BeachGrit favorite says, "Yikes!"
The U.S. Open at Huntington Beach must be one of God’s favorite professional surf events on His earth. It seems that better than usual surf has pulsed in right before the beginning of the contest window for the last few years creating a buzz of excitement amongst the rebellious pre-teens with their Sharpie’d “Insert Here” and “Do Me In The Butt” skin slogans.
And yesterday Hurricane Methuselah filled in around the pier while some of the best surfers in the world slashed and soared.
Stand-outs included French surfers Marine Le Pen, Maud Le Car and Pauline Ado. A new super rivalry also seems to be forming between Ventura’s Sage Erickson and Santa Barbara’s Courtney Conologue. The two faced each other in the finals of just concluded Oceanside Pro with Conologue taking the win. Sage bashed her to the losers round at Huntington, though, and I like this rivalry because I would like to see Ventura and Santa Barbara go to war.
Speaking of bashing, BeachGrit favorite Lakey Peterson bashed the pier. And let us turn to Laylan Connelly at the Orange County Register for the play by play.
Lakey Peterson knew how close she was to the Huntington Beach Pier and hoped to make her way through the concrete pier pilings after giving a big hack on a wave.
But the strong waves and current pushed her into the barnacle-covered piling, and her leash wrapped around it. The delicate dance surfers have been doing with the pier the past few days went the wrong way for Peterson, who found herself held underwater by the ocean’s strength.
“Within two seconds, my back hit the piling, my leash wrapped around it,” the Santa Barbara surfer said. “I couldn’t get to the surface, (because) right around the pylons there’s a lot of water pushing around.”
Peterson was able to untangle her leash and was unharmed, but the moment added drama Tuesday as the women’s heats began at the U.S. Open of Surfing, a World Tour stop for the top 17 women battling for a world title in 4- to 5-foot surf. She wasn’t the only one who had to see medics after a pier encounter. Brazil’s Bino Lopes exited the water with blood on his face and arm and the nose of his board smashed during the middle of his heat after hitting a pylon.
It is a wonder this, too, doesn’t happen more often. Not in professional surfing events, of course, very few are held near piers, but just in general. I marvel when surfers shoot the pier. I’ve attempted a few times and made once but so scary while it is happening. So many variables for which to account. Like, wave speed, piling distance, piling spacing, Laird Hamilton, Laird Hamilton’s paddle.
Do you remember when he rode a bomb through the Malibu pier on a SUP? The Malibu pier is much less intimidating than the Huntington Beach pier partially because there are far fewer pilings and partially because they are wood.
Still impressive.
But have you ever smashed a pier piling or are you adept at shooting?
My you are an interesting Cat… but I’d be the first to give you props for your impressive abilities to piss almost everyone off over at STAB, no small feat!
No, that ship has left the dock… I have zero interest in trying to teach dogs not to shit on a front lawn that is already covered in shit. I’ll just focus on Keeping this lawn tidy, that involves deleting any comment that mentions your efforts at STAB.
I am just checking this out, now, on the heat analyser. The camera kept focusing on Lakey’s board stuck to the pole, Lakey was not visible & Rosy & Turpel were chatting away oblivious to what was happening, even though the camera kept focusing on the board & Lakey was no where to be seen. Reminded me of the Fanning shark attack; when Pottz & Turpel were clueless.
Questions that matter! Ever see Kelly fully naked? Asking for a friend of a friend…
No questions that really matter on the grand scale.
I don’t really read my own posts nor do I listen to the Strokes much these days {only really liked the first album}
I don’t whinneabee anybody in particular, but sometimes I think it’d be pretty bad-arse to be a dolphin! Cruising the oceans swells, eating tuna and having aquatic orgies…
Thanks Sean.
I enjoy their second record as well.
I have to admit, laird did pack that pier like a mad man. There would have been serious repercussions had he made one slip.
Gotta ask as it’s your 3rd account now.
Regret, shame, delete?
Or just too many cones and can’t remember password?
Chas. I searched for the usual sarcasm but there was none. Did you actually write “Marine Le Pen” as a french standout? Hahaha nice typo mate! You probably meant Johanne Defay
Marine Le Pen is a tres bien surfer. Although, she can only go right.
très bonne surfeuse 😀
Still can’t see how a french candidate of the last election relates to the topic
Merci. Never been big on the Romance languages. Something about having feminine and masculine past participles always did my head in.
marine le pen like her dad jean Marie is a neo – fascist and has nothing to do with French surfing.
Is a neo-fascist just like an old-fascist, just with better dress sense?
Same shitty dress sense, its just the old-fascist has Doc Martens that are more scuffed.
“Well, say what you like about them, but they certainly knew how to design a uniform.” Lemmy.
Did I black out and miss where you posted the video of this?
Oh, Derek.
#1 Courtney is from Orange County
#2 Lakey is from Santa Barbara, though technically lives in Ventura County by about 30 ft. these days
#3 Sage grew up at Rincon, despite being from VC, so she’s part of the family.
No war to be started.
Next you’ll tell me that Marine Le Pen’s performance didn’t bring Bleedin’ Brzezinski to tears.
was it Lakey or Sage whose younger brother was getting clowned by Nick Rosza for not charging last winter? we need an actual feud here.
Sage
I remember this.
I just realized that I’ve yet to fully recover from visiting the US Open of surfing a few years back. Life took on a darker, more cynical turn somewhere in the past and something about this article made everything clear. It all started with a walk through the “humanity” thronging the HB pier at the Open.
nothing like underage girls with “free anal” written on their ass with a Sharpie
I yearn for simpler times.
hiiiii courtney is from santa ana which is a different place from santa barbara. we don’t want to start wars with ventura because they own half of rincon and it’s better to share.
Hobie has been shredding.
How’d she get out of the kitchen?