Three observations from day two

Words by Damien Fahrenfort 

France kicked off this morning to surf that seemed promising. However the waves didn’t really deliver. It was big, clamping beachbreak. Conditions full of mirages from a far with generally un-makeable tunnels. There were moments of near greatness but it was a tough day. And honestly it was quite boring for the most important people, us.

No Toledo.
He really needed to step up here and charge. Big France isn’t that heavy in comparison to average Pipe but if he packed a proper closeout his Tahiti fuck up would have been slightly forgotten. Instead he tried to pick off a few insiders which was probably the smart thing to do. It’s apparent his barrel riding needs work. Fil could have made the heat if he’d come out of the tube. When trying to doggy door a barrel it’s best to stay compact rather than standing straight up. Andy, Kelly and JJF are guys who do this really well. It makes all the difference in tougher conditions.

Kelly put on a clinic as usual.
His ability to find good waves in tough conditions is incredible. It blows me away time and time again. This is becoming a bit of a habit for Kelly. He keeps going mad one heat then finding nothing in the next, which is worrying for my fantasy surf team. Kelly used to be a strong advocate of not peaking too soon. This year he’s been a victim of this. Lets hope he figures it out this time around.

Joel’s lost his edge.
Not surf-wise but competitively. Since winning his title he seems to be coasting. Which is cool but I’d love to see him get back to dominant form. Sure there’s more talent on tour now than three years ago but he should be as dominant as Mick still. In waves like today he should have never lost to Keanu Asing.

Round two results:
Heat 1: M. Huscenot 6.10, F. Toledo 5.90
Heat 2: O. Wright 14.57, C. Ibelli 12.07
Heat 3: K. Slater 17.37, A. Aranburu 1.93
Heat 4: J. Flores 10.56 D. Payne 1.33
Heat 5: I. Ferreira —, A. Muniz Injured
Heat 6: N. Young 12.66, R. Christie 12.27
Heat 7: J. Kerr 9.67, G. Hall 7.16
Heat 8: M. Bourez 7.67, W. Dantas 6.40
Heat9: K. Asing 11.17, J. Parkinson 2.86
Heat 10: K. Otton 12.00, A. Melling 7.17
Heat 11: M. Wilkinson 10.17, S. Zietz 8.16
Heat 12: J. Andre 9.20, M. Pupo 9.20

Round three match-ups:
Heat 1: J. Wilson, B. Simpson
Heat 2: N. Young, J. Andre
Heat 3: K. Slater, K. Andino
Heat 4: I. Ferreira, K. Asing
Heat 5: B. Durbidge, A. Buchan
Heat 6: M. Fanning, M. Huscenot
Heat 7: A. de Souza, T. Hermes
Heat 8: K. Otton, J. Florence
Heat 9: J. Flores, M. Bourez
Heat 10: G. Medina, C. Hobgood
Heat 11: J. Kerr, M. Wilkinson
Heat 12: O. Wright, D. Reynolds