It might be tucked way, way down in the south west of the UK (Newquay’s Fistral Beach, to be more precise), but that doesn’t seem to be halting Boardmasters Festival from going from strength to strength.
World #1, Matt Wilkinson and World #3, Gabriel Medina along with Indonesian god, Garut Widiarta dusted off the spirit of #TheSearch and boarded a boat with no plan beyond getting tubed, laying some rail, playing some pong, and unwinding at night with a few beers and plenty of laughs in the 12th episode of #TheSearch – Tempat Boyum Ini.
With the World Surf League title race heating up, Wilkinson and Medina disappeared from the media spotlight in between J-Bay and Teahupoo to charge one of the worlds best lefts! The waves pumped and the boys let their surfing do the talking in some postcard sets in the tropical paradise. Widiarta was quick to point out that you don’t have to be a world title contender to get some extended barrel time as well.
In 1972, a hardcore group of American adventures organized simultaneous surfing expeditions to a remote reef rammed-up hard against a dense jungle teeming with wildlife, somewhere off in the Never Never.
The first group of three surfers piled all their supplies and boards on to a rickety old boat and made for the horizon. Meanwhile, another group of five surfers went by local transport overland and arrived in a fishing village they figured was close by, before lugging their gear 20-odd kilometers along the beach to the point.
The Boaties sailed into the bay and beached their vessel, which was to be their base camp for the next 10 days. They had very little fresh water after the crossing, and would have to collect more off the sails when it rained that afternoon. They were desperate, but ahead of the Overlanders.
As the swell filled in that first night and the rumble of the reef drowned out the roar of the tigers they knew there would be insane waves at first light. And there was… And they surfed…
The Overlanders came in a day later and while amazed at the find, could never lay claim to being “first to surf it.” They had been beaten… Or had they
Photos: Nate Lawrence, Corey Wilson
Words: Chris Binns
Video: Nick Pollet and Bali Strickland
Forecaster: SwellNet
An interesting yarn, true or not, but it raises the question: does it matter if you are not the first to surf a place if it’s pumping, and there’s someone else already there when you arrive? This would be the case for Matt Wilkinson and Gabriel Medina in their brief-yet-welcome downtime between stints in J-Bay and Teahupo’o. The world number one and three decided they wanted a piece of the warm water swell action that has been flooding waters around the Equator this year and flew from Africa to Asia, destination hooting lefts; surf camp and others waiting and all.
Collecting fellow goofyfoot ninja Garut Widiarta along the way, the trio dusted off the spirit of The Search and boarded a boat, like those original surfers in 1972, with no plan beyond getting tubed, laying some rail, playing some pong, and unwinding at night with a few beers and plenty of laughs.
“I used to love watching The Search videos,” says Wilko, to nobody in particular shortly after arriving. “Me too!” chimes in Gabriel, with unexpected vigour. “I used to watch all the DVDs. I remember when Rip Curl first sponsored me I thought I was going to go on all these trips to the middle of nowhere, to find perfect waves with my friends, and now we’re here, and it’s sick!” With that sort of positivity from our charges, how could we go wrong?
Day one dawns big and burly with plenty of energy in the water and not many others out. Perhaps they were catching water as it dripped from the sails of their boat, and who could blame them? This wave is a killer.
The swell is solid, but according to our local water diviner Nick Chong its aim is out to lunch. Not that it bothers our crew one little bit. Spend time with Gabriel and you’ll soon realise there is nobody on the planet with a bigger appetite for waves, and his hunger pangs need to be fought off all day long. Before our boat has made the lineup Gab is gone, a million miles up the point and out of sight, only to reappear moments later, flying down the line and over the lip alternately. It’s a sight you’ll see repeated time and again when you surf with the 22-year-old superstar from São Paulo.
“My uncle was good, had the third fastest time in South America for one of the strokes. I have long arms and it’s something I really like to do. My dad said I used to be pretty good. I enjoyed training when I was young and I think that’s why I’m a strong paddler now.”
Gabriel has the perfect physique for the modern surfer, standing a shade under six-foot tall and heavier than you’d imagine, around the 80kg mark. Superbly fit, he has a thick upper body and broad shoulders that propel him around the lineup like a surfing terminator. Surely he has a history in the pool? “Yeah, I used to swim a little bit,” Gab grins. “My uncle was good, had the third fastest time in South America for one of the strokes. I have long arms and it’s something I really like to do. My dad said I used to be pretty good. I enjoyed training when I was young and I think that’s why I’m a strong paddler now.”
It’s the sort of conversation you’d expect to have with Gabriel, but he’s not the only one with fitness on his mind. As we wait for a boat one steaming morning Gabriel and Wilko turn the sand into a studio. Both guys are doing push-ups and sit-ups and suddenly we’re no longer in the jungle, we’re back on the title trail. Filmer Bali Strickland marvels at one of Wilko’s whole body contortions, and Wilko breaks down the who, when and why of the stretch; which muscles are activated, what greater purpose the pose achieves. It’s good stuff, not an ounce contrived, and a stark reminder of why the kid from Copacabana who for so many years fought to requalify now finds himself atop the title totem.
Garut is thrilled to be on the trip, the 2014 Rip Curl Cup champion more than holding his own against his fellow goofyfooters. Slight of stature but superbly fit Garut pinballs off big sections, tucks into the tightest of tubes, and would challenge Gabriel if the speed gun was pulled out. Garut lives a charmed life in the heart of Kuta, his family surfing royalty in the Island Of The Gods. When not sneaking up to the Bukit Peninsula to dominate Padang Padang alongside his cousins Made “Bol” Adi Putra and Raditya Rondi, the trio rule the Indonesian contest scene, carrying on the surfing legacy of family patriarch, Balinese surfing pioneer Wayan Ganti Yasa. Then, when Rip Curl come calling, Garut is more than happy to jump on The Search program and explore the outer fringes of his beloved archipelago with an all star cast. Last year it was a boat trip with Mick Fanning to a little known and highly sought after slab, this year a mystery left with Wilko and Gabriel. A charmed life indeed.
Wilko and Gabriel present a study in contrasts in the lineup. Gabriel never stops moving, rarely sits up on his board. His range is huge, any wave that rears up within a football field’s distance is within reach such is his paddling strength and ability to know exactly where to be. At one point he disappears to the horizon and returns minutes later riding a feathering outer reef set, flanked by a couple of dozen fish jumping from the water around him. It’s a surreal sight, but after a few hundred metres of pumping and weaving Gab is still too deep when the wave finally throws, and the lineup chuckles; maybe he is human after all.
When he takes off, Gabriel rewrites the book. There is no bottom turn in his repertoire, instead he gets in early thanks to his paddle power and 30-plus-litre boards, and he pumps and extends and races across the upper third of the wave until finally he attains some crazy kind of maximum velocity. Then, and only then, will he drop down into the wave, screaming off the bottom at Mach II and eyeing off the next unlucky section, while letting it determine his next move, be it a lightning quick gaff or monumental air. Regardless of which way he goes, he won’t fall. It’s just not something he does.
Wilko, as is his wont to do, talks to people the length of the lineup as he makes his way back out after waves. He shares jokes with those who were there before him, and hoots when guys wipe out. He loves a layback more than anyone, and should a tube fail to open up you can bet your bottom dollar that a moment later Mat will be dropping the other shoulder and carving a swathe through the next section, a whirling dervish of spray and wild hair. His mood fluctuates depending on how he’s surfing or how his board’s going, and the magical red Darren Handley he rode to glory on the Aussie leg is thousands of miles away, thoroughly out of harm’s reach.
“Sometimes I don’t even want to pull it out at CTs any more,” Wilko says of his most prized possession. He is, however, particularly psyched on a six-foot channel bottom he’s carted around the world all year. From Bells, to Margaret River, and Fiji twice it logged platinum amounts of flyer miles untouched, before finally seeing wax for the first time in Indonesia. Two waves and two tubes later it breaks, along with Matt’s heart. “It just felt so damn good,” he whispers, inspecting the damage and returning it to its coffin, the boardbag’s name never more apt.
Light moments between Gab and Wilko are endless. The pair have been travel buddies for years, you don’t really have a choice when you share sponsors, and these days they’ll happily cruise away from the circus too. “Gabriel came down to my place in Byron during Snapper this year to hang out,” says Wilko, “and I’ve been to his place in Brazil too.” It’s fair to say that of all the tour friendships, Gabriel and Wilko’s is easily the strongest bond between the Brazilian and Aussie camps, but Wilko sees nothing special about it. “He’s a legend, we get along sick, and we’re good mates,” he says simply, as if anyone who doesn’t see that as sufficient is not worth bothering with.
After a week of jungle time and with mission firmly accomplished we find ourselves back in the bright lights and bustle of Bali. After eating lean on Indonesian food we feel like we’ve earned a meat feast, and make our way to a highly recommended South American barbecue restaurant. Gabriel is in heaven and orders the 450g rib eye with a grin, while Wilko feasts on scallops. The restaurant staff ask for Gab and Wilko to pose for a photo with a piglet being cooked asado-style over hot coals. The ensuing Instagram is captioned with Wilko first on the ratings and Gabriel third, while John John Florence (sitting second in the world) is tagged as the piggy in the middle. With the ice finally broken on the elephant in the room, it seems the perfect time to ask the title questions we’ve been hanging to have answered.
“Is one of you going to win this year?” I ask.
“Yeah,” says Gabriel flatly.
“I hope so,” says Wilko.
“Yeah, one of us,” laughs Gab.
“Can you work as a team maybe?” The pair look at me like I’m stupid.
An awkward silence later we sit back down to our plates of pulled pork and lamb cutlets, with nothing more to be said. As the pair pull apart chicken wings, and scoff down every last morsel, it’s clear we’re in counsel with two kings of this year’s World Tour jungle.
Every heat for the rest of the run home is going to make for captivating viewing. Will the Brazilian wunderkind come home hard, or will the red hot Aussie keep on riding the roll of his life? These two mates from opposite sides of the planet will be pushing each other every last inch of the way to the Pipeline podium and like the Boaties versus the Overlanders back in 1972 in the race for the reef: it’s then that it really matters who gets their first.
Patagonia invite you to test the new neoprene free wetsuits 20th- 28th August in the UK. They’ll be hanging out at various locations across the British coastline where visitors wil be able to get in the water with their new Yulex suits.
The entire line of Patagonia’s all-new, high-performance wetsuits is made with natural rubber developed in partnership with Yulex and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified by the Rainforest Alliance.
The neoprene-free Yulex wetsuits perform as well or better than conventional neoprene wetsuits. But because the main polymer is produced in trees instead of factories, using natural rubber reduces the CO2 in wetsuit manufacturing by up to ~80 percent. The FSC certified rubber is blended with a small amount of chlorine-free synthetic rubber for increased ozone and UV resistance, and to meet Patagonia’s rigorous demands for durability and strength. The Yulex process also removes over 99% of impurities, resulting in a nonsensitizing material.
During the evening of the 20th, 23rd and 27th, hang out from 6pm- 9pm for an evening of beers and film screenings and learn about how Patagonia are saying #GoodbyeNeoprene.
All dates for the Yulex Natural Rubber Wetsuits Launch Tour can be found here, or see below for details on the UK dates, locations and times.
August 20th – Hayle, Cornwall with Down the Line
Day event: 9:30am – 5pm at The Rockpool at 1 Godrevy Towans, Gwithian, Hayle TR27 5ED – http://www.therockpoolbar.co.uk/
Evening event on Sat 20th from 6pm – 9pm at Down the Line, Market Square Arcade, Copperhouse, Hayle TR27 4EA with brand ambassador Lea Brassy and Patch Wilson
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/626547164188840/
August 21st – Hayle, Cornwall with Down the Line
Hayle, Cornwall with Down the Line.
Day event: 9:30am – 5pm at The Rockpool at 1 Godrevy Towans, Gwithian, Hayle TR27 5ED – http://www.therockpoolbar.co.uk/
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/626547164188840/
August 23rd – Newquay, Cornwall with Northshore
Day event: 9:30am – 5pm outside Gilmore’s at 11 Tower Rd, Newquay TR7 1LS – http://www.gilmoresnewquay.co.uk/
Evening event on Tuesday 23rd from 6pm – 9pm at Gilmore’s 11 Tower Rd, Newquay TR7 1LS with brand ambassador Lea Brassy and Patch Wilson
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1155308461224376/
August 24th – Newquay, Cornwall with Northshore
Day event: 9:30am – 5pm outside Gilmore’s at 11 Tower Rd, Newquay TR7 1LS – http://www.gilmoresnewquay.co.uk/
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1155308461224376/
August 25th – Bude, Cornwall with Surf Cabin
Day event only: 9:30am – 5pm outside Rosie’s Kitchen at Crooklets Beach, Bude EX23 8NE – http://www.rosieskitchen.co.uk/
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1733785256880998/
August 27th – Shore, East Wittering with Shore
Day event: 9:30am – at Shore, 20-22 Shore Rd, East Wittering, Chichester PO20 8DZ – http://www.shore.co.uk/wittering-surf-shop
Evening event on Sat 27th from 6pm – 9pm at Shore, 20-22 Shore Rd, East Wittering, Chichester PO20 8DZ with brand ambassador Patch Wilson
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1237283619629792/
August 28th – Shore, East Wittering with Shore
Day event: 9:30am – at Shore, 20-22 Shore Rd, East Wittering, Chichester PO20 8DZ – http://www.shore.co.uk/wittering-surf-shop
Evening event on Sat 27th from 6pm – 9pm at Shore, 20-22 Shore Rd, East Wittering, Chichester PO20 8DZ with brand ambassador Patch Wilson
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1237283619629792/
The 2016 Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy has been run and won by West Australian surfer Taj Burrow. Burrow came up against the event’s defending champion, big wave legend Shane Dorian in the Final.
After winning the semifinal and final of the thruster division, coming up against Dorian in the overall event final would be no easy task for a fatigued Burrow. Burrow hit the lead early posting two excellent scores, a 9.17 and an 8.67 (out of a possible 10) for a heat total of 17.84.
Burrow was always going to be too tough to beat having only just retired from competing on the elite WSL Championship Tour (CT). The natural footer surfed incredibly on the final day throwing his fins out on critical sections and drawing rail carves out as if he was on tracks.
“This has been such a fun event,” Burrow said. “Sultans is just such a fun rippable wave, and to surf with one of my childhood heroes, Shane Dorian, in the final was like a dream come true. I was so nervous in both of those Finals; Shane was ripping so hard and just not falling off, so it was pretty nerve-racking.”
Along with the prize money, for winning the contest Burrow is now invited back to the event next year, which some would say is the best prize of all.
“Bec (Burrow’s partner) and I are so stoked we get to come back next year,” Burrow said. “It’s been so amazing here on Kuda Huraa. It’s funny because everyone talks about how chilled out this event is but we’re all competitive deep down and as soon as we paddle out, we’re in it to win it.”
Returning to the event as defending champion, Dorian was the one to beat and his performance didn’t disappoint posting excellent scores across all divisions and taking out the twin fin division. This continued in the final where Dorian’s huge power hacks saw him post a heat total of 17.33, just short of the requirement. “That was so fun today,” Dorian said.
“The waves were pumping all day. I’m so tired after surfing back-to-back finals but it was sick to be out there with Taj, he’s an incredible surfer. My wife and I have been looking forward to getting back here all year so I’m stoked we got to experience it all again and get on the different boards in a contest.” Earlier in the day the two met in the final of the thruster division, which was taken out by the
“That was so fun today,” Dorian said. “The waves were pumping all day. I’m so tired after surfing back-to-back finals but it was sick to be out there with Taj, he’s an incredible surfer. My wife and I have been looking forward to getting back here all year so I’m stoked we got to experience it all again and get on the different boards in a contest.”
Earlier in the day the two met in the final of the thruster division, which was taken out by the in form Burrow. Before they got there they had to each overcome a number of the world’s most renowned surfers on their more preferred conventional thrusters.
Finishing in equal 5th in the thruster division was Californian style icon and former Pipe Master Rob Machado. Machado was on a tear but came up against a rampaging Travis Logie and Taj Burrow and was knocked out of the division finishing in equal 3rd overall.
“This has been unreal,” Machado said. “That heat was sick, Bethany blew me away, her surfing is incredible. Everyone at this contest rips so hard, once you’re off tour it’s rare to be around people who surf at this level, it’s so cool to see, especially making everyone surf single and twin fin boards. I came to the Maldives years ago and it was a real mission getting around to waves but this trip has been amazing; Kuda Huraa is so close to all these waves it’s been so incredible.”
