Twin Great Whites incidents in Margaret River area.
We have been alerted of a shark incident that occurred near Gracetown. The #MargiesPro is on hold while we work with local authorities. The safety of our surfers & staff is a top priority. We have mitigation protocols in place and will be enhancing those when competition resumes.
First a Brazilian surfer was airlifted from Cobblestones reportedly being hit by a four-metre Great White, then another surfer was stoic at Lefthanders.
The 37-year-old at Cobblestones was bitten on the lower leg just before 8am and managed to bodysurf back to shore. Friends a leash as a tourniquet.
Brett Newland told ABC News “It swam under a couple of guys and came around and bit a third person… It was a large shark and from the way it was behaving, it would have been a white pointer. All the other surfers swam to him, helped him get away from his board and leg rope and helped him get on a wave, and luckily [he] caught a wave onto the reef. The surfers that helped him in got tourniquets on his legs as soon as they got on the shallow reef, and then other people came down from the carpark and put him onto a surfboard and carried him up to the carpark.”
He was flown to Royal Perth hospital where he remains in a stable condition and will have surgery.
WSL immediately put there comp on hold to assess the situation.
Justin Longrass was bitten at Lefthanders beach about 2.30pm, by a shark estimated at four-metres long.
A second shark attack in Gracetown today. 41 year old Jason Longgrass bitten on his right leg at Lefties. Being treated by paramedics now @9NewsPerthpic.twitter.com/omJm7rOyka
The rescheduled Stable, Fistral Longboard Classic took place over the weekend in pumping waves at Fistral. Tour organiser Minnow Green decided to the whole comp on Saturday due to conditions.
Adam Griffiths won the Mens Open but it wasn’t enough to take the tour title from Ben Skinner came second and won the Single Fin event securing both the 2017 Open and the Single fin tour titles.
Adam Zervas took the Grand Master title while son Jordan took the under 18’s
ISA/WSL commentator and stylist Sam Bleakers mad another comeback (the waves were too good to watch) and made two finals, making four representatives from the elite WSL tour in the comp – three tour surfers and Sam.
Congratulations to everyone, British long boarding remains wordclass.
Results
Men’s Open
1 Adam Griffiths
2 Ben Skinner
3 Lewis Stritch
4 Sam Bleakley
Women’s Open
1 Tina Beresford
2 Jenny Briant
3 Jen Pendlebury
4 Angharad John
Masters
1 Jason Gray
2 Colin Bright
3 Adam Chell
4 Ray Lee
Single Fin
1 Ben Skinner
2 Sam Bleakley
3 Lewis Stritch
4 Jack Unsworth
Grand Masters
1 Adam Zervas
2 Colin Bright
3 Tim Quick
4 Rich Unsworth
U18 Boys
1 Barnaby Innes
2 Jordan Zervas
3 Max Hudson
4 Matt Mitchell
5 Joe Maloney
U18 Girls
1 Beth Leighfield
2 Emily Wells
U16 Cadets
1 Max Hudson
2 Barnaby Innes
3 Jordan Zervas
4 Joel Morison
5 Matt Mitchell
Ben Skinner – Single Fin Tour Winner 2017, Men’s Open Tour Winner 2017
Jen Pendlebury – Women’s Open Tour Winner 2017
Beth Leighfield – U18 Girls Event Winner, U18 Girls Tour Winner 2017
Jordan Zervas – U18 Tour Winner 2017
Adam Zervas Grand Master tour winner
Jason Gray Masters Tour Winner
Mikey Wright AUS advances through Round Two Heat 3 at the 2018 Maragret River Pro, Western Australia
Kanoa Igarashi (USA) is eliminated from the 2018 Margaret River Pro after placing second in Heat 8 of Round 2 at Main Break, Margaret River, WA, Australia.
Griffin Colapinto (USA) is eliminated from the 2018 Margaret River Pro after placing second in Heat 7 of Round 2 at Main Break, Margaret River, WA, Australia.
The Margaret River Pro, Stop No. 3 of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), completed men’s elimination Round 3 today in six-to-eight foot (1.8 – 2.4 metre) conditions at Main Break, the event’s primary location.
Event wildcards Mikey Wright (AUS) and Kael Walsh (AUS) upset the early elimination round with their wins over top seeds Adrian Buchan (AUS) and Matt Wilkinson (AUS), respectively. The early wins by underdogs Wright and Walsh put them in a unique position to take down surfing’s biggest names as they advance to Round 3. In a rematch of their Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast heat, Wright will fight to again knock out reigning, two-time WSL Champion John John Florence (HAW). Walsh will be against current World No. 1 Julian Wilson (AUS) to make a run for a win in front of his home crowd.
Wright eliminated an in-form Buchan in the third heat of the day. Wright perfectly matched the open-ocean power of Main Break with his trademark turns and sent a shot across to all competitors that, once again, he is one to watch out for.
“The waves are really fun out there this morning,” Wright said. “It’s been a great experience to have surfed two heats at two separate locations in such great waves. I had a couple of falls at the end of my waves in Round 1 so a big focus for me was to finish my waves and it seemed to pay off today.”
Hometown hero, Walsh, showed he deserved his spot in the event by defeating World Title challenger Wilkinson in Heat 2 of Round 1. Walsh looked solid at Main Break, staying seemingly calm, while Wilkinson struggled to find a rhythm and was eliminated in Equal 25th place, his second early exit in 2018.
“I know Matt Wilkinson is a really good competitor and it was always going to be a tough heat,” Walsh said. “I knew I’d have a good shot at matching it with the best so I wasn’t really intimidated. I’m comfortable in the waves around home and have got Jake Paterson in my corner, who has more knowledge than anyone over here, so knew I was in good hands.”
Current Jeep Leader Italo Ferreira (BRA) was very lucky to overcome injury replacement Miguel Pupo (BRA) in their Round 2 matchup. Pupo was on fire early, posting the highest single wave score of the day, an 8.33 (out of a possible 10) in the opening exchange for a series of critical backhand snaps. Ferreira was on the ropes — needing a 7.00 — until the dying minutes of the heat where he found a set and was able to post a 7.50 to narrowly avoid elimination.
“That was a really tough heat,” Ferreira said. “Miguel (Pupo) was surfing so well, and I was struggling to find any good waves. I knew on the last one I was going to have to give it my all and that the wave would have to be surfed really well. When they said the score I was so happy because I want to keep going and I want to hold onto this yellow jersey.”
Michael February (ZAF) is officially a full-time CT competitor after taking three-time WSL Champion Mick Fanning’s (AUS) place, who retired after the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. February has had two early losses so far on the elite Tour, but his win today over Frederico Morais (PRT) gives him the opportunity to earn a breakthrough result.
“This is only the second heat I have won on the CT, so it feels really good,” February said. “My goal going into that heat was to catch more waves as I have had a few slow heats this year, and I didn’t want to lose another heat that way. Coming onto this tour takes a lot of adjusting and getting used to, but I just try and do my own thing.”
Two of the most highly touted members of the 2018 rookie class, Griffin Colapinto (USA) and Yago Dora (BRA), went head-to-head in Heat 7 of Round 2 and the performances did not disappoint. While Colapinto has already found his feet at the elite level, Dora has still been searching for a way out of Round 2 and his desperation showed at Main Break as he attacked the solid walls on his backhand to overcome Colapinto and escape a third-straight last-place finish.
“It feels really good to finally get a heat win here on the Tour,” Dora said. “Griffin (Colapinto) is one of my favorite surfers on the CT, so I was really nervous to come up against him. I do like taking to the air, but this wave is more suited to power surfing, so I chose to stick to the face and do some big turns. It’s good to get some confidence from that win, especially against Griffin. I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from how he has surfed this year.”
Another rookie who fared well in Round 2 was Michael Rodrigues (BRA), who came into his own against Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) to post one of the highest heat totals of Round 2, a 14.34 (out of a possible 20). Rodrigues mixed power and style to dominate the heat and progress into Round 3, where he will match-up with World No. 1 Ferreira.
There were mixed results for the other CT freshman with Wade Carmichael (AUS) falling to Joan Duru (FRA), while Jesse Mendes (BRA) got the win over Tomas Hermes (BRA) in their all-rookie matchup.
The first heat of the day saw Owen Wright (AUS) take a comfortable win over Drag Aware WA Trials winner Dave Delroy-Carr (AUS), who bowed out in Equal 25th in his first CT appearance.
With an onshore breeze strengthening towards the end of the round, the Commissioner’s Office decided to put the next rounds on standby until tomorrow morning when clean conditions are expected to return.
Surfline, WSL forecast partner, is calling for:
Old/fading SW swell over the next couple days. Head-overhead sets still showing on Monday AM and with favorable winds. Then onshore winds Monday PM through Tuesday as the surf continues to decrease. A decent size pulse of new WSW swell moves in for Wed/Thurs (18th-19th); winds not favorable Wednesday, but looking ok for Thursday AM. High potential for a solid SW-WSW swell on the weekend (21st-22nd), but conditions are not looking good at this time.
