Australian surfer whose “pride and joy” van, replete with wedding rings, hopes, dreams stolen after stashing key in Police-endorsed Surf Lock device; Insurance companies mock: “When you make a claim you’re just treated like dirt!”

Don’t let shady people steal your sunshine.

To be honest, I don’t know who in this western world still has a positive or even neutral impression of insurance companies but Gold Coast local, Andrew Grantham is decidedly not one of them.

The Coolangatta draftsman went surfing with his wife, recently, one fine pre-lockdown morning and when he returned, his 2018 Toyota Hiace was gone even though he stashed his keys in a Surf Lock device. One promoted by the police in fact.

His insurance company blamed his negligence on the affair and refused to cover the loss.

“When you make a claim you’re just treated like dirt. I felt like I was treated like the criminal. Like it was my fault the car got stolen. And for that I hate the insurance company more than the actual scumbags who stole my car,” he told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Vague wording in his policy states that car theft is deserved when the keys are left “within the vicinity of the vehicle.”

His van was, he claimed, “his pride and joy” with he and his wife’s wedding rings inside and hopes and dreams of a vanlife future shining bright on the horizon. Traveling about the Lucky Country etc.

Grantham has fought, and fought hard, sending his insurance company police missives praising the Surf Lock li’l dangler with inspiring phrases such as “Don’t let shady people steal your sunshine. Consider using a surf lock attached to your car.”

His insurance company responded that they would not be buying Grantham a new vanlife because their client breached his conditions of cover.

“We make sure our claims process aligns with regulatory guidelines. This is in addition to our decision criteria that we use to ensure consistency and alignment with what is fair and reasonable.”

But back to insurance companies.

Are you a remaining fan?

Happy for the service provided?

Or are you a sunshine stealing shady person?

Also, where do you hide your keys when you surf?

Car shocks?

Under towel on beach?

In ignition?

A surf art if there ever was one.

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Hawaii’s Carissa Moore caps most successful season in surfing’s long history with induction into Huntington Beach “Walk of Fame!”

She's number 1!

The Ultimate Surfer will air its final episode tonight on ABC television and Zeke Lau will win and one of the remaining female contestants will also win but we all know, and they all know too, that “Ultimate” means “Lightly Above Average” in their case.

No, The Ultimate Surfer is Carissa Moore and not even 11x World Champ Kelly Slater has had a more successful season than her.

First, the Honolulu-born Moore won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in surfing.

Then, she won the first-ever World Surf League Finals Day, snagging her own fifth World Title along the way.

Now, she is becoming enshrined on Huntington Beach’s very august surfing “Walk of Fame.”

John Etheridge, Surfing Walk of Fame Chairman of the Board, said, “After 18 months of world-wide closures and uncertainty, this year’s class of Surfing Walk of Fame inductees is incredible. Our goal to celebrate surfing, surfers, surf culture and its history has never been more completely represented than it is in this class. In a year where we’ve lost so many inductees like Greg Noll, Ben Aipa and Rick ‘Rockin Fig’ Fignetti, we’re so proud to honor this year’s group of honorees.”

Moore is entering the Walk as “Woman of the Year” alongside Damien Hardman, enshrined as “surf champion,” Mike Tabeling, a “Surf Pioneer” Cecil Lear and Hoppy Starts, “Surf Culture” and others.

A major honor, in any case, and there is virtually nothing that great shade painter Kelly Slater could say or write to diminish at all.

No way he could pour her glass half empty.

Could he?

Moore as the story develops.

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See the heart-warming moment a surfer slows down to let an out-of-shape cop catch him, and slug him $300, for flouting New Zealand’s tough no-surfing rules!

Iron fist comes down on Kiwi surfers!

Less than one month ago, New Zealand, a little island paradise to the east of Australia and uninhabited by humans for most of its history, used the COVID pandemic to shut down out-of-towners and kooks as part of its Level 4 lockdown restrictions. 

The much-touted VAL revolution, championed by the WSL and counting Jonah Hill as its patron saint, was suddenly benched by Jacinda Arden’s leftist regime. It was a surprising move for a government whose progressive bona fides are beyond any sorta reproach, Marxist at heart if not practice. 

Currently the little island nation is under tough “Alert 4 level” restrictions as it battles what is, viewed through a worldwide perspective, a minor hit of the bug. 

All surfing practised by inexperienced surfers, banned, and shredders required to stay at their local wave. As well, outer-reef sessions are forbidden as restrictions remind surfers to “stay within 200 metres of the shore.” 

But what is life if you can’t laugh at it, am I right? 

Yesterday, BeachGrit reader Andrew Mitchell sent a heart-warming short, filmed by his pal Mark Sharrock, of a surfer at Maori Bay near Auckland, allowing an out-of-shape cop to catch him for flouting the emergency law. 

The man was fined three-hundred dollars, and he ain’t alone, plenty of people have been getting stung for shredding, although, as Michell pointed out, “it’s still cheaper than a wave pool.” 

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Devil horns?
Devil horns?

Latter-day Saint attacked by shark in Florida opens up about life after bite: “The wound is pretty much just a big, yucky scab now.”

Greatest Generation Ever strength.

To have been bitten by a shark, whilst surfing, is a great badge of courage and to remain calm, un-worried, paddle self to beach and remain tear-free even when mother approaches is near Greatest Generation Ever poise but that was Doyle Nielsen who was bitten while surfing at Ponce Inlet in Florida.

The Latter-day Saints organ, Deseret News, recently caught up with the sixteen-year-old Mormon, who hails from Georgia, to both hear is story and see what life is like after bite.

According to Nielsen, he felt the bite though didn’t have time to be scared and calmly paddled to shore where a lifeguard bandaged him up.

His mother happened to be down the beach taking photos of brother Logan but came back when she saw a crowd surrounding Doyle. He calmly informed her that he had been attacked by a shark though, at first, she could not believe him. True enough, though, as evidenced by a “big gash” that needed stitches.

The nasty encounter was captured on film.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTvMTENgf9c/

Extremely chill.

But what is like after bite? According to Mrs. Nielsen, “He’s doing great. (The wound) is pretty much just a big, yucky scab now. The first couple of days he was in pain, and that wasn’t very much fun. But now he’s having fun. It’s like he’s getting his fun reward.”

Yes, a great badge of courage award.

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Open Thread: Comment Live, day one of the U.S. Open of Surfing Huntington Beach presented by Shiseido!

Professional surfing!

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