Five heats at very windy Bells Beach

The remaining five heats of round one at the Rip Curl Pro, Bells Beach were completed today in a windblown Torquay. It was bumpy, and plagued by a serious need for luck. The winners found that luck, but also held their lines through some bumps and took snowblowers to the foamy lips. “During that heat I was just trying to feel and watch what the other guys were doing because I didn’t know my scores so I was waiting for good opportunities,” said Julian Wilson, deafened by the wind but able to take down Kolohe Andino and Matt Wilkinson. “It was a hard heat and hard to keep my strategy and keep control and positioning was difficult. My momentum is good, and last year I had a good result here getting a third, so I’m just hoping to build on that.”

Filipe Toledo, current ratings leader, looked rather lethal but couldn’t get past a very in-form Owen Wright. “I didn’t know I had an 8.90 because I couldn’t hear anything out there,” said Owen afterwards. “I was just looking for waves with scoring potential so I was lucky that I got that wave. I’ve got some new boards made for this event and I found one that feels amazing, I love it.”

Keep an eye on this swell in tomorrow’s a.m. here. And catch up on those few heats that ran today, here.

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 1 Results (1st to R3, 2nd & 3rd to R2):
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 15.33, Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 11.73, Taj Burrow (AUS) 10.63
Heat 2: Brett Simpson (USA) 15.00, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.33, Kai Otton (AUS) 6.00
Heat 3: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.67, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 9.06, Ricardo Christie (NZL) 7.73
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 15.33, Italo Ferreira (BRA) 11.47, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.17
Heat 5: Mason Ho (HAW) 13.13, Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.10, Freddy Patacchia Jr. (HAW) 13.00
Heat 6: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.76, Matt Banting (AUS) 11.83, Joe Van Dijk (AUS) 8.23
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.33, Keanu Asing (HAW) 13.44, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.20
Heat 8: Nat Young (USA) 11.50, Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.50, Dusty Payne (HAW) 6.20
Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.33, Glenn Hall (IRL) 8.74, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 7.67
Heat 10: Josh Kerr (AUS) 14.80, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.77, Adam Melling (AUS) 9.94
Heat 11: Owen Wright (AUS) 13.90, Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.63, Filipe Toledo (BRA) 9.86
Heat 12: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.47, Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.37, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 8.57

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 2 Match-ups (1st to R2, 2nd =25th):
Heat 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Joe Van Dijk (AUS)
Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Ricardo Christie (NZL)
Heat 4: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Keanu Asing (HAW)
Heat 5: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 6: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Glenn Hall (IRL)
Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 8: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 9: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 10: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) vs. Matt Banting (AUS)
Heat 11: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Freddy Patacchia Jr. (HAW)
Heat 12: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Italo Ferreira (BRA)

Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach Round 1 Results (1st to R3, 2nd & 3rd to R2):
Heat 1: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 10.76, Malia Manuel (HAW) 10.33, Laura Enever (AUS) 8.57
Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.37, Silvana Lima (BRA) 17.67, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 11.93
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 17.67, Pauline Ado (FRA) 11.10, Dimity Stoyle (AUS) 8.00
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.50, Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 12.50, Alessa Quizon (HAW) 8.24
Heat 5: Johanne Defay (FRA) 14.50, Tyler Wright (AUS) 11.57, Sage Erickson (USA) 9.33
Heat 6: Lakey Peterson (USA) 15.90, Coco Ho (HAW) 11.77, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 10.84

Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach Round 2 Match-ups (1st to R3, 2nd = 13th):
Heat 1: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) vs. Laura Enever (AUS)
Heat 2: Silvana Lima (BRA) vs. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
Heat 3: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Pauline Ado (FRA)
Heat 4: Malia Manuel (HAW) vs. Alessa Quizon (HAW)
Heat 5: Courtney Conlogue (USA) vs. Sage Erickson (USA)
Heat 6: Dimity Stoyle (AUS) vs. Coco Ho (HAW)