A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

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backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

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Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Long, hollow, high-speed pointbreak in southern Queensland, Australia, near the New South Wales border; a machine-assisted reconfiguration of four already popular breaks (Snapper Rocks, Rainbow Bay, Greenmount Point, and Kirra Point), described by Surfer's Path magazine as "the most magical pile of sand the surfing world has ever seen." Superbank (dubbed by the Australian surf press) was created in 2001 after local surfer and former world pro champion Wayne Bartholomew suggested that sand taken from a newly commissioned dredging project at the Tweed River boat channel, located a half-mile up the coast and around the headland from Snapper, be directed to an outfall on the northern side of the headland between Tweed River and Snapper. Eleven jet-powered dredging pumps moved up to 13,000 cubic yards of sand a day, and the area between Snapper and Kirra was soon filled in by a broad mile-long beach, which immediately began to produce freakishly stretched-out waves. Fifteen-second tuberides were clocked during the first overhead swell to hit Superbank, and it was easy to manage four disappearances on a single wave. Other sections of the wave were perfect for high-performance turning. In mid-2002, local Gold Coast surfer Damon Harvey rode a wave from Snapper Rocks to North Kirra that was timed at just over four minutes; the wave length was estimated to be just over one mile. Meanwhile, the Gold Coast, already one of the world's most crowded surf zones, soon had to accommodate a flood of national and international visiting surfers; up to 500 surfers at a time will ride Superbank on a good day. "The irony is," as Australian surf journalist Tim Baker wrote, "having created a wave that breaks for over a mile, it is often difficult to ride for more than 50 meters without someone dropping in." Local longboarders, furthermore, miss the gentle and relatively uncrowded waves of Greenmount, which has been all but erased by Superbank. The Coral Sea cyclone season (December to March) generally produces the most consistent Superbank surf, but the winter months (May to August) can create bigger waves along with steady offshore winds. Four-to-six feet is the ideal size. Superbank is in a near-constant state of flux: Waves reshape the sandbar, and new sand is periodically dumped at the top of the point. Two-hundred-yard-long rides are common, but only on the rarest occasion can waves be ridden the entire length of the point; usually Superbank appears as three or four slightly differentiated breaks. Low tide usually produces the hollowest waves. More than a dozen pro and amateur contests are held each year at Superbank, or a portion of it, including Brothers Neilson Pro, the XXXX Alley Classic, the Roxy Pro, and the Quiksilver Pro, which has been the opening event on the world pro tour since 2001. Superbank locals include top-rated pros Dean Morrison, Trudy Todd, Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson, Serena Brooke, Mark Occhilupo, and Chelsea Georgeson. Surfing magazine named Superbank one of the "10 Best Waves in the World" in 2004; it has been featured in a number of surf videos and DVDs, including Snapt (2003), The Clash (2004), and Drive-Thru Australia (2004). See also Gold Coast, Kirra.

Superbank

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing