Stand up paddle boarding has quickly gained popularity over the last decade, partly because it’s easy to learn and appropriate for all ages. This low-impact paddle sport allows you to explore lakes, rivers and other bodies of water nearby, connect with nature and get a great workout. You can either take it easy and have a nice paddle around the lake or get an extreme upper body workout. If you’re just getting started with paddle sports, you may want to choose an inflatable stand up paddle board, or iSUP, to begin with. Here’s a look at the benefits of an inflatable board over a regular SUP board.

Advantages of an Inflatable SUP Board

The main advantage of the iSUP is fairly obvious: it can quickly be deflated for easy transportation and storage. Inflatable stand up paddle boards can be transported by car or plan, as they fit inside of a small backpack when deflated. There’s also no need to spend the money on a car rack to take your board to the water; just throw it in the trunk and inflate it by the water. As transporting your board is easier, you’re much more likely to actually get out on the water on a regular basis.

If you live in an apartment or simply don’t have a lot of space to store a full-size 12-foot board, you’ll also find an inflatable SUP board is much more convenient. After you’re done on the water, dry off your board and roll it up to get the air out. Most iSUP boards include a storage case so you can store your board in a closet or a car trunk.

If you’re just getting started with paddling, an inflatable may be a better choice as well because the boards tend to be more stable on the water. They’re usually thicker than a regular rigid board and not as streamlined, which makes them slower but easier to learn on. Some also have textured tops that help you grip the board, which is a big help if you’re new to paddle boards or surfing.

Brands that Sell Inflatable Stand Up Boards

There are a few brands that offer inflatable stand up paddle boards, including C4 Waterman. They offer one of the largest selection of inflatable stand up boards, including smaller sizes designed to help kids get started with the sport. Their boards are made from the same high-grade materials used to create military and commercial inflatable boats and rafts. Sevylor also produces inflatable SUP boards, most notably the Samoa. Sevylor is known for their range of inflatable boats, kayaks and canoes, and their Samoa stand up board is the latest addition to the line. The Samoa is one of the most affordable iSUPs on the market and offers good tracking.

Introduction and Early Life

Karmicheal Hunt is a professional Australian Rules football player. He has been known to exhibit a rare kind of versatility having played and done very well in Rugby League, Rugby Union and now Australian Rules football. He was born on November 17, 1986 in Auckland, New Zealand. He is an Australian but has a heritage from Cook Island and Samoa. He is 1.86 meters tall and weighs about 93kg. He plays as a defender and usually wears jersey number 7. He currently plays for the Gold Coast Suns Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He started playing at a tender age of thirteen and has a lot of achievements even at that young age. He has only played a few games in the AFL having spent most of his early life playing in the Rugby League.

Early Career

As a school boy, Karmicheal was very good in sports and he performed exceptionally well in many of the sports at that time. Basketball was his favourite game then, but he played virtually all sports. His performance was very exceptional to the extent that he was awarded the Bronco Scholarship by Cyril O’Connor in 2001. He was able to make it into the Australian Schoolboys Merit Side that same year. He also played for a number of local sides in both Basketball and Rugby League. All of these formed the foundation of his career in Rugby League.

He started playing club level Rugby League in 2002 at the age of fifteen where he was offered an official contract. He played in several categories including under eighteen (U-18) Rugby League championships and also had several awards, honours and achievements in Rugby at the junior level. At the senior level, he made his National Rugby League (NRL) debut in 2004 with the Broncos. His first game was the match against Warriors and he made history as the youngest Bronco player ever to play at this grade. He was seventeen years old at this time. He was also named in the Australian Junior Kangaroos team but did not play a game with the team. He ended up winning the NRL/Bronco/Footy Show Rookie of the Year Award at the end of that season.

Professional Career

He continued with his great performance into the 2005 season as a very consistent Brisbane Bronco’s player. In the 2006 season, he became a very consistent member of the Brisbane Broncos team. Hunt also had quite a number of achievements this season, including his debut with the Australian Kangaroos, featuring in the Australian Tri-Nations side and also winning the grand final in a game where they defeated the Melbourne Storm. He also won the Beach Footy Award this year.

