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Shew - yes that's right, shew! I feel like I just ran multiple marathons down here in the Dirty South of South Africa. Every year I try get ready for July, think I am prepared, but I never am. It's supposed to be winter and slow and quiet, but that's not how it works in SA. So here is a little run down of how July 2011 nearly finished your Captain.
The Mr Price Pro in Ballito was mental! Waves, surfing and the jol. John John Florence charging.
So at the start we had the Mr Price Pro in Ballito. Not only did I arrive on the biggest day of competition and get to witness tube riding like it had never been seen in South Africa, we also got to see some truly impressive wipe outs and bomb sets. Went and got hammered with the Twig man and his lady, Kate, at our man Wok's jol. Was a little quiet that party, but it did not stop us from getting pretty loose at the bar. Culprit number 1, Mr Ard Mathews of Just Jinger fame. The man drinks more tequila than a Mexican plantation worker on the day of the dead! This was also not the last we would see of Mr Mathews...
John John paying the band - how big you reckon that white water is?
Saturday was back to the Mr price for the finals. Waves started off mental, but kind of dissapeared towards the final. Still good surfing to see though and Pat G was the eventual winner. Pack up my shit and jump in the cabby, off to North Beach to catch the Red Bull X-Fighters with "Sick" Nick de Wit and crew. Got there just in time to film the show - the boys were busting down! Nick threw about 4 new back flip combos I had not seen before, it was mental. Few beers with Andy Mork to get the hangover out and it was off to the ZigZag surfing Awards...
We like promo girls!
Shew, this bike is bliksems heavy!
Photogs at work - convo in the back - Hey Wok wanna ride bikes? Wok - Hell NO!
The ZigZag surf awards was a fun night. Thank the lord for Luke Patterson though, without his chirps through the evening I might well have fallen asleep. Some of our older surfers could well use an introduction to how to make thank you speeches. A certain big wave surfer, hall of Fame inductee, spoke so much ##### no one knew what was going on. All was not lost though, as Sean Thompson made a great speech and really pumped up the crowd about how proud we should be as South African surfers. the Black Label flowed and people were getting pretty trollied. Twig puled the plug and we got to bed early and surfed epic waves the next day.
Twig and Kate looking pretty dam retro for the Surf Awards!
Oh and then there was the Riot Jam BMX - by this time I was on auto pilot till I got back to Cape Town.
BMX at the Riot Jam.
Ok, so deep breaths back to work, then i get the call to drop everything and head up to Jbay for the Billabong Pro Music Festival to MC. Sure, why not. Chris Mason from Wavescape jumped in with me and we blazed up to Jbay getting there at 6:30pm, just in time for me to walk on stage and start the festival. Thus started a 3 nights of mayhem, with no surfing happening due to small swell. Some of the suspects who caused the drunken chaos were Luke Patto, Dutchy, Sasha Specker (I know!), Tyrone Rawlins and of course Dennis the Menace himself, Brad Masters, fresh from Bali.
Hard at work! (Photo: Mason)
Working even harder with Dennis the Menace! (Photo: Spex)
The bands that threw down over the 3 day period were definately AKing on Friday, PhFat went mental on the Saturday (The crowd were getting so loose the security fence almost got taken out.) and Jeremy Loops and Jack Parow finished us off in style on the Sunday. Every member of a band had drinks with us, but Ard Mathews that evil man of sultry music was once again the destroyer in carnate of the weekend! He is in some of these photos, but like an evil vampire you cannot see him! Beware! haha Boy were we slain for 3 days.
There was pretty much a ratio of 2 gals to 1 boy! (Photo: Spex)
Parow and Brandy & Coke, not much more I can say - Oh the boys were all perving his doll hard! true Story! (Photo: mason)
It was getting animated at the bar each night! Spex and I telling stories! (Photo: Mason)
The Champ and his lady, keeping it tidy! (Photo: Mason)
I got back to Cape town feeling like had been stuck in prison for 2 weeks and been considered some big black dude's bitch! The flu struck and I was man down. But the jol was not over, oh no. The biggest booze fueled orgy of party was still to come and it was at 3600m above sea level - Quiksnow!
Marcin Jekot going invert on the slopes and at the bar!
Ok, but that's enough for now, Quiksnow will be out shortly, in the meantime make sure you watch our Supersport Show tonight at 8pm, on Supersport 7. Lukka, Captain out...
Pat Gudauskas flew under some people's radar to earn a well deserved victory at the Mr Price Pro (Photo: ASP)
The Mr Price Pro is done and dusted and what a comp it was. I was lucky enough to witness the action for the last 2 days and it was amazing. Friday saw some of the biggest tubes ever ridden in a contest and the action continued on Saturday. My standout for the event was definately John John Florence, but I have to tip my hat to Pat Gudauskas, who surfed solidly all event to end up with the win.
BALLITO, KwaZulu Natal/South Africa (Saturday, July 9, 2011) – Patrick Gudauskas, 25, (San Clemente, California, USA) kept the ASP Prime Mr Price Pro Ballito crown in the family, earning the first ASP PRIME victory of his career by defeating John John Florence, 18, (HAW) in the final at Surfers Beach today.
Just two years after his brother Tanner won the event in 2009, Gudauskas stamped the family name on the 2011 edition of the Mr Price Pro Ballito, defeating Florence by 11.84 to 8.03 (out of 20.00) rocketing from World No. 27 to World No. 15 on the ASP World Rankings.
“This is crazy! I’m so psyched right now,” Gudauskas said. “This is definitely the best event I’ve ever competed in and maybe the best one I’ve ever watched. It has been flawless for a whole week and we’re all psyched to be in Ballito.”
Stringing together a powerful combination of lip bashes and critical floaters on the tapering Ballito walls, Gudauskas took the lead with a 7.17 (out of ten) before landing a massive air-drop floater to seal his victory off just a 4.67.
