One of the more amazing sights recently above the Swiss Alps had to be that of Yves Rossy flying in formation with two Albatross fighter aircraft while wearing his custom-built jet suit. It was yet another remarkable feat for the Swiss-born former military pilot, who joined the Albatross jets for a brief fly-over after launching from the side of a helicopter.



The suit is essentially a 120-pound jet-powered wing, strapped onto Rossy's back, with a span of six feet. It's controlled via hand-throttle and can reach speeds well in excess of 125 mph.

Rossy, 51, who is nicknamed "Jetman," bills himself as the only person in the history of aviation to fly with a jet-powered wing. He first accomplished the feat in 2006 and since has spent much of his free time refining the wing, which contains four small jet turbines.

Rossy first flew over the Swiss Alps in May of 2008. He later flew across the English Channel (from Calais, France, to Dover) and last May he he soared over the Grand Canyon. He also has performed at air shows.

The flights generally last about 10 minutes and after they're complete the pilot parachutes, with his wing, to the ground.

Reads a passage on Rossy's website: "The ultimate dream of flight -- soaring through the air, with total freedom in all three dimensions, not within a heavy and complicated machine but with only one's body and sensations -- a dream everybody had at least once in their life. JETMAN made it real."

The next step in the evolution of this project, Jetman states, is to achieve the ability to take off and land from the ground.

UPDATE: the final day of the Reef Hawaiian Pro is underway in Hawaii. Watch it live by clicking here.

If you were to compare Tuesday's action to the first week or so of this year's waiting period, it was absolutely firing. If you were to compare today to your average 6 star WQS event, the waves were fantastic. But compared to the waves seen at Haleiwa events from the past, it was incredibly underwhelming.

Not surprisingly, the Hawaiians have been decimated by the lack of juice. The only surviving warriors being the youngsters with deep bags of tricks. Ezekiel Lau, Dusty Payne, Sebastien Zietz, John John, and Kekoa Bacalso all advanced into Round Four today. Nine left out of over 30 that entered.

Carissa Moore lost. But at this point it sounds like we might get a proper swell for Sunset so that should be some chance for redemption and whatnot.

Dane lost. (But he showed up!)

The event will be wrapping up on Wednesday, with three heats left in the round of 64. The champion being crowned late in the day, with the swell expected to hold over the next 24 hours.

2nd Round of 96
Heat 9: Luke Davis (USA) 11.43pts ; Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 8.83pts ; Lincoln Taylor (AUS) 7.17pts ; Yuri Sodre (BRA) 3.67pts
Heat 10: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 13.00pts ; Adam Robertson (AUS) 11.73pts ; Jamie O'Brien (HAW) 8.80pts ; Joan Duru (FRA) 8.07pts
Heat 11: Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 14.00pts ; Torrey Meister (HAW) 10.20pts ; Dane Reynolds 8.90pts(USA) ; Billy Stairmind (NZL) 5.00pts
Heat 12: Vincent Duvignac (FRA) 10.67pts ; Romain Cloitre (FRA) 9.83pts ; TJ Barron (HAW) 8.20pts ; Dylan Graves (PRI) 6.06pts
Heat 13: Jack Freestone (AUS) 10.90pts ; Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 10.00pts ; Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 8.70pts ; Blake Thornton (AUS) 5.40pts
Heat 14: Roy Powers (HAW) 10.00pts ; Ian Gentil (HAW) 8.50pts ; Cory Lopez (USA) 7.50pts ; Carissa Moore (HAW) 5.60pts
Heat 15: Nathaniel Curran (USA) 12.00pts ; Marc Lacomare (FRA) 10.00pts ; Royden Bryson (ZAF) 7.23pts ; Perth Standlick (AUS) 3.23pts
Heat 16: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 15.10pts ; Eric Geiselman (USA) 12.67pts ; Masatoshi Ohno (JPN) 8.73pts ; Casey Brown (HAW) 4.90pts
Clash of the Legends: RossWilliams (HAW) 14.50pts ; Shane Dorian (HAW) 14.44pts ; Rob Machado (USA) 10.26 ; Kalani Robb (HAW) 5.33pts

