After a long wait, things on the North Shore got moving yesterday as another big swell filled in, making for one epic day of competition.
Bede Durbidge went to the hospital with a pelvis broken in two places, two more lost their World Title chances leaving only three guys with a shot, and Mr. Mason Ho seemed to steal the show earning a 10-point ride in the middle of it all.
The morning started off with Gabriel Medina defeating Jordy Smith with ease, leaving him combo’d and having to do the walk of shame through the sea of Medina fans just to get back to the house where he is staying.
Then, things took a turn for the worst as Bede Durbidge dug rail and went end over end on a huge set wave. He immediately waved for the ski and was carried up the beach on a stretcher, holding his hip and wincing in agony. He was later taken to the hospital for x-rays and further examination.
With Durbidge out, his competitor Keanu Asing advanced straight into the later rounds, where he’d eventually be taken out by Kelly Slater in Round 5 in the second to last heat of the day.
Here’s what Asing had to say about the ordeal:
Oddly enough the conditions cleaned up and became more manageable shortly after Durbidge’s fall.
John John Florence took advantage of the cleaner part of the day by posting the highest heat total, a 19.26, with a 9.33 and 9.93. Opting to go left both times, Florence reminded everybody that Pipe is his backyard too, after the Jamie O’Brien hype was silenced when he couldn’t make a wave in the heat prior losing to Mick Fanning.
With O’Brien out, Mason Ho was the last wildcard standing, and he had world number two Filipe Toledo in his way. But with a buzzer-beater backdoor tube, Ho took Toledo’s title chances and tossed them in the trash as he marched into Round 4 with a big smile.
In the third round of heat nine, Sebastian Zietz scored a well-deserved but easily overlooked 10-point ride. Sliding down the face and stalling deep, Zietz was spit out to an ecstatic crowd and an impressed panel of judges. Unfortunately, Zietz didn’t find a good back up wave and was edged out by Jeremy Flores by the end of the heat.
In the next heat, another title contender was taken out. Although Julian Wilson was banking on an early loss from Fanning, his round 3 heat didn’t swing his way. In the same situation as Zietz, Wilson found himself with a 9.23 and no backup score, opening the door for Adam Melling who gladly took the win and walked into round 4 with confidence.
Round 4 of heat 2 was a superheat with Mick Fanning, Kelly Slater and John John Florence all fighting for their spot in the Quarterfinals. Fanning and Florence both found nine points, while Slater pulled off two eight point rides for keepers. Fanning got the upper hand with a back-up 8.00 and solidified his spot in the Quarters and kept his Title hopes alive.
The second 10-point ride and most prominent wave of the day came in the next heat from none other than the wildcard Mason Ho. This wave was unruly and non-cooperative, the crowd had almost written him off in the foam ball but a few seconds later out pops Ho standing tall flexing, even chop hopping twice all the way to the inside with pure excitement.
Pipeline became his playground after that, as he dropped in switch and tried a walking 360 on the next few waves. With the thought of winning the whole dang thing still in his mind, he kept his composure and headed straight into the Quarters with a decent back-up score and the win over Joel Parkinson and Jeremy Flores.
Adriano de Souza also kept his Title hopes alive as he quietly snuck through to the Quarterfinals with a win over Josh Kerr and Adam Melling.
The day came to a close in the midst of Round 5. C.J. Hobgood must be itching for a good result to end his career as he got the best of John John Florence in the first heat of the round. Staying busy and taking off on anything, Hobgood solidified his dominance in hollow Lefts, like Pipe and defeated the local phenom that is John John Florence, or just John if you’ve seen his new film, View from a Blue Moon.
Slater and Melling earned their spot into the Quarterfinals before the completion of the day. Eight heats to go before the end of the year, who do you have your money on for the Title? For the win?
