Slater does it again at Bells! Progress surfing news swansea surf school gower surf school

Rip Curl Pro
Presented. by Snickers

ASP World Tour event # 2
Bells Beach, Victoriam, Australia
18 - 29 MArch 2008

Live Coverage | Results/Photos/Videos etc

Slater Steals the Show and Rings his Third Bell at the Rip Curl Pro

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 27 March, 2008 : - - Bells Beach – Kelly Slater (USA) has further asserted that he is the best surfer on earth after winning the Rip Curl Pro pres. by Snickers today. Launching a huge air to earn a last minute score and beat Bede Durbidge (AUS)in the final, the 36-year old has claimed his 36th event win and rung the bell for the third time.

“It feels awesome; it feels really good, ” Slater said. “The Bell is arguably the best trophy you can win in surfing. I do have a couple, but to get there and have the chance and get a third one feels really good. I’ve just joined my good friend Sunny (Garcia) with three, and I think MR (Mark Richards) and MP (Michael Peterson) have four or five – those guys are crazy.”

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Slater trailed Durbidge for the first 27 minutes of the 30-minute affair. Surfing his fourth heat of the day, the 8X ASP World Champion was tired and had all but given up. “I thought Bede had me,” Slater said. “I wasn’t trying to worry too much or stress – I was happy just to be in the Final – but before the heat I heard Rabbit (ASP President) say something about going up to Rincon so I thought I would sneak up there to see what I could find.”


Kelly Slater : photo ASP Robertson/Covered Images

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What he found was a ramp from which to launch a daring double-grab aerial. He was awarded an 8.83 (out of 10.00) for the massive maneuver and took the lead. “I was really surprised Bede (Durbidge) let me paddle up to Ricon by myself,” Slater said. “I thought that when I looked back, he would be 10 yards behind me, but when I looked back, he was still in the Bowl. Then that wave came that let me do that big air.”

Claiming victories in the first two events on the 2008 ASP World Tour, Slater has now replicated the 2006 season-start that eventuated in his 8th ASP World Title. He confirmed that’s he’s made plans to attend the next event in Tahiti and is thinking about 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. The title thing is there to get, but at this point it’s more about pushing my performance to see how much I can do on a wave.”

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Slater retains the World No. 1 rating and fellow finalist Durbidge has moved to World No. 2 with the result. “There are murmurs of Bede being a world title contender and I would say he’s up to that challenge,” Slater said.

Durbidge was disappointed with the loss but his performance at Bells Beach has positioned him as a clear contender. “It’s pretty frustrating, but he’s the champ and freakish things happen to him,” Durbidge said of Slater. “I saw him paddle up to Rincon and I just let him go. He just got one and went pretty freakish, did a big air, rode it all the way through and got the score.”

Durbidge’s final berth today was the fourth of his four-year career. He finished World No. 5 last year after winning the last event of the year in Hawaii and started 2008 with a semifinal showing. “I’ve just been getting through heats and I’ve been going all the way to the end so it’s been going pretty good for me,” Durbidge said. Durbidge eliminated California’s Bobby Martinez (USA) in a one sided semifinal affair today.

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“I would have liked to keep on going but Bede stopped me in my tracks, Martinez said. “He deserved it he’s surfing good. I kind of got wave starved and was never really in it. If you are not on the good waves you’ve got a good chance of losing just because everyone surfs so good. Like I’ve said over and over again, anyone can beat anybody."

Martinez has moved to World No. 8 after bettering his 17th place finish on the Gold Coast of Australia. “It didn’t start for me so good here, I’m glad it ended alright,” Martinez said. “It’s a Catch 22, because you are so close to where you want to be but at the same time, you failed. You’re happy but at the same time you are a little bummed out.”

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Taj Burrow (AUS) was also bummed out after his semifinal loss to Slater. “It was pretty frustrating to lose like that,” Burrow said. “I just couldn’t get a wave, it was really choppy out there. It was pretty hard to pick a wave, I don’t even know if there were any decent ones out there. Kelly had the right approach taking a lot of waves and maybe one of them would form together but I was trying to wait for that one and I couldn’t really find a clean face.”

Burrow was runner-up to the World Title in 2007 and hopes to be a contender this year too. “Third is a keeper for sure,” Burrow said. “I was hoping to make a bit more ground on the guys at the top but I am stoked to be there mixing it up with them. It’s just all about the next one.”