“I just got lucky in the final,” Gudauskas said, “John John was the man to beat at this event and it was a tough heat. I went for turns while he was looking for barrels and I think he would have ‘smoked’ me, had he found one!”
Gudauskas’s achievement marks one for the record books, the Gudauskas brothers becoming the second pair of siblings to win Mr Price Pro after the Irons Brothers, late 3X ASP World Champion Andy and Bruce (HAW), did so in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
“It’s crazy, people were asking me about that all week and I knew it would be a difficult task to defend Tanner’s title,” Gudauskas said. “Somehow I pulled it off and the fact that Andy and Bruce did it, makes it even more special.”
John John Florence was my surfer of the event. (Photo: ASP)
Florence proved a crowd favourite as the standout barrel rider of the event. Netting the day’s highest heat score a 19.40 (out of 20.00) for a pair of cavernous ‘Backdoor’ style barrels during the quarterfinals, Florence stormed into the final where unfortunately the barrels dried up, ending the young Hawaiian’s hopes of lifting this year’s trophy.
“It was really hard, the wind came up and I was tired but I’m really stoked for Pat,” Florence said. “This morning was so fun, the waves were perfect and clean and there were a lot of barrels. I just kept getting lucky and getting into the good ones, it was a lot of fun.”
Florence’s performance comes just weeks after capturing a third place finish at the ASP PRIME in Portugal and sees the youngster move up to World No. 39 on the rankings.
“I’ve had a great run lately and I’ll be looking to do a few more contest and hopefully get a few more results.”
Jordy Smith was surfing rock solid and just lost out on a repeat Final. (Photo: ASP)
Defending champion South African Jordy Smith, 23 (Dbn, ZAF) reached the semifinals placing equal third, advancing from World No. 5 to World No. 2 on the ASP World Rankings.
“It was a bunch of fun but it’s just a pity there weren’t any waves in that heat,” Smith said. “You win some and you lose some and it’s still a great result that I will be looking to take into the next event in Jeffreys Bay.”
Suffering one of the slower heats of the day, Smith waited for the set waves and was quickly out-scored by Gudauskas. The American got to work further down the line slotting into barrel after barrel to take the lead with 5.23 and 6.33 rides.
With less than three minutes remaining, Smith had no choice but to take off on a smaller right-hander, working it for all it was worth to post a 6.33. Falling just short of the required score, the timer blew over for South Africa’s 2011 Mr Price Pro title hopes.
Julian Wilson, 22, (AUS) showed great consistency adding an equal third today, to his recent ASP Prime victory in Portugal and climbs to World No. 16 on the rankings.
Wilson was narrowly defeated by Florence in their semifinal decider that saw Florence slot into a fantastic 8.33 barrel to take an early lead. Wilson clawed his way back with fast, on-the-lip maneuvers coming ever so close to taking the lead until Florence shut him down with just a 2.87 off the final wave, to advance into the final.
“I’m definitely happy with my result,” Wilson said. “That little bit of wind came up and it was hard to come out of the barrel. John John was by far the standout of this whole contest and that was pretty much like surfing a Final. He’s the one to beat at this event for sure and I hope he goes all the way.”
Brazilian Jesse Mendes, 18, (BRA) posted the only perfect-10 ride of the day during his Quarterfinal clash against Smith. The Brazilian talent slotting into a dredging Ballito cavern disappearing for several seconds but without a second high scoring ride was relegated to an equal fifth place finish.
The Mr Price Pro Ballito enjoyed flawless waves throughout the week and will go down in South African surfing history as some of the best waves ever surfed in competition.
For more information, photos and highlights log on to www.mrpricepro.com Final Results:
1 – Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.84 2 – John John Florence (HAW) 8.03 Semifinal
SF 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.70 def. Jordy Smith(ZAF) 11.56 SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 11.20 def. Julian Wilson(AUS) 10.83 Quarterfinals:
QF 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 17.10 def. Junior Faria (BRA) 13.76 QF 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.07 def. Jesse Mendes (BRA) 12.73 QF 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.03 def. Heath Joske (AUS) 8.87pts QF 4: John John Florence (HAW) 19.40 def. Blake Thornton (AUS) 9.34pts
Flying out of Cape Town this morning at some ridik hour, I could hardly have expected what awaited me in the sleepy coastal town of Ballito, just north of Durban. I had literally just walked onto the beach as the whole crowd started screaming, swung my camera onto the ocean and caught, John John Florence, as he caught one of the heaviest tubes I have ever watched. It was mental! My picture below, with the ASP photogs angle below. I just wish I had got there earlier to see Jordy's heat, as he apparently got 2 of these beast tubes. Looking forward to the final day tomorrow and hopefully a repeat of Jordy's victory...
The front angle of John John Florence's amazing tube (Photo: Captain Kai)
BALLITO, KwaZulu Natal/South Africa (Friday, July 8, 2011) – The ASP Prime Mr Price Pro Ballito is set to go down in history, as Surfers Beach once again delivered flawless two-point-five-meter (8ft) barrels that had surfers calling some of the best waves ever surfed in, or out of competition.
Two rounds of 12 (non-elimination and elimination) were completed with the winners of the non- elimination round advancing directly into the quarterfinals, while the remaining eight surfers battled through the repo charge rounds for four remaining spots in this year’s competition.
Defending champion and current ASP World No. 5 Jordy Smith (Durban) showed exactly why he is a world title contender. Dusting off an old 6’4 ‘gun’ (big wave surfboard) that his dad brought down for him the day before, Smith rode two of the heaviest barrels of the day, advancing into the quarterfinals in first place.
“I knew that one wave was a pretty heavy wave and I thought either I’ll get a massive score or I’ll get a massive beat down and as it turned out I got both,” Smith said.
Smith posted the highest individual wave of the day, a 9.80 (out of ten) for a throaty, set wave barrel, bursting through the suicidal closeout section to advance in first place ahead of Kieren Perrow (AUS) and Shaun Joubert (RSA).
“We weren’t really battling each other out there, we were battling the ocean trying to find those perfect waves,” Smith said. “It is definitely difficult but when you get a good one, it is worth it. I’m stoked to advance straight into the quarterfinals but I wouldn’t have minded getting a few more 9.8’s either.”
Pipeline specialist John John Florence (HAW) was right at home in the double-overhead surf, armed with one of his tried and tested ‘Pipe’ quiver, the 18-year-old netted the day’s highest heat total of 18.43 (out of 20.00) to earn his place into the quarterfinals.
“It’s a lot like the barrels at Backdoor (right hand waves at Pipeline), it’s big and round and maybe a little bit faster and longer,” Florence said. “I came here a few years ago and it got pretty big so I brought my Pipe boards and I’m happy I did.”
Air-dropping into an enormous barrel, disappearing for several seconds, Florence emerged cleanly to post a 9.50 (out of ten) taking the win over Kai Otton (AUS) and Jano Belo (BRA).
“I was paddling back out when I saw that wave standup and I just air dropped straight into it, the waves are amazing and I cant wait to get back out there.”
ASP World No. 27 Patrick Gudauskas (USA) looked perfectly in-tune with his equipment posting a faultless performance against proven big wave surfer Kieren Perrow (AUS).
“These waves are just unbelievable, it’s one of the most enjoyable events I’ve surfed in so I’m frothing,” Gudauskas said. “I knew this wave had some juice and I’m riding a step-up designed for a more hollow, powerful wave so I’m lucky I packed it.”
Landing a critically late air-drop, Gudauskas slotted stylishly into an expansive cavern to top Perrow’s 9.27 with a 9.40 (both out of ten) and advanced into the quarterfinals where he will take on Brazil’s Junior Faria when the competition resumes.
“Kieren is one of my favourite barrel riders and when I saw his nine-point ride I was stressing,” Gudauskas said. “I knew I needed a good one and luckily I stuck that drop, the wave stood up and I came flying out.”
Junior Faria (BRA) found his feet in some of the toughest conditions of the morning, tucking into a rare double barrel opener for a 9.33, to advance into the quarterfinals ahead of Gudauskas and Jesse Mendes (BRA).
“It’s really heavy, you cant just choose any wave to get scores because you’re going to take a long time to come back, even with the skis,” Faria said. “It’s a matter of finding one good wave in thirty minutes.”
Heath Joske (AUS) completed a dream heat, riding another of the day’s standout barrels to advance with a near-perfect 9.23 ahead of Wilson (AUS) and Blake Thornton (AUS).
“The waves are absolutely pumping,” Joske said. “These are waves surfers dream of surfing! You cant ask for better conditions, its amazing.”
ASP World No. 30 Julian Wilson (AUS) could hardly contain his excitement when he laid eyes upon the ocean this morning. Holding nothing back Wilson made his way through repo charge round defeating Jano Belo (BRA) for a spot in the quarterfinals.
“I came over with 12 boards because I’m here for three weeks and I didn’t want to run out, “ Wilson said. “I think that’s why I was so excited this morning because I had the right equipment. The waves were phenomenal! I saw some of the best waves of my life this morning, I saw one that was like 8ft Kirra (Australia) so I’m so stoked I came to this event.”
Fresh off a victory in Portugal, Wilson’s new found form could see the ASP World Tour rookie prove unstoppable in Ballito tomorrow.
“I had a tough start to the year and things just feel like they are clicking together now,” Wilson said. “I’ve been putting in the hard work and trying to figure out what works and it feels like I’ve found my groove. It’s awesome confidence to take to JBay.”
Also advancing into the quarterfinals were Jesse Mendes who advanced ahead of Shaun Joubert (AUS) and Blake Thornton (AUS) who took down Kai Otton (AUS).
With another great day of surf expected tomorrow, organisers are hoping to crown the 2011 Mr Price Pro Ballito Champion by midday. The action will get underway at 08H00 and will see a Legends Exhibition featuring South African surfing icons such as Shaun Tomson, Gavin Rudolph, Jonathan Paarman and others paddle out before the final. The call will be made at 07h30.
-ends RESULTS Non-Elimination Round of 12:
Heat 1: Junior Faria (BRA) 12.83; Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.44; Jesse Mendes(BRA) 5.20pts Heat 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.97; Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 5.03; Kieren Perrow(AUS) 4.40pts Heat 3: Heath Joske (AUS) 15.40; Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.24; Blake Thornton(AUS) 10.20 Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 18.43; Kai Otton( AUS) 15.23; Jano Belo(BRA) 2.00 Elimination Round of 12
Heat 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.90 def Kieren Perrow (AUS) 13.44 Heat 2: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.50 def Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 12.26 Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.53 def Jano Belo (BRA) 9.00 Heat 4: Blake Thornton (AUS) 8.37 def Kai Otton (AUS) 7.84 Upcoming Heats Quarterfinals
QF 1: Junior Faria (BRA) vs Patrick Gudauskas (USA) QF 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs Jesse Mendes (BRA) QF 3: Heath Joske (AUS) vs Julian Wilson (AUS) QF 4: John John Florence (HAW) vs Blake Thornton (AUS)
Junior Faria putting it on the rail in big conditions. (Photo: ASP)
BALLITO, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa (Wednesday, July 6, 2011) – Waves in excess of three-meters poured through the Surfers Beach lineup, sending surfers scrambling for their big wave boards on day three of the ASP PRIME Mr Price Pro Ballito.
As mountains of water exploded along the shallow sand bank it was the Brasilian contingent that shone the brightest, with eight out of the ten competing advancing through the round of 48 today.
