Unsound Surf Shop owner and New York photog/ videographer supreme Mike "The Admiral" Nelson shipped off to Mexico this April with a seasoned crew of Escondido chargers, which included shop riders Sean Killarney and Ryan Carlson, plus sack monsters Sam Hammer, Billy Hume, and Mike Gleason, and finally, neophytes Clay Pollioni and TJ Gumiela, who should have learned heaps from the boys about how to get deep and tickle the innards of Zicatela's fierce beachbreak barrels. The boys didn't score it grande, but they got enough decent days to score the goods for ESM--both video and stills--with some super clean morning sessions that provided mirror-glassy, four to eight-footers to go along with their cafe con leches.

•And speaking of Nellie and Unsound, this year's Unsound Pro presented by Oakley is offering a $30,000 unsanctioned event! It'll all go down September 12th-17th, 2006 at Lincoln Blvd., in Long Beach, NY. The winner of the Men's Pro will take home the largest East Coast 1st-place prize ever--$10,500. Side events include a Tow-At Air Show, Longboard Pro, and a Junior Pro.

•Mike Becker and the crew at Natures Shapes in Bluepoint, NY, are busy building EPS blanks and epoxy surfboards, as well as shaping up their old Clark inventory and new Rhyno foam (they have over 100 blanks in stock). Find out more about Natures Shapes online at www.naturesshapes.com.

•Just when you thought the waves at Maverick's couldn't get any bigger, they were broadcast during a special NBC program on the Reuters board in Times Square, New York City, on May 13th. Onlookers watched in amazement as the riders, including Connecticut native Grant Washburn, conquered the enormous mountains of Pacific swell.

•Sid Abruzzi and his new biz partners Jason Flaherty, Logan Hill, and Chris Gorman announced that the legendary surf institution Water Brothers (formerly Water Bros) is now operating at 70 Broadway, Newport, RI. While Water Brothers Surf and Skate Shop has enjoyed many notable incarnations throughout the years, the store is now located between the Newport Police Station and the Courthouse. And what better location for a bunch of law-abiding businessmen like Sid and the boys?

•Speaking of Sid, Abruzzi's band Big World rocked New York City's Crash Mansion on May 11th in support of their new CD, Sizzle And Crack. Peep Big World online at www.bigworldband.com for all the dirt on that show and their summer schedule.

•Brian Wagner with the Rhode Island Surfrider Chapter let us know that the chapter recently submitted formal comments to the county and state regarding a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a filling project off of Roy Carpenter's Beach. In an e-mail, Wagner noted, "the chapter is not opposing the dredging project," but they asked the Army Corps to hold public hearings on the matter. Learn more and get involved at www.risurfrider.org.

•Are you traveling to Indonesia and looking to get some solid shots of your surf sojourn? Well, Long Island, NY, native Jon Huberman has been living in Bali for 15 years now, and he keeps himself busy by shooting water photography at Uluwatu and surrounding breaks on the Bukit, and focusing on Eastside talents like Martha's Vineyard ripper Ollie Crowell, pictured here at Temples. Jon's website will be up and running soon at www.uluwatershots.com. "I'm easy enough to find," he wrote, "just ask any Balinese at Ulu's: 'Where's Jon's house?' and they'll bring you over." Or you could just e-mail him before you go at sunmonkeys@aol.com.

•Montauk, NY, writer-turned-Costa Rican expat Allan Weisbecker, along with fellow East End legends Tony Caramanico and Jim Goldberg, were featured in a photo portfolio titled "Silver Surfers" by topnotch lensman Warwick Saint. Check out www.warwicksaint.com.

•Rhode Island photographer Joe McGovern returned from another voyage to the Emerald Isle this spring, this time with his daughter Jen. While Joe said it wasn't officially a "surf trip," they toured a good portion of the countryside, and he and Jen did manage to log a quality session at Spanish Point with a pod of friendly dolphins.

