Kelly Stiles can’t wear sandals or high heels anymore, not since she she bought a pair of $3 flip flops at a Walmart near Ocala, Fl. After wearing them for just a couple of hours Stiles says they chemically burned the tops of her feet.

“When I say very bad I mean painful to walk. At one point I was actually crawling around on my hands and knees because I could not I absolutely could not walk on my feet,” said Stiles.

A year later Stiles still has scars and days where the pain is too much. She’s tried to get answers from Walmart about what was in the sandals but after hitting roadblock after roadblock she decided to start a website. She quickly realized she wasn’t alone.

“So far I have been contacted by no less than 200 hundred and I think no more than 350 people who have said you know I had the same thing happen,” said Stiles.

From around the country they write on her website about burns they said they also suffered from the “Sand N Sun” Walmart flip flops.

“We’re scared. We don’t know what we have been exposed to.
We don’t know what’s going to happen 10 years from now, what going to happen 20 years from now. Are we going to die from cancer? You know what’s going to happen,” said Stiles.

She says several people have settled with Walmart for undisclosed amounts and Walmart says they have taken the flip flops off the shelves but Stiles says she still wants answers.

We went to a local Walmart and saw flip flops made by the Sand N Sun company on the shelves but they had cloth straps instead of plastic straps like the ones Kelly Stiles bought.

We tried to contact Walmart for a statement regarding these flip flops but our calls were not returned before we went to air.

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Reef is proud to announce the opening of the first Reef Partnership Store in FRANCE located in Bordeaux, in the south west of the country. Ideally located in Rue Saint Catherine, this street is reserved for pedestrian foot traffic only and receives hundreds of thousands of shoppers throughout the year.

The store is a true reflection of the spirit of the brand as seen in the decoration, fixtures and fittings - all of which are further enhanced with the high ceilings and natural lighting. Within the 80m² store, you will discover a separate universe for both Reef and Reef Girl, offering a complete range of products including apparel, swimwear, footwear, sandals and accessories.

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Vaca Beach photo : Courtesy Billabong

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 21 April, 2008 : - - Vaca Beach is a small beach near Las Flores surf club where Billabong was holding their Fantasy Surf Camp, where campers go with one of Billabong’s top pros. While the Las Flores point break where the camp took place has an immaculate beach, the crew was taken back by the amount of plastic trash at this nearby wave.

With all the enjoyment the area was giving the campers, Billabong Surf Camp Director Jim Kempton and the Billabong team decided it was only right to give back; building pride for the locals and education to solve the more long-term trash problem that plagues the coastline in El Salvador.

Billabong videographer Luke Thorpe was going to be on site for the duration of the camp so he set out to organize a ‘Vaca beach cleanup and locals only surf competition’. While acknowledging that this effort couldn’t solve the whole problem, the main mission was to get the locals involved and show them how maintaining a clean environment would not only be healthier for the community, but attract more tourists to their tourism-based economy.

The way to do this would be to offer locals something in return for their work. The Life on a Board Foundation, a non-profit group set up to combat this sort of situation, teamed up with Billabong to accomplish the task. The Life on a Board Foundation stepped up and delivered over 60 board shorts and rash guards which were surely needed. Billabong donated all cleaning materials, board shorts, t-shirts, and sandals to be given to all who assisted with the cleanup.

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THIS is a great way to spend 47 minutes.

KILLER! awesome soundtrack.

Cool surf label Billabong is greening up its act with a new material it’s devised that’s made from (you’ve guessed it): recycled plastic bottles!

What sets this fabric aside from other bottle-derived materials is that it’s been given a soft, suedy quality. Approximately 10 plastic bottles are used to create one pair of boardshorts, which helps reduce the impact we humans have on the environment, especially on landfill. “When it comes down to it, if you have an option to buy a pair of boardshorts that are actually lessoning our impact on the world we live in, the choice is simple,” said Billabong freesurfer Dave “Rasta” Rastovich. [Via Sustainable is Good Products]

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Scruffy taxi drivers could be forced to smarten up their act.

Sportswear – including Preston North End shirts, baseball caps and flip-flops - are all on a hitlist of items which drivers could be banned from wearing.

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Kelly Slater has long been known as the ‘king of surfing’. Is he now going after Budweiser for the title of ‘king of beer’ as well?