Multiple ASP World Junior Champion Pablo Paulino (BRA) lead the South American charge posting the day’s highest heat score of 16.86 (out of 20.00), to advance in first place ahead of Nic Muscroft (AUS).
“The waves were really heavy out there today,” Paulino said. “I tried to stay in tune with what conditions were doing and I was lucky to find that barrel.”
Surfing off a low centre of gravity, driving plenty of power through his legs, Paulino combined flashy fins-free turns with a clean barrel ride to post the highest wave score of the day, an 8.93 (out of 10.00).
Aerial maestro and World Ranked No. 17 Gabriel Medina (BRA) earned his second convincing heat win of the event, his impressive top-to-bottom attack notching a massive 16.00 heat total that left his opponents in a combinational situation (needing two scores to beat him).
“There were no air sections out there today so I just tried to find the best waves and pack some power into my turns,” Medina said. “I think the judges were looking for commitment out there so I tried to show them that today.”
Picking off two of the biggest set waves, Medina’s risky free-surf approach was well received by both the judges and the crowd.
Junior Faria (BRA) took the third of the day’s victories for Brasil, riding just three waves to advance off a pair of six-point rides. Brandon Jackson (ZAF) finished in second place, the pair eliminating early event standout Kolohe Andino (USA) and Hodei Collazo (EUK) from the event.
Wiggolly Dantas, Jesse Mendes, Jano Belo and Messias Felix joined their fellow countrymen in the next round by advancing in second places respectively.
Tour veteran and proven big-wave surfer Kieren Perrow (AUS) opened his account with a stand-up barrel ride, lightning-snap and closeout re-entry to post an excellent 8.38 for a first place finish over Jesse Mendes (BRA), Granger Larsen (HAW) and Royden Bryson (ZAF).
“There were some really good waves out there and if you got a good one you had to make the most of it,” Perrow said. “It’s fun when it’s like this! It’s really powerful, very good for turns and there’s the odd tube ride so you really can’t ask for much more.”
ASP World No. 30 Julian Wilson (AUS) took a strategic approach to his round of 48 heat putting scores on the scoreboard early. Committing to every last maneuver, Wilson advanced in first ahead of Blake Thornton (AUS), the pair-eliminating trialist Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) from the event.
“Right before my heat I saw some waves peeling a little deeper so I went out early to make sure I could paddle all the way down to the inside and it worked out,” Wilson said. “It’s so fun having a lot of swell, there’s no hassling and its kind of victory at sea out there.”
Defending Champion Jordy Smith (Durban) dominated his round of 48 heat with just two rides. Posting a 6.17 and a 5.67 (out of ten) Smith defeated Kiron Jabour (HAW), Austin Ware (USA) and Corey Lopez (USA).
“I was looking to get a quick start and I just wanted to wait for those really good ones,” Smith said. “It’s a gamble but there are some great rides when you get them and it’s a lot of fun.”
Fellow South African Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) revealed his affinity for large surf linking together beautiful open faced carves to seal victory over second place and fellow advancing South African Sean Holmes (CT).
“We go around the world surfing one foot waves so it’s good to surf a bit of juice,” Joubert said. “I am a bit more comfortable when it’s bigger, all our waves in South Africa have some power so it’s definitely what I prefer.”
American Patrick Gudauskas rode one of the best barrels of the morning, dropping straight into a gaping tube to snatch the lead with a 7.50 and following up with a 6.33, to take the win over Wiggolly Dantas (BRA).
John John Florence (HAW) and Kai Otton (AUS) put on a show towards the end of the day exchanging great rides with Florence topping Otton 15.40 to 14.86.
The action looks set to continue tomorrow with more large surf on the way. For more information log on to www.mrpricepro.com. The next call is 07h00 tomorrow morning. Mr Price Pro Ballito ROUND OF 48 RESULTS
Heat 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.83; Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 10.66; Josh Kerr (AUS) 8.20; Dale Staples (ZAF) 5.27 Heat 2: Junior Faria (BRA) 12.67; Brandon Jackson (ZAF) 9.20; Kolohe Andino (USA) 7.53; Hodei Collazo (EUK) 7.33 Heat 3: Pablo Paulino (BRA) 16.86; Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.90; Glenn Hall (IRL) 10.37; Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 9.27 Heat 4: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 15.16; Jesse Mendes (BRA) 10.47; Granger Larsen (HAW) 9.17; Royden Bryson (ZAF) 4.70 Heat 5: Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 11.34; Sean Holmes (ZAF)
11.00; Jay Quinn (NZL) 6.20; Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 4.53 Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.84; Kiron Jabour (HAW) 10.40; Austin Ware (USA) 5.27; Corey Lopez (HAW) 2.37 Heat 7: Maxime Huscenot (REU) 11.37; Brendon Gibbons (ZAF) 9.10; Stu Kennedy (AUS) 7.83; Adam Robertson (AUS) 2.33 Heat 8: Julian Wilson (ZAF) 14.16; Blake Thornton (AUS) 8.37; Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 7.60; Alain Riou (PYF) 7.00 Heat 9: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.00; Jano Belo (BRA) 8.60; David Van Zyl (ZAF) 6.03; Joan Duru (FRA) 5.80 Heat 10: Richard Christie (NZL) 13.27; Heath Joske (AUS) 12.17; William Cardoso (BRA) 9.84; Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 6.53 Heat 11: John John Florence (HAW) 15.40; Kai Otton (AUS) 14.86; Tiago Pires (PRT) 12.53; Damien HObgood (USA) 8.90 Heat 12: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 12.27; Felix Messias (BRA) 11.47; Adrian Toyon (REU) 10.33; Dave Cathels (AUS) 7.93
The waves continue to come for the Mr price Pro at Ballito. After an amazing first day, the waves were not as perfect for Day 2, but still very contestable. Sean Holmes continued his climb up the rounds and will now meet SA's top surfer, Jordy Smith, in Round 3. This could be a very interesting battle! There is a large contingent of SA surfers still in the comp and lets hope that trend continues. Day 3 has started and the swell is pulsing.
