Do More With Reuters
Partner Services

Big wave surfer paddles around Statue of Liberty

Fri May 16, 2008 1:37am IST
 
Email | Print | | Single Page
[-] Text [+]

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Big wave surfer Laird Hamilton traded in the pristine surf of Hawaii for the murky waters of New York Harbor on Thursday in a commercial promotion.

"The Statue of Liberty is pretty big. I'm glad it didn't fall on me," Hamilton said after paddling his surfboard around the Liberty Island.

The adrenaline junkie who routinely rides waves as big as many uptown apartment buildings said his jaunt around the waveless New York Harbor was a bit less challenging than what he's used to on his home island of Maui.

"On December 3rd we surfed waves with 80-foot (24.3 meter) faces or bigger. That was exciting."

(Reporting by Richard Valdmanis; editing by Patricia Reaney)

Dubai Debt Fears

Villas are seen on the The Palm, Jumeirah, with Atlantis, The Palm, under construction on the breakwater (crescent), May 3, 2008.  REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh

Banks outside the Gulf played down their exposure to Dubai debt, after fears the emirate could default and even derail world economic recovery prompted a sell-off in global markets.  Full Article | Slideshow 

Photo
A man walks with the Indian national flag in front of the Taj Mahal hotel, one of the sites of last year's militant attacks, in Mumbai November 26, 2009.  REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe
One Year Later

Mumbai held tearful memorials as it marked the first anniversary of militant raids that killed 166 people.   Full Article | Full Coverage