Xavier Huxtable in the midst of a perfect heat at the Nias Pro. Photo: Abdel Elecho//WSL
The WSL’s Qualifying Series isn’t exactly known for quality waves. The contest windows are smaller than your typical Championship Tour event with several times as many competitors and heats to get through. And that means even holding a contest at a world-class location forces organizers into circumstances far less likely to feature pumping surf. This week’s Nias Pro is an exception to the stereotype, where competitors just delivered six perfect 10s in one day of competition.
Technically, Australia’s Kobi Clements kicked off the wave of 10-point rides at Nias in Tuesday’s Round of 16. The men’s and women’s Rounds of 32 through the quarterfinals were absolutely madness on Wednesday though. Throughout the day there were 14 heat totals higher than 18, four of them went over 19 points. That included an insane heat four in the men’s Round of 32. Xavier Huxtable posted the rare perfect heat with 10-point rides on his first and last wave. His second of four total waves was in the excellent range but dropped from his final heat total.
Meanwhile, Zane Assink right behind him with an 18.90 heat total eliminating Dylan Moffat and Lennix Smith from the Nias Pro early….both with excellent heat totals themselves. The all-Australian heat saw 17 waves scored in 30 minutes of competition and eight of them went into the excellent range, including three nine-point rides, Huxtable’s two 10s, and two excellent wave scores that didn’t even make the final tallies. That is a helluva heat.
“I can’t even explain it. I’m lost for words,” Huxtable said. “I was just paddling out, watching my best mates in the heat before just trading kegs. I saw Tully (Wylie) get a couple 9’s, Jack had 8’s and 9’s, Kerzy, Jarvis, everyone was scoring. I just wanted to get some, too. These are the best waves I’ve ever seen, I reckon. Obviously, I want to go on and win this thing, but regardless, the vision I had in those waves will be forever in my mind. Those were the best waves I’ve ever had in my life and it was in a heat. It’s amazing. I can’t even believe it.”
Japan’s Riaru Ito picked things up the very next heat with another 10-point ride of his own. The rest of the field posted several more scores in the high-nine range, including nine total waves scored 9.5 and above, and rounding out a ridiculous 19 excellent heats in the men’s Round of 32.
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Meanwhile, the women got into the mix on their side of things Wednesday. Their Round of 32 and Round of 16 didn’t produce the same volume of high scores but Sierra Kerr and Willow Hardy added to the count with perfect 10s of their own in the Round of 32. Kerr backed her 10-point ride up with a second massive score, a 9.87. Australian Piper Harrison came close to her own perfect ride as well, going over the nine-point threshold in the Round of 32 and then again in the Round of 16.
