Hell's Bells

John John Florence

BELLS BEACH, VIC/Australia (Sunday, April 20, 2014): Stop No. 3 on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, was treated to classic conditions at the world renowned right-hand reef break today. The event ran through Round 2 of the men’s and Round 2 and 3 of the women’s in clean and pristine Bells Beach conditions.

Sally Fitzgibbons

In an explosive Heat Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) exerted her dominance at Bells Beach. Leading in spectacular fashion, Fitzgibbons posted the highest two-wave total of the event so far with a near perfect 18.37 for a series of ferocious carves and dazzling fin-wafts. Courtney Conlogue (USA) and Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) also impressed with excellent scores of their own for spectacular forehand displays, but were unable to upturn Fitzgibbons who will advance through to the Quarterfinals. Conlogue and Van Dijk will surf again again in Round 4.

“It was a really exciting Heat both to watch and compete in. When I heard I was getting those big scores it was such a great confidence booster and I’m really happy to move into the Quarterfinals,” said Sally Fitzgibbons. “It was a tough Heat having two competitors like Nikki (Van Dijk) and Courtney (Conologue), they both have big power games and I knew I had to have a point of difference”.

In the second all-Hawaiian Heat of the day, it was Coco Ho who took the free pass through to the Quarterfinals, relegating opponents Carissa Moore and Malia Manuel to Round 4. Ho commanded attention early, netting a 8.50 within minutes of jumping in the water. Reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion and defending event winner Carissa Moore struggled to produce the high-scoring waves she needed to take back the lead. Manuel also stepped up with consecutive mid-range scores but Ho added a 7.37 before emerging from the water with her hard-earned victory.

“Beating the World Champion just means that you have potential and that you know how to surf,” said Coco Ho. “Rincon really turned on today, we were so lucky. I think on my first wave I was a little tentative but I was able to get a few more, which helped me loosen up. It was a really fun Heat.”

In her second Heat of the afternoon 2013 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach runner-up Tyler Wright (AUS) faced off against fellow Australian Laura Enever and America’s Lakey Peterson. The in-form Wright led from start to finish despite Peterson’s impressive 7.07 ride. Enever fought hard to keep up, but was unable to break the 5-point score barrier. Wright, however, had no trouble in grooming the walls of Ricon with an impressive display of turns and cuts that saw her tally a two-wave Heat total of 16.93 and charge straight into the Quarterfinals.

“I’ve been coming down to Bells since I was eight years old, driving down here in a van with my whole family. I really enjoy it, it’s an interesting wave that I find very challenging,” said Tyler Wright. “The crowd’s great and it’s really cool to have that kind of support on the beach.”

Stephanie Gilmore

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), five-time ASP Women’s World Champion and three-time Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach winner won through to the Quarterfinals in an explosive Round 3 match-up against Dimity Stoyle (AUS) and Bianca Buitendag (ZAF). Gilmore started slow, letting her rivals post some solid scores, but she finished with a bang as she dropped a near-perfect 9.17 for three critical turns, sending Stoyle and Buitendag into Round 4.

“I could tell that the judges have been holding back on the bigger scores this year,” said Stephanie Gilmore . “I always try to stay on the attack, the level of surfing in this Round has been really high so I knew I had to go hard to get a big score. I always try to imagine myself in the Finals and I’ve been thinking about ringing the Bell, but you can’t get too far ahead of yourself.”

Current ASP World No. 4 Michel Bourez (PYF) went head to head with injury replacement surfer Glen Hall (IRL) earlier in the day. Hall, who is competing in his first event since his back-breaking injury in Fiji last year, was first to put his hand up for a score linking a series of smooth backhands for a 6.67, but Bourez was quick to respond. With only five waves caught between them during the 30-minute melee Hall came out on top, securing another 6.53 set wave to take him through to Round 3 and putting an end to Bourez’s winning momentum.

“It’s been a long road to get here but surfing in the first heat of the day with great waves and ACDC’s Hell’s Bells playing in the background has made it all worth it,” said Glenn Hall. “A month ago it just didn’t feel right picturing myself surfing waves like the Box and Margaret River but I was hoping that I could compete here at Bells Beach. I still have a long way to go, but hopefully I’ll just keep improving.”

Adriana Souza (BRA) showed Brett Simpson (USA) why he is the defending event winner in Round 2 Heat 4. De Souza wasted little time in capitalizing on the conditions, surging into the Bells walls with a 7.67 and backing it up with a dazzling, running, right-hander and the highest score of the men’s competition so far, a 9.17. A missed opportunity by Simpson late in the Heat saw De Souza secure the win and move one step closer to defending his Bells Title.

“My surfing definitely fits this wave,” said Adriano de Souza. “My confidence is high and I really want to try and do well because last year I won this event. I know it is the past but I just want to try and bring some of last year’s form back here.”

