Quik Pro Hits Round 4…

Joel Parkinson of Australia (pictured) winning his Round 3 heat with an excellent scoring ride to advance into ROund 4 of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast on Monday March 14, 2016. PHOTO CREDIT: © WSL/ Kirstin SOCIAL MEDIA TAG: @wsl @kirstinscholtz The attached image is a hand-out image from the World Surf League and is royalty free for editorial use only, no commercial rights granted. The copyright is owned by World Surf League. Sale or license of the images is prohibited. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

If, like us, you like a Fantasy Surfer then, like pretty much everyone you’ve already written off the Quik Pro as a counting event come year end. Those infernal rookies and wildcards have slayed giants. Which is great for them and their careers, not so good for our FS teams, as most folk would’ve had Slater, Fanning, Medina, Wilson, Smith etc… Ah well. The Brazilian storm is still raging also did you see Filipe’s heat?!

WSL PRESS RELEASE

High drama and excellent scores continued today as the world’s best surfers did battle in clean three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves at Snapper Rocks, completing Rounds 2, 3 and the opening two heats of Round 4 of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. By BOQ.

The opening stop on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast bore witness to the world’s best surfing once again today as major results and huge upsets unfolded in front of thousands on the beach and millions watching around the world.

Filipe Toledo (BRA), defending Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast champion, bookended the day’s affairs with incendiary surfing, first dispatching of lethal rookie Ryan Callinan (AUS) in Round 3 and then posting a near-perfect 19.20 out of a possible 20 in Round 4 to advance directly through to the Quarterfinals.

“I am still shaking watching these waves because it is so perfect,” said Toledo. “I am just super excited and cannot wait to get back into the water again. I want to keep going with good scores and doing well in heats. The board feels amazing, so I am feeling confident and having more fun in each heat.”
Filipe Toledo of Brasil (pictured) scoring the first perfect 10-point ride of the competition, winning his Round 4 heat to advance into the Quarterfinals of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast on Monday March 14, 2016. PHOTO CREDIT: © WSL/ SKINNER SOCIAL MEDIA TAG: @wsl The attached image is a hand-out image from the World Surf League and is royalty free for editorial use only, no commercial rights granted. The copyright is owned by World Surf League. Sale or license of the images is prohibited. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Sebastian Zietz (HAW), who gained entry into the event as an injury replacement, caused a major upset by knocking out local favorite and three-time World Champion, Mick Fanning (AUS) in Heat 7. Zietz opened the heat with a massive layback snap, showcasing the same all-out approach he used to advance out of Round 2. A snapped board forced Fanning to switch out his equipment and leave the line-up with six minutes to go on the clock. Zietz was able to pull out a second high scoring ride in the dying minutes of the heat, to take the win and advance to Round 4.

“I think being more relaxed translates into catching better waves,” said Zietz. “When you are relaxed it all just comes to, and I have a really good board and a good team. I’m bummed for Mick. I thought he was surfing the best out of anybody so I better go far for him.”

Stuart Kennedy (AUS), injury replacement, continued the day’s upsets in the last heat of Round 3 as he eliminated 2014 WSL World Champion and 2014 event winner, Gabriel Medina (BRA). Kennedy unleashed multiple risky maneuvers to earn a 0.27 lead over the Brazilian heavyweight.

“I love surfing against the best guys. It pushes my surfing to the next level after grinding it out on the Qualifying Series for so long,” said Kennedy. “I just knew I could get on some good waves and let my surfing do the talking. It has been a grind to get to this level, but I’m so stoked to have the opportunity to be the replacement, but hopefully I can keep getting more opportunities throughout the year. To beat those two guys, Kelly and Gabriel, it’s like a dream come true for sure.”

Adriano de Souza (BRA), reigning WSL World Champion, continued to showcase his power surfing as he defeated event wildcard Mikey Wright (AUS) in Round 3 Heat 6. In an all out battle, Wright and De Souza went wave for wave, but it was the Brazilian who took the lead with a two-wave combined score of 16.17.

