A whole East Cape contingent made the 8 hour trek west to go surf the Billabong Junior Series #3 at Long Beach, Cape Town. The Coffey and Van Rijswijck bro's, together with Britney and Rob, were flying the PE flag, whilst a bunch of JBay lighties made the mission as well.

Unfortunately none of the PE kids managed to make the finals, but they still had a great time surfing new waves - as not having to stick about the comp site meant they could go exploring in the Cape Point Reserve. 

The JBay lighties performed really well, with Emma Smith taking 1st in the u20 Girls. The rest of the JBay kids results as follows:

• Boys u12 Angelo Faulkner 3rd
• Girls u14 Kai Woold 2nd, Kirsty McGillivray 3rd, Zoe Smith 4th
• Boys u16 Matt McGillivray 4th
• Girls u18 Gina Smith 2nd, Crystal Hullet 4th (St Francis)
• Boys u20 Steve Sawyer 2nd, Jared Veldhuis 4th
• Girls u20 Emma Smith 1st 

The 4th and final Billabong Junior Series will take place at Seals on 21-23 September.

Gotto love it when an underdog has his day. Ace is a scrapper, and despite maybe some questionable priority calls still deserves his victory over the King. Questionable priority calls being that in the final he took a good few paddles for a wave and then pulled back - which in theory should then have actually given the priority over to Kelly. But the judges had other idea's, and Ace kept it....and said thanks very much judge muppets as he pulled into a drainer on the next wave....that could shoulda maybe shoulde actually been Kelly's. Credit to Kelly - he didn't throw a wobbly afterwards and graciously congratulated Ace on his win. Only Ace's 2nd tour win. Good on ya kid.

Shot to Mike Hill who was the only ou that backed Ace for the win - and scores himself a schweet set of VZ shades and some awesome Kinetic Racing fins. Second spot was a random draw from all those that picked Kelly, and Carl Walton's number popped up so he grabs a Billabong hoodie and a DaKine leash and deck grip.
(lotsa ou's tried to sneak some entries in after the quarters started...but eish, too late boys. Comp was closed)

Official ASP wrap

Adrian Buchan (AUS), 30, has claimed the 2013 Billabong Pro Tahiti over 11-time ASP World Champion and four-time Billabong Pro winner Kelly Slater (USA) in solid four-to-six foot (1.5 – 2 metre) waves at Teahupo’o.

Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), this season’s Billabong Pro Tahiti saw the famed South Pacific reef pass of Teahupo’o turn on throughout the event with the world’s best surfers redefining high-performance barrel-riding, culminating in a electric, marathon 19-heat final day.

The young Australian was on a tear during the final day of competition, posting excellent scores through his five heats today. Buchan’s back-to-back 9-point rides to open up the Final for phenomenally deep forehand barrels proved enough to stave off an inspired recovery from Slater, including a death-defying righthand barrel in the dying moments of the Final.

“I can’t believe it,” Buchan said. “Kelly (Slater) is incredible and I thought he snatched it for me at the end. I couldn’t go right…but I probably should have. I still can’t believe it. It hasn’t sunk in. What an incredible day though. The sun came out during the last five minutes and it’s all just really special right now.”

Buchan’s win today marks the second of his eight-year career amongst the world’s elite (his first in France over Slater in 2008) and Central Coast goofy-footer rockets from 18th to 10th on the 2013 ASP WCT rankings.

“I knew I had to step it up today,” Buchan said. “Had to plow through some big names today. Every time I paddled out, I told myself that I only had to catch two waves. That was my mantra through each heat and it worked out well for me.”

Slater was a man possessed on the final day of competition, surviving horrific wipeouts throughout his five heats of competition to find himself in this evening’s Final against Buchan. Despite an incredible backhand barrel and a last-minute effort on a righthander, the Australian’s early scores would prove too much for Slater to overcome.

“Took a few poundings out there today for sure,” Slater said. “Felt like I dislocated my shoulder at one point but it feels okay now. The waves were really fun today and Ace (Adrian Buchan) just happened to get those two gems at the start of the heat. Those two were the ones and I would have preferred a win, but Ace has been in really good form all day and he’s a deserving winner.”

Slater’s Final berth this evening pushes the Floridian into the frontrunner spot on the 2013 ASP WCT rankings heading into the back four events of the season.

“Trestles, Europe and Pipe is a pretty strong leg for me historically,” Slater said. “It’s pretty close at the top right now so it will be an interesting finish to the season.”

Kai Otton (AUS), 33, proved one of the form goofy-footers of the Billabong Pro Tahiti, consistently notching excellent scores and heat totals en route to the Semifinals. The Australian’s passionate and committed forehand tube-riding approach was no match for Slater, however, with Otton settling a matched career-best Equal 3rd.

“It’s a pretty pivotal moment for me in my year,” Otton said. “I think I can confidently say that this result sets me up pretty well for requalification for next year. I obviously wanted to beat Kelly (Slater) there, but sometimes things don’t go your way. Still happy with the result though.”

Otton vaults from 17th to 13th on the 2013 ASP WCT rankings.

Mick Fanning (AUS), 32, two-time ASP World Champion and defending Billabong Pro Tahiti winner, was in fine form throughout the event, but ultimately fell to a rampaging Buchan in this evening’s Semifinals. Despite an impressive 9.13 of his own, Fanning was unable to overcome an early onslaught from his compatriot and settled for Equal 3rd.

“Big picture is all going well,” Fanning said. “Another Semifinal? You can’t be disappointed with that. Ace (Buchan) had a great heat with a phenomenal start and I had a couple of opportunities to come back but the tube monster got me. That said, I had a couple of close heats so to finish Equal 3rd is a good result.”

“The forecast was looking pretty dim before the event started but I think it’s been one of the better years for waves we’ve had,” Fanning said. “We finished early and I’m looking forward to a little more time at home before the next big leg.”

John John Florence (HAW), 20, has been in sensational form since his return from an early-season injury. One of the event favorites in Tahiti, Florence nailed an incredible double barrel Perfect 10 to open his Quarterfinal bout against Buchan this morning but was ultimately unable to overcome a massive heat total from the Australian. Although having to settle for Equal 5th in Tahiti, Florence was awarded the Andy Irons Most Committed Award for the event – honoring the late three-time ASP World Champion and Tahiti’s favorite adopted son.

“I’m very honored to be awarded the AI Most Committed Award,” Florence said. “He was a mentor to me and all my friends growing up. We all miss AI. We all still look up to him and what he did in the water. I obviously wanted to do better in the event, but if I couldn’t make it any further, this award is pretty much the most special one I could win. Looking forward to the next one.”

Highlights from the Billabong Pro Tahiti will be available via http://www.billabongpro.com/tahiti13

The next stop on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) will be the Hurley Pro at Trestles in Southern California from September 15 – 21, 2013.

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.94
2 – Kelly Slater (USA) 17.90

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.67 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.80
SF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.73 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 7.67

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.07 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.06
QF 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 19.17 def. John John Florence (HAW) 17.33
QF 3: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.54 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.90
QF 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.86 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 8.66

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.20 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.40
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.16 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.30
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.00 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 17.27
Heat 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.74 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.97

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Josh Kerr (AUS) 16.67, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 16.47, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.67
Heat 2: John John Florence (HAW) 18.67, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 17.80, Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.10
Heat 3: Kai Otton (AUS) 18.93, Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.74, Kelly Slater (USA) 14.77
Heat 4: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 18.53, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.47, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.70

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI REMAINING ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 9: Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.34 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 0.73
Heat 10: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 9.60 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 7.10
Heat 11: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 16.70 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.16
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.33 def. Alain Riou (PYF) 15.76

CURRENT ASP WCT TOP 5 (Following Billabong Pro Tahiti):
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 38,950 pts
2. Mick Fanning (AUS) 37,900 pts
3. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 30,700 pts
4. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 29,200 pts
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 25,400 pts

Mick pulled a Kelly. Pipped a heat out from under Walshi's feet - and his priority - turning it into a 10. Kelly did a near perfect 18.97. Travis lost to Ace by 0.3. Jordy's still in the mix and into Round 4 squeaking in by only 0.2 points ahead of Hedgy. Oh, and the waves were pretty darn perfect. 3-5 foot Tahitian style.

Is your man still in contention? Pick your winner, and enter the ML Fantasy Surfer comp - and score schweet prizes. Click to play.

ASP Official wrap on Day 2

TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti (Friday, August 16, 2013) – The 2013 Billabong Pro Tahiti returned to Teahupo’o today with the world’s best surfers reveling in flawless three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) barrels to complete Round 2 and the opening eight heats of Round 3.

Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), the Billabong Pro Tahiti recommences this season’s hunt for the prestigious world surfing crown and the ASP Top 34 put on an incredible reef pass performance today in pristine barrels at Teahupo’o.

Mick Fanning (AUS), 32, defending Billabong Pro Tahiti winner and current frontrunner on the ASP WCT rankings, earned a crucial heat win towards his 2013 ASP World Title campaign, besting lethal wildcard Ian Walsh (HAW), 30, in the dying moments of their Round 3 heat. In need of an excellent ride with the clock ticking down, the natural-footer dropped into a flawless 10 point ride, earning the win and advancing to Round 4.

“My heart was in my mouth,” Fanning said. “I was looking at waves and Ian had priority and played a smart heat. You’re looking for a special wave out there, but they’re all special. I was just lucky and stoked to get that one. It’s times like those when you need those clutch performances when you’re going for a title and I’ve had those in the last couple of events. That’s what you train for. It’s about staying cool.”

Kelly Slater (USA), 41, 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 2, immediately followed Fanning’s efforts with an excellent Round 3 heat, posting a near-perfect 18.97 out of 20 heat total while defeating wildcard Anthony Walsh (AUS), 30.

“I think Anthony is one of the best barrel riders in the world,” Slater said. “He’s dangerous out there and spends a lot of time out here. He’s not a guy you want to draw early and you expect to surf against him later in the event. I got a little too greedy to start and he started off with a good one. Luckily I got that 9 and backed it up. I got some good waves. This is the best Teahupo’o I’ve surfed in a couple of years for the size.”

Jeremy Flores (FRA), 25, continued to cement his reputation today as one of the best tube-riders on the planet, besting Brett Simpson (USA), 28, with a near-perfect 19.33 to Simpson’s excellent 17.10. Flores’s incredible performance would see the young Frenchman collect the event’s second perfect 10-point ride, backed up with a 9.33 on a deadly righthander.

“I think the only 10s I’ve had have been at Teahupo’o,” Flores said. “Every year we come, it’s one of the best events in terms of waves. Tahiti is paradise and it’s one of my favorite waves in the world. It’s perfect and terrifying at the same time, even when it’s small. It feels good to get a 10. I didn’t expect to get a right like that. It felt like Backdoor. It was a proper right and spat me out. That right was a good wave. I knew if I didn’t come out I would get cut up by the reef. There was definitely some pressure to get out of that barrel.”

Flores’s dominance would continue his form through Round 3, eliminating former winner Damien Hobgood (USA), 34, and advancing through to Round 4 of the event.

John John Florence (HAW), 20, was another standout to put in a near-flawless performance at Teahupo’o today, netting the day’s second perfect 10 point ride for a heaving barrel and backing up the ride up with a 9.10 to surpass Miguel Pupo (BRA), 21.

“That 10 was one of those lucky wide ones,” Florence said. “To get those wide ones, you have to be so close to peak to get the wave and I was over far enough to get it. I thought I’d be deep and I had to grab my rail. it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster on that one. I was trying to get out of the barrel any way that I could and then I had a nice lip to do a turn on.”

Josh Kerr (AUS), 29, current ASP WCT No. 9, exchanged a number of exciting barrels with fellow natural-footer Patrick Gudauskas (USA) ,27, in firing conditions this morning. The Australian would go on to get the best of the American with a 17.17 out of 20 heat total.

“I should have stayed and waited for a set, but I was kind of lucky that Pat (Gudauskas) just couldn’t get in to that 9,” Kerr said. “That was such a fun heat, that last 20 minutes. I had one really fun ride that I only got a 5 on. After I got that 9 it really took the pressure off and I was able to just make use of the beautiful conditions we have this morning.”

Kerr built momentum following his Round 2 win, besting Australian charger Kiren Perrow (AUS), 36, in a high-scoring Round 3 affair in the dying moments of the heat.

Jordy Smith (ZAF), 25, current ASP WCT No. 4, continued his ASP World Title campaign, topping dangerous wildcard Nathan Hedge (AUS), 34, to advance to Round 4.

“I knew that was definitely going to be a tough heat,” Smith said. “I watched his heat earlier today and he had some incredible waves today. I’m just stoked to have a good heat and get some waves and surf against Hog. I felt like in the past, aside from that heat againt Trav (Travis Logie), they were wave starved heat, so it was nice to get some waves. Any heat at Teahupo’o is going to be tough and I knew I had to choose the right waves.”

Kai Otton (AUS) 33, would donate a near-perfect performance of his own, earning a 19.06 out of 20 heat total, storming past young American Kolohe Andino (USA), 19, with deep forhand barrels.

“My initial takeoff could have been a mistake, but I just wanted to kill the nerves,” Otton said. “Luckily Kolohe didn’t go on the other one and I was able to get under it. The conditions are so west today that they give you time to get in and they just open up. I had a bit of a chess game for the rest of it and overall, that was a dream heat. I’ve never had that many chances in a heat. It’s dream conditions. It’s four foot perfect barrels.”

Event organizers will reconvene at 6:30am tomorrow to assess conditions for a possible 7am start.

When competition resumes, up first will be Julian Wilson (AUS), 24, up against Adam Melling (AUS), 28, in Heat 9 of Round 3.

Highlights from the Billabong Pro Tahiti will be available via http://www.billabongpro.com/tahiti13

Surfline, official forecasters for the Billabong Pro Tahiti, are calling for:

The medium size SW swell that was showing on Friday will be followed by a similar size, mid period SW swell Saturday afternoon/evening and Sunday. Easing surf takes over on Monday. We continue to watch for a medium size or better South swell for Friday the 23rd, although wind may prove to be problematic.

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.90 def. Nathan Hedge (AUS) 17.70
Heat 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 17.87 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 15.60
Heat 3: Josh Kerr (AUS) 18.53 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 17.83
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 19.10 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 11.13
Heat 5: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 17.03 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 16.27
Heat 6: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.83 def. Ian Walsh (HAW) 17.60
Heat 7: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.97 def. Anthony Walsh (AUS) 16.23
Heat 8: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.43 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 16.27

REMAINING BILLABONG PRO TAHITI REMAINING ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 9: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 10: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 11: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Alain Riou (PYF)

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI REMAINING ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 5: Nathan Hedge (AUS) 15.53 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 14.76
Heat 6: Josh Kerr (AUS) 17.17 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.17
Heat 7: Julian Wilson 14.77 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 8.60
Heat 8: Adam Melling (AUS) 14.10 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 14.10
Heat 9: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 15.30 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 14.97
Heat 10: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 19.33 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 17.10
Heat 11: Kai Otton (AUS) 19.06 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.33
Heat 12: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 13.90 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 13.60

Gotto say Tahitian style 2-4ft sure looks a helluva lot bigger than PE style 2-4ft! Small (by Chopes standards) swell greeted the first day of the comp. Jordy went right, and got to Round 3. Slater summoned the wave gods as usual and snuck in a set in the dying seconds to also get straight through to Rd 3. Travis - who always seems to be pitted against Jordy at Chopes, is still awaiting his Round 2 match-up. Spare a thought for Anthony Walsh. Ou gets a perfect 10 and still comes last in his heat. Luckily he made it though Round 2. Justice.

The official ASP wrap

The Billabong Pro Tahiti, Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), completed Round 1 and the opening four heats of Round 2 today, with the world’s best surfers taking on racy three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) barrels at Teahupo’o.

John John Florence (HAW), 20, current ASP WCT No. 14, continued his impressive return to form today, putting in a dominant performance in a relatively wave-starved heat. The Hawaiian prodigy opened his Tahitian campaign with an excellent 9.07 barrel ride, quickly followed with a 7.50 for three ferocious backhand turns. Florence’s success left Julian Wilson (AUS), 24, and Miguel Pupo (BRA), 21, in need of a combination of scores at the end of the heat.

“Waves were pretty fun, better than I thought it was going to be,” Florence said. “There’s a weird wind chop on it. The other heats were more consistent and had the double-ups and I got that one 9. I was able to get a backup and do a couple of turns, so I’m stoked. Tahiti is always fun and always beautiful. Happy to be here.”

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 32, reigning ASP World Champion, was another to capitalize on recent momentum (following a win in Bali) and got the best of a high-scoring Round 1 affair this morning compliments of technical backside tuberiding. The Australian would best Kolohe Andino (USA), 19, and Anthony Walsh (AUS), 30, despite a perfect 10 point ride from the wildcard to earn the win.

“I thought it was going to be a battle,” Parkinson said. “I didn’t think my two 8s were going to be enough and then it slowed down. The swell isn’t completely here yet and there will be a quick flurry and then the waves will slow down. I’ve got a couple of good boards and I’d love for nothing more than some good waves.”

Kelly Slater (USA), 41, 11-time ASP World Champion and four-time Billabong Pro Tahiti winner, was on the back foot for the majority of his Round 1 heat this morning until the dying moments of the bout. However, with seconds on the clock, the current ASP WCT No. 2 drove through a deep backhand tube, earning an 8.50 for the ride and a position in Round 3.

“I was kind of lucky that one even came in the end,” Slater said. “I blew the best wave of the heat and lost my fins. I had the line I wanted and just lost my fins on the foam-ball and was too far behind to catch up. Brett (Simpson) had a few opportunities and paddled too wide. My waves weren’t that great and I was just trying to make things happen.”

Jordy Smith (ZAF), 25, current ASP World No. 4, got off to a quick start in his Round 1 heat, dominating his affair from start-to-finish. The powerful South African would best fellow countryman Travis Logie (ZAF), 34, and trials winner Alain Riou (PYF), 30, compliments of a rare righthander and a racy left barrel to secure a spot directly in to Round 3.

“The swell is really west today and if you have that opportunity, you can go right,” Smith said. “I thought that one would be my highest score. I was pumped. In the beginning I waited for priority and lucked in to an 8.10 and that set me up for the heat right there.”

Smith has admittedly struggled to find a result at the Billabong Pro Tahiti throughout his budding career, but hopes his experience at Teahupo’o over the years will help him earn a top result in 2013.

“I’ve always had one good wave in a heat and always come up against wildcards and that’s a tough thing out here,” Smith said. “I think I’ve chosen the wrong waves in the past as well. I really want to do well, especially in the Pacific leg. I’m taking my time and watching the best guys out here.”

Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), 31, navigated the tight Teahupo’o tubes with incredible prowess, besting defending event champion and current ASP WCT No. 1 Mick Fanning (AUS), 32, and dangerous wildcard Jocelyn Poulou (PYF).

“I always feel pretty comfortable out here,” Patacchia said. “We don’t have the best surf today, but we’re still getting barreled, so it’s fun. I’ve been surfing against Mick (Fanning) a lot and surfing against him makes me surf better and surf smarter heats. I feel like my level of surfing is getting better because I’ve been competing against him.”

Fanning would go on to post a Round 2 win over Poulou this afternoon, advancing through to Round 3 of competition.

Yadin Nicol (AUS), 27, ASP Top 34 replacement surfer, issued a big upset today, relegating local favorite Michel Bourez (PYF), 27, to Round 2 with a near-perfect 9.07 earned for a critical drop and deep barrel in the final minutes of their clash.

“It’s kind of onshore out there, so at the start I thought I might have to do some turns,” Nicol said. “We had a weird priority call at the start that went in to my favor and I seemed to have priority on the last wave of the set. Most of the waves I got were bad, but it just turned out in my favor with that last wave at the end. That one hit the ledge at the end and I had to go. I pushed myself over the ledge and squeaked through, so I’m stoked!”

Kieren Perrow (AUS), 36, veteran elite tour contender, rebounded from a horrific wipeout on his opening wave this morning to recover and earn the day’s high heat total of 16.60 out of 20 with two excellent barrels.

“I had a shocker to start,” Perrow said. “I didn’t know what was going on and I couldn’t set my line properly. I was just trying to take off deep and head slapped pretty hard when I hit the water. It was one where you had a headache right away. I had to reset after that. I started with a 7.67 and was only chasing a low score, but you really can’t chase a small score out there. I was waiting for a good bomb and that one came.”

The end of the day was not without upsets, however, as wildcards Ian Walsh (HAW), 30, Anthony Walsh (AUS), 30, and Alain Riou (PYF), 30, eliminated top seeds Taj Burrow (AUS), 35, Nat Young (USA), 22, and Adriano de Souza (BRA), 26, in Round 2 of competition.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 7am start.

When competition resumes, up first will be Michel Bourez (PYF), 28, against wildcard Nathan Hedge (AUS), 34, in Heat 5 of Round 2.

Highlights from the Billabong Pro Tahiti are available via http://www.billabongpro.com/tahiti13

Surfline, official forecasters for the Billabong Pro Tahiti, are calling for:

A small, mid period SW swell will continue Friday. Another small, shorter to mid period SSW swell is on track for Sunday and Monday. We’ll continue to watch the long range charts for something that will potentially be a little better for the end of the event waiting period.

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 10.67, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.63, Nat Young (USA) 3.13
Heat 2: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 15.07, Taj Burrow (AUS) 13.80, Nathan Hedge (AUS) 10.00
Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.93, Alain Riou (PYF) 11.33, Travis Logie (ZAF) 6.57
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.06, Kolohe Andino (USA) 15.17, Anthony Walsh (AUS) 14.83
Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.00, Ian Walsh (HAW) 13.83, Brett Simpson (USA) 9.43
Heat 6: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 15.77, Mick Fanning (AUS) 10.60, Jocelyn Poulou (PYF) 8.80
Heat 7: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 16.60, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.60, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 10.00
Heat 8: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 14.07, Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.13, Kai Otton (AUS) 12.67
Heat 9: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.16, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 11.87, Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.37
Heat 10: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.50, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.27, Adam Melling (AUS) 11.10
Heat 11: John John Florence (HAW) 16.57, Julian Wilson (AUS) 11.17, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 2.17
Heat 12: Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.16, Filipe Toledo (BRA) 6.93, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 2.60

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.37 def. Jocelyn Poulou (PYF) 10.50
Heat 2: Ian Walsh (HAW) 12.40 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 8.00
Heat 3: Anthony Walsh (AUS) 15.43 def. Nat Young (USA) 13.10
Heat 4: Alain Riou (PYF) 12.03 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 11.77

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI REMAINING ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 5: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Nathan Hedge (AUS)
Heat 6: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Patrick Guduaskas (USA)
Heat 7: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
HEAT 8: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
HEAT 9: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 10: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
HEAT 11: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
HEAT 12: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)

Ou's will start hurtling themselves over the ledge starting Thursday 15 August - whilst the rest of us sit tuning them for pulling back from the safety of our computer screens. Roger Waters, legendary Pink Floyd front man, has a cool lyric about "the bravery of being out of range". Never more true than at Chopes.

The event is already not without controversy - as Hawaiian nut-job, J.O.B, smacked a brazzo in the chops after dropping in on him during the trials. Who knows what went down during the paddle battle to get that wave in the dying seconds of the heat, but ultimately there really isn't any excuse for slapping an ou on a wave. I say "slap" - cos I reckon if Jamie had punched him proper he'd have more than a lil cut in his gum to show for it. Crazy dude that, with behaviour that can be borderline to straight outta line. But do dig his surfing. Power on full ball all the time. Beats chop hops and lil fly away spinners any day, all day.

Wildcards for the event are local Alain Riou and Aussie Anthony Walsh who'll be looking to claim some scalps from the pro tours elite.

Nothing too big on the forecasts yet - with maybe a start right away, and then some downtime for a week, with a bit more swell pulling in towards end of next week. Guess they can't get maxing Chopes for every event. Pity! Maybe we're getting to used to assuming it should be death pits every time. But even at 6ft Chopes is an awesome wave - and always good to watch some of the best surfers riding it.

Who's your money on?? Yrr, let's hold thumbs that Jordy clicks, and pulls off another win. But looking at the stats - Kelly is still the man to beat. Competed in 51 Heats; Total Heat Wins 41; Winning Percentage 80.39%; Event Wins 4; Winning percentage in the Final 100%; Perfect Heat 20/20 (2005, Final). Tough nut to crack.

Mick currently heads the leader board and is no doubt frothing on the chance at a 2nd world title, but then so is Parko sitting in 3rd at the moment. Taj Burrow is also in one of his highest positions in a while, sitting 5th on the rankings. 

Get your entries in to the Millerslocal Fantasy Surfer competition - and stand a shot at winning kiff prizes if you call the winner correct. <Enter here>

First prize scores themselves a set of lekker Von Zipper sunnies and a set of Kinetic Racing fins, and 2nd place hooks a Billabong hoodie & a DaKine leggie and grip. Schweet! So start thinking who you gonna peg your hopes on for the win. Comp closes just before the quarters, and is open to East Cape locals only. Cos local is lekker!