The Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series 2009 finished up yesterday in spectacular but often testing surfing conditions at beautiful Kata Beach in Phuket Thailand, with this final event culminating in both Island Crown event winners and the overall championship winners of the three-event series. Over 100 surfers participated in the Island Crown, locals as well as surfers from Australia, Japan, France, South Africa, Indonesia, Hawaii, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Over the course of the three-day event, the surf at Kata Beach varied from 2-3 foot glassy faces to stormy 5-6 foot non-stop windswell, giving the competitors in each division a challenging test of their endurance and skill. “If I wasn’t in the contest I wouldn’t have paddled out for some of those heats. In all my years of surfing here in Phuket I’ve never surfed in conditions like this. It was really hard work but I’m glad I did it,” said Decha “Day” Sittidej after his heat on Saturday morning. Saturday’s competition was stopped three times when howling winds brought torrents of rain that blasted the beach for several minutes.

On Sunday the weather and the waves made a miraculous turn to produce a sunny and less windy day with more controlled surfing conditions overall. There were still sizeable waves that at low tide made for lots of paddling, but the surfers were up to the challenge and the spectators enjoyed cheering them on from the beach.

On Sunday evening at the end of the three days of competition, everyone gathered by the pool of the Kata Beach Resort for the awards presentation. After enjoying the delicious food and tapping the bountiful supplies of Kingfisher Beer and Jim Beam, as well as other refreshments, the crowd was treated a Quiksilver/Roxy fashion show by the stunning Maxim models.

Having gotten the crowd’s attention, Mr. Chanin “Joob” Aiyarak then took to the stage and begun the awards ceremony, starting with the Island Crown events winners in the Junior, Women’s, Longboard, and finally Men’s Open Division. Oliver Penmit got his first event series win in the Juniors, Tiffany Riggs from Australia was victorious in the Women’s, Aaron Wright from the USA stole the show in the Longboards, and Jamie Smith claimed his first win at his home break of Kata Beach.

Then it was time to announce the overall winners of each division in the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series, so Quiksilver’s CEO of South East Asia Paul Hutson took to the stage, first taking a moment to say, “On behalf of Quiksilver I would sincerely like to thank all the sponsors, including the government of Phuket, as without their support we couldn’t have put together such a great series of events. And equally we are very grateful for the hard work and great job that Surached and his team from Quiksilver Thailand, together with Joob and his Phuket Boardriders crew here in Phuket, have done over the three events to make it such a fantastic success. We couldn’t be more pleased and can’t wait to do it again next year. See you then and thank you!”

Taking the overall championship victory in the Men’s Open Division was Ekkarat Sriden, who won the Monsoon Riders event at Kalim Beach on June 16, was the runner up the King of the Jungle event at Kamala Beach on July 16, and was the runner up in the Island Crown. For his championship victory he received a trophy, products from Quiksilver and other sponsors and the grand prize of a surfboard signed by 9-time world champion Kelly Slater.

The Junior and Women’s divisions were both won by Phuket’s 11 year old girl grom phenom Annissa Flynn, who didn’t manage to rack up another win at the Island Crown in either the Junior or the Women’s Division but had two first place victories in the Junior Division and a first and a second placing in the Women’s Division at the previous two events to lead the rankings and score the championship.

The Longboard Division series championship was nabbed by Kata Beach local Jamie Smith, whose consistency throughout the series saw him narrowly best two-time Longboard event winner Preecha Takira for the final trophy, as Preecha failed to advance into the semifinals which would have ensured his championship victory. Both surfers competed in the Mens Open and the Longboard events and are Kata Beach locals.

With the awards presentation over and all the winners laden with products and cash for their hard work, the Maxim models took one more turn at the runway before giving up the rest of the night to “Pae Slur”, a very popular Bangkok band that came down to rock the house and close out the evening with an energetic finale!

Quiksilver’s Sports Marketing Manager and ex World Tour pro surfer Jake Paterson was very happy with what he has seen in the Phuket surfing community saying, “It was so great to come here and see the growth and development of the surfing here, even just over these three events. >From the grommets to the older set, they are all very into the sport and learning fast. I’m stoked to be able to come here give them a hand…and to get a few fun surfs in with the crew here too!”

