Guerrilla Surf | Storm The Beaches!

Kieren Perrow Wins Billabong Pipe Masters; John Florence Wins The Triple Crown Of Surfing

by Guerrilla Surf on December 11, 2011

In what will go down as one of the most epic surf contests to date, the final day of competition at the Pipe Masters finished with precision barrel riding and classic battles that will be etched in the Pipeline reef forever.

The quarterfinals kicked off with a bang as Joel Parkinson paddled out against local charger Jamie O’Brien. Joel Parkinson started off the heat with a few waves that did not open up for him.

Jamie O’Brien struck first with a 4.83 to take the heat lead, but Parkinson dropped in on a solid wave to score a 6.50. Jamie O’Brien came right back with a 4.60, but in the end that would not be enough as Joel Parkinson scored a 5.50 to take the heat 12.00 to O’Brien’s 9.43. Parkinson was in form and he surfed a smart heat to move into the semifinals.

Kieren Perrow Wins At Pipeline

Quarterfinal heat #2 was a heat that will go down as a ‘legendary Pipe story.’ John John Florence vs Kelly Slater . . . The young protégé vs the 11 time world champion. John John paddled out with a monumental task ahead of him, beat Slater for the second time in the Pipe Masters.

John John jumped out to an early lead and had Slater in a combination late in the heat. The crowd was pulling for the hometown kid, but Slater pulled the rabbit out of his hat and came threw a frothy barrel to win the heat. John John had a 9.70 and a 7.00 in the book as the clock was running down.

Slater scored a 9.70 late and then dropped in on wave as time ran out and scored a 7.83 to win the heat in Slateresque fashion. This heat will go down as one of the most classic battles in surfing history. Slater was not ready to give up the torch and proved why he is still the king in the surfing world.

In the 3^rd quarterfinal, Michel Bourez took out underground charger Evan Valiere. Valiere had an amazing event and showed the surf world he is one of the top surfers at Pipe. Bourez won the heat 7.70 to Valiere’s 3.66. It was a slow scoring heat, but when you are waiting for the right waves to come in, Pipe can be fickle sometimes.

The last quarterfinal heat had Kieren Perrow matched up against tour rookie sensation Gabriel Medina. Perrow opened up with a 9.00, but Medina answered right back with an 8.63. Perrow was on a mission after losing in the final last year and scored an 8.23 late in the heat to take the lead for good.

Medina surfed a great event, but he did not get the backup score and Perrow moved on into the semifinals. Medina will be one to watch for years to come.

The first semifinal heat was between two big names in the surf world. Joel Parkinson vs Kelly Slater . . .Triple Crown defending champ vs. the 11 time world champion. Parkinson got off to a good start scoring a 7.77 on his first wave. Slater took a couple of headers until he grabbed a 5.00 scoring wave.

Slater would then score a 9.23 and a 7.60 to take the heat lead, Joel surfed a great heat and scored an 8.63 and an 8.60 late in the heat to overtake Slater. Slater could not get a solid backup score and Joel took down the 11-time world champ. Parkinson wins 17.23 to Slater’s 16.83. Parkinson surfed a smart heat and moved into the final.

The second semifinal had the journeyman, Kieren Perrow matched up against Michel Bourez. Perrow showed patience in this heat as Bourez caught 4 waves before Perrow paddled into one.

Bourez’s waves did not score over a 1.00 and Perrow took the heat lead with a 2.00 ride. Bourez scored a 2.40 only to be eclipsed by Perrow who pulled off a great barrel and scored a perfect 10.00. Perrow would not be denied and beat Bourez 12.00 to 4.07.

The final was set . . .the two Aussies would meet, Joel Parkinson vs Kieren Perrow. At the start of the heat Joel took off on a few waves, but did not get a score that he could keep. Perrow waited and it paid off to score a 7.00 and then followed that up on the way out with a 6.17.

Parkinson tried to answer as a rainstorm hit the beach. Parkinson could only grab a two-wave total of 7.00. Perrow got out to the early lead and would not look back. Kieren Perrow wins the 2011 Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons. Congratulations to Kieren Perrow! He earned this win with cuts, duct tape and dropping in on huge Pipe waves all contest.

