Surfline requires Flash Player 9 or higher.
Please download and install the latest version of Flash Player before continuing.
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH: DAY FOUR
Wildcard mayhem + upsets all over the place as R1 kicks off eight heats in wedgey beachbreak
The Reader's Digest version of today (or maybe: the wannabe Twitter version of today) goes like this: slow, low-scoring, early morning heats at Molhe Leste, the backup-backup wind-protected venue down the beach from Supertubes. Local hero Tiago Pires loses to Nathaniel Curran, who wins the third heat of his ASP World Tour career in the Oxnard-like beachbreak. Event officials call a two-hour tide break after their heat. Tiago is chapped, throws board. Nathaniel hurries off beach. We wait.
Tide fills in, wedges reappear. Ben Dunn nabs a buzzer-beater to take down Phil Macca. Marlon Lipke wins first ASP World Tour heat of his career against Michel Bourez. He's emotional. "I forgot what it was like to get through a heat," he says on the beach afterwards. Since Tiago's out, he's Portugal's Great White Hope. (Though Lipke is a German citizen, he was born in Lisbon and has lived here for much of his life.)
The blonde, lanky, smiling wildcard Pat Gudauskas pips Chris Davidson, who was coming off a career-best finals berth in Mundaka. Another blonde, lanky, smiling wildcard Owen Wright takes down Kekoa Bacalso, who's locked in rookie-of-the-year race with Michel Bourez. There are some argument on the beach that maybe Owen Wright is in fact a switchfooted Pat Guduaskas, or vice-versa, but that's just hearsay. Kai Otton squeaks by local wildcard David Luis before things shut down for the day. It feels like a long day, but the scorecard's only showing eight heats. Taj Burrow paddles out and punts a bunch of airs, followed quickly by the entire surfing population of Portugal.
Here's the opinionated, semi-philosophical version of the day: The single-elimination, no-loser's-round format is all good and everything in that it shortens the contest window and theoretically makes for more exciting heats 'cause someone actually loses. But in practice, when you see the draw shake down, it becomes the Battle of the Bottom Dwellers pretty quick. At least with the three-man heats, there was always a Top 16 dude in the water.
This time of year is especially painful, 'cause you know you're watching guys like Davey Weare and Tim Boal and Phil Macca surf their second-to-last heat as an ASP World Tour surfer. The Bubble Brigade also makes tensions run high. "It's pretty cutthroat with those guys who are on the cusp of requalifying," says Perry Hatchett when asked about the decision to run Tiago's heat in less-than-stellar conditions and then put the event on hold. "But we want to try and get 'em out in the best waves we can." Indeed. And there's like a dozen guys scrapping for like four spots on next year's Tour, so tensions will continue to run high through the rest of this event and at Pipe.
Here's the sidestory version of the day: about 1:30pm, Kelly Slater and Dane Reynolds paddle out at the main contest site of Supertubes, a couple hundred yards up the beach. It's much bigger and chunkier and wilder than Molhe Leste's clean, shoulder-high wedges. It's chucking. Somehow, word spreads like wildfire through the crowd, and a line of people shuffle away from the event site to see the show. It's dramatic, sure, but it's not really that great; Kelly gets some shacks and Dane launches some airs, there's claps and cheers and then everyone shuffles back.
Here's the end of the day: winds are light. No rainclouds to speak of. Swell is still solid. The morning could see some damn fine surf, hopefully enough to finish R1. Stay tuned.
+++
Surfline's Official Rip Curl Pro Search Forecast, effective 10/11/09
-Kevin Wallis
BRIEF OVERVIEW: Very strong surf continues Thursday morning, gradually coming down through the day. Wind remains challenging. Smaller, although still fairly sizeable, surf prevails this weekend as a new WNW swell moves in.
THURSDAY 22nd
SWELL/SURF: Strong NW swell continues through the morning, gradually starting to come down over the afternoon. Look for surf sizes similar to Wednesday afternoon early on (double overhead++ at Super tubes, larger at Lagido/Belgas)
WIND/CONDITIONS: Strong WNW/NW flow early 15-25kts+, easing over the afternoon.
FRIDAY 23rd
SWELL/SURF: Decreasing NW swell, although still solid in size (a little less than half the size of Wed/Thur in the morning; still overhead for Supertubes), fading through the day.
WIND/CONDITIONS: Moderate SW/SSW flow (10-15kt).
SATURDAY 24th
SWELL/SURF: Much smaller leftovers due early. Possible new, mid period W to WNW swell builds for the afternoon with potential overhead waves at Supertubes late. Stay tuned.
WIND/CONDITIONS: Light to moderate S/SSW wind 9-14kts
SUNDAY 25th
SWELL/SURF: Possible good size WNW swell continues with head high to a couple feet+ overhead waves at Supertubes. Stay tuned.
WIND/CONDITIONS: Light S, mainly below 10kts
|
October 22, 2009
