The eighties was an awkward time for pro surfing. The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) was just spreading its wings and beginning to gain real sponsorship and exposure, but contest locations were essentially reform beach breaks that left surfers hopping and humping three waves to the beach for a win. It was all rather sad. Only one thing could save professional surfing from dying of boredom: a rivalry...a real rivalry. We're talking a rivalry that would split surfers down the center between goofy footers and regular footers; stylists and aggros; Americans and Australians; I'm not sure but I'll be one was a Democrat and the other Republican. Of course, I am referring to Occy versus Curren.

Mark Ochilupo was the brash, blond goofy with a lead-heavy back foot and talent for moving 100 MPH at full-rail. Tom Curren was the silky soul man recluse who seemed to channel the smooth stylings of surfing's past while at the same time pushing an entire generation to a whole new level. That said, it's been several decades. Curren went AWOL and mapped out Indonesia and beyond on free-surf boat trips with a guitar in hand while Occy fell off the face of the Earth, got involved with the dark side, got it all back together and absolutely slayed all the comp to win his first world title.

Here we are with Occy and Curren scheduled to meet in a special event as part of the Billabong Pro at Jeffery's Bay. Will it be a barn burner or a fizzler? I don't know about you guys, but I'm tuning in to the clash of the icons.

I saw it again during the good last swell. Even in this highly enlightened green-eco-retro-cool-daddy culture and in a world where there are more waves and methods of waveriding than ever before imagined, surfers are still dropping in on other surfers. Uhg! I saw dudes getting faded in the most cold and tragic way, pushing over sections and looking back like bloated pro wrestlers ready to scrap. Improper hand gestures abound as rudeness spread like Ebola in what translated into to a free market economy run by pirates. Come on! This is a plea. Please you guys and gals, don't drop in on surfers who have priority. It breaks down the natural order of things and throws a cog into the brotherhood (and sisterhood of course) of the waves. Dropping in on, snaking, hopping, working, burning, shoulder-hopping or fading your fellow surfer is never cool. If you think it is, then you might be a kook. If you're not sure of your kook status, check here. Sometimes, I guess, a payback for a previous drop-in is uncontrollable but try your best. Use words and not saber-rattling that may lead to a physical altercation. Fights on the beach just blow the whole vibe for sure. Unintentional drop-ins occur, but again remember to let the surfer know it was a mistake. And don't forget that two unintentional drop-ins will suddenly seem very intentional.

This article is interesting in that Dogman lists the ten most significant surfing equipment innovations. Now I don’t necessarily agree with all his entries. For one, I don’t see photographic innovations as part of the forward momentum of surfing. Also, the Internet has changed the way we exchange surfing information and communicate with other surfers while cams and forecasts have made things easier but not necessarily pushed the art or sport of surfing. It has, however, changed surf culture, but the Internet has changed our culture itself, so maybe that goes without saying. The leash definitely enabled more people to ride waves more safely but I don’t feel it pushed the parameters of overall surfing skill levels. In fact, riding without a leash takes even more confidence and waterman skills. Now I thought that I was the only guy who realized the enormous effect of removable fins on surfboard travel and versatility. And, heck yeah, the wetsuit has changed the way we surf in spots outside the tropics. Seasons and locations that were previously unsurfable are now open for exploration and shredding. But if we are going to mention the thruster as a significant innovation, we can’t leave out the introduction of fiberglass in the 1940’s. Say hello to light, strong surfboards that allowed surfers to soar into more artistic lines on the waves. Overall, Dogman is on the money with the PWC. I’d say the PWC is like the Internet of surfing, making all things unthinkable suddenly commonplace. In other news, how about the coming and going of International Surfing Day? What did you guys and gals do for the "holiday"? The surf in m quadrant was minimal, but I've been hearing from folks all around the globe who celebrated in different ways. Share your thoughts below or go to the forum and tell me what you did.

Board design and shaping have been a bone of contention in the surfing community over the last decade. But I see the biggest problem in that the surfer and his board are becoming more and more distant as design techniques progress. If we are to go back to the beginning, Hawaiians came together as a community in shaping and building a new surfboard. The finished board was a family treasure and its launching into the water was a community event. Even as materials changed and surfboard shaping became a business, surfers and shapers often stood together in the shaping room in a sort of refinement session where they communicated about the surfer's goal for the board.

The advent of the "almost shaped" blank saw shapers become "scrapers". Mass produced surfboards have brought down some prices, and surfers have lost some contact with their surfboards...that soul connection that inspired me to keep my surfboard in my bedroom so no harm would come to my precious possession. I fixed every ding as it happened and tried to keep it fresh for as long as possible. A new surfboard was like adopting a child. In my mind I gently whispered, "I'll take good care of you, baby."

Today, surfboards have become disposable, and even with attempts at creating more "green" surfboards, it's the attitude of surfers themselves that has changed. We really can't blame the industry for becoming more streamline and more profitable. In reality, it's surfers who own these companies and surfers who are using shaping machines and surfers who are buying up all this stuff. There's no avoiding progress and new technologies and such (and no real reason to), but we can try to stay true to the tradition that gave birth to our culture and art. We need to keep that attitude that surfing is an art first and that no matter where the board under your feet came from, it is the way you connect to the energy of the wave. That's the soul connection. Cherish it and nourish it. Don’t toss your old board. Fix it up. Give it to a kid. Donate it to a cause, and please fix your dings.