Awesome aerial video here of some surfers soaking up  the best of Byron Bay, Australia.  I’m diggin’ the cinematography and the  jive/ambient surfer to-cool-for-school tunes.  Shot by quadrocopter by RC Video.  James Cameron would be proud.  Speaking of quadrocopters, I want one!

This is the stuff of urban legends.  Mark Foo was a professional surfer, starting out surfing the south shores of Oahu, and later moved on to big wave surfing at Waimea Bay.  In the 1970′s, Foo joined the IPS World Surfing Tour and became a fixture on the international surfing scene.  His passion for big wave riding got the best of him however, and he quit the professional tour in the 1980′s to pursue his addiction to the big wave.

While his life was full of passion and excitement, his death was something out of a horror movie.  I mean straight out of a horror movie.  On December 23, 1994, Foo was surfing a set of waves at Mavericks with fellow surfers Brock Little and Mike Parsons.  Foo had just dropped onto a large wave, when he wiped out and disappeared from view.  Parsons caught the next wave and promptly wiped out.  Then he felt something tugging at his leg.  Thinking it was Little, and not realizing that Foo had disappeared, he went back out.

Fellow surfers found and retrieved Foo’s body later that afternoon.  This video documentary shows the wave and Foo’s wipeout, as well as Little and Parsons coming to shore on the next set of waves, still unaware that Foo was missing.  Parsons later told reporters about Little grabbing his leg from below the surface.  Nope, it wasn’t Little.  Look at the video and you see Little coming up behind Parsons…while Foo is still alive, held below the surface by his leg rope.  This video literally shows a man drowning in the background, without you, the viewer, even knowing.  How’s that for eerie??  However, the surfing community wisely chooses to remember  Foo as a big wave surfer, who lived and died following his passion.  And for that, I salute Mark Foo.

Now this is just plain cool.  Meet Ricochet.  She looks like a dog.  She eats like a dog.  She surfs like…Kelly Slater.  Well that might be a stretch, but Ricochet the Golden Retriever has become something of a YouTube sensation, surfing to raise funds for various charities, including orphaned animals and a quadriplegic surfer.  As her owner puts it, she went from being a service dog to a SURFice dog.  So far she’s raised just over $30,000 to help humans and animals in need  Just awesome.  If you’re an animal lover, you’ll need a kleenex to watch this video.

Gosh I love kayaks.  Neat video here of a kayaker catching some nice waves at Hertzelia Beach in Israel.  Nice waves too.  I’m thinking it’s not impossible Jesus and his crew caught a few tubes back in the day.  I’m sure surfing and/or kayaks are in the Good Book – maybe somewhere in the back.

There’s a time and place for everything, but who wants to spend a week sitting on the beach drinking pina coladas when they’re so many other cool things you can do for a vacation?  Guysim’s Seven Vacations That Might Get You Killed comes from the school of thought that, if it isn’t hardcore, it’s not worth doin’.  God bless’em!  I don’t agree with hunting, but you have to admit that this list looks pretty darn awesome.  I’d tip-toe around the issue of health insurance with your travel agent on this one.

I’m sorry, but this is simply one of the sickest, baddest, most hardcore waves I’ve ever seen ridden. I have no idea how big this wave is, I’m thinking maybe 100 feet. I love how the video starts, with the surfer and the jet ski, then the camera shot pans out a little more, then all you hear is the sound of the wind coupled with a truly awe-inspiring moment. When I think about how most people go about their lives, with mortgages, bills, bad drivers and the daily wear-and-tear of life that eats away at you, and then I look at this video, I’m reminded of what matters most in life. Forget the things that bring you down. Moments like this are what life is about. When you find that moment, keep it next to you. Let no one take it away.

Oh man, where do I start with this one. This guy trains animals to surf as a hobby. He’s spent ten years training dogs how to surf, and was looking to broaden his horizons, so he’s now surfing with a llama. Yes, a llama. The funny thing is, that sounds like something I would do. The llama’s name is Frisco, by the way. No word on whether Frisco beat up any locals, but it’s safe to say that his trainer, Domingo, will never be short of conversation starters at cocktail parties.

Top O’ tha Marnin to ya lads and lasses!  This from the folks at Wend Blog on their Wipeout Wednesday, which happens to be St. Patrick’s Day.

Our little baby is growing up!  Outside magazine just named Tofino the best surfing town in North America in 2010.  Tofino came to  the surfing community’s spotlight last year when it hosted the O’Neill Cold Water Classic, won by Tofino surfer Peter de Vries.  Outside previously named Chesterman Beach as the best surfing spot for beginners on the continent.  Tofino’s only weakness?  The cold water of course.  But hey, this is Canada, not Hawaii, so wear a wetsuit and enjoy some of the best surfing in North America!

Surfing beckons, as in the biggest freakin’ waves you’ve ever seen in your life, on Oahu’s North Shore. A friend of mine, Kane Ryan, was in Hawaii last month at the same time that I was there. The swells coming in at Waimea, Sunset Beach and Banzai Pipeline were absolutely huge. They were so big that state officials closed the beaches, and us wide-eyed tourists had to gawk from shore. Fortunately for us, there were some locals who decided to take the proverbial bull by the horns and surfed the biggest waves I’ve ever seen. The guy at my hostel later told me that Pipeline is arguably the most dangerous surfing location on Earth. According to him, you’ve either gotta be suicidal or one of the top five pro surfers in the world. Dude, l was just honoured to be there! Even more amazing is the quality of these pictures. Kane’s got a great eye for the perfect shot, and a ridiculously fast camera.

Kane created The Dirty Wall Project in 2008 to fill immediate, small needs in the countries in which he’s travelled. He raises funds for The Dirty Wall Project through his photography, promotional events and his website. Last year he worked in an orphanage in India and he’s on his way back to India in a few weeks to do more work. It’s not often that you meet a genuine, true human being whose only desire is to help people. Kane is one of those people, and I’m honoured to know him.