There will be no “early start” to this year’s Fiji Pro. Despite the chatter surrounding a potential move from the WSL to bring the event-waiting period one day forward to coincide with a favourable forecast it simply wasn’t possible to pull it off.
Rearranging itineraries, finding enough accommodation on both islands and relying on everything to fall into place was always going to be a race against time.
WSL’s Media Manager, Adam Robertson, told Tracks that the idea was bandied around by the powers that be but deemed unattainable on Thursday.
“I think they were looking at it but the logistics of getting all those 36 surfers to rearrange themselves to be here on time was too much. It only took one surfer that couldn’t make it on that day and that would mean they couldn’t do it.”
There was also the contentious issue of requesting the top 17 female surfers and their support team to check out early on Tavarua. All competitors were payed up until Saturday and the word on the coconut wireless was they were keen to stay on.
As I’m writing there is a slow trickling of pro surfers filing in to Namotu. Joel Parkinson, Kai Otton, Ace Buchan and Glenn Hall all arrived this morning and were straight into a freesurf session at Restuarants joining Kelly, Kerrzy, Ricardo Christie, Wiggolly Dantas and ADS. (We’ll have the images up real soon).
The long range forecast is showing promising signs of a “mega swell” due to hit next Friday – ominously three years to the day of the 2012 “Thundercloud” swell. That might be why Parko is calling out to Ottz over the bar to “hurry up” and get into gear for a warm up at Cloudbreak. Meanwhile everyone else is slipping into a hypnotic island rhythm, watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals or glued to their Instagram feed.
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