“Mikey is such a great talent and surfer, and such a nice young gentleman, but I am so happy to make it through this heat,” De Souza said. “Round 3 is that round that does not make a lot of points, so I was nervous out there. I am happy to make this heat, but I also want to have fun too, and I definitely felt that on that wave.”

John John Florence (HAW) pulled out all the stops against Michel Bourez (PYF), most notably with his massive double-grab air that put 9.23 points on the board. Florence’s flair paid off, as he created a 4.06 point gap that Bourez was unable to close.

“The waves are really fun right now, you just have to pretty much enjoy it,” said Florence after his heat. “Michel is a scary guy to surf against for sure so I had a little bit of nerves, but I was thinking about myself and trying to have fun out here, and it ended up working out.”
Tour rookie Kanoa Igarashi winning of the USA (pictured) winning his Round 3 heat at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast on Monday March 14, 2016. PHOTO CREDIT: © WSL/ SKINNER SOCIAL MEDIA TAG: @wsl The attached image is a hand-out image from the World Surf League and is royalty free for editorial use only, no commercial rights granted. The copyright is owned by World Surf League. Sale or license of the images is prohibited. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
2016 WSL Rookies also dealt out big upsets in Round 3 today, showcasing the depth of talent in this year’s rookie class. Conner Coffin (USA), Caio Ibelli (BRA) and Kanoa Igarashi (USA) excelled in their match-ups to take down Italo Ferreira (BRA), Josh Kerr (AUS) and Jeremy Flores (FRA) respectively.

Coffin came charging into Heat 3 defeating Italo Ferreira (BRA), the 2015 WSL Rookie of the year in the last thirty seconds of the heat. Coffins’ buzzer-beater score over-took Ferreira’s lead by only 0.21 points to securing Coffin in Round 4.

“I used to surf against Italo in World Juniors and he used to be this air-maniac doing crazy air-reverses and last year it looked like he took the whole year to work on his power surfing,” said Coffin. “Showing up at Snapper I was super impressed. I knew it was going to be a hard heat and to get a big score you had to catch a wave with a lot of wall and not sit forever. I was so stoked that last wave came.”

The WSL Commissioner’s Office will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 7:35am start. 

Highlights from the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast will be webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.

For more information, log onto WorldSurfLeague.com   

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Remaining Round 2 Results:
Heat 11: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 12.17 def. Jack Freestone (AUS) 10.80
Heat 12: Kolohe Andino (USA) 13.97 def. Matt Banting (AUS) 12.23

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 16.60 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 5.00
Heat 2: Joel Parkinson (USA) 14.83 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 13.66
Heat 3: Conner Coffin (USA) 14.04 def. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 13.83
Heat 4: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 11.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.60
Heat 5: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 12.40 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.07
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.17 def. Mikey Wright (AUS) 14.04
Heat 7: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 14.50 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.50
Heat 8: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.43 def. Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 13.70
Heat 9: Kolohe Andino (USA) 16.80 def. Nat Young (USA) 15.53
Heat 10: Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 13.30  def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.83
Heat 11: John John Florence (HAW) 15.90 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.84
Heat 12: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 16.80 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.53

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Round 4 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 19.20, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.43, Conner Coffin (USA) 11.53
Heat 2: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.10, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 11.80, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 10.50

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Remaining Round 4 Match-Ups:
Heat 3: Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Kolohe Andino (USA)
Heat 4: Kanoa Igarashi (USA), John John Florence (HAW), Stuart Kennedy (AUS)

Tim Curran

Tim Curran is a name you’ll know if you’re a slightly older surfer. He was a big name not so long ago. Not sure where he’s been but he’s still ripping as evidenced here.

Filmed By Sean Stanley.

Carissa Moore vs Rincon…

Riss at Rincon. Not much else to add. The best female surfer in the world right now having a blast at a legendary California fun park.

Quik Pro Gold Coast Day 1…

The 2016 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League Championship Tour officially kicked off yesterday as the world’s best surfers hit the waves at Snapper Rocks for the first round of competition at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by BOQ.

