not much left this morning

Posted on July 15th, 2009 in Manly.

It was a great morning to be up and about early doors except for the distinct lack of waves.  There are still a few stray ones popping up every now and again but they are few and far between. A shame  but its not like we can complain after the events of the last 4 days. Its been a cracking winter so far and so based on this recent good form it shall not be long until we get some more! Did anyone catch the Slater action at J-Bay last night on the web? The surf was unreal and he stole the show with 4 * 9 point rides in his second round heat. He had to throw away two scores over 9! Unbelievable display. Not sure how a few of those waves were not 10′s given the amount of tube time he was clocking. I am off up the coast for the next 4 days and will be hoping that I get some swell although its not looking like it will be all time at this stage. Enjoy the rest of your week and I will re-commence on Monday.  Bring on Saturday night – despite our dour looking team I still hold out some hope!

Narrabeen to Avalon Rpt

Posted on July 15th, 2009 in Surf Reports.

Purty tiny!

Rest day in Sydney

Posted on July 15th, 2009 in Big Picture, Dee Why.

Hello Friends,

I think we’ve got a bit of a break in the action happening this morning. The numbers haven’t changed much since dusk yesterday. Swell is still out of the SE at about a metre at sea. Average period is on the 9 sec mark but there is still some 12 sec component in the mix so that should translate into the very occasional set into the surfable range. At first light in Dee Why there were a few folks in the beachy and one at the point. Average size of the rideable ones looked to be around waist high. Lulls were pretty long and when one of the long period set waves turned up it was all by its little lonesome. If you missed it, there was another 10+ minute wait.

Nice light this morning and the wind was not a factor, but according to the Bureau (see below), the weather’ll be turning pretty ordinary by dark. The smallness looks like getting smaller through the day and running pretty close to flat tomorrow and into Friday. But there’s good news for the weekend warriors as the models are currently showing a bit of a south pulse around about Saturday.

A quick request if I may, could those of you who’ve been visiting the site for a few years please take a sec to respond to the latest front page poll question about a new Friends of RealSurf campaign. Cheers!

Low tide was at 0712 and the high rolls through at 1346.

Synoptic Situation
A complex low pressure trough is developing over the southern Tasman Sea, with a low expected to develop well offshore from the South Coast during today. Westerly winds along the southern half of the coast will turn south to southwesterly today, and strengthen on Thursday as they extend further north. A high pressure system will move into western NSW on Thursday then over the coast on Friday with wind over most waters easing by Saturday.

Sydney Coastal Waters, Broken Bay to Port Hacking and 60nm seawards:
Wednesday until midnight: Wind: W/NW 10/15 knots, reaching 15/20 knots offshore at first. Turning S/SW 10/15 knots during the afternoon.Sea: 1 to 1.5 metres, reaching 2 metres offshore early. Swell: SE about 1 metre. Possible thunder and small hail.
Thursday: Wind: S/SW 10/15 knots, reaching 15/20 knots at times. Increasing to 20/30 knots later.Sea: rising to 2 to 3 metres.Swell: S/SE about 1 metre.
Friday: Wind: S/SW 25/33 knots, easing to 10/20 knots inshore.

Forecast for Wednesday
Fine at first, but cloud increasing and a shower or two developing
during the day. Chance of some thunder and small hail this afternoon.
Light to moderate northwest winds, tending southwest to southerly in
the afternoon.

Precis: Shower or two developing.

City: Max: 16 Parramatta: Max: 15
Terrey Hills: Max: 14 Penrith: Max: 15
Liverpool Max: 16 Richmond: Max: 15

C C Small

Posted on July 15th, 2009 in Central Coast, Surf Reports.

Fine and cool on the Central Coast this Wednesday morning.  The swell is small and smooth at 1 – 2 feet from the east northeast.  There is light northwest breeze forecast to go south southwest later.  Low tide 0715 and high tide around 1350.  Local barometer 1001 hpa, 7 degrees C. 80% humidity.   Have a good one.

