A much-anticipated first look at Julian Wilson's upcoming film, Scratching the Surface.

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It's true that I've been hyping up Brazilian junior sensation Jadson Andre like the kid was the latin equivelant of Christ. But recently, my baby blues have wondered to another Brazo that can walk on water—make that fly. Gabriel Medina recently won the Quik King of the Groms event in France and punted more airs and whips than what I thought was humanly possible. Big up to Gabriel, you lofty boy you. Think I'm over-hyping the kid? Watch the video below...downright shockin stuff.

By Jeff Mull / photo: Childs

Whether you like it or not, 19-year-old Alana Blanchard, with her waterdrop frame, seductive eyes, and seamless carve is the new face of women's surfing. Young, beautiful, and talented, when a photo of Alana appears in a glossy monthly, whether she be clad in bikini or draped in neoprene, you know it's going to be a page-stopper. At a time when the women's tour is undoubtedly on shakey footing, having someone like Alana at the helm that not only surfs supreme but has garnered international media coverage (Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair) only helps ensure the sport's survival.  Recently, we caught up with Alana to get her impression on her first year on the CT and how she handles all of the ... err ... attention.

Growing up, who did you look to for inspiration in your surfing?
I really looked up to Rochelle Ballard, Keala Kennely and Sena Seamur. They were all from Kauai. I also looked up to the Oahu girls like Megan Abubo, Melanie Bartels and Shea Hodges. I just wanted to surf as good as them. I grew up with Bethany Hamilton and she has definitely given me a lot inspiration.

You're almost done with your first year on the Tour, is it anything like you thought it would be?
It's a little different than what I thought it would be. I thought I would be traveling way more because I am doing the WQS and the WCT but it's been pretty relaxed so far because the WQS had a few less events this year and the WCT only has seven events for 2009. This year the WQS has more competition than last year and I'm sure it will get even harder next year with all the younger girls coming up. Being away from home and all the traveling is the thing that doesn't change. It can get pretty hard sometimes.

It's hard to deny that there's a gap between your generation of girls on Tour and the older generation. Is there any bad blood between the two or do you guys get along or does each group stick to themselves?
All the girl get along really well and every one is really nice. I don't think there's any bad blood or anything like that between the veterans and the rookies. I definitely know that they don't want to lose to us though.

Do you feel that sometimes people look at you like just a pretty face, and forget that you're a very talented surfer? If so, does it bother you?
I never really thought about that until Megan Abubo mentioned it on her blog. My first WCT season has started off on the slow side [Alana has posted two ninth-place results] but there are still five contests to go so hopefully I can get some good results and prove that I deserve to be on the World Tour.

Where do you see the women's tour in 2010?
We have Sunset again, and with the new event in New Zealand, 2010 is looking very promising. Hopefully we get Haleiwa again next year.

Is there someone alive right now that you look to and say to yourself, "This person has their act together, that's the way to do it."?
I think Steph Gilmore seems to really have it together. She keeps her composure whether she's winning or is behind in a heat. She is a really good speaker. She is always smiling and is just a really nice person.

A collective of six surfers set out on a voyage to alter one’s perception of modern day surfing. Forget pre-dawn charging. Forget golden lighting. Forget glassy waters. They ignore perfect point breaks in favor of chunky onshore wedges. This is about high performance, state of the art, modern as hell...Onshore=keepers. Follow these vogue individuals and obtain a candid look at what a session is actually like with the world’s best. The future has already happened you will just be watching the replay. Starring Dane Reynolds, Dion Agius, Yadin Nicol, Mitch Coleborn, Dusty Payne and Jordy Smith. Directed By Kai Neville. Produced by: Poor Specimen Productions.Available: November 10, 2009. US tour starts: October 29, 2009

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In case you're not up to speed on the happenings of one of Australia's greatest junior surfers, then take a gander below at what Julian Wilson has been up to for the past year. When not crushing the dreams of the World Tour elite surfing as a wildcard in a few CT events where he took out Slater in Oz and Bede Durbidge in the first round of the French event, young Julian has been affront the lens working on logging some footage for his upcoming flick, Scratching the Surface. Judging from the likes of the preview below, his work is paying off. Stay tuned for more from Julian Wilson at SurferHot100.com.

Photos from day 2 of the 2009 Quiksilver Pro France

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With all of the talk about Dane and his hasty rise in the CT rankings after the last event, is it possible we've forgetton about that beast of a Zaffa, Jordy Smith? I think not. Check out the three vids below and show Jordy some love...he's earned it.

Day 1 coverage of the 2009 Quiksilver Pro France

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Final day coverage from the 2009 Hurley Pro Lowers.

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Earlier this week, Kai Neville, the conductor of the forthcoming film Modern Collective, dished out four segments from the flick at the 6.0 No Tell Motel. The film drops in late October on iTunes. Until then, take a gander or three at the trailer and count the days till the film's release.

The competition takes a break at the 2009 Hurley Pro

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Live Surf Cams ::

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Kelly Slater delivers a thoughtful and gracious acceptance speech after winning the 2009 SURFER Poll and Video awards for the 15th time.

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A collection of the beautiful girls in attendance at the 2009 SURFER Poll and Video Awards.

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Parko takes a loss to Rob Machado and the Hurley Pro rolls on.