John John Florence took the Vans Triple Crown with his performance during the three contests on the North Shore. He placed 5^th at Haleiwa, won Sunset and placed 5^th at Pipe to take the 2011 Vans Triple Crown title. He is the local hero who has grown up surfing these waves and his experience and grace in pumping Pipe led him to his first Triple Crown. Congratulations John John Florence!

What will the 2012 WCT bring? Where will the next slab be found? The surfing community is growing and the progression of the sport is always on the rise. Pipe is still the greatest test and this years event showed everyone why that is true.

~P. Franklin / Guerrilla Surf — Guerrilla.Surfers@gmail.com

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Heavy Water Perfection on Pipeline Masters Day 2

by Guerrilla Surf on December 9, 2011

The swell continued on the 2^nd day of the waiting period for the Pipeline Masters. Huge sets continued to blast the lineup at Pipeline in the early heats this morning.

The day kicked off with round 3 heats. The man on man heats matched up the who’s who of the surfing world. The conditions were big and there was a great deal of water shifting in the lineup. The early heat scores were not big, but if you caught a solid ride you would make it through your heat.

Round 3 was challenging as many guys got caught on the inside and took a pounding. Previous North Shore experience paid off for some as John Florence, Evan Valiere and Jamie O’Brien all moved into the Quarterfinals.

The early heat of the day (round 3) was Owen Wright vs Evan Valiere. Valiere took out Wright, coming from behind late in the heat, with a two-wave total of 16.14 to Wright’s 15.67. Classic battle.

As the competition moved into round 4 (non-elimination heat) with 3-man heats the contest really started to showcase the experience needed to take on Pipeline. Jamie O’Brien took out Kalani Chapman (12.00) and Joel Parkinson (12.06) with a two-wave total of 13.93. Jamie is known to be one of the best Pipeline surfers on the planet right now.

John Florence (17.67) took out Cj Hobgood (5.43) and Kelly Slater (8.50) in this heat with precision tube riding and wave selection. In heat 3 of round 4, Michel Bourez (13.10) beat Evan Valiere (10.84) and Gabriel Medina (8.17). In heat # 4 Kieren Perrow (13.66) took out big wave charger Shane Dorian (11.87) and Taj Burrow (7.83). Round 4 saw some epic Pipe waves ridden… the stuff of future legends.

In round 5, with many contestants facing elimination and huge waves, the ground was laid for some great battles. Joel Parkinson (12.83) in the first heat took out CJ Hobgood (7.74). It was a slow heat, but Joel did what he needed to do to get through. JOB will be waiting.

The heat of this round was Kelly Slater matched up against local charger and Wave of the Winter winner in 2010, Kalani Chapman. Slater started off slow and Chapman got the early lead, but that got Slater’s competitive edge going as he scored a 9.87 scoring wave late in the heat to take the lead for good. Chapman had a great event and showed his Pipeline ability throughout this event. Slater’s 16.80 to Chapman’s 14.63 was a classic battle.

Next up was Evan Valiere vs Taj Burrow. Evan showed why he is one to keep your eye on as he took out Taj with a 16.03 to Taj’s 10.87. Valiere is part of the North Shore underground that has been scoring tube rides all contest. He will be tough to beat.

In the last heat of the day, Shane Dorian was matched against Gabriel Medina who surfed Pipe for the first time within the last 24 hours. Medina took out Dorian with a two-wave total of 9.23 to Dorian’s 2.30. It was a slow heat, but Medina keeps his run alive as he continues to open up eyes around the surf world with his success thus far on tour.

Today brought more big sets and carnage. Everyone took heavy wipeouts today. Josh Kerr took the pounding of the day as he got caught on the inside multiple times and broke a board. We hope he is OK as the doctors were checking him for a concussion after his round 3 heat. Kieren Perrow also left some skin in the lineup.

The man to beat at this point in the contest is John Florence. He has been pulling 10′s out of his pocket and handing them to the judges. He had two heat totals of 19.10 and 17.67 He will be going up against Kelly Slater in the Quarterfinals. This heat will be one to watch as they take the water on the final day of competition.

The Quarterfinals are set:

Joel Parkinson vs Jamie O’Brien

John John Florence vs Kelly Slater

Michel Bourez vs Evan Valiere

Kieren Perrow vs Gabriel Medina

The final day will be epic as this contest has already proven to be one of the best surf events ever . . . stay tuned!

