Well, this wasn’t exactly the perfect Lowers we had hoped for. Swell-wise, that is. With a hurricane spinning its wheels not far off the Southern California coast, fingers were crossed far and wide for epic conditions. While the size was there, the quality lacked slightly. The final day saw sets hovering around head-high, but plenty of wind set in as the day wore on making conditions tricky.
However, where conditions faltered, underdogs shone and competition remained as fierce as ever. Dark horse Johanne Defay rose through the ranks and knocked off Tyler Wright to take a quarterfinal finish. Ace Buchan, similarly, knocked off world number one Gabriel Medina due to a series of smart priority plays and classic, powerful rail surfing.
The most electrifying part of the entire event was John John Florence who was a one-man highlight reel. After taking down Kelly Slater twice, he led the majority of the Hurley Pro final until, in the waning couple of minutes, a previously underperforming Jordy Smith put his nose to the grindstone and grabbed his first win of the year.
As a point of contrast, Stephanie Gilmore dominated her Swatch Women’s Pro final logging a near-perfect 19.50 heat score. She will move on to the European leg of the tour as the number two ranked surfer in the world behind Sally Fitzgibbons, who she beat in today’s final.
For more highlights, heats on demand and statistics, visit aspworldtour.com.
