All time Kirra

Empty Perfection amongst the madness! (Photo: Dunbar)

Its a dredging sandbank in the heart of the chaos that is the Gold Coast. It's bred multiple world champions and countless super stars. The day after the Quiksilver Pro it turned on for the many that had been waiting and what a show it was...

K I R R A 13 from THEMADHUEYS on Vimeo.

Greatest Wipeouts of 2012 - Surf

Mark Mathews on his way to a royal hiding in Oz. (Photo: O'neill)

Every year Surfline puts together a compilation of the worst wipeouts in surfing. This year was no different and there are some real cringers in there! Nice to see Grant Twig baker representing for the Saffa contingent...

John John Florence defends his Volcom Pipe Pro Title

Dale Staples representing for the North Shore Saffas and making 9th!

Pipeline was not at its utmost best, but there were waves and the focus shifted from the lefts to the Backdoor Rights. The lone Saffa, Dale Staples charged hard and ended up making the Semi Finals and a well deserved 9th place. Josh Kerr and Chris Ward were on a hard charge and pushing the limits with super late drops and "backdoor" tubes. But after all was said and done, it was defending champion and North Shore royalty, John John Florence who managed to defend his Pipe Pro title and take the glorious Spartan War Helm Trophy home, which happens to be right there...

Taj Burrows takes the Reef Hawaiin Pro and the Triple Crown lead.

Taj finds the tubes and takes the win. (Photo: ASP)

 You might have wondered why I have not blogged on the Triple Crown yet and the simple answer is that not much has really happened yet - well till the last day of the event at Haleiwa. The surf for the first few days looked like School Champs in Port Elizabeth - in other words really small and not what we expect from the North Shore. You got to know that is the case when the guys are surfing Haleiwa left! The young guns were reveling in the small stuff, throwing airs all over the show - see video further down. But they finally got some swell on the last day and Taj looking hungry as ever took the win. Next up is Sunset and hopefully they get swell...



HALEIWA, Hawaii (November 23, 2011) - West Australia’s Taj Burrow, a virtual veteran of pro surfing at 33 years of age, has claimed his first Reef Hawaiian Pro title in Hawaii to pocket $25,000 and take an early lead on the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing ratings. Burrow, who has been competing in Hawaii for 15 years, left the field in his wake today, finding a form all his own in the pumping overhead surf. Coming into the final, he claimed that this was his year to shoot for the Vans Triple Crown. He kept his word. Runner-up was East Coast Australian Adam Melling; third was Adriano De Souza (Brazil); and fourth was Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA.). The Reef Hawaiian Pro is the first jewel in the prestigious $830,000 Vans Triple Crown presented by Rock Star Energy Drink.