Andy Irons would be stoked on the performances in the water throughout the contest . . . . .

~P. Franklin / Guerrilla Surf — Guerrilla.Surfers@gmail.com

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

The Swell We’ve All Been Waiting For Hits Hawaii’s North Shore

by Guerrilla Surf on December 8, 2011

Hawaii’s legendary ‘Pipe‘ delivers the biggest contest swell ever! When the sun came up today . . . surfers on the North Shore were welcomed with a 15-foot swell with 18-foot sets. To paddle out in this type of swell you have to be fully committed on every paddle or you could be looking at serious injury.

Legendary Conditions at Pipeline

The Andy Irons dedicated Pipeline Masters contest and last stop on the WCT for 2011 got underway with fireworks, barrels, wipeouts, broken boards and busted shoulders. 2^nd reef Pipeline was definitely breaking and some of the local Hawaiians were charging it during their heats.

Local standouts John Florence (the artist formerly known as John John), Marcus Hickman, Evan Valiere, Ian Walsh, Mason Ho and Jamie O’Brien took the lineup by storm showing surreal calm in the exploding madness that was the Pipeline lineup today.

Florence and Marcus were two of the standouts among the top performers today along with Valiere who had the highest heat total of the day with a two-wave total of 18.16. Florence scored a perfect 10 with a fearless style on a bomb wave. He took down fellow Hawaiian Kai Barger with a two-wave total of 18.07.

Tanner Gaudaskas got the Iron Man of the day award (made up) by breaking two boards and a leash in his first round heat. 3 paddle outs and 3 boards busted up in these conditions is pushing the limits of human endurance. That is what happens when you get caught with an outside set breaking in front of you . . . you can’t dive deep enough.

The contest will resume with conditions in the ‘epic realm’ and it will be great to see the WCT guys take on the Pipe specialists. This contest is wide open with this type of swell. It is gut check time. How bad do you want it!?

Round 3 is kicking off next . . .stay tuned.

“Surfing a wave is like getting kissed by God . . .” ANDY IRONS

~P. Franklin / GUERRILLA SURF

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

John Florence is the 2011 VANS World Cup of Surfing Champion

by Guerrilla Surf on December 3, 2011

John Florence, drops the John John, on his way to becoming the Vans World Cup of Surfing 2011 Champion. The waves pumped as the contest headed into the later rounds in the last few days.

A win at Sunset is always a great accomplishment as the contest holds four-man heats in a very powerful and shifty lineup. The final day of action had classic 8 to 10 foot Sunset with some offshore winds that opened up some barrels.

John John Florence - 2011 Sunset Winner

The wave of the day would definitely have to go to Ola Eleogram who scored a perfect ten on a massive Sunset tube in the quarterfinals. In quarterfinal heat number 2, Ola took down Jordy Smith, Travis Logie and Dusty Payne in what could be considered as the heat of the day.

Ola won with a heat total of 17.83 to Smith’s 14.16, Logie’s 6.16 and Payne’s 17.50. Epic barrel riding by Eleogram and Payne left Smith and Logie scraping for big scoring rides trying to catch up the whole heat. Smith made a solid showing but fell short.

In quarterfinal heat # 4 heat there was a classic battle between some local Hawaiians and Australians, Florence and Walsh (HAW) matched Matt Wilkinson, and Adrian Buchan (AUS).

Florence finished 2^nd in this heat which was very close and a good battle from the first horn to the heat ending horn. Buchan scored a 14.84 to Florence’s 14.23, Walsh’s 13.37 and Wilkinson’s 9.43. The top two moved on.

In the first semifinal Michel Bourez’s 12.03 and Adam Melling’s 8.00 took out Ola Eleogram’s 7.60 and Dusty Payne’s 4.60 heat scores. Bourez picked off some solid rides to move on into the final.

In the second semifinal, John Florence was in form and shredded this heat with a two-wave total of 18.40. Hank Gaskell also surfed his way into the final with a heat total of 14.50 sneaking by Adrian Buchan’s 13.57 and Raoni Monteiro’s 9.77.