Hawaii’s John John Florence snatched a win over powerful Portuguese surfer Tiago Pires in Round 2 Heat 6. Pires was absent from the Margaret River Drug Aware Pro due to a knee injury, but today showed no signs of discomfort, breezing through a 7.33 wave to take an early lead. Despite putting up a solid score of his own, Florence struggled to find a back-up score to help overturn Pires’ lead. It wasn’t until the final moments that the Hawaiian was able to unload a series of high-velocity maneuvers and notch a 7.53 that saw him steal the win and advance through to Round 3.

“I was feeling pretty good and really psyched to be out there on my first wave,” said John John Florence. “I think I got a little bit too excited and I fell. I got a couple of good waves though. The one that really threw me off was when I did that turn and tried to get barreled and I fell, I was so mad at that one. It’s firing out there, it’s like what you see in the photos of Bells Beach.”

Close friends and Central Coast, NSW surfers Matt Wilkinson (AUS) and Adrian Buchan (AUS) squared off in Round 2 Heat 9. The lead swung back and forth between the pair but it was Wilkinson who provided the fireworks, dishing up a crucial backhand attack that would earn him an 8.13. Buchan clocked some impressive scores of his own, but Wilkinson answered with another set wave, combining a big carve, tail-drift turn, and additional snap to take his first Heat win of 2014.

“The pressure’s not off at all, I’ve got to make a few more Heats until I start feeling comfortable,” said Matt Wilkinson. “I surfed fairly well but I could have put on an extra 15 or 20 percent more energy on those two big waves I caught for higher scores. Hopefully I make it to the end stages of the competition when I will have to put in that extra.”

Adam Melling

Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach Round 4 Match-ups:
Heat 1: Courtney Conlogue (USA) vs. Malia Manuel (HAW)
Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
Heat 3: Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF)
Heat 4: Dimity Stoyle (AUS) vs. Laura Enever (AUS)

Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.37, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 17.00, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 15.93
Heat 2: Coco Ho (HAW) 15.87, Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.56, Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.70
Heat 3: Tyler Wright (AUS) 16.93, Lakey Peterson (AUS) 14.27, Laura Enever (AUS) 8.83
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 17.44, Dimity Stoyle (AUS) 15.57, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 11.30

Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Coco Ho (HAW) 11.33 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 7.67
Heat 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.00 def. Alessa Quizon (HAW) 8.44
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.73 def. Zoe Clarke (AUS) 10.00
Heat 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) 17.53 def. Johanne Defay (FRA) 10.60
Heat 5: Lakey Peterson (USA) 17.17 def. Alana Blanchard (HAW) 11.90
Heat 6: Laura Enever (AUS) 12.23 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 12.20

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 3 Match-ups:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Mitch Crews (AUS)
Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Heat 3: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Bede Durbidge (AUS)
Heat 5: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. John John Florence (HAW)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Glenn Hall (IRL)
Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Aritz Aranburu (ESP)
Heat 8: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Owen Wright (AUS)
Heat 9: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Sebastian Zeitz (HAW)
Heat 10: Nat Young (USA) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 11: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.97 def. Jacob Willcox (AUS) 7.93
Heat 2: Nat Young (USA) 10.34 def. Cahill Bell-Warren (AUS) 8.27
Heat 3: Glenn Hall (IRL) 13.20 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.34
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.84 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 13.76
Heat 5: Kai Otton (AUS) 14.84 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 11.54
Heat 6: John John Florence (HAW) 14.80 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.16
Heat 7: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.23 def. Dion Atkinson (AUS) 10.53
Heat 8: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.10 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 13.66
Heat 9: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 15.63 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.16
Heat 10: Mitch Crews (AUS) 14.70 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.10
Heat 11: Fred Patacchia (HAW) 14.83 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.84
Heat 12: Adam Melling (AUS) 14.17 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 9.70

Images from the event are available from Getty Images. In addition a small number of hand-out images, as well as daily news feeds, will be made available for editorial use via our email distribution lists. Please contact [email protected] (images) and [email protected] (news feeds) to be added to the lists.

The third stop on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, is webcast LIVE via www.aspworldtour.com.
Jeremy Flores

Tiago Pires

Baggies Bites

Kyle Anderson, a traveller revelling in what the Norse Shore of Scotland has to offer, playing with fire at Bagpipe. Sequence: Roger Sharp
_MG_0656 _MG_0657 _MG_0658 _MG_0659 _MG_0660 _MG_0661 _MG_0662 _MG_0663 _MG_0664 _MG_0665 _MG_0666 _MG_0667 _MG_0668 _MG_0669 _MG_0670 _MG_0671 _MG_0672 _MG_0673 _MG_0674 _MG_0675 _MG_0676 _MG_0677 _MG_0678 _MG_0679 _MG_0680

History Box!

