The Jules and Owen Interference

In the semifinals of the Hurley Pro, Trestles, Julian Wilson and Owen Wright both paddled for a wave and stood up at the same time. Julian, who looked to be aiming for the right, pulled left to avoid hitting Owen, and kicked outta the wave, leaving Owen to then ride it to the beach. The interference was called on Julian. It was the first wave of the heat, before any priority was claimed. The wave ended up as one of Owen’s scoring waves, and the interference meant that Julian’s lowest scoring wave was cut in half. As the scores stand, Jules still would’ve lost, even if his lowest score hadn’t been halved.

There’s no hard feelings from either party. “@aspworldtour made the right call on that interference,” Tweeted Julian. “Live and learn. See you in France.” Kelly Slater wasn’t so sure: “@julian_wilson really didn’t hinder the wave/ride,” he Tweeted. “Even Owen said so. Don’t know what to say.”

So, with all this in mind, were the judges right to call an interference? We wanna know what you think.

Oh, and, uh, just so you know, the above video was posted by Jamie O’Brien. Or whoever writes his Tweets.