Karmichael Hunt was able to maintain his form and improve his performance consistently as the years went by. In 2007, he won the Best Back Award in his club, Brisbane Broncos, and was part of the Queensland State of Origin Series winning team for the second straight year. In 2008, he consolidated most of the achievements he was able to attain the previous year and also attained new heights that same year. He again won the Best Back Award, and also the Queensland State of Origin Series for the third time. He made it into the World Cup team selection and also made history as the youngest player to reach 100 games at the age of 21 years. He continued with his achievements and played consistently in his club. He was part of the Queensland team that won the State of Origin Series again for the fourth time in 2009.

He left Brisbane Broncos for France to play in the Rugby Union, from there he moved to Gold Coast Suns after a short stint in France where he has been playing well in the defence.

‘Otai is a special drink in the island of Tonga, especially during the hot weather. I spent one year in this small Pacific island and I just love this healthy fresh fruit drink.

For those of you who haven’t heard of this Island. It is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, directly south of Western Samoa. Population is about 102,000. Weather is tropical and normally very hot in December. This is the best time for the ‘Otai and every household I visited will be having ‘Otai as a drink with their food or can be an afternoon snack drink. The common fruits used for the ‘Otai is mangoes, watermelon, pineapple and Vi.

Watermelon and Pineapple ‘Otai

1 pineapple

1 medium size watermelon

1 coconut

2 tb sugar (optional)

Cut pineapple into four pieces and lightly scrape the flesh with a spoon.

Cut watermelon in half and then use a tablespoon to lightly scrape out the flesh and remove the seeds.

Scrape coconut finely and divide into two heaps.

Squeeze one heap to get the coconut cream.

Mix pineapple, watermelon, coconut cream and the scraped coconut flesh in a big jug.

Add one or two glass of water to the jug.

Add sugar (optional).

Mix and chill in the refrigerator until cool then serve.

The fruit combination could be different depending on the season. You can mix any two or three fruits that are available in your country and add the coconut for a distinct island taste. My favorite mix of ‘Otai while in the Kingdom of Tonga were the mango (mature but not ripe ), watermelon and pineapple. Another great mix is the apple, mango and watermelon.

This drink is great for summer barbecues, afternoon drink, and the beach and can also serve as a great fruit punch. Try it as something different in your recipe.

Bearing the name of both its origin and destination, Hawaiian Air, now a major trans-Pacific carrier, took wing-and float-in 1929 as Inter-Island Airways, Limited, inaugurating service from Honolulu’s John Rodgers Airport to Maui and Hilo, on the big island of Hawaii, with a pair of eight-passenger, Pratt and Whitney R-1340-powered Sikorsky S-38 amphibians on November 11, using the water which characterized its island home as a substitute for the lack of concrete runways. Initially operating three weekly roundtrips, it soon doubled its fleet with two more S-38s.

While demand requires capacity, the former was created, in no small part, by the China Clipper service Pan American World Airways provided with the large-capacity, long-range, quad-engine Martin M-130 flying boats it operated from San Francisco to China, via Honolulu, Midway, Wake Island, Guam, and Manila, sparking the need for increased inter-island passenger and mail transport.

Filling the gap, Inter-Island acquired 16-passenger Sikorsky S-43s, the first of which, registered NC-15061, was delivered in December of 1935, six years before it changed its name to Hawaiian Airlines, Limited, and received the first government-issued cargo certificate, enabling it to commence freight service on March 20, 1942.

Although World War II-imposed flight restrictions thwarted its commercial operations, it nevertheless continued to carry passengers and cargo between strategic island depots.

Aircraft advancement and gradual runway construction changed its-and Pan American’s-profile, facilitating the 1941 acquisition of low-wing, all-metal, 24-passenger, land-based Douglas DC-3s, signaling, although unbeknownst to it at the time, the beginning of a long relationship with the Santa Monica aircraft manufacturer.

Although its unsuccessful DC-5 necessitated its elsewhere search for a traffic demand satisfying successor in the form of the pressurized, air conditioned, 44-passenger Convair CV-340 in 1952, and it ultimately operated 13 of the type along with its 52-passenger CV-440 Metropolitan counterpart, it returned to Douglas when it leased two DC-6As and two DC-6Bs six years later, deploying them on both military charter routes and (briefly) inter-island scheduled ones.

Piston engines were replaced with turboprop ones in July of 1963 when it inaugurated the British-designed Vickers V.745 Viscount into service, the world’s first turbine-powered airliner.

Paradise beckoned. The way Pan American had stimulated island travel 25 years earlier, so, too, did United Airlines in 1960, when it inaugurated pure-jet DC-8 Mainliner service from the US West Coast, reducing the aerial bridge crossing to about five hours, and this ultimately sparked demand for equally faster, larger-capacity aircraft to connect the islands’ major population centers and deliver tourists to palm fringed beaches.

Becoming a DC-9 twin-jet operator in 1966, when the first of its DC-9-10s, registered N901H, was delivered on March 12, it was able to reduce inter-island travel times to some 30 minutes, and became a long-loyal operator of the type, which became its workhorse in ever increasing size: the DC-9-30 in 1967, the DC-9-50 in 1975, the DC-9-80 (MD-80) in 1980, and the 717-200 (nee MD-95) in 2001, which served the seven airports on six Hawaiian islands of Honolulu, Oahu; Hilo, Hawaii; Kahului, Maui; Kaunakaka, Molokai; Kona, Hawaii; Lanai City, Lanai; and Lihue, Kauai.

When Boeing 707-320 operator South Pacific Island Airways (SPIA) was grounded in 1984, Hawaiian Air was granted its scheduled route authority to Pago Pago, American Samoa, and Nuku’alofa, Tonga, leasing three quad-engine DC-8-62s for the service. Additional Pacific destinations were soon added.

Thin inter-island routes were supported with the additional of 30-passenger Shorts SD3-30s and 54-passenger de Havilland of Canada DHC-7-100s, both high-wing turboprops.

A milestone in its 56-year history occurred on June 12, 1985, when it inaugurated Hawaii-mainland service, connecting Honolulu with Los Angeles, which it operated with its first widebody type, the Lockheed L-1011-1, four of which had been acquired second-hand. Subsequent expansions saw it touchdown in Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, other Pacific destinations, and Sydney, Australia, by 1988.

Of the other inter-island airlines, including Aloha (737-200s), Mid-Pacific Air (F.28-4000s), and Discovery (BAe-146-200s), Hawaiian Air was the largest and had evolved into a major intercontinental carrier, serving, as of early 1990, eight Hawaiian destinations (Hilo, Honolulu, Kahului, Kapalua, Kona, Lanai, Lihue, and Molokai), eight in the Pacific (American Samoa, Auckland, Guam, Rarotonga, Sydney, Tahiti, Tonga, and Western Samoa), and five on the US mainland (Anchorage, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle), the latter exclusive by L-1011 TriStars, on which its Premier Pacific Service was offered.

Carrying five million annual passengers on 230 daily departures, it operated a 36-aircraft fleet: eight 54-passenger DHC-7-100s, two 85-passenger DC-9-10s, 11 139-passenger DC-9-50s, two 170-passenger MD-81s, five 204-passenger DC-8-62s, two 235-passenger DC-8-63s, and six 350-passenger L-1011-1s.

Its slogan was “Hawaiian: The colors of paradise.”

In modern times, the art of tattooing has become largely youth-driven, dominated by young tattooists with training in fine art and culture. Their clients are similarly young and often adorned with bold loud designs on their arms, hands, legs, and bodies as well as multiple piercing.

Contemporary tattooing first came about during the hippy 1970s when anti-establishment youths began to wear tattoos as a symbol of resistance to law-abiding, middle-class values. Coincidentally, at the same time new tattoo artists appeared equipped with different types of training.

Before, it was typical for new tattooists to apprentice with an experienced tattooist, learning the ropes the slow way. But with this slew of counter-cultural sentiments, many new and young tattooists simply ordered a machine and some basic supplies and got started on their own.

With their presence, new tattoo images began to emerge which appealed very much to this younger, rowdier audience. These tattoo designs were mostly inspired by “exotic” cultures such as Japan, Borneo, Samoa and North America rather than stemming from traditional sources like North American and European designs.

The rise of contemporary tattooing is turning unstoppable. Long unpopular and stigmatized in the West, tattooing has been given a new positive spin that is more associated with well-respected cultural traditions.

Slowly and steadily, modern tattooists and promoters of tattooing successfully reintegrated tattooing into modern Western society. Tattoos shifted from a mark of stigma used by bikers, criminals, gangsters, and the military to a mark of individual expression. A new elevated status was thus born.

Over time, contemporary tattooing brought about two lasting and significant changes in the world of tattooing. First, the general tattoo designs changed radically by moving from traditional badge-like designs that have been common for hundreds of years in the West to non-Western designs which target large swathes of skin.

Second, contemporary tattooists started to give preference to customized tattoo designs which were created by them rather than use tattoo flash or something taken off the wall of a tattoo studio. Tattoo customers are strongly encouraged to design their own tattoos with the assistance of these new-fangled tattooists.

Ironically, the transformation of our views on tattooing is possible because a tattoo’s historic position as a stigmatized sign was never really fixed, and eventually the negative status of a tattoo eroded over time, giving rise to contemporary tattooing.

Dev– First of all a heartiest congratulations for writing and publishing your book and winning the Gold award in the living now independent book publishers awards, when did you first think about writing on this particular subject.

Maha Al Musa– Thank you very much Dev for your congratulations.

I had been teaching belly dance as a pre natal exercise for about four years when in the year 2000 we were away on a family holiday in Western Samoa with my two boys who were then 1 and 4. One morning I was sitting on the beach chatting with another woman traveler telling her how I facilitated belly dance for pregnancy classes and how I had connected to my Middle Eastern roots thou the dance. We got talking about culture, my experiences of being raised in the West from an Eastern culture, the significance of the belly dance for Arab and birthing women my Moslem background on my father’s side etc etc. I mentioned that for me the belly dance represented this same poetism of expression – East meeting West and life’s experiences and how I related this to my teaching of pregnant women about birth and how powerful our personal stories can be when we allow ourselves to fully embrace life’s experiences. She turned to with all sincerity and said

“you must write about this! And share your insights and knowledge with all the women of the world! Women need to hear about this and women definitely need to be empowered around natural birth as in this modern day we need to eliminate fear around birth”

I said “that’s what my work is about and the bellydancebirth has the potential to bring women into a place of safety and autonomy in birthing!”

A month later once we returned home I thought this woman was right I must write!!!

And so I started my book in 2001.

Dev– You have added your personal memories to every chapter, there are some very honest statements about finding your mother and growing up in Australia as an immigrant, Do you relate the events spiritually and emotionally to your personal journey to become a mother.

Maha Al Musa– Yea I cannot separate my experiences as a first generation migrant (even though I was only two years of age when I arrived in Australia ) from my emotional and spiritual worlds and life as a mother. Motherhood is an extension of who I am and what I do! Who am I without my stories, beliefs, culture, upbringing, experiences of being ethnic in Australia etc etc…It is a rich tapestry of colour just like the belly dance!

I invite all women to ponder upon, acknowledge and assimilate their own life’s stories into the deeply moving experience of birthing and motherhood, both positive and negative, both in balance. Most importantly accept ourselves as spiritually integrated women regardless of colour, race or creed.

Dev– It was interesting reading about the break down of movements and explanations of belly dance as a tool for pre natal and birth. In the Middle East do people still use the techniques for birth preparation as you have explained?

Maha Al Musa– As mentioned in my book, Dance Of The Womb, I did quite a bit of research on whether women in the Middle East use the belly dance as a birth dance today – it was extremely difficult to access this information especially anything written down..there are some Egyptian Hieroglyphics that portray women squatting and being attended by women in the past – it seems to me that the modern Arab woman may have lost some of this knowledge today and in fact may view the traditional, indigenous ways of birthing as primitive as they too embrace the so called wonders of technology. I would very much like my work to go back into the Arab world and re educate women of what we may have lost culturally in regards to natural birth.

Dev– One of the main aspects of Belly Dance is looked down upon and often misinterpreted by the general public as being sexual in some way, As an educator and teacher how do you tackle this complex situation with the general public?

Maha Al Musa– I understand that the element of “sexuality” is strongly represented in the views people have of the bellydance per se…and in the audience’s perception of the dance as well as some dancers too..my work with pregnant women takes the belly dance to another level (although in all reality pregnancy stems from a sexual act ) – we cannot deny birth is an extension of our sexual experience as women but the way it is taught and presented in my work – The Al Musa Method – is very much a spiritual practice that supports this most potent feminine experience with purpose. Bellydancebirth helps women connect to their bodies birthing wisdom rather than purely sexual in nature, so women can give birth consciously and hopefully work toward a fearless birth…

So we could say belly dance essentially has its roots in a woman’s sexuality (conception) and then can be expressed in childbirth reflecting strength and autonomy – those attributes that have become lost in the commercialism and medicalisation of birth – the general public once they begin to understand and hopefully experience the belly dance in this form of pre natal exercise and birthing will totally understand and accept its incredible gifts to women….I suppose I am wanting to revive its powerful other nature in mainstream birthing!

Dev– You have alsocomplimented your book with a DVD release, What can our readers expect from the DVD? Do you find in the present day scenario the visual presentation has much more affect on people than reading a book?

Maha Al Musa– My DVD, of the same name, Dance Of The Womb, is a follow on from the book. It basically brings the book to “life”….women can now easily follow me through the dance practices as though they are in an intimate, nurturing space with me holding them with ease and grace through their pregnancy. I definitely think that the visual representation via a DVD format not only presents an idea of my style of teaching and expressing but is also a wonderful way for women to connect with their bodies and their babies. I do think that reading also has its merits and there were definitely challenges to writing about dance in print! I did embellish upon the idea by interweaving my personal story through the bellydance for birth movements to give it a deeper, more intimate backdrop. I think it works very well as a writer…A moving experience!

So hand in hand book and DVD are wonderful resources – in the book you get to know me and my story and in the DVD we get to visually share this together…..and it is also a rare event to see a woman of 46 naturally pregnant and naturally birthing.

I guess I dance my talk!!

Dev– Going back to your book, you have mentioned the evolving nature of belly dance. Middle East is a part of the new economic and cultural globalization, how do you see the general publics view of Belly Dance in the next 20 years, specifically in the west.

Maha Al Musa – Well for me personally as mentioned, I am hoping to be a part of the new wave of seeing the art form of belly dance in a new perspective…..often traditional art forms when embraced by the West get a renewed lease of life as we apply a different perspective upon its attraction…although in saying that I do think it is always important to respect and acknowledge the roots and source of the information used so it is not too diluted to lose meaning and expression. It’s a very fine line to walk…..and the notion of who owns culture is an interesting question…would we ask who owns the Earth? Humanity?

Respect, respect, respect is of utmost importance for me….acknowledging the rich history and culture of the Middle East and the incredible gifts given over the last thousands of years from this part of the world – from algebra to medicine to belly dance for birth!!

Dev – Thank you very much Maha for your time and patience. I am sure our readers will enjoy your interview and we wish you all the success for the future.

Koran Angelfish or Pomacanthus semicirculatusbelong to the family Pomacanthidae.This species is endemic to the Indo-Pacific and the Rea Sea as far east as Samoa. Their geographical range stretches from Japan down the entire east coast of Africa to Western Australia and New South Wales. These are reef fish occupying depths from 3-100 feet.

