While the world’s best surfers on the WSL CT had a down day due to small conditions in Brazil, those competing on the Asia/Aus regional QS spent the day trading six foot freight train right tubes at Nias. Each year this leg of the third tier of professional surfing poses the question as to why there is no permanent CT event held in Indo.
For the past three days competitors at Nias have been trading tunnels in the postcard worthy paradise of Lagundri Bay. The contest continues to serve up world class conditions. Last year’s Nias comp made headlines when surfers spent two days in XL conditions, serving up some of the highest heat total’s the WSL has ever seen, including Xavier Huxtable’s perfect 20.00.
The waves were pumping at the original ‘ perfect wave’ – Lagundri Bay on the island of Nias. The wave found by Kevin Lovett, John Giesel and Peter Troy in 1975, made famous by the movie ‘Storm Riders’ and a Coke Ad, and thousands of red-eyed surfing tales. A wave remade by violent seismic activity in 2005. The earthquake was a tragedy, but many say Lagundri got even better after the renovation.
While there’s yet to be a perfect score in this season’s event, it’s still thrown up a number of highlights which have got the surfing world talking. Jay Occhilupo earnt the first nine point ride on Monday with a stand tall tube which he was spat out of with his arms behind his back. It’s clear the time he puts in at his home break of Snapper Rocks transfers into his barrel riding skills at similar waves.
Japan’s Jin Suzuki came away with the highest heat of the event earlier today with a 9.73 and a 7.10 to make a 16.83 total. It can be difficult to understand the small differences in scores at a wave which is so mechanical, but it was Jin’s ability to place himself deep in the tube and navigate over the foam ball which gave him one of the highlights of the day.
Heat winners were also rewarded with a Beng Beng chocolate bar, maybe the best event sponsor ever. It was clear the surfers were desperate to make their heats, not to win the event, but just to gain another opportunity to get barreled with only a few other guys out.
Elliott Paerata-Reid put it best in his post heat interview: “I don’t care about the scores, I just wanted to sit there and wait for a wave which I could get barreled on.”
Despite worsening conditions, the comp is set to conclude in the next couple of days.
