Photo: World Surf League
It wasn’t the groomed-groundswell Bells we’ve come to know and love. But it was more than contestable. And realistically, might be even a little better with a bit of lump and crumble in it.
This year, it was all about wave knowledge — picking waves with wall but having the technique to time the bumps and lumps with critical blasts. Who else but Mick Fanning then to take victory, a surfer whose fundamentals are without peer in the world of surfing and whose mastery of Bells is unrivaled. He first won here 14 years ago as a 19-year-old wild card back in 2001, beating the full roster of World Tour stars to claim victory. He’s won it three times since. Today was his fourth.
And he was in another league against quarter final opponent, Jordy Smith. His rock solid base totally in synch with the warbley, lava-lamp-like conditions. Critics of Bells will tell you it is a barely contestable burger, but even they must admit it’s an art-form to make it look good. In fact, there’s no wave on tour harder to surf well. Fanning, who turned out on finals day as composed as always in a superhuman state of readiness, mesmerized with his ability to draw smooth powerful lines over, through, and around those seemingly endless lumps and obstacles. What a sublime mix of creativity, anticipation, and technique it was.
On the contrary, the ratings leader heading into the event, Filipe Toledo, never looked likely on finals day. The power and flowing transitions required in the tricky conditions were nowhere to be found, raising serious questions over his versatility as well as his World Title credentials. The Brazilian Storm continues to blow, however, making up three of the final eight at Bells. It’s a wave that favors consistency over new school sizzle though, and it was veteran Adriano De Souza, the only Brazilian male ever to win a Bell, who got the better of an as-of-yet disappointing Gabriel Medina in the quarters before beating Josh Kerr on his way to the final.
Up until the final, Fanning had simply chosen set waves and easily converted them into 8s for victory. But the mind and body does strange things under pressure, a fact not lost on Adriano De Souza. The famously tenacious competitor masterfully out-strategized Fanning in the first half of the final, building a house with mid-range scores and applying the blow torch to the three-time world champ. Fanning waited 13 minutes to open his account only to overcook his opening turn on his opening wave and leave himself with a mountain to climb in the back half of the heat.
In the end, he was forced to make do with mid-sized runners under De Souza’s priority, but it was enough. First with a scorching trademark karate-kick snap for an 8.17 followed by a superbly controlled finner to slide for a 7.1 and the lead. De Souza answered with several impeccably surfed long Bells bowls, but they lacked the vertical sections and explosive progressive edge of Fanning’s attack. The result? A tied final, the first ever in the history of Bells.
Victory would ultimately go to Fanning on a count back — Fanning’s highest ride, the 8.17, gave him the win. The tour now heads to Margaret River where a predicted 12-to-15 foot Indian Ocean awaits.
Photo: World Surf League
