Stab Magazine | Adriano De Souza is still number one, and here’s why:

Live Now — Episode 3 Of Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

78 Views

Adriano De Souza is still number one, and here’s why:

Story by Elliot Struck By now, you’ll have heard the inescapable news that Mick Fanning fought off a shark less than five minutes into the 2015 J-Bay Open final, cutting the event short. And when something of this magnitude happens, we’re left with a thousand burning questions. Such as (among many others): How come Mick and Jules get 8000 points each, rather than the 10,000 points a winner would’ve scooped, leaving Adriano de Souza in the yellow jersey? This question has been reverberating particularly loudly in the Stab digital dungeons, and we wished to clear the haze. Dave Prodan is the highly suave and articulate VP of Communications for the WSL, and he kindly filled some blanks for us. Stab: Please break down the decision on point-splitting and rankings.Dave Prodan: It’s not overly interesting. It’s outlined in the WSL Rulebook that if a competition is cancelled (for whatever reason), then surfers receive placings and points from lowest place in that round – in this case, the round was the Final and they both finish Equal 2nd with 8,000 points and split the US$140k up for grabs in the final $70k/$70k. Things could have gone a lot worse during the incident. At what point are the cameras turned off? Webcast protocol is a tricky one to articulate. There is one in place, as there is for all major sports, for incidents of a potentially violent or graphic nature. The WSL’s is always in place and, depending on how the situation evolves, various protocols are activated. We’re all very relieved that both surfers came out of the situation physically unscathed. The worst moment in Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson’s lives. Photo: WSL/Kirstin Scholtz Will the World Tour ever return to J-Bay? With regards to next steps, everyone is taking a minute to decompress, process and have a discussion about the path forward. There will be a lot of discussion between the surfers, the WSL Commissioner’s Office and the Executive Team as well as a review of the measures that were in place – what worked well, what can be improved upon, etc. The WSL (formerly-ASP-formerly-IPS) has been coming to South Africa since the sport’s inception in 1976 and it’s a beautiful country with renowned wildlife in and out of the water. The WSL remains committed to putting the world’s best surfers in the world’s best waves and Jeffreys Bay, on its day, absolutely qualifies – the form in which it exists in the WSL universe moving forward will result from the ongoing discussion with our surfers. Any other impressions from the day? I don’t know what else to say that hasn’t been already. Mick Fanning, a guy that I already had a lot of respect for, fought off a fuckin’ aggressive shark in competition, lost his board, swam away, urged Julian to paddle in and then swung around for another clash with the shark – there’s not even a level for that, next or otherwise. And Julian! The guy sprint paddled into the fray to support a boardless Mick – we’ve all thought about what we’d do in that situation and Julian did the most heroic thing imaginable. The response time from the Water Safety Team was rapid and effective and our unsung hero, water photog Kelly Cestari, urged them to help the surfers and leave him in the water to swim in by himself. Just admiration for everyone involved and gratitude that no one was hurt. Justifiably the biggest story on the planet today. The best moment in Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson’s lives. Photo: WSL/Kirstin Scholtz

news // Mar 8, 2016
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Story by Elliot Struck

By now, you’ll have heard the inescapable news that Mick Fanning fought off a shark less than five minutes into the 2015 J-Bay Open final, cutting the event short. And when something of this magnitude happens, we’re left with a thousand burning questions. Such as (among many others): How come Mick and Jules get 8000 points each, rather than the 10,000 points a winner would’ve scooped, leaving Adriano de Souza in the yellow jersey? This question has been reverberating particularly loudly in the Stab digital dungeons, and we wished to clear the haze. Dave Prodan is the highly suave and articulate VP of Communications for the WSL, and he kindly filled some blanks for us.

Stab: Please break down the decision on point-splitting and rankings.
Dave Prodan: It’s not overly interesting. It’s outlined in the WSL Rulebook that if a competition is cancelled (for whatever reason), then surfers receive placings and points from lowest place in that round – in this case, the round was the Final and they both finish Equal 2nd with 8,000 points and split the US$140k up for grabs in the final $70k/$70k.

Things could have gone a lot worse during the incident. At what point are the cameras turned off? Webcast protocol is a tricky one to articulate. There is one in place, as there is for all major sports, for incidents of a potentially violent or graphic nature. The WSL’s is always in place and, depending on how the situation evolves, various protocols are activated. We’re all very relieved that both surfers came out of the situation physically unscathed.

Jules_Paddles_For_Mick_Fanning_Main

The worst moment in Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson’s lives. Photo: WSL/Kirstin Scholtz

Will the World Tour ever return to J-Bay? With regards to next steps, everyone is taking a minute to decompress, process and have a discussion about the path forward. There will be a lot of discussion between the surfers, the WSL Commissioner’s Office and the Executive Team as well as a review of the measures that were in place – what worked well, what can be improved upon, etc. The WSL (formerly-ASP-formerly-IPS) has been coming to South Africa since the sport’s inception in 1976 and it’s a beautiful country with renowned wildlife in and out of the water. The WSL remains committed to putting the world’s best surfers in the world’s best waves and Jeffreys Bay, on its day, absolutely qualifies – the form in which it exists in the WSL universe moving forward will result from the ongoing discussion with our surfers.

Any other impressions from the day? I don’t know what else to say that hasn’t been already. Mick Fanning, a guy that I already had a lot of respect for, fought off a fuckin’ aggressive shark in competition, lost his board, swam away, urged Julian to paddle in and then swung around for another clash with the shark – there’s not even a level for that, next or otherwise. And Julian! The guy sprint paddled into the fray to support a boardless Mick – we’ve all thought about what we’d do in that situation and Julian did the most heroic thing imaginable. The response time from the Water Safety Team was rapid and effective and our unsung hero, water photog Kelly Cestari, urged them to help the surfers and leave him in the water to swim in by himself. Just admiration for everyone involved and gratitude that no one was hurt. Justifiably the biggest story on the planet today.

Mick_And_Jules_On_Boat

The best moment in Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson’s lives. Photo: WSL/Kirstin Scholtz

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

10 Shapers To Watch In The Next 10 Years — Part Two

A few more foam craftsmen worth keeping on your radar.

Jul 14, 2025

Watch: Rip Curl Mobilises Its Teenage Army In ‘Dunno’

A 30-minute surf film by Vaughan Blakey and Nick Pollet.

Jul 14, 2025

There’s A New Number One Surfer In The World

And it feels so right.

Jul 13, 2025

Controversial Opinion: No One Needs To Yoga In Boardshorts

8 Trunks for the traditionalist.

Jul 13, 2025

Stab Edit Of The Year: Sam Piter Stars in ‘Rogue DNA’.

French blood, thick water.

Jul 13, 2025

Matty McG Skydives Into CT Heat, But Jordy’s Still The Main Event

A full day of heats at J-Bay, and only one shark warning.

Jul 12, 2025

Correction: J-Bay All Foreplay, No Climax

Slim pickings on Day 1 of the Corona Cero Open J-Bay 2025.

Jul 11, 2025

What Do Hollywood, Surf Lessons, Michael Jackson And Traction Pads Have In Common?

A Stab Interview with Teva Dexter, the man behind surfing's hardest new hardware brand —…

Jul 10, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 3

"The tribe has spoken," Dane Reynolds pronounced, and a surfer's torch was snuffed.

Jul 10, 2025

How Josh Ku Nearly Died Trying To Cross From Ulus to G Land by Hydrofoil

“If someone finds me dead at least they can find my phone and know what…

Jul 10, 2025

Expect No Kiss, All Climax At The “World’s Most Perfect Pointbreak”

A Corona Cero Open J-Bay 2025 preview.

Jul 9, 2025

SEOTY: Liam O’Brien stars in ‘Friction of Perception’

"Hopefully I don’t come across like too much of a peanut."

Jul 8, 2025

10 Shapers To Watch In The Next 10 Years — Part One

“It’s like a drug empire, man. Cut the head off the snakes, and more will…

Jul 7, 2025

Mason Ho Joins Ritual Vision, Releases Remix Of Greatest Hits

Dion Agius riffs on the eyewear brand’s U.S. expansion, Ritualistic Tendencies, and the new stars…

Jul 7, 2025

Is It Time For A New Judging Format?

We have a modest proposal — a WSL head judge disagrees.

Jul 7, 2025

Luke Thompson Turns Last Year’s Priority Disaster Into Ballito Gold

+ earns himself a wildcard into Jbay.

Jul 7, 2025

Fiji Has Its First Professional Surfer, And He’s Unbelievable

16-year-old James Kusitino’s incomprehensible tube lounging leads to a deal with Former.

Jul 6, 2025

Laird Hamilton on The Limitations of Being a Purist, Invention vs. Ownership + Why He Never Had a Sticker Deal 

Untold stories from his How Surfers Get Paid interview.

Jul 4, 2025
Advertisement