The 2013 Volcom Fiji Pro (part two)

Well, for whatever it is worth, Jordy Smith is current world number one. After Adriano De Souza, who’d been leading the ratings prior to Fiji, was knocked out of the event by Yadin Nicol (surprise!), Jordy took down Glenn Hall, then ploughed through Kieren Perrow with an 18.30 combined total. “It’s extremely windy,” said Jordy, whose performance didn’t suggest any wind troubles. “It was really tough to find the open barrels and when the sets came through the wave would barrel and pinch. You had to pick the right waves. I got lucky (lies!) on one and managed to find a barrel and get two nice turns. Micro did the full scorpion on his last wave and landed on the reef. Hopefully he’s okay.”

Next we move to the subject of the hottest return to competition since Marky Occ. Y’heard of that John John Florence kid? How about his 19.80 combined total today? “That’s the best the waves have been since I’ve been here,” said dear John. “The waves just turned on for my heat. Restaurants is just a perfect wave. It’s such a machine and with these winds every wave’s just perfect. You can really just sit in the barrel the whole way.”

Sharing in John John’s enthusiasm of the conditions was Nat Young, world tour rookie and now proud owner of an 18.23 combined total at Restaurants over Filly Toledo. “Those could have been the best waves I’ve ever surfed,” said a very excited Nat. “We’re sitting at the pool on this perfect island so it’s pretty much paradise. For me, I’d never been here so it was important to come early and get practice at both Cloudbreak and Restaurants. It was tough this morning with the devil winds and in that heat it was picture perfect. Right now, you just stand there and get the best barrels ever. It’s so much fun.”

Joel Parkinson looked entirely un-fishy in victory today. Yep. After missing round one due to his eyes being firmly on his line over the bow instead of on the event site, the world champ was never gonna lose today. He pasted a 9.33 and 9.10 accordingly against D-Payne. “Restaurants is a perfect wave,” said Joel. “It has a really good line to it and when you come over a set and see next one, you get butterflies when a good one’s coming. I was looking for the barrels out there in that heat, but the bigger ones were chattery and bumpy. You’ve really got to find the medium sized waves out there. If you get the medium one you can get nice long drainers.”

Other standouts? Most certainly Taj Burrow, who barely squeaked past Adam Melling in a scrappy round two back alley throwdown, but then redeemed his reputation for smoking point totals by dropping 18.10 on Freddy Patacchia’s freshly shorn crown. Oh, and then there was the sweet return of Kelly Slater, who was trying to be a good uncle by hanging in Florida for the birth of his new nephew, but when mini-Slater didn’t show up on time, Kelly jumped plane and landed on local trials winner Aca Lalabalavu. “That was tough because we had that lull in my heat,” said the ever-analytical Kelly. “Me and Aca never got to a good start and missed the best waves of the heat. I didn’t get to see any of Aca’s waves in my heat, but I figured I’ve surfed with him enough to know that he can put together a bunch of turns and barrels on a wave. To be honest, I had some nerves in that heat and I made some funny decisions. I know the waves, but you forget things when you haven’t been free surfing here a lot. It can get a little tricky, but it comes back pretty quick.”

See if Kelly makes any more funny decisions, or doesn’t, tomorrow, right here.

VOLCOM FIJI PRO REMAINING ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 17.80, Nat Young (USA) 12.93, Kolohe Andino (USA) 9.10
Heat 12: Brett Simpson (USA) 13.20, John John Florence (HAW) 12.40, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.00

VOLCOM FIJI PRO ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.27 def. Aca Lalabalavu (FJI) 10.90
Heat 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.67 def. Alex Grey (USA) 6.27
Heat 3: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 12.77 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.60
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.47 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 15.53
Heat 5: Taj Burrow (AUS) 7.87 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 7.76
Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.50 def. Glenn Hall (IRL) 8.43
Heat 7: Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.50 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 9.67
Heat 8: Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.93 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 9.04
Heat 9: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 15.57 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 10.33
Heat 10: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 17.10 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 17.06
Heat 11: John John Florence (HAW) 19.80 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.83
Heat 12: Nat Young (USA) 18.23 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 7.60

VOLCOM FIJI PRO ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 18.10 def. Fred Patacchia (HAW) 12.33
Heat 2: John John Florence (HAW) 16.10 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 16.06
Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 18.30 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 14.70

UPCOMING VOLCOM FIJI PRO REMAINING ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs.Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 5: Kai Otton (HAW) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Mitchel Coleborn (AUS)
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 8: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 9: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 10: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
Heat 11: Nat Young (USA) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS)