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THE ULTIMATE DROP IN
World record set for most surfers on one board in Huntington Beach
Picture it: US Open of Surfing, Day Four. The surf's still small, the wind's still onshore and you have thousands of hungry fans lining the sand at Huntington, screaming for action. How do you keep 'em entertained?
Well, we know from the infamous OP Pro riots of 1986 that having a girl rip her top off for the crowd isn't exactly a good idea, unless you're a fan of blown-up cop cars. And the skee ball, air hockey and tattoo tents are all full. The super-mega-skate ramp is packed and BMXers have taken over the kidney bowl. It's too early for Happy Hour and too late for brunch.
Why not try set a world record for most surfers ever on one board? I mean, heck, the Nev Hyman-shaped 40-foot world's biggest surfboard (which set last year's record of 47 surfers) is on display right here. There's a PWC out the back and dozens of willing junior lifeguards and pro surfers who'll jump in the chilly water and stand on the thing.
Why not, indeed. And at noon today, that's exactly what happened. Over 60 surfers -- mainly junior lifeguards, but a few pros as well, including Layne Beachley -- clambered onto Nev's infamous Big Board and were towed out beyond the lineup at HB. They circled around outside as Sean Collins was watching the Surfline buoy for sets from the judges' stand.
Around 12:20pm, Sean calls for a two-wave set to come in; the PWC turns toward and tows the 60-plus people, and the crowd goes wild. The surfers slightly falter on the outside, but hit the reform at full speed and lift their hands up high and for a moment, all the other tangential Xtreme distractions are forgotten. There is only this 40-foot-long by 10 feet wide by 12-inch-thick behemoth of fiberglass with 60 screaming surfers running full speed into the sand.
And this is when the US Open really kicks into gear.
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And for those just joining us, here's what's gone down so far: Belo, Gudauskas and Reynolds set the pace on Day One, while Machado, Perrow and Randazzo advanced on Day Two, Brett Simpson downed former champ Taj Burrow on Day Three, and Layne Beachley dominated Day Four.
HONDA US OPEN OF SURFING WEEKEND SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, JULY 30TH
Men's US Open of Surfing (Round 24: Heats 1-6) 8:00 AM
Honda Women's US Open of Surfing (Quarter Finals: Heats 1-4) 10:30 AM
Target Women's Junior Pro (Final) 12:10PM
Honda Women's US Open of Surfing (Semi-finals Heats 1-2) 12:40 PM
O'Neill US Open of Longboarding (Final) 1:30PM
Honda Women's US Open of Surfing (Finals) 2:00 PM
SUNDAY, JULY 31ST
Men's US Open of Surfing (Round 12: Heats 1-4) 8:00AM
Men's US Open of Surfing (Quarter Finals: Heats 1-4) 9:40AM
Men's US Open of Surfing (Semi-finals heats 1-2) 12:00PM
Lost Pro Junior (Finals) 12:30PM
Men's US Open of Surfing (Finals) 12:55 PM
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Marcus Sanders
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