Excuse the submission of this list six days into the New Year. Just got back from a nice surf vaca and getting back into the swing of things here. 2008 was a year for the ages in the surf world. New laws affecting the status of a major big wave tow spot. No new laws affecting the environment surrounding Trestles. One major surfer calls it quits before even hitting his prime. Another surfer remains numero uno at a time when he should be past his prime.

I present to you, the Top 8 surf stories of 2008.

8) Solution at Overcrowding Fails. Pratte’s Reef, California’s first artificial reef, was dismantled 24 years after first construction due to environmental damage caused by the huge sandbags used to create the reef. Overcrowding, a major problem in surfing, remains a problem and the failure of the artificial reef to create rideable waves is a major letdown for those hoping that artificial reefs would help ease the congestion at surf breaks.

7) Trestles Toll Road Shut Down. In the end, the big business and political tycoons with zero consideration for the environment were beat down by local surfers looking to preserve the sanctity that is Trestles. Notch one for surfing.

6) Ghost Trees Passes Away. After a long and lengthy battle, the famed Northern California Big Wave surf spot, located just off the 18th green at Pebble Beach, will see far fewer surfers when a PWC ban takes effect in March. Creative surfers will still find a way to conquer the mammoth waves when a big swell hits, but Ghost Trees as we know it will cease to exist.

5) Quiksilver Hangs By A Thread. Between losing a half-billion dollars, seeing your top female surfer sign with another brand, and bowing out of ASR, it’s been a rough year for Quiksilver, who seems to have suffered more than most during these tough economic times. At least they still have the world’s greatest surfer on their team.

4) Layne Beachley Retires, Young Guns Take Over. In a year that saw arguably the top female surfer ever, Layne Beachley, announce her retirement, we saw Stephanie Gilmore take the reigns as the Queen of Surfing, winning her second-straight World Title. We also saw a crop of young surfers, including Coco Ho, qualify for the 2009 World Tour, as the changing of the guard in women’s surfing is set.

3) Greg Long Emerges. Just a few years ago, only the core of surf fans knew about Greg Long. A former ‘QS competitor, Long found that his true passion lied with big wave surfing, and focused full-time on conquering the giant beasts. It didn’t help that Long went nearly two years without a major sponsor, as OP dropped Long and pool of other surfers after they sold out to Walmart. Long’s patience was rewarded however, as 2008 saw him winning the Mavericks Surf Contest and subsequently signing a new deal with Billabong.

2) Irons Bros Fade Away. Sort Of. At the beginning of the year, Bruce Irons announced that this would be his final year as a full-time competitor on the World Tour. Of course, he went on to win his first ever World Tour event, and qualified for 2009. Bruce is sticking to his guns though and will only compete in select competitions in ’09, instead focusing his energy on free surfing. Older brother Andy, who has been struggling for a few years, is rumored to be stepping away from the tour in ’09, taking a year off to recapture his competitive focus.

1) Kelly Slater Dominates, Wins World Title #9. It wasn’t just him winning his 9th World Title, setting up what’s going to be an extremely exciting ’09 campaign where the world will watch to see if Kelly can cap his career with a 10th World Title. It was how he did it. The 36 year-old utterly and completely dominated the tour, winning four of the first five World Tour events and ending the season with his record sixth Pipeline Masters title. The surf world’s eyes will all be on Kelly Slater in 2009, to see if he can wrap up a tenth world title and retire as the world’s greatest surfer. Ever.