The final was set as Michel Bourez, Adam Melling, John Florence and Hank Gaskell took to the water. Florence snagged a nice 9.50 ride in the final, which pushed him into the lead and he would not look back. The barrels were popping up all over the place and each surfer was charging.

John Florence took the final with a heat total of 17.00 to Bourez’s 12.03, Melling’s 11.96 and Gaskell’s 11.53. It was an epic final and John Florence definitely used his local knowledge to take the contest. Congratulations to John John Florence!

Florence takes the lead in the VANS Triple Crown of Surfing as the focus now moves to Pipeline . . . stay tuned!

~P. Franklin / Guerrilla Surf — Guerrilla.Surfers@gmail.com

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Taj Burrow Wins 2011 Reef Hawaiian Pro Surf Event

by Guerrilla Surf on November 25, 2011

Taj Burrow Victorious On North Shore

The swell almost never showed up, but what did come through the classic break on the North Shore was worth the wait. If you were not pulling airs and landing every trick in the book you were not moving on in this contest. The Reef Hawaiian Pro displayed the future contingent that is coming up in the surf world. The four-man heats kept the action exciting on the final day of the contest.

In the past, Burrow was the new guy in the lineup who was pulling airs and giving the witnesses wide eyes. Now, competitive surfers are pulling airs and reverses with ease. Taj would not have any of it from the upstarts as he took to the water. He was in form from the first horn of the day.

Haleiwa produced windy conditions with some solid faces to shred. Taj took down the whos who of the young surf world. In the quarters, Taj took down Evan Geiselman and Kolohe Andino. The semis matched Taj up against Nat Young, John John Florence and Kekoa Bacalso. Taj and Nat edged out the two locals and moved into the finals.

The finals were a back and forth affair. Taj came from behind to win the heat 16.90; Adam Melling 12.60; Adriano De Souza 12.50; Nat Young 6.10. Taj scored the biggest waves of the final and made them count as he landed critical maneuvers to take the win.

Taj Burrow takes the lead in the Triple Crown with the win in first leg of the three events. A solid swell is on the way as the focus moves to Sunset for the Vans World Cup of Surfing. The waiting period comes right after the apple pie dessert hits the table at Thanksgiving dinner. Stay tuned at GuerrillaSurf.com

~ P. Franklin / Guerrilla Surf – Guerrilla.Surfers@gmail.com

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

It’s Officially Deja Vu: Kelly Slater Takes His 11th Surfing World Title

by Guerrilla Surf on November 8, 2011

Now It's Officially 11 For Slater

It comes as no real surprise, but the official re-annointing of Kelly Slater as the 2011 ASP World Surfing Title winner happened again Sunday. We’ll assume that it sticks this time.

In a somewhat embarrassing mishap, a computer glitch was uncovered shortly after Kelly was declared the tour winner last week. This turn of events was taken in stride by both Slater and his only competitor for the title, Owen Wright.

Each pro took the news with good humor. Slater actually had a hand in verifying the miscalculation and bringing it to the ASP. Neither Slater, Wright, nor any long time observer held any real belief that the ultimate results would be any different than the premature one, but all played their respective roles as Pro Surfing went back in time to await Slater’s ultimate crowning.

And then Kelly Slater put an emphatic stamp on the victory, not content to wait for number 11 to come to him, he went and got it on Sunday with a sick barrel ride in heat 4 in San Francisco.

At stake was only Slater’s 11th World Title, an astonishing feat which we have wondered aloud about already in the first go round last Wednesday. Via the mishap, the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) has afforded us the opportunity to revisit this amazing feat. Why not gaze in wonderment one more time?

Simply put, it is not only Guerrilla Surf that poses the argument that 11 World Titles for Slater puts him in the very upper echelon of elite professional athletes, let alone surfers… but a growing chorus outside of surfing can be heard talking about Kelly Slater. The larger sports world is taking Pro Surfing itself a whole lot more seriously.

It is not quite a unanimous view across the sporting world, but there is a surprising mainstream momentum, if not a consensus, that Slater belongs in the conversation with Jordan, Gretzky, Montana and Ali/Frazier. This goes a long way as evidence to show how far surfing has come since the 70′s and how bright the future is for the sport. This is a great time to be a surfer and/or a Pro Surfing fan. ……………………………………………….

