my brother's comment this morning was interesting , I thought ....
"are these the best surfers in the world" , or the best surfers in ten foot waves ?"
I hadn't really thought of it like that , before ...
i'd LOVE to have seen the 'top 44' in these conditions , make no mistake . And I'm pretty convinced that they would have handled it and [probably?] charged , having seen teahu'poo previously ...
yes , Harris ,
I would think that a 'few' VOLCOM team "big wave freesurfers" may have been in the lineup , eh ?! :)
... so, expect a "VOLCOM big wave dvd" sometime soon , is my thought ...NO surprises there ...
....and I'm guessing , when they heard the long range swell forecasts , that they [the 'volcomens' ?] came prepared , board-wise !
Q: by the way ....how many years has it been since a Pro contest was held at Tavarua ?? ....just curious ...
They made the right call. It gave the worlds best big wave riders the opportunity to surf in the best big wave paddle in session ever.
The guys who surf those waves train, train, and train some more to prepare themselves. Asking some 19 year old surfer who learned in weak beachbreak to paddle out on a borrowed gun and put his life on the line is doing just that.
Contest surfers aren’t the best surfers in the world - they are the best contest surfers in the world.
The best surfers in the world were out there, putting on an amazing display.
Hey look at some of these pro’s at sunset in past years when it is macking or at big Bells, Pipe, or Teahupoo(Andy did well at the Eddie and Kelly has won it). Many of them can surf it and rip it. It was the right decision to call the contest off and let the guys who live for it into the line up. Most people didn’t bring boards for that size. Cloudbreak is a very technical big wave, as in it isn’t just a drop. Greg Long is a perfect example, the guy is a solid surfer for sure, he probably can’t out surf any of the top 34. But he has balls the size of watermelons and that is why he is the big wave surfer he is. In swells like we saw at fiji the other week, you don’t need to be able to thread a chest high barrel, come out and pull a twirlybird air, you just need to have the balls to pull in and the ability to stay on your board and aim for the exit. These guys need to be able to surf for the next 6 months and try and stay on tour to make their livings. Getting a bunch injured pushing each other deeper and deeper to get through their heat is a bad idea. These big wave guys MO is get a few sessions in that will get them spreads in the mags to keep themselves sponsored, possibly snag a XXL award.
For all you bashing the pro's here. What size waves do you prefer? These guys can surf it all pretty much, you can't only be a groveller to make the tour. But yea, I would venture most of them love rippable waves in the 3-10ft range. And let's be honest most of the surfing in the world is done in that swell size.
For the record the last time they had a wct contest in Fiji was 2008 where Slater won before going on to take the title.
That free session was awesome. I was mad that they canceled the comp until they decided to air the free session. That’s right, at least Volcom decided to air the free session instead of turning it off. So thank you Volcom, I appreciated it.
I watch every event I can, and it is like a golf match: a lot of talking and then some action followed by more talking. And, just like golf, if you are a person that is way involved with that aspect of surfing then you appreciate the commentary as well all the other nuances that take place during an event. There’s a lot more to it than just catching a wave and ripping it. There’s strategy involved. Also, please enter a surf contest if you’ve never done it. You’ll quickly realize how nice it would be to have jet ski assist. And no, the jet ski’s aren’t always out there for safety but more for the convenience. This allows surfers to do more surfing. As one of the girl competitors mentioned, if it wasn’t for jet ski assist it would be a paddling contest, not a surf contest.
I'm not really into the contest scene - I'm one of those old farts that just goes surfing when I can, and other than boardbuilding and swaylocks, thats pretty much the extent of my involvement. But recently, my wife bought me a subscription to Surfer mag. And Trans World Surf sends me a complimentary copy for signing up at Sacred Craft. So now I know a little more about the names, and who's who.
Anyway, I'm a far cry from following or even understanding the contest scene - but the video footage, of the Volcom Pro Fiji 2012, and the big wave freesurf, was pretty astounding. I couldn't stop watching, over and over. It was almost hypnotic. Reef McIntosh - wow, that guy paddled into the most heart stopping surf I think I've ever seen anyone do. And the rest of the crew that day too, just absolutely mind blowing. Which is why I posted the video up, in case anyone missed it.
I guess any physical performance, on that high of a level, is bound to be inspirational. But when the waves and the performers are both at such an extreme level, its really something special to see.