Dane Reynolds (USA) fell to Burrow in the Quarterfinals but still leaves the event with his best result in an ASP World Tour event. Sitting equal 11th, Reynolds is the highest rated rookie on tour and his performance in the Rip Curl Pro did not go unnoticed.

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“I think Dane might arguably the best surfer in the world right now,” Slater said. Just everything from barrels to airs to carves, he’s really got the whole bag of tricks and power and everything. He’s so well rounded, and I think that’s got us all pretty fired up.”

The next event on ASP World Tour will take place in Teahupoo, Tahiti from May 8-18, 2008.

Kelly Slater, Bell No. 3 : ASP Kirsten/Covered Images

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Final Results:
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.63 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.16

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Semifinal Results:
Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.50 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 4.50
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 12.33 def. Taj Burrow (BRA) 7.96

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Quarterfinal Results:
Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.00 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.33
Heat 2: Bobby Martinez (USA) 17.33 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 10.67
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 17.33 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 10.67
Heat 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.34 def. Andy Irons (HAW) 2.80

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 4 Results:
Heat 7: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.03 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 15.60
Heat 8: Andy Irons (HAW) 16.57 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 12.53

Ratings after Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach - Event No. 2 on the ASP World Tour
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 2400 points
2. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 1908 points
3. Mick Fanning (AUS) 1764 points
4. Taj Burrow (AUS) 1476 points
4. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 1476 points
6. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 1464 points
6. Andy Irons (HAW) 1464 points
8. Bobby Martinez (USA) 1286 points
9. Kai Otton (AUS) 1200 points
9. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 1200 points

Check the Results/Photos/Videos etc

words and pictures: www.surfersvillage.com

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Stephanie Gilmore Wins 2008 Rip Curl Women’s Pro- Progress surf swansea surf school, Gower surf school

Stephanie Gilmore Wins 2008 Rip Curl Women’s Pro pres. by Ford Fiesta
BELLS BEACH, Australia (Monday, Mar. 24, 2008) – Reigning ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) has defeated 2004 ASP Women’s World Champion Sofia Mulanovich (PER) to claim the 2008 Rip Curl Women’s Pro presented by Ford Fiesta in classic four-to-six foot (2 metre) surf at Bells Beach today.

Event No. 2 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Rip Curl Women’s Pro final was a repeat showdown of last year’s event, where Gilmore and Mulanovich squared off for the first time at Bells Beach. Today’s victory marks the second consecutive Rip Curl Women’s Pro win for Gilmore, who jumps from equal 9th to No. 2 on the ratings.

“I’d like to admit that that is probably the best performance I’ve ever put on in my career,” Gilmore said. “It feels absolutely amazing to ring the bell for a second time in a row. I really tried to brush off the first event and come down to Bells with a fresh head. We’ve had classic Bells conditions all morning, to be able to showcase your talent out in such good waves with just one other girl is an incredible thing.”

Although Mulanovich held the lead for the majority of the final, Gilmore stroked into a solid Bells righthander with five minutes remaining, stylishly weaving through floaters and top turns to scalp the day’s high single-wave score of a 9.33 out of a possible 10. Gilmore took the lead and Mulanovich could not keep the Australian from claiming her second consecutive Rip Curl Women’s Pro title.

“I don’t know how I did that on that wave,” Gilmore said. “Sofia (Mulanovich) had been surfing so well all day and to come back from such big scores, it just feels amazing. I was feeling a bit nervous and I knew I needed a big score. My boards have been feeling good all week, so I just put everything I had into it, and it paid off.”

Mulanovich, who took out the season-opener on the Gold Coast of Australia, saw her ratings lead on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour strengthen today with her impressive Runner-Up finish at the Rip Curl Women’s Pro.

“I’m feeling really good, and to lose to Steph (Gilmore) like that isn’t a bad thing,” Mulanovich said. “She was ripping, and yeah, a first and second to start the year out is what you need to do to win world titles. I’m just happy that I’ve had a strong start to the season and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Finishing runner-up to Gilmore in last season’s Rip Curl Women’s Pro as well as the 2007 ASP Women’s World Title race, Mulanovich has set herself apart as the No. 1 challenger to Gilmore’s current crown.

