BACK ON TRACK
Taj Burrow Keeps His Title Hopes Alive

Kelly Slater won his heat handily to advance to round three.

The thing you learn, after a few years of covering surf contests, is that the general rule of thumb goes something like this: the size and quality of the swell - any swell - is inversely proportional to the amount of hype surrounding it. In accordance with this law, it hardly came as a surprise to find tiny waves dribbling down the point in the pre-dawn darkness before proceedings got underway.

Local favorite and WCT rookie, Royden Bryson was out well before first light, and was back on the beach before the sun had even risen. It was that bad.

But Bryson still asked, "Can you feel it?"

It was unclear whether he was asking about the coming swell or his blistering form that saw him win the 15th heat of the first round, but both made themselves apparent as the day progressed. It was true; the signs were there, and while the ocean sent occasional pulses of swell down the world-famous lineup, it was simply not consistent enough to call the event on until mid-morning.

But each time the thin, wispy fingers of the cold front reached over J-Bay’s famed lineup, they would conjure up a few lines at the top of the point. Then, as the clouds gathered into a fist, the sea would be whipped into a frenzy, bringing driving rain and gale-force winds.

But by the time the second round was sent into the water, the surf was positively pumping, as were the offshore winds, which wreaked havoc in the contest area. The low point of the day came when a giant piece of wood that was securing the roof of the grandstand was dislodged and flung into the crowd. Three people were treated and taken away by ambulance, but were later discharged without any serious injuries. The nearby marquee that had been erected for the J-Bay Music Festival was also literally blown away, damaging lighting and sound equipment as well as forcing the event to relocate.

The violence of the weather, however, bodes well for the rest of the contest. Solid swell is predicted to pour through under sunny skies and dying winds tomorrow. My only concern is that the "rule of thumb" mentioned above is, like you, reading this and rubbing his hands in anticipation.

Round 2 Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Results:
Heat 1: Shaun Payne (ZAF) 11.33 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.50
Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 18.33 def. Damien Fahrenfort (ZAF) 12.50
Heat 3: Warwick Wright (ZAF) 15.06 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.83
Heat 4: Neco Padaratz (BRA) 15.26 def. Cory Lopez (USA) 13.17
Heat 5: Trent Munro (AUS) 11.67 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 11.00
Heat 6: Taylor Knox (USA) 14.44 def. Gabe Kling (USA) 9.73

Upcoming Round 2 Match-ups:
Heat 7: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Troy Brooks (AUS)
Heat 8: Michael Campbell (AUS) vs. Mark Occhilupo (AUS)
Heat 9: Chris Ward (USA) vs. Shaun Cansdell (AUS)
Heat 10: Ben Dunn (AUS) vs. Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA)
Heat 11: Pancho Sullivan (HAW) vs. Dayyan Neve (AUS)
Heat 12: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Victor Ribas (BRA)
Heat 13: Phillip MacDonald (AUS) vs. Michael Lowe (AUS)
Heat 14: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) vs. Bernardo Miranda (BRA)
Heat 15: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 16: Ricky Basnett (ZAF) vs. Leonardo Neves (BRA)Today Round 1

Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Results:
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.17, Warwick Wright (ZAF) 8.83, Chris Ward (USA) 5.20
Heat 11: Travis Logie (ZAF) 15.66, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.50, Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA) 8.40
Heat 12: Dean Morrison (AUS) 11.57, Dayyan Neve (AUS) 11.10, Ricky Bassnett (ZAF) 8.43
Heat 13: Bruce Irons (HAW) 11.83, Leonardo Neves (BRA) 11.50, Victor Ribas (BRA) 9.77
Heat 14: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.67, Cory Lopez (USA) 11.93, Michael Lowe (AUS) 7.26
Heat 15: Royden Bryson (ZAF) 14.17, Josh Kerr (AUS) 12.30, Kai Otton (AUS) 11.87
Heat 16: Greg Emslie (ZAF) 13.16, Taylor Knox (USA) 11.83, Bernardo Miranda (BRA) 6.34