Six weeks after first announcing the tour’s postponement, World Surf League CEO Erik Logan provided another detailed message, letting fans know that competitive surfing has been put on hold until at least June 1 while officially postponing the Oi Rio Pro in hopes of running it later in that month. “Where and when we will run this year is still very much an open question,” he said. “But we will continue to work with governments, world health authorities, and our local communities on returning to the lineup.”

Logan also announced that 2021 will see big changes to the tour format, ones the WSL was planning to unveil in 2022. “Our pause due to COVID really allowed us to see that now is the time to accelerate these changes,” he said.

​Last year’s final at Pipeline, which saw Italo Ferreira and Gabriel Medina face off in the last heat of the year to decide the world title, was a shot of reality for the WSL – a scenario they’d like to see much more of as the engagement in that event was extremely high thanks to the ramifications. So the League won’t leave that scenario to chance anymore and will use a “regular season” of sorts to decide seedings for the final event of the year, a “surf-off” as they’re calling it, to decide the world title. They’re essentially creating a playoff format similar to other sports leagues to ensure titles are won in the water and at year’s end.

Option 1, featuring the Endless Summer® slogan and logo is the clear favorite for the proposed design for the Endless Summer® license plate.  Also, 87% of respondents chose Option 1 as their first or second choice.

Beaches and parks in Santa Cruz County reopened Thursday as California and other states across the country began discussing plans to lift stay-at-home orders. Public spaces in California counties that have been harder hit by the coronavirus pandemic remain closed.
"We are, please, asking you not to congregate into groups, because that's going to force us to probably shut this down again," Santa Cruz Chief of Police Andrew Mills warned residents Thursday.

​Santa Cruz issued a one-week order before the Easter holiday to close county beaches, parks and other recreational spaces on April 8. The order expired after Wednesday, though the county's stay-at-home order remains in effect through May 3. Residents were encouraged to continue practicing social distancing and wear masks while in public, and spaces where maintaining six feet of distance between people is difficult—including basketball courts, skate parks and playgrounds—are still closed.

Ralph Dimarucut, principal management analyst with the City of Santa Cruz, said residents' ability to abide by social distancing guidelines would factor into the county's decision to keep beaches open. "If our community is able to follow shelter-in-place orders, we don't have to take that route" of reinstating closures, Dimarucut said. "We really don't want to. We understand how important exercise is to everyone's mental health, but we have to protect the health of our community. If people are gathering at a park or beach to a point where they can't practice social distancing, we may have to take those measures."

​California—which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said was first to report a case of community transmission—became the first state to issue a stay-at-home order on March 19. The order came shortly after Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to President Donald Trump projecting 56 percent of California residents would contract the virus within an eight-week period if quick action was not taken.

​San Diego County—which has the state's second largest number of cases with 2,087 confirmed and 63 deaths reported as of April 15—also issued its beach closures last month. In comparison, Santa Cruz had confirmed 96 COVID-19 cases and two deaths by April 15.

Newsom began discussing the state's options for lifting stay-at-home orders earlier this week. His plan thus far does not specify a timeline for returning the state to business as usual; instead, he said progress will depend on six key indicators, which include the state's testing capacity and ability to enforce social distancing.

A decision on the proposed plate design that meets DMV design specifications is currently the subject of a survey at surfplate.com: Click here to complete the survey. 
Current California DMV design regulations include the following description: "The license plate shall provide a space not larger than two inches by three inches to the left of the numerical series and a space not larger than five-eighths of an inch in height below the numerical series for a distinctive design, decal, or descriptive message."
The proposed Endless Summer® specialized license plate program would provide significant funding in California at a time when the need could not be greater and it will help​ protect the coast for generations to come.​

On Friday, March 27th, 2020, Los Angeles County shut down its beaches in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Beaches across the state had started shutting down on Monday after a sunny weekend saw thousands flock to the sand. Yesterday, a Manhattan Beach surfer was fined $1,000 after ignoring a lifeguard’s orders to not paddle out.

