Surfing

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. -- Gerard Butler is OK after being held underwater by some big waves while filming for a movie about a surfer at Mavericks, a famed Northern California surf break known for treacherous, stories-high waves.

Filmmakers were shooting the 42-year-old "Of Men and Mavericks" star paddling out with competitive surfers Greg Long, Zach Wormhoudt and Peter Mel on Sunday afternoon, the San Mateo County Times reported (http://bit.ly/rwDfAI).

The four were steering clear of a set of waves in the 15-foot range when a much larger set broke in front of them, said Wormhoudt, of Santa Cruz.

NEW YORK -- Carissa Moore was too shy to talk to her sports-star classmate.

Now a world champion surfer, Moore was a high school freshman who couldn't get up the nerve to introduce herself to Michelle Wie, who's 3 years older.

These days, the 19-year-old from Hawaii is setting an example as a teenage athlete breaking records and boundaries.

Moore became the youngest Association of Surfing Professionals women's world champion at age 18 over the summer. And starting next month, she'll be the only woman competing against more than 200 men in two events of the Triple Crown of Surfing on the North Shore of Oahu.

SAN DIEGO -- No, it will not lead to a degree in cowabunga studies.

But the Center for Surf Research, launching this month at San Diego State, will study the impact of surf tourism, particularly on coastal communities in the less-developed world.

VENTURA, Calif. -- At first glance, the board that Steve Walden was punching through the thigh-high waves looked like just another surfboard.

Then you notice that as he's moving out through breaking surf, he's not paddling. There is a low-grade hum coming from the board like a submerged blender. And he's moving twice as fast as anyone around him.

It's all because Walden has a motor built into his board.