Switching from a pumping left-hand reef break like Cloudbreak to the racing right-hand point break that is J-Bay can be tricky. Add less than ideal conditions, especially for the Bay’s standards, and the struggle becomes real.
After two lay days and with a mix of inconsistent swell and strong winds scattered across the forecast, the decision was made to push through Round One. With 12 heats in the books, the tour vets fill the highlight reel, using experience and local knowledge to grab the win.
All goofy, all good.
The first round heat draw saw three all goofy heats, separating most of the backhand action from the forehand air show.
In the third heat, Owen Wright, holding onto his confidence from Fiji, looked calm and collected as he connected multiple backhand carves and hacks to hold onto to the lead against Kai Otton and C.J. Hobgood. With less than two minutes on the clock, Hobgood took off on a wave looking for a score better than a 5.70. By his hilarious hand gesture below the belt, Hobgood didn’t think he got it, but as the horn blew the scores came through. A 6.53 gave Hobgood his first heat win of 2015 and automatically his best result as well, securing at least an equal 13th.
Heats nine and 10 were action packed with three Brazilians out in the water. Wiggoly Dantas in heat nine, Italo Ferreira and Jadson Andre in heat 10 showed the aggressive style they’re all known for, each surfing twice as many waves as the other competitors.
The patient game seemed to be the right strategy, though, as both veteran goofy-footers Adrian Buchan and Freddy Patacchia Jr. only surfed three waves each, eventually taking the win in their respective heats.
The rest of the Brazilian Storm will also be surfing in round two.
In the most anticipated heat of the day, Dane Reynolds dominated Filipe Toledo and Adam Melling. Toledo struggled to find the ramps he needed and refused to switch to his rails. Poor strategy and lack of priority led Toledo to a rather low 5.33 heat total. In heat six, world no. 1 Adriano de Souza was defeated in the last 10 seconds of the heat by Kolohe Andino. Racing down the line, Andino opened with a huge air reverse as the buzzer sounded; still going, he stuck a float and carved up a few more turns to score a 7.93 and steal the win.
Slater steals the show.
As everybody else seemed to struggle, superhuman Kelly Slater made things look easy. Slater set the pace for the eighth heat early, boosting a clean air reverse to the flats and scoring an 8.17 on the first wave of the heat. With 22 minutes left on the clock, Slater stood up on another wave a little farther up the point. Jamming and carving, Slater was gliding through the chop with perfect timing. Then, in true Slater fashion, he crouched low into a disgustingly mushy barrel. Popping out, he surfed straight into the keyhole and all the way to the beach. While opting to jog back up the point, greeting fans along the way, Slater was able to pause and listen as the judges announced his 8.83 wave score, the highest of all 12 heats. With a 17.00 heat total, Slater had both goofy-footers Matt Wilkinson and Glenn Hall in a combo situation, each needing two new wave scores to even compete. Neither of them found a wave to compare, and Slater grabbed the heat win and the highest heat total of the day.