In related news, Gabriel Medina won the San Francisco stop on the ASP tour, the Rip Curl Pro Search 2011. This led the classy Slater to hail the young Brazilian phenom as the future of Pro Surfing.

Massive props to Medina who surfed brilliantly throughout the contest and deserves recognition for it, beyond all the other news and distractions that turned up in the event. Medina proved himself to be one of the best young surfers in the sport and one to keep an eye on.

~ Joe Wise / Guerrilla Surf — Guerrilla.Surfers@gmail.com

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Kelly Slater Makes History; Wins 2011 ASP World Title

by Guerrilla Surf on November 2, 2011

Kelly Slater Wins an 11th Pro Surfing World Title

The sun was shining, the waves were clean and Kelly Slater won his 11^th World Title. This accomplishment by Kelly Slater will never be duplicated. He is on a level that nobody will surpass. The undisputed greatest surfer of all time is Kelly Slater.

As the contest kicked off today in glassy conditions, all eyes were on heat 6 in round 3. Kelly Slater took on Daniel Ross in this much anticipated heat. The beach crowd filled in as always when Kelly paddles out. Kelly and Daniel were both rocking a white wetsuit . . . very interesting choice for Ross . . . Slater is the first to ever wear one.

Daniel Ross got off to a great start as he caught a wave right on the horn. Ross scored a 7.70 on his first wave with some great surfing. Ross would back that score up with a 6.70 pretty quickly to put Kelly in his rearview mirror. The only problem was that it was Kelly Slater gunning for him.

Slater would struggle with his first couple of rides. On his fifth wave he scored a 7.53 with classic Slater surfing. He shredded the wave with massive spray as he found his footing on this wave and was right back in the heat. From that point on, Slater had one hand on the World Title trophy.

He dropped into another wave in the closing minutes, which he carved into a perfect Slater sculpture scoring a 7.60, riding the wave almost to the sand and the roaring crowd on the beach. Slater has this knack for pulling slashes and hacks on small faces when the wave seems to be dying out.

On this last ride he did not let up and ripped his way into the winning score. Daniel Ross slipped into a barrel as time was running out, which would have pushed him ahead of Slater if he came out, but it was not be as he was facing ‘The King’. The barrel closed on Ross and history was made. Slater’s 15.13 beat Ross’ 14.40.

Kelly Slater is the 2011 ASP World Champion. This is Kelly’s 11^th World Title. He is truly one of those elusive “living legends”. In pro surfing, no one else is close. What else needs to be said? I am just one of the many fans, blessed to witness such a dominant athlete at the pinnacle… a truly rare breed. Congratulations Kelly Slater on his 11th World Title!

~ P. Franklin / Guerrilla Surf – Guerrilla.Surfers@gmail.com

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Kelly Slater Moves A Step Closer To Eleventh World Title

by Guerrilla Surf on November 1, 2011

Kelly Slater moves closer to his 11th Surfing Title

The stage is set. Kelly Slater and the world’s best surfers are in Ocean Beach, San Francisco, USA. Kelly Slater has the World Title in his site and will be looking to lock-up #11. The backdrop for this event is a classic view of a great city. San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge welcome the surfers with a swell.

As the contest got under way, ‘The Stoke’ was in the air as the WCT was welcomed with a solid swell and clean conditions. The Rip Curl Pro Search round 1 got off to a great start as the world’s best hit the water. As the early heats paddled out into the lineup the crowd on the beach filled in for this event.

Some early standouts were Adam Melling, Adriano de Souza, Taj Burrow, Jordy Smith and Fred Patacchia. They all won their heats with some solid surfing in the early morning glassy conditions.

As the second half of round 1 got underway, all eyes would be focused on Kelly Slater as he hit the water with Kai Otton and Dean Brady (wild card). Slater would not hold back as he knows what he needs to win his 11^th World Title.

Slater played with the wildlife before he hit the water… a big crab on his board. Slater would dominate this heat from the start. He scored a two-wave total of 16.03 to Otton’s 10.90 and Brady’s 9.97. Slater took one more step towards a historic 11^th World Title. Patrick Gudauskas, Matt Wilkinson, Gabriel Medina, Adrian Buchan, Chris Davidson and Alejo Muniz all finished off round 1 with heat wins.