Phuket Boardriders President Chanin “Joob” Aiyarak was also extremely pleased with the success of the series, adding, “To have Quiksilver, the government, and our many sponsors give us this opportunity is a dream come true. We have been working hard over these last months, for years actually…so to see such a successful conclusion today makes it all worthwhile. And as part of the Asian Surfing Championship tour, the Thailand Surf Series is now a good example for surfing communities in other South East Asian countries as to what is possible to do.”

Also the opening ceremony on the beach on Friday morning, the governor of Puget Mr. Withal Praising voiced his appreciation to the sponsors and pledged his support of the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series, encouraging everyone to come an enjoy the surf, the beaches, and all that Phuket has to offer.

The Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series was hosted and supported by the following: Quiksilver SEA, Phuket Provincial Office, Thailand Tourism and Sport Department, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Patong Municipality, Kamala OBT, and the Karon Municipality, with media sponsors Phuket Gazette, PG TV, Blue Wave 90.5FM, B95FM, Phuket Bulletin, Art and Culture Magazine, MTV, and the Phuket Neo Photo Club, as well as Jim Beam, Nok Air, Kingfisher, Print Kamala Resort, the Jungceylon Shopping Center, the Patong Paragon Hotel, the Kata Beach Resort, and the Absolute Resorts&Hotels.

Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series 2009 Championship Results

Men’s Open Division Champion – Ekkarat Sriden (Kamala Beach)

Longboard Division Champion – Jamie Smith (Kata Beach)

Women’s Division Champion – Annissa Flynn (Kata Beach)

Junior Division Champion – Annissa Flynn (Kata Beach)

Island Crown Results

Men’s Open Division
1. Jamie Smith (Thailand)
2. Yudi Andika (Indonesia)
3. Jakkapan Thongnak (Thailand)
4. Ekkarat Sriden (Thailand)

Longboard Division
1. Aaron Wright (USA)
2. Yudi Andika (Indonesia)
3. Sammarat Rattamart (Thailand)
4. Jamie Smith (Thailand)

Women’s Division
1. Tiffany Riggs (Australia)
2. Lulu Skarpa (South Africa)
3. Masako Hasebe (Japan)
4. Yuka Kobayashi (Japan)

Junior Division
1. Oliver Penmit (Thailand)
2. Amnad Chisaman (Thailand)
3. Sittiwat Jabchu (Thailand)
4. Annissa Flynn (Thailand)

About the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series

Organized and presented by the Phuket Boardriders Club, the Quilksilver Thailand Surf Series is the first Asian Surfing Championship tour series to be held in South East Asia, and is the first major surfing series in Thailand to be presented by a large international surfing brand.

About the Phuket Boardriders Club

The Phuket Boardriders Club is a non-profit organization formed in 2002 to strengthen local surfing talent and create camaraderie and friendship between local and visiting surfers. The management of the club consists of Thai office bearers and local expatriate volunteers, and over the past 7 surf seasons the Boardriders have held numerous surf contests in Phuket including the Kalim Surfing Contest, The Kamala Surfing Contest, and the Kata/Karon surfing competition (also known as The Phuket Surfing Contest). For more information, see www.phuketboardriders.com and www.thaisurfseries.com.

Media Contact – Thailand:

Chanin “Joob” Aiyarak

Email: joob@phuketboardriders.com

Media Contact – ASC

Tim Hain

Email: tim@isctour.com

–
Tim Hain
Media Director- Coca-Cola ISC Tour

CV. Selancar Indonesia (ISC)
Jl. Raya Kuta No. 21
Pertokoan Kuta Raya Blok 9 Abian Base
Kuta, Bali 80361
INDONESIA
Phone/Fax: +62 361 768293
Mobile: +62 8123606674
Email: tim@isctour.com
www.isctour.com

PHOTOS BY TIM HAIN

31 August 2009, Bali-Indonesia: The inaugural Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series 2009 will see its final event of the series over the September 4-6 weekend with the “Island Crown” at beautiful Kata Beach on the popular tourist island of Phuket Thailand

After holding extremely successful events at Kalim Beach (June 12-14) and at Kamala Beach (July14-16) earlier this year, the final event of the series will be held at arguably the best surf venue on the Phuket coastline.

