Bali Protected Women’s day 3: “I had forgotten how much I love watching Silvana Lima surf!”

"Meanwhile, I’m just over here throwing words around and waiting for the wind to stop."

You were thinking I forgot about you, that I wasn’t going to write anything about the women’s round of 16 that took place at Keramas yesterday. I did not forget about you! I would never do that. I am running around like a fool, throwing words all over the place. Out of necessity, I will keep this update short and sweet. Snackable. I do like snacks.

The big story from yesterday’s heats at Keramas came during heat 3. Silvana Lima’s been out of competition since J-Bay with a knee injury and did she ever come back with a slam. Lima beat out Caroline Marks and opened the way for a potential lead change in the world rankings.

I had forgotten how much I love watching Lima surf. She’s so fast and exuberantly unpredictable. Her opening wave featured a cheekly little barrel. Lima highlighted the one weakness that Marks has shown. While Marks had her characteristic strong, vertical turns, there wasn’t as much variety as Lima threw down.

In other notable early exits, Malia Manuel, who came out of Bells as the world number two, lost out to Courtney Conlogue. I’m not sure I quite get the new seeding. How did the two finalists from Bells, ranked number 2 and number 3, already meet in the round of 16? Got me. If she makes the finals, Conlogue could overtake Marks as world number one.

Last year’s winner at Keramas, Lakey Peterson also went out in yesterday’s round 3. There weren’t a ton of waves on offer Peterson’s heat and Bronte Maccaulay took an early lead. Peterson’s highest score was a 3.5. It just really wasn’t her day. In typical do or die style, she surfed eleven waves in an effort to find a score. I understand the desperation, but I wonder if a little more chill might have served her better.

Both Stephanie Gilmore and Carissa Moore made it through to the quarters. Gilmore in small waves is always a marvel to me. She is so long-legged and yet somehow she manages to fold herself down to fit into the tiniest corners. She threw a nice fins-free turn in her opening wave, which, more like this, please, Steph. She said in a recent interview with the crew at Stab that she felt she often didn’t push herself enough to be progressive. Sometimes, she gets too caught up on being graceful, she said. Dear Steph, you can be both. Really.

It was a little sleepy all around out there in Keramas yesterday, with good waves a bit few and far between. I love a skateramp style reef break, but long lulls are a drag to surf and to watch. So here’s hoping there’s more waves for the quarterfinals. The Gilmore-Conlogue matchup should be seriously good times and I’m looking forward to watching what Lima comes up with against Fitzgibbons. Moore meets Hennessey and Maccaulay surfs against Van Dijk.

Meanwhile, I’m just over here throwing words around and waiting for the wind to stop. Please let me go surfing, wind! I have been extra good this week. I totally deserve to go surfing.