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RIP CURL PRO BELLS PREVIEW
World's best head down Great Ocean Road to new format
1. THE STAGE: 37 YEARS + STILL RINGING
The Rip Curl Pro Bells is a little over a month younger that its three-time winner and defending champ, Kelly Slater. That's like a century, in surf-contest years, and the arena at Bells has the history to back it up: from Simon Andersen debuting the thruster here in perfect 15-foot surf in 1981 to Kelly's last minute double-grab-air victory in crappy, onshore Rincon last year, this sandstone amphitheater has seen no shortage of drama over the years. "No kooks win Bells," Slater succinctly puts it. "It's the best trophy you can win in surfing."
2. THE SURF: MULTI-FACED
"The wave doesn't break top-to-bottom like the Gold Coast," explains Mick Fanning. "But the walls really stand up and allow you to let go of huge open-face hacks. I love that." The contest can actually go down in one of four main zones: when it's underhead and high tide, Rincon breaks close to the sandstone cliff and runs warbily along a rock reef. As it gets bigger, the contest moves out to the infamous Bells Bowl -- the longer, bowlier outside reef that breaks on lower tides and when the swell's over three feet. When conditions warrant, the show can move around the corner to Bells' steeper and faster cousin, Winkipop. And if the whole thing turns to crap and there's little-to-no swell on the horizon, the contest can move down to the wide-open beachbreaks of Johanna, as it did in 2007, to great success.
3. WHO'S HOT: JOEL PARKINSON
"Keep an eye on Parko," Mick Fanning tells Surfline. "His surfing suits Bells and he's been consistent down there." Jordy Smith agrees: "Parko's always been the guy to watch at Bells." Statistically, Parko's been the most consistent out here, too, with an 82.76% heat-win ratio, according to stats on the Hobgoods blog. (Kelly's at 80.77%, for those wondering.) Parko's last six years go like this: '03: 2nd, '04: 1st, '05: 9th, '06: 2nd, '07: 5th, '08: 5th. So yeah, it's been a few years since he's won, but momentum counts for a lot in the Aussie leg, and his 19.93 in the Quik Pro Snapper final has got to help.
4. WHO'S WARM AS HELL: ADRIANO, JORDY, MICK (+ KELLY?)
"Adriano could be a danger man if we're surfing Rincon, and Jordy could do well, he just won that contest in Tasmania," adds Fanning. "And Kelly will be looking to get back on track after the Gold Coast -- and he seems to bounce back pretty well when he wants to." Don't count Mick out, either -- he won as a wildcard in 2001, and could take the Big Mo from his third at the Quik Pro to the Bell-ringing ceremony.
5. SURFLINE DARKHORSE: KEKOA BACALSO
The 2006 Billabong World Junior Champ managed to be one of the only rookies to make any kind of mark at Snapper, hacking his way to the highest heat score of R1. Plus, his stocky frame and unpredictable power could be a perfect match for Bells' ... stocky frame and unpredictable power. He's also surfed here before, earning a wildcard through the trials in 2006 and beating Hedgey in R1, which means no first-time prom night jitters -- Tank could go to town.
6. DON'T BET ON: GOOFYFOOTS
CJ Hobgood explains why backsiders have it rough at Bells: "The most challenging thing for a backsider, and I'm not one to make excuses, is Rincon. It's a slow, rolly wave that never stands up and never really breaks. So being on your backhand, there's never a pocket there." Fellow goofyfoot Ace Buchan is a little more optimistic. "If the waves are good, it's a different approach," he tells Surfline. "And now that Occy's gone, we're going to have to show we can attack the Bowl like he did."
7. THE MAGIC CARPET: SELF-SHAPED KNEEBOARDS?
Will the entire Top 45 resort to stubby, wide 5'6" swallowtails in Bells' often slopey, flat walls? "Rincon is tailor-made for a fish," CJ Hobgood explains. "You saw what Slater did last year on one." Of course like most events on tour, Bells is no one-board contest. "A lot of guys will tell you, you need something 'corky' and that will get you over and across Bells' deader sections, which is true," explains Ace Buchan. "But Bells has so many faces where you could change equipment. And there's always the good possibility of surfing Winki, Rincon, or even Johanna. So you really need to be prepared for anything." Fresh off his Tassie win, Jordy Smith is heading in a different direction: "I'm going longer and thinner," reckons the big Saffa. "Because of the cold water and long faces."
8. STRATEGY: SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE
"My strategy will change depending on if the comp's at Bells, Winki or Rincon," explains CJ Hobgood. "Bells is such a wave-catching contest, as it's not a good wave, so being on the good waves will always be the best winning formula." Bobby Martinez, last year's highest placing goofyfoot, is a little more candid. "Bells is a shitty wave, so whoever has a good board inside or outside the top 10 can have a really good comp."
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April 2, 2009
