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HANG LOOSE SANTA CATARINA PRO: PREVIEW
World Title race heating up as most of the world's best head back to Brazil
1. The Stage: Surf All Day, Party All Night
Praia Da Vila in Imbituba is in the southern state of Santa Catarina, 2000km south of Rio, so expect it to be chilly as it is mid-winter. (This is a new time of year for this event; it used to happen in November.) Hang Loose was the sponsor of the first ASP event in Brazil in 1984, at Joaquina, just an hour's drive north in Florianopolis and it is good to see this Brazilian surf brand keeping the ASP World Tour alive in Brazil. The beaches around the contest site are typical beautiful country Brazil, with eco-conscious surf reserves and small pousadas providing comfortable beachfront accommodations. Expect a huge turnout of spectators for the event, as the Brazilians are passionate surf fans.
2. The Surf: Beachbreak City
Imbituba is a small bay facing towards the winter south swells and has large rocks to the north and an island to the south. The set-up is beachbreak and offshore on a NE wind -- and the winter southerly storms are expected to bring much larger surf than seen at this event in previous years. The waves stack up on the north end of the beach with a bumpy righthander running into a fast-flowing rip and a long left running from the peak down the beach. PWC-assist will be a real benefit here as the waves may be in the five to 10-foot range, and it will probably be large and stormy for at least one round of the event.
3. Who's Hot: Taj, Mick, Adriano
Taj and Mick have had great results in Brazil, with Mick winning the event at Imbituba in 2006 and 2007 and Taj winning at Imbituba in 2004 and at Saquarema in 2002. Both are excellent in the varied swell/wind beachbreak conditions that this wave can throw at you and their motivation will be high to make this event count in the mid-section of the Tour. BUT, the key element this year will be the hometown motivation that the partisan crowd will throw behind Adriano and these are his ideal conditions. Dare we say a first ASP World Tour win?
4. Who's Warm As Hell: Parko, Jordy, Bede, Whits
Now you're talking about people with something to prove -- and the skills in these conditions to be really dangerous. I'm certain that Parko is motivated to get back on the podium and extend his lead and that Jordy wants to cement his position as a legitimate World Title contender. Bede is the defending champion and can pump out eight-point-plus rides at will and it is time for him to explode, seek redemption and get a result. We've added Tommy Whitaker to this group as he's always come to play at this event and he excels in these random beachbreak conditions.
5. Surfline Darkhorse: Jihad Khodr
While he may be to us, Jihad is no Darkhorse in Brazil -- he's a multiple-time Brazilian Champion precisely because he excels in these shifty beachbreak waves. Not to mention the fact that he's raised his game to a new level in 2009; plus, one can never underestimate the home-court advantage of the local press and supporters pushing his surfing to new levels.
6. Don't Bet On: Perfect Waves
Expect a real mix of storm, offshore, large bombs and medium/small wedges. This location will be a real test of versatility and perseverance, but through the course of the event there will be some real nuggets that will showcase the talent of the ASP World Tour surfers. As crazy as it might sound, this break is usually kind to surfers that excel at Sunset Beach.
7. Magic Carpet: Full Quiver
From mushy three-foot beachies to raging ten-foot bombs, the Tour can expect a huge variety of conditions that will test the quivers of all the surfers. Look for shortboards and maybe a step-up as the most used equipment -- but don't be surprised if one round is on grovelers and two days later everyone is looking for a semi-gun. This wave is known as Brazil's "big-wave" surf spot.
8. Strategy: Use The Rips
The shorter rights usually have added power with the rip running up the face, with funky chop and weird sections providing plenty of ramps for huge moves and a huge closeout on the end of the ride. These waves can be caught from way outside, but beware of the rip sucking you out to sea. The rights can be the solution to quick wave-count as the rip is a conveyor belt back out to the lineup. The lefts, starting wide of the rip, are sometimes much longer, traveling down the sandbar through multiple big sections -- but they offer less chance to bust the big vertical event-winning moves as there will be urgency to make the wave. PWC-assist minimizes the time impact of ending up way down the beach, but I'd see this option as being equal to the rights only when the wind has gone round to the north and is blowing added chop onto the face of the right and leaving the face of the left smooth.
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June 25, 2009
