With Turkey Day already planned, would-be gift givers and cheer mongers are searching for the hottest and most "perfect-est" gift for their wave riding loved ones. Anyone can go to the local Kook Mart and pick out some cookie cutter clone gear. However, loads of smaller and dare I say more interesting products are out there. Take a gander below:

Avoid the cold in a Radiator Wetsuit

Give the gift of reading with Surfing's Greatest Misadventures, The Story of Miki Dora, and the classic In Search of Captain Zero

How about a pair of Curve Lockdown Racks to keep your board secured for that winter session?

Or even more insane...buy your holiday honey a new surfboard. You will never feel so loved.

If you've never bought a board, here are some tips on How to Buy a Surfboard.

On a much lighter note, the latest edition of Surfer Magazine boasts guest editor Joel Tudor, which in and of itself is not exceptional, but instead, it's his collaboration with editor-in-chief Joel Patterson that is illuminating. Patterson has overseen a steady improvement in both content and delivery at the mag and even his intro to Tudor's foray into surf literature is honest and inspiring. Tudor and Patterson work together to craft a different look and tone (closer to John Severson's original concept), highlighting counter-culture icons and underground legends in a non-traditional layout. But this isn't something out of character for the mag of late. Looking through my collection of Surfer Mags from previous months, I have relished the in-depth profiles of "real" humans (not pro surf puff pieces) and probing articles on travel and the environment. While Transworld Surf serves its purpose as the purveyor of blips and blurbs and gross out comedy (and yes there is a place for that), Surfer has risen above the fray with some great (dare I say) journalism from surfing's inner realm. Keep it up Patterson.

I might as well give in. I have always maintained even as a competing surfer and contest judge that surf contests are lame... and the surfer who is having the most fun wins... and there is no way to impress a qualitative measurement on one wave or surfer over another. That said, I have to admit I love pro surfing. I love the webcasts and contests results and the magazine articles and rooting for my favorites. I love watching surfers with seemingly super-natural abilities shredding exotic waves with the weight of impending points and cash on their backs. Are these people better than us? Well, no, in the case that they are riddled with all the same issues, obsessions, frailties and anxieties that make us all human (although we never see these red flags in ads or magazine articles) but heck NO in the fact that these guys and gals can throw a tail waft or 360 stale-fish air or pull into a throttling barrel at will, on cue and in front of the whole surf world (what essentially is a losing gamble for most but often ends in victory for these guys). And if you have ever surfed Pipe of Sunset or Chopes, you know that pro surfers are earning their money, especially on those less than perfect wind-blown mornings when the sea has yet to calm, the swell is on the rise, and photogs and spectators are still sleeping. That's going for it for the love of the game.

What about the fact that most of these guys aren't making enough the pay the rent? The top-10 surfers are doing well, but the rest of them are just scratching to hold on for a few more years before securing a day job. This ain't golf where even the dude in last place is banking more cash than a college professor. Don't get me wrong. A pro surfer has no reason to whine. I mean really, the pro tour is essentially a travelling Elks Lodge that jets in and out of some the coolest locales on the planet. But I think it's important that pro surfers be viewed among all our great athletes. What are baseball players doing that makes them more worth watching? They never hold a baseball game on the beach in Tahiti. How about a tennis match? No reef. No possibility of sharks or drowning.

The biggest problem is exposure and media access. I said it before. It's time for a super-insane-high-digit wave pool. Quicksilver and Billabong and the rest should all put up some billions to create a true arena that can create replicas of the greatest waves on the planet. Surround it with cameras and perfect lighting. Aim giant fans right into the barrel and invite ESPN and NBC in on the whole thing and run 24 hour back-to back contests with stadium seating, box seats, a giant scoreboard and video screen, and even a night club where a party and contest can run concurrently. But again, I have moved away from the subject. I must state again without reservation that pro surfing is awesome