Julian Wilson shralping all comers. (Photo: ASP)
BALLITO, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Tuesday, June 5, 2011) – The action continued on day two of the ASP PRIME Mr Price Pro Ballito, with the remaining 48 surfers in the round of 96 showing their class in the wind-affected waves at Surfers Beach today.
After a powerful north-easterly wind forced organisers to delay the start of competition until 10h30, the event enjoyed five hours of high performance surfing with the round of 96 completed as a new cold front moved over the KwaZulu-Natal province.
Brasilian wunderkind Gabriel Medina lived up his reputation as a future world-beater, producing the day’s standout performance by topping the scoreboard with a 16.43 (out of 20.00) to advance in first place ahead of Heathe Joske (AUS).
Scalping victory on the ASP PRIME tour in Santa Catarina, Brasil earlier this year, Medina impressed the judges with both his barrel riding skills and powerful open-faced turns, posting a 7.17 (out of 10.00) followed by the highest wave score of the day, an 8.83.
“I’m stoked to get through, I got two good rides and I’m happy for that,” Medina said.
‘Portuguese tiger’ Tiago Pires found his rhythm early in the heat and despite arriving late last night, showed no signs of jetlag casually extending his lead over his closest rival Klee Strachan (ZAF), to advance in first place with a pair of seven-point rides .
“I’ve been really stressed at contests lately so I tried to stay calm and find my rhythm out there,” Pires said. “This is a really powerful wave, and there is a lot of talent at this event so it’s going to be a very exciting next few days.”
ASP World No. 30 Julian Wilson (AUS) stamped his authority over fellow countrymen Stuart Kennedy and Mitch Coleborn, adapting to the changing conditions by replacing aerials for lighting fast top to bottom surfing that saw him advance with 14.07 to Kennedy’s 12.77.
“The wind was perfect for airs in the heat before mine but conditions changed in my heat, so I had to change my strategy,” Wilson said. “Mitch and Stuart are really good surfers so I wanted to go out there and find the best waves. I was really nervous for some reason, so it was good to wash the nerves out.”
Adam Robertson (AUS) washed away his nerves with a series of sweeping turns, finishing with a critical floater that showed impressive commitment earning him the heat win with a 7.83 (out of ten) top wave score.
Robertson advanced ahead of trialist winner and north coast talent Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) eliminating Adrian Buchan (AUS) and Kai Barger (HAW) form the event.
De Vries revealed his intimate knowledge of the North Coast, sniffing out a rare barrel before punting a massive closeout re-entry to join a total of ten South African surfers who have advanced into the round of 48.
“I think the real highlight of this event for me so far was beating my super hero Sean (Holmes) in the trials yesterday,” De Vries said. “I used to watch him take down Andy Irons (three time ASP World Champion) in Jeffreys Bay, so to beat him was just amazing.”
Brendon Gibbens (Cape Town) and David Van Zyl (Dbn) were the final two advancing surfers from South Africa today.
Gibbens showed great form to take second behind barrel master Blake Thornton (AUS) who dominated the heat from the get go, posting a 7.67 opener.
“It was round one of a Prime so it was pretty nerve-wracking,” Gibbens said. “Conditions cleaned up a little in my heat and I was stoked to make it.”
David Van Zyl earned his place into the event as the first alternate replacing Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY), whose flight was cancelled out of Tahiti yesterday.
Van Zyl advanced in second behind heat winner Matt Wilkinson (AUS), the pair eliminating Steven Sawyer (ZAF) and Nathaniel Curran (USA) from the event.
Former ASP World Junior Champion Maxime Huscenot (Reunion) unleashed a powerful series of top to bottom snaps and was rewarded with a 6.83 and 5.30 advancing in first place.
“Its really tricky today, yesterday saw amazing conditions and I think I got lucky in the beginning,” Huscenot said. “This is my first interview of the year because I’ve got second or lost during the first round every event so it feels great to win a heat and make it through.”
The afternoon saw exciting performances from Hawaii’s John Johns Florence (HAW) and Australian Davey Cathels (AUS), Florence winning his heat with 14.77 while Cathels went to town posting a 16.16 to charge into the next round.
The final 12 heats of the round of 96 were completed and with the cold front expected to bring more swell tomorrow, the event could get underway with the round of 48 in the morning. The next call will be made at 07h00 for a possible 07h30 start.
Mr Price Pro Ballito Round of 96 Results:
Heat 13: Adam Robertson (AUS) 13.66; Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 12.67; Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.87; Kai Barger (HAW) 9.96
Heat 14: Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 12.13; Alain Riou (PYF) 11.77; Tanner Gudauskas (HAW) 10.94; Tom Whittaker (AUS) 9.27
Heat 15: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.07; Stu Kennedy (AUS) 12.77; Tim Boal (FRA) 11.14; Mitchell Coleborn (AUS) 8.10
Heat 16: Blake Thornton (AUS) 13.17; Brendon Gibbens (RSA)10.84; Marc Lacomare (FRA) 6.67; Jadson Andre (BRA) 3.97
Heat 17: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.43; Heath Joske (AUS) 16.43; Jack Freestone (AUS) 11.67; Masatoshi Ohno (JPN) 6.76
Heat 18: Joan Duru (FRA) 13.23;Richard Christie (NZL) 12.96;Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.67; Tomas Hermes (BRA) 9.03
Heat 19: William Cardosa (BRA) 12.76; Jano Belo (BRA) 10.34; Richard Santos (BRA) 6.50; Travis Logie (ZAF)6.30
Heat 20: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.77; David Van Zyl (ZAF) 10.43; Steven Sawyer (Z AF) 8.10; Nathaniel Curran (USA) 3.47
Heat 21: Tiago Pires (PRT) 14.94; Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 10.07; Klee Strachan (ZAF) 10.00; Dylan Graves (PRI) 4.13
Heat 22: John John Florence (HAW) 14.77; Felix Messias (BRA) 10.13; Alejo Muniz (BRA) 9.84; Pedro Henrique (BRA) 6.90
Heat 23: Davey Cathels (AUS) 16.16; Kai Otton (AUS) 15.50; Yadin Nicol (AUS) 4.70; Jean De Silva (BRA) 2.26
Heat 24: Adrian Toyon (REU) 13.26; Damien Hobgood (USA) 11.66; Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 9.40; Nat Young (USA) 8.77
The young Kohole Andino racked up the contest's first 10 point ride. (Photo: ASP)
BALLITO, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Monday, June 4, 2011) – The ocean delivered for the opening day of competition at the ASP PRIME Mr Price Pro Ballito producing flawless barrels, two perfect 10-point rides and 10 broken surfboards at Surfers Beach, Ballito on Monday July 4, 2011.
