Slater Trout and his H2O Audio gear, ready to out paddle the competition.

Here at H2O Audio, we’re all about athletes.  Pro, amateur or beginner, we’re here to add the soundtrack to your workout in or out of the water.  We like seeing our gear in action, and when our athletes do well, we like to talk about it!

This past year we had Slater Trout named the youngest Stand Up Paddle pro at the age of 14.   Michael Phelps appeared on many athlete of the decade lists for his incredible record breaking performance at the Bejing Olympics.  Natalie Coughlin took on Dancing With the Stars, Laird charger monster waves as usual and Team Bennett continues to run, bike and swim their way into 2010.

If you’re an athlete making great strides, we want to hear from you!  Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and don’t be a stranger.

Large surf hit Maui’s North Shore on Christmas day bringing  surfers and spectators the gift of 30 – 40 foot waves.  While many beaches were closed due to the dangerous surf, the parking lots were packed with spectators  watching the teams of big wave riders that brought out their jet skis and tow boards. H2O Audio’s own Laird Hamilton was keeping his eye on the holiday gift from mother nature, while all of us here in San Diego enjoyed taking video with our new Capture cases in the solid overhead so-cal surf.

With 2010 fast approaching, it’s time to start working on your New Years Resolutions.  Whether you’d like to learn to Stand Up Paddle Surf, or even if you’re just aiming for better health, check out Laird’s Laws, 16 commandments for how to feel and perform better in life.

Check back with us later in the week for more advice from the professionals on how to make New Years Resolutions you can keep.

The National Weather Service issued a high surf advisory for the North Shore of Hawaii this week and while winter tourists sadly exited the water, Maui watermen pulled out the jet skis and waxed up their boards.

Organizers of the 25^th Annual Eddie Aikau Memorial called the contest on yesterday as huge swells rolled into Waimea Bay.  Southern California rider Greg Long took the first place prize, finishing just above nine-time world champion Kelly Slater, despite the fact that he’d ridden Waimea for the first time earlier in the week.   The Monster Drop Award went to Chile’s Ramon Navarro for the burliest successful take-off in the 40 to 50 foot surf.  See the full contest standings plus more pictures and video at transworldsurf.com

Also, just posted, check out video of H2O Rider Laird Hamilton tackling the massive swell Monday at Jaws with team Oxbow and some of the world’s best tow-in surfers.

Sounds like a great time out there for H2O Audio’s own Laird Hamilton and crew…

Monster waves today at the legendary Maui surf spot known as “Jaws” attracted the likes of Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama, Darrick Doerner and some of the world’s other top tow-in surfers… and the promise of 30- to 50-foot swells was enough for surfers like David Rastovich and Luke Egan of Australia and Mike Parsons of California to fly to Maui to join the lineup at Jaws.

[Via Honolulu Advertiser]

There’s been a ton between then and now, but the most recent was one of the scariest things that’s ever happened to me and hopefully ever will. It was two years ago, on December 3. A friend and I were out in surf that was over 100 feet—well over a 100 feet—and I had dived off on a wave that might as well have been 100 or 200. I don’t know—at that point I didn’t have my tape measure—but it demanded every bit of my experience and strength. I came up to the back of it, and my friend who was on the back of the wave grabbed me with the jet ski.

We proceeded to try to run away from the next wave and got run down from behind by one of the biggest waves that I have ever seen. It was definitely the biggest wave to ever run me down from behind.

More to read at Gizmodo…