By Jeff Mull

With the cobbles at Lowers literally a short shuffle from his bedroom, San Clemente’s Riley Metcalf has honed his craft at one of the most photographed and digitally captured waves in the world, all the while managing to snag the shot from the masses time and again. On a good day at Lowers, you can count on a dozen or more photogs lining the beach, with nearly every surfer in the lineup jockeying for the undying attention from their lens. With that in mind, if there was ever a surfer in the Hot 100 to give us a bit of insight into getting the shot, it would be Riley Metcalf. Read on to see how Riley manages to stand out from the pack time and again.

Standing out on a crowded day
A weird airbrush will definitely get you noticed. A board with colored rails
always seems to catch my eyes, especially red or black rails. When the
rails are painted it seems like the surfer is going twice as fast and
launches twice as high into the air. It’s definitely a strange occurrence that I notice.

How close is too close?
Getting absolutely too close for comfort if the photog is shooting from the water is a good call, but within reason. If some guy gets too radical and breaks the photog’s housing with his board, the camera will be broken, all of the photos gone, and someone is left to pay for a new expensive camera, not to mention the odds of you shooting with that photog again are gonna be pretty low.

Befriend the lensmen
It’s always a great thing to make friends with a photographer because if they don't like you, or worse don’t know you, the chances of you getting a shot, getting it run, or even submitted are pretty low. But on the other hand, if they do like hanging out with you, why not go and shoot?

The right angle
When you’re shooting with a photographer, it’s a good idea to go into the session with a game plan, because if the photog is setting up way down the beach and the angle is only good for forehand airs, then going backside or doing cutbacks would be a waste of everyone's time. Just having a plan for what you’re going to shoot and how you are gonna do it always helps.

Let there be light
When shooting, lighting is everything. Lighting can turn a mediocre maneuver and make it into something really special. The lighting is always mystical when the sun rises and sets. You can get some cool results with the clouds so keep that in mind when you go for a shoot.


What not to do
The worst experience I can remember when trying to get a shot was in Brazil with Jason Kenworthy. He was shooting water and we all got stuck in a riptide and were being sucked out. Then a few unnamed surfers got the bright idea to bail on Kenworthy and surf their own peak. Let’s just say that being ditched did not sit well with Kenworthy. After many a scolding and a few rear-naked chokes were handed out on the beach, I'm sure it won't happen again.

The finished product
When you do finally nail a good shot, it feels amazing to know that all of the scrapping and dozens of flyaway air attempts did come out to be something good. To get that finished product of you surfing, something that can be saved and looked at for many generations to come is such a great feeling. />

Tom Curren defeats Mark Occhilupo in the first heat in the Clash of the Icons.

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By Jeff Mull

The name Kolohe Andino has been synonymous with gromdom for years, as it seems that the towheaded San Clemente teenager has been bound into the pages of monthly surf pubs since he first stood up on a board. As the son of a California surf icon, Dino Andino, big things have been expected of Kolohe for a long time, but it wasn’t until he eviscerated his competition at Nationals this year, most notably taking the Open Men's title, that the kid proved once and for all that he is everything that they (read we) say he is.

The summer of 2009 has been a coming out of sorts for Kolohe. First, there was the Red Bull Indo sojourn that many have dubbed to be one of the most high-performance and blisteringly talented trips ever. The boat trip was composed of a virtual who’s who in the under 21 surf world. It was progression defined and captured in HD, spewed across the Web and surf blogs the world over for us to marvel at. And right smack in the middle of it, holding his own against the best in the business was Kolohe. “Yeah, to me that trip was insane. It was a great trip, but going into it, I didn’t think it would get the media hype that it did. It was definitely a great way to start the summer,” said Kolohe coolly.

Next up, Nationals. As much of a staple at Lowers as the train tracks that meander down the coast, Kolohe has this wave as wired as anyone. Day in and day out, he’s there, demolishing the rights and lefts with his fluid and seamless mix of the fundamentals and the fins-free.

“I definitely think that living near Lowers and surfing it all of the time has its advantages. I know the waves pretty well,” said Kolohe when asked how important local knowledge can be. “For instance, I had this one heat and we were waiting for a set and time was winding down and this one sort of stood up on the outside and everyone paddled too far out for it and missed it. I’ve been surfing this spot so long, I know just how those ones are gonna break. Those guys missed that one, and I got it…and I won that heat because of it.”

