The EP lighties really stepped up to the plate in the u20 division of the SA Champs held in Durbs this weekend. Emma Smith won the girls, and Dylan Lightfoot got a 3rd in the boys. Overall EP got a 5th, with Southern KZN winning. New Pier gooi'd up some really contestable lil runners with favourable winds - so everyone was stoked!

Defending SA Surfing Champion Casey Grant (SKZN) clinched the 2013 Cool Shoe SA Surfing Championship open men's title at Durban's New Pier today. Grant convincingly outscored his opponents in the final, beating ISA World Masters Champion Greg Emslie (Border), Klee Strachan (SCKZN) and Matt Bromley (WP) winning his second consecutive title in clean 0.5 meter surf.

Mikey February won the Boys, and Nikita Robb the Ladies.

The Cool Shoe South African Surfing Championships got underway in overcast and rainy weather but great one metre waves at New Pier in Durban today (Thursday) with 96 surfers representing eight provincial teams chasing individual and team glory in the 48th edition of the country’s premier national surfing event.

The 2012 SA champions in the four divisions all started the defense of their respective titles by safely progressing directly to Round 3 with Casey Grant (Southern KZN) in the Men’s, Nikita Robb (Border) in the Women’s and Mikey February (Western Province) in the U20 Boys winning their opening encounters while Heidi Palmboom (KZN Central) finished second in her first match-up.

Western Province, who won the team title in their home surf of Cape Town last year, had a steady start in their bid to win the retain the coveted President’s Cup with three of their 12-person team needing to contest Round 2 heats tomorrow after finishing third in Round 1. Host province KZN Central are determined to wrest the Cup away from their arch-rivals and only have one surfer in Round 2.

The Men’s division saw former multiple SA champ and current ISA World Masters champion Greg Emslie win his heat along with fellow Border surfer Wayne Monk, KZN Central’s Matt Kruger, Daniel Redman and Brandon Jackson, Mike Frew (Zululand) and Matthew Bromley (WP).

Nikita Robb was joined in Round 3 of the Women’s division by heat winners Tarryn Chudleigh and Tanika Hoffman from Western Province and the Queen of SA women’s surfing, Heather ‘Fergie’ Clark from Southern KZN.

Western Province’s Max Armstrong and Brandon Benjamin matched teammate Mikey February’s winning start in the U20 Boys category along with Dylan Lightfoot and Steven Sawyer from Eastern Province, David van Zyl and Mikey Venter from KZN Central and Jeandre Blignaut from Boland.

Emma and Gina Smith from Eastern Province, Chanelle Botha (SKZN) and Roxy Giles from Southern Cape were the heat winners in Round 1 of the U20 Girls.

Friday’s action at the Cool Shoe SA Surfing champs will see Round 2 of the Men’s, Women’s, U20 Boy’s and U20 Girl’s divisions completed, followed by Round 3 of the Women and U20 Girls.

The afternoon programme features the Prime Trials, sanctioned by ASP Africa, where 11 of the country’s top emerging talents will battle for two spots in the 96-man field for the US $250 000, ASP Prime rated Mr Price Pro Ballito event that will be contested from 1-7 July at Willard’s Beach in Ballito.

The Cool Shoe SA Surfing Championships runs until Sunday 30 June when the champions in all four individual divisions and the team champions will be crowned at an awards ceremony on the beach around 12 noon.

All the results and the schedule for each day of the event can be found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za.

KERAMAS, Bali/Indonesia (Thursday, June 27, 2013) – Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, has won the inaugural Oakley Pro Bali over Michel Bourez (PYF), 27, via an impressive come-from-behind effort in four-to-six foot (2 metre) waves at the iconic Balinese righthander of Keramas.

Stop No. 5 of 10 on the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the Oakley Pro Bali hosted a historic high-performance showdown including perfect heats and next level progression from the world’s best surfers, culminating with Parkinson’s hard-fought victory over Bourez in the Final.

Parkinson was quick to adapt to the changing conditions on the final day of action, besting fellow countrymen Taj Burrow (AUS), 35, and Josh Kerr (AUS), 29, en route to the Final. The natural-footer got off to a slow start on his road to victory, but an impressive series of fully-committed forehand combinations on a steep righthand wall would see the reigning ASP World Champion surpass the Tahitian in the final minutes for the win.

“That was amazing,” Parkinson said. “That was the coolest experience coming up the sand. It wasn’t the greatest of the finals and I knew it wasn’t over. I figured if I got the best wave towards the end figured I’d have a chance. Michel (Bourez) ripped and was probably the most in form surfer of the event. I dropped off my four fin back to my three fin and just didn’t get a good pump in that one good barrel and was hoping it didn’t lose me the final. From then on I knew I had to go to do turns.”

The Oakley Pro Bali marks Parkinson’s first ASP WCT victory of the season, vaulting the stylish Australian to No. 3 on the rankings and within striking distance of the 2013 ASP World Title.

“This gives me heaps of motivation moving forward,”Parkinson said. “I’ve had two bad results and I knew I could change it around, but I’m glad I did it now rather than later. This win is so special because the event had such a good vibe around the event and such good energy about it. This was huge. The event lived up to they hype because guys were going absolutely crazy. It was one of the best events I’ve been involved in.”