“Steph and I seem to be making lots of finals together, so it is exciting,” Mulanovich said. “She’s a really great champion and I think it’s good for women’s surfing that we can have these kinds of competitive rivalries."

Layne Beachley (AUS), 7X ASP Women’s World Champion and 3X past winner of the ASP Women’s World Tour event at Bells Beach (’94, ’98, ’99), looked solid in her Quarterfinal victory over Samantha Cornish (AUS) this morning, but a crucial priority mistake in their Semifinal bout saw the legendary Australian fall to eventual champ Gilmore.

“I’m really pissed off right now,” Beachley said. “I had priority on that one set, and then I second-guessed myself and Steph (Gilmore) got it, and that was my undoing. Then I had the wave at the end and I normally thrive under pressure, but for some reason, my foot slipped off and that was it.”

Beachley, now rated No. 5 in the world, collects an equal 3rd place finish to join an equal 5th from the season opener of the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour season, and will look ahead to the next event to strength her campaign for an unprecedented eighth ASP Women’s World Title.

“Equal 3rd is a good result, but to come so close to a victory when it’s been so long, is just really frustrating,” Beachley said. “One of these days, I’m going to get these grommets back. I’ll definitely head to the next event with lots of confidence and I’ll look to make another dent there.”

Amee Donohoe (AUS), who posted a sensational last-minute Quarterfinal win over Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) earlier in the day, was unable to find her rhythm against Mulanovich in their Semifinal clash and collects her second equal 3rd place finish of 2008.

“It’s good to get another 3rd, but a bit frustrating that I couldn’t crack a final,” Donohoe said. “Everyone wants to do well here as Bells Beach is such an amphitheatre and we all want to perform. There’s always next year though, and I’ll just focus on the next event from here out.”

The 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour will now break until July, when the ASP Top 17 will meet again in Brazil.

While the Rip Curl Women’s Pro has completed, the Rip Curl Pro presented by Snickers has yet to finish with the ASP Top 45 gearing up for a showdown of their own at Bells Beach.

Round 3 of the Rip Curl Pro pres. by Snickers commenced at noon. Event officials are aiming to complete as many heats of the round as possible this afternoon. Another release covering the men’s portion of proceedings will be distributed this evening.

The Rip Curl Pro pres. by Snickers will be webcast LIVE via www.aspworldtour.com

Rip Curl Women’s Pro pres. by Ford Fiesta Final Results:
1 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.50
2 – Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 16.17

Rip Curl Women’s Pro pres. by Ford Fiesta Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.50 def. Layne Beachley (AUS) 10.17
SF 2: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 13.67 def. Amee Donohoe (AUS) 7.34

Rip Curl Women’s Pro pres. by Ford Fiesta Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Layne Beachley (AUS) 16.33 def. Samantha Cornish (AUS) 11.00
QF 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.83 def. Megan Abubo (HAW) 8.83
QF 3: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 16.17 def. Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 12.16
QF 4: Amee Donohoe (AUS) 10.50 def. Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 10.33

Current 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour Rankings After Rip Curl Women’s Pro:
1. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 2172 points
2. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 1560 points
3. Samantha Cornish (AUS) 1524 points
4. Amee Donohoe (AUS) 1512 points
5. Layne Beachley (AUS) 1308 points
6. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 912 points
6. Megan Abubo (AUS) 912 points
6. Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 912 points
9. Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 732 points
9. Julia De La Rosa (PER) 732 points
11. Silvana Lima (BRA) 720 points
11. Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) 720 points
11. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 720 points
11. Serena Brooke (AUS) 720 points
11. Nicola Atherton (AUS) 720 points
16. Melanie Bartels (HAW) 552 points
17. Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) 540 points
17. Karina Petroni (USA) 540 points

Words and pictures: www.aspworldtour.com
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Top UK surfers fly in for the Saltrock Open this weekend
The Saltrock Open

Stop No 1 of 9 on 2008 UK PST
Croyde Beach, North Devon, UK
22 - 24 March 2008

Top UK Surfers fly in for The Saltrock Open UK Pro Surf Tour (UK PST)

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 17 March, 2008 : - - The cream of British surfing talent is set to come together in a battle royale of the surf world at The Saltrock Open this Easter weekend. Household names are all signed up and ready for what’s set to be a fierce battle to take the first title of the year, and set themselves up in pole position for the rest of the tour.

