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"The surf was uncrowded, there was only 100 people out."

Welcome to the age of the hypercrowd.

There are 1,000 perfect waves in the Maldives yet 90% of local surfing happens at just one beach, Raalhugandu on the southeast tip of Malé. Recently the authorities closed Raalhugandu and the local surfers are at a loss.

For 20 years the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational was the most prestigious big wave contest in the world until it was superseded. If the organisers of the Eddie Aikau Invitational don't move with the times they risk the same fate.

After a tumultuous year, including filing for bankruptcy in the US, Quiksilver are seeking salvation in a private buyout. The deal would see Quiksilver International taken off the sharemarket and into private hands - and also consider a merger with Billabong.

As the surfing diaspora spreads, what were once isolated coasts reached only by the adventurous, are becoming surf tourist destinations. Papua New Guinea is one such place and if handled correctly its newfound popularity may be a blessing for locals.

Print your own fins! Make your own blanks...out of cardboard!

Westkust surf want to shake things up with an open source approach to surfing.

Who wouldn't swap their citizenship for more sunshine or more dollars?

Corinne Habel, global director of marketing and fundraising at SurfAid, recently spoke to blindboy about SurfAid's expansion across the Indonesian archipelago and their plans for 2016. 

It's been ten years since Clark Foam shut its doors in the US. Though the shutdown didn't directly affect Australia the aftermath did by bringing an awareness to alternative materials and construction methods. Swellnet speaks to Bert Burger, Hayden Cox, and Tom Wegener, three shapers who flourished in the post-Clark world.

Earlier this month pro surfer Fergal Smith announced that he's running for the Green Party in the next Irish general election. By throwing his hat in the ring Fergal follows a not-so-rich tradition of surfers entering politics.