White Gold...

Dan Ross White Patagonia Wetty........ Photos: Adrian Wlodarczyk

Golden Gate, San Fran

Patagonia Australia - Busy little beavers...

Its been a super busy back end of 2011 for Patagonia Australia. From opening a brand new store in Sydney at 93 Bathurst St in the CBD, to launching a cool new site www.patagonia.com.au/

Patagonia always puts huge amount of thought to to creating the most environmentally sound products and store and infrastructure are no exception.

Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. – Patagonia’s Mission Statement

Check out how they green built the distribution centre...

Our Common Waters

Patagonia's environmental campaign, Our Common Waters, spotlights the need to balance human water needs with those of animals and plants. Features Yvon Chouinard. Produced by Dokument Films. Music thanks to Alexi Murdoch. Learn more and take action at http://www.patagonia.com/ourcommonwaters

Gourmet Bread Sea Shepherd style..

We had the pleasure of sharing a meal with the crew of the Bob Barker when they were docked at Harwood a few months back and it was with out doubt one of the best meals I've ever had, so here's an insight into the ships galley... The crew don't get paid, so the food's gotta be good..!

Hawaii 9'6"...

Dan Ross' brand new Fletcher Chouinard 9'6" Hawaiian Gun... 

A weapon from any angle...

14yo Jeames Young...

is off to the Aussie Titles this weekend and we wish him all the best..!

Check out his site at www.jeamesyoung.com.

El Mar, Mi Alma - film premiere @ Yamba

El Mar, Mi Alma screening @ Yamba Cinema 4.30pm this Sunday. A 16mm cultural surf film experience through Chile featuring beautiful imagery and soundtrack- starring Rasta, Parko, Dane Ward, Ramon Navarro and others. Also screening 'The Great Wave' a seldom seen underground animation by Lennox Head local Tony Gooley, a must see! Tickets $12. Free Coronas @ 4pm before the event.
Come down and support local surfers doing amazingly creative films.......

Barcelona Longtailing...

Just love the tune...

Saving Salmon by Eating Them

Patagonia Wild Salmon Jerky Smoked Chilli Pepper

Patagonia are once again leading the way with "radical" common sense,,, and have launched a new product very different from previous,,, sustainable food with benefits... http://www.patagonia.com/us/shop/salmon-jerky?k=5h

Save Salmon by Eating Them...

Salmon are more than just fish. The immense spawning runs that once filled rivers from Southern California to the Alaskan Arctic formed the lifeblood of coastal ecosystems, nature’s conduit for moving nutrients from the bountiful Pacific to the sterile interior. Ocean elements have been discovered thousands of miles inland, brought there by salmon, and carried deep into the forest and mountains in the bellies of bears, wolves and human beings. Read more... http://www.patagonia.com/us/patagonia.go?assetid=65753

Have a snack and save a species.

Check out an essay by Yvon Chouinard

http://www.patagonia.com/us/patagonia.go?assetid=66131

Yet another Fracking Earthquake...

Did Fracking Cause the Oklahoma Quake?

Come on... Its just common sense that forcing toxic liquids under extreme pressures are going to cause endless and irreversible damage to our precious aquifers, as well as earthquakes...

It seems (no pun intended) that governments and the energy companies alike are blinded by their greed and will let the following generations clean up their astronomical messes and also pick up the clean up bill, that's if the future generations are left anything at all... Smells like the general Baby Boomer attitude of spending the kids inheritance, they say tongue in cheek of course...

This is all driven by greed and the Baby Boomers aren't and won't do anything about it because they are the ones doing it, directly or indirectly in their investments...

I guess they're not called Baby "Boomers" for nothing.

"Peace"

PS. One great thing that happen on the 11.11.11 is that Obama postponed the decision on the Keystone XL Tar Sands proposal for another 12 -18 months, which could have been the greatest environmental disaster of all time.

Tar Sands go to http://freshmullet.blogspot.com/2011/08/josh-fox-for-tar-sands-action.html

Fracking go to http://freshmullet.blogspot.com/2011/05/natural-gas.html

11.11.11..?

What does 11.11.11 mean to you..?

For many its Remembrance Day with an extra set of one's trailing,
where we remember those who've made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom...

Lest We Forget...

For others 11.11.11 is a once in a life time cosmological phenomenon of Oneness,
that could possibly mark the beginning of the end, Apocalypse, Armageddon, dooms-day
and or the gateway of The Age of Aquarius ...

For some it's an opportunity to entertain,

and potentially pray & profit on peoples insecurities & vulnerabilities...