Kata Beach is the epicenter of Thailand’s surf scene, with full range of wave types on offer, from nice and easy learning waves for beginners up to hollow 6-8 footers for the experts, spread out along the sandy bottomed beach strip. With the variety of swells pulsing in from the Andaman Sea during the months of June through September, Kata Beach is the magnet for waves in the region, so for the final event of the series the Phuket Boardriders Club have chosen Kata Beach as the venue at which to crown the champions of the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series 2009.

It is expected that over 100 surfers will be competing in the Island Crown over this September weekend, with a mix of local surfers and surfers from Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hawaii, and the USA. They will be competing in four divisions, Short Board, Longboard, Women’s, and Groms (under 16 years of age) for cash, trophies and various prizes given by Quiksilver and the many other event sponsors. In addition, the overall winner in the Short Board division will receive the unique award of a surfboard signed by 9-time world champ surfer Kelly Slater.

The final day’s competition on Sunday will be followed by an awards presentation party at the Kata Beach Resort, which will include a poolside fashion show by 6 stunning Miss Maxim models, food, drinks, the awards presentation and one of Bangkok’s hottest bands “Pae Slur” giving a mini-concert to round out the evening.

Organized and presented by the Phuket Boardriders Club, the Quilksilver Thailand Surf Series is the first Asian Surfing Championship tour event to be held in South East Asia, and is the first major surfing event in Thailand to be presented by a large international surfing brand. Quiksilver SE Asia CEO Paul Hutson was delighted to be selected as the presenting sponsor and instantly committed to a three-year deal. “From our point of view there is great potential here, so we’d like to assist in both the development of surfing in Thailand and to promote issues that are important to us as a company, namely keeping the beaches and water in pristine condition so we as surfers can enjoy them for years to come.”

The Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series is hosted and supported by the following: Quiksilver SEA, Phuket Provincial Office, Thailand Tourism and Sport Department, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Patong Municipality, Kamala OBT, and the Karon Municipality, with media sponsors Phuket Gazette, PG TV, Blue Wave 90.5FM, B95FM, Phuket Bulletin, Art and Culture Magazine, MTV, and the Phuket Neo Photo Club, as well as Jim Beam, Nok Air, Kingfisher, Print Kamala Resort, the Jungceylon Shopping Center, the Patong Paragon Hotel, the Kata Beach Resort, the Absolute Resorts&Hotels.

To register for the event and to get more information, see www.phuketboardriders.com and www.thaisurfseries.com.

About the Phuket Boardriders Club

The Phuket Boardriders Club is a non-profit organization formed in 2002 to strengthen local surfing talent and create camaraderie and friendship between local and visiting surfers. The management of the club consists of Thai office bearers and local expatriate volunteers, and over the past 7 surf seasons the Boardriders have held numerous surf contests in Phuket including the Kalim Surfing Contest, The Kamala Surfing Contest, and the Kata/Karon surfing competition (also known as The Phuket Surfing Contest). For more information, see www.phuketboardriders.com.

Media Contact Thailand:
Chanin “Joob” Aiyarak
Email: joob@phuketboardriders.com

Media Contact – ASC
Tim Hain
Email: tim@isctour.com

–
Tim Hain
Media Director- Coca-Cola ISC Tour

CV. Selancar Indonesia (ISC)
Jl. Raya Kuta No. 21
Pertokoan Kuta Raya Blok 9 Abian Base
Kuta, Bali 80361
INDONESIA
Phone/Fax: +62 361 768293
Mobile: +62 8123606674
Email: tim@isctour.com
www.isctour.com

17 August 2009, Phuket-Thailand:  11 year old Annissa Flynn took both Junior and Women’s division wins yesterday the Quiksilver King of the Jungle event at Kamala Beach, coming in only briefly to change rash shirts before padding out again between the two finals. She deftly maneuvered her way through the often tricky 2-foot beachbreak during the two 20-minute final heats to capitalize on scoring opportunities, besting her rivals and coming back to the beach with incredible back-to-back wins.

