Gallery: The Beautiful And The Breathless

With the public held at bay until Friday, Thursday morning started slow at The Surf Ranch Pro, the few VIP guests and media arriving navigating an event site still very much being erected, and action already underway at 8:30AM. 

With the event’s format leaving little on the line, the first round’s slow pace combined with the Central Valley heat, creeping into the triple digits, and made for a lethargic afternoon affair.

Despite nearly all off the CT’s rigorous cardiovascular conditioning, not to mention their thorough use of the pool the last few weeks of scheduled warm-ups, every surfer seemed completely gassed by the end of each round, the football field-long runners putting their training regiments to the test. Nearly fifteen minutes after exiting the water, Slater panted through his post-heat interview, Turpel noting the leaderboard’s top dog’s wheezing, “Slater’s still catching his breath…”

Meanwhile, the small gathered crowd enjoyed bottomless palomas from the open bar and the catered spread of roasted chicken and quinoa salads the WSL generously imported to Lemoore’s food desert, as the first batch of surfers went back and forth, back and forth. Long stretches of mellow, quiet action punctuated by moments of dramatic applause for Pat Guduaskas, Yago Dora, and a few other’s more spontaneous moves. (Though, Pat’s sushi roll 6.97 might have deserved an extra point, and sent the mild-mannered San Clemente cat claws out into the judge’s booth to get a better understanding of just what, exactly, they were looking for, if not that…) 

Click through the gallery above and scroll south for a look at the first day of full-fledged World Tour competition at Surf Ranch.

Kelly Slater on his opening right.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Sage Erickson.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Wade Carmichael.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Micro Hall, Ace Buchan, Mikey and Owen Wright.

Photography

Sam Moody.

What a specimen: Mikey February.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Lovebirds: Hanalei and Pat G.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Pat G.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Mikey Feb.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Randy Hild and Mark Cunningham

Photography

Sam Moody.

Connor O’Leary.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Conner Coffin and Peter King.

Photography

Sam Moody.

ADS.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Lakey Peterson.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Pat G.

Photography

Sam Moody.