Surf N Sol

YouTube DirektCheck video on YouTube

During an amazing Na Pali coast zodiac boat trip with Na Pali Riders, I was stoked to find two young monk seals playing in the back of one of the caves off of Polihale beach.  These two guys didn’t seem to mind me in the water with them, though they can be dangerous;  i.e. don’t try this at home.

There are only about 1200 of these animals left in the islands and they are definitely endangered and protected.  Recently I’ve read reports that say the seals, for better or for worse, are becoming more and more comfortable around beaches with lots of people (even Waikiki).  Again, you want to keep your distance from these wild creatures, though they sure are awesome when you see one of them up close.  You can spot them on many of Kauai’s North shore beaches, usually laying on the sand during one of their multi-day naps.

This March, the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Dream Tour kicks off at Snapper Rocks for the Quicksilver Pro – Gold Coast, Australia.  With the ever rising popularity of surfing in our culture and as a sport, live streaming video on internet is in the drivers seat to take viewership and the surfing bandwagon even further. Growing up a soccer player in The States, I know what its like to not have the mainstream sports media (ESPN, FOX, etc) really cover your sport.  Even here in Hawaii, the birthplace of surfing, there is no dedicated television or other traditional media outlet covering the sport of surfing.  But this is changing on the internet.  For the last 3 to 5  years, we’ve been able to see “heats on demand” from most of the ASP tour events.  This means that you can queue up your favorite surfer in a heat(s) they may have surfed earlier that day or week. Furthermore, it that after last year’s season the “Live Streaming” surf contest is becoming the norm.  Finally, the internet is growing up and turning into the television that we all know and expect it will become.  I’ll keep dreaming that one day I’ll turn on the beloved Sportcenter to see Kelly Slater shredding Bells Beach followed by Wayne Rooney drilling a shot at goal from the 18, but in the meantime, I’ll be online to get my “alternative” sports dose.

Check out the  Quicksilver Pro for highlights and live streaming video of all the pro surfers out there on the Gold Coast!