| Big waves ready for the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing |
| Wednesday, 03 December 2008 09:59 |
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The dream run of big winter surf continued at Sunset Beach today as the top seeds hit the water in the round of 64 of the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing. Wave face heights were in the 20- to 30-foot range and dwarfed competitors and water safety officials. It was an amazing day of courage and big wave riding at the second stop of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. The swell peaked around 1 p.m. and the biggest sets of the day closed out the channel, but conditions remained immaculate with light offshore winds. Californian Patrick Gudauskas took credit for the highest scoring ride of the day - a 9.66 out of 10, and his twin Dane took credit for the perhaps the biggest wave of the day. Both advanced, Pat eliminating his younger brother Tanner in their heat. Pat is ranked 16th on the Qualifying Series and needs to make it to the semi finals of this event for a berth on the 2009 ASP World Tour. He was thoroughly barreled on the triple overhead wave and claims this to be the biggest surf he’s competed in. Neither of his brothers can qualify. “This is the biggest surf we’ve ever seen in a contest other than maybe the Waimea event and some of those big wave events,” Gudauskas said. “I was just looking [for a tube] because that wind was holding it open and I wanted to get barreled. It got really chunky and I just snapped under it, I almost got clipped when I came out of it I was all smiles after that. “For me personally, I like these conditions because you don’t see anyone else and it’s like you against the ocean. It be a dream come true to qualify, but anything can happen.” Like Gudauaskas, Australia’s Yadin Nicol, 23, also needs a great result at the O’Neill World for World Tour qualification. Nicol made it out of his heat behind his fellow countrymen and World Tour surfer Taj Burrow. Both Burrow and Nicol are from Westen Australia and have experience in big surf, but Sunset is a different kind of beast when it’s this big. “It’s so good to watch and it’s just so crazy,” Nicol said. “If you get a wave that lets you do turns you’re going to get the score. I was lucky enough to get a wave to get a couple of turns on.
“You’ve just got to pick your window when to paddle in and get your waves. You just sit wide, sit wide and when you see a window you just get in that’s kind of what I was trying to do.” Defending Vans Triple Crown of Surfing champ Bede Durbidge echoed Nicols’ sentiments about the surf today. Durbidge advanced out of his heat with Dion Atkinson (Aus). Durbidge looks like a favorite to repeat as Triple Crown champ. “It’s really solid and there’s so much water moving, it’s just pulling you right out towards Backyards,” Durbidge said. “It’s really tricky out there and it’s so hard to get in position. You can’t really catch those big sets and you want to get in and out when the medium ones come. It’s pretty difficult. “Every time they have the contest at Sunset you always get one day that is really big and tricky and today is the day. I had a pretty good start out at Haleiwa and it’s a good to get through another heat out at Sunset and hopefully have a good final day.” Big Island’s Torrey Meister, 20, was one of the contestants today that benefited from water patrol assistance after caddies were no longer allowed in the channel due to safety issues. Meister broke two boards during his heat and rode the jet ski in to get a third backup board: an old, yellowed 7′6″ Arakawa circa late 1980’s. His father ran home in the middle of the heat and retrieved the board with mud on the bottom and no wax. “This is the second time that I didn’t have a third board,” Meister said. “That’s what dads are for, he does great every time. It’s a 7′6″ Old School, I guess he used to charge on it. The next time I’ll bring eight boards, maybe nine to the beach. “It’s pretty much like a treadmill the whole time: constantly paddling, constantly getting pounded the whole time and trying to get out of the way. It’s really challenging and if you get one you’re stoked. But, you’re definitely getting pounded.” With the swell forecast to slowly decline, the contestants can expect gorgeous, contestable 16- to 20-foot wave face heights. This will be the perfect size surf to decide the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing champion for 2008. The $815,000 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing consists of the In addition to $815,000 in prize money, which includes a $10,000 bonus for both the men’s and women’s Vans Triple Crown champions, the men’s champion will also receive a custom, one-of-a-kind Nixon tide watch featuring over two-carats of diamonds and valued at over $10,000.
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