Unfancied C-grade surf contest delivers as surfers rain ten-point rides in perfect six-to-eight-foot waves!
Ah, the Qualifying Series. The endless succession of four-man heats, populated by so many unknowns. The crappy conditions, the janky webcasts, the ‘who cares?’ of it all.
This is competitive surfing at its most disposable, unremarkable, instantly forgettable.
Forgettable, that is, apart from Day 4 of the Nias Pro 2024.
On the afternoon of Tuesday 11 June, Lagundri Bay and the enviable surfers of the Asian ‘QS put on a real show. The legendary Sumatran right cranked, producing relentlessly consistent and super-chunky six-to-eight-foot barrels.
It was late in the round of 64 when the absurdist heat totals started rolling in. Finely feathered cylinders of cleanest glass turned over on the reef and the QS boys made the most.
Unknown battler Shohei Kato had a king-size heat total of 18.83 and came second to Australian grom Saxon Reber, who had 19.43.
Two heats later, former child prodigy Kobi Clements got himself a 10 and an 8.
In the next heat, Aussie junior Tane Dobbyn got knocked out of his heat with a measly total of 18.10. Ahead of him were super rhymin’ compatriots Joh Azuchi (19.77) and Jin Suzuki (18.60). Then Aussies Axel Curotta (19.63) and Kyuss King (18.70) took out another bonkers heat.
Forty-year old CT legend Josh Kerr, now better known as daddy to superstar gromette Sierra, snuck through his heat with a relatively pedestrian 15.80. Kerr surfed all the way through from the Round of 128.
Honestly, is there any other ‘QS event on the schedule where a surfer of Kerr’s standing would bother putting himself through that kind of competitive surfing meat grinder? Oh, and Kerrzy came second to Tully Wylie of Jan Juc (VIC), who had 18.90.
Still, Lagundri Bay and her lovers hadn’t yet done their best work.
Heat 4. Lennix Smith, 16.30. Dylan Moffat, 16.80. Zane Assink, 18.90. Xavier ‘Double X’ Huxtable, perfect 20.
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Now, to be fair, these were not exactly Championship Tour 10s. I’m sure the CT head judge Luiz Pereira would have adjusted the scale pretty quickly after things started heating up, and I didn’t see much of the ruthless foamball wrasslin’ and rodeo that was required for high 9s and 10s at the recent Teahupo’o event (although that might’ve been in part due to lacking the camera angle looking into the tube on some key rides).
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And unfortunately (because this is the ‘QS after all) there’s no highlight reel, no condensed heat replays, and not even individual heat videos. If you want to catch all the action you’ll need to tune in at 5:57 and watch through to the last heat of the day 5 hours later.
The only truly skippable half hour is Heat 15 from the Round of 64.
Still, across those 10 heats there were 16 surfers with heat totals of at least 18 points. Four 10s. Twenty-seven 9s. You could do worse things with an afternoon than watch a succession of talented surfers get the waves of their lives.
Day five has started and the swell still looks pretty damn good
Will you tune in and brave the shame of following third-tier professional surfing?
Lol at this guy upvoting his own posts. You’re the kook, Glen.
Yeah like east germany was the GDR
Nah, it’s just that I watch more than enough surfing already!
sho’nuff as my lil cherubs’d say.
i’m sho’nuff enjoying summer recess & i hope you are too dude.
let’s discuss pedagogy one day.
how far are you from Thurso?
My HT uses that word far too much. I loathe it!
And a solid 3-3.5hr drive.
i don’t even know what it means yet after almost 20 years in the game – just giving you the piss.
but freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed is landmark.
contest of the year, 16.3 came last in one heat – good work SD
The CT needs to take a 5 year break from the North Shore, broaden its horizons, break free of the local crime syndicate.
Clearly there are plenty of other waves in the world.
Maybe go back, only to Pipeline, in 2030 if anyone cares by then. Nobody will ever miss watching a Sunset contest.
Delightful Contest, didn’t care who was surfing in it
Haha. He got me set up in Sibolga for smoking weed, in his family’s losmen, all of whom I was very close to. A young 22yo Dogsnuts had a gun pulled on him by a very crooked cop at a roadblock! In Sibolga!!!
xox
tried to link me up for some reason with an indo crack head-ish cat who was selling things he’d “collected” from the losmens. for what reason who fuckin’ knows – probs some intricate set up where the unwitting farang just gets slowly deeper and deeper into some byzantine weirdness then separated from his $50, just as an eaten expense to get the f.o. of whatever they lured the rube into. luckily despite my extreme youth (16, maybe 17?) and status as a solo seppo traveler, i’d been around much tougher blocks in latin america and snuffed their flame before the word go. “nope. see ya.” then proceeded to watch him try similar shit with wave after wave of first-day arrivals.
Fuck haha, their life of dodgy hustle seems way harder than just normal work.
Xox
Didn’t think it was great viewing.
Leemore wave pool-esq.
Shortish rides ridden the same way. Found it repetitive and boring
Does anyone remember Koba on the point?!
You could write a book on that shifty cunt.
xox
Nah that guy’s a cunt! Still owes me thirty bucks. Surfs like shit too!
Xox
Nias delivers every year, those this years been sublime, proper barrelling Nias. They did have epic drone footage looking into the barrel too. Apart from Sierra Kerr and Willow Hardy it was difficult seeing the women dodge barrels and opt for manoeuvres on fat walls instead.
Yeah, barrel dodge city. Though, many of the girls mentioned in their post heat interviews that despite free-surfing Nias quite a few times, the first time actually catching a “proper” set wave came during their heat. You could see that many of these girls just had no experience out there when it’s going off. With 150 agro jabronis all jockeying the tiny takeoff spot, it’s just too competitive for them.
yeah true, so crazy trying to surf there when the circus is in town
Nope. No I will not be tuning in.
absolutely off it’s tits.
Believe it.
Mate I’ve forgotten more about being a cunt than you even know
Nah just a thumb on the shotty.
Xox
Hold my beer cunt
Epic! Great wrap! Sold!
I told you Nias would crank and needs a live thread Dez
You probably don’t even compete
really did laugh out loud at this
Do you really party? lol
Epic waves – is the dream tour location
fucking good write up