After yesterday’s performance, Annissa has a virtual lock on the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series in both divisions going into the third and final event that will be held at her home break of Kata Beach from September 4-6, having won the Junior division in the first event of the series and getting second in the Womens. She is sponsored by Quiksilver South East Asia.

After her Women’s final, the diminutive powerhouse admitted to being a tad tired saying, “Towards the end I did get a little tired, because I got a couple of good waves so it was long paddle back out.”  When asked how she felt about winning two divisions in one day, she replied, “I didn’t really expect to win the Juniors again, because Oliver is such a good surfer and I won over him the last time.  He just didn’t get any good waves I think. I’m really happy about winning the Women’s, because last time I got second.”  Annissa had recently been to Bali in Indonesia and competed in the Quiksilver King of the Groms event at Kuta Beach, so was in great contest form for this event.

In the Men’s Open, 53 year old Australian shaper Michael Anthony bested Kamala local Ekkarat Sriden, winner of the first event of the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series at Kalim Beach, to climb atop the podium and fill his trophy with Kingfisher beer on the Print Kamala Resort stage, sculling it joyfully before accepting his money and prizes.  “I didn’t think I had a real chance to win, being a bit older than the other guys.  Back home in Torquay the waves are a lot different, but surfing here the last couple of months has really improved my small wave surfing I guess!”  Noppasit Boonchoy took third place, while Yudi Andika came in fourth.

The Longboard division win was dominated by Preecha Takira, who after a slow start built up the momentum and finished strong with deep bottom turns, floaters, and fin’s first takeoffs to claim his second win of the series.  Jamie Smith stylishly surfed to a second place finish ahead of Preecha Anantapoom and Smith’s long-time friend and visitor from the Aceh province of Indonesia, Yudi Andika.

Almost 60 surfers from Thailand, Australia, Japan, Hawaii, the USA, and Indonesia participated in the three-day King of the Jungle event at Kamala Beach, spread across four divisions.  Kamala Beach is quiet scenic white sand bay that lies about 20 minutes north of the busy tourist destination of Patong Beach, and is home to a nice little beachbreak that is fun for surfers of all skill levels.

After the final on Sunday, the contestants and crew were invited to the Print Kamala Resort poolside area at 7:00 pm for dinner, drinks, fire and fashion shows, and the awards presentation.  The four finalists in each division were given beautiful cut-glass trophies, cash and gear from Quiksilver and other sponsors, and then everyone hung out talking, eating and talking until about 10:30 pm.

The Thailand Surf Series is sanctioned by the Asian Surfing Championships. Don’t miss the third and final event of the series, the Island Crown at Kata Beach, which will be happening from September 4-6.  It is sure to be a memorable event with all the local crew frothing to make a run for the series titles in each division, with a great after party already in the works!

The Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series is presented by Quiksilver South East Asia, supported by the Phuket Provincial Office, Thailand Tourism and Sport Department, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Patong Municipality, Kamala OBT, and Karon Municipality, with media sponsors the Phuket Gazette, PG TV, Blue Wave 90.5FM, B95FM, Phuket Bulletin, MTV, Phuket Neo Photo Club, and sponsors Jim Beam, Nok Air, Kingfisher Beer, Jungceylon Shopping Center, Patong Paragon Hotel, Print Kamala Resort and Absolute Resorts&Hotels.

