If ever there was a correct surf forecast it was today. Swellnet got it 100% right when they said a 10-12 ft South swell would arrive this morning.
The 100 km southerly turned up on time and so did the rain and swell, the only issue is how long will the waves last? Because it’s predicted to drop pretty fast - down to 2ft on Friday (I hope they don’t get that bit right) hopefully your houses survived the overnight battering.
Let’s talk about today, all you Point locals should get out from under your beds because shock/horror the only two surfers out this morning in pretty good waves(8ft) were two Garie boys! What is going on, I heard they rang Chris O’Call in Tahiti and told him Cronulla is soft and Garie guys rule!
Seriously though, Fishkiller and Fletch had a ball on their big boards after Fish head got washed behind the pools trying to surf Southies - good on them! As I said the forecast is dismal with 1ft predicted for the weekend so don’t waste the next few days.
In Europe in average waves, the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal got underway yesterday in wind-affected 3-to-5 foot waves at the iconic Supertubos in Peniche, and completed the opening round of competition.
Stop No. 10 of 11 on the Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour could see a World Champion crowned. With just seven surfers remaining in contention to clinch the coveted trophy, onlyGabriel Medina (BRA) has the chance to take the ASP World Title in Portugal.
Gabriel Medina (BRA), 20, currently leads this world’s best surfers on the 2014 ASP World Championship Tour rankings, and is poised to make history as the first Brazilian title holder this coming week in Portugal. If achieved, Medina’s title clinching will mark the first time a 20-year-old has done so since 11-time ASP World Champion and international sporting icon Kelly Slater (USA), 42, achieved this in 1992.
Standing in the way are six surfers with a mathematical chance of claiming this year’s world surfing crown: Kelly Slater (USA), Mick Fanning (AUS), Joel Parkinson (AUS), John John Florence (HAW), Taj Burrow (AUS) and Michel Bourez (PYF). Both Burrow and Bourez would have to win the remaining two events (Portugal and Pipeline) with Medina finishing 13th or worse to have a chance at the title.
In one of the most highly anticipated match-ups of the day, 11-time ASP World Champion and current World No. 2 Kelly Slater (USA) took on Matt Wilkinson (AUS) and event wildcard Nic Von Rupp (PRT). Wilkinson found a deep barrel to launch his campaign and net a near-perfect 9.57. With the World Title race on the line Slater kept scouring the Supertubos lineup and eventually found his own radical late-drop to barrel for an even higher 9.67 and the heat win. Slater advances directly to Round 3 thanks to his two-wave heat total of 17.00, the highest of the day, while Wilkinson and Von Rupp will surf again in Round 2.
You wouldn’t believe it but Jadson Andre (BRA) 24, has won the ASP Prime Cascais Billabong Pro over Stu Kennedy (AUS) 24 in a one way final disputed in 2-to-3-foot waves.
Stu Kennedy (AUS) 24, was the Australian revelation in Cascais. After a slow start in the earlier rounds, Kennedy took his surfing to the next level to consecutively eliminate Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Jeremy Flores (FRA) and Julian Wilson (AUS), three current WCT competitors on his way to the final. Stu’s dad lives in the Shire so that’s about as close as we can get to him!-good result.
In Keramas, Dede Suryana (IDN) has won the Komune Bali Pro presented by The Mad Hueys a 1-Star Association of Surfing Professionals Qualifying Series (QS) and Asian Surfing Championship (ASC) event. Finals day dawned and with only four heats left to run in the event, contest officials waited until the perfect tide to crown an inaugural event champion.
Suryana has a lot to celebrate at the moment, his wife just had a baby, it’s his birthday and he surfed through a stacked draw of talented surfers to claim his first ever ASP QS win. Suryana’s surfing is perfectly suited to Keramas and fans were treated to a show all week, watching his fast and smooth approach. The Final was an evenly matched affair with Dean Morrison (AUS) taking an early lead until Suryana stole the win with powerful wraps and carves on his last two waves.
After all that the Groms also surfed in Coffs Harbour last weekend, the Wahu Surfer Groms Comp series will now venture south to Kiama for the third stop of the series, which will kick off this forthcoming Saturday . Regarded as one of the major stepping stones in the development of young Australian surfers, the 10-event Wahu Surfer Groms Comps caters for surfers from Under 8 to Under 14 and will be held in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. The Under 8 will be a mixed division with parent assists, while competition will be held in both boys and girls in the Under 10, Under 12 and Under 14 divisions.
Event 6 is being held at Cronulla- December 20-21, 2014 so hold your collective breath.
Enough ink wasted already - wax up and go surfing!