Amidst the quiet of lake-like conditions, ASP officials and pro surfers took to the mic in Mundaka, Spain to announce that the ASP would remain the only game in town. If you didn't know, Kelly Slater and ESPN were proposing a breakaway pro tour that would court major sport industry sponsorship and gobs of media coverage to essentially pull a rug out from under the ASP's dominance. The buzz of this "Champions Tour" began ruffling feathers and piquing many a pro surfer's interest some months ago when Kelly Slater discussed the idea with several surfing heavies, the Irons Bros and Jamie Obrien to name a few, and convinced them that the current form of the ASP is obsolete and self-serving. But the board of directors announced today that they would lower the number of competing surfers from 45 to 32, up the prize money across the board, and shuffle some internal positions and power wielders. But is that the BIG CHANGE that was on the horizon? Is this all it takes to keep surfers from trying something new and freshening up the game a bit?

I say throw a monkey wrench into the whole machine. Build a pro-level wave pool for use at some contests and mix in a tow surf event as well. Tally team competition points. Build that Aussie-Seppo rivalry again and waving flags. Incorporate board building and design into the process. Require that a surfer shape his own board and ride it in certain events or have surfers compete in short and long board heats (and body surfing too) and add the points at the end. Make the tour more about being a master surfer rather than simply a performance artist in one genre. Surfing is about more than shredding a short board. Surfing is about crafting a life experience that puts riding waves firmly on the priority list and then ruling that experience on a daily basis. Just live and love what you do. Alright, maybe that might be tough to judge objectively.

Mick Fanning blew through another contest down in France and thus asserted himself as the new man to beat with Parko's dominance waning and C.J., Slater and Bede battling for scraps. But that's pro blubber. The real deal is going down at your home break. The stoke building for an upcoming swell. Some dad pushing his kid into his first wave. A group of old friends floating in the lineup at sunset unsure of the future. Hours pass. A surfer sips hot coffee and glides into a sweet dawn patrol. The smell of freshly applied wax. The red burn of belly rash. The scorch of the sand on your soles. Wafting aromas of old wesuits. Deep duck-dives. Deep barrels. And deep satisfaction.

That is surfing.

There's surfing and then there's mind surfing. Ya know, when you're sitting on the beach watching a wave break innocently and you are imagine all horrifically wonderful things you'd like to do to it. Flying over sections and threading tubes on a metaphysical level. I remember sitting on the beach early in the morning before school with my good friend Josh, watching perfect knee high zippers and picturing ourselves as little G.I. Joneser-sized surfers sitting in the lineup. Each of us offered a narrative play-by-play of every wave that dribbled in. "I got this one. I'm paddling, hopping to my feet...off the bottom and WHACK off the lip fins out. Jump on to the roof and float the boat over the next section and free fall into the pit SHWACK under the lip snap." That's how it went. If there was some swell, we probably wouldn't make it to school that day, but some mind surfing would suffice.

Yikes, the surfing down at Lowers was heinous to say the least. Dane Reynolds is quickly showing us that his chill pill is a placebo while Slater still looks quite limber and vertical enough to best the best. And Machado? What was that with his fluid disposal of Taj Burrow? Finally, the surf got its act together and all the fellas blew up, but it was Mick Fanning who looked like the sharpest tool in the shed (always dangerous in point surf). Parko has a big edge but there are four different surfers who have a shot at the title. The Hobgoods look strong especially if it comes down to Pipe. De Souza has his game face on as well, holding strong at third as all eyes turn to Europe.

But I digress...

The question I pose is "What can we (humans) learn from surfing?" Sure you can learn to save the environment and to avoid dropping in on locals, but the most important surf-related life lesson would have to be to just "Go for It"...no hesitation...no pulling back. That goes for all aspects of surfing whether you are dropping into a bomb, punting a fat air, or committing to a sickenning roundhouse cutty. But it also applies to life. Hesitation leads to stagnation and missed opportunities. Hesitation has no place in surfing and no place in life.

Okay, that said, maybe it teaches us not to stereotype. Todd Prodonovich writes that "without even realizing it, we (surfers) exude something that is a dead giveaway to teachers, bosses and girlfriends’ parents that we live for surfing, and this might be at the cost of things like schoolwork, jobs and quality time with the special lady." Do we fall into the world's view of surfers? Red eyes, messy hair, and innate mellow-ness? Doubt it...If you ever really get to know girls and guys at who surf your local beach, you'll find that beyond the passion for waveriding there lies depth and personality just like the rest of you. Sounds like a life lesson to me.