King of the Jungle Contest Results:

Men’s Open:
1. Michael Anthony
2. Ekkarat Sriden
3. Nopphasit Boonchuy
4. Yudi Andika

Longboard:
1. Preecha Takira
2. Jamie Smith
3. Yudi Andika
4. Preecha Anantapoom

Women’s:
1. Annissa Flynn
2. Karavee Duongpoka
3. Ikura Satomi
4. Kularb Boonchalern

Junior:
1. Annissa Flynn
2. Oliver Penmit
3. Panjo Schneider
4. Amnart Chatsamot

Text and Photos by Tim Hain – ASC/ISC

Photo 1:  Annissa Flynn enroute to victory at Kamala Beach
Photo 2:  Michael Anthony’s aggressive backside attack won him the Mens Open Division
Photo 3: Preecha Takira makes a nice bottom turn on his way to another Longboard Division win
Photo 4:  Annissa Flynn on the podium accepting her winnings at the Print Kamala Resort
Photo 5:  Group photo of all winners of King of the Jungle – Kamala Beach
Photo 6:  Judge tower and event setup at Kamala Beach
Photo 7:  Beautiful Kamala Beach
Photo 8:  Beautiful Thai Model

–
Tim Hain
Media Director- Coca-Cola ISC Tour

CV. Selancar Indonesia (ISC)
Jl. Raya Kuta No. 21
Pertokoan Kuta Raya Blok 9 Abian Base
Kuta, Bali 80361
INDONESIA
Phone/Fax: +62 361 768293
Mobile: +62 8123606674
Email: tim@isctour.com
www.isctour.com

10 August 2009, Bali-Indonesia: After a hugely successful start to the inaugural Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series 2009 with the Monsoon Riders event at Kalim Beach in Phuket Thailand over the weekend of June 12-14, the second event of the series named the King of the Jungle will spring into action on the weekend of August 14-16th at the scenic venue of Kamala Beach.

Kamala Beach lies just north of the busy and action packed town of Patong Beach, and in stark contrast is a mellow fishing village situated in quiet bay ringed by a white sand beach and surrounded by green forested hills, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island of Phuket.

This idyllic location will play host to between 80 and 100 surfers from Thailand and other parts of the world who will compete for money and prizes and enjoy the many activities in the area during and after the competition each day.  The final day’s competition will be followed by an awards presentation party at the Print Kamala Resort, which will include dinner, the awarding of prizes, a fashion show, and live music.

There are four divisions of competition for this event with prizes and trophy’s going to the top four finishers in each division:  Short Board, Longboard, Women’s, and Groms (under 16 years of age).

Organized and presented by the Phuket Boardriders Club, The King of the Jungle is the second event of the three event series, with the third and final event named the Island Crown to be held at Kata Beach from September 4-6. The competitors at each event in the series accumulate points and the overall champions in each division will be the ones that have gotten the most points overall.  They will be crowned at the final event in September.

The Quilksilver Thailand Surf Series is the first Asian Surfing Championship tour event to be held in South East Asia, and is the first major surfing event in Thailand to be presented by a large international surfing brand.  Quiksilver SE Asia CEO Paul Hutson was delighted to be selected as the presenting sponsor and instantly committed to a three-year deal.  “From our point of view there is great potential here, so we’d like to assist in both the development of surfing in Thailand and to promote issues that are important to us as a company, namely keeping the beaches and water in pristine condition so we as surfers can enjoy them for years to come.”

The Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series is hosted and supported by the following:  Quiksilver SEA, Phuket Provincial Office, Thailand Tourism and Sport Department, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Patong Municipality, Kamala OBT, and the Karon Municipality, with media Sponsors Phuket Gazette, PG TV, Blue Wave 90.5FM, B95FM, Phuket Bulletin, MTV, and the Phuket Neo Photo Club, as well as Jim Beam, Nok Air, Kingfisher, Print Kamala Resort, the Jungceylon Shopping Center, and the Patong Paragon Hotel.

About the Phuket Boardriders Club

The Phuket Boardriders Club is a non-profit organization formed in 2002 to strengthen local surfing talent and create camaraderie and friendship between local and visiting surfers. The management of the club consists of Thai office bearers and local expatriate volunteers, and over the past 7 surf seasons the Boardriders have held numerous surf contests in Phuket including the Kalim Surfing Contest, The Kamala Surfing Contest, and the Kata/Karon surfing competition (also known as The Phuket Surfing Contest).