The light northwest winds (offshore) and a two to two-and-a-half meter (6-8ft) swell held for most of the day that saw twelve heats of the Round of 96 completed, in what surfers were calling some of the best waves ever surfed on the ASP PRIME Tour.
Seventeen-year old Kolohe Andino (USA) proved master of the tube, riding deep inside a spectacular barrel to score the first PERFECT 10 of the event.
“I’m on such high right now,” Andino said, “These are some of the best waves I’ve surfed in my life!”
Sitting deeper and taking off later than any of his opponents, Andino opened up with an excellent 8.27 (out of ten) before dropping into an enormous ocean cavern, navigating through two wide sections, to come screaming out earning a perfect 10- point ride that had the crowd cheering in disbelief.
“That wave was amazing,” Andino said. “I wasn’t sure if I would make it out but I made that first section, pumped hard and made the second one. That wave was so good I was freaking out. I cannot believe I made it!”
Arriving from California on Friday evening, Andino was the first in and last out at Surfers Beach all weekend. Surfing everything from clean two-meter barrels to stormy four-meter wave faces, Andino’s commitment was duly rewarded with his victory win over fellow advancing surfer Patrick Gudauskas (USA).
Corey Lopez (USA) showed off his backhand barrel riding skills on a throaty wind affected wave, dropping straight into a four second barrel to earn the second perfect 10-point ride of the day.
“I was lucky to get that wave,” Lopez said. “It was big and gnarly, the first part was nice and open but then it got all foamy and I couldn’t see in front of me. I just closed my eyes, held my rail and came out! “
Returning to Ballito for the first time in 15 years, Lopez sailed into the next round with 14.97 (out of 20.00) ahead of second place and fellow advancing surfer Sebastian Zietz (Haw).
“It’s such a beautiful place with a great little beach community and today was some of the best waves I’ve seen on tour all year,” Lopez said. “It’s great to have waves like this at a contest.”
ASP World Title No. 12 Josh Kerr (AUS) jumped straight off an international flight into the surf, with less than four hours sleep Kerr produced an almost faultless performance to advance with an 18.43 (out of 20.00) ahead of South African surfer Brandon Jackson (ZAF).
“I was pretty excited for that heat,” Kerr said. “I had a fun free surf up the beach and then was just watching going ‘are you kidding me it’s pumping!’ I was just excited to get out there and rack up some really good scores.”
Proven big wave surfer and a well-respected member of the world’s elite 34, Kieren Perrow (AUS) showed class in the solid conditions, posting an excellent 8.70 for his double barrel ride to advance in first place over Nic Muscroft (AUS).
“As always there’s a lot of luck involved but everyone had a chance to get a good wave out there today,” Perrow said. “I got in late last night and it was amazing to wake up to perfect barrels this morning, these are some of the best waves I’ve surfed at a PRIME event in a long time.”
The South African surfers faired exceptionally well against their out-of-town opponents, with seven out of the nine surfers competing advancing into the next round.
Defending champion and current ASP World No. 5 Jordy Smith (Durban) made his intentions known in the deteriorating afternoon conditions holding off Brasilian Thiago Camaroa and Hawaiian Tonino Benson, to advance in first along with trialist Sean Holmes (Cape Town), who advanced in second.
“I knew conditions would change from the minute I arrived. Ballito seems to do that in the afternoon so I was just glad to make my heat,” Smith said. “I watched some incredible heats this morning, there was some inspiring surfing and it was good to see so many South African’s go through.”
2010 ASP Africa Champion Shaun Joubert emerged to of a seesaw battle against Hawaii’s Kiron Jabour. Joubert using the afternoon’s wind-affected waves to his advantage, by completing one of the only front side aerials of the day, to win the heat with 12.03 (out of 20.00).
As the tide turned it was American Austin Ware who picked off one of the biggest set waves of the day. Throwing himself into a wave that could have been compared to Backdoor Pipeline, Ware stalled for a perfect set-up and emerged cleanly to earn an 8.17 finishing in second behind heat winner Jay Quinn (NZL).
“I dropped in and the wave was so steep,” Ware said. “I just saw it opening up enough to get through and I came out, so I was pretty stoked.”
Hawaii’s Granger Larsen threw some Hawaiian might behind his open face hacks and risky closeout re-entry, securing a narrow heat win over local star Rudy Palmboom with 12.63 to 12.17 (out of 20.00).
The only Irish surfer in the event Glen Hall produced a pleasing combination of barrel rides and backhand snaps to win his heat over Royden Bryson (ZAF).