For a crafty few its an excuse to be creative, artistic (thanks)
and show off the most sustainable resource on the planet..

And for an anonymous minority 

its an opportunity to ask some big questions...

Which ever way you view 11.11.11,

its an excellent time to reflect & connect with whatever you believe...

Peace...

Stonefield - Black Water Rising...

How's the voice of the front chick on this all girl band,,, love the black & white themed video too...

These guys where "unearted" by Triple J with screeching vocals, electrifying riffs, keys and driving beats are streaming from the cracks of a shed in the hills.

Growing up on a diet of Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, and Hendrix, the sisters picked up their instruments in late 2006 and after a month started playing as a band.

World Responsible Tourism Day - Wed 9th November

Yesterday / today is World Responsible Tourism Day, as part of the World Travel Market ExCel London Expo ,7-10 November 2011 with all the who's who of the global travel market...

Responsible tourism is such an important part of ensuring and preserving the sustainable futures of cultures and less fortunate regions of our delicate planet.

Fresh Mullet has is excited to become a valued member of this essential and ambitious movement and look forward to working and collaborating with like minded tourism operators from all around the world.

About WTM WRTD 

What is responsible tourism? In 2002, 280 representatives from all sectors of tourism from 20 countries attended the Cape Town Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations, preceding the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. A declaration on responsible tourism was agreed.

Cape Town Declaration The 2002 Cape Town declaration agreed that responsible tourism: minimises negative economic, environmental and social impacts generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well being of host communities; improves working conditions and access to the industry involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural  and cultural heritage embracing diversity provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues provides access for physically challenged people is culturally sensitive, encourages respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence

WTM World Responsible Tourism Day Objectives WTM has four realistic objectives for this day of action. WTM WRTD, with support from the UNWTO wants the industry to work together to: help drive change by educating more responsible behaviour with the travel and tourism industry and travelling public explore the issues of how countries and destinations are made more sustainable including case studies of best practices educate the marketplace and debate key environmental related issues to push the agenda and be a catalyst for change harness the influence of World Travel Market as an international business forum to encourage the industry to drive the responsible tourism agenda forward Go to: www.wtmwrtd.com

Lou Reed + Metallica = Lulu

Humpbacks love pecks paste...

A woman floating on a surfboard near Santa Cruz, California almost ended up as pecks paste for a humpback whale over the weekend.

Barb Roettger had her camera rolling as two hefty whales popped out of the calm waters not far from the unsuspecting surfer and a pair of kayakers.

A pod of humpback whales has been hanging out off the Santa Cruz coast, noshing on anchovies that flock to the area to feed on plankton. The woman found herself in the middle of a feeding frenzy called lunge feeding, which occurs when whales herd anchovies and shoot straight up out of the water with their mouth wide open to catch the fish.

Bon Iver - Holocene (Official Music Video)

What a song, what a video...

The Story of Broke 2011 - We're not broke..!

Psst,,, pass it on...

http://storyofbroke.org — The Story of Broke

The United States isn't broke; we're the richest country on the planet and a country in which the richest among us are doing exceptionally well. But the truth is, our economy is broken, producing more pollution, greenhouse gasses and garbage than any other country. In these and so many other ways, it just isn't working. But rather than invest in something better, we continue to keep this 'dinosaur economy' on life support with hundreds of billions of dollars of our tax money. The Story of Broke calls for a shift in government spending toward investments in clean, green solutions—renewable energy, safer chemicals and materials, zero waste and more—that can deliver jobs AND a healthier environment. It's time to rebuild the American Dream; but this time, let's build it better.

Nias

I went to Nias in 2000 with good mates Sam, Walt, Tobes and Antman. Looking back it was the way surf trips use to be, 4 days to get there, no internet, no forecasting, no mobile phone coverage.
We hung out for 2 weeks on the island, surfed everyday, ate fresh fish, watched each other have Bali belly, we even had a pack of European female back packers staying with us. Paridise!
Then the waves came, 6 to 4 on the 1st day. 6 to 8 the next, then 8 to 10 foot on the peak of the perfection. My god we saw the best waves of our lives, still to this day top 10 of my life. I saw my mates stand in waves so perfect it was almost not real.
Nias as wave seemed so perfect it just didn't seem dangerous. No body hit the bottom, no bark off, sure there were bad wipe outs, but it just didn't have that intense feeling of life threatening.
What I'm getting at is, look at the pic below.... FUCK. This photo was taken post earthquake in which the reef was raised almost 1 meter or 3 feet in a few violent seconds. Nias is now a wave that in my opinion is in the same calibre as Pipeline, Chopes or Gnarloo. You don't find waves with that much lip and force being thrown on nice waves.
From what I hear nothing's changed, it still takes days to there, and the waves are still perfect if not better..... and you might just find the backpackers there....maybe!