For more information about the event and for registration details, see www.phuketboardriders.com.

Photos and Text:  Tim Hain – ASC

Photo 1:  Surfers heading out to enjoy afternoon session at Kamala Beach
Photo 2:  Quiksilver’s Tipi Jabrik and Jake Paterson scoping out the lineup at Kamala Beach
Photo 3:  Tipi Jabrik enjoys a quiet moment after a surf at Kamala Beach

Media Contact Thailand:
Chanin “Joob” Aiyarak
Email:  joob@phuketboardriders.com

Media Contact – ASC
Tim Hain
Email:  tim@isctour.com

Annissa Tita Flynn from Phuket met today with Phuket Governor Khun Wichai Phraisa-ngop regarding her upcoming surf trip to Bali and sponsorship by international surf clothing company Roxy.

Annissa, who placed in both the Wahine (ladies) division as well as in the Grom (kids) division in the recent “Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series – Monsoon Riders” surfing competition at Kalim Beach, Patong has received sponsorship from Quiksilver’s Roxy clothing line for girls.

As previously mentioned by the Phuket Boardriders Club, Quiksilver’s Jake Patterson, officially invited Annissa to compete in the “Quiksilver King of The Groms” surfing competition in Kuta Beach, Bali on July 8th through 13th.

Her sponsorship includes clothes, international attention and experience, as well as an opportunity to represent Thailand on the global stage.

Phuket Boardriders Club, is really proud to see Annissa have such a great and deserving opportunity!

Quiksilver hopes to “Motivate the Thai youth to participate at the beach – keeping them off the streets.”

Annissa meets Phuket Governor

Annissa – Roxy Girl!

This Year’s Thailand Surf Series sponsored by Quiksilver showed the world the beauty and grace of one of Thailand’s up-coming female surfers. Placing in both the Wahine (ladies) division as well as in the Grom (kids) division was our own Annissa Tita Flynn from Phuket Thaihua School.

In an official letter from Quiksilver’s Jake Paterson (Sports and Marketing SEA), Annissa has been officially invited to compete in the “Quiksilver King of The Grom” surfing competition in Kuta Beach, Bali on July 9th through 12th.

On behalf of the Phuket Boardriders Club, we would like to send our congratulations and a warm ALOHA to Annissa!

Annissa Tita Flynn was born underwater in a spa bath in Sydney Australia, and has loved being in the water ever since! She started surfing less than two years ago but quickly became a true grom in heart and soul! When Annissa is not surfing she loves doing her homework and playing the video game ‘Surfs-Up’. Young Annissa sends us all an environmental message, “I wish people wouldn’t use so many plastic bags so we don’t find them in the surf”.

News by Steven A. Martin
Photo by Tim Hain

15 June 2009, Phuket –Thailand:  Ekkarat Sriden of Kamala Beach used his small wave prowess to full effect in a challenging final at Kalim Beach on Sunday to take the top spot in the Men’s Open division at the first contest of the three event Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series in the beautiful world class tourist destination of Phuket.

“I knew if I got the right waves I could win, but it was really hard sometimes to know which one would give me the chance to do a big move”, said Sriden after the 25 minute final.  “I surf with the other guys all the time, so I knew I had to be aggressive to win” he added.  And he did just that, posting 4.5 points on his first wave to take the lead before adding several 3 point + waves to finish with a two wave best score total of 8.25 to best runner up Jamie Smith’s 6.50.
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News by Tim Hain (tim@isctour.com)

4 June 2009, Bali-Indonesia:  The first event of the inaugural Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series 2009, named the Monsoon Riders, will kick off at Kalim Beach in Phuket Thailand on June 12 for three days of competition surfing with four divisions; Shortboard, Longboard, Women’s and Juniors.