Michel Bourez attacked the flawless righthanders of Keramas with incredible power, besting two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 32, and dangerous rookie Nat Young (USA), 22, on his way to the Final. Bourez would hold the lead throughout the majority of the Final, but was unable to block Parkinson’s late-heat charge, taking both a runner-up finish and the best ASP WCT result of his career.

“It’s really good just to make the final and it was my first final ever,” Bourez said. “This event has been great for everyone with barrels everyday. The culture and people of Bali are amazing and I’m just happy to put Tahiti on the podium. I feel confident going in to Tahiti and want to go there relaxed and do my thing.”

Nat Young (USA), 22, ASP WCT Rookie, continued to impress in Bali, threading excellent barrels and igniting deadly backhand turns at Keramas en route to a Semifinals finish. The Santa Cruz native was on the way to his second Final appearance of the season, but was stopped short by a rampaging Michel Bourez, finishing equal 3rd overall.

“I felt like I surfed alright,” Young said. “I broke my really good board the heat before that and had to switch over to a different one. I got a couple of good waves and watched Michel take off on that wave with 20 seconds left. There was nothing I could do. It would have been nice to make the final, but I’m stoked to get 3rd and I’m stoked for Michel.”

Josh Kerr (AUS), 29, was deadly at the Oakley Pro Bali, reveling in the technical barrels and Balinese walls of Keramas. Kerr looked fit for a final following an incredible Quarterfinals victory over former ASP World Champion C.J. Hobgood (USA), 33, but was unable to find a rhythm in his Semifinals match up against Parkinson, finishing equal 3rd. The result marks Kerr’s best result of the season.

“It would have been nice to go one better and make the Final, but a third place is a good result,” Kerr said. “This is my best result of the season and hopefully I can carry this momentum on to Tahiti and go one better there.”

With an equal 5th place finish at the Oakley Pro Bali, two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 32, has overtaken then rankings leader Kelly Slater (USA), 41, for the frontrunner position for the 2013 ASP World Title. While Fanning has been incredibly consistent throughout the season, he hopes to ramp up his performances through the back half of the year in an attempt to take a third crown.

“I’m happy with the result,” Fanning said. “It felt like I didn’t get waves, but things fired pretty well for me overall. I had an opportunity with Michel and was just a little too deep, but I’ve got to be happy with myself for holding strong when times were slow and it was a great event. It’s just fired me up more for the next events. It would have been good to get some more points, but it’s still a result. I’ve got five out of five now and just go for it towards back half of the year. I’ve got two throwaways, but I don’t have a big lead because the other guys got wins and now it’s about putting it together.”

Highlights from the Oakley Pro Bali are available via www.oakleyprobali.com

The next stop on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour will be the Billabong Pro Teahupoo from August 15 – 26, 2013.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

OAKLEY PRO BALI FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.86
2 – Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.67

OAKLEY PRO BALI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.43 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 5.33
SF 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) 15.50 def. Nat Young (USA) 14.97

OAKLEY PRO BALI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.17 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 3.13
QF 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) 17.44 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.83
QF 3: Nat Young (USA) 17.03 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.57
QF 4: Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.27 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.50

ASP WCT TOP 5 (After Oakley Pro Bali):
1. Mick Fanning (AUS) 31,400 points
2. Kelly Slater (USA) 30,950
3. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 26,700
4. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 25,200
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 24,900

KERAMAS, Bali/Indonesia (Wednesday, June 26, 2013) – The Oakley Pro Bali, Event No. 5 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), resumed competition today, completing Rounds 4 and 5 in excellent six-to-eight foot (2 – 2.5 metre) barrels at the primary venue of Keramas.

Taj Burrow (AUS), 35, current ASP WCT No. 4, opened up this morning’s proceedings with an excellent 18.30 out of a possible 20 heat total, weaving through a number of impress forehand barrels to advance directly into the Quarterfinals.

“I’m pretty happy to skip that next round,” Burrow said. “The last few events I got stuck in that Round 5 and got a ninth and once you get to the Quarters it’s considered a pretty good result, so I’m stoked.”

Josh Kerr (AUS), 29, continued this morning’s action with the best heat of his career, threading several solid barrels and blending big forehand turns to collect a near-perfect 19.20 out of 20 heat total. Of the fives waves Kerr caught in his Round 4 heat, all scored in the excellent (8 to 10-point range), including a Perfect 10.

“That was the best heat you could ever ask for,” Kerr said. “I had priority when the good ones came and that was just really fun. You can’t script a much better heat and that was my first 10 in a ‘CT event. I’ve been wanting one for years and to get one in a heat like that makes it that much more special. We’re so stoked to come to Bali and with the forecast looking good and right now, it’s so pumping out there. I just happened to get those longer nicer ones. Those guys were getting 9s and 8s as well and it’s good to skip that Round 5 because they’re never easy. You never know who you’re going to come up against.

Although suffering through a slower-than-preferred start to 2013, Kerr has since rebounded well, securing an Equal 5th last week in Fiji and advancing through to the Quarterfinals of the Oakley Pro Bali.

