Thain Leisure

Leashes are essentially about safety, comfort, reliability and durability, which is why at Curve we use the very best materials and superior workmanship, accompanied by thorough testing in all surf conditions to bring you a leash that outperforms the competition in all respects.

Featuring double brass swivels, fusion moulded cord ends, premium strength Velcro and extra strong urethane cord, the Curve leggie is designed to help you get the most out of every wave. Our detachable triple wrap rail-saver helps protect your board and we have added an easy pull tab and an extra width soft 5mm ankle cuff for maximum comfort and ease of use.

Curve team rider Dion Ahern gives his seal of approval “this leash performs great from knee-high slop to way over head-high conditions. A versatile baby, this is the perfect all-around leggie.”

More news from the Airhead sooner than last time

Standing on his18ft-long surf board, eight-time world paddleboard champion Jamie Mitchell was being filmed for a documentary off the east coast of Australia on Monday when he had an unexpected surprise.

Liam O’Brien / Jason Muir

A playful humpback whale breached (leaped clear of the surface) just a few feet in front of the 32-year-old Australian, dwarfing him on the water, but giving Mitchell — who was about 1 mile off the coast of Tweed Heads on the border of NSW and Queensland — an experience he will never forget.

“We were just out there doing our own stuff and mother nature was on our side,” Mr Mitchell told The Times.

He had been filming a pilot for his upcoming documentary Living in Liquid when a pod of about four whales — part of the yearly migration to warmer waters in northern Australia for calving — began playing around him, surfacing and spouting water no more than 30ft away.

At one point, he said, they were so close he could see the patterns in the underside of one of the whale’s tails.

“At the start I was nervous and a bit chicken because they were so big, but they could sense it and they knew what was going on and were just playing around,” Mr Mitchell said.

“I began paddling away because I thought if they breach I’m in big trouble, but they were really following me … some of them were even going underneath my board, it was absolutely incredible,” he said.

Mr Mitchell, who lives on the Gold Coast in southern Queensland, has been paddleboarding for the past five years. On Saturday he will compete in the Hennesseys International Paddleboard Race in California.

“I’ve seen pliots whales, sharks, dolphins, flying fish and all sorts of creatures,” Mr Mitchell said. “But to see these whales so close and so personal … it was a once in a lifetime thing, something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

News from around the world… the Airhead brings you it all if with a little help from The Times

Kitesurfing codes of conduct:

Be sure you can handle the prevailing weather conditions
Always assist fellow kitesurfers when launching and landing
Always use an effective kite safety leashing system
Wrap your lines when not in use and secure kite properly
Keep a reasonable distance between you and your fellow kitesurfers / beach users
A kitesurfer must know the navigation laws and abide by them at all times
If you ride alone, let someone know you are out and what time you will be expected back
If you lose your kite or board whilst on the water, always report it to the coastguard General Information

Specific Location Risks:
This area is only for competent kitesurfers ( no learners)
Please use set up and launch area only
This area is only kiteable at certain tidal times and wind directions
There is an exclusion zone (please see map)
Stay clear of all nesting birds, flora and fauna (max fine £5000)
No landing on spit
No flying of kites on land
Please stay 50m offshore at all times
Please use boardwalks

General Information:

Please keep clear of Landing and Launching kites
Beware Kite Lines – do not touch
Always stand upwind of kite flyers who are on land

BKSA Web Site

The Airhead team would like to thank Bracklesham Board Riders for the information, it is a hard thankless job making sure that beaches stay open for all users… top marks to them for the hard work. You may also want to take a look at an earlier posting on the Airhead Blog on Pagham Harbour

As always keep checking back for the latest info on the world of exciting sports… Snowboard news coming soon.

AquaPac UK

Whether you’re planning an epic down-winder or just like to multi-task while waiting your turn in the lineup, a waterproof phone case can be a handy accessory for the connected water sports fanatic. Current offerings can be pretty costly, so it was a treat to find a solution promising a reasonable level of access to the iPhone’s functionality at a £20 price point.

The iPhone case from Aquapac follows the company’s proven recipe, i.e. a tough, flexible plastic case with a clamp-bar locking the pack shut. The two catches that lock the clamp have a reassuringly positive action and feel unlikely to release accidentally. The front of the case is thin enough to allow full use of the iPhone touch-screen, with the only problems encountered being when excessive moisture was resting on the plastic outer. Simply wipe of the excess and the case allows you to access the phone and any other app you have installed. A test game of ‘Touch Hockey’ proved a bit too tricky however, so maybe not the best if you’re planning a SUP gaming trip. As for making calls, I made and received several while testing and never encountered any problems with call quality; either hearing or being heard.

The lack of any music listening ability is a potential drawback on this model but Aquapac has a version with a waterproof headphone connector, so that could be just the ticket for those who can’t go without tunes for a few hours. we will be reviewing that model at another time.

Unlike earlier Aquapacks, the iPhone version also has a clear window on the reverse allowing use of the onboard camera. Image quality didn’t appear to suffer noticeably from being shot through the case, although camera performance on the iPhone 3G is hardly stellar in the first place. I didn’t bother removing my iPhone from it’s usual protective case before sliding it into the Aquapac, but there was still sufficient room for two silica-gel sachets inside. Once locked shut the protected phone easily fit in the top pocket of my Dakine Waterman, and, would also fit quite comfortably in the leg pocket of most board shorts.

