Filipe Toledo Busts Fins On A WSL Photographer’s Camera Lens — Does Not Get The Shot
Thiago Diz narrowly escapes capital punishment in the UAE.
It was just another day at a wave pool contest until Filipe Toledo paddled into his second right in his Round of 16 heat at the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro.
Coming from behind against an in-form Kanoa Igarashi, Toledo needed a 10.00 to take the lead.
Uncharacteristically, he couldn’t quite find his usual pace or speed from the moment he stood up on that wave. After a clumsy blowtail attempt chose to stall, trim, and wait for a section — letting out an air of defeat, as if he was about to concede before even surfing his final left. But then, he shifted into a different gear, found some rhythm with a couple of pumps, and threw himself into a Kerrupt, which he completed.
With just one section left to work with, Filipe laid into a carving hack, but his line was intercepted by the camera housing of WSL photographer Thiago Diz, who had drifted too far into the competition area while documenting the heat.
The collision resulted in two ejected fins (is anyone keeping a tally?) from his Sharp Eye quad and a burst of rage directed at Diz, whose ego was instantly bruised.
Toledo walked back over the wet cement to the competitor’s deck, shouting in clear English, “Fuck this shit!” He then calmly congratulated his adversary with a half hug, a little pat, and a “Good surfing.” Kanoa nodded with an “obrigado.”
But Toledo resumed his rant: “Fucking get this guy out of the water! It’s not the first time I’m complaining. It’s been happening in the training sessions, all the time!” There was dead silence for a moment.
“Filipe, obviously displeased, understandably,” Paul Evans said, before Renato Hickel showed face after meeting with head judge Luli Pereira and his panel. After reviewing the situation, a decision against a re-surf was made.
“We analyzed all aspects of the ride — where Filipe was at the end of the ride and how much he could’ve scored. I’ve been in touch with Luli Pereira and the panel, and we’ve decided to stick with the result.” Hickel and his team argued that his last turn wouldn’t have been worth more than a 0.5, and therefore, it couldn’t have affected the outcome of the heat.
A tough call. A little unfair, perhaps? At that stage, Filipe was looking for a Yeti cooler in his next left, something he’s very capable of — except he didn’t get it. He was visibly rattled and aborted his best-scoring chance mid-air.
As the dust settled, Toledo reached out to his fans before they could board a flight to Abu Dhabi to roast Diz on a spit.
“I’m fine, and the photographer is fine too. What happened was unfortunate. There’s been a lack of information from those in charge of coordinating the water photographers — they should be staying away from the action, holding on to the nets,” said Filipe.
“The damage could’ve been very ugly, and he could’ve been badly hurt if there had been more impact.”
“My head wasn’t in the right place to surf the left, but that’s no excuse. Kanoa surfed well and deserved to win the heat — his approach was solid on every wave he surfed. I made an error halfway through my right. I still nailed the maneuver, but I would’ve had a chance on the left. It’s sad, but it happens. Everyone’s doing well, I’m doing well, and I’m ready to move on to the next one. Thanks for the support — let’s go!'”
Filipe will leave Abu Dhabi with an equal 9th, following a 9th at Pipe. A tender video of he and Diz breaking bread has since emerged.
Comments
Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.
Already a member? Sign In
Want to join? Sign Up