Florence & the Machine- No light, No light

Rossy laying it out on Surfline

Anon... Face(less) Book threat...

A countdown to social mahem or just another self publicity hackers scar campaign..?

Only time will tell, as today/tomorrow facebook has been targeted by hackers who've threatend to disable the Global Galioth...

Who'll be next,,, Google...?

The bigger & faster they grow the harder they fall..?

And with the recent G-20 (Junket for World Leaders and their sticky fingers) having little if NO success, its easy to see why the frustration is on the boil...

Would you like "Porky Pies" with that..?

Smithfield Foods, McDonald’s Pork Supplier, Lying About Environment & Animal Welfare?

Rachel Cernansky
Corporate Responsibility
November 3, 2011

ChicagoGeek/CC BY 1.0
Smithfield Foods, which has been accused for years of being one of the cruelest factory farm companies around, is also a supplier of pork to McDonald's, which recently gave Smithfield a "supplier sustainability" award for corporate responsibility. It has claimed it practices environmental stewardship and raises animals in "ideal" conditions.
But it's all a bluff, according to the Humane Society of the United States, which filed a complaint [PDF] with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday alleging that Smithfield has been making false and misleading claims. (As misleading as many advertising claims can be, federal law prohibits them from being outright false.)
The company recently launched a corporate responsibility initiative, including videos about its sustainable and animal-friendly practices.
Environmental Leader explains more about the HSUS complaint:

HSUS has questioned the validity of such claims saying that the company and its subsidiary Murphy Brown continue to confine breeding sows in gestation crates that it says severely limit their movement.
According to HSUS, McDonald’s and Smithfield’s own animal welfare advisor, Dr. Temple Grandin, has stated that gestation crates “are a real problem” and “have to go.”

The Atlantic reports in McFib? The Conditions at McDonald's McRib Pork Supplier that Smithfield denied the allegations and said, "We are proud of our unparalleled track record as a sustainable food producer and stand confidently behind our company's public statements concerning animal care and environmental stewardship."
But, The Atlantic continues:

A 2010 undercover HSUS investigation, however, revealed information altogether to the contrary. HSUS found that Smithfield pigs were living in hellish conditions where basic needs were systematically unmet. Female pigs were crammed into gestation crates, preventing movement for most of their lives; many crates were coated in blood from the mouths of pigs chewing the metal bars of their crates; a sick pig was shot in the head with a captive bolt gun and thrown into a dumpster while still alive; prematurely born piglets routinely fell through the gate's slats into a manure pit; castration and tail docking took place without anesthesia; and employees tossed baby pigs into carts as if they were stuffed animals. The investigator saw many lame pigs but never a vet.

 Smells like ba-con to me...

Maths isn't my best sport...

ASP Admits Calculation Error Prematurely Crowned 2011 ASP World Champion

Will the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco still crown the 2011 ASP World Champion?

OCEAN BEACH, San Francisco/California (Friday, November 4, 2011) – The ASP has admitted that, due to a calculation error within its rankings’ system, the 2011 ASP World Title has yet to be officially decided and that Kelly Slater (USA), 39, was prematurely awarded his 11th ASP World Title on Wednesday.
“Our rankings’ system is designed to split tie-breaks based off of seed points,” Renato Hickel, ASP World Tour Manager, said. “Kelly (Slater) and Owen (Wright) tied at best nine of 11 results, so we went to best eight of 11 results and the system gave it to Kelly based off his higher seed position. We were operating under that assumption and created the ASP World Title scenarios based off of that. This was a mistake. In the end, we’re responsible for this and should be held accountable. We apologize to our fans, the surfers and to Owen and Kelly.”

Moving forward, Slater must win one more heat, either at the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco or at the following event at Pipeline in Hawaii to confirm his 2011 ASP World Title. For Wright to remain in the hunt, he must win both the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco and the following event at Pipeline in Hawaii.

