Travel's a Drag for Pro-Tour Surfers

Longboarders call paddle-boarding 'surfing with training wheels'

(NEWSER) - As if surfers don't already have enough problems, novices are swarming their beaches to bogart the waves. Or that's what they'll tell you if you ask about the growing trend of stand-up paddle-boarding, or SUP. Quicker—and much bigger—than a longboard, the paddle board is like "a Mack Truck" afloat, one surfer tells the Christian Science Monitor. More»

Where to avoid the people and the noise and find serenity

(NEWSER) - Even for die-hard swimmers, surfers, and sunbathers, sometimes a day at the beach is anything but, thanks to way, way too many people. The good news is that there are still undiscovered beaches out there. Travel + Leisure went scouting for such secret beaches. Here are its best finds:

• Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico: This artist colony is way cooler in both temperature and temperament than the Margaritaville of Cabo San Lucas, an hour to the south. Pacific breezes stir up rough and tumbling waves that have made this kicked-back community a surfer’s haven.

Garrett McNamara rides rode monster off Portugal

(NEWSER) - There are waves, and then there are waves. Garrett McNamara managed to surf one of latter. The Telegraph reports that the Hawaiian set a world record after riding the 90-foot monster off the coast of Portugal. The 44-year-old professional surfer was in a prime position to do so: He was in the water as part of a study with the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute that's attempting to figure out why the rogue waves form in the area. The former record, set in 2008, involved a 77-foot wave. More»

Daniel Bobis apparently hit another surfer's board

(AP) - Local fishermen yesterday found the body of an American surfer who went missing last weekend in waters off western Indonesia. Daniel Bobis apparently hit another surfer's board after emerging from the barrel of a powerful 10-foot wave. His leash broke and his board washed to shore. A member of the search and rescue team said Bobis' body was found about 20 miles from where he'd last been seen. More»

He may have contracted dengue fever in Portugal

(NEWSER) - He may not be a household name, but he was an absolute giant in the surfing world. That community today is mourning the death of 32-year-old Andy Irons, who was found dead in a Dallas hotel room. Police have ruled out foul play. Irons had just withdrawn from a tournament citing an illness he contracted in Portugal that may have been dengue fever, reports AOL News . His wife, Lyndie, is 7 months' pregnant with their first child. More»