Cloudbreak was a little temperamental for the first few rounds of the ASP‘s 2014 Fiji Women’s Pro. But it doesn’t seem to matter… most of the women just didn’t take temperamental as an excuse. A few things stand out from round one and two:
Nikki Van Dijk is either the unluckiest or bravest surfer on Tour. It’s probably a mix of both, but whatever the ratio, she’s been eating a lot of reef in the last two contests. Remember the boxing match with the rocks she had at Bells? She just topped it. In her round two heat against Laura Enever, Van Dijk pulled into a little close out barrel section and promptly bounced off the reef. Now she’s got a few new shoelaces holding her lip together.
Alana Blanchard is doing something wrong. She has yet to win a heat this year, and it doesn’t even look like she’s trying to. She just paddled around semi-aimlessly, looking slightly lost and paddling into weird waves that probably should have been left alone.
Dimity Stoyle is someone to watch. I was floored by her performance in Australia, and her round one win against an in-form Tyler Wright (and a not-so-in-form Alana Blanchard) just cemented it. Also, her heat interviews are about the most refreshing thing ever. She just oozes excitement, and the incredibleness of what she’s doing – surfing the best waves on the planet – hasn’t been lost on her.
