A weekly feature about surfing in Hawai'i. Submit ideas to dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 535-8101.

It's been a mind-boggling week for North Shore surfer Flynn Novak.

And not just because he had five staples removed from his head.

Photos of Novak appeared in the latest issues of Surfer, Surfing and TransWorld magazines. That would have been enough to satisfy him and his sponsors.

But the topper was a two-page photo in Sports Illustrated.

"I had no idea until a friend of mine sent me a text (message) telling me I was in Sports Illustrated," said Novak, 25. "The chances of that are so small, I didn't even bother ... but then more people started texting and calling."

Novak said he finally knew it was real when he walked into a Hale'iwa barber shop and saw the magazine.

The SI shot would have never appeared if Novak kept to his original travel schedule. He was supposed to be in Brazil competing in a World Qualifying Series contest this month.

However, he was injured during a wipeout at Pipeline last month — hence the five staples in his head — and had to cancel the trip to Brazil.

Five days after the injury, Novak returned to the waves at Rocky Point near Sunset Beach.

"I guess the (photographer) was here for the Pro Bowl and he happened to be out there shooting the surf that day," Novak said. "But I don't think any of us knew he was shooting for Sports Illustrated.

"I still had the staples in my head and everybody was telling me I shouldn't be surfing yet, but the waves were so good," he said. "It's funny how everything kind of fell into place."

In the sponsorship-driven world of professional surfing, a rare shot in a mainstream magazine like SI can be invaluable.

"The best part is you can see all the logos on my board, so my sponsors are really happy right now," Novak said. "And maybe somebody in Oklahoma or some place like that will see the shot and recognize me."

Novak got the staples removed from his head this week, and he plans to travel to Tasmania and Australia for contests later this month. He will compete on surfing's Qualifying Series this year in hopes of earning a spot on the 2010 ASP World Tour.

2009 WORLD TOUR SET TO START THIS WEEKEND

The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast men's contest is scheduled to start this weekend at Snapper Rocks, Australia. It is the first event on the 2009 ASP World Tour.

Florida's Kelly Slater is the event's top seed and is seeking an unprecedented 10th world championship in 2009. He won his record ninth world title last year.

Hawai'i surfers on the elite tour this year are Kekoa Bacalso, Dustin Barca, Fred Patacchia Jr., and Roy Powers. Bacalso and Barca are tour rookies.

This year's tour will consist of 10 contests, including the Billabong Pipeline Masters, which will be the season finale in December.

The 2009 ASP Women's World Tour is also scheduled to start this weekend with the Roxy Pro at Snapper Rocks, Australia.

Hawai'i surfers in the contest are Megan Abubo, Melanie Bartels, Alana Blanchard and Coco Ho.

For information on the events, visit www.aspworldtour.com.