Yadin out

Yadin Nichol has been beaten by C J Hopgood in Rio. Yadin had a four and one plus. CJ had nothing until he pulled into the only real tube of the heat and got an eight. Parko was calling the heat and pointed out than today an eight is worth twelve.

Everyone is hoping they can it at the end of this round.

Hurley Pro starts now

The Hurley Pro at Trestles is just starting with the trials final. After that it is straight into round one.

The conditions look nice but the swell is small. Jordy is still out and Dane Reynolds isn't coming.

This is the first event since the mid season cut. Bobby Martinez and CJ Hopgood are gone and three rookies are in. WA's Yadin Nicol is meant to be one of the but had given his spot to John Florence due to a Artois injury. He had worked so hard to make the tour it must be very disappointing.

Webcast and decent iPad app are available. Hopefully the webcast is better than Quiksilver's attempt in New York

Bobbie is disqualified

The rest of round two and some of round three was run in slightly bigger but messier waves in New York last night. It was pouring down with rain at times and the event (like the US Open tennis) has a break mid morning to let it pass.

Bobby Martinez won his heat and gave a heart felt post heat interview where he expressed his disgust at the state of the ASP and the mid season cut which happens after this event.

“First of all, I’d like to say (an the ASP are going to fine me) ‘cuz I don’t want to be a part of this dumb f***ing wannabe tennis tour. All these pro surfers want to be tennis players. They want to do a halfway cutoff. How the f*** is somebody who’s not even competing against our caliber of surfers ahead of 100 of us on the one world ratings. They’ve never been here. They’ve never f***ing made the right to surf against us, but now we’re ranked upon them. Come on now. That’s Bullshit. That’s why I ain’t going to these stupid contests no more. This is my last one because FTW, my sponsors is here and I just tell it like it is. This is my last one and I don’t like tennis. I don’t like the tour… Who gives a f***? You know what I mean?”

“I’ve been here before. I love this city. I’ll tell you right now, if my sponsor wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be here for this dumb contest. ASP? They f***ing…surfing’s going down the drain thanks to these people.”

This has been his line for a few weeks and he does have a point. He doesn't think that someone on the world tour should be dropped because someone on the lower level, who never surfs against the best in the world happens to get a better one world ranking off that tour.

There is the odd surfer like Owen Wright or Julian Wilson that you think could go straight to the top level tour but even they have struggled in the big time. When you look at the ratings people like Bobby, CJ Hopgood and Freddie P might be dropped for some no name Brazillian who can throw airs and claims in hip height surf.

Regardless of the truth of the matter he was disqualified for "damaging the image of the sport". It will last until the ASP can decide if to ban him for the rest of the year. It is probably academic as he will miss the cut and is not likely to chase points in the prime events.

The ASP emailed Bobby his suspension notification. It seems to be spiralling out of control at the moment. There apparently will be no Triple Crown in Hawaii this year, the womens tour has already finished and the top surfers are choosing not to turn up to events. The judging is inconsistent at best and the administration seems to wander between press releases that make matter worse not better (eg: remember this one after the Owen Wright "commitment" debacle in Brazil or click here to see their email to Bobby). The ASP need to be careful as their core audience is starting to get annoyed and will start watching something else.



On the positive side Taj is through easily to round four but will probably draw his nemesis Josh Kerr. Being a non-elimination round their might be some big airs being thrown down. Mick Fanning lost to Freddie P this morning and Slater got a walk through due to Bobby's naughtiness.

The event is on now and rumoured to finish tomorrow. It is still brown and small enough for you to imagine that Bunno could hold its own world tour event. The webcast is patchy again.

QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK REMAINING ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 5:  Josh Kerr (AUS) defeated Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Bobby Martinez *Will not be surfed. Martinez disqualified from competition.
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) lost to Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 8: Kieren Perrow (AUS) lost to Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 9: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 10: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 11: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 12: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)

Fridays

I think I have said it before but there are few things I like more than getting into the ocean on a Friday afternoon. Especially that moment when you duck dive and see the setting sun glow through the falling lip. Very zen.

Today two groms were sharing little runners of what is normally a winter bank off the end of the southern rocks at Juniors. Not great but they were enjoying themselves.

I took hand plane version 2.0 for its first spin but stupidly left my fins at home. That made it very difficult to get into waves early enough to set a line before they closed out. The jury is out on this new board. It rode a little soft and didn't seem t want to bite into the face. I'm leaning towards the quality of the waves and the lack of drive from fins as being the probable cause. We'll see.

It looks like a little front may brush past over the weekend. Winds should have some north in them. Apparently the secret spot that shows up in all of Taj's Cyclone Bianca footage was breaking again on with Sunday's little northerly pulse and TB, CJ and the Snake were all over it, probably recovering from the Margaret River celebrations the night before.

Rain

At least I think it is. It has been so long that I've almost forgotten.

The onshore wins have brought a little swell but it isn't particularly big or any good. There are a few people out everywhere but like me yesterday they seem find it more frustrating than fun.

There are a few showers still around but the forecast for tomorrow is looking fine and offshore. The lack of banks is probably going to wreck any waves locally. It could be a good day to head to the Margies Pro before the weekend crowds.

