Which surfer will have the “Mana”, and go on to win this epic event? Will Mother Nature unleash the beast and deliver another Code Red swell?  Or will she make the boys battle it out in 3-5 foot scraps for two weeks? Either way the World Tour Rankings are tighter than a Sardine’s bum hole after the Jeffreys Bay event and it’s getting exciting. Here are my thoughts and predictions on how this year will unravel at Chopes.

Teahupo’o in my eyes is similar to Pipeline in many ways. You need testicles the size of a humpback whale and the courage of an Anzac. But most of all, Teahupoo demands time and experience.  It has taken tour veterans’ years to fine tune their skills on how to surf Teahupo’o properly. Any surfer with an iota of talent can get barrelled at Chopes, but to be outstanding out there is another story. Athletes such as Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater have spent weeks practicing in Tahiti in their off seasons, fine tuning their skills at this unique wave.

Kelly Slater is no slouch at Teahupoo having won here in 2011 and making a finals appearance in 2013. Photo: Joli

The Wise Wizards

I tend to lean towards the more experienced tour veterans or athletes who have spent the time in the line-up at Teahupoo. Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning and CJ Hobgood are all wise wizards and are hard to go past for a semi-final birth or better. Also sliding into this category with a few less wrinkles are Owen Wright and Josh Kerr. These two guys are experienced and happy to put their bodies on the line for a win.

John John hasn’t had a stellar year thus far but don’t count him out he is a master out here. Photo: Joli 

The Favourites

The first two names that come to mind are Gabriel Medina and John John Florence. These youngsters have more testosterone than a paddock full of adolescent bulls. With Gabby on a roll leading the world rankings and John John looking to make up some ground after an average start to the year. These two will be bucking their way out of the gates from Round 1.  

The perennial underdog Nathan ‘The Hog’ Hedge has secured a wildcard spot for the second consecutive year. Photo: ASP/Robertson 

The Wildcards

Wildcards are locals or surfers who are very experienced out at Teahupoo. Bruno Santos and Manoa Drolett are perfect examples; both have had much success out there in the past. So make sure you leave a bit of room in your fantasy surfer team. This year Tahitian Tuamata Puhetini and Australian underdog Nathan “The Hog” Hedge have won their way through the trials into the main event. Remember a wildcard will always upset the apple cart at this event.

The Spartan walking on water. After two event wins this year he’ll be looking to take that momentum into an event in his backyard. Photo: Joli 

Michel Bourez

The King of Tahiti who has his own subtitle. Surprisingly ‘The Spartan’ has struggled to get good results on his home turf. I believe this is due to putting too much pressure on himself and simply trying too hard. Michel is my number one pick this year. He has the talent, experience and the confidence to win at Teahupoo, I have no doubt in my mind that we will see this fearless warrior in the final in two weeks time.

The defending champion, Ace Buchan, planting himself in a throaty keg on the road to victory at last year’s event. Photo: Joli 

Under The Rader

Every year there are always athletes that throw a cat amongst the pigeons. Adrian Buchan was a perfect example of this in 2013 as Ace slid under the radar and took down Yoda aka Kelly Slater in the final. Can Ace make it two from two? He undoubtedly has the talent and the brain capacity to go back to back. All he needs is a bit of luck and Mother Nature to cooperate.

If all the stars align there are a couple of other surfers worth watching. Aritz Arunburu is a freak in a backside funnel; he grew up surfing Mundaka and knows how to jam his Basque ghetto booty into the wave face at Chopes. Growing up in Kauai, where backside slabs are as common as pizza slices in New York City, Sebastian Zietz is a definite threat in any slabbing waves. If it gets big he’ll be one to watch.

Julian Wilson is another Aussie looking to climb the ratings and prove he too can mix it up in heavy water. Photo: Joli 

Julian Wilson

My last pick goes to Julian Wilson. Not only does JW have the ticker but over the past twelve months his backhand tube riding has been phenomenal. Add to this his recent partnership with former world tour surfer Dan Ross and a disappointing year by his standards Jools might finally find his mojo.

So there you have it, my top Tahitian tips from the biggest chin in surfing. Until next time keep smiling and stay present.

Bottle