The competition was called off after heat 12 due to deteriorating conditions. The next call will be made at 06h30 for a possible 07h00 start as organisers look to make the most of the early conditions. For all the updates visit www.mrpricepro.com
MR PRICE PRO BALLITO RESULTS Mr Price Pro Ballito Trials Results:
Heat 1: Frankie Obherholzer (ZAF) 13.50; Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 8.50; Dylan Lightfoot (ZAF) 7.84; Allan Johns (ZAF) 5.00 Heat 2: Sean Holmes (ZAF) 14.00; Casey Grant (ZAF) 10.30; Kyle Lane (ZAF) 8.83; Chad Du Toit (ZAF) 7.17 Final: Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 13.17; Sean Holmes (ZAF) 12.33; Frankie Oberholzer (ZAF) 7.60; Casey Grant (ZAF) 4.73 Mr Price Pro Ballito Round of 96 Results:
Heat 1: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 14.16; Hodei Collazo (EUK) 9.24; Greg Emslie (ZAF) 8.26; Brett Simpson (USA) 4.24 Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) 18.43; Brandon Jackson (ZAF) 10.70; Andre Silva (BRA) 8.17; Dion Atkinson (AUS) 6.77 Heat 3: Kolohe Andino (USA) 18.27; Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.67; Billy Stairmand (NZL) 4.57; Felipe Luel (BRA) 00.00 Heat 4: Junior Faria (BRA) 10.34; Dale Staples (ZAF) 9.73; CJ Hobgood (USA) 8.93; Bernando Miranda (BRA) 6.36 Heat 5: Glenn Hall (IRL) 14.60; Royden Bryson (ZAF) 9.00; David Weare (ZAF) 8.33; Marco Fernandez (BRA) 7.57 Heat 6: Pablo Paulino (BRA) 11.17; Jesse Mendes (BRA) 6.10; Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 6.03; Eric Geiselman (USA) 2.07 Heat 7: Granger Larsen (HAW) 12.63; Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 12.17; Gabe Kling (USA) 9.07; Jihad Khodr (BRA) 8.24 Heat 8: Kierren Perrow (AUS) 14.70; Nic Muscroft (AUS ) 13.74; Lincoln Taylor (USA)10.14; Davey Brand (ZAF) 7.57 Heat 9: Jay Quinn (NZL) 14.93; Austin Ware (USA) 13.00; Heitor Alves (BRA) 10.10; Romain Cloitre (FRA) 9.57 Heat 10: Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 12.03; Kiron Jabour (HAW) 11.93; Adam Melling (AUS) 8.06; Mason Ho (HAW) 3.17 Heat 11: Cory Lopez (USA) 14.97; Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 13.06; Jeronimo Vargas (BRA) 11.30; Frederick Patacchia (HAW) 6.86 Heat 12: Jordy Smith (RSA) 11.36; Sean Holmes (ZAF) 10.06; Thiago Camarao (BRA) 8.63; Tonino Benson (HAW) 6.26 Upcoming Round of 96 Mr Price Pro Match ups:
Heat 13: Adrian Buchan (AUS); Kai Barger (HAW); Adam Robertson (AUS); Wildcard Heat 14: Tom Whittaker (AUS); Tanner Gudauskas (HAW); Alain Riou (PYF); Maxime Huscenot (FRA) Heat 15: Julian Wilson (AUS); Tim Boal (FRA); Stu Kennedy (AUS); Mitchel Coleborn (AUS) Heat 16: Jadson Andre (BRA); Marc Lacomare (FRA); Blake Thornton (AUS); Brendon Gibbens (RSA) Heat 17: Gabriel Medina (BRA); Masatoshi Ohno (JPN); Heath Josek (AUS); Jack Freestone (AUS) Heat 18: Dusty Payne (HAW); Richard Christie (NZL); Joan Duru (FRA); Tomas Hermes (BRA) Heat 19: William Cardosa (BRA); Travis Logie (ZAF); Richard Santos (BRA); Jano Belo (BRA) Heat 20: Matt Wilkinson (AUS); Nathaniel Curran (USA); Jonothan Gonzalez (CNY); Steven Sawyer (ZAF) Heat 21: Tiago Pires (PRT); Aritz Aranburu (EUK); Dylan Graves (PRI); Klee Strachan (ZAF); Heat 22: Alejo Muniz (BRA); John John Florence (HAW); Pedro Henrique (BRA); Felix Messias (BRA) Heat 23: Yadin Nicol (AUS); Kai Otton (AUS); Davey Cathels (AUS); Jean De Silva (BRA); Heat 24: Damien Hobgood (USA); Nat Young (USA); Shaun Cansdell (AUS); Adrian Toyon (REU)
Greg "Foot" Emslie will give the foreigners a tough time in his heats. (Photo: ASP)
BALLITO, Kwa-Zulu Natal / South Africa (Tuesday, June 7, 2011) – Six talented South African surfers have been granted wildcard entries into the prestigious R1.7 Million ASP PRIME Mr Price Pro Ballito from July 4-10, 2011.
Greg Emslie (East London), Davey Brand (Cape Town) and Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) will make their way into the event courtesy of Mr Price wildcards while Klee Strachan (Winklespruit), Brendon Gibbens (Cape Town) and David Weare (Durban) will take on the worlds’ best courtesy of ASP Africa wildcards.
Slotted directly into the round of 96, these six surfers will take on the event’s top seeds right from their first heat where they will be guaranteed a minimum of R5000 (US$ 750) should they bow out early and an enormous R270 000 (US$40,000) should they win the entire event!
The Mr Price Pro Ballito’s exclusive 96-man field means only the top ranked surfers on the ASP World Rankings qualify for a place in the main event, making a wildcard entry invaluable for non ASP World ranked surfers.
ASP World Tour retiree Greg Emslie, who flew the South African flag for a record nine years at the elite level, knows just how exceptional an opportunity like this one is. The powerful natural-footer (left-foot forward stance) will have the hopes of South Africa on his shoulders as the most experienced of this year’s wildcard deck.
