Stab Magazine | The most surprising heat of day one at the Oakley Pro, Bali

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

77 Views

The most surprising heat of day one at the Oakley Pro, Bali

Now, this is an interesting occurrence for a number of reasons. First, the Oakley Pro, Bali is being held at Indo’s answer to Lowers, a wave y’might call the most perfect high-performance zone in surfing right now. Keramas is a beautiful mess of ramps, especially in a wind from the side, like the one blowing through round one’s afternoon heats today. Heat number eight starred Josh Kerr, Filipe Toledo and Kieren Perrow. Josh Kerr, the Airshow World Champ, who helped inject a new wave of hi-fi into the Dream Tour. Filipe Toledo, the kid who brought us this year’s most progressive contest wave so far: a lofty alley oop to air-reverse combo at the Billabong Pro, Rio. And, Kieren Perrow, eternally one of the top five best performers at the Pipe Masters and someone most’d associate with big barrels, not small ramps. Our logical minds assured us of a battle between Filipe and Josh to do the highest rotation combo. But, would y’believe, Kieren took off on his first wave and flew into a seamless, transitional double-grab air, with a lot of height, straight into a bottom turn and closeout hit: 8.17 points. Every surfer in the competitor’s area ran to the monitor to watch the replay. “I don’t try airs much in heats,” said Kieren. “But Keramas is that kinda wave, it’s got that thing that just tempts you to try and get up above it. I actually went out in the heat thinking, “I’m not gonna play their game, I’m not gonna do airs. That section was just really clean and nice, though. I figured I’d give it a go.” Kieren then quickly backed-up with a 7.33 on his second wave. With 15.50 points and most of the heat left, Kieren was way out in front. Josh rotated some big spins but kept landing on odd sections, and couldn’t paste anything higher than a 6.07. Filipe had opened with an 8.90, but couldn’t manage a backup with anything above a 1.33. Was Kieren Perrow, the big wave guy, gonna beat two of the tour’s best aerialists at the closest thing surfing has to a skatepark? And, with a well-placed air? “This is nothing to take away from Kieren,” said commentator Sal Masekela. “But KP is the last person you’d expect to do a double-grab transition air, solid, land in the transition of the wave straight into a smash.” With a minute remaining, Filipe bounced a new score into his total: 7.17. He swooped the lead from under Kieren, and nothing was to be done about it. But had Filipe not snagged the backup, never would a more perplexing heat win have occurred. Never mind all our best attempts to control variables in this sport, it’s hard not to dig the unrelenting unpredictability of professional surfing. And, in sweet closure, Filipe took off on a wave after the buzzer and stomped a Kerrupt flip; so-named because Josh Kerr invented it. – Elliot Struck

news // Mar 8, 2016
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Now, this is an interesting occurrence for a number of reasons. First, the Oakley Pro, Bali is being held at Indo’s answer to Lowers, a wave y’might call the most perfect high-performance zone in surfing right now. Keramas is a beautiful mess of ramps, especially in a wind from the side, like the one blowing through round one’s afternoon heats today.

Heat number eight starred Josh Kerr, Filipe Toledo and Kieren Perrow. Josh Kerr, the Airshow World Champ, who helped inject a new wave of hi-fi into the Dream Tour. Filipe Toledo, the kid who brought us this year’s most progressive contest wave so far: a lofty alley oop to air-reverse combo at the Billabong Pro, Rio. And, Kieren Perrow, eternally one of the top five best performers at the Pipe Masters and someone most’d associate with big barrels, not small ramps. Our logical minds assured us of a battle between Filipe and Josh to do the highest rotation combo.

But, would y’believe, Kieren took off on his first wave and flew into a seamless, transitional double-grab air, with a lot of height, straight into a bottom turn and closeout hit: 8.17 points. Every surfer in the competitor’s area ran to the monitor to watch the replay. “I don’t try airs much in heats,” said Kieren. “But Keramas is that kinda wave, it’s got that thing that just tempts you to try and get up above it. I actually went out in the heat thinking, “I’m not gonna play their game, I’m not gonna do airs. That section was just really clean and nice, though. I figured I’d give it a go.” Kieren then quickly backed-up with a 7.33 on his second wave. With 15.50 points and most of the heat left, Kieren was way out in front.

Josh rotated some big spins but kept landing on odd sections, and couldn’t paste anything higher than a 6.07. Filipe had opened with an 8.90, but couldn’t manage a backup with anything above a 1.33. Was Kieren Perrow, the big wave guy, gonna beat two of the tour’s best aerialists at the closest thing surfing has to a skatepark? And, with a well-placed air? “This is nothing to take away from Kieren,” said commentator Sal Masekela. “But KP is the last person you’d expect to do a double-grab transition air, solid, land in the transition of the wave straight into a smash.”

With a minute remaining, Filipe bounced a new score into his total: 7.17. He swooped the lead from under Kieren, and nothing was to be done about it. But had Filipe not snagged the backup, never would a more perplexing heat win have occurred. Never mind all our best attempts to control variables in this sport, it’s hard not to dig the unrelenting unpredictability of professional surfing.

And, in sweet closure, Filipe took off on a wave after the buzzer and stomped a Kerrupt flip; so-named because Josh Kerr invented it. – Elliot Struck

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