As Kolohe alluded, he did his fair share of winning this year at Nationals, taking home three titles and bringing home a whole mess of pride to San Clemente. “Going into Nationals, I really wanted to beat Bobby [Martinez’s] six National title records. And I did that. With my wins at Nationals this year, I’m now at seven. That was pretty huge for me.”

Still yet an upstart, Kolohe already has big World Tour aspirations. When asked where he sees himself in five years, he succinctly replied, “World Tour.”

We wholeheartedly agree.

With sunny days, barbecues, and south swells being the order of the season, what's not to love about summer? Just in case you haven't been completely fired up lately, we're giving you another chance at happiness with our Hot 100 Photo of the Month Contest. Every month, our photo editors dig through the pages of the Hot 100 community, on the prowl for the image that catches their eye. Once that oh-so-special shot is selected, we hook up  the winner with a mountain of swag.

Sounds pretty good, right? This month, we're slinging a huge Gorilla Grip prize package to Hot 100 community member Tyler Moris, who snagged this gem of an image that had our Assistant Photo Editor, JP Van Swae, singing his praises.

"Although this image was shot at high noon, a very rough thing to do for water shots, the photographer took the time to wait till the subject was fully shaded by the barrel. While it's not easy to stay still while a wave is looming over your head, the photographer kept his composure and his focus on the subject. And the surfer was in really good form on his backside, not an easy thing to do as well. I can only assume he made it out. But you never can tell."

If you think you've got a shot worth some goods, upload that digi card that's been sitting on your desk, create a profile page at SurferHot100.com, and cross your fingers, cause we're always on the lookout and next month, it could be you walking home with a new board under your arm or wardrobe in your closet.

Tom Curren defeats Mark Occhilupo in the first heat in the Clash of the Icons.

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With much of the proceeds benefiting the PacSun Surfing America USA Surf Team, we caught up with the Tour’s headlining act, 311, to get the inside scoop.

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I guess the real question is this: How does Tom Curren not have his own rental car?

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Tom Curren and Occy are two of the best surfers in the world. To honor these two icons Josh Pomer has created a clip of these two masters from his fifteen year archive. If you like the clip please come see the Last Ride Music and Movie tour. Tom Curren will be playing live to Tk8 Last Ride in Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Newport and La Jolla.(more locations being added) Tk8 is starring Curren, Slater, Reynolds, Martinez, Ratboy and Garland. Sponsors include Surfer Magazine, Fringe Clothing, Channel Islands and Surf Happens. www.joshpomerfilms.com for tickets and info.

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Never one to accept the status quo of board design, Kelly Slater is at it again. This time he’s experimenting with a board inspired by the hydrodynamic qualities of a stingray, making for a template that would cause most shapers to scratch their heads.

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Behind the scenes of Electric's latest ad in SURFER.

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Ultimate Wave Tahiti, Featuring Kelly Slater: Coming to IMAX and other Giant screen theaters in both 3D and 2D - February 2010. Tahiti is a surfing paradise. Home to arguably the most perfect heavy wave in the world, home to some of the most diverse and colorful sealife anywhere on the planet and without a doubt home to the the clearest water to be found anywhere. A brief glimpse into the location of the first ever 3-D IMAX film focused on Surfing.

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"God Went Surfing With the Devil" charts the difficulties and dangers encountered by surfers in the region. Along the way it speaks to Israelis, Arab-Israelis, and Palestinians affected by the violence, charting their daily struggle to supersede the conflict through the joys of surfing.

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By Jeff Mull

Senior Prom or World Tour? It’s a question ripe in the mind of Carissa Moore, your current women’s ’QS leader. As of early July, we're situated more than three-quarters of the way through the ’QS season and Carissa, whether it was her intention of qualifying when she began the season or not, is poised to make her debut at the elite level come 2010. But it may not be such a simple choice for the prodigy as Carissa’s decision to attend, and excel, at one of the country’s most prestigious high schools, Punahou School in Honolulu, has been blasted over every bit of editorial that’s accompanied the 16-year-old. All of this begs the question: With one year of high school left and a potential ticket to the Big Leagues at her fingertips, will it be books or ’CT heat sheets for Carissa Moore next year? Read on to find out.

You’re currently ranked number-one on the ’QS. When you first started off this season, were you trying to qualify for the Tour or did it just sort of happen?

[laughs] Well, Coco Ho and I are both ranked first right now. But in the beginning of the year I just wanted to do a few events and see how I did. You know, just give it my best shot and see what happens. But I’ve had a few alright results along the way so I'm stoked so far. However, there’s still a few events left and anything can happen.

