Day of Days

Slater and Parko Fall, Irons and Fanning Still Afloat
by Jeff Mull

Ten days into the waiting period and things at the Billabong Pro Tahiti began to take a turn towards the surreal. The carefree, happy-go-lucky aura emanated by the Top 45 into the humid Tahitian air had somehow been replaced by a bitterness that lingered around the competitors like a dark cloud. Blame it on a lack of women, a few too many Hinanos, or the complete disappearance of Lady Chopes, but there’s no denying that after so many days on edge and on-hold, everyone was ready to get this event rolling again. The tour had hit the breaking point.

Luke Egan must have picked up on the dirty vibes as the Contest Director made the “go” call this morning in the face of a slightly growing swell that held some promise throughout the day. And although Teahupoo lacked its typical knee-trembling power today, Luke gave the shoulder to head high conditions the thumb’s up after days of meager swell and an ever-shrinking waiting period.

With the flotilla of media, contest officials, and competitors buoyantly nestled into the channel in an anticipation of the upcoming rounds, the latter half of round two made their way into the lineup. Despite being 10 days into the waiting period, the likes of Mick Fanning, Kelly Slater, and Joel Parkinson had yet to surf.

Opening up the day was a match-up between Billabong wildcard Andy Irons who squared off against Bede Durbidge. If there was ever a wave tailor-made for AI, it’s Chopes…even at 3-feet. Going up against Bede today, Andy once again looked to be in stellar form, dripping confidence all the way from his opening wave to his victory lap through the channel. Judging by the look on Andy’s face, it was as if he had found some sort of redemption in his win, as a smile of raw emotion shone through his grin for the remainder of the day.

“Oh my god, I was having full-on anxiety before my heat, I was just all nerves,” said Irons following his win. “But once that horn blows and I’m in the water and I get a wave…all of the butterflies just disappear.”

Unfortunately, the current ASP number one, Joel Parkinson, couldn’t follow Andy’s lead. In his round three heat against Taylor Knox, Parko failed to capitalize on the much improved conditions. To his credit, Knox surfed sublimely, posting one of the most serene and balls-out tubes of the day and taking the win over Parko in the process.

The upsets continued as Spain’s Aritz Aranburu dispatched Kelly Slater in his third 17th-place result of the season. As the heat dawned and Slater grabbed his singlet, the channel fell deafeningly quiet, save for the slight hum of diesel-fed engines on idle. Would Slater finally break his dry spell and lay waste upon the Basque Country kid? Maybe. Maybe not…

Fresh off the blare of the heat horn, Aranburu slipped into a west bowl tube that barreled down the reef with machine-like precision and vomited him onto the inside channel. If there was ever a wave to claim today, it was this one: a 9.77 ride and a murderous way to draw first blood against the champ. To be sure, Aranburu quickly followed up his opening score with a solid 7.5.

Like a wounded predator, Slater’s never been one to be counted out and fired back with a slew of respectable waves, but it wouldn’t be enough. Houidini or not, it’s never easy to counter a 9 and a 7. Sayonara Slater.

After his loss, Slater could be seen slowly paddling across the channel and into the Quiksilver boat where he erratically ripped off his jersey after stepping on board. Moments later, he appeared chipper and smiling. Perhaps it was a façade to cover a heart-wrenching loss, or perhaps it was a genuine smile of relief from a competitive veteran that has seen it all in his career. 

As far as Slater’s next move (as in will we be seeing him in Brazil next month?) your guess is as good as mine. In the meantime, rest assured that Slater’s South Pacific voyage may have been worth it after all. (Click here to see video of Slater and Manoa Drollet scoring a remote Tahitian right-hander.)

And what about Aranburu? Going into the event, you’d have been hard-pressed to find a soul willing to put their money on Aritz, that is everyone except the lad himself.

“Yes, I was nervous before the heat because I had all of these days to think about what might happen…but I still thought I could win. When I got that first wave I felt like I had something going. But with him [Slater] you never know, I had to be good.”

And good he was.

Highlights from today’s Billabong Pro Tahiti presented by Air Tahiti Nui will be available at www.billabongpro.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

REMAINING BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 2 RESULTS:

Heat 7: Taylor Knox (USA) 11.50 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 10.63
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.26 def. Heiarii Williams (PYF) 9.67
Heat 9: Andy Irons (HAW) 13.16 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.00
Heat 10: Bobby Martinez (USA) 9.17 def. Dayyan Neve (AUS) 7.94
Heat 11: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 11.67 def. Dustin Barca (HAW) 8.80
Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.33 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 14.34
Heat 13: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 17.27 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 15.00
Heat 14: Damien Hobgood (USA) 16.06 def. Dean Morrison (AUS) 9.00
Heat 15: Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.84 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 11.43
Heat 16: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 14.16 def. Tim Boal (FRA) 4.50

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 15.50 def. Jay Thompson (AUS) 6.17
Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.04 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 9.40
Heat 3: Mick Campbell (AUS) 15.07 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 8.50
Heat 4: Taylor Knox (USA) 15.46 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 5.57

REMAINING BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 5: Andy Irons (HAW) vs. Bobby Martinez (USA)
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Heat 7: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) vs. Damien Hobgood (USA)
Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Tom Whitaker (AUS)

UPCOMING BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Taj Burrow (AUS)
QF 2: Mick Campbell (AUS) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)
QF 3: TBA
QF 4: TBA