Sponsorship bloodbath: Taj Burrow, Matt Wilko, Alana Blanchard and co sign out!

Goodbye and thanks for the laughs etc.

The bloodletting at former surf brand Hurley has distended the nostrils and hardened the resolve of every other surf co across the world.

“Why are we paying millions in pro surfer salaries?” is a very good question being asked by new owners of Rip Curl and so on.

And, now, after twenty-five dazzlingly beautiful years at Billabong, Taj Burrow, who’ll turn forty-two in June but who still displays skills neither withered by age nor retirement, has gently set himself adrift.

“After 25 of the greatest years with Billabong I’ve decided to move on,” writes Taj, although one expects it was a failed negotiation, ie I want 200, We’ll give you 75, that settled the matter.

Either way, the party had to end sooner or later and Taj has enough nuts put away to lounge in a deck hair, sip his cocktail and feel the warm Western Australian sunshine on his skin.

Matt Wilkinson, the bandy legged former world number one turned restauranteur, has gone from Rip Curl, now owned by a camping retailer, as has world number ten Nikki van Dijk and glamour surfer Alana Blanchard, whose ass and come hither look thrown over a suntanned shoulder sold a million Rip Curl swimsuits.

Who else has knife against throat?

Men and mademoiselles…