“I had a pretty slow start to the year with a 13th, 9th, and 13th, and was having a shocker, but I went to Fiji with a positive attitude,” Kerr said. “I brought my family with me and it translated to good result and it’s been the same here. I’m enjoying where I’m at and staying in the moment. It’s working out.”

Julian Wilson (AUS), 24, current ASP WCT No. 15, survived one of the slower heats of the morning, utilizing superior wave selection and solid surfing to post a win in the dying moments.

“We had a really slow heat and I figured it’d be slow after the last heat,” Wilson said. “I thought we’d get plenty of sets with the incoming tide, but it was still slow. My first wave was pretty good, but it felt like more of a warm up wave and I left it pretty tight at the end. I thought there’d be good barrels and sections for airs but there’d only be one or two sets, but it was close and came down to the end. So much energy got used up in that heat before that ours was bound to be a bit slow.”

Michel Bourez (PYF), 27, closed out Round 4 with an electric performance, securing an excellent 18.50 out of a possible 20 to advance directly into the Quarterfinals. The powerful Tahitian exhibited a blend of fearless tube-riding as well as unmatched power carves on his forehand.

“That’s why I like my job so much,” Bourez said. “I was having fun riding good barrels and getting paid for it. I got a really good score on my first wave and knew if Freddy (Patacchia) got a 9.8 that I needed to get a 9.8 too. I followed him everywhere he went and wanted to make sure I was on the good waves. I wanted to get a good result out here and hope this is just beginning. I know it’s hard to make the Semifinals out here and I’m just happy to be here and having fun.”

The action didn’t stop at Round 4, however, as the elimination, man-on-man Round 5 delivered some of the most impressive performances of the year.

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, reigning ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 7, opened up the afternoon’s action with a sensational shootout against an in-form John John Florence (HAW), 20. Florence threaded a number of excellent barrels and punctuated with unmatched carves to amass a near-perfect 19.20 out of a possible 20 heat total. The reigning champ would not be outdone, however,

“Over the years I’ve been coming here, there have been odd moments where you get a wave like that but never the kind of frequency we had in that heat,” Parkinson said. “That was just magic. We were throwing away 9s and John (Florence) was nearly sticking 8-foot corked out rotations. The kid can do it all and he was never one I was going to take lightly.”

C.J. Hobgood (USA), 33, caused the upset of the afternoon in the elimination of 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 1 Kelly Slater (USA), 41, in Round 5 of competition. With conditions changing in the dropping tide, Hobgood executed a series of impressive backhand maneuvers to put his fellow Floridian out of competition, 17.00 to 14.33.

“Trickier heat than most today for sure,” Hobgood said. “There have been some crazy heats with amazing waves and you could tell that the conditions were changing for our heat. I think out of all the times Kelly (Slater) and I have met up, I’ve only gotten him once before today so it was bound to balance out. I’m having one of the better years, performance-wise, of my life and although Keramas is a great wave for natural-footers, I think the goofies have something special to offer out there as well.”

Hobgood is joined in the Quarterfinals by fellow goofy-footer and rookie sensation Nat Young (USA), 22, who’s aggressive backhand approach resulted in a polished Round 5 win over title threat Adriano de Souza (BRA), 26.

Mick Fanning (AUS), 32, two-time ASP World Champion, capped off the day’s events by seizing the opportunity with a late-heat win over dangerous goofy-footer Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), 31. Fanning’s advancement this afternoon pushes the Gold Coaster ahead of Slater in the hunt for the 2013 ASP World Title for the time being.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 6:45am start

When competition resumes, up first will be Taj Burrow (AUS), 35, up against Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, in the opening Quarterfinal of the Oakley Pro Bali.

Highlights from the Oakley Pro Bali will be available via www.oakleyprobali.com

Surfline, official forecasters for the Oakley Pro Bali are calling for:

The current SW swell will continue on Wednesday. A larger SSW swell will build in through Thursday afternoon before gradually easing Friday. A new, long period SW swell will gradually build through Saturday as the old SSW swell fades.

OAKLEY PRO BALI ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 18.30, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.90, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 11.57
Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) 19.67, Kelly Slater (USA) 18.60, John John Florence (HAW) 17.10
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.00, Nat Young (USA) 13.86, Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.50
Heat 4: Michel Bourez (PYF) 18.50, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 17.23, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.87

OAKLEY PRO BALI ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 20.00 def. John John Florence (HAW) 19.20
Heat 2: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 17.00 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 14.33
Heat 3: Nat Young (USA) 16.93 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.94
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.46 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 12.90

UPCOMING OAKLEY PRO BALI QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
QF 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
QF 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Nat Young (USA)
QF 4: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Mick Fanning (AUS)

KERAMAS, Bali/Indonesia (Tuesday, June 25, 2013) – The Oakley Pro Bali resumed competition today and the world-class Balinese righthander of Keramas delivered barreling six-to-eight foot (2 – 2.5 metre) waves for the elimination Round 3.

Event No. 5 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the Oakley Pro Bali endured four lay days of small surf before Keramas reawakened today and the world’s best surfers threaded barrels, lofted airs and executed turns, whittling the event’s original 36-man field down to the final 12.

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, reigning ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 7, put on a clinic in his morning bout against an on-fire Damien Hobgood (USA), 33, amassing an excellent 18.60 out of a possible 20 for flawless barrel-riding and searing carves.