Perfect Scores and Upsets Abound as Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Cranks

Posted on July 15th, 2009 in Contests, News Stories, Surf News, Top stories.

JEFFREYS BAY, South Africa (Tuesday, July 14, 2009) – High drama and excellent scores were the order of the day as rifling six-to-eight foot (2 – 2.5 metre) surf poured through South Africa’s most iconic lineup for Rounds 2 and 3 of the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay.

Event No. 5 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay witnessed the ASP’s top seeds hit the water today, posting the highest scores of the event mixed in with some of the biggest upsets, all going down in what some are calling, “the best Jeffreys Bay ever.”

Kelly Slater (USA), 37, reigning nine-time ASP World Champion and four-time past winner of the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay (’96, ’03, ’05, ’08), put in an historic performance, netting four nine-point-plus rides in his Round 2 heat to collect the highest heat total of the event, an 18.84 out of a possible 20 (throwing away a 9.23 and a 9.00).

“It was just unbelievable,” Slater said. “The waves were just pumping. I couldn’t get back out there fast enough. It just kept barreling. I went all the way down through tubes and doggy-doored to the end, must’ve gotten like 4 or 5 barrels on that thing. It was a pretty sick wave. I don’t know what else I could’ve done on it. I surfed it as hard as I could. I’m pretty happy. I had a really good heat – that’s the best heat I’ve had this year by a mile.”

Currently ranked 9^th on the ASP World Tour ratings, Slater rebounded from three, consecutive 17ths to start the year with a win in Brazil last week before setting the bar today at the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay.

“I feel like the current leg we’re competing on is a strong one for me,” Slater said. “I went to Brazil without much motivation, but it turned out to be a good event for me. Now we’re here in Jeffreys where I feel really comfortable and the next events are ones I usually do well at. A lot of guys are surfing good though – Sean (Holmes), Joel (Parkinson), so we’ll take it one heat at a time.”

Michel Bourez (PYF), 23, 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie, caused the upset of the event today, eliminating former ASP World Champion (2007) and two-time past winner of the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay (’02, ’06), Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, from competition in their Round 2 bout. The heat would prove one of the highest-scoring affairs of the event (18.27 – 17.17), with Bourez sealing the win with the event’s first Perfect 10-point ride.

“I was just feeling really good in the water,” Bourez said. “To surf that wave – perfect barrels, long rights – I was definitely ready for that. On my 10, I had just come back from my first wave and was so tired, but I saw that one coming and said that’s the one. It was breaking on the sand, and I got three barrels on it. I was so stoked that I claimed it. I had to!”

Dane Reynolds (USA), 23, 2008 ASP World Tour Rookie of the Year and current ASP World No. 34, put in a sensational Round 2 performance, collecting the event’s second Perfect 10-point ride with some committed forehand hacks before a mind-blowing barrel, en route to eliminating current ASP World No. 8 Jordy Smith (ZAF), 21.

“I kind of started off the heat sitting pretty far up the point,” Reynolds said. “Jordy (Smith) came out and paddled straight by me way up to the top of the point so I was like alright, I’ll just try and get scraps off him. I think that no matter where I surf, anywhere, I like to stay wide; I like to see waves coming to me. Even when I’m free surfing, I never sit out the back and wait for sets. I’m always hunting insiders and a lot of the times it messes me up in heats. On that 10, I wasn’t even sure if that was going to be a good wave. I had priority and got to the bottom and you could see it lining up for days – I knew it was going to be good from there.”

Following three, consecutive 33^rd place finishes in the last three ASP World Tour events, media speculation was rampant that Reynolds, whom many consider one of the most exciting surfers on the planet, had lost the motivation to compete, but prodigious natural-footer offers his own opinion.

“Obviously no one wants to lose,” Reynolds said. “It was kind of funny because getting three 33rds actually made me want to compete again. I flew halfway around the world to be here and I went out there to win. It’s funny how it works out I guess, but winning out there in conditions like that, there’s no better feeling.”

Sean Holmes (ZAF), 31, Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay wildcard, continued his giant-slaying campaign today, first eliminating current ASP World No. 4 Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, before advancing through to the Quarterfinals over Michael Campbell (AUS), 35. With today’s eliminations of countrymen Smith and Greg Emslie (ZAF), 32, Holmes is now the sole South African remaining in competition.

“I’m always rooting for the guys on tour,” Holmes said. “This year, I really want Joel (Parkinson) to win the ASP World Title. I’ll be really disappointed if he doesn’t because he’s deserved it for many years actually. I just go out there and surf. It’s pointless if you go straight on the wave, I might as well do a few turns. To me, it’s just really great to have the opportunity to get out there and surf against two other guys. Obviously for the home crowd, it’s so awesome to get through the heat and give them something to cheer about. It’s just good to be a surfer.”

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, current ASP World No. 1 and former Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay winner (1999), wasted no time in asserting his dominance at Jeffreys Bay today, racking up some impressive Round 2 scores before claiming the event’s third Perfect 10-point ride for an impossibly long forehand barrel to defeat Kieren Perrow (AUS), 32, in Round 3.

“This is the best J-Bay I have ever surfed,” Parkinson said. “Whenever J-Bay pumps, it’s usually a pretty special day, but today was exceptional. Guys were getting 9s out there like it was nothing. You could get two 9s and still lose the heat. If you’re getting 10s though, you know you’ve got a good chance at advancing. I’ve surfed it at this size before, but never with this sand or as hollow as this.”

Parkinson will face current ASP World No. 6 Bobby Martinez (USA), 27, in the Quarterfinals of the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay when competition resumes.

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

When competition resumes, up first will be today’s 10-point raiders Bourez and Reynolds going head-to-head in Heat 5 of Round 3.

Highlights from today’s Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay will be available at www.billabongpro.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay can also be followed via your mobile phone. Anyone with a 3G or GPRS enabled phone can log onto asptogo.com from their mobile browser. Content is updated real time as per the webcast – event status, results, live scores, news, photos and video highlights along with ASP World Tour ratings tables.

For more information go to http://aspworldtour.com/2009/aspmobile.asp

REMAINING BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY ROUND 2 RESULTS:

Heat 3: Dean Morrison (AUS) 13.83 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.33

Heat 4: Nathaniel Curran (USA) 11.50 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 8.43

Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA) 15.83 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 7.50

Heat 6: Ben Dunn (AUS) 15.73 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 5.20

Heat 7: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 13.10 def. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 10.87

Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.90 def. Heath Joske (AUS) 7.83

Heat 9: Sean Holmes (ZAF) 18.60 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 9.33

Heat 10: Mick Campbell (AUS) 13.50 def. Tim Reyes (USA) 11.17

Heat 11: Michel Bourez (PYF) 18.27 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.17

Heat 12: Dane Reynolds (USA) 17.83 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.90

Heat 13: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.84 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 9.34

Heat 14: Taylor Knox (USA) 16.43 def. Chris Ward (USA) 12.66

Heat 15: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 17.50 def. Greg Emslie (ZAF) 16.00

Heat 16: Damien Hobgood (USA) 11.83 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 11.00

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY ROUND 3 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Kai Otton (AUS) 14.60 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.17

Heat 2: Dean Morrison (AUS) 17.63 def. Nathaniel Curran (USA) 11.57

Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) 15.00 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 12.50

Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.50 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 12.33

Heat 5: Sean Holmes (ZAF) 15.50. Michael Campbell (AUS) 13.57

REMAINING BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 6: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Dane Reynolds (USA)

Heat 7: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)

Heat 8: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Damien Hobgood (USA)

Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay

Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour

Jeffreys Bay, South Africa

July 9 – 19, 2009

Stellar Match-Ups for Round 2 of Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay

Posted on July 15th, 2009 in Contests, News Stories, Surf News, Top stories.

JEFFREYS BAY, South Africa (Tuesday, July 14, 2009) – With clean, consistent three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) waves steaming through Jeffreys Bay this morning, competition has been called on for the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, with the first heats hitting the water at 7:45am.

Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay is running the new competition format, featuring elimination man-on-man matches from the outset, with yesterday seeing the completion of Round 1 as well as the opening two heats of Round 2.

“We’re sending Curren and Occy out there right now for the Clash of the Icons, starting around 7:15am and then we’ll be straight into Round 2,” Mike Parsons, Billabong Pro Contest Director, said. “We’ve got some nice waves this morning, but the consistency isn’t quite there to call on the dual-heat system for now. We’ll monitor conditions and if it seems viable, we’ll pull the trigger.”

Some of the season’s most highly-anticipated match-ups are slated for today’s Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay action.

Current ASP World Title contenders Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, and Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, will take on Heath Joske (AUS), 20, Sean Holmes (ZAF), 31, and Michel Bourez (PYF), 23, respectively during Round 2, while Kelly Slater (USA), 37, reigning nine-time ASP World Champion, will battle 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie Nic Muscroft (AUS), 26, and free-surfing wunderkinds Jordy Smith (ZAF), 21, and Dane Reynolds (USA), 23, will meet for the first time this year.

Up first this morning will be current ASP World No. 15, Jeremy Flores (FRA), 21, against Dean Morrison (AUS), 28, in Heat 3 of Round 2.

The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay will be webcast LIVE at www.billabongpro.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay can also be followed via your mobile phone. Anyone with a 3G or GPRS enabled phone can log onto asptogo.com from their mobile browser. Content is updated real time as per the webcast – event status, results, live scores, news, photos and video highlights along with ASP World Tour ratings tables.

For more information go to http://aspworldtour.com/2009/aspmobile.asp

REMAINING BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Dean Morrison (AUS)

Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Nathaniel Curran (USA)

Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Roy Powers (HAW)

Heat 6: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. Ben Dunn (AUS)

Heat 7: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)

Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Heath Joske (AUS)

Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Sean Holmes (ZAF)

Heat 10: Mick Campbell (AUS) vs. Tim Reyes (USA)

Heat 11: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)

Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Dane Reynolds (USA)

Heat 13: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Nic Muscroft (AUS)

Heat 14: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Chris Ward (USA)

Heat 15: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Greg Emslie (ZAF)

Heat 16: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Chris Davidson (AUS)

Jennifer Smith Claims her 2nd ASP Women’s World Longboard Title at Roxy Pro Jam

Posted on July 15th, 2009 in Contests, News Stories, Surf News, Top stories.

BIARRITZ, France (Tuesday, July 14, 2009) – Jennifer Smith (California, USA), 23, won the Roxy Jam in Biarritz today to claim the second ASP Women’s World Longboard title of her brilliant career after defeating fellow finalist and outsider Coline Menard (Reunion Island, FRA), 21, in the final exchange of the 2009 edition. Smith, who dominated the final bout from the beginning until the end, confirmed her stellar Semifinal run where she managed to score a 9.25 point ride, the highest wave score of the event, defeating Menard confidently.

“To win a second world title is just unbelievable,” Smith said. “That heat against Chelsea (Williams)… I was ready to bow out in the semis and I had no idea I was going to get that wave and this score down. I was feeling pretty confident after that and when once I made the final I was definitely looking for the second title, for sure.”

Smith, who raised her world title trophy in front of a cheering crowd at La Côtes des Basques, signed an unexpected stellar come-back on top of the international hierarchy today, after several months without a win.

“I had no expectations this year as I had not won an event in months, maybe a year,” Smith said. “I came over here to give my best and see what happens, and I made the final and won it. It’s just so good to get a second one. I am going to celebrate with all my best friends that are here tonight and fly back home tomorrow.”

With three favorites and one outsider in the Semifinals, the 2009 Roxy Jam witnessed spectacular levels of surfing through the four-day waiting period, the new 32-woman format bringing more intensity into the ASP Women’s World Longboard title race. Menard’s final berth showed again how strong the French female longboarders were getting with a second representative making the final in three years.

“The level of surfing has gone so high these days,” Smith said. “Everytime I see Coline (Menard) at an event, she has improved since the last time and it shows that the talent in Europe and worldwide is huge. The European girls are ripping with Justine (Dupont), Coline and the other Justine (Mauvin) who will soon come up. I think Coline will be better next year.”

At 21-years-old, Reunion Island resident Coline Menard became the second French representative to reach the final of the international event after Justine Dupont in 2007 who lost to Smith as well, Menard confirming her status of best up and coming competitor on tour.

“Making the final is a dream coming true for me,” Menard said. “Everything went my way except for the final where I didn’t really get the waves but Jennifer (Smith) was the best and she deserves to win. I had no pressure before the final, I knew it would be very tough and I tried to stay relaxed.”

Menard, who has been improving fast in the last couple of years, came to Biarritz hoping to better her equal 9^th place result from 2007 and ended runner-up in the most prestigious event.

“I spent four months in Australia this year competing at all events to get experience and improve,” Menard said. “I didn’t get any big result but it definitely helped me build my confidence and by the time I got here, I was able to put everything behind me and surf relaxed through the event which worked out pretty well.”

Placing 3^rd after a dominating run from Round 1 up to the Semifinals was event favorite and last year’s ASP Women’s World Longboard No. 2 Chelsea Williams (Gold Coast, AUS), 23, the renowned powersurfer losing to Smith despite a solid performance and a 13.25 point heat score (out of a possible 20).

“It is very disappointing not to make it through,” Williams said. “I just couldn’t find the better waves and Jennifer (Smith) got that 9.25 and I knew it was going to be hard to catch-up by then. I just sat out there waiting and nothing came.”

Williams, the event’s best scorer with an impressive 16.50 point score (out of a possible 20) on Day 1 of competition, was much awaited on the highest step of the podium today but failed to counter Smith’s flawless attack and will wait another year before she can chase a first ASP World title in her division.

“I was feeling good before the heat and went out there with the same approach,” Williams said. “I didn’t get the opportunity to score and that 9 pointer was the turning point. I didn’t feel like it was going to happen for me.”

Justine Dupont (Lacanau, FRA), 17, was not able to advance to her second Roxy ASP Women’s World Longboard Championships’ final going down to fellow French surfer Menard in the first semifinal. Dupont, who was considered a favorite in her Semifinal duel, could not score any better than a 5.25 point ride (out of a possible 10) throughout the 30-minute semifinal.

“I am very disappointed with my performance and I didn’t enjoy my time out there,” Dupont said. “I made a first mistake and let the bomb go while Coline (Menard) was paddling into it. Then I waited for a good wave which came but I fell on the second turn and that was it.”

Dupont’s equal 3^rd place finish makes her one of the most consistent female longboarders in the world after a runner-up in 2007 at 15-years-old only and an equal 5^th last year.

ROXY ASP WWLC FINAL
1^st, Jennifer Smith (USA) 12.25 pts

2^nd, Coline Menard (REU) 9.55 pts

ROXY ASP WWLC SEMIFINALS
Heat 1: Coline Menard (REU) 11.75 pts  Def. Justine Dupont (FRA) 9.15 pts
Heat 2: Jennifer Smith (USA) 15.25 pts Def. Chelsea Williams (AUS) 13.25 pts

Roxy ASP Women’s World Longboard Championships (WWLC)
ASP Women’s World Longboard Title Decider
La Côte des Basques, Biarritz – France
July 10-14, 2009

Byron Bay Today July 14th 2009

Posted on July 15th, 2009 in Byron, Just for fun, Local Colour, Surf Reports.