Ask anybody that's spent more than a couple winters on the North Shore what it takes to survive on the Seven Mile Miracle and it always comes down to one word: respect.
Things on the North Shore have a way of sorting themselves out when proper respect is ignored. Kelly Slater has been winning events here for over three decades, he knows this perhaps better than anyone on the Championship Tour today. So it didn't shouldn't have come as an especially huge surprise to the current World Number 1 when he was sent packing in the Round of 32.
"I don't respect the wave and it doesn't respect me back," grumbled Slater afterwards.
The World No. 1 breaks down his exit from the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach in the Round of 32.
Utilizing the overlapping heat format today, in the first wave of his heat against South Africa's Matthew McGillivray, Slater was called for an Interference Penalty 2 against John John Florence, who was in the previous heat and was going for a wave in the dying seconds.
Florence went for a late take-off in the whitewater while Slater had caught the wave closer to the top of the peak and was already up and riding. With Florence having priority in the overlapping heats, Slater made a clean exit out the back while Florence got to his feet and proceeded to ride the wave. For the interference, one of the first of it's kind seen in a CT, Slater's score on the wave was zeroed as well as that of his second counting score.
By happenstance, Florence also ended up losing his heat. Not because of Slater, but rather he was caught off guard by surging California rookie Jake Marshall. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, Marshall went to work on the surfer from Hawaii, landing enough body blows to take him out, and by day's end, surf is way into the Quarterfinals.
With Slater and Florence making an early exit, the door opened for a number of competitors to claw their way to the top of the WSL Leaderboard and take the yellow jersey from him. Sprinting through the Round of 16, the men's Quarterfinalists have been locked in.
In a day that saw World No. 1 Kelly Slater exit early, it was a trio of Hawaiian surfers that rose to the occassion at the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach.
Of the eight surfers left, Hawaii's Seth Moniz is second on the leaderboard, Brazil's Caio Ibelli sits in third, while Kanoa Igarashi, who posted a 9.77 in the Round of 16, is in fifth. Sitting down in ninth is Barron Mamiya, who's been enjoying a remarkable run as a young Hawaiian wildcard. All of them are into the Quarters with a mathematical shot at taking the yellow jersey at event's end.
Lower down on the leaderboard, but just as dangerous, into the Quarters is Sunset power player Ezekiel Lau, who's been quietly hammering through heats.
Aussie Ethan Ewing put in one of the performances of the event in the Round of 16 to clip Brazil's Filipe Toledo. Needing a big score to turn the heat, he dialed up a searing 9.67 for the win.
Shortly thereafter, countryman Jack Robinson, who's been on a tear of his own, found his way into the Quarters. One of the favorites to win the whole thing going into the event, Robinson charged hard in the maxed out conditions on Day 1 and didn't let off the gas as he blew through a very dangerous McGillivray in the Round of 16.
With the men's Quarterfinalists locked in and plenty more swell on the way, the attention now shifts to the Opening Round of the women's Hurley Pro Sunset Beach. Can Moana Jones Wong keep her North Shore dream run alive? Will Carissa Moore retake the yellow jersey? Can one of the young Hawaiian rookies assert themselves in their backyard? Anything can, and usually does, happen at Sunset. Stay tuned.
With the highest scoring heat of the event thus far, Australia's Ethan Ewing is in-form and into the Quarterfinals. - WSL / Tony Heff
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Day 2 Recap: Slater Out, Quarterfinalists Decided At Hurley Pro Sunset Beach
Jake Howard
Ask anybody that's spent more than a couple winters on the North Shore what it takes to survive on the Seven Mile Miracle and it always comes down to one word: respect.
Things on the North Shore have a way of sorting themselves out when proper respect is ignored. Kelly Slater has been winning events here for over three decades, he knows this perhaps better than anyone on the Championship Tour today. So it didn't shouldn't have come as an especially huge surprise to the current World Number 1 when he was sent packing in the Round of 32.
"I don't respect the wave and it doesn't respect me back," grumbled Slater afterwards.
Utilizing the overlapping heat format today, in the first wave of his heat against South Africa's Matthew McGillivray, Slater was called for an Interference Penalty 2 against John John Florence, who was in the previous heat and was going for a wave in the dying seconds.
Florence went for a late take-off in the whitewater while Slater had caught the wave closer to the top of the peak and was already up and riding. With Florence having priority in the overlapping heats, Slater made a clean exit out the back while Florence got to his feet and proceeded to ride the wave. For the interference, one of the first of it's kind seen in a CT, Slater's score on the wave was zeroed as well as that of his second counting score.
By happenstance, Florence also ended up losing his heat. Not because of Slater, but rather he was caught off guard by surging California rookie Jake Marshall. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, Marshall went to work on the surfer from Hawaii, landing enough body blows to take him out, and by day's end, surf is way into the Quarterfinals.
With Slater and Florence making an early exit, the door opened for a number of competitors to claw their way to the top of the WSL Leaderboard and take the yellow jersey from him. Sprinting through the Round of 16, the men's Quarterfinalists have been locked in.
Of the eight surfers left, Hawaii's Seth Moniz is second on the leaderboard, Brazil's Caio Ibelli sits in third, while Kanoa Igarashi, who posted a 9.77 in the Round of 16, is in fifth. Sitting down in ninth is Barron Mamiya, who's been enjoying a remarkable run as a young Hawaiian wildcard. All of them are into the Quarters with a mathematical shot at taking the yellow jersey at event's end.
Lower down on the leaderboard, but just as dangerous, into the Quarters is Sunset power player Ezekiel Lau, who's been quietly hammering through heats.
Aussie Ethan Ewing put in one of the performances of the event in the Round of 16 to clip Brazil's Filipe Toledo. Needing a big score to turn the heat, he dialed up a searing 9.67 for the win.
Shortly thereafter, countryman Jack Robinson, who's been on a tear of his own, found his way into the Quarters. One of the favorites to win the whole thing going into the event, Robinson charged hard in the maxed out conditions on Day 1 and didn't let off the gas as he blew through a very dangerous McGillivray in the Round of 16.
With the men's Quarterfinalists locked in and plenty more swell on the way, the attention now shifts to the Opening Round of the women's Hurley Pro Sunset Beach. Can Moana Jones Wong keep her North Shore dream run alive? Will Carissa Moore retake the yellow jersey? Can one of the young Hawaiian rookies assert themselves in their backyard? Anything can, and usually does, happen at Sunset. Stay tuned.
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