“That was really really fun,” Parkinson said. “We had non-stop waves for the heat and were just going back-and-forth on exchanges. I’ve been coming to Keramas for years and it’s one of my favorite waves in the world. The conditions this morning were absolutely incredible – sheet glass and big barrels. You can’t really ask for much more.”

John John Florence (USA), 20, in only his second event back since an injury at the opening event of the year saw him absent from the tour until last week in Fiji. Florence once again teed off against fellow Hawaiian Sebastian Zietz (HAW), 25, and used his preternatural barrel sense and progressive power surfing to take the win and advance into Round 3.

“Sebastian (Zietz) and I have had a lot of heats together lately,” Florence said. “He’s a couple of years older than me and he’s a really strong surfer. We had a really good Round 1 with lots of high scores and the waves this morning are ones that we both like to surf in. Unfortunately for Bass, he broke his board on his opening wave and I think that put him out of rhythm for the rest of the heat. The waves are really firing right now.”

Kelly Slater (USA), 41, 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 1, followed suit with a win over local standout Putra Hermawan (IDN), 20, but one that was a departure from the icon’s characteristic dominance in similar conditions.

“It was a frustrating heat for me,” Slater said. “There weren’t a lot of opportunities and the few that came through, he (Hermawan) had them. I was lucky that he didn’t end up taking advantage of them. When it’s stop and go like that, you have to use what you have so I ended up taking a lot of smaller waves and building some medium scores. Turned out to be enough, but yeah, definitely frustrating with the kinds of waves that have been coming through out here today.”

Following a pristine morning of freight train barrels, the dropping tide and afternoon winds shifted the performance focus from tube-riding to turns and aerials in the latter half of the round.

Adriano de Souza (BRA), 26, current ASP WCT No. 5, flew the South American flag high today, besting dangerous backhander Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 24, during a round that saw the elimination of three of his fellow Brazilians.

“Has been a tough day for Brazil and now I’m the only one left,” De Souza said. “Keramas is a wave that has many faces – it can be a barrel, it can be for turns, it can be for airs. Matt (Wilkinson) had priority for most of our heat so I used my time catching a lot of waves and building a house. It worked out for me in the end. Very happy.”

Michel Bourez (PYF), 27, demolished the rippable afternoon conditions, blending powerful carves with explosive fin-free surfing to post a 16.94 out of a possible 20 and eliminate South American upstart Gabriel Medina (BRA), 19, in Round 3 of competition.

“Very fun waves out at Keramas today,” Bourez said. “I’m feeling strong and healthy and I have very good boards at the moment. I had a good start to the year with a 3rd on the Gold Coast, but have had some poor results too already. Keramas is a wave that is very rippable for all the guys on tour. I feel like I can surf it well if I get the right waves in my heats.”

Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), 31, closed out the day’s events with a major upset in his elimination of event favorite and current ASP WCT No. 3 Jordy Smith (ZAF), 25.

“I did my best to stick to my game plan,” Patacchia said. “I started strong and I know most of the guys on tour can do airs on nearly any wave out there, but they’re high-risk maneuvers and you have to stick them. I definitely waited longer than I wanted to for my second wave score, but it came and I surfed it as well as I can. I knew I could get the score on it and I was just thinking that if you can’t get the score here, you don’t belong on this tour.”

Patacchia would claim the sole goofy-foot over natural-foot victory today in conditions that most pundits would have given the advantage to the South African.

“I knew I was the last heat of the day and I knew that the wind would switch and these would be Jordy (Smith) conditions,” Patacchia said. “I definitely felt like the underdog, but I had a plan and I stuck to it and surfed as hard and as smart as I could and it paid off. Really psyched to get through that heat and it gives me a lot of confidence to get past someone like him.”

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 6:45am start.

When competition resumes, up first will be Taj Burrow (AUS), 35, C.J. Hobgood (USA), 33, and Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, in Heat 1 of Round 4.

Highlights from the Oakley Pro Bali will be available via www.oakleyprobali.com

Surfline, official forecasters for the Oakley Pro Bali are calling for:

The current SW swell will continue on Wednesday. A larger SSW swell will build in through Thursday afternoon before gradually easing Friday. A new, long period SW swell will gradually build through Saturday as the old SSW swell fades.

OAKLEY PRO BALI ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.83 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 9.17
Heat 2: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 12.10 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.67
Heat 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.60 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 18.26
Heat 4: Josh Kerr (AUS) 16.70 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 6.77
Heat 5: John John Florence (HAW) 16.07 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 13.87
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 13.96 def. Putra Hermawan (IDN) 8.90
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.53 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 9.73
Heat 8: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.74 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 9.94
Heat 9: Nat Young (USA) 16.10 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 15.03
Heat 10: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.73 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.67
Heat 11: Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.94 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 8.94
Heat 12: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 12.50 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 10.34

UPCOMING OAKLEY PRO BALI ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS), John John Florence (HAW), Kelly Slater (USA)
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS), Julian Wilson (AUS), Nat Young (USA)
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)

KERAMAS, Bali/Indonesia (Thursday, June 20, 2013) – The remaining two heats of Round 2 of the Oakley Pro Bali were completed this morning in clean three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves at Keramas.

