Talk about overcoming adversity. First the Rip Curl Search contest site was blown to smithereens by the 50-year storm, then contest organizers took the show to a multitude of alternative sites, and now, it would appear the patience and diligence has paid off. True to Search form, today was pumping; solid, throaty, Puerto-esque six- to eight-foot barrels were the order of the day. Maybe not the best waves in the entire world, but definitely the best the boys have seen since J-Bay.
"I don't know what it is," pondered Rip Curl founder Claw Warbrick, "It just seems like the Search event has some kind of good karma."
Ryan Miller
A fan's eye perspective of Timmy Reyes weaving his way to his best result in months.
Needless to say, it's been a relatively dismal slog through Europe. Neither France nor Spain were anything to write home about, making today especially unique.
"I don't feel like I've ridden a good wave in a heat in ages," said Parko, who racked up one of the day's 10-point rides. "It was nice to get out there in some proper surf."
And while the conditions definitely spoke to some kind of mysterious relationship with a higher power, not everything fell in Rip Curl's favor. In his quarterfinal heat against Damien Hobgood, wildcard wonderkid Owen Wright, who's already dispatched of Kelly Slater and Dane Reynolds, was well on his way to a perfect heat when he took a nasty spill. Visibly in distress when he surfaced, once hitting the shore medical staff tended to Owen immediately.
"He slapped the water pretty hard," Gary Dunne, Rip Curl International Team Manager, said in the ASP's press release. "The doctors were worried that he burst his ear drum. The longer he was on the shore, the more he regained his balance and he actually wanted to head back out. However, the doctors thought it best to take him to hospital and we'll see what happens for tomorrow."
Joli
Owen Wright, no shortage of sack.
Preliminary reports are that he ruptured his eardrum and is suffering from a possible neck injury. But even after exiting the water early Damo still wasn't able to overcome Owen's lead. So in the end at least the kid won the heat, but whether he can surf in the semifinals remains to be seen.
Other than that, boards were broken in abundance and 10s seemed to be tallied left and right. The Portugese fans have been frothing like they were at a fish market. Parko and Mick are still rolling, and both look to be in fine form. There's a hour and an half of surfing left in this thing, you better believe forecasters and contest officials are going to be gunning for something spectacular for the grand finale...whenever, wherever that may be.
Joli
Say what? Owen, after the bell ringer. At least that guy on the beach is keeping an eye on him.
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.67 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 8.87
Heat 2: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.20 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 8.73
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) 10.17 def. Drew Courtney (AUS) 3.00
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 11.94 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 11.84
Heat 5: Owen Wright (AUS) 17.27 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 15.67
Heat 6: Damien Hobgood (USA) 15.33 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.43
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) 18.33 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 4.66
Heat 8: Tim Reyes (USA) 11.37 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 8.74
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.50 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.17
QF 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.60 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 9.00
QF 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 12.83 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.50
QF 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.17 def. Tim Reyes (USA) 5.90
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SEMIFINAL MATCH-UPS:
SF 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
SF 2: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Mick Fanning (AUS)
Ryan Miller
Portugese fans make off with a couple casualties of the war.
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Contributors
Jon Coen
Jon is from New Jersey and continues to reside there with his wife and dog—which means occasional empty barrels and the occasional session in the snow.The state isn't as dirty as people might think, but he'll let them keep believing that.
Jake Howard
Jake lives, writes and surfs in San Clemente, Calif. He spent his formative gremlin years surfing points north of San Francisco, and for the past 10 years has been contently surviving behind the Orange Curtain.
Kimball Taylor
Author of "Return by Water," as well as books on Jeffreys Bay and Pipeline, Kimball drives a red-hot Camero, and back in the '70s, he used to party with your dad.
Daniel Ikaika Ito
Daniel surfs like a hippie, but dresses like a homie. The Native Hawaiian originally hails from Hilo, but now resides in Honolulu. He enjoys twin-fins, new sneakers and being ESPN's "Cuz On The Scene" in the 50th State.
Jason Kenworthy
About as majestic as a turkey vulture, when he's not schlepping his lens around the world or looking for roadkill, Jason can be found at home in Dana Point, Calif., tending to his growing brood.