Burrow surfed through four rounds today, gaining momentum in each. While aerials were at the front of most surfer’s minds, Burrow got creative with every heat, strategically building scores with a mixed plate of form-bending tube rides and lip-belting close-out snaps. He eclipsed his challengers in the final, posting a two-wave total of 16.90 out of 20 (9.37 and 7.53). Melling (12.6 – 6.43, 6.17) and De Souza (12.5 – 7.5, 5) battled it out for second. Nat Young, who had tapped into the best rhythm of the day up until the final, was left high and dry with a two-wave total of only 6.10 (3.73, 2.37).
“I had a good run, it feels good scoring in the 9-point range and it’s hard to do,” said Taj, world #3. “I just really wanted to win an event here. I am really happy.
“It’s funny I have never really gotten a good shot (at the Vans Triple Crown). I was thinking, maybe I should really have a go at one of these things so I actually have it right in the front of my mind.
“I love being in Hawaii. I was saying to a few of my friends it is so good to come to Hawaii and sit and make a base for six weeks. We are getting on a plane every other weekend normally, it’s draining. Coming to Hawaii you just get in a good routine, you unpack your bags and you can kind of relax. We train and eat good food and just the whole routine of it all I feel much better then having to skip town every two weeks.”
Melling, 26, was the quiet achiever through the rounds, chipping away with rock-solid performances and error-free, text-book surfing. A podium finish was a new high for him in Hawaii, and $12,500 wasn’t bad either.
“I am feeling pretty good you know, always wanted to do well and get on the podium here in Hawaii because the waves are so testing,” said Melling. “You can get any kind of conditions. You can get one foot or 12-foot closeouts. I needed to podium this year, I need the points so bad. I have been on the borderline for a while now, so hopefully this can push me up and I can get a couple more results.
“I have some good big boards that have been sitting in the garage for a while. I’m definitely looking forward to Sunset. I hope we get some swell because anything can happen out there. I have lost heats needing a 0.2 and counting a one. So it gets pretty hectic at times but I am looking forward to it.”
De Souza, world #5, has had a stellar season on the elite ASP World Tour and, like Taj, is hoping for a strong Hawaiian season. At 24 years of age, De Souza is undisputedly a member of the youth movement that is driving a fast road to the top of the pro surfing world.
“I am so happy right now with the third, it has always been my dream to get to the finals here in Hawaii,” said De Souza. “I have been watching the last 10 years, all of the finalists, and I have seen them with all their trophies and leis. So I always been dreaming to be one day here. I am really proud of myself. It was an amazing week. Actually the flat waves at the start helped me a lot. I needed the rest. I am really pumped for Sunset. It is going to be big waves so it is going to be a big motivation.”
Young, the youngest of the finalists at age 20, had been on fire in the earlier rounds. He posted the highest heat score of the entire event in the quarters – 17.77, popping two huge reverse 360 aerials on one wave for a 9.77 – the highest single wave of the event. He surfed through more rounds to reach the final than the others and looked to be peaking at the same time. But his cat and mouse game with the waves in the final was fruitless and frustrating.
“Yeah I was super frustrated in the final,” said Young. “Everything that could go wrong went wrong for me. I mean, it’s great to make the final and I’m so stoked about that. It’s all good and I will go into the next event with a little more confidence.
“I feel confident out at Sunset. The waves where I live are like big rights and that is kind of the same. I have done good there the past few years and I am excited.”
On his double air 9.77 that has earned him a shot at the 250,000 Hawaiian Miles Air award: “If you get a long enough wave you can do two airs, it’s just hard to do one right at the beginning and follow it up with another. I was happy to get that. The (second air) was kind of a sketchy landing because I landed it so far out on the flats. I didn’t really think I was going to land it, so that was nice.”
Prior to the final, local favorite John John Florence, 19, floated on air and threaded through barrels to reach the semi finals, but hit a wall at Burrow and Young. Regardless, he was ecstatic to compete in front of a strong home crowd and hopes to build momentum through the remaining two events.
“I’m happy,” said Florence. “I would have loved to make the final but I’m stoked to make the semi’s. All the young guys, Nat (Young), Kolohe (Andino), Evan (Geiselman), Granger (Larsen), everyone’s just kind of killing it, doing airs, getting everything together. It’s great, everyone’s down here, I’m stoked. I feel so at home. Sunset’s next, it’s gonna be big, it should be fun!”
The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing now moves north to Sunset Beach for the Vans World Cup of Surfing (Nov. 25-Dec. 6). The Surfline.com forecast for the coming week promises exactly the kind of hefty, challenging surf that the venue is famous for. Sunset has a reputation for separating the men from the boys and is where a bid for the Vans Triple Crown is usually cemented or crushed.
Happy Thanksgiving!
FINALS
Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.90pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 12.12.60pts ; Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.50 pts ; Nat Young (USA) 6.10 pts
SEMIFINALS
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.84pts ; Nat Young (USA) 12.70pts ; John John Florence (HAW) 11.50pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 10.67pts
Heat 2: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 13.54pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 13.16pts ; Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.30pts ; Roy Powers (HAW) 4.57pts
QUATERFINALS
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.10pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 15.60pts ; Evan Geiselman (USA) 15.00pts ; Kolohe Andino (HAW) 6.90pts
Heat 2: Nat Young (USA) 17.77pts ; John John Florence (HAW) 14.27pts ; Kieren Perrow (AUS) 5.50pts ; Glen Hall (IRL) 5.20pts
Heat 3: Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.50pts ; Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.30pts ; Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 12.20 pts ; Jesse Mendes (BRA) 9.17pts
Heat 4: Roy Powers (HAW) 15.00pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 9.90pts ; Brett Simpson (USA) 7.33pts ; Granger Larsen (HAW) 6.83pts
Round of 32
Heat 1: Evan Geiselman (USA)11.33pts ; Kieren Perrow (AUS)10.73pts ; Hodei Collazo (EUK) 6.84pts ; Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 2.90pts
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (HAW) 11.84pts ; Nat Young (USA) 9.70pts ; Adrien Toyon (REU)9.27pts ; Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 9.13pts
Heat 3: Glenn Hall (IRL) 15.43pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 14.37pts ; Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 10.34pts ; Leonardo Neves (BRA)10.00pts
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 16.27pts ; Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.26pts ; Thiago Camarao 7.77pts (BRA) ; Daniel Ross (AUS) 7.70pts
Heat 5: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.67pts ; Brett Simpson (USA) 12.34pts ; Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.60pts ; Adrian Buchan (AUS) 9.30pts
Heat 6: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 11.19pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 10.73pts ; Dion Atkinson (AUS) 8.83pts ; Adam Robertson (AUS) 8.50pts
Heat 7: Roy Powers (HAW) 9.94pts ; Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.50pts ; Jadson Andre (BRA) 8.57pts ; Marc Lacomare (FRA) 5.83pts
Heat 8: Granger Larsen (HAW) 14.60pts ; Jesse Mendes (BRA) 12.60pts ; Nathaniel Curran (USA) 10.84pts ; Aritz Aramburu (EUK) 7.93pts
CLASH of the LEGENDS
Heat 2 : Ross Williams (HAW) 14.50pts ; Shane Dorian (HAW) 14.44 pts ; Rob Machado (USA) 10.83pts ; Kalani Robb (HAW) 8.27pts

