No surfer lost today. Okay, technically twelve surfers lost today, but none of them would have the chance to blame it on conditions or lack of waves. Everybody would have a few waves at the end of the day to froth over.
Heavy winds and rain continued, with a few slots of sunshine coming through throughout the day. However, the winds had switched directions from west to east holding the treacherous reef break wide open for barrel after barrel.
At the end of 16 heats, we saw all but eight surfers battle it out, finishing Round 1 and completing Round 2 by the time the sun set over the greener-than-green Tahitian mountains.
Back from Injury
Three surfers, John John Florence, Jeremy Flores and Brett Simpson, were coming to Tahiti hoping to make a comeback in the rankings after a few events out.
John John Florence was the first to take to the water on Day 2 wearing a brace on his ankle. If he wasn’t wearing that, I don’t think anyone would have remembered he had been injured, as we all watched him drop later and get deeper than anyone else to take the comfortable win over Bede Durbidge and Fred Pattachia Jr.
About halfway through his heat, Florence showed just how committed he really was. As he turned to paddle for a set wave, it began to lip up over him, instead of pulling the eject button, Florence went to his feet and set rail while already in the tube. Making the incredibly late drop, Florence disappeared behind the curtain and came out standing tall. The judges scored it a 9.03.
In the heat after that, Jeremy Flores paddled from the channel sporting a helmet. Up against two goofy Brazilians, Wiggolly Dantas and Miguel Pupo, it was an even draw; Flores had his work cut out for him and couldn’t afford to hold back.
On his first wave, he pumped from behind the peak and took a huge close out section on the head. Just testing his helmet, he paddled for another one, making it in and out with precision and earning a 7.83. Later he would find another 7-point ride to take the win and advance straight into Round 3.
Brett Simpson, who we didn’t see in Fiji due to injury and who was still struggling with the pain at J-Bay, finally found his way out of Round 2 with arguably the biggest upset of the event so far, taking out World No. 8 Taj Burrow.
Burrow and Simpson traded the lead a few times, but once Simpson dropped into a drainer and held onto the bucking bronco through the foam to sneak out the doggy door and make a little claim. The judges rewarded him a 9.17 and he held the lead for the win.
Nines on the mind.
Bouncing back from injury is always a crowd-pleaser. But, there was plenty more notable surfing to discuss.
Josh Kerr sent Matt Wilkinson and Kolohe Andino to Round 2 with a massive score right out of the gate in the first 10 minutes of the morning. Arguably the best wave of the day, Kerr held his rail and set up camp in the tube. After enjoying the view, Kerrzy found his only exit on the inside in about a foot of water. He would get a 9.67 and move straight into Round 3 needing a new set of fins, later showing the camera in his post heat interview that he did indeed hit the reef on his exit.
The only surfer to get a better wave in Day 2 was none other than C.J. Hobgood himself. More pumped than anyone else on the tour, and truly having fun with no pressure from the rankings after announcing his retirement, Hobgood defeated Nat Young in Round 2 with a 9.80. Dropping into it with his arms held wide open he pumped his way through the barrel and came out screaming. After trading the lead over and over again in probably the best man-on-man battle of the day, Hobgood took the win with that wave and will be fired up for his next heat against Julian Wilson.
The defending event champion and reigning World Champion Gabriel Medina also found himself an excellent wave in his Round 2 heat.
After losing to fellow Brazilian and rookie Italo Ferreira in his first heat of the morning, Medina surfed against Ricardo Christie for the second time and made sure the Kiwi wouldn’t advance over him. Using the two-hand drag technique that got him the win last year, Medina dropped into a gem and pulled out earning a 9.17 and the win.
Christie has probably had the toughest heat draws all year and though he put up another good fight, even with a back injury of his own, it just wasn’t enough to keep up with Medina’s forehand attack.
In the late hours of the day, the local Spartan Michel Bourez was taken out by Brazilian Jadson Andre. Andre was going absolutely ballistic, dropping in on anything and stomping around on the reef like a boss. He won the heat with two 8-point rides, utilizing laid-back maneuvers and air drops like no one else had all day long.
The last two heats turned out to be the closest heats of the day. Adrian Buchan defeated Adam Melling by only 1.13. Then in the most heroic effort that went all the way to the buzzer, two Hawaiians duked it out. Needing a 6.60 with one minute left, Keanu Asing picked off an inside wave but just couldn’t overtake Sebastian Zietz who eventually won by just 0.53.
With Round 3 having match-ups like Gabriel Medina surfing against John John Florence, expect this event to just keep getting better.