As round 2 got started, the wind came up a little bit and the conditions started to show a choppy side. In heat 1 of round 2 Owen Wright beat Dean Brady with a heat total of 11.16 to Brady’s 8.07. In heat 2 Joel took out Dillon Perillo with a two-wave total of 8.60 to Perillo’s 6.50.

Julian Wilson lost in round 1, but bounced back in round 2 against fill in Taylor Clark who put the pressure on Julian early. Julian wins 13.57 to Clark’s 8.76.

The next heat (the last of the day) was between Michel Bourez and Daniel Ross. This heat went back and forth as both surfers looked sharp. Daniel Ross took the heat 14.00 to Bourez’s 12.00.

A thriller of a heat will likely kick off competition tomorrow as round 2 moves on with Bede Durbidge going up against Dane Reynolds.

…………………..

Shark!!! During Jordy Smith and Dusty Payne’s heat in round 1, Dusty was riding a wave that had some wall to it, but what was odd is he wasn’t ripping it to shreds, rather looking out the back and pointing to something. He then made a fin symbol and came right in on that wave.

His heat was done with plenty of time left in the heat. He confirmed he saw a large fin that was not a dolphin fin. He looked very pale on the beach. I would be also after seeing something of that caliber in the water. Jordy took the heat as he looked in form. Dusty will have to surf in round 2.

There have been a couple of shark attacks in NorCal in the last few days. That number is a large number in shark attack terms. The patrol will be out tomorrow hopefully keeping an eye on things. Remember… we are in their world.

I look forward to the action on the surfboards (not under the surfboards) as the contest moves into the later rounds. Great venue and event so far…

~ P. Franklin / Guerrilla Surf — Guerrilla.Surfers@gmail.com

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Rip Curl Pro Portugal 2011 Champion: Adriano De Souza

by Guerrilla Surf on October 19, 2011

Rip Curl Pro Portugal Winner Adriano De Souza

Barrels . . . Barrels . . . Barrels! That’s what was on tap for the Rip Curl Pro Portugal 2011. As the contest got started in round 1 the swell was solid.

The contest directors as well as the surfers knew what was on the horizon for Supertubos. The swell filled in with some classic barreling waves.

The contest kicked off with some classic battles in the water. Early on Julian Wilson, Kelly Slater, John John Florence, Matt Wilkinson and Gabriel Medina all looked sharp in pumping barrels.

The heat of the event in the early rounds was when Kai Otton went up against Julian Wilson in round 3. Kai Otton opened up his campaign with a 9.97 and backed that wave up right away with an 8.43. Julian was behind for most of the heat after scoring a 9.43 early on. Later in the heat Julian scored a 9.70 to take down Otton who surfed a great heat only to fall short in the end.

John John Florence looked right at home in the barreling conditions when he took out Owen Wright in round 3. With Owen Wright out of the contest, Kelly Slater would be able to make a major move toward locking up the World Title. Kelly did not miss the chance.

As the contest moved into round 4 it was clear who the man to beat in this event was. Kelly Slater seemed to take his surfing to another level (as if there is that higher place). Kelly dismantled the competition in round 4. KS scored a 19.30 two-wave total to beat Chris Davidson (13.40) and Heitor Alves (17.20).

As the round 5 matchups lined up, Julian Wilson vs Chris Davidson on paper looked to be a great match-up only to get skunked on sets coming in. Wilson won with a 6.83 two-wave total to Davidson’s 3.50. John John Florence went down to Bede Durbidge by a tight margin 17.44 to 17.06. Bede was someone to keep an eye on, as he looked strong as the event moved into the later rounds.

The quarters were set with Taj Burrow vs Julian Wilson as the first match-up. Taj opened up with a few low scores, but found his feet on his third wave with a 9.37. Julian’s first scoring wave was a 7.50. Taj was on a mission, but Julian looked like a seasoned vet in just his rookie campaign on the pro tour.

Julian Wilson caught a bunch of waves but nothing with any scoring potential until his last wave of the heat, in which he scored a perfect 10-point ride. It came a little too late as Taj locked in an 8.57 backup score to take the heat. Taj was fired up as he moved onto the semis.

