After all the JOB Vlogs, live comps and coverage you’d be forgiven for thinking Pipe wasn’t as dangerous as everyone tries to make out. Maybe it was ‘dangerous’ in the 80’s. Nope. Pipe is not your average wave. It is heavy as all f***, breaks on un even reef and is second to none in dishing out serious injuries and death. In fact I was only having a conversation the other day about how intense the stuff JOB is doing actually is and how it was a wonder now one was getting seriously hurt. Anyway, this day JOBs luck ran out. 36 seconds unconscious under water (lucky he was wearing a vest and everyone the water and the beach is on it at Pipe). Was on the cards for a while, luckily didn’t end in tears.
Celebrating 50 years of adventures, Quiksilver has brought back back some of their most iconic board shorts of all times! We have four pairs to giveaway.
In 1969 in Torquay, Australia, Quiksilver became one of the first surf wear brands to infuse performance product with contemporary art, Quiksilver’s DNA retro capsules bring back the classics.
Repping a truly wild chapter in surfing history the legendary Echo Beach movement gave birth to some of the most recognisable Quiksilver designs. Their motto: “If you can’t rock’n’roll, don’t fucken come…” capturing the reckless and carefree spirit of the surfing youth culture.
In the 1990s professional surfing became a legit career option and big innovations in fabric technology made materials stretchy and functional. Quiksilver’s ST Comp collection comes with futuristic stripes in the side and bold used state of the art stretch fabrics for try high performance boardshorts.
To celebrate the launch Quiksilver have given us four pairs to giveaway; a pair of star trunks for you, and a pair of ST Comp trunks for you wingman. All you have to do is;
Alice Lemoigne and Edouard Delpero win the Longboard Pro Espinho. Britains Ben Skinner finishes second in the mens and Emily Currie finishes third.
The opening stop on the 2019 World Surf League (WSL) European Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS), the Longboard Pro Espinho had to deal with a difficult forecast and solid waves until completion today.
“I’m super happy to have gone back-to-back here in Espinho,” Delpero said. “That’s exactly what I set out to do, so I’m happy it worked out the way I planned. It was a really tough event once again, and that Final with Ben was super fun. We have two more events so it should be a good year and I look forward to the next! I really wanted to get barreled this year but I couldn’t so I guess I’ll have to come back.”
Delpero absolutely dominated the event and posted 9 out of the 10 best rides of the entire competition. He claimed an early lead on the European rankings in the process and will have to fence off Skinner’s attacks in the next two events in England and Spain to secure a third regional title.
With two European titles each to their name, Delpero and Skinner were the clear favorites heading into the opening event of the season in Espinho. The Frenchman dominated in the previous two rounds, even posting a near-perfect 9.50 in the Semis to defeat fellow country man Benoit Carpentier. Delpero kept his momentum going and started his Final with a good 7.50 and an average backup, threading long rights on the nose of his longboard and carving the open face when the wave let him.
Skinner, who knew exactly what he needed to beat the former runner-up in the world, took the aggressive road, with a great nose ride on a clean set and a fully committed massive re-entry on which he unfortunately lost control and fell. On the next exchange, both surfers rode back-to-back waves and Skinner this time got the better of Delpero with a good 7.40 to stay in fighting distance.
The British powerhouse even found a little cover-up on his next ride, but Delpero on the wave behind locked in two lengthy nose rides and beautiful, drop-knee cutbacks to post the highest number of the heat, an excellent 8.07 to further extend his lead.
On a last exchange on the five-minute mark, Skinner tried his luck on another big set wave but it didn’t offer much, while Delpero once again took the second wave, a slightly smaller, much cleaner version of the right and went on to post another big score, a 7.93 to claim his second back-to-back Longboard Pro Espinho title.
Skinner had a trickier road to the Final, but kept on building his heat totals all the way into the last heat of the day, unfortunately falling just short against the Frenchman. The next event on the European longboard qualifying series will be on his home turf at Fistral and he’ll sure be hungry for a revenge on Delpero.
“I’m happy to have made the Final, it’s about three events so that’s a good start,” Skinner said. “I’ve had a little shoulder injury and conditions were seriously hard so I struggled a bit and I’m glad I made it that far. The two of us have been competing against each other for years and we have such great respect for each other. He’s one of the best in the world so I’m happy I’m still able to compete with him. I can’t wait for Boardmasters and Pantin, it’s going to be fun.”
