http://thecovefishfry.blogspot.co.nz

If you are heading over to New Zealand for the 2nd Annual Waipu Cove Fish Fry on Sunday 8th of March , then maybe you should check out having a surf at the LOGGER HEADS II event being held at Mangawhai Heads on 7th March 2015.

"There is a chance we might shift the contest to Te Arai or similar as there have been excellent banks along the coast, and chances are if conditions allow we could score some fun Logging waves....

Entries close on Monday 2nd March 2015 so please spread the word. "

Thanks to SLIDE Magazine, Brixton, ThreadBox and Skunkworks Mangawhai for their support of this event.

Contact: Contest Director – Tony Baker 021907066 / baker.buddha@gmail.com