•Maine-based shaper Mike LaVecchia (brother to ace ESM shooter Nick LaVecchia) announced his decision to move on from his work at Grain Surfboards to pursue more independent work. "I am writing to let you know I have every intention of moving forward with the spirit, technology, and design that helped make Grain what it was," Mike wrote. "I will continue to design, build, and surf wooden boards as well as offer custom built boards and surfboard kits for sale to customers all over the world." Shortly after, brother Nick followed up with another e-mail stating the following: "My bro will continue with the Grain name in business, and will continue shaping wooden boards."

•Pete "Pistol Pete" Armata and his family made their yearly trek to the Sunshine State for the annual Ron Jon's Easter Surfing Festival in Cocoa Beach, FL. Pete Jr. was observed signing autographs for the young girls on the beach, while Pistol was seen ripping near the sidelines of the heats--where he received numerous "shout outs" from contest MC Hunter Joslin (for surfing too close to the competition zone).

•The ESA-Southern New England District scored clean, overhead surf for the Third Annual New England Earth Day Surfing Championships, held at Narragansett Town Beach in Narragansett, RI. Big winners included Brendan McCray, Luke Ryan, Kai Potter, Josh Clements, Brandon Silva, Andrew Sestito, Caroline Power, Miranda Kielpinski, Chris Chabot, Kitty Pechet, and of course, Peter Pan. For complete results, turn to Page 65.

•Be sure to drop by Portland, ME's, staple surf shop Sunny Breeze--your one-stop surf outfitter for the area, loaded with an array of boards, accessories, and local knowledge. Stop by online, too, at www.sunnybreeze.com.

•As always, www.nesurfari.com has the local scoop, including some fresh shots of LBI shredder Ben McBrien on surfari in New Hampshire--and a loaded gallery of the Granite State squad killing it in early May with individual sections for riders John Carden and Shaye Cavanaugh. Also, thanks to Nantucket wahine Melanie Kotolac, NESurfari.com CEO Christian Del Rosario's photos are now featured on the walls of the Nantucket New School. Rosario's site is also highlighted in this issue's feature story "Caught In the Web" on Page 81.

•When you're in Newport, RI, this summer, be sure to check out Montanaro Gallery, run by 'Port ripper Michael Montanaro and his wife Elizabeth. Currently running through June 19th is Project Abstraction, featuring the original work of many area artists, including Andrew Kraus, Matthew Cohen, David Pereira, Marie Stile, John Cummings, and Michael and Elizabeth Montanaro. Montanaro Gallery is located at 518 Thames Street, Newport, RI.

•Do you want exposure for the Northeastern community? Shoot a photo and send it to the Red Bull Illume Image Quest, which will "spotlight the individual behind the camera, praising the triumphs achieved in action and adventure sports photography." The top 50 finalists will have their work exhibited in larger-than-life outdoor venues across the globe. Plus, the "Image of the Year" winner will be commissioned for the photo shoot of a lifetime with a Red Bull athlete of the winner's choice. Images can be submitted at www.redbullillume.com through July 15th, 2006.

•According to one of this issue's Who Da Guys, Jose Perez, York County, ME, residents suffered terrible flooding in May. The basement of Jose's wife's store, The Spot, was flooded with about a foot of water, requiring sub pumps to drain. And they consider themselves among the lucky ones. Several houses by the river have been lost due to the cresting of the river and torrential rains--by lost they mean the houses broke off their foundations and started floating downriver. Kathy's parents have lost both of their stores in Short Sand Beach, while the downtown area was under three feet of water! Please keep York residents in your prayers.

•In happier Maine news, after a physically grueling and mentally tortuous dry-docked spell resulting from severe lower back problems over the past couple of years, ESM shooter Justin Lamkin is finally back in the water ripping on his beloved kneeboard, and he's been spotted shacking up in the various slabs, points, ledges, and beachies of New England. The ocean's gain may be our loss at times, but we are extremely happy to see the transplanted Springbok from South Africa stoked again. Just please remember to snap a few pics for us in between sessions, Justin! ­Compiled by Mike Fish

All you ladies out there should take heed: four-time ASP Women's World Champion Lisa Andersen and Roxy plan to present a series of all-girl contests up and down the East Coast this summer. Called the Lisa Andersen Challenge, the events will offer young aspiring female surfers a chance at becoming Roxy's newest teamrider. The contests will follow a "jam" format, with four to six surfers per heat in the qualifying round. The panel of judges, including Andersen, will select the winners from those heats for the final round. All advanced female surfers ages 10 to 22 are invited to compete. The series will kickoff in South Florida at Deerfield Beach on June 3rd and end its run in Montauk, NY, on August 25th. Visit www.roxy.com for more information.

•Fellow Floridian and four-time ASP Women's World Champ Frieda Zamba also participated in her own special women's event this May in Cocoa Beach, FL. To help promote new girl's shop Surfet's Surf Shack, Zamba invited all of the local ladies out for a fun day of surfing, food, and fellowship. On May 13th, dozens of girls of all ages, from menehunes to moms, came out to 2nd Street, where they not only caught a few waves alongside Zamba, but also enjoyed breakfast, catered lunch, yoga, and assorted beach games. Proceeds from the event's entry fees went toward Frieda's favorite charity, Best Friends Animal Society, the nation's largest shelter for abused and abandoned animals.

•From the clear, turquoise-blue waters of the Bahamian Isles, local rippa' Blake Sands sent word he'll soon be moving west to relocate to Central Florida near Sebastian Inlet. Sands currently lives on Great Guana Cay and is sponsored by Oakley and BC Surf and Sport. He and his brother Josh often play host to traveling pros and photogs visiting the Bahamas, and the two bros even made a recent video, Rise or Fall, about their surfing exploits.

•Across the Gulf Stream, Deerfield Beach, FL's, Cheyne Cottrell recently joined Sands as a new member of the Oakley squad. And before the ink could dry on his new sponsorship deal, Cottrell was off on a photo trip to Tasmania with the world's busiest photographer and Surfing Magazine staffer Pete Frieden. Cottrell said he scored bigtime in Taz and is sitting on a bunch of sick shots from the trip. Check back in future issues of ESM to see the goods.

•In more Deerfield travel news, locals Nadar Taha, Cliff Maddock, Brett Beach, Tim Popfinger, Russell Hubart, Scott Holman, Bill Clark, Gar Brown, and Aussie photog Sean Davey all spent 14 days surfing the Mentawais aboard the Indies Trader III. Besides surfing their faces off, the group also took a side trip to Singapore for the meal of their lives.

•Folly Beach, SC, women recently scored brilliantly by convincing legendary lensman Aaron Chang to shoot their upcoming Folly Beach Wahine Classic. The event will be held June 3rd and 4th at the Washout, and Chang will be on-hand to capture photos of the action, which will all be posted on www.surfingthemag.com shortly after the final heats. There are still slots available in the competition, but entries will be limited to 100 ladies, so visit www.follybeachwahine.com to sign up today.

•In music news, former owner/ founder of The Groove Tube, Dave Settgast out of Indialantic, FL, has been using his newly acquired freedom from running his shop to record a new album with his latest music project, New School Dropouts. After selling his store to the Hobgood twins earlier this year, he and his band hit the studio and emerged with their debut CD, Bring Back Shaka. If you want to get an advance listen, go to their site at www.newschooldropouts.com to pick up your own copy.

•Another popular band that's been tearing up area airwaves is Scholar's Word. These dreadlocked South Florida reggae ragamuffins are currently touring the Eastern Seaboard to provide musical backing for the premiere of the new surf video, Eastside Theory. With stops running from Miami, FL, to Long Island, NY, Scholar's Word will hit local surf hangouts and rock the house following the showing of the new vid. The band is no joke, as they've played countless shows at huge surfing events, such as ESA banquets, Surf Expo, along with opening for reggae legends like Steel Pulse and Burning Spear. For a complete tour schedule and more info, visit www.scholarsword.com.

•ESM sends thanks to Cocoa Beach, FL, pro Robbie Blevins for dropping off all the cases of Rockstar Energy Drink at deadline.