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Added to this, the long Easter weekend of 22nd / 23rd / 24th March falls unusually early this year, giving the best chance of some good swell. The last time Easter was this early, Llewellyn Whittaker stunned the crowds with an epic 10 point tube ride and the swell was the best on the tour.

Russell Winter is sure to draw crowds. Regarded by many as the best British surfer of modern times, Russell has held the English, British and European championship titles during his long and successful surfing career. He famously once beat Kelly Slater in a 1st round heat at Sunset Beach in Hawaii, and remains the only British surfer to ever break into the elite WCT.

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His fantastic career only stalled due to a serious ankle injury suffered at Teahupoo, and he is now back fighting fit and determined to regain his place on the WCT.

Strong competition will no doubt come from Alan Stokes, winner of the final event of the 2007 Tour and the 2004 Tour Champion. Alan is a popular face on the tour and always gives a great performance, and with current Champion Sam Lamiroy and former title holders Mark Harris and Reubin Pearce all in the form of their life, the fight for the crown will be real clash of the titans this year.

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The Women’s Open is set to be a similarly intense battle, with Irish surfer Nicole Morgan returning from a year in Australia to make her mark back in colder waters. She will be taking on the likes of Easkey Britton, last year’s winner Karma Worthington and current British Champion Beth Mason.

The event will kick off early on Saturday 22nd March at Downend Point in Croyde, and the party will be at The Manor from 7.30pm.

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Europe gets battered by xxl surf!

This photo is Porthcawl, I guess donkey rides are off!

Severe storm strikes Western Europe in spectacular style

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Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 13 March, 2008 : - - An Atlantic storm smashed Southern Britain, North West France and Northern Spain last Monday. Two people were killed, a fishing trawler sank in the English Channel, a cargo vessel was blown aground on the French coast, with another going up on the rocks in Northern Spain and breaking in three.


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The storm began late on Sunday, the trawler from Port Saint-Brieuc in Brittany sank in winds of up to 130 km an hour off Guernsey in the Channel Islands. The crew of five were picked up by other fishing boats. The Dutch-registered cargo ship Artemis was blown onto a beach at the Atlantic French town of Les Sables d'Olonne. Power lines were downed and power was lost in Wales and France.

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British coastguard tugs helped a 7,500-tonne tanker with 13 crew members on board which was drifting in high seas off the Isle of Wight and escorted it to Southampton. Hurricane-force winds in the English Channel forced the closure of the English port of Dover.


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Wave buoys west of Ireland recorded 58 ft waves at 13h00 Monday – the sets left the recording chart at 62 feet, The wave buoy off France/Brittany showd wave heights of 45 feet at 13h00. The tow-in contingent hoped the Basque big wave spot Belharra may work on Tuesday. A lull in wind strength gave reason for optimism, however on Tuesday morning the wave was breaking on only the bigger sets.

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Words and pictures from surfers village

Swansea leisure center indoor surfing waves pool and other swansea leisure fascilities by gower and swansea surf school, Progress surf

If you crave extreme thrills, raging water adventures, flying through the air, or just an enjoyable day with your family, the new Leisure Centre will have rides and attractions for every member of the family!

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Water park facilities

Fun and entertainment will be a major feature of the water park, with a whole range of new and exciting features for people of all ages. A new interactive pool will have a three-metre high tipping bucket to unload gallons of water every eight minutes, waterfall, water cannons, wall jets and fountains.

The water park will have a main wave pool which can be programmed to generate waves breaking from up to six different angles, sizes and speeds to enable body boarding during specially programmed sessions. It will also include feature lighting and sound effects, providing entertainment and an atmosphere similar to leading theme parks.

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Other features include a children's pool with bubble jets, an egg-shaped teaching lagoon and Jacuzzi.

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Café/bars

A licensed café /bar offering a range of hot and cold snacks, meals and a large range of juices and sports drinks to eat in or take away to supplement the facilities that will be available on the first floor in the health and fitness zone and the water park viewing balcony

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Surf Rider

The Surf Rider offers the fun and excitement for parents and children to experience the thrill of riding a wave in a safe and controlled environment. It will allow anyone to enjoy the excitement and thrill of "catching and riding a wave" regardless of one's skill level and the ride is never the same twice.


