Friday at the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa was one for the books. In pumping waves, the first few rounds of the event had more rides in the excellent range than your average contest – almost 50 waves with a score higher than an 8.0, and a healthy dose of those were high 9’s. It seemed as though the competitors were pushing each other a little harder than usual, and the waves and conditions at Haleiwa were perfect for it.
Though not perfect waves by any means, the imperfections made Friday even more entertaining. The chop and bit of west in the wind direction forced the surfers to find waves that hid sections containing moments of brilliance – and find them they did. A perfect example is Olamana Eleogram’s perfect 10 (below), ducking behind a heavy Hawaiian curtain, then escaping unharmed before getting cleaned up in the Toilet Bowl section. Not to take anything away from Olamana’s barrel, but remember when JJF fell on a wave and still got a 10? Perfect doesn’t mean perfect anymore… it just means awesome.
Watch the event live on ASP.com