In one of the closest heats of the contest, WSL Deputy commissioner Travis Logie looked set for a finals birth in the thruster division posting a number of excellent scores with his searing back-hand attack. With less than a minute left, Shane Dorian took off on a set and went to town on it posting an excellent 8.90, putting Logie into second for a division result of equal 3rd and an overall contest result of the same.
“This is one of the best events I have ever competed in,” Logie said. “The vide is really cool and the waves have been pumping the whole time. I’m pretty bummed I didn’t make a final, it was really tough to compete on your backhand; hats off to Rob for making the Single fin final. I think Bethany Hamilton is the best surfer in the world, I’ve always had respect for her but seeing her surf this week was incredible. I have done a lot of travelling in my life and been to the Maldives a number of times but this experience at the Four Seasons has been the best, the service, the food and such a short boat ride to Sultans, it’s amazing.”
Finishing in fourth overall was Hawaiian ripper and former Pipe Mater Jamie O’Brien. O’Brien finished second in the twin-fin but was unable to progress through the thruster division in a heat that was low on set waves.
“This event has been so great,” O’Brien said. “The waves, the hospitality at the Four Seasons and the format are all awesome. It’s been a really relaxing experience except for the last five minutes of my heat of course. I’ve had a real blast.”
Hands down the most impressive performance went to Bethany Hamilton of Hawaii. In the unique format, Hamilton was the only competing female. Hamilton posted an excellent 8.63 and had her male opponents on the ropes. The inspirational goofy-foot was unable to find a back-up score and finished 6th overall at the event.
“That wave was so perfect – one of the ones you really look for,” Hamilton said. “It’s been so good to be here with my family and surfing with the guys. Seeing Rob and his style is just amazing. It’s been a really awesome event.”
Beaten in the Semifinal by Burrow, local wildcard Hussain ‘Iboo’ Areef put on an awesome display of backhand surfing at his local break, which tested the world class Burrow no end.
“This has been the best week,” Iboo said. “Seeing the world’s best surfing my home break has been amazing but talking to them and hanging out has been the best part. They’re all so nice which is cool. I feel like my surfing has improved just from watching how they surf. I will remember this experience for ever.”
Check back at WorldSurfLeague.com for more images and information on the 2016 Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy or on the WSL App.
Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy Final Results
Taj Burrow (AUS) 17.84, Shane Dorian (HAW) 17.33
Overall Rankings
1. Taj Burrow
2. Shane Dorian
3. Travis Logie
3. Rob Machado
4. Jamie O’Brien
5. Iboo Areef
6. Bethany Hamlton
Bonomelli continued his tear through the early rounds. – WSL / Laurent Masurel
The Boardmasters, Cornwall resumed in cleaner two-foot surf under a bright Cornish sun and saw competitors from almost all divisions take part in the second day of competition.
The remaining four heats of the QS Men’s Round 3 were first completed and witnessed the surprise eliminations of local favorites Alan Stokes, Luke Dillon and Kit Innes.
In the afternoon, men longboarders entered their final regional event of the season, and while the European title was decided at the previous stop in Galicia, surfers went out just as motivated to conquer the coveted Boardmasters trophy.
Newquay waterman Ben Skinner (GBR), 31, left no chance to his opponents in his opening matchup on home turf, and controlled the heat from start to finish with authority. The former event winner edged out Emilien Fleury to advance into the quarters where he’ll be facing compatriot Adam Griffiths (GBR).
“I’m so stoked just to be at home, it’s so nice after the three events and a lot of travelling,” Skinner commented. “Boardmasters has a 31-year history of some amazing events, as I was a kid it’s always something I looked up to so now to have the longboarders be part of it is amazing. I started surfing this event about eight years ago I think and have won it a couple of times, so I’m definitely looking to add one event title to my resume this year.”
Skinner’s salute to the huge crowds gathered at Fistral. – WSL / Laurent Masurel
“That’s just a whole different feeling being at home and having my wife and kids, and all the support from everyone down here it’s pretty special,” he continued. “There’s a lot going on for sure but I love it, even the distractions.”
Defending event champion Edouard Delpero (FRA), 26, bounced back after an early elimination in the QS division yesterday with a solid win in the over 9-foot board category. The young Frenchman found a better rhythm and negotiated the flat sections perfectly to post an impressive 14.74 heat total for his quarterfinal ticket.