3rd Round of 64
Heat 1: Evan Geiselman (USA) 17.00pts ; Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 15.13pts ; Josh Kurr (AUS) 12.57 ; Kai Barger (HAW) 10.66pts
Heat 2: Hodei Collazo (EUK) 13.33pts ; Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.27pts ; Kai Otton (AUS) 8.97pts ; Heath Joske (AUS) 8.84pts
Heat 3: Adrien Toyon (REU) 12.17pts ; Kieren Perrow (AUS) 11.86pts ; Travis Logie (ZAF) 11.64pts ; Tomas Hermes (BRA) 8.94pts
Heat 4: Nat Young (USA) 12.66pts ; Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 11.63pts ; Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.44pts ; Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.30pts
Heat 5: Glenn Hall (IRL) 12.10pts ; Daniel Ross (AUS) 10.13pts ; Stu Kennedy (AUS) 6.33pts ; Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 2.79pts
Heat 6: Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 13.23pts ; Thiago Camaro (BRA) 11.90pts ; Davey Cathels (AUS) 11.27pts ; Taylor Knox (USA) 9.00pts
Heat 7: John John Florence (HAW) 16.60pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 13.17pts ; Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 11.40pts ; Nathan Yeomans (USA)
Heat 8: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.26pts ; Leonardo Neves (BRA) 14.36pts ; Mason Ho(HAW)13.97pts ; Conner Coffin (USA) 12.20pts
Heat 9: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 13.60pts ; Adam Robertson (AUS) 12.67pts ; Luke Davis (USA) 9.87pts ; Sean Moody (HAW) 9.86pts
Heat 10: Dusty Payne (HAW) 14.90pts ; Dion Atkinson (AUS) 14.70pts ; Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 12.70pts ; Richard Christie (NZL) 5.15pts
Heat 11: Tanner Guduskas (USA) 15.27pts ; Adrian Buchen (AUS)13.44pts ; Romain Coitre (FRA) 12.10pts ; Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 9.46pts
Heat 12: Adam Melling (AUS) 10.69pts ; Brett Simpson (USA) 10.33pts ; Vincent Duvignac (FRA) 9.83pts ; Torrey Meister (HAW) 6.53pts
Heat 13: Michael Bourez (PYF) 13.34pts ; Jesse Mendes (AUS) 11.87pts ; Jack Freestone (AUS) 10.13pts ; Ian Gentil (HAW) 8.83pts

Like many dogs, Lily the Jack Russell terrier likes to chase bicycles, but those who watch the accompanying video might agree that few dogs can chase a bike quite like the amazingly fast Lily (the action begins 1:08 into the production).



Professional photographer Ross Downard used several cameras and, with the help of his wife, filmed the buildup to the action and then captures Lily keeping pace with and soaring over the same jumps as Downard as he sped down a one-mile course at Trailside Bike Park in Park City, Utah.

Downard, owner of the MtnRanks.com clothing company, said Lily, who was 8 months old during the filming and recently turned 9 months old. She has always loved to chase him as he rides, which inspired a video he says has received more than 300,000 views on one website alone.

When a story on the terrier appeared this week in the British tabloid Daily Mail, Downard wrote on his Facebook page that Lily had become world famous. But the reality of it, he said via email, is that "she just loves to chase bikes."

With only three days left in the waiting period contest organizers were left with no choice but to run the contest in small but contestable surf. Reducing the heats from 30 minutes to 20 minutes in order to run the contest before Thanksgiving, the surfers were forced to adjust.

Kauai's Roy Powers, the 2007 Reef Hawaiian Pro champion, posted a convincing win in his opening heat today but will be the center of attention for a different reason tomorrow: He has drawn female wildcard and ASP women's world champion Carissa Moore. Also drawn in that heat are Cory Lopez (Florida) and Maui teenager Ian Gentil.

The round of 96 looks to resume at 8am local time in larger surf than what was on offer today.

Here's the official recap of Today's action.

ASP-Australian Jack Freestone, 19, the reigning ASP World Junior Champion, set a high-flying pace at the Reef Hawaiian Pro today. The event finally got underway in head-high surf after nine days of waiting and Freestone wasted no time in posting the day's highest score - 15.66 out of 20. The Reef Hawaiian Pro is the first stop of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, at Haleiwa on Oahu's North Shore.

