The first day of a pro-surfing contest in San Francisco went off without a wipeout despite an early sighting of what appeared to be a shark.
The Rip Curl Pro Search, an event in the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour, took advantage of a rare sunny day at Ocean Beach and good wave conditions Tuesday for a full day of surfing — despite an early report that  … More
Kelly Slater is one heat away from the 11th ASP World Surfing title. The 39-year-old Floridian opened the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco with a victory and a total heat score of 16.03 points.
“I’m stoked because I went out last night and the surf was tough, the waves were real flat and I had boots and gloves and a hood so that I could go back and feel more comfortable out there today with less rubber on  … More
Ocean Beach, San Francisco/California — Clean three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves graced the banks at Ocean Beach today as the world’s best kicked off the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco. Event No. 10 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title Series, the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco plays a pivotal role in both the requalification campaigns of the world’s best surfers and the hunt for the 2011 ASP World Title.
Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 23, reveled in today’s wedgy beachbreak conditions, threading the needle on clean barrels on his forehand and unloading tail-drifting backhand turns to accumulate the day’s highest heat-total of 16.53 (out of 20) to win his Round 1 heat  … More
A professional surfer competing in a contest Tuesday at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach left the water in the middle of a heat after saying he saw a large shark.
Surfer Dusty Payne, 22, of Hawaii left the surf while competing against Jordy Smith of South Africa, saying he saw a large shark fin just outside the lineup.
“I was just sitting there, and I was waiting for a wave. I’ve seen dolphins before and it wasn’t a dolphin … More