Best lesson of all? Stay Stoked!

I got a ton of email on the last "Guess that Wave" but no one guessed Tres Palmas. After some well placed clues, one person did get as far as Puerto Rico, but guessed Marias instead. Those who have surfed that area know that Maria's can get sizeable but nothing like the wave in the picture. This week, I present you with a beautiful right hander with no rider to mess its primal perfection. Where is this wonderous bowling bomb? Instead of emailing like many did last time, click on the comments below and submit your answer. I'll give you a clue: it's warm all year long.

In other surf news, Surfer Mag has pretty cool list of the 50 Greatest Surfers of All Time. It's not just another list of names but rather a series of articles written by the sport's most colorful and talented characters. Check Shaun Tompson writing about Kelly Slater and then Kelly Slater writing about Tom Curren...I think you get the idea. What's interesting is that this is the first list I've seen where the Duke is not on top. Who do you think tops the list?

Curren is at #3 which I think is on-point, but Michael Ho should be higher (if you ever saw him rule Sunset in his prime, you know what I mean) and then there's Mike Stewart on the list which some may have issue with. Sorry, but Stewart has done things on a wave that stand-up surfers can only dream about. But Andy Irons over Laird Hamilton? Like it or not, Laird has ushered surfing to new levels with both guts and innovation. You can't avoid the obvious. Check out the list and let us know what you think.

Surfing is a personal activty. On most days, it's just you and the waves. But every once in a while there's an event that brings together the whole surf community.

In Huntington Beach, Rip Curl is attempting to make history in support of the environment with the help of the world's first surfing champion, Peter "PT" Townend. Rip Curl's Surfboards in the Sand is an historic photo opportunity in celebration of surf culture and our oceans. Be part of the event and stand tall with your beloved surfboard in a photograph shot by, and published in, Transworld Surf Magazine.

When: Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM

Where: On the sands next to the Pier in Huntington Beach

Why: Stand with surfing legend "PT" Townend in support of surf culture and preserving our ocean environment. Be a part of history for this epic photo event!

A portion of the Rip Curl's Surfboards in the Sand proceeds benefit Orange County Coastkeeper and The Surfrider Foundation.

Ya know, the retro soul vibe gig that has the surf world in a strangle hold of late initially comes off as disingenuous at best, with surfers lugging any bit of flotsom down to the water's edge, or worse, pulling up to the car park with a fishy 5-finner still hot from the Chinese shaping machine that scraped it out.

If you're skeptical of the falsities of goofballs in rubber soul costumes like me, try watching one of Andrew Kidman's neo-retro soul extravaganzas like Believe or Glass Love. You might just fall prey to the charms of riding something new, getting involved in the artistry of your surfboard or seeing what surfing really is: a magical way to grab the essence of natural creation itself.

Yeah, just think about what you do as a surfer. Appreciate the curves of the wave face and the breeze rolling over miles of ocean and the post-ride smile stretched across your face. That's the truth. Even the jittery fear of submerged rocks in shadowy water and shark attacks make you happy on the inside. Happiness is that sense that you are truly alive and truly a surfer.

For me, surfing is ALL good. Finless, asymmetrical, retro, paddle-boards made of wood? Who cares? It's just another way to ride waves. Bodyboarders and longboarders...Bodysurfers and knee boarders. They're all stoked. Alaia boards actually look to have a steep learning curve and would challenge even the most skilled surfer. Who cares what they look like surfing. Is surfing about looks? Riding boards that challenge you and surfing sans leash and pushing yourself in difficult waves are all ways to become a better surfer. It's cliché to say that a truly good surfer can ride a barn door. Well here's the chance.

The Alaia board is essentially a thin, finless, wooden surfboard with no rocker. All reports are that they are super fast, but video shows that they are difficult to handle. I plan to get a hold of one soon and give it a go.