Monthly Archives: January 2009

River Surfing in Montreal

By rashie on January 30, 2009

River surfing in Montreal.

OK, these guys are hardcore surfers! There’s a group of guys up in Montreal, Canada who actually surf on the St Lawrence river in the dead of winter – BRRRRR!

Led by local surfboard shaper, Corran Addison, these guys suit up and hit the 4 degree, (yes, that’s FOUR DEGREE), water where the biggest danger they face is the large pieces of floating ice and can go form damaging your board to causing serious bodily injury if a surfer happens to get pinned between two large icebergs.

“It’s just like an obstacle course,” says fellow ice surfer Christine Pinsonneault, 25. “You’re basically doing a slalom around the blocks of ice as they come down the river. You can’t miss them all so you have to be willing to have a board you don’t mind destroying.”

“It’s not just about being an expert surfer, it’s also understanding the dynamics of this unique situation,” Addison says. “There are some things you would never think are dangerous until they happen to you. There could be 100 metres separating two big icebergs and you wouldn’t think twice about it until you have a friend who has been squashed between the two because he wasn’t paying attention.”

You can read more here at the Montreal Mirror…

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Jeronimo Creek Restoration Day

By rashie on January 27, 2009

Our friends over at Earth Resources Foundation are at it again with another one of their terrific community events!

This Saturday, (January 31st), they’re sponsoring a day of native plant restoration at Jeronimo Creek, in Mission Viejo, California, (on Jeronimo Road between Marguerite and Olympiad).

This is a terrific event where you can get out and enjoy the beautiful scenery while helping the environment by planting native species to restore the area habitat. It’s also a way for high school students to not only make a difference in the environment but also complete community service hours.

The event runs from 9am to Noon and you can park at Pavion Park , 24051 Pavion, located off of Jeronimo. From Marguerite Pkwy turn east onto Jeronimo, go almost 2 miles and take a right into Pavion Park. Walk south along the trail to the restoration site.

Be sure to bring sunscreen, (or wear some UV protective clothing like our StayDry – KoreDry shirts), water, snacks, hat and closed toe shoes. They will be providing gloves, hoes, and other gardening tools. However, if you have your own – please bring them.

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Canada Sued Over Killer Whale Protection

By rashie on January 22, 2009

Southern resident killer whales.
Southern resident killer whales. Photo courtesy NOAA.

Last October, Canada’s federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans was sued by six environmental groups for failure to safeguard the critical habitat of local British Colombian killer whales.

The specific species named in the suit are the endangered southern resident killer whales and the threatened northern resident killer whales, which are both formally listed under the Species at Risk Act. This is the first lawsuit of its kind in Canada and was filed as an attempt to force the government to consider critical habitat as part of the orcas’ official recovery plan.

The environmental groups who were frustrated by the Canadian government’s failure to take steps under the Species at Risk Act to protect the orcas are the David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defense, Greenpeace Canada, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Raincoast Conservation Society and the Wilderness Committee have turned to the courts.

You can read more here…

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Saudi Prince to Save Coral Reefs

By rashie on January 19, 2009

His Royal Highness General Khaled bin Sultan, founder and Chairman of the Living Oceans Foundation, announced the formal launch of “Global Reef Expedition: Science Without Borders” the Foundation’s three-year coral reef study.

The goals of the expedition are to:

  • map and characterize coral reef ecosystems
  • assess major habitat types
  • identify factors that allow coral reefs to resist, survive and recover from major threats
  • determine impacts of climate change
  • identify the reefs’ current status and major threats
  • and help develop regional and global conservation measures

We’ve told you one way you can help from harming coral reefs with the chemicals used in sunscreens is to wear a rash guard shirt when you snorkel or dive to view them.

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Munitions Removal at Surf City Beaches

By admin on January 15, 2009

Surf City, NJ, has become more than a vacation destination, it has become a mine field of World War-I era munitions that are lurking just below the sand.

The materials were accidentally deposited in a beach fill project two years ago. The Army Corps of Engineers has been using metal detectors to try to locate the potentially dangerous materials (more than 1,100 pieces have been found since March 2007).

However, the detectors are not strong enough to locate all the munitions so a $17 million removal project has been approved. The real kicker (as if bombs buried on your beach weren’t enough) is that clean up efforts will cost triple what the beach fill costs were in the first place.

You can read more here… 

Now we know our rash guard swim shirts can protect your skin from the UV dangers of the sun… but munitions??? We think not.  :-O

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Oceans Acidity Levels Rising

By rashie on January 13, 2009

Oceana

We know our customers here at Buy-Rash-Guards.com are ocean loving folks so we thought we’d pass this news along…

According to a recent report by Oceana, the largest international organization focused 100 percent on ocean conservation, the world’s oceans are becoming more acidic at an alarming rate due to the increase of carbon dioxide emissions over the last few decades and this is likely to drastically change marine ecosystems worldwide.

Oceana’s analysis, which draws heavily on published scientific literature, predicts a mass extinction of coral reefs in both tropical and colder deep waters this century. These die-offs will result from the absorption of carbon dioxide by the oceans, which leads to a lowering of pH, creating a more acidic environment for marine life.

Acidification reduces the ability of marine animals such as corals, crabs, lobsters, clams and oysters to create calcium carbonate skeletons and shells, which will likely reduce their survival rates, and their ability to mature and reproduce. Such a decline and widespread death of coral reefs will cost society billions of dollars annually in lost fishing and tourism revenue and will jeopardize the coastal protection services that coral reefs otherwise provide.

Oceana describes a framework of actions for policymakers, business leaders and the public to reduce carbon emissions and prevent massive die-offs of marine ecosystems, including:

  • Adopt a policy of stabilizing atmospheric carbon dioxide at 350 parts per million or below
  • Promote energy efficiency and low carbon fuels
  • Transition quickly to alternative energy sources
  • Regulate carbon releases
  • Preserve natural resilience of marine ecosystems by protecting them from overfishing and pollution

You can read the full report here at their website…

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Pauline Ado Claims ASP World Junior Title

By rashie on January 7, 2009

Pauline Ado

Shown picking up her winner’s check wearing a bright red rash guard surf shirt,  surfer Pauline Ado (FRA), 17, has just made Association of Surfing Professionals, (ASP), history as the first non-Australian female to claim the undisputed ASP Junior World Title, defeating opponent Bethany Hamilton (HAW), 18, in a hard-fought Final at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

Clean three-to-four foot waves were on tap at Sydney’s legendary North Narrabeen Beach yesterday where Ado surfed her way to the crown and became the newest ASP World Junior Champion.

“I’m speechless,” Ado said. “I am so stoked. This is a dream come true. I can’t believe that I won. When I woke up this morning, I never imagined that this would happen.”

While her opponent Hamilton exhibited patience throughout the day, Ado wasted no time in surfing both the lefts and rights and although the lead flipped back-and-forth it was the young Frenchwoman who sealed the deal with a solid 13.43 out of a possible 20.

Congrats Pauline and nice women’s rash guard if we do say so ourselves.  :-P

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Happy New Year

By rashie on January 2, 2009

Let the holiday cheer continue – Here’s wishing all of our Buy-Rash-Guards.com customers a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!

As the year progresses and the warmer weather takes you out and about the water we hope you will continue to shop with us for all of your rash guard, swim shirt and UV protective clothing needs.

Thanks for a great 2008 and an even better 2009.  :-)

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