ASP World Championship Tour Event

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
8 - 18 May 2013

Dramatic Action for Opening Round of Billabong Rio Pro at Barra Da Tijuca

Round 1 of the Billabong Rio Pro was completed today in three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves at the primary site of Barra da Tijuca with the world’s best surfers navigating the at-times challenging barrels on offer and thrilling the crowd on the beach.

Stop No. 3 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the Billabong Rio Pro continues this year’s campaign for the world surfing crown and the perennial threats were in form on the opening day of competition.

THURSDAY, MAY 9: DAVE PARMENTER,  has unquestionably lived one of the most interesting lives in the sport: A talented pro surfer in the ’80s; a respected and published surf writer (included in 1993′s Best American Sports Writing collection); a sought-after surfboard shaper; and pioneering stand-up paddleboard designer. Parmenter was also married to Hawaii’s “Queen of Surfing”, Rell Sunn, up until she lost her fight with breast cancer in 1998. Never swayed by conventional trends or thought, Dave’s eternal creativity, curious nature, sharp observations and intuition remain untempered. Tonight’s Talk Story door donation will go to the Rell Sunn Educational Fund.

Kimi Werner: The Most Bad Ass Chick In The World

Kimi grew up in tropical surroundings on Maui, where her father was a dedicated freediver. With a craving for the simple life, Kimi followed in her dad’s footsteps, winning a U.S. National Spearfishing Championship in 2008. She’s also an artist and accomplished chef. “The moment I took up freediving and spearfishing again,” she says, “I reconnected to the happiness of my childhood.”

Coco Ho is a princess -- if by princess you mean Hawaiian royalty, that is. She loves to dance, loves surfing in bikinis, but isn't precious. She also loves getting barreled and busting lips. She weathers quandaries of mortal consequence with notable strength. She has more Instagram followers than Taj Burrow. Her handle, XOCocoHo, is code for "hugs and kisses," which is what she'll shower you with if you're her friend. If you're her foe ... different story. She doesn't have many of those, though.

Hawaiian surfer Shane Dorian (Kona, Hawaii, USA) has walked away with one of the sport's most-prized accolades, the 40 year old winning the Ride of the Year award at the annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards ceremony, held at The Grove theatre in Anaheim, California last night.
 
Dorian received USD$50,000 for the monumental wave he successfully paddled into and surfed at Jaws, Maui, last October. Dorian's wave also included a gigantic tube ride, which earned him an additional $5,000 and the award for Pacifico Tube. 

It's not a competition of who's on the weirdest mission. It's just a celebration of your mental calibration. Wavelengths flutter like a bird that's stuck in butter. Felling gray matter with a stack of cruddy clutter.
Strange Brains

Everything around us blinks, rings, sings, shouts, distracts, vibrates, reminds, likes, comments and downloads. The chaos and beauty of the world is overshadowed by technological distractions and tweets that possess no lasting significance outside the screen they’re displayed.

Hawaii's Shane Dorian leads the list of finalists in the 2013 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards taking place this Friday, May 3rd in Southern California. Thanks to several extraordinary rides on an epic swell at Jaws on Maui, Dorian, 40, accrued an unprecedented five nominations in the event - one in every category except wipeout and female performance.

We wont get to see shots like this of John John Florence © ASP/Dunbar.

Defending Champion John John Florence Withdraws from Billabong Rio Pro

The Billabong Rio Pro, the upcoming third stop on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour, will commence without defending champion John John Florence (HAW), 20, who has officially withdrawn.

The defending event champion was sidelined during the opening stop of the year with an ankle injury sustained on the Gold Coast. Florence was unable to compete at the second stop on tour at Bells Beach and has opted out of the Billabong Rio Pro in hopes of healing 100% before rejoining the elite ranks....

Derek is a talented Videographer and was on hand for one of Aprils Epic Pipe swells. This past April is likely to go down as a one in a decade month for late season swell. Here's a treat to remember by.

4/8/13 Late Season Pipeline Swell.

Film/Edit: Derek Hanson
Song: Friend (Lover) by Evenings
Archival Footage: archive.org

Hiatuspictures.com