Edouard Delpero knows a thing or two about nose-riding, too. – WSL / Laurent Masurel
“It’s complicated out there and you really have to be active, scouring the lineup to find the little ones that reform and offer a longer wall,” he reflected. “Unfortunately yesterday I couldn’t find the right waves, but today it was a little bit easier on a longboard and I managed to do ok. This event is awesome, very different from what we’re used to and a nice little escape in the summer. I hope I can continue to surf well and maybe even beat my brother for once if we do surf against each other later in the event.”
Said brother, Antoine Delpero (FRA), 30, rounded up the day with an uncharacteristic average performance, but enough to see him move into the quarters as well where he’ll match up with local Brit Sam Bleakley (GBR).
Bleakley will look to upset the current European Champion in the quarters. – WSL / Laurent Masurel
More information on the full festival lineup is available at boardmasters.co.uk.
The Boardmasters, Cornwall are scheduled from August 10-14, 2016 at Fistral Beach, Cornwall – England. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to worldsurfleague.com.
The Boardmasters, Cornwall are supported by Surfers Against Sewage, Carve Mag, Corona, Relentless, Cornish Orchid, The Stable and MagicSeaWeed among others.
UPCOMING BOARDMASTERS MEN’S QS RD4 MATCHUPS:
Heat 1: Tomas Fernandes (PRT), Shane Campbell (AUS), Facundo Arreyes (ARG), Daiki Tanaka (JPN)
Heat 2: Cody Robinson (AUS), Jobe Harriss (GBR), Luis Perloiro (PRT), Jackson Giles (AUS)
Heat 3: Bruce MacKie (BRB), Louis Gillick (AUS), Monty Tait (AUS), Jayce Robinson (GBR)
Heat 4: Angelo Bonomelli (ITA), Tristan Guilbaud (FRA), Arthur Lassee (FRA), Jake Marshall (USA)
REMAINING BOARDMASTERS MEN’S QS RD3 RESULTS:
Heat 5: Bruce MacKie (BRB) 11.00, Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) 10.50, Che Allan (BRB) 9.56, Lens Arancibia Avila (FRA) 7.73
Heat 6: Monty Tait (AUS) 15.10, Jake Marshall (USA) 13.24, Chris Friend (AUS) 11.07, Alan Stokes (GBR) 7.60
Heat 7: Angelo Bonomelli (ITA) 10.76, Louis Gillick (AUS) 8.34, Luke Dillon (GBR) 8.10, Shaun Burns (USA) 6.67
Heat 8: Arthur Lassee (FRA) 8.30, Jayce Robinson (GBR) 8.00, Jared Hickel (AUS) 7.30, Kit Innes (GBR) 3.00
UPCOMING BOARDMASTERS MEN’S LQS QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS:
QF 1: Ben Skinner (GBR) vs. Adam Griffith (GBR)
QF 2: Emilien Fleury (FRA) vs. Josh Le Marquand (JEY)
QF 3: Edouard Delpero (FRA) vs. Ben Howey (GBR)
QF 4: Sam Bleakley (GBR) vs. Antoine Delpero (FRA)
BOARDMASTERS MEN’S LQS RD2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Ben Skinner (GBR) 14.33, Emilien Fleury (FRA) 14.30, Izaak Lawton (GBR) 7.23, Robin Henry (FRA) 7.17
Heat 2: Josh Le Marquand (JEY) 10.33, Adam Griffith (GBR) 9.84, Joe Hornbuckle (GBR) 7.07, Jordan Zervas (GBR) 5.53
Heat 3: Edouard Delpero (FRA) 14.74, Sam Bleakley (GBR) 10.87, Edward Wilson (GBR) 8.14, Martin John (GBR) 3.74
Heat 4: Antoine Delpero (FRA) 11.23, Ben Howey (GBR) 8.83, Jack Unsworth (GBR) 8.07, Stephan Hudson (GBR) 2.90
BOARDMASTERS MEN’S LQS RD1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Emilien Fleury (FRA) 16.00, Jordan Zervas (GBR) 7.03, Louis Thomas Hudson (GBR) 6.33
Heat 2: Josh Le Marquand (JEY), Robin Henry (FRA)
Heat 3: Martin John (GBR) 4.60, Stephan Hudson (GBR) 3.44, Russel Mullins (GBR) 1.00
Heat 4: Ben Howey (GBR) 14.10, Edward Wilson (GBR) 6.57, Toby Lowe (GBR) 4.13
Shane Dorian (HAW) has continued his love affair with twin fins taking out the division for a second year in a row as competition continues at the 2016 Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy.
