What a difference a wind makes

Goddamn, what a difference an onshore wind can make. The Bells morning held infinite promise with vintage lines wrapping into the bowl, but then the wind came and the game changed. You’ve got to hand it to the WSL commissioner, Kieren Perrow. He milked every last drop of light out of Bells Beach today, running almost till the lights went out. With the scars of the Quik Pro still healing KP’s not going to risk overtime this time. At the end of the day KP’s now able to finish the event in one day. Bravo commissioner. They say that with confidence you’ve won before the game starts. Filipe Toledo epitomises confidence right now. The judges are wising up to his finner-to-reverse sig move, but his carve game’s been exceptional. He’s beaten Jeremy Flores and Dusty Payne, who both looked incredibly sharp. Jeremy in particular is looking likes he’s bounced back from last year and was hooking with the best of them today, but that’s not enough to get you past Filly. After loosing today Taj told us that, “After winning the Quik Pro Fil’s been strutting round like he’s running the joint. Which at the moment he is!” Props. Owen Wright was the only goofy to win round through round four and move straight to the quarters, and he did so in style. His 8.93 winner against Kolohe in round three was a lesson in how to lay down the hammer at Bells on your backhand, patience and timing, the key ingredients. Once Bells became infested with chop and bump, Jordy looked like the form surfer. He looked most comfortable, even when a rogue jet ski wake tried to cramp his style. No dice. One can’t help but feel that Mick Fanning will be hard to beat if the waves are clean.  Today he looked like he always does: technically perfect with a sprinkling of calculated aggression. But the real question is thus, can anyone match the vivacity and consistency of Filipe Toledo. Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 3 Results (1st to R4, 2nd = 13th): Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.90 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 14.33Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) 14.93 def. Freddy Patacchia Jr. (HAW) 14.00Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.67 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 13.44Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.84 def. Matt Banting (AUS) 13.00Heat 5: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.10 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.76Heat 6: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 10.00 def. Mason Ho (HAW) 8.10Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.84 def. Brett Simpson (AUS) 12.73Heat 8: Nat Young (USA) 14.37 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 12.73Heat 9: Jordy Smith (AUS) 14.03 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 7.90Heat 10: Jadson Andre (BRA) 13.87 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 7.00Heat 11: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 18.57 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.10Heat 12: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.00 def. John John Florence (HAW) 10.76 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 4 Results (1st to QF, 2nd & 3rd to R5): Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 17.46, Kelly Slater (USA) 15.93, Josh Kerr (AUS) 12.43Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 15.97, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.70, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 11.96Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.97, Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.17, Nat Young (AUS) 13.96Heat 4: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 13.47, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.17, Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.90  Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 5 Match-ups (1st to QF, 2nd = 9th): Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Gabriel Medina (BRA)Heat 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)Heat 4: Nat Young (USA) vs. Nat Young (USA)  Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach Round 3 Results (1st to QF, 2nd & 3rd to R4): Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 16.17, Lakey Peterson (USA) 16.04, Alessa Quizon (HAW) 12.36Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 18.50, Silvana Lima (BRA) 12.37, Johanne Defay (FRA) 9.40Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 18.37, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 8.67, Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 5.03Heat 4: Coco Ho (HAW) 13.97, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 13.77, Tyler Wright (AUS) 13.74  Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach Round 4 Match-ups (1st to QF, 2nd = 9th): Heat 1: Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Silvana Lima (BRA)Heat 2: Johanne Defay (FRA) vs. Alessa Quizon (HAW)Heat 3: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) vs. Tyler Wright (AUS)Heat 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) vs. Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW)