The Stab Alphabet: Fiji

Stab presents a letter-based summary of a whole lotta things you probably saw and definitely loved about the Volcom Fiji Pro… 

A is for the Ankle of John John Florence, which repaired itself before this event and was dragged through two 10s and three nines.

B is for Bula, the first word you’ll hear and learn when the wheels bounce on tarmac.

C is for CJ Hobgood, who still rules enough at this place to make the semis and bounce himself eight spots up the title ratings.

D is for Dusk, which is when perhaps the most visually-arresting session occurred at Cloudbreak.

E is for Endure, which is what Kelly Slater’s legacy in this particular place will continue to do.

F is for Fishing, which is where everyone thought Joel was during round one, and they were kinda right. But…

G is for GPS, and the malfunctioning type that got Joel Parkinson lost during round one, and stuck on a reef ’til the tide came in.

H is for Happy, which the stranded Joel certainly wasn’t when the texts started flooding in about his impending heat.

I is for Island, the blessed land formation we owe the last two weeks of entertainment to.

J is for Jetski, without which the amount of waves ridden in each heat would be far lower. Thank you, PWCs.

K is, of course, for Kelly Slater, who’s performance was beyond adjectives and many say his career best.

L is for Lazy Days, of which there were too many but ultimately, if conditions on finals day had been any different, the world wouldn’t seem so bright right now.

M is for Mitch, as in Coleborn, Volcom’s wildcard, and his 19.33 combined total in round one.

N is for Namotu, the smaller, prettier of the two islands within equal distance of Cloudbreak.

O is for “Oh My God,” and the amount of times it was said in the commentary booth.

P is for #Paradise, which requires little spelling out if you saw any kinda vision from this event.

Q is for Jason Shibata’s Questions.

R is for Restaurants, the speedy little gem that serves as back-up location and polishing zone.

S is for Scorpion, which is what Glenn Hall was unfortunate enough to do on the reef during a heat, and required a chopper lift outta there.

T is for Tavarua, the island where you’ll find Restaurants and a rather exquisite pool bar. T is also representative of the stance Kelly assumed on his first wave in the final.

U is for Unload, which is what Kelly’s two waves in the quarters did on the reef.

V is for Volcom, and the enormous Bravo! they deserve for this event.

W is for Wassel, as in Dave, for delivering commentary that drips with more metaphors than George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

X is for Xtreme! Which is what the surfing was at many points. Just ask Pay TV.

Y is for Yacht, and the super kind that burned past the channel.

Z is for the unchanging Zeitgeist: Kelly is still the best. – Elliot Struck