​Due to COVID-19, the following California beaches are closed (current as of 3/27):
San Diego
All San Diego City Beaches
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Carlsbad State Beaches
San Onofre State Beach parking lot closed
Orange County
Seal Beach
Newport Beach — beachfront parking lots closed
Laguna Beach
All OC State Beaches closed to vehicular traffic
Los Angeles County
LA County beaches closed through April 19th
El Matador State Beach
Leo Carillo State Park
Malibu Creek State Park
Malibu Lagoon State Beach
Pt Dume State Beach
RH Meyer State Beach
Topanga State Park
Ventura County
Mandalay State Beach
Point Mugu State Park
San Buenaventura State Beach
Santa Barbara County
Carpinteria State Beach
El Capitan State Beach
Gaviota State Park
Refugio State Beach
San Luis Obispo County
Cayucos State Beach
Morro Strand State Beach
Pismo State Beach
Monterey County
Andrew Molera State Park
Carmel River State Beach
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Monterey State Beach
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Santa Cruz County
Manresa State Beach
Natural Bridges State Beach
New Brighton State Beach
Seacliff State Beach
San Mateo County 
Ano Nuevo State Park
Bean Hollow State Beach
Gray Whale Cove State Beach
Half Moon Bay State Beach
Montara State Beach
Pescadero State Beach
Pomponio State Beach
San Gregorio State Beach
​San Francisco
Ocean Beach parking lots are closed.

​The nine-time world bodyboarding champion smashed his opponents in the final with a near-perfect 9.50-point wave backed up by a 7.17-point score. At the age of 56, Stewart claimed the 16th Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic title of his career.

The event ran its 44th edition and got 60 athletes competing in four-to-six foot waves and strong trade winds. Mark Cunningham, Dave Hubbard, Mark Drewelow, Keith Malloy, Kalani Lattanzi, and Timothy Hamilton were some of the names involved in the contest.

​Final
1. Mike Stewart, 16.67
2. Arthur Picard, 11.33
3. Chris Kalima, 8.17
4. Craig Watson, 6.13

Leaderboard | Top 10 (Four Best Waves)
1. Mike Stewart, 28.90
2. Dylan Biggerstaff, 27.24
3. Arthur Picard, 25.73
4. Craig Watson, 23.77
5. Todd Sells, 23.41
6. Chris Kalima, 23.03
7. Timothy Hamilton, 22.89
8. Dave Hubbard, 22.83
9. Kelly Slater, 22.50
​10. Joel Badina, 22.13

Surf companies sell exciting, idyllic, and adrenaline-fueled surfing experiences, and they're highly successful doing it.
The reason why surfing became a multimillion-dollar sports industry is that brands appeal to consumers' emotions and dreams in a very effective way.
Whether inviting you to "stay high" or "live the search," corporate surfing makes you believe "life's better in boardshorts." And it could be, as long as these giant conglomerates continue selling clothing, footwear, and accessories.
​
With the advent of Olympic surfing and wave pools, the sport of riding waves will likely continue to conquer new markets and segments of the population that have never had contact with surfboards.
The surf industry is what it is, and surfing wouldn't be what it is today without the innovations and technologies companies have developed during the sport's first century of existence.

Rip Curl, Quiksilver, Billabong, and O'Neill - also known as the Big Four - focus their marketing plans on selling clothing, i.e., t-shirts, jackets, pants, sweatshirts, flannels, hoodies, tanks, and boardshorts. Surf companies focus their operation in three major territories: America, Europe, and Oceania. That's where they get over 90 percent of their annual income. The majority of the world's wetsuits are made in the same place. Taiwan's Sheico Group produces two million wetsuits per year for the planet's most prestigious surf companies.

American multinational corporation Nike announced it has reached a definitive agreement to sell Hurley to Bluestar Alliance LLC. ​ Bluestar Alliance is a brand management firm founded by Joseph Gabbay and Ralph Gindi in 2006.

It owns, manages, and markets a portfolio of consumer brands including Bebe, Brookstone, Catherine Malandrino, English Laundry, Joan Vass, Kensie, Limited Too, Nanette Lepore, Tahari, and others.