Event No. 5 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the Oakley Pro Bali has enjoyed an excellent and exciting start to the competition and, with plenty of swell forecast for the window, event organizers will reconvene in improved conditions in the coming days.

Putra Hermawan (IND), 20, was a late replacement for an injured Travis Logie (ZAF), 34, this morning and the young Indonesian made the most of his opportunity, eliminating Californian Brett Simpson (USA), 28, in the opening heat of the day. The young, Balinese natural-footer threaded a number of impressive barrels to secure the win, the first ASP WCT heat win in history for an Indonesian.

“I am so excited to be in the event,” Hermawan said. “I am proud to be representing Indonesia and the waves are very fun. I hope I can keep surfing well.”

Hermawan will face 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 1 Kelly Slater (USA), 41, in Round 3 of competition.

Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 24, was electric on his backhand this morning, surfing fast and loose in the glassy morning conditions at Keramas. Wilkinson’s 14.90 heat total was enough to better a strong showing from Kolohe Andino (USA), 19, and advance through to Round 3.

“I was surfing all morning and the waves were really fun,” Wilkinson said. “I was pretty vocal about having them call it on as there was lots of opportunity to get some great scores. There are waves that offer lots of maneuvers and other ones that offer a few hail marys. Psyched to have a good heat and really happy to be in Bali.”

Wilkinson will take on Adriano de Souza (BRA), 26, in Round 3 of the Oakley Pro Bali.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow at 7:30am to assess conditions for a possible 8:30am start.

When competition resumes, up first will be Taj Burrow (AUS), 35, up against Miguel Pupo (BRA), 21, in the opening heat of Round 3.

Highlights from the Oakley Pro Bali will be available via www.oakleyprobali.com

Surfline, official forecasters for the Oakley Pro Bali are calling for:

The current SW swell will gradually back down through the end of the work week. A slightly smaller swell for Keramas (much smaller for Canggu) will peak on Sunday the 23rd, after building Saturday afternoon the 22nd. A series of potentially solid SW to SSW swells are on the radar for the afternoon of Monday the 24th through Friday the 28th.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

OAKLEY PRO BALI REMAINING ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 11: Putra Hermawan (IDN) 12.00 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 11.07
Heat 12: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.90 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 13.50

UPCOMING OAKLEY PRO BALI ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 2: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Damien Hobgood (USA)
Heat 4: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Heat 5: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. John John Florence (HAW)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Putra Hermawan (IDN)
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Julian Wilson (AUS)
Heat 9: Nat Young (USA) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 10: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 11: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)
Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)

KERAMAS, Bali/Indonesia (Wednesday, June 19, 2013) – The Oakley Pro Bali recommenced this morning in clean four-to-six foot (1.5 – 2 metre) waves at Keramas.

The fifth stop on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the Oakley Pro Bali opened up this morning’s action with four heats of the elimination Round 2 before halting for a tidal readjustment and then completing Heats 5 through 10 this afternoon. After yesterday’s blistering opening round featuring a number of high-profile upsets, today’s action witnessed the top seeds regain control, winning nine from 10 heats, in the high-performance perfection of the Keramas righthanders.

Kelly Slater (USA), 41, 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 1, wasted no time in steamrolling wildcard Jack Robinson (AUS), 15, this morning, amassing the day’s high 18.17 out of a possible 20 for a masterful display of forehand tube-riding and power turns.

“There are some really good waves out there when they come,” Slater said. “Still though, I’m two for two on slow heats. The waves are fun when they come through, but there just weren’t a lot in mine. I was happy to get a couple of good waves at the start and that really put the pressure on Jack (Robinson).”

Following a win in Fiji last week, Slater bolted back up the ASP WCT ratings and regained the frontrunner spot. Although under threat of acquiring a poor result in today’s Round 2, the Floridian’s quick start over his younger competitor allowed him to come in for a board change mid heat.

“Crucial heat for everyone in Round 2 I think,” Slater said. “Yeah, I still like to experiment. Before the heat, I told Belly (Stephen Bell) that if I got two good waves, I was going to come in and switch to the quad. During the free surfs out here, there really isn’t a lot of space so I like to take the opportunity to test equipment whenever I can.”

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, reigning ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 7, held fast in a slower heat against lethal local wildcard Oney Anwar (IND), 19, to take a morning win and advance through to Round 3.

“It was pumping at first light, but the tide was running out so our heat was a little slow,” Parkinson said. “I was stoked to get a win though as I had a shocker yesterday. Oney (Anwar) is a really good kid and a really talented surfer,” Parkinson said. “He was telling me that if he got a set out there, he was going to do some damage and he certainly did.”

Taj Burrow (AUS), 35, perennial ASP World Title contender and current ASP WCT No. 4, was another top seed to reclaim a victory this morning, besting wildcard Bruce Irons (HAW), 33, with a flurry of fast-paced forehand action.

“The start was looking to be an incredible heat,” Burrow said. “We both nearly came out of great drainers, but just got pinched. It wasn’t an ideal heat for me. I was torn between catching waves to find my feet as well as playing it smart. Every event, it takes me a few days to find my feet. It’s unfortunate that it didn’t pump for the whole heat, but that’s alright.”