Kerr dominates Day 1 at Quik Pro New York

Kerr was surfing on a magical carpet for Day 1 (Photo: ASP)

 Kerrazy is the man! Josh Kerr dominated proceedings on day 1 of the Quik Pro in New York. The waves looked more like PE or Muizenberg on an average day and one was left wondering what happened to the so called "Dream Tour". WQS events have had better waves than this premier event - just think of 10ft hell tubes at Ballito for the Mr Price Pro. However, the forecast is for much more swell, thanks to a hurricane off the East Coast of the US, so we can hope it will get better. Never the less, some guys excelled in the small beach break and Kerr was the star, scoring a 9.5 and a 9.07 in his first round heat. The "Unlucky" award goes to Matt Wilko who dominated his heat only to get a rather dubious interference call on a Hobgood. The guys were not holding back and there was some amazing progessive surfing - hell, even Kieren Perow popped an air! Check out Kerr's heat and the ASP press release below.


LONG BEACH, Long Island/New York (Tuesday, September 6, 2011) – The opening day of the inaugural Quiksilver Pro New York saw the world’s best surfers dig into building two-to-four foot (1 metre) waves, compliments of Hurricane Katia, today, completing Round 1 at Long Beach on Long Island, New York. Stop No. 6 of 11 on the ASP World Title Series, the Quiksilver Pro New York is a historic event that not only represents the first ever elite contest on America’s East Coast, but also boasts the richest prize-purse in surfing history of US$1,000,000. Josh Kerr (AUS), 27, reveled in the New York ramps and garnered both of the round’s highest single-wave scores of 9.50 and 9.07 (both out of 10) for monster no-grab air-reverses, scalping a commanding victory over Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, and Kai Otton (AUS), 32. “It was like an expression session out there,” Kerr said. “I started getting scores and was enjoying myself out there with those little rip bowl rights. We all had 15 waves and I think we all had fun out there. I went for a free surf and the wind came up and I knew I was going to hunt the rights. It was perfect and I found a couple of those ramps so I’m stoked.” Kerr advances directly into Round 3 of competition. C.J. Hobgood (USA), 32, current No. 36 on the ASP World Rankings, is in need of a result at the Quiksilver Pro New York to keep his ASP Dream Tour campaign alive. The former ASP World Champion (2001) earned a Round 1 victory with amazing last-second heroics over an in-form Bede Durbidge (AUS), 28, when he belted an 8.37 (out of 10) with commanding rail-work in the dying moments of the heat. “I guess I’ve had one or two dramatic finishes in my career, but there’s a lot on the line for me in this contest and I was feeling pretty frustrated out there for most of the heat,” Hobgood said. “It had been lefts all day, but there were a lot of rights in my heat and Bede (Durbidge) got some big scores off the bat. I needed a big score at the end and when that wave came through, I pretty much threw everything I had at it.” Hobgood, a veteran campaigner among the world’s best surfers, admitted that the ability to adjust to the ever-changing conditions expected through the event window will be crucial in earning a successful result at Long Beach. “Local knowledge can be an advantage out here, but everyone on tour can surf in every condition,” Hobgood said. “With the storm moving through this week, the conditions are going to change day-to-day so the surfers who adapt the fastest will be the most successful.” Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, capitalized on today’s building swell and displayed a series of powerful rail-gouges on his forehand and critical backhand turns to earn a hard-fought victory over Australian goofy-footer Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28, and Floridian standout Cory Lopez (USA), 34. “It’s pretty fun,” Muniz said. “It’s not that big, but there are still a couple bigger waves and I have a good board for small waves. I just tried to have fun. I started a little slow and my strategy was to go left, but my best wave was on the right and I improved throughout the heat. I always try to do big turns even though it’s small.” Muniz was joined by fellow 2011 ASP Top 34 rookie Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, in posting big Round 1 wins today. Wilson surgically dismantled the playful afternoon peaks, posting an impressive 17.00 out of a possible 20, en route to a victory over Taylor Knox (USA), 40, and Kieren Perrow (AUS), 34. “I tried not to watch Kersey (Josh Kerr) because I knew I’d try to over-surf,” Wilson said. “I started the heat how I wanted to, got a 5 and kind of built house on that. I made some silly mistakes, but I was pretty lucky to get some scores at the end. I knew if I got some sort of finner or reverse I’d get a good score. I was pretty jittery in the beginning of the heat, but as soon as I got the good one I felt confident.” Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion, opened his Quiksilver Pro New York campaign in lethal form with a solid Round 1 victory. “New York has been good,” Slater said. “Everyone is super cool and I’m excited to be here. The waves are a little small, so it’s tough, but it’s the first round and no one loses and the swell should be building. My board felt good, it’s an epoxy, but pretty much same thing I’ve been riding. Hopefully we’ll find some peaky barrels and we’ll see what happens. I know that Hurricane swell is out there, so we’ll just see what happens.” Slater, who regained the lead for the 2011 ASP World Title with his win at Teahupo’o last week, easily made the adjustment from the massive barrels of last week’s competition to today’s tricky beachbreak waves on offer in New York. “After last week, it’s a little different in these waves,” Slater said. “You’ve got to find the sweet spot out there. Last week, you’re just trying to stay with it at spots like Teahupo’o, but on days like today there isn’t much energy so you’ve got to find it.” Tiago Pires (PRT), 31, current No. 33 on the ASP World Ranking, is also in need of a big result at the Quiksilver Pro New York in order to maintain his position among the elite ASP Top 34, and advanced directly through to Round 3 after heat-leader Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 23, suffered an interference on Damien Hobgood (USA), 32.