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Master Blaster

This exclusive award winning technology blasts riders uphill on jetted water and gravity does the rest. The Master Blaster has been voted the best water park ride four years running. With hair-raising drops and thrilling banked curves, Master Blaster uphill water coasters deliver a rollercoaster-style ride that is a proven hair raiser.

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Flumes

Our variety of Flumes will deliver high-speed, action-packed experiences providing endless entertainment for all the family. They offer a smooth, seamless ride while ensuring the safety and enjoyment you count on. The flumes provide continuous fun for all the family as they twist and turn in a river of bends to shoot out into the splash down pool.

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Dance and Aerobic studios

The two large air conditioned high quality dance studios overlooking the water park will be provided at first floor level adjacent to the fitness suite and health spa. The larger studio will also accommodate a bar and servery for use during private parties and functions.

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Lazy River

Guests will leisurely float around our Wave Pool at two miles an hour. This relaxing trip takes about 3-4 minutes and its just the tonic after a stressful day at work.


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Health Spa

The comprehensive health spa will comprise of a jaccuzzi, steam room,sauna, therapy rooms, showers and changing rooms in one accessible area adjacent to the fitness suite and dance studios. Health spa users will be able to access the ground floor swimming pool via a dedicated lift without having to use the ground floor changing facilities.

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Fitness Suite

This will be covering 2 floors comprising of over 160 items of cutting edge equipment, weights and exercise machines

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The Sports and events hall

The new sports hall will be able to accommodate a wide range of sports, including regional competition level. The hall will accommodate up to eight badminton courts or two indoor five a side pitches but will be designed to accommodate indoor cricket, basketball, netball, volley ball, table tennis and a multitude of other indoor sports. In addition the hall will be able to accommodate a number of events such as exhibition, concerts, boxing etc.

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HISTORY repeated itself in Swansea on Friday 7th March 2008 as the city turned out to welcome The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh to open the £32m LC leisure destination.

It was in the summer of 1977 that The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh performed the official opening of the then Swansea Leisure Centre.

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And they did it again when they came to open its landmark successor. The Royal Couple's tour of the building was part of a day of activities in Swansea that included a civic luncheon at the Brangwyn Hall and a visit to the St Thomas community in the east of the city.

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Swansea Council has transformed the former leisure centre site into a 21st century water park with state-of-the-art health and fitness suites. The fantastic water park has indoor surfing facilities and a network of pools, slides and rides for all the family and is expected to attract up to one million visitors a year

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Richard Proctor, Chief Executive of Bay Leisure, the not for profit organisation responsible for running the LC, said: "It is a proud day for Swansea, and for all the staff at the LC. After much hard work and effort from the team over the last few months, the LC is up and running and everyone involved is looking forward to ensuring that it proves to be a tremendous success".

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"It's fitting that such a fantastic venue has received the Royal seal of approval, just as its predecessor did 31 years ago. I have no doubt that the people of Swansea will quickly take the LC to their hearts just as they did with the old Leisure Centre."

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Andrew Nixon, director at Powell Dobson, architects of the LC, said: "We are proud to have helped Swansea regain its much loved flagship building.It has been an all encompassing project for us and we have been involved in an unprecedented hands-on team effort to assist the client and contractor to achieve an ambitious brief and programme".

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"Fruits of all our labours are now clear wherever you look and there is every hope that the city will take to their building in the same way as we have enjoyed working on the project."

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Opening times
Monday - Friday 6.30am - 10.00pm
Saturday and Sunday - 9.00am - 9.00pm

Each area of the LC has different opening times, so please see the relevant section of the LC website for up to date details.

For general enquiries please ring 01792 466500.

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The state of the art complex now boasts:

­An indoor water park consisting of a network of pools, water rides, and slides, including the Master Blaster and the Surf Rider, an indoor surfing ride.
­A lazy river will allow children to body surf, an interactive pool with play equipment, a toddler teaching facility in the Lagoon Pool and baby classes in the Kid's Pool;
A multi-purpose sports and exhibition hall for sports, conferences, exhibitions and concerts;
Wales' biggest fitness arena offering up to 180 stations with a comprehensive range of cutting-edge equipment and monitoring systems, weights and free-motion machines;
­Two aerobic studios;
­A spa with sauna, steam room, spa pool and specialist treatment rooms offering health and beauty treatments
­Poolside café, four-storey Playzone, party and function rooms and a nine-metre climbing wall

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Article Curtiousy of City and county Swansea