“I can’t wait,” Emslie said. “To have the chance to compete against the top surfers in the world is always special. I feel I am surfing better and more progressive than ever now that I am retired and I look forward to taking on the internationals in a few weeks time.”
Another skilled international campaigner is David Weare. Weare competed at elite level for two years in 2006 and 2009 and although now retired from international competition, Weare remains a fierce competitor capable of causing any number of upsets at this year’s event.
“I'm super excited to have made it into this event,” Weare said. “It'll be good to see all the crew again and get to surf against them again. I'm still a competitor at heart so I'll definitely be giving it my all at this event!”
Young, up-and-coming talent Davey Brand, 18, will attract plenty of attention when he hits the water for his first heat. Captaining the South African team to the ISA Quiksilver World Games to Peru recently where he placed third in the U18 division, Brand welcomes the opportunity to put his skills to the test against some of the ASP World Title Tour surfers.
“I am so gratefully for this opportunity,” Brand said.” I’m taking it on with a nothing to loose everything to gain attitude and will give it everything I’ve got to make it as far as I can in the competition.”
A total of seven South African surfers have also qualified for the main event via their ASP World ranking. They include World No. 2 Jordy Smith (RSA), former ASP World Tour campaigner Travis Logie (Dbn), Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay), former ASP World Tour campaigner Royden Bryson (Cape Town), Brandon Jackson (Durban North), Rudy Palmboom (Bluff) and Dale Staples (St Francis Bay).
Eight South African surfers will compete in the trials for the remaining two spots into the main event. The trialists are Beyrick De Vries (Umhlanga), Chad Du Toit (Dbn), Kyle Lane (Umhlanga), Frankie Obherhozer (Scottburgh), Mathew Bromley (Cape Town), Alan Johns (Ballito), Sean Holmes (CT) and Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay).
The eight trialists will compete in two, four man heats with the top two from each heat advancing into a four-man final. First and second place finalists will advance into the main event.
The Mr Price Pro Ballito includes an action packed beach festival including beach entertainment; extreme sports, dedicated children’s programmes and a lifestyle and retail area provide plenty of daytime fun. The ever-popular Mr Price Pro Music concerts will take place on the evening of 8 and 9 July at Salt Rock at no cost to festivalgoers.
For more information log on to www.mrpricepro.com or like us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/mrpricepro.
Casey Grant is one noticeable surfer missing from the line up. (Photo: ZigZag)
I have to be honest, I am very surprised not to see Casey Grant in the Wild Card comp. He came second last year to Jordy Smith and was certainly one of the stand out surfers during the event. There has been no media or comment about this, but surely one of the ASP Africa wild cards should have gone to him? Not to say any of the chosen surfers are not deserving, but last years runner up, come on! I would love to hear your thoughts on this...
Just as I was starting to think competitive surfing in South Africa could not climb out of its self imposed depression, this little chunk of news hit my inbox and made me smile. South african surfers need more points available to them in local events in order to enable them to make a go at the World Tour. Now, lets hope O"Neill will follow suit with the Cold Water Classic event in Cape Town. Well done to Mr Price and the guys from the ASP. Their press release below.
Jordy has even more reason to defend his title in 2011 (Photo: ASP)
(Thursday, January 27, 2011) – South African surfing has received a massive boost with the announcement that the Mr Price Pro Ballito will be a Prime rated event on the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour.
The 12th edition of the event, which has continued the proud tradition of the long running Gunston 500, will be staged at the premium surf breaks in Ballito on the KwaDukuza coastline North of Durban from 4 to 10 July.
Offering a huge prize-purse of US $250 000 (approx. R1.7 million), with $40 000 and an invaluable 6 500 points on the ASP World Tour Rankings going to the winner, the elite 96-man field for the Mr Price Pro Ballito is guaranteed to include the majority of the world’s best competitive surfers.
“Our commitment to surfing in South Africa has grown continually since the inaugural Mr Price Pro in 2000 and so too have our relationships with the Association of Surfing Professionals and our event partner, the KwaDukuza Municipality,” said Mr Price Group CEO, Stuart Bird.
“Upgrading the Mr Price Pro Ballito to a PRIME ASP World Tour event will attract the top 96 surfers in the world to the event and we will once again have the privilege of watching the world’s best competing against our top South African talent.”
ASP International is equally excited with the upgrade of the Mr Price Pro Ballito and the boost it will provide to the South African surfing community.
“ASP has enjoyed an excellent relationship with Mr Price over the past decade and we’re thrilled with the event’s upgrade to an ASP Prime event,” Brodie Carr, ASP International CEO, said. “South Africa has long been a major player in the world surfing community and the Mr Price Pro will continue to be a major stepping stone in the development of young surfers onto the world stage.”
Our surfers need to compete with the best on home turf (Photo: ASP)
Current ASP World No. 2 and Durban local Jordy Smith, who last year became only the third South African to win the country’s longest running professional surfing, will be back to defend his title.
“Winning a world title will always remain my main focus on the ASP World Tour, however, one always wants to revert back to their roots and that’s why the Mr Price Pro Ballito is so special to me. The Mr Price Pro was my first ever WQS event, at the age of 12, and my mom even has a pic of me standing proudly next to the pier with my contest vest on,” Smith explained.
“Over the years I came close to winning the title and then last year I managed to win. It was such a brilliant feeling with the home crowd and my family there to cheer me on. I’m hoping to be back on the podium again this year but it’s going to be much harder now that the event has been granted PRIME status.”
The importance of the Mr Price Pro Ballito is enhanced by the fact that it will be the seventh of just 12 Prime rated events on the 2011 ASP World Tour. The points earned in Ballito count towards the mid-season rotation when the top 34 surfers on the ASP World Tour Rankings become the field for the remaining five ASP Dream Tour events of the year.
All the action will be webcast LIVE at www.mrpricepro.com
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
