Biggest Wave Ever Surfed

Gabriel and the view from a safe place somewhere in Round 3. Photo: Corey Wilson

After a handful of days of sub-par surf, Round 1 of the 2015 Rip Curl Pro Portugal finally kicked off today (minus a little high-tide hissy-fit) in whatever par surf that’s between sub and ESA Regionals. Salt Creek-par perhaps? Regardless, when isn’t watching the Top 34 (plus a couple guys that you just discovered weren’t Brazilian) go toe-to-toe in punchy beachbreak not exciting? An answer: Never. It’s always exciting. And forgive me Vasco Ribeiro; thought I had ya pegged!

Sure, the day had room for improvement conditions-wise but there was also a ton of stuff that hit our palettes just right. CoughKerr’sairCough. Here’s a little Cliff’s Notes of what we might want more of, or less of, based on Day 1’s shenanigans.

Filipe, Filiping. Photo: Corey Wilson

More: Waves. Nobody likes seeing the world’s best have to grovel, and watching hawg-heavy men like Michel Bourez trying to generate speed in 2ft-slop is a sure-fire boner-killer. And John John reverting to lip-hits and floaters? No obregado.

Less: Mason Ho in a jersey. K maybe this is just MY opinion, but unless it’s Pipe, I don’t wanna see Mason trying to please judges in a contest. Not at Bells, not at Lowers, not at Portugal; shit just don’t feel right to me. Mason’s vibrations are free and groovy and naked like the Summer of ’69 and contests — Lord knows I love ‘em — have time-limits and score cards and piss-tests. I know he’s a Rip Curl wildcard, and maybe I should be thankful for that, but I’m not hearing Jimi Hendrix riffs singing from Mason’s lines out there like I do when he doesn’t have a jersey on.

Let that freedom flag fly Mase! Things looked a bit tight in Ho’s first rounder, hopefully he loosens up in Round 2. Photo: Corey Wilson

More: Josh Kerr. Kerrzy showed us today that when the ocean gives you Salt Creek-flavored lemons, ya make lemonade. Despite the day’s challenging backwash, the guy fully bottom-turned into a section to stomp a hefty frontside stale-fish reverse. Here, here, J. Kerr!

Less: Backwash. I was gonna say, “More: Clean Pulls,” but I blame this on the backwash. Today, the Peniche backwash was fucking up guy’s flow out there like a girlfriend coming home WAY too soon because she forgot her yoga mat during your Incognito Mode-time. (Warn me why dontcha!?!) The backwash led to a lot of sloppy-pulls and whitewater rafting, both of which did not help the scores.

Less: Old school fucking alley-oops. Talking to you Aritz. I know guys like John and Julian and Filipe ruin it for everyone by doing 6-foot high ones in their heats, but non-full-rotation-oops should be outlawed in this day and age. This is not a 1996 Taylor Steele part-ender; this is 2015 and landing backwards on an alley oop is not a thing anymore.

John john Florence and a proper display of alley oop-ing. Photo: Corey Wilson

More: Tubos. Preferably of the “Super” category. Indeed, a few gents like CJ Hobgood and Aritz Aranburu tucked into a couple slouchers but the tubos seemed more novelty than title-track today.

More: Scarf on Mel. Now that it’s finally gone, I just kinda miss it. -Beau Flemister

The post Opening Day At The Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal appeared first on SURFING Magazine.

The 2015 Rip Curl Gromsearch National Finals are LIVE right now at Upper, Trestles. The rippingest grommets in the country who have qualified through this season’s four Gromsearch stops will flock to the notorious San Clemente beach in droves. The sun will shine, horns will sound, the best under-sixteen surfing that the stripes have to offer will occur, and at the end of the day there will be crowns and checks distributed to their rightful owners. That’s right, the winners of each division will not only win themselves some cold hard cash courtesy of the Curl, but also an all expense paid trip to an undisclosed location to compete in the RCGS International Finals as part of The Search. So if you’re at all a fan of good surfing, it’s only mandatory that you check it out – whether in the flesh or on the LIVE webcast here.

The post Rip Curl Gromsearch National Finals Are Live appeared first on SURFING Magazine.

Back in the day, the Portuguese got some work done. By back in the day I mean, like, 500 years ago, and by work, I mean discovering much of the Known World and being the first to sail around the bottom of Africa (sans GPS). ‘Tween then and now…kind of a slow period minus the production of Cristiano Ronaldo, but goddammit: Portugal’s Back!

Rising up from the ashes of a fallen empire like twin phoenixes, Portugal’s Frederico Morais defeated World No. 1 Mick Fanning and Portugal’s Vasco Ribeiro defeated World No. 2 Adriano de Souza, in Round 3 today. Crowd’s reaction? Apeshit. Like, after all the cheering and whistling and screaming subsided, I saw some fishermen set out in a Zodiac at dusk toward the Dark Continent to Re-Discover something for old times sake. You know, just in case they missed something off Angola.

Indeed, Morais and Ribeiro fucked up Mick and Adriano’s title-runs like a Peniche street on my woman’s stilettos. But what the fuck was my woman running in heels for on cobblestones anyway? Served ya right, Rachel!

Quick criticism: As much yogurt as the guy slings (truck-loads) Frederico Morais throws pizza-dough like a Queen’s Bridge Sicilian. Bring them arms in, homie!?!

Quick praise: You slick Portagees just singlehandedly (x2) ((double-handedly?)) brought the title-race to Pipe. HELLS MUTHERFUCKING YES! Massive obregados, boys!

Guess who’s NOT phased by the recent Wilson-Wright-Fanning-De Souza shutdown? Medina and Toledo.

Indeed, after sending wildcard Mason Ho home in Round 3 today, Filipe Toledo quickly got to work in Round 4 against Simpo and Brother and built a 19-point heat-total in a matter of 3 ½ minutes. Not kidding. Watch the tape. It’s fucked.

Shortly before that heat, Medina fended off a very in-form Caio Ibelli (who alllllmost had Gabs beat) with a CLUTCH backside full-rotation in the dying seconds of the heat.

Both Gabs and Filipe look respectively unstoppable out there and I’d put my Euros on either-or to take the whole shebang this year.

Quick criticism: Indeed Gab’s 9.5-point full-rotation in Round 3 was buzzer-beater judges-porn, but get-the-fuck-outta-here with the claiming before you’ve ridden it out cleanly bullshit. Bad-form, Gabs. Give it a second before ya throw it up, kid.

Quick praise: Way to beat two world champs in one day in front of your home crowd, Frederico. (Guy won Round 4, too)

Keep watching folks, with the heater Frederico’s on right now, he’s got the crowd so wound up Portugal might wage war on Spain to take back the Iberian Peninsula. -Beau Flemister

The post Fanning and De Souza Fall, Portugal Rises appeared first on SURFING Magazine.

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