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BILLABONG PRO MUNDAKA: DAY ONE
Eight man-on-man elimination R1 heats run in fine Mundaka; Bacalso + Pires stand out
Here we go again, folks. With a less-than-stellar forecast (see below), contest organizers opted to take advantage of perfectly contestable three-foot surf running across the Mundaka sandbar this morning. Due to same, they also decided to run the no-loser's-round, single elimination format, which at least kicked the thing off with a bit of drama, with actual losers and winners and dudes sent packing. And due to Mundaka's supreme tide fickleness, they were only able to run eight heats.
The highlight of the day -- apart from the fact that R1 was actually held at Mundaka rather than a nearby beachbreak, which in itself is a highlight -- was the backside surfing of big Hawaiian Kekoa Bacalso and EuroForce near-local Tiago Pires.
Bacalso, who's always been a danger in smaller lefts, hucked his substantial frame into a series of backside whacks that netted him the day's highest heat score -- 15.8 -- and a win over local wildcard Hodei Collazo.
"Hodei is really dangerous," Bacalso said. "I know the mindset of the wildcard, and when I used to be one, all I wanted to do was shatter dreams. This is his home spot and to be honest, I was really scared going into this heat. Hodei got the one at the start, then I got one, then I had to wait until the end to pick up my second score. Stoked I did though and avoided the go-home elimination R1."
For those who forgot, Pires took down Slater in France in smallish lefts, so he's clearly no slouch backside. We asked him about it: "So far it's 2-1 in man-on-man match-ups, but it can easily turn the other way around." Tiago told Surfline. (Tiago was one of few men to beat Kelly last year, and he did it in more lefts in Bali.) "I don't feel frightened to surf against him, although is my favorite surfer, I just like to raise to the equation. I think he's such a good surfer that he even makes the others surf better!"
At Mundaka, Pires first took a board to the head, then took down Aussie vet Phil Macca with the day's highest wave score -- an 8.33 for a clean little pit -- and a 6-point buzzer beater. "At the start of my heat, the lip came down on me and my board hit me in the face," Pires said. "Fortunately there is no blood, but it's a good lump. There are definitely good waves on the bank, but they are a little inconsistent making things very stressful. I was able to dip into that little barrel for the 8.33 and I still needed another score. I just did my best to be patient and it paid off."
Being patient is what Mundaka's always been about. With big tide swings and a narrow swell window, the famed leftander hasn't been the most consistent stop on tour -- though it has turned on famously for a few magic heats over the years.
As Tiago told Surfline, "I like the event, not because of the waves, but because of the place itself. I think that little corner of the world is unique, and it really has some special energy going on."
Here's hoping some of that special energy translates to swell. See below for the official forecast. And check back tomorrow for updates.
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SURFLINE'S OFFICAL BILLABONG PRO MUNDAKA FORECAST, effective October 5th
By Jonathan Warren
OVERVIEW:
The current NW swell fades out over Tuesday with small leftovers on the low tide. Possible new bump of small NW swell for the 9th-10th as well as possible west-WNW swell later in the waiting period.
TUESDAY 6th
SWELL/SURF: Clean, fading NW leftovers waist high or less on the low tide, becoming smaller and less consistent through the day. Flat on the higher tides.
WIND/CONDITIONS: South wind around 10-14kts+.
WEDNESDAY 7th
SWELL/SURF: Flat...
WIND/CONDITIONS: Moderate South-SSW winds.
THURSDAY 8th
SWELL/SURF: Flat...
WIND/CONDITIONS: Variable clocking winds from the SW to NW with frontal passage.
FRIDAY 9th
SWELL/SURF: Models have been flip-flopping on a next 'possible' storm/fetch development around the northern rim of the North Atlantic near Iceland. Possible new, small pulse of NW swell due. Looking under waist high at this time. Please read forecast below for further details.
WIND/CONDITIONS: Light/variable wind.
SATURDAY 10th
SWELL/SURF: Friday's possible small pulse of NW swell slowly fading out over Saturday with even smaller surf. Nearly flat on low tide, flat on the higher tides.
WIND/CONDITIONS: West wind.
DISCUSSION + LONG-RANGE FORECAST
Models have been flip-flopping on another storm/fetch possibly developing up around the northern rim of the North Atlantic near Iceland and the Norwegian Sea over the next 48hrs. If things unfold in our favor, we may see a new pulse of steep NW swell build over Thursday night and peak on Friday morning the 9th. However, due to the fickle nature of this event, we're going to stay fairly soft as may see even a smaller pulse for Mundaka then what we had today. Nothing is looking even close to stellar at this time on the ch
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October 5, 2009