Delpero and Skinner had previously defeated Benoit Carpentier (FRA) and Federico Nesti (ITA) respectively in the Semifinals.
In an all-French women’s Final, Lemoigne and Grospiron took on a slightly more manageable lineup than earlier during the day, with good three-to-four foot rights peeling from the break wall down. The first half of the Final remained relatively slow with only minor scores dropped by both surfers.
The four-time European title winner Lemoigne moved into the lead halfway through the heat with a good little nose ride for a 5.00 point ride as waves on the incoming tide started to die on a mid bank where they used to reform all the way into the beach.
Both surfers unfortunately couldn’t quite find long-enough sections to cruise to the nose of their longboards as the lineup once again changed and offered short rides with more and more bumps on the wave face. The challenger Grospiron did get an opportunity on the five-minute mark but came up just .58 point short of the score required to turn the heat.
Lemoigne secured yet another event win on the European series and once again sits atop the regional leaderboard early on.
“Conditions were tough so I’m super happy to win this one and to have had good scores along the way,” Lemoigne said. “The Final was definitely not my best heat but I was really exhausted by then. It was great to have a Final with Zoe who’s coming up strong and I hope we have many others. I’m going to go and train a lot more now to get ready for Pantin this summer and qualify for the Taiwan event.”
For Grospiron, being in her first-ever Final of a WSL event was already a feat, but the young surfer from Biarritz did not give away any signs of suffering from the pressure of the situation. The graceful regular foot played her hand the best she could with the waves on offer and eventually placed runner-up to Lemoigne, for her career-best result to date.
“I am extremely happy to make my first Final and especially with a good friend like Alice,” Grospiron said. “I enjoyed competing here a lot even with the conditions we had, I did feel pretty tired sometimes after the tough paddle out but I managed to cool off and find some good waves after so I’m happy with my performance here. I plan on doing the next two events as well and maybe even New York later cause my goal is to qualify for the World Longboard Championship.”
Lemoigne and Grospiron defeated Raquel Bento (PRT) and Emily Currie(GBR) on their way to making the Final.
With the completion of the Longboard Pro Espinho, here is the new European Rankings Top 5:
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 6: 2X World Champion John John Florence of Hawaii advances to the quarter finals of the 2019 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast after winning Heat 1 of Round 4 at Duranbah Beach on April 6, 2019 in Queensland, Australia.
John John Florence Takes Down Filipe Toledo
One of the heats to watch so far in 2019 did not disappoint as two-time WSL Champion John John Florence (HAW) squared off against the ever-explosive Filipe Toledo (BRA). Florence’s first wave set the tone of what to expect and he did not relinquish that early lead despite a ferocious Toledo on his heels throughout the battle.
“It’s nerve-racking going up against a guy like Filipe (Toledo),” Florence said. “It’s sort of anyone’s game out there, it was just about who could be in the spot for the peak. It’s scary when there are 12 minutes to go and he only needed a 6.00. You can’t really give him any room because he could just take off on an insider and do a huge air. I felt like there were a lot of unknowns going into this year, since I only started surfing and training about a month ago, so it’s a big confidence boost.”
Florence will take on the powerful style of Conner Coffin (USA) in the Quarterfinals after the Santa Barbara native eliminated Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) today.
”I felt fired up this morning,” said Coffin. “Kanoa’s so good in these kinds of waves so I knew I had to step it up and push myself to beat him. This is our fourth year on Tour together and that was our first ever head-to-head matchup, so that was fun and great to get the win.”
Coffin’s fellow Californian Kolohe Andino (USA) showcased his prowess in hunting down scores over former event winner Owen Wright (AUS).
Reigning WSL Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA) had to fight back against fellow countryman Yago Dora (BRA) after Dora’s quick start. But Medina wasn’t to be outdone and quickly took the lead despite Dora notching the heat’s highest single-wave score of a 7.33 (out of a possible 10).
Rookie Report: Seth Moniz Still Standing
2019 CT rookie Seth Moniz (HAW) is on a tear in his debut event with yet another heat win, this time eliminating Gold Coast standout Reef Heazlewood (AUS) and now represents the sole rookie remaining after Jordy Smith (ZAF) defeated Mikey Wright (AUS) in their bout.
“I can’t believe it,” Moniz said. “This morning I had a slow start with a sore back and my board had a buckle on the tail. But, once you’re out in the water you’re just focused on the heat and whatever’s on the beach, you just leave it there. My goal was to make the Quarterfinals and on. I honestly just wanted to have a good performance in my first couple heats so I’m excited.”
