Ian Walsh has experienced situations while big wave surfing that most mortals could never dream of. On more occasions than he would care to recall, the zipper on Walsh’s protective life vest failed due to the force of a bad wipeout in big waves. Quite literally busting open from end-to-end, his life vest left him nearly defenseless and scrambling for survival.

As Walsh explains, “I hit the water so hard on one wave that the life jacket I had on broke. It blew the zipper open, so when I hit it was a like a parachute just opened on my back and put me to a dead stop. I was probably going like 40 or 50 miles an hour.”

There are a lot of tattoos out there that speak to Hawaiian pride. A simple map of the islands is tasteful. Of course, there are any number of water and mountain imagery that make up sleeves. There's the more traditional Polynesian artwork originally banned by missionaries that has become a strong cultural tie. And then there's your straight up Hawaiian Pride neck tats.

20-year-old John John Florence doesn't have any ink. But right now, he is as strong a source of Hawaiian pride as you're going to find in the Islands.

Welcome to the latest edition of the ASP Weekly Pulse. This week’s update focuses on the culmination of the 2012 ASP WCT Season, which ended in dramatic fashion when Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, won not only his maiden ASP World Title, but also his first Billabong Pipe Masters! Aside from Parkinson’s big showing, the ASP Weekly Pulse breaks down the ASP Rookie of the Year award, which was secured by John John Florence (HAW), 19, who was the highest rated rookie following the final stop on the ASP WCT. In addition to the Pipeline finale, the ASP Weekly Pulse introduces the 2013 ASP rookie class.

O'Neill X Ohana is a piece created to really highlight our athletes. The word Ohana means family in Hawaiian and everyone in this short film has spent countless years riding for the same brand we call O'Neill. Jordy Smith, Ian Crane, Timmy Reyes, Cory Lopez, and John John Florence (as seen in order) all feature their best waves from the time they spent on this rock called Hawaii.

Sebastien Ziets, Glenn Hall & Nat Young join the elite tour

The 2012 ASP World Championship Tour season has come to a close following yesterday’s culmination of the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons and the clinching of the 2012 ASP World Title by Joel Parkinson. While the world’s best surfers prepare for a well-deserved break before the start of the next season, the ASP has determined which surfers will contest for the 2013 ASP World Title: