Best of 2008 – Part One: Session of the Year

While Huey’s away I thought I’d take the opportunity to put together a “best of” series for your viewing pleasure. You’ll get a chance to froth over some of the sic sessions captured by yours truly over the last twelve months including bombies, tubes, moves, airs, take-offs and wipes.

Featured first is session of the year and if you were there that morning you’ll have to agree that it was a sight to see. Who’d a thought Pipeline would be paying a visit to Narrabeen!

Enjoy!

Doug

www.wozthatyou.com

Day 4 – Event Favourites Eliminated at Billabong ASP World Junior Championships

Julian Wilson went to skies in Round 3 of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships. Photo: Steve Robertson/Surfing Australia

NORTH NARRABEEN, Australia (Tuesday, January 6, 2009) – The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships steamrolled through the men’s Round 3 today before deciding the women’s ASP World Junior Champion in rippable three-to-four foot (1 metre) surf on offer at Sydney’s North Narrabeen beach.
 
The deciding event in the quest for the undisputed ASP World Junior Title, the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships is paramount junior event on the planet and today’s competition saw the biggest upsets of the week go down with some major favourites eliminated from competition.

Lincoln Taylor (AUS), 20, posted the highest single-wave score of the event, a 9.60 out of a possible 10, for a vicious forehand assault, eliminating favoured South African Rudy Palmboom, 20, from Billabong ASP World Junior competition.
 
“I was really lucky that I managed to get the two best waves come to me in that heat,” Taylor said. “At this level if you don’t get excellent scores on the set waves you’re going to quickly end up behind the eight ball.”

While several of Taylor’s fellow countrymen still in contention at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships, the young goofy-footer is keen to claim the ASP World Junior Title for Australia – a feat that has yet to be repeated since current ASP Dream Tour stalwart Joel Parkinson (AUS), 27, in 2001.

“I’m not trying to focus on anything else but doing well right now,” Taylor said. “I didn’t come in this event to finish last.”

Taylor will face Kiron Jabour (HAW), 17, in Round 4 when competition resumes.

Maxime Huscenot (REU), 16, reigning ASP European Pro Junior Champion, scored one of the biggest upsets of the day, eliminating ASP International Wildcard and event favourite Dusty Payne (HAW), 20, in Round 3 of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships. The young natural-footer going as far as to post an impressive 9.00 out of a possible 10 in the last minute to cement the victory.
 
“Still no pressure after beating Dusty (Payne),” Huscenot said. “Dusty is such a good surfer up there with Julian (Wilson). I got a 9-point ride which was so good.”  
 
Huscenot will face Alex Ribeiro (BRA) in Round 4 when Billabong ASP World Junior competition resumes.
 
Fellow European Marc Lacomare (FRA), 18, caused another major upset in the elimination of Australian Owen Wright, 18, from Billabong ASP World Junior competition. The Frenchman took command of the heat early on, collecting an 8.00 and an 8.50 in the opening minutes, posting what would prove to be an insurmountable lead for the highly-touted Australian.
 
“I feel so good to beat Owen (Wright),” Lacomare said. “He always beats me. We have surfed against one another about five or six times and he has beaten me most. Before the heat I was not that nervous because Owen is such a favourite. I’m just here do my best and see what happens.”

Lacomare will take on Jayke Sharp (AUS), 20, in Round 4 when competition resumes.
 
Following the completion of the men’s Round 3, the Billabong ASP World Junior women’s title will be decided beginning with the Quarterfinals at 2:30pm local time
 
The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships will be webcasting LIVE scores and audio via www.billabongpro.com  with Heats on Demand available in the VIDEO section.
 
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com 
 
BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIORS (MEN) ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Tamaroa McComb (PYF) 15.17 def. Tonino Benson (HAW) 9.66
Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.17 def. Klee Strachan (ZAF) 8.73
Heat 3: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.00 def. Blake Jones (USA) 8.94
Heat 4: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 14.67 def. Alex Lima (BRA) 13.00
Heat 5: Lincoln Taylor (AUS) 18.10 def. Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 11.33
Heat 6: Kiron Jabour (HAW) 8.90 def. Medi Veminardi (REU) 8.90
Heat 7: Granger Larsen (HAW) 16.00 def. Travis Beckmann (USA) 12.14
Heat 8: Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.33 def. Dean Bowen (AUS) 6.00
Heat 9: Maxime Huscenot (REU) 16.67 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.00
Heat 10: Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 16.00 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 13.34
Heat 11: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 16.50 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 12.50
Heat 12: Jayke Sharp (AUS) 12.33 def. Casey Brown (HAW) 9.50
Heat 13: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.50 def. Magno Pacheco (BRA) 10.34
Heat 14: Nat Young (USA) 9.23 def. Jatyr Berasaluce (EUK) 9.23
Heat 15: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 16.50 def. Nicholas Godfrey (ZAF) 12.17
Heat 16: Kai Barger (HAW) 13.17 def. Charles Martin (GLP) 9.84

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIORS (MEN) ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Tamaroa McComb (PYF) vs. Julian Wilson (AUS)
Heat 2: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 3: Lincoln Taylor (AUS) vs. Kiron Jabour (HAW)
Heat 4: Granger Larsen (HAW) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 5: Maxime Huscenot (REU) vs. Alex Ribeiro (BRA)
Heat 6: Marc Lacomare (FRA) vs. Jayke Sharp (AUS)
Heat 7: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Nat Young (USA)
Heat 8: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) vs. Kai Barger (HAW)

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIORS (WOMEN) QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: Arini Mason (NZL) vs. Pauline Ado (FRA)
QF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) vs. Paige Hareb (NZL)
QF 3: Leila Hurst (HAW) vs. Diana Cristina (BRA)
QF 4: Laura Enever (AUS) vs. Bethany Hamilton (HAW)

Dee Why Beach 11am — Still nuthin doin…

Yeeeeww

It

It’s windy out there now but was quite nice earlier! Can all the longboarders stop surfing out Mona main, your dangerous and annoying haha

TG’s forecast

Surf forecast issued Tuesday 6 January 2008: Quick seven day outlook for Sydney:  This one’s for Nanas…:).. variable winds!

Hey who would have picked the light southerly change about an hour ago this morning???  Don did – from the other side of the Pacific!  Eased back now and already truning SE – Bureau still forecasting strong NE late… It’s now getting warmer, the sky is more blue than grey now, cicadas have started up… so they could be right.

Swell looks like continuing small to medium NE which is fine for Summer holidays.  Just need to be in the right place at the right time to get some fun waves.

Tuesday, Wednesday: in the 1-2 metre range (lower end mostly) from the North East.

Thursday:  early Southerly change so coming up with strong wind.

Friday: short lived increase -about 1 metre south

Saturday: about 1 SE

Sunday: about 1 metre maybe a little more East South East

Monday: 1-2 range East

Weather from the Bureau

Forecast for Tuesday
Fine and sunny. Very hot in the west. Light winds and moderate to fresh afternoon northeast seabreezes.

Precis: Fine. Very hot in the west.

City:          Max:   31  Parramatta:  Max:   38
Terrey Hills:  Max:   33  Penrith:     Max:   41
Liverpool     Max:   39  Richmond:    Max:   39

UV Alert: 8:50 am to 5:10 pm, UV Index predicted to reach 12 [Extreme]

Wednesday
Mostly fine.

City:  Min:   22  Max:   31
West:  Min:   19  Max:   37

Thursday
Cloudy. Shower or two.

City:  Min:   21  Max:   24
West:  Min:   19  Max:   25

Friday
Cloudy. Chance shower.

City:  Min:   17  Max:   22
West:  Min:   13  Max:   23

Saturday
Fine.

City:  Min:   16  Max:   24
West:  Min:   13  Max:   27

Sunday
Chance shower or thunderstorm

City:  Min:   16  Max:   27
West:  Min:   13  Max:   34

Monday
Shower or two.

City:  Min:   19  Max:   25
West:  Min:   14  Max:   28

looks decent

2-4ft ENE swell brushed by a lite WSW breeze early heading NE later. Looks pretty decent. Water temp still warm. Worth a splash. Rosco.

VIDEO:: STORY: Massive Scores On Day 3 At Billabong ASP World Junior Championships

Julian Wilson (AUS), 20, put the rest of the field on notice today, scoring the event high heat total of an 18.50 out of a possible 20 to advance through to Round 3.

Day 3 Highlights Video:  hlts_08wjc_day3h264

NORTH NARRABEEN, Australia (Monday, January 5, 2009) – The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships recommenced this morning with the final seven heats of the men’s Round 1 before tearing into the dramatic elimination Round 2.

The deciding event in the hunt for the undisputed ASP World Junior Title, the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships enjoyed a full day of sunny skies and clean three foot (1 metre) waves at Sydney’s North Narrabeen beach in which world’s best junior surfers reveled, locking in the highest scores of the event.

Julian Wilson (AUS), 20, who gained entry into the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships via his win at the VonZipper Trials, rebounded from a morning loss in Round 1 to absolutely decimate his Round 2 heat this afternoon, netting the event high heat total of an 18.50 out of a possible 20 to dispatch of Koki Nakamura (JPN).

“I had a pretty shaky start this morning in Round 1 but I feel way better after that one,” Wilson said. “The conditions are getting way better and I think the level of surfing is going to really lift in the coming days.”

Part of a star-studded Australian contingent, Wilson is keen to claim the ASP World Junior Title for himself, bringing the prestigious accolade back to Australia, where it hasn’t been held since current ASP Dream Tour standout Joel Parkinson (AUS), 27, last claimed it in 2001.

“It’s been ages since an Aussie won this title,” Wilson said. “That spurs us all on…we want it back here in Oz!”

Rudy Palmboom (ZAF), 20, suffered an unfortunate loss in Round 1 two days ago, but made amends today, posting and impressive heat total of a 17.10 out of a possible 20 to eliminate Jules Thomet (FRA) from Billabong ASP World Junior competition in today’s Round 2 bout.

“I was a bit nervous at the start – as I am with most competitions – but because I have this high-scoring heat it has given me much more confidence,” Palmboom said. “Last year was my first year in this competition and I got 9^th. I want to better that result taking it heat by heat and see what happens.”

Palmboom punctuated his impressive Round 2 victory with his own excellent single wave-score of a 9.10 out of a possible 10 for a series of vicious backhand blasts.

“I’m stoked with my 9-point ride in the last couple of seconds,” Palmboom said. “The other guy in my heat was in a good position so I made sure I got it. It had a nice wall and I got a good score on it.”

Alex Ribeiro (BRA) was another to flare in the dying conditions this afternoon, posting an incredible 9.00 out of a possible 10 for a series of impressive forehand fin wafts on the roping lefthanders.

“This is my first year in the event and Australia and I’m very happy so far,” Ribeiro said. “I’m just going to work as hard as I can to get through as many heats as possible. I think Brazil brought a great team but all countries have so good surfers the best people for possible.”

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am for a possible 7:30am start.

Highlights from today’s Billabong ASP World Junior Championships will be available via www.billabongpro.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIORS (MEN) ROUND 1 RESULTS:

Heat 10: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 12.67, Heifara-Peter Tahutini (PYF) 12.07, Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 10.67

Heat 11: Casey Brown (HAW) 11.90, Kai Barger (HAW) 9.67, Koko Nakamura (JPN) 7.87

Heat 12: Charles Martin (GLP) 13.83, Kaito Sekimoto (JPN) 10.33, Nobuyuki Osawa (JPN) 10.17

Heat 13: Jayke Sharp (AUS) 14.00, Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.60, Casey Grant (ZAF) 10.34

Heat 14: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.77, Nicholas Godfrey (ZAF) 12.23, Medi Veminardi (REU) 8.50

Heat 15: Nat Young (USA) 13.24, Lincoln Taylor (AUS) 12.00, Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 9.60

Heat 16: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 13.47, Marc Lacomare (FRA) 12.60, Andrew Doheny (USA) 8.00

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIORS (MEN) ROUND 2 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Jadson Andre (BRA) 13.50 def. Heremoana Luciani (PYF) 11.34

Heat 2: Dusty Payne (HAW) 10.33 def. Heifara Tahutini (PYF) 6.90

Heat 3: Tonino Benson (HAW) 12.50 def. Andres Wurst (PER) 8.17

Heat 4: Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 17.10 def. Jules Thomet (FRA) 10.60

Heat 5: Maxime Huscenot (REU) 15.00 def. Ricardo dos Santos (BRA) 11.17

Heat 6: Kiron Jabour (HAW) 12.77 def. Pierre-Valentine Laborde (FRA) 12.50

Heat 7: Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.50 def. Koki Nakamura (JPN) 8.00

Heat 8: Travis Beckmann (USA) 13.67 def. Kaito Sekimoto (JPN) 8.86

Heat 9: Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 16.83 def. Casey Grant (ZAF) 12.10

Heat 10: Nicholas Godfrey (ZAF) 9.84 def. Cory Arrambide (USA) 7.26

Heat 11: Blake Jones (USA) 11.83 def. Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 10.17

Heat 12: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 12.67 def. Shota Nakamura (JPN) 9.84