“I’ve just been feeling good and not thinking too much about points,” Pires said. “I just try to think about waves and just surf. I wasn’t nervous until Wilko (Matt Wilkinson) got the interference and I got the lead. Wilko kind of gave the heat to me, it was unlucky for him.” Dane Reynolds (USA), 25, who has yet to compete in an ASP World Title event this season, was scheduled to surf in the Quiksilver Pro New York but withdrew today due to an injury sustained last week to his ribs on a free-surf trip in Japan. “I came to New York with every intention to surf, but I knew it would be a challenge with my rib injury,” Reynolds said. “I tried surfing yesterday and it was painful to even stand up. I’ve never dealt with bruised ribs before so hopefully some more rest will get me ready for the next contest.” Reynolds has been replaced by Keanu Asing (HAW), 18, in Round 2 of competition. Asing will face Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28, in Round 2 when competition resumes. When competition recommences, will be Mick Fanning (AUS), 30, up against Balaram Stack (USA), 20, in the opening heat of Round 2. Even organizers will convene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 7am start. Surfline, official forecasters for the Quiksilver Pro New York, are calling for clean offshore conditions with occasional light rain, and slowly increasing SE swell from Katia mostly in the chest to shoulder high range with a few head high sets. Longer lines sweeping in but still peaky/fun from yesterday’s leftovers. Highlights from the Quiksilver Pro New York will be available via http://www.quiksilverpro.com For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.56, Brett Simpson (USA) 13.50, Travis Logie (ZAF) 6.57
Heat 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 9.67, Gabe Kling (USA) 3.43, Dane Reynolds (USA) N/S
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 13.93, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.84, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.46 Heat 4: Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.77, Owen Wright (AUS) 10.00, Bobby Martinez (USA) 7.10
Heat 5: Heitor Alves (BRA) 13.83, Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.73, Asher Nolan (USA) 8.60
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.20, Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.66, Balaram Stack (USA) 6.07
Heat 7: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.40, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.27, Cory Lopez (USA) 12.97
Heat 8: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 15.97, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.77, Chris Davidson (AUS) 12.00
Heat 9: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 10.80, Adam Melling (AUS) 10.50, Michel Bourez (PYF) 7.66
Heat 10: Tiago Pires (PRT) 12.76, Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.73, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 11.65
Heat 11: Josh Kerr (AUS) 18.57, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.37, Kai Otton (AUS) 11.54
Heat 12: Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.00, Taylor Knox (USA) 12.60, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.60

QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Balaram Stack (USA)
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Asher Nolan (USA)
Heat 3: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Keanu Asing (HAW)
Heat 4: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Bobby Martinez (USA)
Heat 5: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 6: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Gabe Kling (USA)
Heat 7: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 8: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Cory Lopez (USA)
Heat 9: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 10: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 11: Brett Simpson (USA) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)
Heat 12: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) vs. Daniel Ross (AUS)