I would like to give you an idea of what the surfing has been like but their crappy website and webcast spends more time crashed than working and the heats on demand are way behind. The five seconds on the News made it look messy and double overhead on the sets. Taj, Slater, Fanning, Parko, CJ, Julian Wilson, Kai Otten and a few other big names are through to the man on man round of 24. Taj and Parko have the hardest heats as they are the only ones against 'CT competition (Otten and Wilson). The women also need to run a pile of heats.

Lay Day

Small and inconsistent waves have resulted in a lay day on day one of the Billabong Pro. Some good heats on paper in round 1 but as it is non-elimination so most will be under whelming. The American websites are talking up Slater v AI v wildcard in heat 10.

Current world number one Jordy is in a hard heat against goofy CJ Hopgood and local Manoa Drollet (who always get a little local push in the scoring). Taj has Tiago Pires and a wildcard while Mick has last event runner up Adam Melling and a local wildcard. With Tahiti 18 hours behind not a lot worth getting up in the middle of the night for in this round.

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS
Heat 1: Damien Hobgood (USA), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 2: Jadson Andre (BRA), Luke Stedman (AUS), Nate Yeomans (USA)
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Marco Polo (BRA)
Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA), Tom Whitaker (AUS), Blake Thornton (AUS)
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Roy Powers (HAW), Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Joan Duru (FRA)
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS), Adam Melling (AUS), Tamaroa McComb (PYF)
Heat 8: Jordy Smith (ZAF), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Manoa Drollet (PYF)
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS), Tiago Pires (PRT), Tuamata Puhetini (PYF)
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA), Andy Irons (HAW), Heiarii Williams (PYF)
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW), Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 12: Owen Wright (AUS), Brett Simpson (USA), Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 13: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 14: Michel Bourez (PYF), Dean Morrison (AUS), Mick Campbell (AUS)
Heat 15: Taylor Knox (USA), Luke Munro (AUS), Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 16: Chris Davidson (AUS), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS)

J-Bay Day Two

Into the second round at J-Bay after yesterday's non-elimination round one. Most of the seeds got through easily in the classic surf and so far today the heats have been okay but no stars.

Although the surf has dropped to about three foot plus it is still cranking and probably better than anything you've ever surfed !!!! Still that hasn't stopped the first ten of the event being scored by Bottle Thompson. With some big carves, a deep deep tube and a floater it deserved the ten. Check it at the heats on demand on the website.

As the day has progressed the size hasn't really dropped but it has become a little inconsistent with some heats being a little starved for waves. CJ Hopgood is the only significant loss so far, losing to Timmy Reynes, who was Parko's injury replacement. CJ is having a horror start to his year with his second 33rd to go with a 17th and a 5th. This means he will hold the 17th for the rest of the year.

Unfortunately some of the South African spectators have brought along those stupid bugle things from the soccer world cup. Luckily they only seem to blow them when a local is in a heat and only Jordy and Travis Logie (who seems to have learnt how to surf this year) left.

Looks like they will run to round 3 heat 5 today and hope for more swell tomorrow. Watch it live on FuelTV or the net.

Portugal Sucks

The first 8 heats of round one of the Search are done with the wildcards doing well in poor surf. It was pretty much the most boring surfing of the European leg, which is saying something as there hadn't been much to write home about.

Three of the heats were won with two waves totals under 10 and 15 was the best. Generally anything under 12 means your been given a whipping.

With the bottom half of the 'CT trying to re-qualify but only getting one chance there are a couple of guys who may be wishing they backed up on the WQS. Nathaniel Curran and Portuguese German Marlon Lipke both finally won heats but need huge results here and at Pipe if they are to avoid heading back to the "grind".

Parko must be worried. His mentor Luke Egan finally admitted that the ankle injury he sustained in Bali was still troubling him and that he re-injured it on his first wave at Munduka. The junky small waves just seem to make it an issues whereas if it was bigger and he could set a line rather than wiggle he might have been able to compensate. He would have been hoping for some size at Supertubos but may be forced into a mush fight.

Fanning can win the title here if Parko goes out early and a few other things happen. If things fall his way he doesn't even need to win. Hopefully he won't and it will go down to a duel at Pipe. CJ Hopgood can't be counted out and has yet to get lower than ninth. Technically everyone in the top ten can still win it all but in reality it is probably only the top three with Artiz the outsider.

DeSouza wins in Spain

The Billabong Pro in Spain has been won by Brazillian Andriano DeSouza beating Aussie Chris Davidson. This is DeSouza's first WCT win and moves him into third on the ratings with two second placings.

Slater and CJ finished third and Taj was taken out by Slater in the Quarters.

Mick has move above Parko in the unadjusted ratings. Slater is now 6th and Taj 7th. Both have a mathematical chance of winning it all but basically would rely on the top five to lose in the first round of the next two events and they win both.

If you adjust the ratings now Parko is 186 points in front of Fanning with DeSouza just over 300 points behind. CJ, the only surfer in the top five without a 17th, is less than 1000 behind first.

The next event is the Rip Curl Search in Portugal next week.