Next up in the quarters was Heitor Alves vs KS. Slater would not be denied as he took it to Heitor catching 12 waves to Alves’ 7 waves. Slater stayed active as he often does after he locked in a 9.70 and then backed that up with a 9.00. Alves is a great surfer, but Slater took the driver seat in this heat and never looked back as Heitor scored a two-wave total of 7.67. The Slater freight train was on the move and the familiar question was “who could stop him?”

Next up was Adriano de Souza vs Michel Bourez. This heat was pure power surfing as these two went wave for wave. Adriano would take the heat in the end with a two-wave total of 17.60 to Michel’s 17.53. Adriano scored a perfect 10 on his fifth wave and backed that up with a 7.60. Michel Bourez had the heat lead early on scoring a 9.50, but only getting an 8.03 backup score. Adriano is one tough competitor.

Joel Parkinson vs Bede Durbidge was the last quarterfinal in the water. This heat was a great display of barrel riding and veteran tactics. Joel got out to a great start scoring a 9.10 on his second wave and backing that up with a 7.50.

Bede matched Joel with a 9.00 on his second wave, but was able to follow that up with an 8.10. Bede used veteran tactics late in the heat with priority to sit on Joel and prevent him from dropping into a solid wave late in the heat. Bede was in form and moved on to the semifinals, which were now set.

In heat 1, Kelly Slater took to the water against Taj Burrow. Kelly Slater would strike first on his first wave scoring a 9.50. Taj Burrow would answer with a 9.80 with a more critical slash after riding out of an insane barrel. Taj Burrow would break his leash later in the heat.

While Taj was paddling out he would witness Kelly Slater drop into a bomb. This wave proved to be the difference as Slater was super deep in the barrel and was able to come flying out after disappearing behind the green curtain. Slater grabbed a perfect 10 to propel him into the final. KS beats Taj with a 19.50 two-wave total to 16.87. Taj had a great event, but Slater showed why he is the reigning king.

The second semifinal was a battle between Bede Durbidge and Adriano de Souza. Adriano scored early with a 6.83 and a 7.00. Bede played catch-up and could not find that epic ride he was looking for. Bede’s scoring waves were a 7.03 and a 5.00.

Bede surfed out of his mind to make the semifinal and it was a real treat to see him rip it up. Adriano is one of those surfers that can be very dangerous when he is on. He definitely found his form at the right time making his way into the final.

The final was now set between Kelly Slater (USA) and Adriano De Souza (BRA) . . . let the fireworks begin.

The heat started with Slater dropping in first, but was not able to make it out of the barrel and scored a 3.00. After Adriano scored a 0.93 on his opening ride he took it to Slater dropping a 9.00 on his second wave.

Slater likes to get out of the gate early, but this time it was Adriano who took control. Slater seemed to scramble to try and make something out of some non-set waves but was unsuccessful. Adriano backed up his 9.00 with a 6.67. Slater managed to score a 6.83 and backed that up soon after with a 7.90.

Slater was unable to get another scoring wave and went down to the Brazilian. Adriano de Souza won 15.67 to Slater’s 14.73. It was a very tight heat. Slater needed one more scoring potential wave that never came. They both caught 8 waves and Adriano’s 9.00 proved to be the difference. Congratulations to Adriano De Souza on winning the Rip Curl Pro Portugal 2011!

This event was amazing. If you missed any of the action I would recommend checking it out on the Rip Curl site. Julian’s heat with Kai was insane. Slater surfed a great event and the Brazilian powered his way to the victory. Portugal proved to be an amazing venue for the WCT once again.

The waves were epic as the barrels filled the hearts and minds of all who witnessed the action. Only a surfer knows the feeling!

Now it’s on to San Francisco… where Slater will be knocking on the door to his 11^th World Title. He needs a 9^th finish or better in SF to clinch #11.

~ P. Franklin / Guerrilla Surf – GuerrillaSurfers@gmail.com

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Gabriel Medina Is The Quiksilver Pro France 2011 Champion

by Guerrilla Surf on October 12, 2011

Quiksilver Pro France Winner Medina

The young Brazilian Gabriel Medina, 17, took down Julian Wilson in the final to win his first ever World Tour event.