Margaret River Men’s Pro Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 9.77 def. Dave Delroy-Carr (AUS) 5.43
Heat 2: Kael Walsh (AUS) 9.77 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 5.07
Heat 3: Mikey Wright (AUS) 14.17 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 9.14
Heat 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 13.67 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.16
Heat 5: Michel Bourez (PYF) 14.16 def. Ian Gouveia (BRA) 9.10
Heat 6: Michael February (ZAF) 12.73 def. Frederico Morais (PRT) 9.17
Heat 7: Yago Dora (BRA) 13.76 def. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 11.93
Heat 8: Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 14.34 def. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.27
Heat 9: Conner Coffin (USA) 11.83 def. Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 9.57
Heat 10: Connor O’Leary (AUS) 13.50 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.50
Heat 11: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 9.37 def. Tomas Hermes (BRA) 9.10
Heat 12: Joan Duru (FRA) 14.57 def. Wade Carmichael (AUS) 11.80
Margaret River Men’s Pro Round 3 Matchups:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Keanu Asing (HAW)
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Jesse Mendes (BRA)
Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Michael February (ZAF)
Heat 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Michael Rodrigues (BRA)
Heat 5: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Conner Coffin (USA)
Heat 6: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Kael Walsh (AUS)
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Jack Robinson (AUS)
Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Connor O’Leary (AUS)
Heat 9: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Willian Cardoso (BRA)
Heat 10: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Yago Dora (BRA)
Heat 11: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Joan Duru (FRA)
Heat 12: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Mikey Wright (AUS)
Margaret River Women’s Pro Round 2 Matchups:
Heat 1: Sage Erickson (USA) vs. Coco Ho (HAW)
Heat 2: Silvana Lima (BRA) vs. Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Heat 3: Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Mikaela Greene (AUS)
Heat 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Paige Hareb (NZL)
Heat 5: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) vs. Macy Callaghan (AUS)
Heat 6: Keely Andrew (AUS) vs. Malia Manuel (HAW)
After back-to-back lay days, the opening of the Margaret River Pro did not disappoint today as the world’s best surfers took on heavy six-to-eight foot (1.8 – 2.7 metre) conditions at North Point. North Point, the backup event site known for some of the longest and most intense barrels in the world, challenged the surfers in the first seven heats of men’s Round 1 at Stop No. 3 on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour.
Reigning, two-time WSL Champion John John Florence (HAW) found redemption in his opening heat, overcoming wildcard Mikey Wright (AUS), who famously eliminated him in last place at Stop No. 1 on the Gold Coast earlier this year. It was bound to be a monumental heat as the reigning Margaret River Pro event winner needed to regain his footing against Wright and 2018 CT Rookie Wade Carmichael (AUS). All three competitors found incredible waves, but it was Florence whose finesse and timing in the tube saw him take the win with a 14.60 heat total (out of a possible 20).
“I didn’t really see that as a grudge match or anything,” Florence said. “I just went out and did my own thing, which was easy as the waves are firing right now. There are so many incredible waves coming through out there, but it is hard to know where to sit and which ones to go for. It’s nice to get a heat win in the first round and get a bit of a rhythm going. Wherever we’ll be for my next round, it doesn’t matter. All three locations here are so fun, so I’ll be stoked where ever we surf.”
2014 WSL Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA) had the unenviable task of taking on local trials runner-up Kael Walsh (AUS) and CT sophomore Joan Duru (FRA) in his opening round matchup. Walsh, who is renowned for his hard-charging approach, hunted for sets early but struggled to complete his waves. Medina, on the other hand, made backhand barrel riding look easy with one long tube for the heat win.
“It’s really tricky out there and hard to find the good ones,” Medina said. “I was lucky to find that longer one and make the barrel. There were a lot of air sections out there, so I was trying to go big, which is fun but not good for scores unless you land them. I’ve been having fun warming up here in Western Australia. There are always fun waves around. I saw Kael (Walsh) go for some big ones and knew he was going for it, which is good to see and pushes everyone.”
Jack Robinson (AUS), the replacement surfer for an injured Caio Ibelli (BRA), earned a big win in the opening round against current World No. 4 Owen Wright (AUS) and Miguel Pupo (BRA), the injury replacement for Kelly Slater (USA). Heat 3 saw the local wildcard weave his way out of a number of epic North Point barrels, even posting an excellent 8.27 to comfortably take down his more experienced counterparts. Earlier today, Robinson defeated Jerome Forrest (AUS) in a surf off to win Ibelli’s replacement position.