What are you going to do if you qualify? Are you planning on finishing up your last year of high school or will you hit the road on the ’CT?

I can’t really say yet for sure because I haven’t qualified just yet. There’s still a few events left. I think it would be a dream come true to be traveling on the ’CT and going to school at the same time, but we'll just wait and see what happens.

Can you talk about school a little bit and are you looking forward to your senior year?

Yes, I’m actually really looking forward to my senior year. There’s a bunch of things that I’ve always wanted to do as a senior like go to senior prom. I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun, so yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.

I know you’re good friends with Coco Ho, has she given you any advice on the ’CT?

Yeah, a little bit. She said the waves are super fun and she really likes it. She said that she just loved going to Snapper. She said that’s been her favorite. It seems like it would be tough adjusting to all of the different waves on tour, but she is doing a really good job so far and I'm really excited for her.

For the rest of the season, what events are you really looking forward to doing?

I’m looking forward to going to Huntington for the US Open. I haven’t been there in a while, but it’s such a crazy event. It should be fun.

I couldn’t help but notice that you weren’t at Lowers this year for Nationals. Are your NSSA days over?

Yeah, I think so. I’ve had a lot of fun doing the NSSA and it was a great experience, but I think I’m done competing there. The good news is that my little sisters have started surfing in the NSSA so that’s gonna be a lot of fun.

Kelly Slater reigning nine-time ASP World Champion has claimed the 2009 Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro over an in-form Adriano de Souza in clean three-to-four foot waves at the main site of Praia Vila.

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Adriano de Souza was in sensational form this morning at the 2009 Santa Catarina Hang Loose Pro, navigating the pulsing lefthanders with ease to net the highest heat total of the day.

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Believe it or not, an eight-foot-long creature slithered its way through the salty waves of Satellite Beach, Florida on Thursday, June 25.

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By Jeff Mull

At 6' 3" and a mere 150-some-odd pounds, Owen Wright is currently leading the ’QS and is poised to become the next gargantuan to the World Tour next year. This year alone, the lanky Aussie has left his mark by taking out Slater as a wildcard in the Bells event and slaying a host of 'QS contests along the way. In the wake of his current status boom and competitive stranglehold, we caught up with Owen to see how he’s handling the newfound fame.

The last time we did an interview, you had just won three Pro Juniors and you seemed like you were really on fire. Since then, you've boosted up to the number-one position on the 'QS. What, exactly, clicked for you this year and are the wins coming easy or do you have to work for them?

For me what clicked was just that I’d been working on my boards and surfing and training a lot more than I had been doing in previous years, so it’s just been giving me a comfortable and confident feeling ’bout myself. But yeah, it’s definitely not coming easy…I’ve had some of the hardest heats of my life but then again my boards are feeling great and I’ve been feeling pretty good too!

Right now, the media is placing you into the same pack as Jordy and Dane and it feels like you're being heralded as the next big thing and a sure bet on the Tour in 2010. How do you feel about that? Is there a lot of pressure and if so, how do you deal with the pressure?

Well if anyone is placing me in that pack, then yeah, it makes me feel pretty good. That gives me some confidence. But there’s always going to be pressures, but I don’t necessarily feel it from the media; it’s more from myself to perform. I deal with that by thinking about the fact that I’m still a junior for another year after this, and in knowing that I’ve got absolutely nothing to lose surfing against those older guys.

Can you talk about your paint jobs on your boards? I think I noticed that they're all pretty similar. What's the reasoning behind that?

Well when I got my first custom board I came up with a cross pattern for it then and as I got older I just kept the same pattern but would change it and tweak it just a little bit until it evolved into the claws a couple of years ago. I’m actually thinking of changing it at the end of this year again...still going with the claws though.

Who do you look to in the sport for inspiration? Is there someone out there that you look to and say “that guys got his stuff together...that's someone that I could learn from"?

There’s actually a few people I look at for inspiration. I like Mick Fanning for how hard he trains, Jordy and Dane for their futuristic surfing, and Kelly for just being how good he is. I definitely try and learn something from all those top guys.

For such a skinny kid I heard you have a pretty healthy appetite. What’s a typical meal like for Owen Wright?

Yeah, I eat a lot. My mom makes the best food and heaps of it. [laughs] Well there are a lot us in my family too. But we normally all eat together as a family and there's normally a lot stirring each other up.

Last question: Who’s your top pick for Brazil?

Mick Fanning.