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It started off looking pretty ordinary. Typical wind-swept Misty Cliffs, with the occasional decent runner coming through from the outside. The first couple of heats saw some average rides, and a few slightly above average rides. To be honest, it was easy enough to lose concentration and have a chat to someone at the toilets, get involved in a massive boerie roll from Surfers Foods, catch up with old friends and anything else that would distract you from the fairly boring surfing that was going on.
Stanley shortly after his win.
Stanley shortly after his win.
But pro surfers have a great skill of making tricky and difficult waves look exceptional. Today it was Stanley Badger who ventured over to the free surfing zone – a semi close-out right that was coming through and delivering the odd bomb amongst many thick shut-downs. While the rest of the competitors hacked it out in the fading lefts and straight-hander rights of the original contest site, Stanley sneaked across and showed the spectators that the right was actually cooking, pretty much.
Punchy right hand bowls were coming through, and there were some perfect nuggets just hitting the bank perfectly and reeling along for a few open barrel rides, thick lips for solid bashes, and room for floaters and some big airs as well. By the time the rest of the guys in the heat woke up to what Stanley was up to, it was too late and he had a clear victory while the rest of the heat were chasing for second place.
After that heat, the contest venue followed suit and shifted down the beach to the right, and there was some pretty sick surfing. John-John Florence got barreled in his heat, showing what growing up at Backdoor and OTW can do for your tube riding. Sean Holmes got pipped at the post by Josh Salie in a very close heat, but Sean has had a few close calls go his way in the past, and everyone on the beach knows that he rips. Such is the nature of competition. Josh was on his way to the University Champs and had to change plans as well as plane tickets.
As we sat and froze our asses off watching the heats, Royden blitzed, Wok crumbled, PC got crushed, Antonio fell, and a host of waves were ridden. It was unbelievably cold though, as I mentioned, and I just wanted to go home and start cranking the heaters and the Sunday arvi dops, so I missed the last few heats. They might have been important, but so are my Sunday arvi dops….
Tomorrow looks like it might be another day at Misty Cliffs, before the biggest day of the year arrives for the tail end of the contest. Giant swells and ripping winds is going to make the final rounds of the event quite exciting, to say the last…
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