No, Not really. But in a tribute to the 8-times world champion, Anheuser Busch (the self proclaimed king-of-beer) distributed Hinano Beer, in association with Quiksilver, has launched a limited edition beer-can designed with the original “SL8R” Quiksilver logo. If you ask me, the can looks more like an energy drink than it does a beer can. But I digress, they are pretty cool none-the-less.

The tribute to ‘The King’ has limited distribution and will only be sold in Hawai’i. Pick these up now while they’re available and save yourself a can or two. Who knows, these may become valuable collector items one day in the surf world.

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Reef has announced that they have come to terms with current world champion Mick Fanning on a new 5 year deal. Mick’s partnership with Reef dates all the way back to 1995. Since then, he has established himself as one of Reef’s elite footwear team riders, along with the likes of Rob Machado and Sofia Mulanovich.

“I’m so stoked to continue my relationship with Reef, they have been my longest sponsor along with DHD. I have been wearing Reef shoes and sandals for as long as I can remember. The people who work there are like family which makes the partnership that much easier.”

Mick’s journey to the top has been a long, arduous trek. Reef has seen him progress through National titles, Pro Junior series, and the grueling WQS on his way to winning the ASP title last year. Mick is as hard a worker and as dedicated a surfer as you’ll see on the tour. Reef has to be especially stoked on this deal, seeing that Mick’s consistency will almost undoubtedly keep him at or near the top of the standings in every one of those five years. Congratulations, once again, Mick Fanning.

An adrenalin junkie has rewritten the surfing record books in a top competition.

Surfboard legend Mike Parsons, who was taking part in the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards in California, won a gong for a mammoth 70ft+ wave, officially the biggest ever ridden.

“Now I want to break the 100ft mark” - record-breaking surfer Mike Parsons

He rode the wave at the remote surf spot known as Cortes Bank, 100 miles off the coast of Dana Point.

Parsons beamed: “Now I want to break the 100ft mark.”

Meanwhile, Greg Long also made big wave surfing history and the pair picked up a cheque for a collective $35,000 (£17,770) during the evening.

Long said: “This has been the best year of my life. I couldn’t have ever scripted a better year. I’ve learned to love what I do. Everything just flowed.”

Shane Dorian, from Hawaii, won the competition’s $50,000 (£25,390) Ride Of The Year for a wave conquered at Teahupoo, Tahiti, last year.

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After two events and two sensational victories Kelly Slater once again leads the ASP World Tour rankings and world title number nine is well within his grasp.

His latest win on Thursday at the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach affirmed his status as the greatest surfer of all time, winning his 36th ASP World Championship Tour title at 36 years old.

After winning an unprecedented eighth world title in 2006 Slater was offered the perfect opportunity to bow out of the sport at the top.

However, his love affair with the ASP World Tour proved stronger than his desire to end his pro career.

That was until Aussie Mick Fanning eclipsed Slater in a one-sided title race and soon after the Australian clinched the world title in Brazil in November 2007, Slater once again contemplated retiring this year.

Taking a year out of his life to mount another serious world title campaign wasn’t high on Slater’s new year’s resolution list.

Surfing a few events here and there, saying his farewells around the world, sounded like a good option for him.

So he arrived on the Gold Coast for the Quiksilver Pro completely refreshed after a month of no surfing and even hinted that he wouldn’t attend the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach.

But fate, providence or destiny had other plans for Slater. Two weeks after arriving in Australia Slater was carried up the beach at Snapper Rocks, on March 4, as winner of the Quiksilver Pro.

His emphatic win no doubt interrupted his retirement intentions and then rumours of solid surf along the Victorian coastline further disrupted his plans.

When Slater eventually headed south from the Gold Coast to Bells Beach he set the early round pace with the highest heat score and then set a blistering pace all the way to the final where Australian Bede Durbidge was on the receiving end of Slater’s dominance.

Claiming victories in the first two events on the 2008 ASP World Tour, Slater has now replicated his 2006 campaign that eventuated in his eighth ASP World Title. And he’s confirmed his will be in Tahiti for the Billabong Pro (May 8-18) and is thinking about title No 9.

“It’d be silly to say it’s not on the radar somewhere, but my whole approach and attitude at this point is just to have fun,” Slater said.

“There is a lot of hype with Dane (Reynolds) and Jordy (Smith), and don’t think it’s just hype - those guys are the real deal. I know it’s got me excited to see what I can do on a wave and to push my equipment.”