In 2019, Bluestar Alliance is expecting combined retail sales of over $3 billion. "We have always admired Hurley. It has maintained its leadership role and premium positioning in the surfing world," noted Joey Gabbay, CEO of Bluestar Alliance. "We look forward to building upon the existing Hurley network and expanding to additional countries. We see the brand continuing to evolve into a 360-degree lifestyle brand, with action sports playing a key role."

The terms of the deal between both parties have not been publicly revealed. In 2002, when Nike acquired Hurley, the surf company founded by Bob Hurley had annual sales of $70 million.

Last year, Kathmandu announced the acquisition of Rip Curl, the New Zealand-based retailer took over the iconic Australian surf brand for A$350 million ($236 million). Rip Curl was founded in 1969 by Brian Singer and Doug Warbrick, in Torquay. The company has been in the hands of the duo ever since. Kathmandu aims to give birth to a "global outdoor and actions sports company" with annual revenues of NZ$1 billion ($626 million).

Although well known in Australia and New Zealand, the Kiwi camping gear brand hopes to take advantage of the synergies to conquer the European and North American markets. Kathmandu acquired 100 percent of Rip Curl Group Pty Limited.

Slater's latest enterprise would be part of the 400-acre Coral Mountain resort, which would include homes, a private club, multiple dining venues and adventure sports.

To realize this strange California dream, the 11-time world champion surfer teamed up with private real estate investment and development firm Meriwether Companies and Big Sky Wave Developments, founded by Michael B. Schwab, son of the brokerage pioneer Charles Schwab. The idea was to breathe new life into a destination that for decades was synonymous with golf.

"The Coachella Valley is dominated by more than 150 golf courses," said Noah Hahn, a partner at Meriwether Companies. "This is a radically different vision."

​The $200 million Coral Mountain complex, which is in the permitting stage, would have a 150-room hotel and up to 600 homes in the $1 million to $5 million range, The Associated Press reported. Access to amenities would be exclusive to homeowners, hotel guests, members and their guests. Dining would be open to the public through reservations.

The centerpiece of Coral Mountain would be the wave basin, which would hold about 18 million gallons of water. A golf course, by contrast, uses 1 million gallons of water a day, Hahn said.

The Coral Mountain wave would have room for about 25 surfers at a time — about five on the main wave and 10 each on the smaller waves at each end of the basin. It would feature waves for all athletic levels, Hahn said.

He estimated that Coral Mountain could break ground by 2021.

Electric vehicle entrepreneur Henrik Fisker has unveiled his first mass-market EV, an SUV called the Fisker Ocean, ahead of the 2020 Consumer Electronics show. Starting at $37,500, Fisker says the electric SUV will get between 250 and 300 miles per charge, and it will feature solar panels on the roof. Fisker Inc., plan to put the Ocean on the road sometime around the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022.
Fisker Inc. also says it plans to develop two other models that will use the Ocean’s technological platform and also teased features like a karaoke mode (which Tesla added to its cars late last year) and a “California mode” where all the windows will roll down at the touch of a button.
​For more information, click here.

The WSL has announced that Sophie Goldschmidt “will be stepping down from her post” as Chief Executive Officer and that President of Content, Media and Studios Erik “E-Lo” Logan will be filling her shoes.

“Sophie has had a huge impact on the WSL,” said WSL-owner Dirk Ziff in the presser. “She is responsible for transforming both our business capabilities and culture in her tenure as CEO. With the converging trends in sports, media and entertainment, we mutually agreed it was time to make a change. Erik Logan is a proven leader and a world-class media executive with a profound personal connection to the sport of surfing. We are excited about what he will accomplish as CEO. We will always be grateful to Sophie for her contributions to surfing and we look forward to the WSL’s next chapter.”

“With the WSL now ready to become a more focused content and media company, the Board and I have mutually agreed it is the right time to make a change,” Goldschmidt said. “Having worked closely with Erik, he is the right person to lead the WSL into its next era. I am excited about what lies ahead for the organization.”