Cloudbreak. Cross your fingers for this. Photo: Brian Bielmann
What: WSL Men’s Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour event number five.
Location: Tavarua, Fiji.
Event waiting period: June 5th to June 17th.
Venues:
Cloudbreak – an extremely consistent 200-yard left that holds on XXL size swell. Barrels and power gauges are the order of the day at Cloudbreak.
Restaurants – 150 yards of very hollow lefthand perfection that breaks best during large groundswell.
Defending champion: Owen Wright. Owen remains unable to compete due to the serious brain injury that he suffered during a free surf at Pipe in early December.
Past Event Champions:
2015: Owen Wright
2014: Gabriel Medina
2013: Kelly Slater
2012: Kelly Slater
2008: Kelly Slater
2006: Damien Hobgood
2005: Kelly Slater
2004: Damien Hobgood
2003: Andy Irons
2002: Michael Lowe
2000: Luke Egan
1999: Mark Occhilupo
Glen “Micro” Hall standing tall on a dreamy Fijian tube. Photo: WSL
Current Jeep Leaderboard #1: Matt Wilkinson.
My WSL Fantasy Surfer picks:
Tier A: John John Florence and Kolohe Andino. JJF is the most talented barrel rider on tour and can match anyone turn for turn or air for air. Kolohe Andino, 2014 semifinalist, is due for a big result. And if there was one event that Kolohe could make this happen, it’s out at Cloudbreak.
Tier B: Gabriel Medina, Julian Wilson, Mick Fanning, and Conner Coffin. It’s not debatable—Gabriel is currently the overall best competitive surfer in the world. Julian Wilson, event runner up last year, needs to get something going in 2016. Mick Fanning. Mick, the three-time Quarter Finalist, two-time Semifinalist, and one-time Finalist, has a solid track record at Fiji. Conner Coffin. Conner is better known for his front side attack at right point breaks; Conner will surprise may at Fiji after all is said and done.
Tier C: Kelly Slater, Jeremy Flores. It’s Kelly and it’s Fiji… need I say more? Jeremy Flores, former event Semifinalist, always a serious threat in barreling lefts.
Tavarua hazards:
Kava is highly intoxicating ceremonial tea prepared to, among other things, welcome island visitors.
Sea Snakes. The locally common ones are extremely venomous, but fortunately very docile reptiles.
Shish Kebabs. The dangerously shallow end section at Cloudbreak.
Fiji Pro facts:
2016 represents the 13th running of the Fiji Pro. The wave now known as Restaurants is a major focal point of William Finnegan’s 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning “Barbarian Days.” One of two events on the 2016 Men’s CT schedule not having a title sponsor. Kelly Slater (4X) and Andy Irons (1X) are the only regular stance Fiji Pro Champions.
Favorite to win: Gabriel Medina. Gabriel is a former event champion and is currently surfing as well, if not better than everyone else on tour. Gabriel will be especially hungry for an event win after recently earning an equal third in Brazil.
Dark horse: Conner Coffin. Surprisingly, with the exception of Kelly, Conner may have more experience and time on Fiji than anyone else in the field.
Surfline’s event forecast: “Fun to mid size SW swell mix prevails for the first couple days of the waiting period (Sun/Mon). At this point the surf looks small for the 7th-10th with a couple of modest pulses of SW swell during that time. The second half of the waiting period holds more promise for swell, although we are low confidence on any specifics this far out.”
Rest in peace to Tavarua’s beloved Chief Druku, who passed away last November from cancer at the age of 63.
All the Live and On Demand action from the 2016 Fiji Pro can be viewed at the WSL’s home page starting on June 5th.
