“He is a hog, just out there in his pen," says Strider!

Second and final day of Puerto Escondido: taking advantage of people, Mexican Style!

Yesterday’s little contest write-up contained an error. The guys who lost in the first round, and also the semis, don’t earn a thousand bucks. The magnanimous lizard people who don’t surf but still run the show are paying everyone two thousand dollars this year! You can earn more if you make the finals. But everyone else gets a slim 2k.

(By the by, notice that “TBA?” I’m betting that’s the prize purse for the sole female BWT comp that’s running this year.)

The WSL has no right to monopolize huge swells and treat the riders like cheap whores. A top tier big wave surfer should earn at least as much as high end prostitute.

This is why people need unions. Fuck the lie of “you’ll make more when we make more.” Fuck exposure. If this contest wasn’t running the surfers’d still be there, plus the guys who didn’t get invited, and there’d be a million cameras pointed right at them. The WSL has no right to monopolize huge swells and treat the riders like cheap whores. A top-tier big wave surfer should earn at least as much as high end prostitute.

But, whatever. I feel like I’m banging my head against a wall. The conditions looks great, I’m up extra early to watch. Bring on the carnage. Let’s see someone earn hospital bills there appearance fee won’t cover!

Twiggy Baker started off the day with a beaut. Big wide open right, foam ball ride and easy-ish exit. Looks a little smaller today. More manageable. Great great great. Yesterday was neat but there weren’t many made waves. Ramirez pulled in behind and didn’t come out. Then Layer on number three. Fading the takeoff, so scary! Then a high line pocket ride. Pretty, pretty, pretty, nice.

Will Skudin came in spitting up blood yesterday! Yes! Carnage! Let’s play up the injuries! Exploding bodies!

Think the WSL has an event doctor on site? Like, a real one? Because spitting up blood is very very very serious. Very likely caused by aspirating water. Potentially deadly. Can lead to secondary drowning. Skudin should not be paddling out. I understand why he would, he’s a maniac. Got a ton of heart and that’s really damn great. But if this bullshit “governing body” gave two shits about the competitors he’d be in the hospital right now.

Twiggy’s second wave is another gem. Strider says, “He is a hog, just out there in his pen.”

Does that make the WSL a bunch of pig fuckers?

At the midway point Baker is way out in front.

Makuakai looking intense on the beach. Remember when he used to be all chubby and cherubic? Wonder if it’s just something he outgrew, or if he changed up his diet and went exercise mad. Hope it’s not the latter, for his sake. As a guy who gets fat easy and hates himself for it I wouldn’t wish that self loathing on anyone. For all the shit people talk about the Rothmans online, they’ve invited me into their home, were really really cool. And what a home! I’ll admit that Papa Rothman is kind of intimidating, even though he’s about two feet shorter than me.

Listening to Strider talk about how dangerous this is, how badly they get hurt, how they’re “blue collar” workers busting ass back home to afford to compete, is ruining the comp. Making me so fucking angry.

Lots of unmade rides. Pull into a cave, get shut down.

Greg Long is a patient man. Takes a more cautious approach ever since Cortes Bank nearly sent him into the void. Reminds me of the stories I grew up reading about Pat Curren. Slightly off kilter charger sitting way outside all day long waiting for that one big bomb.

I was talking to Dave Wassel yesterday about this stuff. About the BWT, money, women. Other stuff. Gotta love Wasselhoff.

I brought up the women, how I think it’s stupid they think they can’t compete with men. Hell of a thing, he changed my mind. Laid it out, proved me wrong. Showed me that, in the end, I have no idea what I’m talking about. I can admit when I’m wrong. I’ll keep the details under my hat for the moment. The whole things on tape, you’ll be able to listen in soon enough.

Jesus tap dancing Christ, Layer got sucked over on a nightmare.

Four minutes left in semi one. Baker/Skudin/Lenny looking to advance.

Big set rolling in with two minutes. Twiggy drags his hand off the bottom into a double spitting cave. Oh my.

“It looks like Greg Long must have gotten a wave we couldn’t see,” says Strider.

Must’ve been a good one. Got him through the heat, knocked Lenny out. Seems as though they didn’t get it on camera. That sucks.

Twiggy, Will Skudin, and Greg Long are into the final.

Semi two starts off with a big sets that beats the shit out of everyone. Pedro Calado took off on a first wave closeout. I’m sure the last few minutes hurt pretty bad.

When exactly did Makua Rothman become Makuakai? I know that’s always been his name but I could swear no one called him that until a year or two ago.

Whatever the reason, he’s fucking charging. Part of a long tradition of guys who couldn’t really get it done in small wave comps, embraced the big stuff and set himself apart. Takes off retard deep on a huge right. Huge barrel that shuts down on him, kicks his ass.

