The surfing world is still reeling at John John Florence’s victory in Portugal at the Meo Rip Curl Pro and his World Title, but in the meantime it’s time to get ready for what looks like a massive Hawaiian season. It has already kicked in, with the HIC Pro presented by Vans at Sunset Beach.
It’s a three-day event with a waiting period from October 27 to November 9 and while the winner gets the honours and the points for a 3,000 Qualifying Series event, it’s more about the slots into the Vans Triple Crown that everyone is after.
With a venue like Sunset Beach, there is going to be plenty of emphasis on experience, especially if it gets solid. Surfers like Sunny Garcia and Bruce Irons, who are both entered, ooze hard-earned experience in that difficult lineup and either surfer could be a serious threat, along with Australian Jack Robinson.
Last year the 18-year-old Australian Robinson made the final of the HIC Pro, went on to win the Pipe Invitational as well as being crowned the Vans Triple Crown Rookie Of The Year. He will be determined to up his game from last year, when he was the surfer in the spotlight, and to improve from there means that he is going to have to make massive upwards movements. Chances are that he will. See: Jack Robinson is one of the world’s best barrel riders.
Another surfer to watch out for at this event is Italian surfer Leo Fioravanti. Currently leading the Qualifying Series and a Big Match Temperament kind of surfer who had no problem knocking out Kelly Slater when the opportunity arose at the Quiksilver Pro France, he loves it when the surf gets solid. He is set to dig in this year in Hawaii, surfing all the events and getting to grips with the powerful surf on the North Shore and hopefully avoiding serious injury on the Pipe reef. See: When the wave breaks here…
Jamie O’Brien is another surfer who could do great damage at Sunset. Although he is way more of a problem child at Pipe, he is versed enough in riding those huge peaks of Sunset beach and on the right day could do some serious damage.
Last year’s winner Ian Walsh is in the mix, along with Mason Ho. Both are dynamic competitors, and round off the eclectic but dynamic field for the first event of the season.
What’s next?
The Hawaiian Pro Haleiwa is next, and the defending champ is Wade Carmichael. Waiting period is November 12 to 23, and it’s a QS 10,000. This is followed by the Vans World Cup of Surfing event, back at Sunset. The defending champion is Mick Fanning and it too is a QS 10,000.
To round off the Hawaiian season, we have the Billabong Pipe Masters. It’s no longer relevant in the title race, but it is probably the most prestigious event on the Championship Tour and a Pipe Masters win is one of the most coveted titles next to a world title. The waiting period is December 8 to 20 and Adriano De Souza is the defending champion.
Without the pressure of a world title on anyone’s shoulders, the upcoming season is probably going to be one of performance, when surfers can push their personal limits and test their equipment out in the most testing of conditions. Surfers like World Champion John John Florence, Jamie O’Brien and mason Ho are just three surfers who always surf progressively and lead the charge in innovative surfing performances on the North Shore. They are the types of surfers who are going to revel in the upcoming season, contests or not, and will make this yet another one of those unforgettable Hawaiian seasons.
