This week, the Four Seasons Maldives once again hosted its annual Surfing Champions Trophy at Sultans in Kuda Huraa, Maldives. The tournament began Monday, August 21 with a single-fin event, followed by twin-fin and thruster events. The small competition pool comprised of Joel Parkinson, Adriano de Souza, Mason Ho, Coco Ho, Conner Coffin and Hood Ahmed. Joel Parkinson and Adriano de Souza duked it out in in the final of all three events, with Parkinson narrowly beating out the Brazilian every time.
“It’s harder to do turns on a single-fin but you can hide in the tube,” said Parkinson, “whereas twin-fins are shaped so well now that you can surf them more like a modern board and be a lot more confident in attacking the lip and using the face of the wave.”
The highlight was the twin-fin event, where Parkinson scored an 8.9 and an 9.63, while Souza earned a 9.7 with a deep barrel, the highest score seen so far. In the end, Souza was caught chasing an 8.83 to secure the win, but came just short at a 8.47.
“That barrel was insane!” said de Souza, “I put on a show and almost got a 10, so even though I lost I’m proud of myself. Joel has been amazing, but tomorrow’s a new day.”
Maldivian wildcard entry Hood Ahmed also nailed a standout backhand tube ride that scored him an 8.83, “I think I disappeared behind the foamball twice, and maybe if the barrel had a cleaner exit I might have been closer to a 10. After yesterday I knew tubes would be my best chance of good scores, and I’m proud I got the chance to show off what I can do.”
Mason Ho and Coco Ho found themselves out of the competition in the semifinals, where they lost to Parkinson and de Souza respectively. However, Mason celebrated the chance to compete on a twinnie. “Lately I’ve been hooked on thrusters,” said Mason, “So I’m really loving this event because it’s reminding me how much I enjoy my single and twin fins. The roots!”