“It’s been a really crazy 24 hours for me,” Robinson said. “I was actually up in Perth when I got the call about the surf off and thought I’d better get back home. It was all so unexpected and a little bit overwhelming, to be honest. I feel so at home here at North Point, so I wasn’t really worried at all. I just went out there and did what I’d do any other time I surf here. It was really cool to see the waves come up throughout the day. I’d say the good ones are eight out of ten for North Point, which is really good and so good for a contest.”
Current World No. 1 Julian Wilson (AUS) continued his solid form in 2018 today with an opening heat win over 2018 CT Rookie Jesse Mendes (BRA) and Drug Aware WA Trials winner Dave Delroy-Carr (AUS). Although his early round exit at Bells Beach hinged more on conditions than his surfing, Wilson was keen to show the world that he belongs in the Jeep Leader Jersey.
“That opening wave was nice,” Wilson said. “It was exactly how I wanted to start the heat and was the wave I was looking for. You can definitely roll the dice out there, but it is worth looking for that really good one. I don’t think Bells was shakey — I just didn’t have much opportunity. My surfing was feeling good and I was feeling good in general. I feel like this is going to be a good year. I’m ready to square my shoulders up and not be timid and really get stuck in. This is one of my favorite places in the world. I spend a lot of time here and am really comfortable so to move around and surf all of the spots on offer is really cool, especially today as we waited and waited and eventually it paid off.”
Keanu Asing (HAW) earned his first CT heat win in 2018 over Australians Matt Wilkinson and Connor O’Leary in the opening heat of the event. In what looked to be an impossible escape, Asing set the bar with a technical exit out a deep tube for an excellent 8.00 (out of a possible 10). The 24-year-old is back on the elite CT after falling off in 2017 and will use this momentum for a solid result in the third event of the year.
“I’m so stoked to finally get a heat win this season — especially in good waves,” Asing said. “It’s tough out there. It’s really windy. I was so deep, and I didn’t think I was going to make it. I just went through that first section and held my ground. I was just so happy to finally get a good wave.”
Jordy Smith (ZAF), 2017 World Title contender, continues his opening heat-winning streak with a third-straight Round 1 win in 2018. Smith overtook Brazilian chargers Ian Gouveia and Tomas Hermes in Heat 2 with a big barrel exit for a 7.67 and a 4.50. The South African skips to Round 3, while the Brazilians prepare for an elimination Round 2 showdown.
“The waves are pumping out there right now,” Smith said. “It’s just turned on in the last hour, so it was such a good call to wait. Taking a Round 1 heat win is super important as I hate to lose and skipping Round 2 is a massive bonus. It was great to get barrels in a heat and to feel like I was on top of my strategy.”
The final heat of the day, Heat 7, witnessed a tough go for the competitors as they each experienced massive wipeouts. California’s Conner Coffin (USA), in particular, faced his fair share of epic falls throughout the heat and ended just 0.27 points short of the heat win over Filipe Toledo (BRA). Coffin and Michael February (ZAF) will now need to battle out of elimination Round 2 when competition resumes.
Event officials will regroup tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. AEWT to assess the conditions for a potential 7:30 a.m. start.
Surfline, WSL forecast partner, is calling for:
The strong SW swell that filled in through the afternoon today will ease through the day on Saturday (strongest in the morning). Fading, but still fairly solid, surf and favorable morning wind looks likely for Sun-Mon. Mid size W swell looks possible Wed-Thu, although wind may trend back onshore. Another solid SW to WSW swell remains possible for the end of the event window around the 20th-22nd.
Margaret River Men’s Pro Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Keanu Asing (HAW) 10.70, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 5.33, Connor O’Leary (AUS) 4.64
Heat 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.17, Ian Gouveia (BRA) 10.67, Tomas Hermes (BRA) 2.54
Heat 3: Jack Robinson (AUS) 13.94, Owen Wright (AUS) 4.03, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 2.40
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 14.60, Mikey Wright (AUS) 11.87, Wade Carmichael (AUS) 8.50
Heat 5: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 10.16, Kael Walsh (AUS) 8.96, Joan Duru (FRA) 1.97
Heat 6: Julian Wilson (AUS) 10.56, Jesse Mendes (BRA) 10.00, Dave Delroy-Carr (AUS) 3.40
Heat 7: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 6.14, Conner Coffin (USA) 5.87, Michael February (ZAF) 2.57
Margaret River Men’s Pro Remaining Round 1 Matchups:
Heat 8: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), Yago Dora (BRA)
Heat 9: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Griffin Colapinto (USA), Willian Cardoso (BRA)
Heat 10: Italo Ferreira (BRA), Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Michael Rodrigues (BRA)
Heat 11: Kolohe Andino (USA), Frederico Morais (PRT), Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Michel Bourez (PYF), Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Margaret River Women’s Pro Round 1 Matchups:
Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Silvana Lima (BRA), Coco Ho (HAW)
Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW), Sage Erickson (USA), Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Keely Andrew (AUS), Mikaela Greene (AUS)
Heat 4: Lakey Peterson (USA), Caroline Marks (USA), Paige Hareb (NZL)
Heat 5: Tyler Wright (AUS), Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW), Macy Callaghan (AUS)
Heat 6: Johanne Defay (FRA), Nikki Van Dijk (AUS), Malia Manuel (HAW)
Alan Stokes, multi surfing champion, ably aided by Dom Moore, is setting up a new kind of surf training fitness camp using dynamic movement, flow techniques, fitness and psychology to improve your surfing – from beginners to advanced there is something for everyone.
