Outside Break – Tofino BC – Surf City – Vancouver Island Adventure

During the Whale Festival March 6-14th, 2010 check out various West Coast artists in action.

Tofino Art Works  – Outside Break, Tofino

Artistic Expressions in Native Wood

with Keith Plumley. Mark Mickey, Sam Plumley, Marcus Mickey and Joseph Mickey

Spirit of the Fire – Outside Break, Tofino

Experience on site, environmentally inspired glass blowing

Sol Maya – Glass Blower

Find a Tofino Time Magazine or go to http://www.pacificrimwhalefestival.com/ for details on all the events during this years Whale Fest.

Jesse Blake, left, and Jeff Mikus, right, both owners of the Wildside Grill, spent Sunday night serving up wild salmon and steak as part of a fundraiser for the Tofino Salmon Enhancement Society. On Monday, Mikus said the event, coffee sales and donations raised about $1,000 for the society. (Keven Drews Photo)

Julie Bergeron, owner of Studio One Aveda Concept Salon in Tofino, cuts Lisa Jewell’s hair during the second annual Save the World Save Your Hair cut-a-thon Sunday. All funds raised went to the Georgia Strait Alliance. Customers were served on a first-come, first-serve basis. (Keven Drews Photo)

Sepp Bruhwiler gets covered up on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. (Photo Courtesy jeremykoreski.com)
By Keven DrewsYears of daily surfing sessions have paid off for Tofino’s Sepp Bruhwiler.
Billabong, one of the world’s largest surfing companies, announced this week it has signed the 28-year-old, long-time Tofino resident to its international team of high-profile surfers.
The deal means Bruhwiler will promote the Billabong brand name in major international surfing magazines and serve as the company’s Canadian face.
Already, the Billabong International Team includes such industry powerhouses as Andy Irons, Taj Burrow, Joel Parkinson, Shane Dorian and Mark Occhilupo.
“I’m stoked to represent a company that’s already at such a high level,” said Bruhwiler. “For me to join that team, I feel privileged.”
Bruhwiler said while Billabong made the official announcement this week, he’s been in discussions with the company for some time.
He decided to join the team last fall, and during an October surf trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands, also known Haida Gwaii, Bruhwiler was presented with his first official team sticker by Dorian.
“He’s our first marquee athlete for Canada, and we’re stoked,” said Risto Scott, marketing director for Billabong Canada. “Sepp’s one of the leading surfers in the country. Even in the global market, Sepp’s getting a lot of notoriety.”
Last year, Transworld Surf ranked him 29th out of 50 professional surfers in its January-May Surf Exposure-O-Meter.
The magazine ranks surfers according to editorial, advertising and photographic content.
Ahead of Bruhwiler were well-known professionals like Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, C.J. Hobgood, Rob Machado and Tim Curren.
Scott said the deal will take Bruhwiler to the next professional level.
One of four children, Bruhwiler grew up on Tofino’s Chesterman Beach and began surfing at about age six.
He’s appeared in videos, major surfing magazines and competed internationally.
Bruhwiler is also sponsored by Excel Wetsuits, Spy, Surf Tech, H2O Audio, Adio Shoes, Futures Fins, and “Live to Surf” Surf Shop.
“Having Sepp on our program is going to really help us develop in that area, and round out our already strong global program,” said Steve Clarke, Billabong’s International Team manager, in a press release.
“His innate knowledge of the area is something that Billabong will be using in the near future as opportunities to shoot in that area become more abundant.”