Men fight women to the death and no Team USA!
Shortly, ten tow-teams, two of which feature women, will complete in forty-to-fifty-foot waves at Nazaré in Portugal.
The ten teams are built, mostly, around countries of origin.
There’s Team World, Brazil, Great Britain, Australia, Portugal, Europe and France alongside Team Justine (featuring France’s Justine Dupont and a non-surfing driver), Team Atlantic (with South African Grant Baker and Portugal’s Antonio Silva) and Team Young Bulls (Brazilian Lucas Chianca and Hawaiian Kai Lenny).
The two women, Brazil’s Maya Gabeira and Justine Dupont are noted for their bravado even in the face of death, as Maya explained six years ago when she was brought back to life on the beach at Nazaré after snapping her leg and drowning.
“Faces. Just people and remembering that I had almost drowned and where I was and a lot of water, water, water. And I was throwing up. It took a long time in my brain to come back and for me to open my eyes but as soon as I did I kinda knew where I was because it was so salty and it was so wet. I just could tell I had just drowned.”
I asked Maya of her first memory after being revived.
“Faces. Just people and remembering that I had almost drowned and where I was and a lot of water, water, water. And I was throwing up. It took a long time in my brain to come back and for me to open my eyes but as soon as I did I kinda knew where I was because it was so salty and it was so wet. I just could tell I had just drowned.”
Nazaré is a pretty seaside town and is named after the hometown of Jesus, and what is now called the Arab capital of Israel.
Portugal is deeply Roman Catholic after all.
The contest works like this.
It’s a four-hour expression session. No elimination. Option to run longer if the joint is pumping.
Rotating heat format and priority system that means there’ll always be five teams in the water.
Each team gets two, one-hour heats.
When the contest finishes, “a nominating panel” will dive through the footage of the day and pick the best waves as finalists.
At the awards ceremony, later tonight, the surfers and “a group of expert judges” will watch and vote for Men’s Wave of the Day, Women’s Wave of the Day and Team Champions and The Jogos Santa Casa Commitment Award.
Notable for their absence is Team USA.
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Watch his interview with Occy on the Occ-cast from about a year ago.
He doesn’t rate this place as a legitimate big wave due to its poor shape and lack of real power.
Described it as a pack of floppy weak jumbled crap (or words to that effect)…
Don’t have time to see what i want to see, play back experience of the whole heat makes for good sleep
WSL needs to show the 10 or 20 seconds prior to “the incident” to show the truth about how and why it happened.
Would also be good to get an explanation from the ski-driver in light blue who fled the scene straight up the beach.
An honest comment about the supposed roles of all the guys in light blue standing on the beach would also be useful thanks.
Much macho posturing from the European Latino bullfighting nations is showing a lot of organisational weakness from the only quick clip that has been released….
Yeah that shot of all the guys in light blue surrounding him reminds me of Aussie traffic management staff ratio of workers to non workers.
Even the heat recap is boring.
Tow-in boring.
Seeing Alex Botelho wash in floating face down was awful. WSL needs to check itself.
You obviously never watched motor racing.
The bullfighters LOVE the blood….
hope that guy is ok, so heavy
The commentary is much better than the standard CT schlock, Binns on a Boat has been good dissecting the boards. Pontificating Pete grates less in this format. Format seems better suited to big waves, probably still not ideal but better. E-Lo will no doubt cut down a very nice 1-2hr mix from all the action, replete with interviews and footage from the judging, hopefully not too much fake machismo and bullshit music and then pump that out. It’s been going ok apart from the usual issues of missing waves when cutting to interviews /ads (Which seems even more egregious when there are 4 decent waves an hour – how hard is a split screen guys??? They did it at the Volcom pipe event) Today seems to be aimed more at the purists with a more relaxed, informative booth. I’m off to bed, but it’s been a nice background to my evening. I’ll give em a few kudos.
Its turned on now, massive set!
I’m really trying here, there was a sick one…and they were interviewing in the channel 🤦♂️
Ooh team Brazil just got a fast delivery in the goolies.
It’s about as exciting as test cricket on a flat wicket, at Lords, with bad light.
The right analogy. Perfect background viewing for a pleasant evening
Retirees in cardigans, club ties and bucket hats dozing off?
And crumbs of a scone in your mouth corners.
I really want it to be exciting, and I’m using all my biases to make it so. But Im off to watch some Peaky Blinders
I’m off to watch NZ choke against India
Except, not!
Reasons to be cheerful 🙂
Starting to warm up a little. Maya got a wild bomb.
Women out surfing the men… much butthurt to follow?
Team
AustraliaBasque and Who?Team
WorldNo paddle!!Team
AtlanticAdd a dude from Portugal and give the team a fancy nameTeam
EuropeMore PortugalTeam
FranceBagette en cafeTeam
Young BullsWhere ma boi Billy at?Team
PortugalActual PortugalTeam
JustineNo friendsTeam
BrazilIf we aren’t Gabe and Italo do we really exist?Team
Great BritainDon’t mock me in the comments section again pleaseSorry, that’s all really lame but I’d already typed it out, so…
I think, just you and me watching.
Well I’ve reached my limit of unexcitement already. I’m out…
Twiggy bouncing a right almost into the cliff was pretty good.
Plus the Facebook inflation bots.
Whats conditions like atm? Anyone seen a live feed of the size
Its as misty eyed as an Oprah tearjerker
The boat cam perspective is clear, but got to squint through the beach cam
At 27years old, is Kai really a “Young Bull”?
Is this age shaming?
And the term Bull, a euphemism for black man in porn biz.
This is the knowledge and insight I come here for.
Am I the only one who thinks Nazare is just an oversized burger? Much rather see some tow action at Tahiti or Hawaii.
You do realise the Hawaii has more than one break, of varying qualities?
Can’t you tell by context?
Sorry I was in a hurried lunch mode.
That’s the reason Kemper doesn’t rate the place…
Where is Team Ross Clarke?….
Ross, injured.
Is that still the broken foot/ankle he got on Australian Survivor ?
Peter M and his personal proctologist share a tender moment behind the marquee.
Serious bidness:
Whom among you use, or could recommend some prescription goggles for this retarded old kook (when I get back in water) which will withstand my usual sessions-worth of being absolutely worked over and over and over again without getting ripped of my bulbous head and lost.
?
If by worked over you mean something akin to a Kevin McHale clothesline, you might try the signature Kurt Rambis model. https://youtu.be/X7r6vXeOfyQ
Yeah that’s pretty much me on any given wave you may choose to watch.
Even on the beach before I’ve entered the water, I look like I get clothes-lined.
Even…
I know this pain you speak of. Every sesh I grab my trusty ironing board in the hopes of working out the wrinkles in my style, only to be clotheslined time and again.
Please tell us that Team USA has a late entry pairing of Smith & Goggans?
I doubt that pair would leave the room, such is their complex, explosive dynamic, Lips touch without hesitation, bodies entwine without fear, groping in the cold winter darkness.
But in the darkness how to differentiate between soft wooly areas ?
Am I forehand, backside or forehead ?
I defer to your undoubted superior knowledge.
Oh you just surrender.
Lolol