Rasta and 30+ surfers paddle out to honor Dolphins slaughtered in Taiji Japan

Less than 24 hours after professional surfer Dave Rastovich led an international group of over 30 surfers, celebrities, and musicians on a peaceful paddle-out ceremony to honor the more than 25,000 dolphins killed each year in Japan, fishermen in the tiny village of Taiji resumed the slaughter that had been delayed by the increased worldwide media attention.

In response, the surfers decided in solidarity to make a pre-dawn return to the killing cove to recreate the ceremony, albeit with fewer people to evade detection. Rastovich and the others paddled within a stone’s throw of a pod of captive pilot whales and their calves that had been herded into the cove for early morning slaughter.

“The reason we surfers were there was to share the blood-stained waters at eye-level with our ocean kin awaiting their execution,” said a dripping, visibly shaken Rastovich just after paddling in. “Despite the fishermen taking great pains to hide their acts of cruelty, we seized an opportunity to bring this travesty to the world’s attention.”

Taiji-area fishermen, who kill dolphins and whales for their meat, netted off the bay and constructed green tarps to shield the slaughter from prying eyes and front-line cetacean activists bent on shutting down the dolphin trade forever. When the surfers learned of the imminent slaughter, they did not hesitate to return despite the distinct possibility of violent resistance and police arrest.

Rastovich and his core team of surfers trailed by camera crews arrived at the infamous Taiji cove to paddle out to the captured pilot whales. After entering the water they quickly arrived alongside the whales who swam back and forth along the edge of the seaward net.

The six paddlers, including Rastovich, his wife mermaid model Hannah Fraser, Heroes TV star Hayden Panettiere, Australian actress Isabel Lucas, author Peter Heller and professional surfer Karina Petroni, formed a traditional surfers’ memorial circle situated between the whales and the blood-ridden shallows.

Local fishermen converged almost immediately, harassing the paddlers with yelled threats and advancing on them with whirling propeller blades. The irate fishermen, who yelled “Why are you here? Go Home!” then used a long wooden pole to attack and intimidate the surfers.

“Even though the fishermen used force to try and break us up we held our peaceful stance. The feeling in the circle was of incredible strength” said mermaid model Hannah Fraser.

With tensions escalating and the police sirens growing, the surfers quickly paddled back to shore where a distraught Hayden Panettiere fell to her knees sobbing, overwhelmed by the carnage she and the group had just witnessed.

“I couldn’t believe how red the water was,” said Panettiere. “The whales were so scared. Hopefully their deaths won’t be in vain.”

After hightailing it out of Taiji, 30 policemen readied with a paddy wagon stopped the three-van convoy at the border of the Wakayama prefecture. After politely checking passports and questioning the group intently, the police waved the crew on their way.

Rastovich expressed extreme sorrow, saying “With many nets and kill boats waiting beyond the cove, the fishermen’s intense desire to kill left no room for escape.”

Reflecting on the day’s experience, a somber Isabel Lucas expressed that the worst part was that the whales are probably all dead by now. “We couldn’t save these whales but hopefully shining the light on their deaths will save others.”

For more information:

Surfers For Cetaceans

http://www.surfersforcetaceans.com/

Save the Whales Again
http://www.savethewhalesagain.com/

Save Japan Dolphins
http://www.savejapandolphins.org/

Minds In the Water Visual Petition
http://www.mindsinthewater.com/

Sea Shepherd http://www.seashepherd.org/

How sick are these shots!

Here are a few photos of Sendai Shinkou on a very solid swell, I tell ya this place has its dayz and then it has dayz like this!

How much would you like to trade places with this guy! Great thing about this break, when it turns on like this there are only a hand full of guys with the right boards and the nerve to go out, so you can get waves like this with only 5-10 other surfers out on the peak, and on days like this it is usually the older crew out and there is a lot of respect floating around!

Now this is the setup we all dread, the ol' caught inside feeling that you just have to accept is gonna happen if you paddle out in surf like this!

Pics sent in by Alexei Kononenko (pictured below)

Photos by Yoshi Slow Surf

A FEW OF JASONS MOMENTS!

This here is my buddy Jason. Jason is one of those guys you can count on to try his best when the camera is on, here are a few shots of him doing his thing, no matter what the conditions! One super stoked surfer for sure!

Taking a wipe out on a closeout day. The break is called Shichigahama,Japan.

"There is a Tube here somewhere I seen it!"

"Ha, ha Told ya I was gonna get a cover up today!"

Setting it all up!

It should be said that Jason is now over in Margret River tearing into huge pits, no more laydown barrels aye boi!

SURF STRETCHES

Before each surf stretching is so important. When I first started surfing in Japan 6 years ago, my buddy and mentor pointed over at a couple of Japanese surfers who were stretching on the sand and laughed.
“Look at those wallies!” he mused, “It’s 2 ft, what the hell they thinks gonna happen? Probably saw some pro- surfer do it on a dvd or something!”
At the time , I was just as amused, couldn’t understand the reason for doing stretches before a leisurely surf session, then one day I actually saw former WCT pro Danny Melhado stretching before heading out into 2-3ft onshore chop. I approached him and asked why he was stretching so intensely for these conditions, surely he wouldn’t get hurt in this, his reply opened my eyes.
“it’s not the size or the injuries I am stretching out for bro, it so I am limber and can perform better! Not worried about ripping a muscle, I want to rip the wave!”
After that I thought why not give it a try, I have never looked back since, my friend still doesn’t stretch before a surf despite my assurances, but I can’t blame him, he is from a different era. So in this article I will briefly outline a few of the stretches I do to limber up before I paddle out and rip!





days like this you really should stretch just a little



1. I start by rolling my head around to limber up my neck, in surfing where you look is where you go and it is so easy to tweak your neck in the moment, just watch a Slater DVD that guy rips his head all the way round in each turn.


2. Touch your toes, I tend to bounce down slowly letting my weight take me to full extension, don’t force it or you will cause an injury before you even get wet!


3. Pull my feet to my arse, stretch them quads, they are the mot fundamental part of any maneuver


4. It on the sand with 1 foot crossing over the other knee, then twist from the waist looking over your opposite shoulder, right foot over twist to the right


5. While sitting arch your back and reach for the stars, lock your fingers palms facing up.


6. Lastly I do a bridge, feet flat, reach back and place your hands on the sand and arch your back, with your stomach facing the sky.


7. Lastly stand up shake loose strap on the leg rope and go rip!