REVISED 2011 ASP WORLD TITLE SCENARIOS:
- If Kelly wins either Round 4 or 5 (one more heat win) in San Francisco, he will confirm his 2011 ASP World Title.
- If Kelly fails to win another heat in San Francisco, Owen must win this event to send the 2011 ASP World Title race to Hawaii.
- If the race goes to Hawaii, Kelly must advance out of one heat to confirm his 2011 ASP World Title. If Kelly fails to advance through a heat at Pipeline, Owen must also win this event to stay in the 2011 ASP World Title Race.
- If Kelly fails to advance out of another heat this season, and Owen wins in San Francisco and Pipeline, the two will tie at best of nine, eight, seven, etc. events, and the 2011 ASP World Title will be decided in a “Surf Off”.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:30am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.
The Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco, Stop No. 10 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title Series, will be broadcast live on Fuel TV, Livestream.com and live.ripcurl.com

Surfline, official forecasters for the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco, are calling New NW swell will build through the day on Friday and be strongest in the afternoon, with solidly overhead surf. Those waves fade throughout Saturday, although the morning will still be fairly solid. Our next swell will move in over Sunday afternoon and will be strongest Monday and will be a little smaller than the Friday afternoon swell. Variable onshore wind will prevail over the next few days, although there will be periods of light wind and relatively clean conditions.

For additional information log on to www.aspworldtour.com

Hold the phone, Ke11y's title on ice ??????????????????

Not sure if this is an early April fool joke or someone has hacked the ASP website, but it appears that someone wasn't paying attention in math's class's all those years ago.
The ASP have officially called bluff on Ke11y's 11th WT. Saying basically we stuffed up!
Really its a small speed bump, Ke11y now has to make one more heat for the whole year and its his again. Again, sounds crazy!
This is funny for everyone watching but Ke11y. He would be tripping after giving every media company an interview over the last few days, plus the emotional roller coaster he admitted to having for the last months. Pretty embarrassing situation the ASP have themselves in... As a great man once said, Shit Happens...

Surfabout - 1982 Gold

SURFABOUT Surfing Contests report on Australian tv 1982

Fighting Fear... Adv Screening GC

Coming soon...

AI Forever...

No words needed...

ke11y... full story

Kelly Slater Claims Historic 11th ASP World Title at Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco

OCEAN BEACH, San Francisco/California (Wednesday, November 2, 2011) – Kelly Slater (USA), 39, has claimed a historic 11th ASP World Title today, clinching the year-long pursuit with his advancement out of Round 3 at the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco.

In pristine three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) peaks at Ocean Beach, Slater fought back to an inspired start from opponent Dan Ross (AUS), 28, to claim victory in the dying moments in front of a capacity crowd at Ocean Beach.



“It was a scrappy heat, I didn’t win it in the most effortless style,” Slater said. “I’ve had a lot of heats with Rossy (Dan Ross) this year, and he’s real dangerous with a little power so I knew he’d be dangerous and I was nowhere to be found in the beginning of that heat. I was hunting those lefts and they were fading off I was thinking ‘why am I taking off on these things.’ I knew I had to get in on some of those rights. That wave had a nice open face and I thought it’d probably be just enough.”

After a banner year that witnessed the iconic Floridian make five of nine Finals (thus far) and post three wins, Slater seems to be surfing at the top of his game.

“This is pretty fabulous,” Slater said. “Two days ago in the afternoon it was chunky and small and didn’t look inviting at all. Yesterday was nice and today looks like a nice day in France. I don’t know, this hasn’t sunk in. I’ve been pretty stressed about it and I’m glad it’s over. It’s very fulfilling and there’s personal satisfaction. It feels real nice. I’ve dedicated my life to surfing and competing and to go a whole year and win a world title and have it pay off, it’s really fulfilling. To win on American soil is nice. Everyone’s been so cool and the locals have been so stoked. It’s been a special time. It’s been warm and offshore and a nice little swell. Someone’s looking over us and probably Andy (Irons).”

Today’s clinching of the 2011 ASP World Title comes on the one-year anniversary of the passing of Andy Irons. Irons, who is credited with being a defining force in Slater’s career, was once a bitter rival of the champ (claiming three consecutive ASP World Titles himself) but became a close friend and confidant in recent years. The symbolism of today was not lost on Slater.

“It’s sort of weird and I’ve been thinking about a lot of things coming together,” Slater said. “What are the chances of me winning on the anniversary of Andy passing away? It makes it a lot more special for me. It’s a way to celebrate my memories with him and be thinking about him. It’s been on my mind and I wrote a story about him the other day. It’s a time to think back.”

