PICTURE: PIERRE TOSTEE / MR PRICE

American Nathaniel Curran finished runner-up in the 35 minute final which enjoyed sunny weather and excellent 1 – 2 metre waves on the final day of action at Willard Beach.

Australian born, Irish surfer Glenn Hall, 30, secured the biggest win of his career taking out the ASP Prime Mr Price Pro Ballito defeating Nathaniel Curran, 27, (USA) in the Final at Willards Beach, in South Africa on Sunday, July 8, 2012.

The final day of competition culminated with the best swell of the waiting period as solid 1.5 metre, offshore conditions provided the idyllic arena for an action-packed day of world-class surfing.

I've been chasing waves for over 30 years now. After trying competitions in my younger days – rather unsuccessfully – I settled into seeking out fun and uncrowded line ups, both around the country and overseas. I'm not a big wave charger or an aerial junkie. Just overhead is usually big enough for me, and hollow enough to get covered but not if it means risking serious injury. In other words, I'd consider myself middle of the road in terms of both surfing ability and desire.

And what I love about surfing, aside from the waves of course, is the vibe associated with it...the stoke. This is a great thing, a shared mindset, and something that should probably be appreciated more than it is these days.

As the surfing world starts focusing back onto Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay, the wildcards for the Billabong Pro J-Bay 2012 have been announced. The six talented surfers are as follows:

Dale Staples and Brandon Jackson have been chosen by ASP Africa, and they will be seeded into the round of 96. Brothers Ryan and Shaun Payne are the Billabong wildcards, and they too will be seeded into the round of 96. Jeffreys Bay Boardriders have chosen Kelvin Zehmke as their representative and he will receive a wildcard into the event, and the JBU Surf Club have chosen Dan Thornton as their wildcard surfer.

"I'm really stoked to get a wildcard into the round of 96," said Staples on hearing the news. "It looks like we're going to get some excellent waves for the beginning of the contest, so hopefully I can put my Supertubes experience to good use."

"Box packers, the guys whose pro career never worked out and ended up packing boxes in the warehouse of some surf company."

That's how it was put to me by an Australian friend. We'd been talking about what life after pro surfing means, and "box packer" was his term for those who had obtained some kind of noteworthiness while in their prime, but whose fate eventuated in less than glorious fashion.

Pro surfing's a tricky game. At its best it can put somebody in front of a global audience, hoisting trophies, being sprayed with champagne in that most Spicollian of dreams. But at its worst it's a destructive force, capable of leaving wrecked youth in its wake. And today, as surf companies look to locked-down bright, marketable talent at ever younger ages, that line is razor thin.

Alejo Muniz © ASP / Cestari / Mr Price

Mr Price Pro Ballito gets down to the business end

Surf News, 6 July  Ballito, KwaDukuza, South Africa -- Just sixteen men remain in this year’s ASP Prime Mr Price Pro Ballito with the Brazilian surfers showing their force in powerful one-metre walls at Willard’s Beach. ASP World No. 20 Alejo Muniz (BRA), one of the latest breed of Brazilian surfers pushing the boundaries of performance surfing, splashed the scoreboard with the highest heat total of the day a 17.17 (out of 20.00).

“I had a really good heat, I was kinda slow and fell on a couple of good waves at the start but I enjoy those heats where you don’t stop paddling and you never give up,” Muniz said. “I like to come from behind in a heat but I was also pretty lucky to get those two waves.”

Arnette Paddles Back Into The Cash Pot Surf Series With New Stops, More Cash

Arnette is pumped to be bringing back their Cash Pot Surf Series in 2012. Now in its second year, Arnette’s regional Cash Pot Surf Series will feature eight, free-to-enter events, taking place in Hawaii this Saturday and throughout California, New Jersey, Florida and North Carolina.

Each event in the Cash Spot Surf Series has a limited amount of space available for competitors, given out on a first come, first serve basis. Cash Spot Surf Series events are beach entry only, so interested participants should plan on being at their local stop by 6:30 am the day of the event!