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Interviews with Parko, Andy Irons, Taj, and the crew of Billabong's Still Filthy at the world premiere at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego.

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Check out the nominees for movie of the year at the 2009 SURFER Poll and Video Awards presented by Suzuki Automotive and Ulitmate Wave Tahiti. Don't miss the live webcast Tuesday, September 15, 2009 starting at 7 PM!

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In windy conditions the ASP World Tour descends upon Lowers and Kelly Slater, Brett Simpson, and Kai Otton steal the show.

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As the youngest in a group of World War II-era surfers that included John Kelly, Wally Froiseth, and Fran Heath, George Downing was not only in on many of the earliest forays into big wave riding in the 20th century, but also contributed design discoveries that broke the barrier to 20-foot surf and beyond.

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By Jeff Mull

There's no escaping Kai Barger. Whether he's plastered on the cover of SURFER (see October issue, 2008), winning pro junior events or becoming the World Junior Champion, the 19-year-old Maui Boy has become omnipresent as of late. You just can't seem to shake him. On the eve of his debut as a wildcard at the Hurley Pro at Lowers later this week, we caught up with Kai to get his take on playing with the big boys, his opening stint in the European trenches, and the upcoming winter season in Hawaii.

We heard you were in Europe slogging it out on the QS. How was the Old Country?
It was pretty cool. I was just doing a few select QS events. Seeing how it all works and all that stuff. Just trying to get enough points so I can surf in some of the events on the North Shore this winter. [Kai is currently sitting in the low 60s on the QS.]

Is surfing on the QS as difficult as everyone says it is?
Well, it's tough, that's for sure. Everyone says it's a grind and a bit of a nightmare and all of that...and that's pretty much accurate. [laughs]

With winter on the horizon, are you going to be posting yourself up on Oahu full-time or commuting to the North Shore?
I'll probably be doing a little bit of both. I'll fly over from Maui to Oahu when the surf gets good. But when the contest season starts up, I'll be there for a while.

So you're one of the wildcards for the upcoming Hurley Lowers Pro. How's that feel?
I've been so busy I haven't really been able to think about it too much. Since I landed in California, a few people have started talking to me about it, so it's just now starting to sink in. I think in the next couple of days I'll start thinking about it a little more and getting hyped.

You've had a few solid results at Lowers recently and you won the Oakley Pro Junior there this spring. Can you talk about the wave a bit and how it suits your surfing?
Yeah, I really like the wave a lot. Hopefully, I can get a few waves where I can do more than two or three turns out there.

Going into the event, what would be considered a disappointment for you?
Well, I'd like to take a few guys out, but being a wildcard, I don't really feel too much pressure. It should be a good experience for me so I don't think it can really be disappointing for me at all.

What about an achievement, what would you need to do to feel like you did well at the event?
Just to beat few of the guys on the CT would be pretty cool. I think I'd be pretty stoked on that.

With the Hurley Pro upon us, we figured we'd test your brains with some Trestles trivia. Answer the following questions correctly and three of you will win The Used's New CD/DVD "Artwork" and Autographed "Artwork" Vinyl.

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By Jeff Mull

With a mammoth break between events in the women’s WCT, two-time world champ Steph Gilmore did what every Australian girl would do in her shoes, she came to America and saw the sites. She shed a tear at Ellis Isle, ran through a field of wheat in the Midwest, went hunting in Alaska, and earned herself a Nickelodeon Teen Choice Award. Okay, so she really only did one of those things on her American sojourn (Steph really did win a Teen Choice Award) but by all accounts, Steph had a blast and has developed a whole new understanding of the States. Between her Teen Choice Award for best female Actions Sports Athlete and a trip to Brooklyn, Steph chimed in to update us on her summer.

So I know you've been in the states for the past few months. What's your trip been like so far and is living here anything like what you imagined?

The three months I’ve spent in the US has gone by extremely fast but I feel like I’ve been pretty productive and exposed myself to some new opportunities along the way. Living in So Cal is great fun, and quite surreal at the same time. I haven’t been surfing as much as I probably should have, but that’s why I've left room to jet off down to Mexico and score some decent waves. There’s a heck of a lot of driving involved in everyday life here, but here in the US, nothing seems impossible. Away from the beach, I didn’t imagine how much more incredible things California has to offer, so I was very impressed with the crazy contrast in lifestyles and cultures from Nor Cal to San Diego, New York and the inland areas…the adventures were endless. I’m kinda bummed to get back to the “reality” of tour life [laughs].

Are there any stereotypes about the US that you feel aren’t accurate? Were New Yorkers as rough as everyone makes them out to be?

People in New York City are intriguing; yes they're busy, but definitely not rude, I loved my time there. Everything is large and I think a lot of people believe Americans have to have the biggest and the best; which is true in many cases, but I also believe that a lot people really just enjoy the simple things in life and it’s the over-excessive needs that shadow the more mellow stereotypes.

So, being based out of Orange County and with a few trips back east, what’s your preference: East Coast or West Coast?

I probably didn’t see enough of the East Coast to answer that question...they're completely different, but I’ll say West Coast for now [laughs].

The next tour stop is coming up pretty soon. How are you preparing yourself for the event?

Well, I’m trying to remember what my job is again. Just getting my boards prepared and stuff like that.