Why you are doing it?
Good question, I suppose I’m at a point where I have been surfing for a crazy amount of time. I learnt to surf when I was six years old and have been free surfing and competing professionally for over 20 years. I realised early on that I had a talent for understanding the dynamics that made good surfing and would apply these rules to my own approach. This awareness was instrumental to my success and I continue to evaluate and experiment to this day. I have practiced yoga to some extent my whole career but without really understanding or practicing any specific style. It was my partner Philly, who is an amazing yoga teacher, who really switched me on to Vinyasa yoga and I instantly made connections with the positive effects the practice was having on me out in the waves.
Since then, I have become a qualified Yin yoga teacher myself and continue to look at the practice for inspiration. In short I have become extremely passionate about the simple art of movement and how we can apply certain training methods and practices to better our everyday lives. These movement patterns, training methods and practices can also be applied to an intense physical activity like surfing to help avoid injury and improve performance. My teaching comes from a place of minute personal scrutiny that has amassed over years of practice. Being able to pass on this information to other surfers and see positive results is really rewarding for me.
What does the course involve?
I have put together a day of coaching based on my own experience and proven training methods. Including the ‘Infinity Flow’ movement mapping method. Pro tips and tricks using dynamic movement training, surf simulations, surf environment breakdowns and in water coaching.
The course has been developed to hack the surfing learning curve, offering expert advice whilst highlighting and breaking down bad habits that ultimately lead to poor performance. The program also dives into the science and psychological side of surfing with ISA advanced instructor Dom Moore. Utilising The Rule of Three’s progression theory and Stress Inoculation training, Dom teaches how building, setting and evaluating specific goal driven tasks can be instrumental in raising performance. We also explore what the effects of surf related stress induced states are having on our psychological and physical condition.
What is ‘Infinity Flow’ movement mapping? And how can it help surfers.
Surfing, like most board sports on a foundation level requires the rider to create flow. Seamless movement patterns that translate into forward momentum. ‘Infinity Flow’ is a term I use to describe a series of movement patterns that unlock the ability to create flow. Movement mapping teaches this series of movements in a surf simulated environment before we hit the surf and helps to diagnose and rewrite bad movement patterns. Ultimately it teaches the practitioner to adopt a continuous flowing movement pattern, translating kinetic energy through the body and into the board as it communicates with the wave.
What are ‘The Rule of Three’s’ progression theory and Stress Inoculation training and how do they help?
This part of the course is taught by Dom Moore so he has the following answers below.
The rule of threes is a system that looks at the three pillars of surfing progression: knowledge, fitness and technique. We examine the strong interplay between these factors, and look at realistic ways to develop across all three. The rule of threes provides a robust ground for surfers to set goals and evaluate their success, and trains them to look for real ways to get better at surfing even when they can’t get to the water.
Stress inoculation is all about broadening a surfer’s comfort zone across all areas of surfing such as stepping up to bigger surf, dealing with crowds, preparing for competition and so on. We look at what fear is, the effects it has on surfing performance, and then develop ways to push back the fear boundary to slay the demons and clear the path ahead for more critical surfing.
Who are you aiming at?
This course is designed for a broad spectrum of surfing abilities. It is a great course for beginners looking to get a head start in a new sport. Beginners must be able to paddle out and catch and ride a green faced wave. Likewise the course is ideal for intermediate to advanced surfers looking to learn key physical and phycological techniques and training methods to improve performance.
‘Infinity Flow Surf Clinic’
– With professional surfer 3 x British Champion Alan Stokes and ISA advanced instructor Dom Moore
– 28th April 2018
– Hosted by The Surf Sanctuary, Headland Hotel, Newquay
– Price £120 per person