With building three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves pulsing through the primary venue of Snapper Rocks, the world’s best surfers commenced the 2016 season in fine fashion.

Italo Ferreira (BRA), 2015 Rookie of the Year, came out of the gates strong in Heat 1 againstRyan Callinan (AUS) and rookie Keanu Asing (HAW). Ferreira’s backhand was tack sharp and proved the Brazilian has only improved since his rookie season, setting his sights firmly on a WSL Title contention.

“Last year was the most amazing year of my life,” Ferreira said. “I surfed with my heroes and had a good year. I’m really excited to be back this season and hope I can do better. Very happy to win the first heat of the year.”

Michel Bourez (PYF) showcased his power surfing in Round 1 Heat 2 with a 7.00 point ride, the highest in his heat. Bourez will advance straight to Round 3 after edging out Adam Melling (AUS)and Julian Wilson (AUS).

“It is pretty hard to have the best strategy there,” said Bourez. “It is breaking all over the place and you have to be super lucky to be at the right place at the right time. That wave came out of nowhere and I was pretty lucky to be there.”

Filipe Toledo (BRA), defending Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast winner, led Round 1 Heat 3 against CT veteran Jadson Andre (BRA) and injury replacement Stuart Kennedy (AUS). The three battled wave for a wave, but Toledo pulled out a 7.83 to secure his position. Toledo will advance to Round 3, and Andre and Kennedy will battle in elimination Round 2.

“Coming here again to defend my title with really good boards and with the wind in the first round makes me more comfortable and excited for the next round,” said Toledo after the heat. “I am now trying to push harder in ways that I really need to improve. Last year I had a good feeling fighting for the title so this year I feel more comfortable. I know I have the potential to be there, too.”

Sebastian Zietz (HAW) seized his opportunity to score big with a risky layback maneuver, earning him an 8.67, but Gabriel Medina (BRA) answered back with a massive score in his last wave giving him a combined score of 16.17. Zietz fought hard to defeat Media and was just 1.37 points shy of the win. Zietz and rookie Caio Ibelli (BRA) will compete in Round 2.

“I wasn’t waiting for that one, I was just hoping for a good wave,” Medina said. “That was a tricky heat. I did not know where to sit. I was kind of lost and I am just stoked to make it through that heat.”

Mick Fanning (AUS), three-time WSL Champion, quickly put up a solid score in Heat 5, but it was trials winner Wade Carmichael (AUS) who put the pressure on by returning with an 8.93 ride. The all-Australian match-up continued to heat up as both Fanning and Carmichael exchanged high scoring rides, but it was Fanning who came out on top at his home break.

“I wasn’t tense, I was laughing and relaxed. Even paddling out in the heat I wanted to surf and get a couple of good waves and it was fun,” said Fanning winning after his heat. “I always just want to go surfing. I’m not as freaked out to be the first one in the water anymore it is more about just surfing when I want to surf and being in love with it.”

Heat 6 saw a heated battle unfold between reigning World Champion Adriano de Souza (BRA), Kolohe Andino (USA) and event wildcard Michael Wright (AUS). Andino quickly set the pace with a big 9.10 ride, but Wright and De Souza continued to fight for the lead against Andino. This heat saw a big upset with wildcard Wright edging out De Souza and the yellow jersey by 0.04 points.

“I was pretty stoked for Quiksilver to give me the wildcard this year,” said Wright. “It was a little dusty at the start, but that last one was a pretty fun and I was stoked to get a couple of good waves.”

CT veteran Jeremy Flores (FRA) battled rookie Davey Cathels (AUS) in Heat 7. Cathels put up strong scores, but it was not enough to defeat Flores’ two-wave score of 15.90. Cathels came close with 15.00, but will head to Round 2 with fellow Australian, Adrian Buchan who had a combined score of 10.74.

“It is just another day, another year in the office,” said Flores following his heat. “We are lucky to have such an incredible job, but we have to take it seriously. It is my tenth year and I feel like I still have a lot to show.”

