Gold Coast

We are currently sitting at a internet cafe in Coolangatta. Its 7 in the morning, and we are waiting for the tide to turn around. We have been on the Gold Coast since the 9th of January! After we dropped Alex off in Noosa, we hung around for a couple days then made our way back down south to the infamous "goldy.". The Gold Coast is similar to the "OC" of California. It it where all the big surf companies reside as well as the best waves and the most people. The first 2 nights we stayed in Mermaid Beach. It is a small surfing suburb in between the two borders of the Gold Coast: Surfers Paradise and Tweed Heads. The first day we got there we went for a surf out front of the house. In the first 30 minutes we saw a SHARK! It swam right underneath my board, and the guys we were staying with saw it again outside the lineup. We all paddled in as fast as we could!!
After our shark encounter we decided to stay far far away from Mermaid beach and explore some of our other options. (which wound up being just as scary) The guy we were staying with took us to South Stradbroke island. He told us that it would only be a five minute paddle across a channel.... however.. when we arrived the channel was in fact a large harbor that all the big ships use to get in and out of the Gold Coast. As scary as it looked we scurried down the slippery rocks and jumped into the channel against our will. The paddle would have taken about a half hour.... but within four minutes of paddling (the guy we came with left us behind) we got picked up by 2 nice guys in a boat. They dropped us off around the harbor directly at the beach break. It ended up being one of our most fun session and we have gone back twice since then (each time taking the $6 surf trolley... except for free)!!
Since then we have moved into a different house located just 20 minutes away in Tweed Heads. It has been a nice location because we are only a ten minute drive away from Duranbah, where we have been practicing everyday. It seems to have been the best beach break to practice at for our contest, as the rights are just as good as the lefts. However, we have also been surfing Snapper, Greenmount, as well as exploring the whole Tweed Coast. Two nights ago we went out for the first time in Coolangatta to a dance club. It was our best dancing experience yet and met two hippy guys that placed a bet on each other. The one hippy man bet that he could very well get into the club wearing wetsuit booties as shoes (all the dance clubs have strict dress codes, closed toe shoes and nice clothing) The hippy man got into the club and won the bet, while we won a sweet picture. We have found everyone to be extremely welcoming and friendly everywhere we have gone. Some have gone out of their way to make us coffee and draw us a map of all the best surf spots up and down the Coast of Australia.

Road Trip!!

Happy New Year!! We are currently in Queensland satying in a town called Noosa. This last week has been a whirlwind... as well as extremely exciting!! We flew into Sydney on New Years eve at 12:30. Bo's family friends Sharon and daughter Bec picked us up at the airport! My friend Alex (from slo) met us all at the airport and we all piled in the car and drove a hour and half north to Gosford. Sharon didn't have a car big enough to pick us up in, so she borrowed one from her fisherman friend. It smelt soooo bad!! It was about 100 degrees outside and the air conditioning didn't work! So our first hour in Oz was spent inside of a rotten fish smelling car!! We got to Sharon's house and unloaded the car, jumped into the pool, took a nap and then got ready for New Years! Bo, Alex, Bec and I took the train back into Sydney for New Years and met up with some friends! The train into Sydney was packed with intoxicated teenagers and the streets were even more PACKED!!! I have never seen soo many people in my life. Sydney was beautiful!! We saw the fireworks and then spent the rest of the night dancing!!. Bo and I and the rest of the gang didn't get back home until 5 in the morning! By this time .. after our flight from LAX.. our layover in Figi and then all night out on New Years we were awake for over 24 hours!!!! The next day we toured around GosfoRD and checked out the local beaches: terrigal, avoca, and copacabana. We slept all day! The next two days consisted of surfing at copa and avoca, a couple runs and dancing a couple nights. On the 5th we went into Sydney and took the ferry over to Manly beach. We got to see the whole Sydeny harbor and the infamous Opera House! When we got to Manly we picked up out rental van!! Its a 3 seater with a bed in the back, a refrigerator, sink etc! Alex, Bo and I drove straight from Manly to Cresent head! We camped the night in Cresent and surfed point ploma in the morning! It was this beautiful untouched beach... crystal blue warm warm water and perfect waves!! (we had to take the rental van on some crazy dirt roads to get there... oopps dont tell the rental agency!! haha) We left Cresent and drove up to Byron bay! We stayed the night in our van in Byron and woke up and surfed "the pass" .. a famous point in Byron. Its a hollow and heavy point break with a strong current. The crowd was very intense,.. but we were able to get a couple really fun ones! We ate at the best breakfast place.. all fresh fruit and espresso!! We then drove up to Noosa to drop Alex off ( he was living up in noosa with his aunt and uncle and is now leaving back to cali). We have stayed here the last two nights and surfed small but fun Noosa point called tea trees. Noosa is sooo beautiful.. unlike any place i have ever been before! So so far in eight days we have partied in Sydney, surfed multiple beaches and drove 15 hours up the coast!!! (its 15 hrs from sydney to noosa) Next stop... back down to the golccoast! We havent been to lucky with finding internet access. But we'lll definitly upload some pictures in the next couple days!!! love and miss yall!!!! -jaime and bo

AND WERE OFF....

In approximately 5 hours Bo and I will be on a plane headed toward Sydney, Austrlalia! This is a flight we have been waiting and anxiously looking forward to for the last 4 months plus! Our first stop will be with Bo's family friend: Sharon and Rebecca in Sydney, Australia. Sharon and Rebecca have been kind enough to let us stay and show us the ropes for the first week or so. We land the morning of the 31st and will be spending New Years in OZZ!!! My friend ALex Cegelski is already in OZ and is meeting us in Sydey for New Years, along with 2 other surfer friends of ours from Huntington Beach (Sarah Taylor and Jenna Balister who are actually on our same flight over to OZ)..... so we will be extremely entertained and surrounded by friends for our first Interntional New Years!!! Me and Bo have been working hard to pay for this trip as well as training for all the surfing and surf contests! This last month the local San Luis Newspaper wrote a story about me and my travels which you can check out in the archives at thetribunenews.com. While we are gone be sure to keep your eye out for the new DEEP magazine. Bo has a interview with a couple pictures that will be published in the next issue!! WE love you all and are so grateful for all the support!!! We could not do this without ya'll!!! and .....So the adventure beginss!!!!! Wish us luck!!! CHEEERSSS Jaime and Bo!!!!

Come to Esteem Surf CO. this Friday, November 10th and see us!! You can come and design your own pair of Tom Tom's shoes! All the guys at Esteem are RADD and plus there are FRREEE tacos! see ya there -Jaime and Bo

And we Begin...

Hello! This is our blog spot! Read, CREEP, follow, watch and get to know us as we begin our travels on the ASP womens qualifying series and Womens pro junior surfing tour. First stop: Australia!!! My name is Bo Stanley I am 19 years old and am from Carpinteria, California.
My name is Jaime Hannula and I am 19 years old and from San Luis Obispo, California. We both started surfing in the NSSA series and now we begin our first real year of full pro contests. Our plan is to keep ya'll updated and FULLY entertained while traveling the world and surfing in these events. (music videos will be included as well as on youtube.com. share them with your loved ones)
Check back later for an update!!