Rail to rail, nobody does it like John John. And West Oz provides the perfect canvas. Photo: WSL
The West is best! That adage seems to ring true for wave quality in most coasts of the world: Europe, the U.S, Mexico, Africa, even Indonesia. While eastern counterparts seem almost sheltered in comparison, the western coasts of the world lie exposed to vast ocean bodies capable of generating enormous fetch and thundering swells.
Considering it’s a 5-hour flight from the WSL’s previous stop at Narrabeen, the Margaret River Pro certainly looked a world away from the east coast leftovers that surfers had to compete in last month. The consensus from most viewers seems to agree with WA tourism’s “the West is best” marketing slogan. Give us the grunt!
The buzz around the West is palpable when a solid forecast rears its head for Margies. Will it run at The Box? Can John John top his previous performances? How will surfer x, y, or z fare in waves of this size? Questions are raised. Questions that remained dormant during the Newcastle and Narrabeen stops of this Australian leg.
Instantly, the warmup sessions at The Box were ten times better than anything we’d seen during the previous two comps. It’s sick to see the best in the world tested. That’s why Pipeline has always been the ultimate spectacle in surfing, and that’s why this year’s Margaret River competition has had such a buzz about it.
JJF’s rail performances alone warrant watching this event. His 2017 run (often referred to as the most dominant performance in professional surfing), set a benchmark that all other surfers continue to aspire to. It made Margies cool again. But it also proved that the best in the world need the best waves to showcase their talent.
Even amongst the elite, there are standouts who can harness that speed, power and flow, to take competitive surfing to a new level. Large, powerful waves are required to appease that judging criteria.
While North Point wasn’t secured as a venue for this year’s Margaret River Pro, the quality options of Main Break and The Box still offer plenty for viewers and surfers to get excited about. For those who say Main Break is a burger not worthy of the tour, check out JJF’s 10-point drainer, Ryan Callinan’s mind-blowing backhand hook or Morgan Cibilic’s two-turn to tube combo for a second opinion.
If heat score totals are an indicator, it would be a fair assumption that the judges sure prefer watching waves on the West Coast too.
While the competitive side of things has delivered, the free surfing front can’t be understated. For many tour surfers, exposure to these waves can offer rare and powerful opportunities to grow and test their mettle. Malia Manuel charged The Box for the first time with impressive results that only bolster the exciting and ever-growing talent of women’s surfing in waves of consequence.
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If the girls are going to charge Teahupoo in the 2024 Olympics, then why not get some practice in at heaving slabs now?
With 2021’s logistical challenges, the WSL has done a great job of bringing surfing to an eager audience who’ve dearly missed their dosage over the past year. With the east coast done and dusted, and the West in full swing, the only question that remains is will the roll of the dice that is the Rottnest Island competition deliver?
We await with anticipation.
Editor’s Note: Brad Hutchins is a Gold Coast-based writer and editor.