Dorian looked in good form all day finding a number of long Sultans tubes and unleashing his furious rail game on the clean four-foot walls on offer all day. The big-wave charger was able to post an excellent heat total of 16.24 (out of a possible 20) to overcome fellow Hawaiian Jamie O’Brien in the Final.
“I’m so stoked to be back here in the beautiful place,” Dorian said. “Surfing with all these guys is so sick, I’m just having a blast. That board had not felt good in any surf’s until my first heat and then it all just started to click, which was lucky. Hopefully I can make the final in the thruster division and have a shot at getting back here.”
After a shaky start to the contest during the single fin round, O’Brien was keen to impress on the twin fin which he did, posting impressive scores on his way to the final.
“I’m just stoked to be in the final,” O’Brien said. “It’s been really fun surfing all these guys, my first heat today was almost like a Championship Tour (CT) line-up. It’s been really cool to surf with Bethany; she is such an inspiration. I’m just loving it here.”
Bethany Hamilton was a standout performer on the twin fin. Having only just had a couple of days practice on the unique craft the Hawaiian goofy foot looked like she was on a thruster going vertical turn after turn. It was not enough to progress to the semifinals so Hamilton will look to reset and focus on the thruster division (three fin conventional board).
“This was my first time surfing a twin fin,” Hamilton said. “It’s really fun, I like how you really have to draw out your turns. Surfing with all of these guys is so amazing it’s just fun to be in the water with them, it gets me excited to surf and pushes me. I’m not in it to take them down but it would be cool to make a heat against them.”
After taking out the single fin division, Australian Taj Burrow was hoping to set himself up for an overall final appearance with a solid result in the twin fin. This wouldn’t be the case as Burrow was unable to find a solid scoring wave while O’Brien and Dorian went blow for blow pulling into long draining barrels in the dying minutes of the heat.
“I didn’t know waves that good would come through at this place,” Burrow said. “Those waves at the end were amazing, I was so jealous I wasn’t on them. I didn’t surf this morning so it took me a while to get used to the twin fin. I never really got into a rhythm. It’s all good though I still had a hell time.”
Also being out done by the Hawaiian duos tube time was local trials winner Hussain ‘Iboo’ Areef, who’s stylish backhand was unable to get him the nod from the judges on this day. “It was fun out there but quite hard,” Areef said.
“I was really hoping to get a bomb set wave but it didn’t really happen. I’m just looking forward to getting on the thruster.”
Travis Logie may swap his thruster for a twin fin after the goofy foot South African put on an absolute clinic at Sultans. Logie posted a solid heat total of 14.97 but was unable to overcome O’Brien who was given an excellent score for his tube riding.
“I felt really good on the board,” Logie said “It’s really tough to compete against a natural footer in waves like that especially when they’re getting barrels, it forces you to go really hard on your backhand turns. I’m really happy with how I surfed out there.”
Rob Machado was unable to make it back-to-back finals appearances as he came up against a rampaging Shane Dorian. In a heat filled with non-stop waves, the two friends went wave for wave each posting a number of scores in the excellent range. Machado’s amazing heat total of 18.00 wasn’t enough and Dorian took the heat win by just 0.77 of a point.
“Surfing against Shane again was so fun,” Machado said. It’s been so long since we have and in conditions like that, it was just perfect. It was a really good heat, the waves kind of didn’t stop and we were both posting high scores which is always a good indicator of the fun we’re having.”
Check back at WorldSurfLeague.com for more images and information on the 2016 Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy or on the WSL App as competitors ready themnselves for the thruster division.
Twin Fin Division Results
Round 1
Heat 1: Travis Logie (ZAF) 16.10, Rob Machado (USA) 11.43, Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 9.80
Heat 2: Shane Dorian (HAW) 18.48, Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.16, Iboo Areef (MDV) 9.10, Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 18.23
Semifinals
Heat 1: Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 16.43, Travis Logie (ZAF) 14.97
Heat 2: Rob Machado (USA) 18.00, Shane Dorian (HAW) 18.84
Final: Shane Dorian (HAW) 16.24, Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 14.00