Thank allah for water patrol. I know Abe Lerner is working today, flew out from Hawaii. But some of the drivers are local guards, right?

North Shore lifeguards are without a doubt the best in the world, but the Puerto dudes are a close second. Very close relationship between the two groups. NS heads helped them get the whole thing set up decades ago. Provided training and equipment and support when no one else would. Admirable actions.

Carlos Burle goes left, can’t get around the section. Goes full Da Bull, flops onto the deck and takes a churning whitewater belly ride to the inside. Smart way of saving what could’ve been a bad situation.

Bit of waiting between sets, not much going on. With ten minutes left we’re looking at Rothman/Calado/ Burle. The Hawaiian pigdogs into a left that almost looks easy but it runs away.

Then Jimel Corzo, lone local left, grabs a very pretty right. Quick cover, would be the wave of my life. But with seven minutes left it’s unlikely he’ll make it through. Kid definitely made a name for himself in this event. I know they’re saying he’s the Mexican national champ, but if we’re being honest that doesn’t mean much outside their borders. If that trophy doesn’t say USA, Australia, Hawaii, maybe Brazil, it may as well not exist. Very unfair. But that’s just how things are.

A couple unmade rides in the dying minutes. Guys hucking themselves over the ledge, hoping to find the score.

With the teachers strike, and the gov’s attempt to union bust South of the Border, I’m seeing a lot of propaganda on social media. Some idiots crossed the picket lines, got snatched, had their heads shaved, enjoyed some public shaming.

Good, great, grand! Fucking scabs deserve what they get. Never cross a picket line. Never! Running dog pieces of shit.

Jack London put it well.

After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, the vampire, He had some awful substance left with which He made a scab.

A scab is a two-legged animal with a cork-screw soul, a water-logged brain, a combination backbone of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles.

When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the Devil shuts the gates of Hell to keep him out.

No man has a right to scab so long as there is a pool of water to drown his carcass in, or a rope long enough to hang his body with. Judas Iscariot was a gentleman compared with a scab. For betraying his master, he had character enough to hang himself. A scab has not.

Into the final…

It’s Grant Baker, Greg Long, Pedro Calado, Carlos Burle, Will Skudin, and Makuakai Rothman.

Everyone else gets a check for $2k. Go home, go back to work.

Pedro Calado grabs a left to start things off. Can’t make it out. Twiggy on a right, big pump off the bottom on a “small” one. Strider says he’s playing tactics. I don’t know, are these guys really wired like that? Maybe, there’s a huge difference in the finals. Fifth and sixth get 3K, fourth gets 7. Third earns you $10k. Second sixteen. First place gets twenty five thousands of dollars! Meh. Like, that’s a nice check, but it ain’t exactly that much. How do tax rates work on contest winnings? ‘Cuz you gotta pay that shit. Sunny Garcia will back me up on that.

Couple of rides exchanged. Nothing super special. Just a lot of evidence that the human body can take a surprising amount of punishment while you’ve got a gallon of adrenaline pumping coursing your body.

Greg Long goes right, looks at the closeout section, says, “Fuck that.” And kicks out. Discretion definitely the better part of valor.

Rothman’s on the beach, he looks hurt. Out of the heat. Cost of a smaller left hander. Earned some points for the title, but only enough money to cover airfare.

Rapid pace wave exchange. Twiggy, Burle and Long all go left and eat shit. Burle’s was a sick fade into the barrel but the nose of his giant sled caught the curve on the way out.

This is basically turning into a wipeout contest. Great for the guy’s who are gonna profit from the highlights. Pretty tough on the dudes performing.

Holy hell, Twiggy on the best wave of the day. Gotta be a ten!

Half hour left in the heat, no way anyone is catching Mr Baker. Not enough makeable waves.

Oh man, that’s just great. I’m about an hour behind, been trying really hard not to spoil the results for myself.  But the WSL just emailed me a press release with the result in the title.  Heard the little notification, clicked over without thinking. So, as of two minutes ago, I know how this all turns out.

In the end it’s…

1. Grant “Twiggy” Baker

2. Greg Long

3. Pedro Calado

4. Carlos Burle

5. Will Skudin

6. Makuakai Rothman

Can’t say I’m terribly surprised. The usual suspects, mostly.

In my mind, the guy who most impressed me? Kinda came out of nowhere? The local kid, Jimel Corzo. Charged hard, did well. Earned some money without hemorrhaging his own getting there.

That’s it, we’re done. I’m going for a surf. Gonna see if the ocean can rinse this sour taste out of my mouth.

Highlights here!