A word of caution though; as I did, be sure to stuff one or two silica-gel sachets in the case with your phone before locking. Otherwise, you could well see a moisture build up from condensation - over time this would probably kill the phone.

All in all, the iPhone case from Aquapac is a well made, durable and easy to use product that offers good functionality and excellent value. I won’t be giving this one back!

The Airhead team would like to thank our newest member to the review team Pete… nice job..

As always the Airhead will be back with the latest and greatest from the world of fun and adventure so…. come back soon.

A1Surf.com will be promoting the tour to the thousands of surfers who visit the site every day, as well as promoting out via it’s other online and offline channels.

The UK cinema tour starts on Friday 4th September at the BFI IMAX in London and runs there until the 18th September. The tour visits 19 cinemas in towns and cities across the UK. A full list of venues and dates is available on A1Surf.com.

Bustin’ Down the Door chronicles a tumultuous two-year period of competitive and cultural clashes in the mid-Seventies in surfing’s Mecca - Hawaii’s North Shore of Oahu - as a small crew of Australians and South Africans set out with attitude and determination to change the world of surfing.

Framed around the emerging careers of World Champions-to-be Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, Shaun Tomson and Mark Richards, Bustin’ documents how these young men risked everything to become the best surfers in the world.

David Somerville, from A1Surf.com, said: “We are really stoked to be able to get involved with the tour of Bustin’ Down The Door.

“It’s a really well-made film which focuses on stories from some of the legends of the surfing world.

“The surfing action, soundbites from surfers and cool seventies soundtrack will appeal to surfers of all generations.”

Sara Frain, from Metrodome Distribution, said: “It is fantastic to be partnering with A1Surf.com, the number one surf site in the UK. They’re the perfect fit to work with us in bringing Bustin’ Down The Door to UK surfers everywhere.”

The DVD release for the film is scheduled for January 2010

The Airhead team is looking forward to watching this film… if you dont want to miss the low down on the latest news, events, gear and loads loads more then make sure you bookmark the Airhead site.

With 12 months in creation it has been a roller coaster ride for the Kamikaze Boarding team. Pairing up with professional illustrators, photographers and riders to capture the ideal that is Kamikaze Boarding. No more straight lines, no more off the shelf surf clothing. Kamikaze Boarding have succeeded to provide fresh, urban off the hook styles put together with 100% quality.

Not a penny has gone to waste in producing the most elite in organic Fair-Trade kite sports apparel to hit the shelves. With many ideas already available and a brand that is recognised by thousands of board worshippers worldwide, Kamikaze Boarding intends to be pulling all the punches this year and beyond.

It doesn’t end at clothing and accessories, Kamikaze Boarding has secured sponsorship with some red hot Pro UK and Pro German talent to ride their way to victory this year and next, flying the flag for Kamikaze Boarding Tanja Rosenkranz, Marco Simpson, Danny Maurrice, Dan Sweeney and Toby Raw.
Visit the Kamikaze web site and sign up for your free Kamikaze Boarding sticker pack and join the revolution.

Kamikaze boarding…go big or go home! Kamikaze Boarding

The Airhead team gives this new brand the big thumbs up and look out for it on a beach or in your local kiteboarding store… it’s gunna be massive… The Airhead will be back real soon with more updates from the world of exciting adrenaline filled sports so come back to get your fix.

Euro Van are on the search to find the coolest, rudest and most stylish Volkswagen Transporter T5’s in the UK. So if your vans got some styling, you’ve done a cool internal conversion, chipped it, or customised it in any way, Euro Van would love to see it. In return, you get to show your van to the world on the Euro Van web site and Flickr, and be in the chance to win some VW goodies:

Prizes…

1st Prize - a FREE Service for your van at a Volkswagen Van Centre of your choice (there’s no deadline, so whenever yours in next due), £100 worth of Genuine Volkswagen Accessories (you choose whatever you would like to spend it on out of the extensive catalogue) & £75 worth of VW merchandise from their merchandise store.
2nd Prize - £75 worth of Genuine Volkswagen Accessories & £50 worth of VW merchandise
3rd Prize - £50 worth of Genuine Volkswagen Accessories & £25 worth of VW merchandise

here is how you enter…

Attach a picture of your van (as many as you like)
Tell them why your van is so good and what you’ve done to make it extra special
Don’t forget to put your details on the email. They will need your name and address. and you can add your phone number if you like to… check out the Euro Vans web site for more details….

So what are you waiting for ??? get on and do it now to get your chance to win some fantastic VW goodies…

Airhead loves the Volkswagens… anyone want to sponsor Airhead with a VW T5 drop us an email.. we need to pimp or van.

Mountain biking is still as strong as ever in the UK and I am sure that this new fully interactive online magazine will prove very popular with the biking community… make sure you book mark the site so you dont miss any issues in the future

The Airhead will be back with more news and reviews very very soon….. ride safe and live life to the full because this is the real deal…

IKSURFMAG

The kitesurf magazine is going from strength to strength and this issue is packed full of some fantastic kitesurf travel articles, as well as the first tests for some of the 2010 equipment. There is also the ever popular technique article with Christian Black and Karine and a great interview with Mallory de La Villemarque, arguably the man with the greatest name in kiteboarding! Add to that some of the best kitesurfing pictures they have ever run and you have a recipe for an awesome magazine! Be sure to check it out! IKSURFMAG