2015 Elite World Surf Tour WSL: Who's In and Who's Out

Image Source and Courtesy WSL World Surf League

The 2015 World Surf League Tour of WSL is set to go -dates and locations for the 2015 showdown have been confirmed and made public. Who is in and who is out of the 2015 Men WSL World Tour was decide in Hawaii as the 2014 tour ended with a new world champion, new rooster and new rankings. WSL continues to promise one thing “World’s best surfers in the world’s best waves around the globe”.

The 2015 WSL will take athletes to the best surf spots spread through Australia, Brazil, Fiji, South Africa, Tahiti, US, France, Portugal, China, Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, Peru, Spain, Barbados, UK, Taiwan and once again end the year in Hawaii.

On December 7th Surfer Today reported on what they called a “long year...specially for those who end the season touching the bubble”. The media jumped all over the Billabong Pipe Masters homed in Hawaii to report on the final 2015 line up.

WLS breaks into 2015 with no small news. The organization has changed its name from ASP -Association of Surfing Professionals to WSL, announced the 2014 world rankings, promises opportunities for new surfers wanting to break into the scene and holds millions of dollars in price to be awarded. Men, Women, Junior and Longboard competitions are confirmed.

The new WSL assures that most changes are to bring out bigger crowds and further understanding of the sport with native roots. WSL is also upbeating its press efforts as it motivates media to consider the surf as seriously as those out in the ocean riding out waves. WSL kickstarted online streams and moves to video broadcasting to deliver the full experience world surf experience.

Efforts made by athletes in 2014 were not in vain. Those that rode out hard and steady throughout the year now rip the results of their efforts. 2015 has just began, WSL will make spin the sport around the world with wild extremes. Many things are possible but ignoring riders is not one of them. 2015 also brings new faces. The Qualification Tour opens the golden gateways for those who dare venture into professional ocean sports.

Surfing Magazine reported that while the WSL was first called ISP and later ASP the name change does not affect the “purpose of the organization” -”to find and declare the best surfer in the world”.

“We’re making this change because we believe the new name is easier to understand, and gets us on a better track to serve our fans, athletes and partners, and to grow the great sport of professional surfing worldwide,”Chief Executive Officer, Paul Speaker stated.

“There’s been a lot of change in the last two years. Part of it you can see, such as new venues and enhanced live broadcasts. Some of it is behind the scenes. All of it is driven by the twin goals of preserving the heritage and culture of surfing while, at the same time, creating an even better foundation to grow our sport in the future,” Speaker told the press.

WSL reported on December 19th on the new 2014 World Champion Gabriel Medina from Brazil. Medina takes not only his first title but the first world title for his home country. International press had signalled to the importance of the Pipe Masters for its role to define the final places of the rooster.

WSL explains how the system works. Mens WCT has 32 surfers -of those, Top 22 surfers automatically get a spot for the next year and the bottom 10 are dropped. The new 10 -which replace the dropped ones rise from the Qualification Series which sends it “Top 10 to the Elite Tour”.

2015 Elite Men Championship Tour shortlisted Top 22 2014 as follows; Gabriel Medina (BRA),. Mick Fanning (AUS), John John Florence (HAW). Kelly Slater (USA),. Michel Bourez (PYF), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Jordy Smith (ZAF). Adriano de Souza (BRA), Taj Burrow (AUS), Josh Kerr (AUS), Kolohe Andino (USA), Owen Wright (AUS), Nat Young (USA), Julian Wilson (AUS), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Bede Durbidge (AUS), Filipe Toledo (BRA), Kai Otton (AUS), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Freddy Patacchia Jr. (HAW) and Jadson Andre (BRA).

The Top Ten moving from the Qualification 2014 Series into the 2015 Elite Series are Matt Banting (AUS), Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), Adam Melling (AUS), Italo Ferreira (BRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Keanu Asing (HAW), Dusty Payne (HAW), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Brett Simpson (USA) and Ricardo Christie (NZL). The WSL Wildcards are C.J. Hobgood (USA) and Glenn Hall (IRL)

Whether you are are a pro surfer, or just in it for the love, whether you are a fan, or just get high on the waves,. whether watching the sport in the city or down on the sand or riding it out in the endless blue... the only ones who are out of the 2015 World Surf Tour are those who want to be out. For all the rest...inside is the way of the community.

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.