SVNews
Reef Hawaiian Pro
HONOLULU - (Saturday, November 17, 2012)Clash of the Legends finalists. -- The big guns entered the draw at the REEF Hawaiian Pro today and the battle for the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title began in earnest. Super clean and contestable 4-foot surf may have been smaller than yesterday's offering, but it opened up the door for the full spectrum of maneuvers from tube rides to aerials. With four surfers in the water at any given time, the judges had their work cut out for them: A total of 1,053 individual rides were scored today.
The entrance of ASP World Championship Tour competitors Kelly Slater (USA), John Florence (HAW), Gabriel Medina (Brz), Michel Bourez (PYF), CJ Hobgood (USA), and Bede Durbidge (AUS) took the intensity up a notch.
Slater drew the biggest crowd, paired up against the legendary Hawaiian Sunny Garcia, Alex Smith (HAW), and Jesse Mendes (BRZ). Garcia offered up a spirited contest from the outset, locking in a clean tube-ride that shot a message to long-time rival Slater that the game was on. Slater's trump card was his aerials, while Garcia focused his energy on securing the biggest waves that better suited his power gouging approach.The final of the Clash of the Legends was held with Sunny Garcia (HAW) taking it out for a second time with Kiapo Jaquais (HAW) in 2nd, Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 3rd and Tom Curren (USA) in 4th. Waves were in the 4-6 foot range but dropped through the day.
Photo: joliphotos.com
Reef Hawaiian Pro
HONOLULU - (Saturday, November 17, 2012)Clash of the Legends finalists. -- The big guns entered the draw at the REEF Hawaiian Pro today and the battle for the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title began in earnest. Super clean and contestable 4-foot surf may have been smaller than yesterday's offering, but it opened up the door for the full spectrum of maneuvers from tube rides to aerials. With four surfers in the water at any given time, the judges had their work cut out for them: A total of 1,053 individual rides were scored today.
The entrance of ASP World Championship Tour competitors Kelly Slater (USA), John Florence (HAW), Gabriel Medina (Brz), Michel Bourez (PYF), CJ Hobgood (USA), and Bede Durbidge (AUS) took the intensity up a notch.
Slater drew the biggest crowd, paired up against the legendary Hawaiian Sunny Garcia, Alex Smith (HAW), and Jesse Mendes (BRZ). Garcia offered up a spirited contest from the outset, locking in a clean tube-ride that shot a message to long-time rival Slater that the game was on. Slater's trump card was his aerials, while Garcia focused his energy on securing the biggest waves that better suited his power gouging approach.The final of the Clash of the Legends was held with Sunny Garcia (HAW) taking it out for a second time with Kiapo Jaquais (HAW) in 2nd, Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 3rd and Tom Curren (USA) in 4th. Waves were in the 4-6 foot range but dropped through the day.
Photo: joliphotos.com