Freestone opted to sit on the fickle break known as 'Peaks' - an inconsistent but high-performance right-hander to the north of the main Haleiwa break. With heats reduced from 30 minutes to 20 to ensure the event can finish by Wednesday - the final day of the waiting period, Freestone gambled on separating himself from the 4-man pack. It paid off; the young Australian found several long rights that allowed him to take flight with some of the best aerials of the day. His top two wave scores were 8.83 and 6.83.

"I sat on the little rights at Peaks and it sort of went my way, no-one came over to hassle me," Freestone said. "I've been doing a little bit of training with (6-time Vans Triple Crown champion) Sunny Garcia and he's sorta giving me the insight to all the places, so big thanks to him. It's been amazing.

"Every event there's going to be aerials, it's more exciting, it's progressive and I guess that's what the judges want to see."

With the Hawaiian Air Show award offering 250,000 Hawaiian Miles to the best aerial of the Vans Triple Crown, airs were at the top of every surfer's list today.

Basque surfer Hodei Collazo posted a major upset when he eliminated Haleiwa local and 2009 Reef Hawaiian Pro champion Joel Centeio (Hawaii) in the round of 96. Collazo got super busy in the lineup, determined to get the best waves on offer in the heat.

"I got lucky in the beginning," said Collazo. "I got a 7.33 on my first wave, so after that I was more relaxed. I knew the other guys needed more big scores. It's good to have good results in Hawaii. It's one of those places where normally you're surfing bigger boards. These contests are more special than the others on the tour."

Santa Cruz's Nat Young, 20, was another stand-out today. The Reef Hawaiian Pro, and the Vans World Cup at Sunset Beach are critical events for the Californian who is hoping to qualify for the ASP World Tour's elite ranks next year.

"(The Vans Triple Crown) is pretty much the biggest surf contest in the world," said Young. "Everybody's here doing it, so to do good here is a real confidence boost. It's a really important contest. As of now this could count for qualifying halfway through next year, so that's real big and it would be awesome to get a good result here."

Competition will resume at 8am tomorrow morning. Surfline.com forecasts similar conditions and wave heights to persist through Wednesday.

RESULTS:
Round of 128

HEAT 1: Jesse Merle-Jones (HAW) 10.50pts ; Tyler Newton (HAW) 9.33pts ; Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 4.10pts ; Jeronimo Vargas (BRA) 2.53pts

HEAT 2 : Hodei Collazo (EUK) 12.60pts ; Kevin Sullivan (HAW) 9.67pts ; Billy Kemper (HAW) 8.00pts ; Marcus Hickman (HAW) 7.33pts

HEAT 3 : Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 12.57pts ; Dylan Goodale (HAW) 10.60pts ; Alex Smith (HAW) 8.04pts ; Gabriel Villaran (PER) 4.74pts

HEAT 4 : Keanu Asing (HAW) 14.06pts ; Adrien Toyon (REU) 12.13pts ; Austin Ware (USA) 10.06pts ; Chris Foster (HAW) 7.86pts

HEAT 5 : Dege O'Connell (HAW) 12.33pts ; Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 9.60pts ; Brian Toth (PRI) 9.07pts ; Flynn Novak (HAW) 8.00pts

HEAT 6 : Evan Valiere (HAW) 14.60pts ; Davey Cathels (AUS) 10.57pts ; Rudy Palboom (ZAF) 9.83pts ; Kamalei Alexander (HAW) 6.17pts

HEAT 7 : Jano Belo (BRA) 13.40pts ; Love Hodel (HAW) 9.67pts ; Sunny Garcia (HAW) 9.40pts ; Dale Staples(ZAF) 3.63pts

HEAT 8 : Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 12.16pts ; Charles Martin (GLP) 11.56pts ; Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 9.86pts ; Solomon Ortiz (HAW) 8.27pts

HEAT 9 : Yuri Sodre (BRA) 10.33pts ; Jamie O'Brien (HAW) 8.23pts ; Jason Shibata (HAW) 8.04pts ; Tonino Benson (HAW) 8.03pts

HEAT 10 : Joan Duru (FRA) 14.23pts ; Luke Davis (USA) 9.87pts ; Makai McNamara (HAW) 8.63pts ; Luke Stedman (AUS)7.90pts