•In the new delivery department, Pat Eichstaedt and wife Yoseline from New Smyrna Beach, FL, are reeling with excitement in expectation of their first child, due this August. If the little lad or lass takes after their father and uncle Shannon, there'll be even less set waves to go around in the already well-stocked Smyrna lineup in the years to come.

•We've got one more baby to report, and that's newborn Ava Alana Leonard, whose proud pop is South Florida surfer Dave Leonard. The child, Dave's second, was born on May 19th and weighed 6 pounds.

•Photographer Jon Steele was probably wishing he could make babies with one luscious-legged lass he came across on a recent trip to Texas. While in the state putting in some work for a travel story, Steele met and shot photos of Playboy Playmate Brandie from Corpus Christi. Though sadly, he was never able to use his big lens on the honeypot, Steele was stoked enough to share her airspace and snag a few snapshots of the beauty for his wallet. Hey, they don't call it the Longhorn State for nothing, you know.

•Also from Texas, new ESM Advertising Sales guy Jimmy Hickok, along with friends Jarrod Dominy, Stephen Pearson, Ben Jordan, and Pat Kory launched El Ride International, a clothing and surfboard company. The core biz is cranking out hot, custom-shaped EPS/epoxy boards, along with some super cool-looking lines of surfwear. El Ride already sponsors some of Texas' best surfers, as well as a few riders in Costa Rica. Their fresh line can be viewed online at www.elride.net.

•Another addition to the Longhorn State is a new South Padre Island restaurant called Dorados Baja Bar and Grill. Outside of serving tasty Mexican vittles, the eatery is a big hangout for local surfers and boasts surf memorabilia decorating its walls, along with surf videos constantly running on TVs throughout the dining area and bar. Run by Texas surfer Brent Thrash, his wife Leah, and Jay Brechot, Dorados got broke in big time by the TGSA, who held their banquet for the Texas State Surfing Championships during the establishment's grand opening. For candid snapshots of this beer-soaked bash or more info, go to www.doradosbaja.com.

•While most of you are probably aware of the ongoing construction of the Ron Jon Surfpark in Orlando, you likely didn't know some of the same crew behind that wave pool are pushing for an artificial reef to be erected off Cocoa Beach. The reef would not only produce much better waves than the shit-house mushburgers breaking there now, but it would help ease erosion. Members of Surfrider, the Cocoa Beach City Council, the Tourism Development Council, area business leaders and the media will meet June 13th at Cocoa Beach City Hall, where guest speaker Dr. Kerry Black--one of the main guys behind the Ron Jon park--will discuss the benefits of such a reef.

•And if you happen to be at this new reef and need some wax, a new leash, or other gear, stop into Roy Scafidi's newly revamped and tricked-out Oceansports World on South A1A in Cocoa Beach, which recently reopened after more than 19 months of repairs from damage incurred by Hurricane Frances in 2004. Among other things, this huge surf shop contains an open shaping bay where customers can watch Island Surfboards being shaped right in front of their eyes.

•Team ESM, including Director of Sales Laurin Walker, along with co-owners Tom Dugan and Dick Meseroll, returned from the recent Surf Industry Manufacturers Association's Summit Conference in Cabo San Lucas and were happy to report a strong showing from Right Coasters in attendance, such as Whalebone's April and Jim "Biggie" Vaughn, 17th Street's Tom Brown (both up again for Retailer awards), Electric man and Jersey homeboy Bruce Beach, who gave mega props to the East Coast from the podium while accepting Electric's "Breakthrough Brand of the Year" accolade at the coveted SIMA Image Awards banquet (on ya, BB!), and Volcom's Sean Slater, who took the stage twice with Wooly, Brad Dougherty, and Team Veeco to accept the Stone's "Manufacturer of the Year" award, as well as "Ad Campaign of the Year." Let's face it: It's Wooly's World and the rest of us SIMA members are just living in it. Congrats to all and here's to four to six-foot waves again next year! ­Compiled by Chris Towery