Howzit North Shore! A bit of Springtime Sunshine has been warming up the North Shore lately! One day it’s cold and rainy and the next day it feels almost like Summer! The sun has been going down later every day… and following each gorgeous sunset in late March and early April was a real astronomical show! Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn went into a rare planetary alignment in the early evening sky for two weeks beginning on March 22nd. Right after sundown the “Fab 5” came out and lit up the night sky as they lined up across the North Shore skies from west to east right above the spot where the sun went down over the ocean. To top off the display, the moon was right in line with the planets. “This particular planetary grouping will quite possibly offer the best night-time views until 2036,” says Dr. Myles Standish, an Astronomer at NASA. (NASA quote) What a great reason to stay out surfing until long after dark, especially on those crystal clear North Shore evenings when the absence of city lights makes us very glad we live in the Country!

The 6-Star Salomon Masters for the men and the 4-Star SunSmart Women’s Classic for the women were underway from March 29th until April 4th at Margaret River, Western Australia. The WQS Salomon Masters attracted a record field of 272 competitors including 27 of the WCT surfers. A total of 19 nations were represented in the event. On March 30th, “Massive waves… turned Australia’s premiere WQS (event) into a dramatic showdown of man versus the sea! Huge 15 foot slabs of water were crashing down on the outside reef break with even bigger 18 foot sets exploding throughout the day. It’s like huge Sunset Beach, Hawaii survival out there. Guys getting out of the water are saying it’s Hawaiian Style!” (ASP quote) Full result’s from both the men’s and women’s events at Margaret River in Western Australia in the next issue of NSN! The 2nd week in April, the US$260,000 Rip Curl Pro got underway at Bell’s Beach in Victoria, Australia from April 6-16. The 32nd Annual Rip Curl Pro, traditionally held at Easter-time at the Big Wave Break at Bell’s Beach near the original Rip Curl Factory in the town of Torquay… is one of the world’s longest running professional surf contests, and 2nd of the 12 ASP/WCT main events for 2004. A few days before the event got underway, a huge 8-12 foot swell hit Bell’s, making all the travelling pros ready for this next WCT event to dish out some juice! Not only is the Rip Curl Pro Australia’s longest running surf event, holding a proud place in surfing folklore stretching back to 1973… but it is also one of Victoria’s Government’s six Hallmark events each year as an acknowledgment to the state’s rich sporting culture.

The 15th Annual World Championships of Women’s Bodyboarding was on from April 1-14 at the Banzai Pipeline. This year’s event was sponsored by the Ko Olina Resort & Marina and hosted by the Association of Women Bodyboarders. The Ko Olina Resort & Marina is a 642 acre master-planned resort community on the western shore of Honolulu. The AWB has women’s bodyboarding representatives from Australia, Brazil, Chile, Hawaii, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Peru, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Tahiti, Tasmania, United States and Venezuela. “In the world of ladies professional bodyboarding, there is one title to strive for…The Ko Olina World Championship of Women’s Bodyboarding. Every bodyboarder girl knows that one day she must prove her worth in Hawaii’s giant winter waves, at the Banzai Pipeline.” (AWB/Caitlin Hartney quote) Stay tuned for a full rundown on this mega-competition!

Quiet on the set! Oahu’s North Shore will be the scenic backdrop for a new Fox Television series that will begin airing this summer. Filming for the hour-long drama about life at a luxury hotel (aka theTurtle Bay Resort) will start in May with 12 episodes scheduled so far. For now the show is called “Oahu”, but that may be changed to “The North Shore”. NBC is filming a police drama called “Hawaii” and WB plans to start filming ‘Rocky Point” on the North Shore in June. Also an ABC pilot called “Lost” begins filming at remote locations on Oahu next month. Lights, Camera… Action!

Haleiwa resident Lori Soyland-Murray is lucky to be alive after surviving a motorcycle accident that put her in the hospital for a month (including 2 weeks in a coma). Her mother, Vangie Soyland-Steers came over from California to help her daughter through the ordeal and to help run “The Soap Cellar” across from Pizza Bob’s in Haleiwa. “She wasn’t expected to live either, Soyland-Steers said. This is not something a mother expects to do. It’s been quite a year.” (Ka Nupepa quote) Lori is struggling with massive medical bills. Donations to her medical fund will be gladly accepted at the Soap Cellar, 66-145 Kam Hy, #4A, Haleiwa.

The 28th Annual Buffalo’s Big Board Surfing Classic ruled at Makaha in March. The Coors Light and WRV “Sunset Soul Surfing Classic” with classic 60’s, 70’s and 80’s longboarding and “retro shortboards” and “big wave single fins” divisions also took place in March at Sunset Beach. Cowabunga!

“Surfrider Foundation” is fighting to save our coastlines and surf here in Hawaii and nationally. Get active! Go to www.surfrider.org and help to petition our senators to take action regarding the 2003 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) and other projects to protect our nation’s waters! Aloha… Ace Cool!