Joel Parkinson

MARGARET RIVER, Western Australia (Thursday, April 10, 2014):Quarterfinalists were decided today at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, stop No. 2 on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour. Following the completion of Round 4 at Main Break, history was made when Round 5 of the competition was held at the iconic Western Australian slab ‘The Box’ for the first time in history.
Jordy Smith
Jordy Smith (ZAF) and Miguel Pupo (BRA) became the first ever surfers to compete at The Box, with both taking heavy wipeouts while battling for a slot in the Quarterfinals. Smith logged the first score of significance, posting a 6.33 for a solid forehand tube. The South African followed up with a mid-range score shortly after and placed the heat out of reach for the Brazilian goofy-footer. Smith historic victory secures his place in the Quarterfinals where he will face Bede Durbidge.

“I’ve had zero experience out there and I didn’t really have a great heat but I got it done,” said Jordy Smith. “My energy is feeling really good and I can’t wait to keep going. It was amazing and I’m glad I got the first win (at The Box). I’ve got Bede (Durbidge) in the Quarterfinals, he’s a great surfer and you can guarantee he’s going to wait for the best waves. I’m going to go out there and do my thing and hopefully I’ll get a win over him.”
Josh Kerr
The Box turned on for the clash between Josh Kerr (AUS) and compatriot Yadin Nicol. After a flurry of mid-range scores, Kerr split the heat wide open with an excellent 8.17 for a particularly deep forehand barrel. Despite a comeback late in the heat, Nicol was unable to overtake Kerr’s lead and finishes equal 9th at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro. Kerr will face current ASP World No. 1 Gabriel Medina in the Quarterfinals.

“The Box is actually a pretty easy wave,” said Josh Kerr. “It’s a short intense wave and you have to take off behind it and be fully committed. Once you draw the right line it blows you straight through. I surf a reefbreak similar to this back home that’s short and intense and it’s my favorite kind of wave so it’s exciting to be at The Box. Just to surf a heat out there is so fun.”

Conditions continued to fire at the Western Australian slab and 2012 ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson (AUS) celebrated his birthday and a place in the Quarterfinals. Parkinson faced ASP Dream Tour sophomore Filipe Toledo (BRA) and the pair spent 30 minutes exchanging barrels. Parkinson navigated the technical barrels with ease, earning an 8.17 on his opening ride. While some doubted the Brazilian’s abilities in the tube, Toledo quickly put questions to rest, responding with an 8.23 of his own, briefly overtaking the former champ for the lead. The Australian answered back, however, earning the highest single-wave score of the day, an 8.43, and a place Quarterfinals against Kelly Slater.

“The Box is a fun wave to ride,” said Joel Parkinson. “It’s such a cool wave to surf a Heat on. I love that wave, everybody loves it. After surfing Main Break earlier today and then The Box it’s totally different. Kelly (Slater) and I have had enough match-ups in the past. The Quarterfinals will just be another one.”

Earlier in the day, current ASP WCT No. 1 Gabriel Medina (BRA), compatriot Miguel Pupo and WA wildcard Yadin Nicol did battle for a place in the Quarterfinals in Round 4 Heat 2. Nicol’s comfort at Margaret River’s Main Break was apparent, but it was Medina’s world-class form that was on display and took the heat win and a place in the Quarterfinals where he will face Josh Kerr.

“That was a fun Heat,” said Gabriel Medina. “I started out kind of bad, Yadin (Nicol) got the first good wave and I think Miguel (Pupo) was a little lost out there. I think I got lucky to find a 7.5 on the inside wave, which was a good move. It was an important Round and I’m happy to make it through.”

11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), high-flying Brazilian Filipe Toledo and Tahitian Powerhouse Michel Bourez brought their distinct styles to the competition in Round 4. Toledo was first to score, locking in a 5.33 to take an early lead. Slater battled back however, securing a 5.60 score of his own. The seesaw battle continued with an answer from the Brazilian, but Slater’s final score of a 6.33 solidified his win and a slot in the Quarterfinals. Bourez went on to secure his own Quarterfinal berth after defeating Adriano de Souza in Round 5.

“I really felt totally relaxed out there and I didn’t care if I won or lost because we’re going to The Box,” said Kelly Slater.

Michel Bourez

Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Quarterfinal Match-Ups:
QF 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
QF 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
QF 3: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
QF 4: Nat Young (USA) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)

Leven in the spring is a glorious t'ing

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A spring Leven swell is usually a glorious affair of clear air, brisk NE winds, sunshine, ruler lines and pits. This one was way more rugged, generated by a kink in a pressure system. It was raw in the morning, heavy by all reports, but as the day progressed a few bombs were had between the beatings.

All shots by Kirstin Prisk (www.kirstinprisk.co.uk) and Mike Newman (www.ocean-image.com)