HEAT 11 : Torrey Meister (HAW)11.50pts ; TJ Barron (HAW) 10.23pts ; Liam McNamara (HAW) 9.34pts ; Gavin Gillette (HAW) 4.23pts

HEAT 12 : Vincent Duvignac (FRA) 12.33pts ; Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 11.53pts ; Tim Reyes (USA) 10.20pts ; Olamana Eleogram (HAW)10.07pts

HEAT 13 : Jack Freestone (AUS) 15.66pts ; Ian Gentil (HAW) 10.90pts ; Jack Perry (AUS) 9.57pts ; Ricardo Santos (BRA) 7.24pts

HEAT 14 : Roy Powers (HAW) 14.44 ; Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 13.60pts ; Albee Layer (HAW) 9.00pts ; Ian Walsh (HAW) 9.00

HEAT 15 : Perth Standlick (AUS) 11.83pts ; Eric Geiselman (USA) 11.67pts ; Matt Pagan (USA) 8.64pts ; Myles Padaca (HAW) 6.97pts

HEAT 16 : Casey Brown ((HAW) 14.57pts ; Nathaniel Curran (USA) 11.30pts Makuakai Rothman (HAW) ; Caio Ibelli (BRA) 9.30pts


Round of 96


HEAT 1 : Evan Geiselman (USA) 14.83pts ; Heath Joske (AUS) 9. ; Kevin Sullivan (HAW) 9.43pts ; Jesse Merle-Jones (HAW) 5.03pts

HEAT 2 : Hodei Collazo (EUK)11.16pts ; Kai Barger (HAW) 10.53pts ; Joel Centeio (HAW) 6.34pts ; Tyler Newton (HAW) 1.12pts

HEAT 3 : Adrien Toyon (REU) 12.67pts ; Maxime (FRA) 11.30 ; Brent Dorrington (AUS)10.57pts ; Dane Gudauskas (USA)10.40pts

HEAT 4 : Nat Young (USA) 14. ; Tomas Hermes (BRA) 11.87pts ; Keanu Asing (HAW) 10.93pts ; Dylan Goodale (HAW) 5.
HEAT 5 : Glenn Hall (IRL) 12.93pts ; Davey Cathels (AUS) 11.76pts ; Nic Muscroft (AUS) 10.00pts ; Dege O'Connell (HAW) 8.33pts

HEAT 6 : Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 14.50pts ; Stu Kennedy (AUS) 10.87pts ; Junior Faria (BRA) 10.80pts ; Evan Valiere (HAW) 8.70pts

HEAT 7 : Nathan Yeomans (USA) 15.00pts ; Mason Ho (HAW) 13.27pts ; Jano Belo (BRA) 11.53pts ; Charles Martin (GLP) 9.00pts

HEAT 8 : Leonardo Neves (BRA) 13.20pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 12.83pts ; Alain Riou (PYF) 10.67pts ; Love Hodel (HAW) 1.87pts

BMX star Dane Searls is hospitalized in critical condition after attempting to jump without his bike from the balcony of a popular night spot in Queensland, Australia, into a pool.

The incident on Sunday night occurred at Billy's Beach House in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. The world-renowned dirt jumper remained comatose Monday morning, according to reports.

Unit Clothing, which sponsors the athlete, issued a statement confirming that Searls was "badly hurt in a non-riding accident" and asked that his many fans send their "positive energy, prayers and strength."

News.com quoted Unit owner Paul Everest as saying: "On the weekend he had been performing 60-foot BMX jumps with backflips and other tricks and doing them comfortably, and now to think he's been hurt like this.



"He does some amazing stuff on these dirt jumps, real Guinness world record-stuff. But now we're really looking for a miracle at the moment."

Searls soared into the BMX spotlight in August of 2010 when he debuted in Part 1 of the "Giants of Dirt" Internet video series, which featured the rider soaring over a series of progressively taller jumps. (The video is posted above.)

Searls' Facebook page and Twitter pages of BMX riders and Searls' many fans have offered messages of support.

-- Image of Dane Searls soaring over a dirt jump is courtesy of Unit Clothing