Over 100 surfers from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hawaii, USA, France, the Philippines, the UK, and Japan have already registered to participate in the three day event that will start off on Friday morning the 11th of June with on-site registration and an opening ceremony before getting right into the competitive surfing.  Saturday and Sunday will be full days of competition and the event will wrap up with an awards party on Sunday night from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm at the Jungceylon Shopping Center in Patong. The evening’s agenda will include a live band, Thai dancing, dinner, the awards presentation and a fashion show.  Trophies, cash and non-cash prizes will be awarded to the top four finalists in each division.
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In preparation for the upcoming Thailand Surf Series (TSS) sponsored by Quiksilver, Australian surf legend Jake Paterson and Quiksilver Southeast Asia CEO Paul ‘Hutty’ Hutson visited Phuket to inspect venues and tour with the Phuket Boardriders Club. Their whirl-wind two-day itinerary included meetings with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop and Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukban.

It was a great honor for Phuket surfers to share quality time with pro surfing legend and world traveler Jake ‘the Snake’ Paterson, winner of such prestigious surfing events as the 1996 and 2002 WQS Tour, the 1998 Pipeline Masters, and one after the other wins in 2000 and 2001 at Jeffrey’s Bay South Africa. In 2003 he won the Rip Curl Cup at Sunset Beach. Currently living in Bali and working as a sports marketing rep for Quiksilver, Paterson originally hails from the wave-lashed shores of Western Australia, where he mastered all types of surf in his youth, from sparkling-clear beach breaks to barreling reef breaks and points. He also serves as a board member of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP).

In good company with Paterson was surf executive Paul Hutson who shared his visionary mind with Phuket Boardriders “Thailand has, for core surfers, been on the map for a while. They have been exploring their way up the Indian Ocean coasts, and Thailand has been a stopover location for surfers en route to prolific Southeast Asian surf destinations. And there is great potential here. Perhaps we can bring to the table important issues, including discussion on the environment. Quiksilver advertising will bring knowledge and get more locals involved, especially the youth. This can help with the basics, like kids learning about the ocean and how to swim. Quiksilver’s role is one of support, involving the internet, global broadcasting, and putting Thai surfing on the map.”

Quiksilver will be the leading sponsor of the first-ever Thailand Surf Series, a progression of international surfing competitions hosted on the tropical shores of Phuket Island. 2009 competitions to include the Kalim Beach “Monsoon Riders” in June, the Kamala Beach “King of the Jungle” in August, and the Kata Beach “Island Crown” in September. Collectively, the surf series mark the development of surfing in Thailand through Quiksilver’s global branding and standards.

Hutson and Paterson know from experience that, “Professionalism is very important for these surfing events and we will provide regional and worldwide promotion.” Not only will the surfing events promote a positive image for the island of Phuket and tourism in Thailand, but Quiksilver firmly hopes to “Motivate the Thai youth to participate at the beach – keeping them off the streets.” On the environmental front, Hutson recognizes the significance of keeping the beaches clean, something he feels is very important to surfers as well as tourism industry stakeholders: “We would like to bring together local hotels, lifeguards and government officials to promote public awareness and a shoreline cleaning initiative at local surf beaches.”

With the ground-breaking support of Quiksilver, the Phuket Boardriders and the Thailand Surf Series aim to develop amateur and professional surfing in Thailand – blazing a trail for Thailand’s talented surfers towards future success in local, regional, and international surfing competitions. 2009 distinguishes a new era in the development of surfing in South East Asia with the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series!

March 19, 2009

Steven A. Martin

Phuket Boardriders is energized to announce that Quiksilver will be the leading sponsor of the first-ever Thailand Surf Series, a progression of international surfing competitions hosted on the tropical shores of Phuket Island. 2009 competitions to include the Kalim Beach “Monsoon Riders” in June, the Kamala Beach “King of the Jungle” in August, and the Kata Beach “Island Crown” in September. Collectively, the surf series mark the development of surfing in Thailand through Quiksilver’s global branding and standards.

With the ground-breaking support of Quiksilver, the Phuket Boardriders and the Thailand Surf Series aim to develop amateur and professional surfing in Thailand – blazing a trail for Thailand’s talented surfers towards future success in local, regional, and international surfing competitions. 2009 distinguishes a new era in the development of surfing in South East Asia with the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series!