Five Waves from Day Two at Chopes

Day two of the Billabong Pro Tahiti kicked off with four foot swell and wind on the rise, offering better conditions than yesterday. But, still nowhere near perfect Chopes. Wave selection was crucial and heat totals were either in the excellent range, or very average to below.

Josh Kerr, came out with a 9.67 banger, and slotted a wonky one all the way through to the dry reef. He put up a 17.17 heat score, and landed himself into round three. Kolohe and Wilko weren’t able to match up to Kerrzy’s dominance. Kolohe was eliminated in the next round, while Wilko moved on to round three. “That one wave was pretty crazy and I pulled up into dry reef,” said Kerrzy. “I would never have stayed on that wave in a freesurf. I just wanted to make sure I got the score but I might need a new set of fins.”

The man in the yellow singlet, Adriano de Souza put up a decent heat total, 16.26, in round two vs. Tahitian boy Taumata Puhetini and will be moving onto round three. “For me this has been a really tough event in the past,” said Adriano. “In the last four years I’ve come up against the wildcards and haven’t done so well. I’ve been working every single year – I’ve been coming early and staying later and watching a lot. I still need to work so much but I’m really proud to make that heat against an amazing Tahitian. The next heat will be against a friend, Bruno (Santos).”

Mr John John Florence’s finally back from injury! In round one, heat eleven he dished out two scores in the excellent range. His 9.03 reminded us how we’ve missed him so. He knifed in late, sliced under the lip, traveled up and over the foam ball, saw the light and glided casually out the other side. His ability to turn a wave that should’ve been a five into a nine is something few on tour possess. Freddy P and Bede Durbidge didn’t stand a chance vs the young Hawaiian. After being plagued by injury, we’re relieved to see his spark return to the lineup. “It’s actually really fun out there, there’s lots of waves coming through,” John said. “I had fun. I was excited to get the jersey back on. When I first got hurt I was bummed out but at the same time I thought it would be good to take a break. When Fiji came around I couldn’t bear to watch it because I was so bummed. My ankle feels good and I really took my time letting it heal. I’m excited to be back in the event and surfing again.”

CJ Hobgood found rhythm vs Nat Young in round two, heat three. Nat put up high scores, but CJ dug himself into a couple gems, racking up a 9.80 with a late, weightless drop, followed by a deep tunnel highline. He found himself with a heat total of 18.13. Nat’s two eight’s would have sufficed, in almost any other heat in round two, but his Chopes experience has reached the end of the road. “I was just stoked that I got a couple of opportunities,” CJ said. “The waves turned on and we made the most of it. When someone asks me what I’m going to miss about the tour it’s man-on-man combat. I’ll also really miss all the guys on tour that I’ve travelled around with for years.”

Can you believe, Brett Simpson actually won a heat! He slipped into a late-funky one, and held on for a 9.17 halfway through his heat. He tally’d up a total of 16.50. Taj bagged a couple average scores and Simpo advanced into round three with ease. With the hollow fare at hand, Simpo tends to shine. “The heat before was really exciting, it got me fired up,” said Simpo. “I was able to find a couple and I’m stoked. I feel like I’m capable and I know which waves I want to ride. I’ve been watching others out here and try to learn from them. As a kid Taj was my favourite surfer, so I’m stoked to beat him. But, I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

Gabs snagged a gem early in his heat, tossing up a 9.17. Then backed it up with an 8.50. Ricardo Christie just couldn’t get himself deep enough to outscore the Brazilian. He put up average scores and found himself out of the even. We’d like to see him hang on for the 2016 season, but it’s been a rough year for the Kiwi. “That was a fun heat and I got a lot of waves,” said Gabs. “Since I got here I haven’t got barrelled so it felt good to get a few. Last year was last year, this year I’m just focused on my thing and making as many heats as I can. I’m excited for the rest of the contest but I know my next heat will be tough because of my seeding. It was my dream to be a World Champion and that dream came true. This year I’m not feeling any pressure and just want to surf.”

Billabong Pro Tahiti Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.10, Jadson Andre (BRA) 8.23, Brett Simpson (USA) 4.70
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 11.67, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.50, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 9.67
Heat 3: Aritz Aranburu (ESP) 13.10, Keanu Asing (HAW) 7.16, Filipe Toledo (BRA) 5.37
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) 10.66, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 9.00, Garrett Parkes (AUS) 1.30
Heat 5: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.17, Adam Melling (AUS) 6.26, Taumata Puhetini (PYF) 1.33
Heat 6: Bruno Santos (BRA) 8.67, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 5.30, Michel Bourez (PYF) 2.44
Heat 7: Dusty Payne (HAW) 10.00, Nat Young (USA) 5.14, Kai Otton (AUS) 1.30
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 10.83, Taj Burrow (AUS) 4.77, Glenn Hall (IRL) 2.96
Heat 9: Josh Kerr (AUS) 17.17, Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.80, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 9.00
Heat 10: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 14.43, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.47, Ricardo Christie (NZL) 5.73
Heat 11: John John Florence (HAW) 17.96, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 13.83, Bede Durbidge (AUS)11.43
Heat 12: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.90, Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 12.34, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.27

Billabong Pro Tahiti Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.26 def. Taumata Puhetini (PYF) 8.44
Heat 2: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 8.57 def. Garrett Parkes (AUS) 8.23
Heat 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 18.13 def. Nat Young (USA) 16.66
Heat 4: Brett Simpson (USA) 16.50 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 10.23
Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.36 def. Glenn Hall (IRL) 9.44
Heat 6: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 10.83 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 4.47
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.67 def. Ricardo Christie (NZL) 12.44
Heat 8: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 12.50 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 10.96
Heat 9: Kai Otton (AUS) 14.66 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 5.54
Heat 10: Jadson Andre (BRA) 17.10 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 10.60
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.40 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 15.27
Heat 12: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 14.60 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 14.07

Billabong Pro Tahiti Round 3 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 2: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 3: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 5: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Gabriel Medina (HAW)
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Bruno Santos (BRA)
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Aritz Aranburu (ESP)
Heat 8: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 9: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Heat 12: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)