We saw an exciting match-up in Heat 8 between eleven-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS) and Conner Coffin (USA). Slater had a great start with a 7.67, but fell into third priority for a majority of the heat. The three exchanged solid rides, but it was Wilkinson who progressed through with a two-wave combined score of 17.00, beating Slater by 3.73 points and Coffin by 4.83 points.

“It started off a little bit slow and I put down a fairly good score and then I had priority,” Wilkinson said. “With Kelly and Conner out there I knew I had to use my priority ride. That one came and Kelly was paddling and I took off. I ended up with a really good one, so I was stoked.”

Wiggoly Dantas (BRA) snagged the top two scores in the heat, giving him a total of 17.26 points against Jordy Smith (ZAF), who garnered 13.43 points, and Miguel Pupo (BRA) who scored 12.47 points. Dantas expressed his confidence after the heat. “I learned a lot last year,” said Dantas. “I have been here for ten days already so I have been surfing with a lot of boards and finding the magic board.”

The last heat of Round 1 had no shortage of excitement with the battle between Australian veteran Joel Parkinson, rookie compatriot Jack Freestone (AUS), and Hawaiian John John Florence (HAW). The early high scores challenged each surfer to push their performance throughout the heat. Florence and Freestone put up a solid two-wave score, but it was not enough to beat the local CT veteran’s 8.60 opening ride.

“I definitely had a little bit of local knowledge in that one,” Parkinson said. “I felt that Jack was pretty tense in that heat. The first time on the big league and the big stage really does play a role in your head, but I was really impressed with how much he relaxed. I know in my first ever CT heat I was so much more nervous than probably what he was.”

Surfline, official forecasters for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast, are calling for:

Steady trade windswell/swell to produce plenty of rideable and even fun zone surf first several days of the waiting period. Bump up in size for Sunday/Monday. Lingering swell Tuesday into Wednesday. Fading E swell late next week as steep angled short period SSE windswell mixes in.

The WSL Commissioner’s Office will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 7:35am start.

When Quiksilver Pro competition resumes, up first will be reigning WSL Champion Adriano de Souza (BRA) up against Trials winner Wade Carmichael (AUS) in Heat 1 of the elimination Round 1.

Highlights from the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast will be webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.

For more information, log onto WorldSurfLeague.com   

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.00, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 11.10, Keanu Asing (HAW) 8.80
Heat 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.50, Adam Melling (AUS) 10.37, Julian Wilson (AUS) 6.06
Heat 3: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 14.36, Jadson Andre (BRA) 13.30, Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 10.67
Heat 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.17, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 14.80, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 8.10
Heat 5: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.24, Wade Carmichael (AUS) 16.00, Matt Banting (AUS) 9.90
Heat 6: Michael Wright (AUS) 13.74, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.70, Kolohe Andino (USA) 9.10
Heat 7: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 15.90, Davey Cathels (AUS) 15.00, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.74
Heat 8: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 17.00, Kelly Slater (USA) 13.27, Conner Coffin (USA) 12.17
Heat 9: Nat Young (USA) 12.87, Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 12.14, Kai Otton (AUS) 11.50
Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.40, Josh Kerr (AUS) 12.26, Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 11.40
Heat 11: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 17.26, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.43, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.47
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.10, John John Florence (HAW) 13.56, Jack Freestone (AUS) 13.44

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Upcoming Round 2 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Wade Carmichael (AUS)
Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Heat 3: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Stuart Kennedy (AUS)
Heat 4: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS)
Heat 6: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Davey Cathels (AUS)
Heat 7: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Conner Coffin (USA)
Heat 8: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Alex Ribeiro (BRA)
Heat 9: Keanu Asing (HAW) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (USA)
Heat 10: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 11: Caio Ibelli (BRA) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 12: Matt Banting (AUS) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)

Jordy Smith Mozam and More…

Jordy Smith tack sharp at home in SA and a mission to Mozam. Injury free and frothing finally you think he’s ready for the new season? Sweet soundtrack from War On Drugs n’all.