Simon just sat there patiently and waited, then half way through the heat a rare, perfect wave came right to him. He rode it remarkably well and the judges gave their approval with a good score. Michael was left to scramble around, desperate for a good wave. Simon paddled back out and another good one came quickly right to him. He utilized it remarkably well and received another good score.
Simon is the man credited with inventing the three-fin, thruster board in October 1980. This design is now, and has been for decades, the standard that almost all surfers use worldwide. When I asked him about how he came up with the design he said, “It’s Mark Richards fault”.
The reason being Mark had started riding a two- fin design called the “twin fin” in 1979. Mark didn’t invent the twin-fin; he had seen Reno Abelliro riding a two-fin fish board on small waves in Sydney in 1977, and then refined it to his style of surfing, and used it to win four consecutive world titles from 1979-1982. This twin fin design was not for everyone, or for big waves, but it really suited Mark’s style of surfing.
During that period “MR” really dominated competitive surfing on his twin fins. He was able to generate more speed and perform tight arcing turns that no one else could match. Simon did not do well on the twin fin boards so he went into his shaping room to develop an idea for a board that would really give him “thrust”. He therefore called his new three-fin set up the “thruster.” Simon went on to win Bells, then the Pipeline Masters and several other contests, proving to the world that his “thruster” was a revolutionary design that worked well in all sizes of waves, for all styles of surfing.
After his heat with Michael, I spoke to Simon and he said, “tell your mate, Michael I’m sorry the waves just came to me.” Simon has been called the “gentle giant” as he is known as a very kind person. Simon is someone who has always let his surfing do the talking and has never been an aggressive wave “hassler” like many of the other Australian surfers. I won’t name any names, but Ian and PT, you know I’m talking about you.
So the stage was set for the Semi Finals and in the first heat we had Ian Buchanan taking on Glen Winton. It was a low scoring heat with limited waves that went Ian’s way. He advanced into the Final of his first-ever Grand Master event.
The second Semi Final was Rabbit versus Simon. Rabbit started quickly and posted some scores on the board while Simon again waited for the waves that failed to show. Ultimately Rabbit moved on to the Final to meet Ian.
In the Final the conditions were still extremely poor with tiny inconsistent waves. Ian and Rabbit took turns getting their waves with Ian getting the slightly better of each exchange. So, as they sat there waiting for something better, time was clicking away. Rabbit knew he needed a 4.5 to take the lead but waves were just not coming. In the closing minutes, he desperately caught a tiny one and tried his very best, the horn sounded as the Final came to an end. Rabbit was walking up the beach when the score for his Final ride was announced as a 4.1. He had come extremely close to another Grand Master victory but had to settle for second place this time. The grin on Ian’s face could be seen for miles. He had come into the event as a last-minute underdog and was now walking away with the $25,000 first prize.
Meanwhile in the Masters Division, we witnessed domination by the Brazilian surfers for the eight slots that would make up their Quarterfinals. Some of the surprise upsets were Tom Curren, Mark Occhilupo and Luke Egan who actually tied with Shea Lopez, but were eliminated on a count back. All three surfed very well, but we’re just unable to match the speed and maneuvers many of the Brazilian surfers performed in these conditions. Six of the eight advancing surfers were from Brazil, to go along with Shea and Nathan Webster from Australia. As the seeding would have it, Shea was matched up against Nathan in the Quarterfinals. Nathan moved on when Shea disappointedly only managed one ride.
In the first Semi Nathan edged out Victor Ribas. And in the second Semi Fabio Gouveia took out one of his fellow countrymen as he joined Nathan in the Final.
Nathan got off to a great start in the final and never slowed down as he bested Fabio to win in the Masters Division.
I was impressed at how the quality of Brazilian surfers has vastly improved in all areas from the world tour, long boarding to big wave surfing. Brazil has truly produced some amazingly talented surfers. Such as Victor Ribas, weighing in at 142 lbs and a mere 5’ 2” tall, he is a small wave specialist that had a great run on the World Tour and even came close to a world title when he finished 3rd in 1999. Other World Class performers include Fabio Gouveia, Flavio Padaratz and Guilheme Herdy.
In big waves, there are chargers like Carlos Burle and Danilo Couto that have been chasing big waves around the world doing tow-ins and paddling into some of the biggest ways on the planet, putting in award-winning performances.
As for Brazilian women, there is Maya Gabeira who is towing into and paddling into bombs. Even the Brazilian youth, like Gabriel Medina who at only 15 years of age is the talk of the World Tour. He is unbelievably talented, showing the world exactly where the future of surfing is headed.
On my first trip to Rio, I had really feared for my life and possessions, as this was the most out-of-control place I had ever been. The crime and murder rate were extremely high and the rate of inflation was out of control. I remember seeing the mountainside slums where many of the poorer people were forced to live. They were fighting for their survival, some even stealing for their next meal. There were the wealthy and the poor and not much of a middle-class, but it was apparent on this trip that the government has made a huge effort to turn things around. This transformation was carried out primarily in preparation for the upcoming Olympics and World Cup Soccer matches. The current economy is bustling, the crime and murder rates are way down and the slums have gone through a “pacification” process, ridding them of the drug lords.
Shaun, Rabbit, Robby “Bainy” Bain and I were invited to visit a surf club now located in the mountainside slums they call Favelas. I was reluctant at first but eventually decided to go along. Escorted by several men who had grown up there, they assured us it was completely safe. I brought along my camera to document the journey, and it turned out to be an eye-opening journey that I will never forget.
We walked to an elevator that took us to the sky bridge to enter the favela. As we ascended the alleyways and corridors, we were quickly exposed to the many people who’ve live there. There were little stores and playgrounds on the way to the top, where the schools and a police headquarters are located. They have rooms full of computers with Internet access. It’s now a safe community that has really transformed life for these people.
We went to the surf club, met several of the young surfers, toured the shaping and video room where they build boards and study the surfing that they hope to perform. What an amazing transformation it was; and my hat goes off to all the people that helped make this possible. I look forward to returning to Rio next year and would love to share this beautiful city with my kids.
What really struck me in Rio this year is how the love for surfing has transcended people across all geographical lines and even financial boundaries. We all simply share a passion for the sport of surfing, and that passion has had a far-reaching effect on the world. From economy to fashion, surfing has affected tourism and helped the fitness and well being of people all over the world.