2018 Rookie of the Year Wade Carmichael (AUS) laid down a brilliant showing against CT veteran Michel Bourez (PYF) to finish out Round 4 after Italo Ferreira (BRA) narrowly edged out fellow countryman Willian Cardoso (BRA) in a second all-Brasilian battle.
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 6: Wade Carmichael of Australia advances to the quarter finals of the 2019 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast after winning Heat 8 of Round 4 at Duranbah Beach on April 6, 2019 in Queensland, Australia.
“It’s pretty cool, ‘Wade’s World’ back in full force with all the support and my family here,” Carmichael said. “It just keeps getting better and better, and I’m excited to keep getting some good waves. I don’t like keeping it close, it just makes you work all the way to the last second. When you can get two good scores you can let go a little bit and do some better surfing.”
The next call for the Quiksilver Pro and Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast will be tomorrow morning when event organizers will reassess the conditions to decide the event’s location and schedule. For updates on the call, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
The Quiksilver Pro and Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and Facebook.com/WSL. Also check local listings for coverage from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast Semifinal Matchups:
Heat 1: Caroline Marks (USA) vs. Malia Manuel (HAW)
Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) vs. Carissa Moore (HAW)
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Quarterfinal Matchups:
Heat 1: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Conner Coffin (USA)
Heat 2: Seth Moniz (HAW) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
Heat 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Heat 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Wade Carmichael (AUS)
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 6: Caroline Marks of USA advances to the semi finals of the 2019 Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast after winning Quarter Final Heat 1 at Duranbah Beach on April 6, 2019 in Queensland, Australia.
Caroline Marks’ (USA) signature surfing, which earned her two major Qualifying Series wins in 2018, was on full display against the seven-time WSL Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS). 17-year-old Marks had Gilmore under pressure, requiring a near-perfect 9.16 (out of a possible 10) after she posted a 16.33 (out of a possible 20) heat total. Marks kept improving her lead with a third excellent ride to seal the deal and start her 2019 campaign with a guaranteed third-place finish.
“I’ve looked up to Steph (Gilmore) since I started surfing,” said Marks. “It’s incredible to get to surf against her and I’m super humbled to win that because she’s one of the best surfers in the world. I definitely wanted to win that heat and I’m feeling really fired up. I even claimed a couple of waves and I never do that [laughs]. I was going to move down the beach and try a couple of airs, but Steph’s just so good and I didn’t want to leave her on a perfect right to herself because she can easily get a nine.”
“That was really tough,” Gilmore said. “A Quarterfinal finish is still a good result, but it’s just made me hungrier. That hurt a lot, but it also reminded me how much I love doing this and how much I want to win. Caroline (Marks) has always had that fire but she’s piecing it together in heats now and shaking things up.”
Moore, Manuel, Fitzgibbons Advance to Semifinals
Hawaii surfers Carissa Moore and Malia Manuel are through to the Semifinals after big wins over Johanne Defay (FRA) and Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), respectively. Three-time WSL Champion Moore put on a powerful and progressive display to dominate Defay in the clean D-Bah peaks. Moore posted the second highest heat total of the Boost Mobile Pro and moves one step closer to a third Gold Coast event title. The fan favorite Weston-Webb fell to fellow Kauai’s Manuel in a close battle that went to the final minute where Manuel garnered the critical score to secure her spot in the next round.
The sole Aussie progressing in the Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast Quarterfinals is perennial title threat Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) who overcame alternate Sage Erickson (USA) with a measured performance at Duranbah. Although Fitzgibbons controlled the heat in its majority, Erickson snagged a perfect set wave in the dying seconds and posted her highest score of the matchup, but the score, unfortunately, fell short of the requirement. Fitzgibbons will move in the Semifinals and one step closer to claiming her first event win on the Gold Coast.
“Sage (Erickson) had the opportunity to put it all on the line and get the score, which makes the heat win pretty special. I know it seems really stressful but that’s the fun part and why I love it,” Fitzgibbons said. “I really love coming down here and being apart of the energy on the beach. I’ve been working hard over the summer so it’s just humbling to jump back on the board and get the jersey back on and do what you’ve been visualizing. All the waves on the Gold Coast are so dreamy, I’ll be ready to suit up and jump out wherever they say.”