Heat 13: Klee Strachan (ZAF) 12.34 def. Andrew Doheny (USA) 10.04

Heat 14: Lincoln Taylor (AUS) 14.67 def. Keito Matsuoka (JPN) 8.50

Heat 15: Medi Veminardi (REU) 13.43 def. Heath Joske (AUS) 9.67

Heat 16: Kai Barger (HAW) 14.17 def. Nobuyuki Osawa (JPN) 8.67

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIORS (MEN) ROUND 3 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Tonino Benson (HAW) vs. Tamaroa McComb (PYF)

Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Klee Strachan (ZAF)

Heat 3: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. Blake Jones (USA)

Heat 4: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) vs. Alex Lima (BRA)

Heat 5: Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) vs. Lincoln Taylor (AUS)

Heat 6: Kiron Jabour (HAW) vs. Medi Veminardi (REU)

Heat 7: Granger Larsen (HAW) vs. Travis Beckmann (USA)

Heat 8: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Dean Bowen (AUS)

Heat 9: Dusty Payne (HAW) vs. Maxime Huscenot (REU)

Heat 10: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Alex Ribeiro (BRA)

Heat 11: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Marc Lacomare (FRA)

Heat 12: Casey Brown (HAW) vs. Jayke Sharp (AUS)
Heat 13: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Magno Pacheco (BRA)

Heat 14: Nat Young (USA) vs. Jatyr Berasaluce (EUK)

Heat 15: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) vs. Nicholas Godfrey (ZAF)

Heat 16: Charles Martin (GLP) vs. Kai Barger (HAW)

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIORS (WOMEN) QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:

QF 1: Arini Mason (NZL) vs. Pauline Ado (FRA)

QF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) vs. Paige Hareb (NZL)

QF 3: Leila Hurst (HAW) vs. Diana Cristina (BRA)

QF 4: Laura Enever (AUS) vs. Bethany Hamilton (HAW)

Narrabeen Rpt

Looking a bit more like surf this morning where I looked. However, it’s still pretty small & weak, and the wind is outta the south, too

C C

Fine, dry and very warm on the Central Coast this Tuesday morning.  The swell is smooth and small at 1 – 2 feet + from the northeast.  There is a light southwest breeze at the moment forecast to go northeast later.  High tide 0415 and low tide around 1040.  Local barometer 1008 hpa, 91% humidity, 19 degrees C.  Have a good one.

Southerly to start

Hello Friends,

Pretty tiny looking on the WRL cam, but maybe not quite flat for the desperates.

Thought I’d post a snap of north Collaroy/south Narra from the WRL cam. Went searching and found a few small waves over this end of the pond. Pal Guy and I left it fairly late, so luckily for us the wind never really got going today. Not an unusual state of affairs along this stretch of California’s coastline. We’re still waiting for swell to develop, so today was another exercise in chasing little wind waves. Since it seemed that the swell had stayed roughly the same, we decided to drive down south of Santa Barbara toward Ventura.

Tiny west windswell just barely making it into the cove at Rincon.

First stop was Rincon. We really had no expectation that there would be waves, but I thought it’d be nice to pay the Queen of the Coast my respects. And I figured I might be able to grab a little postcard view for you as well. It was very small, but if we’d had super tanker mals, we might have been able to catch one of the knee high little lines burbling along through the rocky shallows. We don’t really have any longer period swell yet, so everything was pretty close together and basically for the desperates.

After hanging around long enough to see someone catch a wave, we decided that it was not an option for our shortboards, and headed on south to Ventura, Along the way we saw something kind of like a wave near the top of Pitas point, but it wasn’t enough to tempt and ten minutes later we were parked at California Street in Ventura. Wave quality was so-so but there were the occasional chest to shoulder high bomb sets, so we pulled on the rubber and went for a surf.

Mid afternoon, California Street, Ventura

Water seemed a bit colder than it had been at Sands, but the 3/2 was adequate. Dropping tide sharpened up the sections a little, but also caused more of them to drop over and truncate what otherwise might have been decent length rides. Ventura is famously windy, but this afternoon we surfed in near glassy conditions.; Crowd wasn’t too big either. I’d expect more bods at Northy midweek with similar size and quality.

Now, here’s what I wrote around 0600 Sydney time today:

Looks as though the Bureau’s call for light and variable winds to start this morning really means 10 kts of southerly. Buoy data from down the coast doesn’t look fabulous – maybe a metre of 8 sec period windswell down at Batemans Bay. Not much different up at Byron, so I’m guessing it’ll be puny this morning in Sinny.

I intend to have a look around on this side of lake Pacific, so I’ll pop up again later perhaps with a few notes.

Go well!