One of the common traits among large angelfish is the dramatic transitional color change between the juvenile and adult phases of their lives. It is simply amazing watching a juvenile’s gradual metamorphosis into its adult color palette. Korans undergo three distinctive stages on the sojourn to adulthood. The Greek word semicirculatus refers to the initial phase of their life. Baby Korans have black bodies with blue and white striping that expands concentrically forward from the base of their tails. This patterning very much resembles ½ of the ripples on a still pond when a pebble is suddenly dropped into it. A baby Koran could easily be mistaken for a juvenile emperor angelfish. Closer examination reveals that Koran’s have wider stripes and fewer of them. When these fish reach about 3 inches in length the semicircular markings slowly straighten into sweeping lines. At roughly five inches in length the fish begins to exhibit patterning between the blue lines on the tail fin that resembles Arabic script, hence the name Koran angelfish. They exhibit a combination of juvenile and adult coloration. This marks the conclusion of stage two. At approximately two years of age and between 6-7 inches in length this species morphs into its adult color palette. Adults are typically a yellowish green in color with varying amounts of blue or browns spotting on their bodies and caudal fin. Their heads may be blue or their primary body coloring. Gills and fins are outlined in blue. This species is marketed by the aquarium industry under the following names; Koran Angel, Blue Koran Angel, Half-circle Angel, Half-circled Angel and Semicircle Angel.

These fish will grow to a maximum adult length of 16 inches. Because of their size they will require a large aquarium. A minimum tank size of 135 gallons is recommended. A well populated multi-species tank should be considerably larger.

This fish has a semi-aggressive temperament. It may bully smaller fish. It will for the most part ignore other larger species. It will, however, display major territorial behavior toward conspecifics and other angels. It is advisable to only keep a single large angle fish of any species in an aquarium.

Many species of large angles carry an expert care level. Korans are rated moderate. A healthy Koran may live 15-20 years.

Korans are omnivorous. In nature their diet consists of a mixture of corals, algae, sponges, worms, mollusks and crustaceans. Their dietary habits make them unsuitable for a marine reef aquarium. They will, however require a large enough of assortment of live rock for a fish of their proportions. Having a food source they are already accustomed to will aid in the acclimation process. You can begin training them to recognize aquarium fare as an acceptable food source by mixing increasing amounts with live food offerings such as brine shrimp. This is the best technique for weaning them off live food. Make sure to choose a high quality food product formulated for marine angelfish. Once they are successfully weaned, their diet can be supplemented with the following; chopped fresh crustaceans and mollusks for protein, table vegetables such as chopped spinach, zucchini and yellow squash for plant matter, frozen or dried algae such as algae sheets to insure a well balanced diet.

Every business owner that applies for SBA 8a certification must prepare a disadvantageant narrative as part of their application. How do you determine which type of narrative to prepare? Here are some tips to determining which narrative you need to prepare.

Eligible Applicants for SBA 8a certification fit into two categories: designated groups or other.

Designated groups are US citizens who are currently supervised of these five minority categories:

1. Black Americans
2. Hispanic Americans
3. Native Americans (include: American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians)
4. Asian Pacific Americans (persons with origins from Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Samoa, Guam, US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands [Republic of Palau], Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Laos, Cambodia [Kampuchea] Taiwan; Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Macao, Hong Kong, Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, or Nauru
5. Subcontinent Asian Americans (persons with origins from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives Islands or Nepal)

Which narrative do designated group members prepare? Since members of designated groups are considered socially disadvantaged by the SBA, they are responsible for only submitting economic narratives.

Other groups are US citizens who could be:

1. Women
2. Service disabled veterans
3. Non-designated minorities – persons with origins from countries not recognized as "designated". Some examples could include: Turkey, Palestine, Middle Eastern countries.

Which narrative do other group members prepare? Since members of other groups are not considered socially disadvantaged by the SBA, they are responsible for preparing both social and economic disadvantage narratives.

What types of information does the social discrepancy narrative contain? Your social narrative should include accidents of personal and professional discrimination and harassment from Personal Experiences, Education, Career and Business History.