Following the midday hold, the world’s best surfers returned to Keramas for six heats before dark and the action was nothing short of excellent.

Gabriel Medina (BRA), 19, current ASP WCT No. 14, was heavily-touted as a legitimate ASP World Title contender before the 2013 season started. However, outside of an Equal 3rd at Rio, this year has been less-than-stellar for the Brazilian wunderkind. Looking to correct this season’s momentum, Medina posted a solid win against compatriot power broker Willian Cardoso (BRA), 27, this afternoon for committed and powerful backhand surfing.

“Yesterday, I was trying to go too big because this wave is so rippable,” Medina said. “Today I just focused on completing turns and waves. I was able to build a momentum that way and it worked out well for me. I have had a few tough results this season, but I am leaning and I’m hoping I can get back on track in Bali.”

Sebastian Zietz (HAW), 25, 2013 ASP Dream Tour rookie and current ASP WCT No. 9, was a stand out in yesterday’s Round 1 action, posting a near-perfect 19.37 out of a possible 20 and going down to John John Florence‘s (HAW), 20, 19.87. Zietz was undeterred today, however, lacerating the Keramas walls to take out a Round 2 win.

“I knew there weren’t going to be any barrels today but it’s perfect air wind,” Zietz said. “Completely different heat to yesterday, but super rippable and I’m glad I was able to get a few good ones. Being in Bali is a blast. I feel comfortable here and I’m looking forward to more Keramas perfection.”

Zietz has re-drawn Florence in Round 3 of the Oakley Pro Bali when competition resumes.

Julian Wilson (AUS), 24, took to the sky this afternoon, vaulting a series of massive aerials to take down a hungry Raoni Monteiro (BRA), 31, and advance through to Round 3 of the Oakley Pro Bali.

“I feel like I’m warming up a bit,” Wilson said. ‘I had a good first heat and got unlucky at the end. I was fired up. had a good free surf before, there are lots of fun sections and that put me in a good frame of mind heading into the heat. I wasn’t looking for a perfect wave, just taking a lot of opportunities and it worked out well for me. Surfing out here is so much fun.”

Adrian Buchan (AUS), 30, capped off the afternoon’s proceedings with the day’s high single-wave score of a 9.67 out of a possible 10 for a series of blistering backhand assaults and elevator drop floaters.

“When the wind comes up, I think there are less opportunities for barrels,” Buchan said. “I think this wave really suits goofy-footers. I’ve had a few close heats this year, but I feel like my surfing has been there and my equipment is feeling good.. There were some opportunities out here for me this afternoon and I went as hard as I could at them.”

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 6:45am start.

When competition resumes, up first will be Travis Logie (ZAF), 34, up against Brett Simpson (USA), 28, in Heat 11 of Round 2.

Highlights from the Oakley Pro Bali will be available via www.oakleyprobali.com

Surfline, official forecasters for the Oakley Pro Bali are calling for:

The current SW swell will gradually back down through the end of the work week. A slightly smaller swell for Keramas (much smaller for Canggu) will peak on Sunday the 23rd, after building Saturday afternoon the 22nd. A series of potentially solid SW to SSW swells are on the radar for the afternoon of Monday the 24th through Friday the 28th.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

OAKLEY PRO BALI ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.17 def. Jack Robinson (AUS) 3.43
Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 13.50 def. Bruce Irons (HAW) 3.14
Heat 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.10 def. Oney Anwar (IND) 14.03
Heat 4: Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.00 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.00
Heat 5: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.80 def. Willian Cardoso (BRA) 8.77
Heat 6: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.23 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 11.60
Heat 7: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.70 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 12.77
Heat 8: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 17.13 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 10.44
Heat 9: Kai Otton (AUS) 14.90 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 8.17
Heat 10: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.77 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.70

OAKLEY PRO BALI REMAINING ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 11: Travis Logie (ZAF) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 12: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)

KERAMAS, Bali/Indonesia (Tuesday, June 18, 2013) – Round 1 of the Oakley Pro Bali has been called on this morning with the opening heat hitting the water at 7am in clean four-to-six foot (1.5 metre) waves at the primary venue of Keramas.

Event No. 5 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the Oakley Pro Bali commences its maiden installment as an elite tour event and the world’s best surfers are on the scene to do battle in the high-performance playground.

“The waves have turned up for Day 1 of the competition window and we’ll be commencing Round 1 of competition at 11am,” Rich Porta, ASP International Head Judge, said. “Keramas is an extremely tidal venu so it’s likely that we’ll see several heats run this morning before going on a hold through mid-day and then running again this afternoon. We will monitor conditions and make adjustments accordingly. Good luck to all our competitors today.”

Up first this morning will be Adriano de Souza (BRA), 26, Bede Durbidge (AUS), 30, and Dusty Payne (HAW), 24, in the opening heat of Round 1.

The Oakley Pro Bali will be webcast LIVE via www.oakleyprobali.com

Surfline, official forecasters for the Oakley Pro Bali are calling for:

Medium size, long period SW swell will build in for the first two days of the event waiting period, Tue/Wed the 18th-19th, easing for the second half of the week. A similar sized swell for Keramas is on the radar for the 22nd-23rd, with more swells on the long range radar for the final 5 days of the event holding period at this point.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

OAKLEY PRO BALI ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Bede Durbidge (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Travis Logie (ZAF), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS), Kolohe Andino (USA), Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Oney Anwar (IND)
Heat 5: Mick Fanning (AUS), Brett Simpson (USA), Bruce Irons (HAW)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA), Damien Hobgood (USA), Jack Robinson (AUS)
Heat 7: Nat Young (USA), Kai Otton (AUS), Willian Cardoso (BRA)
Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS), Filipe Toledo (BRA), Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 9: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 10: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Julian Wilson (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 12: Sebastian Zietz (HAW), John John Florence (HAW), Miguel Pupo (BRA)

Whose gonna win? Think you know? Then enter the ML Fantasy Surfer comp <here>

DAKINE ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Jiquiliste Beach, Nicaragua
8-16 June 2013

Three SA surfers ousted on Day 4 of DAKINE ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in Nicaragua

The South African junior surfing team’s chances of a team medal at the 2013 DAKINE ISA World Junior Surfing Championships presented by Billabong took a blow in Nicaragua yesterday after three of their surfers were eliminated from the event when they finished outside the top two in their respective repercharge heats.

As the other nine SA surfers continued to forge ahead in their quest for individual and team honours, Josh Smit (U18 Boys), Anoush Zakarian (U16 Girls) and vice captain Gina Smith (U18 Girls) were ousted at the halfway stage of the eight-day event.

Smit and Zakarian ended 31st overall in their divisions, while Smith finished her campaign in 25th spot. With each team having four boys and two girls in two age categories, boys’ points are multiplied by four and the girls’ by two resulting in Smit contributing 1 320 points towards the team total while Zakarian earned 660 and Smith 780.

In other action, Benji Brand provided a master-class in the excellent head-high waves and offshore winds that Nicaragua is famous for. Staying busy in the line-up by riding 10 waves in the 20 minute heat, Brand led his U18 qualifying Round 3 heat from start to finish and relegated surfers from the USA and Australia to the repercharge rounds.

Brand was joined by Diran Zakarian in the last 12 in the U18 Boys qualifying stream after the Melkbosstrand local posted the highest single ride score of his heat – 6.97 out of 10 – to place second behind Cam Richards (USA) and dropping highly touted Parker Coffin (USA) into the repo rounds.

Team captain Dylan Lightfoot slipped to fourth place in his heat in the same round, but the talented Jeffreys Bay resident bounced back immediately with a strong performance in his Round 4 repercharge heat and remains on track, albeit a tougher one through the repercharge rounds, for a good result in the event.

Jordy Maree continued his charge through the U16 Boys division, posting another convincing heat win yesterday and moving into the last 16 in the qualifying stream. He faces a difficult assignment today when he goes up against Kai Hing (AUS), who produced a perfect 10 point ride yesterday, and two members of the strong Hawaiian team

Steff Burrows, Matt McGillivray and Shane Sykes all comfortably advanced to the U16 Boys repecharge Round 4 with Burrows and McGillivray recording heat wins and Sykes a strong runner-up berth.

Nicole Pallet placed fourth in her low-scoring U18 Girls qualifying Round 3 heat yesterday and will take to the surf in the repercharge Round 4 today while Chanelle Botha squeaked through her U16 Girls repercharge Round 3 heat in second place and will also be in action again today.

Hawaii, the defending team champions, is the only country with all 12 team members still in the event at the halfway stage. Australia and the USA have had one boy eliminated each, while France and Japan have ‘lost’ two boys and are marginally ahead of Team SA who are in sixth place in the provisional standings after losing one boy and two girls. 

There is then a substantial gap to Peru, Brazil and New Zealand who will be without further contributions from three boys and at least one girl each.

All the action at the DAKINE ISA World Junior Surfing Championship presented by Billabong can be watched live at www.isawjsc.com starting at 15:40 (SA Time) with The Morning Show hosted by Chris Ernst and Mateo Rojas.

The schedule for today sees competition confined to the Main Podium with all nine of Team SA’s remaining surfers in action in their respective qualifying and repercharge rounds. First up are Diran Zakarian and Benji Brand in the U18 Boys qualifying Round 4, followed by repercharge heats for the U16 Boys, U18 Girls, U18 Boys and U16 Girls. 

Jordy Maree then gets the opportunity to move a step closer to the Grand Final in the U16 Boys qualifying stream. The day closes with Round 5 of the U16 Boys repercharge, which will hopefully include all three SA boys who would have competed in Round 4 earlier.