When the World Tour surfers woke up this morning to a solid 5-foot swell and glassy conditions, I don’t think anybody could have predicted what was going to go down on the final day of the Quiksilver Pro France.

As the quarterfinals got underway, Michel Bourez was matched up with power surfer Taylor Knox. Taylor Knox was in form and used his strong power surfing to win the heat in pretty easy fashion with a total heat score of 15.17 to Bourez’s 9.50.

In the second heat, Gabriel Medina came up against Kelly Slater. A classic David vs Goliath matchup . . . Medina took it to Slater early, which seems to be the best formula to beat the 10-time world champ.

Medina scored a solid 7.33 and a 9.33, which was late in the heat, to score a heat total of 16.66 to Slater’s 3.33 and 5.27 for a heat total of 8.60. Medina put the pressure on early and never looked back as the 17 year old took down the king. Even with the loss Slater will increase his lead in the World title race as Owen Wright was knocked out in round 5.

In the third heat of the quarterfinals Jordy Smith took down Alejo Muniz by a heat total of 15.26 to 13.77. Jordy is back from an injury and was in form as he made his way to the semifinal. In the fourth heat of the quarterfinals Julian Wilson was matched up with Taj Burrow.

Julian Wilson put the heat on Taj early with precision surfing. Taj felt the pressure as he pushed the envelope on each wave he caught, but not really finding his feet in this quarterfinal. Julian Wilson moved onto the semifinal with a heat total of 13.00 to Burrow’s 6.84. Julian is on fire as his air attack is sharp.

Onto the semifinals as Gabriel Medina was matched up with Taylor Knox. It was all Medina in this one as he scored a 9.57 and a perfect 10.00 to back it up. Medina pulled massive airs and did not hold back as he surfed his way right into the final.

Taylor Knox did not have an answer for Medina, but made a great showing at this event. Taylor is a legend of the sport, but today he ran into the future of surfing in a young Brazilian named Gabriel Medina.

In semifinal number two, Julian Wilson was matched up with Jordy Smith. These two surfers are two of the most progressive surfers on the planet. Julian Wilson scored a 9.00 and a 9.50 with an air attack as well as precision surfing to take this heat over Jordy.

Jordy had an excellent event and won the first exchange and led for part of the heat, but in the end Julian would prove to be the better surfer today as he won the heat and moved into the final.

The final was set, with Julian Wilson (AUS) going against Gabriel Medina (BRA). As the two surfers hit the water there was anticipation and mystery. Everybody knew that there would be progression at the highest level as well as an insane air attack to back that up… but to what extent was hard to predict.

These two surfers did not disappoint. Julian took hold of the heat more than halfway through the final with his sex change or sushi roll maneuver (they do not know what to call it yet), which I can personally say, is simply an insane move. He landed the move and went right on surfing as if it didn’t matter that he landed switch and jumped right back to continue ripping the wave apart.

As the heat wound down, Gabriel seemed to gain a little momentum after not being called for interference on Julian’s priority with about 3 minutes left. This was a pivotal point as Julian could have surfed right into Gabriel to take the final. That might have been a cheap way to do it, but it has happened many times in the past.

Julian Wilson was in the lead with about 2 minutes left when he took off on a smaller wave with priority. Not the best tactical move. Gabriel would drop into a wave with 2 minutes and 25 seconds left in the heat and would shred the wave to pieces to score a 9.17. He started with an air reverse to a huge floater and worked the wave to the inside to land a forehand aerial to close out the wave.

Gabriel ended up getting the score he needed late in the heat, while Julian Wilson waited out the back only to hear that Gabriel Medina just won the final. Julian surfed out of his mind in this heat, but a tactical error late may have cost him the final.

Julian Wilson’s two wave total score of 16.10 was not enough to take out the giant killer, Gabriel Medina, who scored a two-wave total of 17.00. Congratulations to Gabriel Medina as he is the 2011 Quiksilver Pro France Champion.

The final was epic as the two surfers brought their A-game to a packed beach and showed everyone what is to come on the World Tour. The World Tour now heads to Portugal for the Rip Curl Pro. There is a solid swell on the way for that one when the event kicks off on the 15^th of October. Bring on Portugal!

~ P. Franklin / Guerrilla Surf — Guerrilla.Surfers@gmail.com

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

← Previous Entries