Well, it was good while it lasted but now its over. The only event in the ASP calender to gain any credibility beyond Bells or Pipe has now joined the Hang Lose Pro on the scrapheap of surfing history.

The following is a quote from Rip Curl on what The Search Event is about - "The Rip Curl Pro Search is an exciting and innovative development for professional surfing. It’s about finding the best waves in the spirit of The Search, which in turn is all about discovery and freedom.

The Search never ends..."

In the spirit of 'The Search', previous venues for the event have included Indonesia, Chile, Reunion Islands and last year - Puerto Rico. It's an expensive event to run being in generally remote areas far from the madenning crowds that buy wetsuits and boardshorts...thats why this year it is being held at Ocean Beach San Francisco.

You see, the only other company that makes wetsuits as good as Rip Curl is O'Neil and to date Rip Curl has struggled to make an impact in the backyard of O'Neil - North America. The aren't alone. Billabong and Quiksilver have strugged also. Billabong picked up the South American event from Hang Loose last year and this year, Quiksilver will hold a million dollar event in (giggle...giggle) New York...BWHAWAWAAAAAAA!

Oh shit that hurts..whoooo...1 sec....man

And so the ASP closes from the east, west and south on O'Neil. O'Neil of course has struck back from the north - the coldwater classic hosted exclusively by O'Neil has proven to be a respected series of dedicated 'coldwater events' - consistenty turning on good quality surf and of course providing the ideal promotional platform for their own range of wetsuits. It's been a real winner for O'Neil and its killing Rip Curl.

Now don't get me wrong, Rip Curl and the ASP can hold their event wherever they want - yes even in 8 foot closeouts at Ocean Beach. All I'm saying is call it what it is - a promotion event, its not 'The Search' anymore, its not about 'discovery and freedom' it's about a soft retail market coupled with the worst export market for the last 20 years, its about reverse engineered chinese wetsuits flooding the market that cost half of a Tier 1 original - it's about breaking even, its about desperation, its about realising the limits of global growth, its about trying to keep Kelly Slater interested, its about the kid from Torrence California and what brand he reaches for on the shelf - whatever else it is, its not about - The Seach anymore.