2011 ASP World Title Series Results:
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast: WINNER
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: Equal 5th
Billabong Rio Pro: Equal 13th
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay: No Show
Billabong Pro Tahiti: WINNER
Quiksilver Pro New York: Runner-Up
Hurley Pro at Trestles: WINNER
Quiksilver Pro France: Equal 5th
Rip Curl Pro Portugal: Runner-UP
Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco: TBD
Billabong Pipeline Masters: TBD

With the 2011 ASP World Title sealed, Slater is now focused on performing in the event at hand, the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco.

“I’m refocusing on another win here,” Slater said. “I’ve accomplished the year goal. I definitely feel like I can go out and surf a lot more relaxed now. It’s really nice to win here in these conditions with so many people on the beach, I thought it’d be freezing cold and onshore and it’s been amazing.”

Having claimed his first ASP World Title in 1992 at the age of 20, Slater still boasts the record for the youngest-ever ASP World Title holder. Now at 39 years of age, Slater holds the record of being the oldest ASP World Champion ever, but was characteristically coy regarding any talk of retirement.

“I think 39 is actually pretty young to most people,” Slater said. “I guess in the past, you would top out once you hit 30, but that’s definitely not the case now. I feel like I’m surfing at the highest level of my career and I feel like I can keep going. I haven’t thought about it too much, but I plan on relaxing for the rest of the year and enjoying my time in Hawaii. We’ll see what 2012 brings to the table.”

Kelly Slater’s ASP World Title Clinch Locations:
2011: Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco – USA
2010: Rip Curl Pro Search Puerto Rico – USA Territory
2008: Billabong Pro Mundaka – Basque/Spain
2006: Billabong Pro Mundaka – Basque/Spain
2005: Nova Schin Festival – Brazil
1998: Mountain Dew Pipeline Masters – Hawaii
1997: Expo 98 Figueira 97 – Portugal
1996: Coca Cola Figueira 96 – Portugal
1995: Chiemsee Pipe Masters – Hawaii
1994: Chiemsee Gerry Lopez Pipe Masters – Hawaii
1992: Alternativa Surf Rio – Brazil

The Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco is Stop No. 10 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title Series with a waiting period from November 1-12. The 2011 Pro Search will be broadcast live on Fuel TV, Livestream.com and live.ripcurl.com

Surfline, official forecasters for the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco, are calling for he first two days of the waiting period, Tuesday and Wednesday, to see solid northwest ground and windswell mix along with generally favorable wind conditions (although still lumpy and bumpy surf on Tuesday). The end of the week and into the following weekend (3rd-6th) will see more swell, but also variable and, at times, strong onshore wind.

Dan and Ke11y...

Fresh Mullets own Dan Ross came up against the champ again today....
We all know the out come, Ke11y is now 11th time World Champ, but I have to say how much of a pleasure it was to watch our good mate Dan really stick it to the champ and look like he was totally enjoying himself, no matter the out come....

ke11y...

Kelly Slater Claims Historic 11th ASP World Title at Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco


OCEAN BEACH, San Francisco/California (Wednesday, November 2, 2011) – Kelly Slater (USA), 39, has claimed a historic 11th ASP World Title today, clinching the year-long pursuit with his advancement out of Round 3 at the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco.

Full Report coming soon… 

Check the live footage and or the heat review at
http://live.ripcurl.com/index.php?Search2011LiveControl

The Face of 7 Billion...

Check out the interactive graphic at the link below and investigate some of the charateristics that make up our human population and take a look at the most "typical" face on the planet...


http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/age-of-man/face-interactive

7 Billion Peeps... What Number Are You?

The Super "Crowded" Bank...

As if surfing wasn't popular enough,,, the 7 billionth person was born into our watery world on Monday, according to the United Nations, marking a significant moment for earth’s population, which continues to grow at an exponential pace.

In fact, the pace is so staggering, you may be surprised to plug in your birthday and find out what number you are.

Just 12 years ago, the earth was home to 6 billion people, according to the United Nations, and back in the 1960s, the earth’s population measured only half that number — 3 billion. And in the time of our founding fathers, there were just 1 billion inhabitants on earth.

No one can say for certain who this 7 billionth baby was or where they were born, but scientists said they have a reasonable guess, and it all boils down to the math: India.

A baby is born in India nearly every second, making it the fastest growing country in the world. India’s population is expected to surpass that of China, currently the world’s most populous country, in only 14 years.

And in a mere decade, scientists said we’ll be preparing to welcome the 8 billionth person into the world.
Whether it’s Bismarck or Bangalore– we’ll never quite know for sure.

Is this growth sustainable; water, food, energy.....? Climate change, natural disaster, GFC..?

http://www.7billionandme.org/

Peace

San Fran Haus...

 Peace & Joy San Fran style...