DAKINE ISA World Junior Surfing Championship
Program – Day 4 - Wednesday

Podium 1 (Webcast and live scores)
3 Heats Qualify 4 Boys U-18 (SA’s Diran Zakarian-Heat 1, Benji Brand-H2)
8 Heats Repercharge 4 Boys U-16 (Steff Burrows-H1, Matt McGillivray-H5, Shane Sykes-H8)
3 Heats Repercharge 4 Girls U-18 (Nicole Pallet-H2)
3 Heats Repercharge 5 Boys U-18 (Dylan Lightfoot-H2)
3 Heats Repercharge 4 Girls U-16 (Chanelle Botha-H1)
4 Heats Qualify 4 Boys U-16 (Jordy Maree-H2)
4 Heats Repercharge 5 Boys U-16 (TBA)

Team SA’s progress can be followed on www.facebook.com/surfing.sa and viawww.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

CLOUDBREAK, Tavarua/Fiji (Wednesday, June 12, 2013) - Kelly Slater (USA), 41, has won the Volcom Fiji Pro over Mick Fanning(AUS), 31, in pumping six-to-eight foot (2 metre) barrels at Cloudbreak, simultaneously launching to No. 1 on the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) rankings.

Stop No. 4 of 10 on the ASP WCT, the Volcom Fiji Pro saw several days of world-class surf at both Restaurants and Cloudbreak and a series of mixed results from the ASP Top 34 frontrunners shook up the current race for the ASP World Title.

Slater built momentum throughout the Volcom Fiji Pro, peaking on the final day of competition. The 11-time ASP World Champion’s road to victory included a perfect 20-point heat against Sebastian Zeitz (HAW), 25, in the Quarterfinals, a victory over John John Florence (HAW), 20, in the Semifinals, culminating with a win over Fanning in the Final that included a near-perfect 19.80 out of 20 heat total.

“What a day,” Slater said. “That was insane. When we stared out in the Final, Mick had position and I was a little deep, but the next one was unbelievable. I want to dedicate this to my brother and his wife and their new kid Van. He told me that if I missed the birth of his son, that I’d better win, so this is for you. I want to say hi to everyone at home. What can I say, what a day.”

Slater made history in his Quarterfinals match against Sebastian Zietz, collecting only the fourth perfect 20-point score on ASP record. Slater’s two unbelievable 10 point rides came compliments of deep backhand tuberiding and while the Floridian has netted several perfect 10-point single-wave scores, the perfect 20 heat marks only the second of Slater’s lengthy career.

“The waves are the stars today,” Slater said. “When they come, they’re unbelievable. I missed one in that heat that was insane. The second 10 that I got, Seabass (Sebastian Zietz) maybe could have got it, but he was a little deep. It just hit that inside and ran. It reminded me of the one yesterday that i didn’t come out of and I just though, ‘just keep going forward, don’t make the same mistake as yesterday.’ When waves are this good, I don’t discount it happening a few times in this event because the waves are there, you just have to stand up on them. Theoretically, I could have had three 10s yesterday, the waves were just that good. It’s a special thing if you can get a 10 in a heat, so I’m really stoked.”

Mick Fanning displayed incredible backhand barrel-riding skills at Cloudbreak, driving through deep tubes and unloading massive turns on his way to the Final. Fanning would go on to best close friend and reigning ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, in the Quarterfinals and deadly goofy-footer C.J. Hobgood (USA), 33, in the Semifinals but was unable to match Slater in their bout for the win.

“I’m pretty stoked,” Fanning said. “I started off with the 9.2 and saw Kelly doing the Jesus Christ on the one behind it. When Kelly didn’t get a 10 on his first wave, I thought, ‘I’m still in this,’ but then he shut the door on the next one. Overall I’m happy. I didn’t really have a good start to this event and then at the end it came good.”

John John Florence marked an incredible return to competition following an injury sustained on the Gold Coast, collecting two perfect 10-point rides over the course of the event while taking an equal 3rd place finish. Florence looked deadly again on the Final day of the Volcom Fiji Pro, besting South African powerhouse Jordy Smith (ZAF), 25, in their Quarterfinals clash, but was unable to surpass Slater’s rampage in the Semifinals.

“It would have been nice to go one round further and make the finals, but a third is a good result and we got sick waves throughout the event,” Florence said. “To get a third in my first event back since my injury is a good start and hopefully I can do well in Bali.”

C.J. Hobgood got the best of several scrappy heats throughout the Volcom Fiji Pro, but found some excellent barrels in his Semifinals clash against Mick Fanning. Unfortunately for Hobgood, Fanning would find a buzzer-beating wave in the final seconds of their match-up, handing Hobgood an equal 3rd place finish.

“I had some really slow heats throughout the event, but making it that far, you always want to make the final,” Hobgood said. “Mick and I actually had some good waves in that heat finally, and he just got me at the end. It’s a bummer to lose at the end of the heat like that, but congrats to Mick on the win.”

For Volcom Fiji Pro highlights log on to www.volcomfijipro.com.

The next stop on the ASP WCT will be the Oakley Pro Bali, which holds a waiting period from June 18-29, 2013.

VOLCOM FIJI PRO FINAL:
1 - Kelly Slater (USA) 19.80
2 - Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.87

VOLCOM FIJI PRO SEMIFINALS RESULTS:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.17 def. John John Florence (HAW) 14.00
SF 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.07 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.70

VOLCOM FIJI PRO QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: John John Florence (HAW) 19.06 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.67
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 20 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 4.10
QF 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 7.77 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.50
QF 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.13 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 11.83

Shot to Andre Clarke and Heinrich Crouse for taking the win in the ML Fantasy Surfer comp. Kiff prizes on the way for you guys, from VonZipper, Kinetik Racing, Billabong and DaKine.