What types of information does the economic disadvantage narrative contain? Your economic narrative should include accidents of personal and professional discrimination and harassment from Education, Career and Business History.

Another important aspect is to only include accidents that have occurred in the US. For example if you were born and educated in a foreign country, the SBA 8a Review Team does not take into account these accidents.

When the SBA expects you to deliver both a social and economic narrative, however it does not have to be two documents. You can prepare one document that addresses both requirements.

How long should the narrative be? Your narrative should reflect as many related incidents that you have experienced. Our client narratives are typically five to nine pages long, however this past year, we delivered a 20-page narrative. This was the exception, not the rule. Narrative length really depends upon your experiences.

Christian Cullen was one of the best fullbacks rugby union has ever seen. He had an accomplished career that started early, and sadly for rugby fans finished early as well. Cullen made his senior debut at the tender age of 18 for New Zealand provincial side Horowhenua in 1994. This would spur him on to represent New Zealand at U19 level, U21 and the full New Zealand 7’s side before winning his first full cap for the All Blacks in 1996 at the age of 20 against Samoa.

Cullen really made his name as an awesome broken field runner for the Wellington Hurricanes in what was then the Super 12 competition. Cullen took part in the inaugural game of the Super Rugby competition versus the Auckland Blues and in all he made 85 appearances for the Hurricanes between 1996 and 2003. In that time he scored a total of 308 points for the Hurricanes including 56 tries.

Showing the form that kind of form in the Super 12 would obviously not go unnoticed by the All Black selectors and of course Cullen was capped 58 times in total between 1996 and 2002. Astonishingly following his debut in 1996 Cullen played in 51 consecutive tests for the All Blacks. This run only came to an end in 2001 because of a knee injury, which unfortunately was a sign of things to come for Cullen. He only added another 7 caps by the time he finished up for the All Blacks in 2002, although not retiring of his own accord but rather being seen as excess to requirements by John Mitchell who was then the New Zealand head coach.

Following his omission from the New Zealand world cup squad in 2003 Cullen took the decision to head for Irish provincial side Munster. Cullen spent the best part of 4 seasons at Munster before retiring in 2007 at the age of 31. This is quite a young age for any rugby player to retire, however his time at Munster was blighted by injury only making 44 appearances in 4 years. Perhaps a sad end to what was surely a fantastic career.

Surfing is one of the most popular adventure sports in the world but the problem with it is that the conditions required to surf properly are not available everywhere. There are some specific regions across the globe where the conditions are just right to enjoy riding the waves. Also, even at these surfing hotspots, you might not be able to surf all year round. There might be problems due to inclement weather and other factors. Thus, it is very important to do proper background research and information checks before packing your bags for a fun and enjoyable surfing holiday.

The major surf regions of the world are Australia, Vanuatu, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Bali, Sumatra, Eastern Indonesia, Maldives, Male atolls, Mentawais, Lombok and Sumbawa. Listed below are all these surfing destinations along with the best time to plan a holiday at these stops. The information is only indicative and you should proactively check the conditions before venturing out on your vacation.

For planning holidays in Indonesia, including Bali, Sumatra, Mentawais, Lombok and Sumbawa the best time to visit is between the months of April and September. The same time period is also recommended for surfing holidays in Male atolls, Fiji and Samoa. The best time to go surfing in Australia and Maldives is during the months of February-March. The original surfing heaven, Papua New Guinea is the most inviting for surfers during the months of December to March.

If you are planning a surfing holiday now, plan it through World Surfaris. They are the experts in surf travel. The respected leaders with over 20 years surf experience, they can arrange the best surf trips to the Maldives, Indonesia, Mentawais, Sumatra, PNG and heaps more regions where the surf is pumping. They have got surf trips to perfect uncrowded reef-breaks with just you and your mates. World Surfaris has the largest range of surf boats and surf resorts available for all budgets. If you need maximum surfing time with minimum hassle then they will have the surf trip for you. For any further information please visit http://www.worldsurfaris.com.