The famed Rottnest Box. Photo: Chris Gurney
There was much gaping-mouth action and glazed looks when the World Surf League announced the four-leg Australian tour was to drop the iconic Snapper Rocks and Bells Beach events earlier this year. In what could be described as a
make-do tour for a pandemic-stricken world, suitable fill-ins were found at history-drenched locales Newcastle and Sydney’s Narrabeen. Fair enough. And Margaret River was a no brainer but when the words
Rottnest Island came into view, there was almost guaranteed to be a flurry of hasty keyboard tappings.
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Can you imagine trying to judge a contest when everyone rode different equipment? Photo: Jeff Divine
Watching the webcast of the recent Rip Curl Narrabeen Classic brought to mind professional events I’d seen held at the very same spot back in the late 1970s. The top surfers of the day included guys like Mark Richards, Simon Anderson, Rabbit Bartholomew, Peter Townend, Terry Fitzgerald, Terry Richardson and Dane Kealoha, with hot groms Tommy Carroll and Cheyne Horan nipping at their heels.
These were the best surfers in the world, competing in front of throngs of enthusiastic Aussie surf fans for the sport’s biggest prize purses and all-important tour rankings. At first thought, not so dissimilar from what went down last week at Narrabeen…aside from one clear difference (and I’m not talking about personal lockers and non-elimination rounds.)
Medina uses one massive air to get himself into finals day. Photo: Matt Dunbar/WSL
Well, for those of you who didn’t tune into the live broadcast at around 11 p.m. PST last night, day three at the Rip Curl Narrabeen Classic had both the men’s and women’s round of 16, and it was a doozy, with plenty to break down.
Upsets happened all over the place, on both sides of the tour, sending the rankings for a spin. Johanne Defay took out Tyler Wright, stopping the two-time world champ and current World Number Two from reaching finals day for the second event in a row, only widening Carissa Moore’s lead in the rankings. Carissa had a strong performance herself, no stunning airs today, but strong surfing and level-headed thinking won her the heat against Brisa Hennessey, as she let one of the best waves of the heat roll through to hold on to her priority in the final minutes of the matchup.
John John laying down some strong rail game at Haleiwa. Photo: Vans Triple Crown
Hawaii and the West Coast have plenty to celebrate to kick off 2021. Pumping swell has hit the islands in the past 24 hours and is currently making its way to California.
“Haleiwa was kicking wild and windy,” said Dane Gudauskas on Instagram. He was filming for the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which opted for a digital format this year, meaning contestants have from December 21st through January 15th to capture footage of their two best waves at Haleiwa, Sunset, and Pipeline.
Dane’s weapon of choice for his entry was an unlikely one: A 5′ 9″ twin-keel fish.