Rip Curl Pro Portugal: Day 1
Rip Curl Pro Portugal: Day 1
Day 1 wrapped at Supertubos in not great, not terrible surf.
It started out clean and punchy but by Heat 3 a nagging sideshore wind slowly ripped into it and it became, by degrees, a rippy, messed up lineup. Perfect for airs, and we did see a few although execution was mostly poor with an incredible number of failed attempts, most notably from three-time Champ Gabe Medina and 2019 World Champ Italo Ferreira.
Gabs, attempt number six, good takeoff, great rotation, tail impressively high, failed to land it (WSL/Poullenot)
No-one really iced it. It was a day that had Filipe Toledo written all over it, and to be honest, I didn't think his presence would be so badly missed but his speed, repertoire, and clinical execution in this type of surf left a major performance deficit.
You couldn't say the same for Kelly Slater, who, to no-one's surprise, failed to show at the last moment. He was in the draw up until the day of the event. Did he go to Portugal and give himself every chance? Did he ever intend to compete, knowing the hip was not up for high performance surfing? If not, why continue on with the pretence? The days of Kelly playing cat and mouse with the tour surely have to be winding down. If not, just for the sheer reason that the number of people who care about seeing him surf head-high beachbreak is becoming vanishingly small.
In the first heat of the day Jake Marshall went as close as anyone to getting a tube. Two heats later the wind came up and everyone was looking above the lip (WSL/Diz)
Even the Goat's own rhetoric is ever so slowly starting to come around to reality.
As recently as 2021 Kelly was claiming he was there to compete for a world title and was not interested in making up the numbers. Then a shift occurred: he stated last year if someone wanted his spot on tour, they would have to come and take it from him (they did). Now, with the wildcard granted he is openly asking whether he is damaging his legacy hanging around too long. Why the League would grant a season wildcard - for the back half of the '23 season and first half of this season - for a 52-year old about to undergo hip surgery has never been addressed. On the face of it, it would seem an incredibly poor investment in the development of the Sport.
Taking the equivalent of a last-place finish, Kelly needs to find his mid-oughties form* if he's to make the mid-year cut after the Aussie leg.
Kelly's withdrawal gave 17-year old local wildcard Matias Canhoto a start. He was flashy and slick without being groundbreaking. None of the wildcards, with the exception of very well seasoned journeyman Joan Duru, made much of a dent. It's a problem for the WSL, with the demise of traditional surf media. Making a surf star, a drawcard that people would stop what they were doing and come to the beach and watch, or set an alarm and tune into watch, used to follow a set pattern. Clothing companies, in alliance with surf media, used to promote young surfers and create a hype and an expectation such that when they made the tour there was a tremendous hunger from the public to see whether the hype was justified. I'll use as examples: Jordy Smith, Dane Reynolds, John Florence, Owen Wright, Julian Wilson, Gabe Medina, and to a lesser extent Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing. To be fair to the clothing companies (RIP) and the surf media they got it right in all those instances. The hype was justified.
Those days are gone now. We get complete unknowns, or journeymen slotted in as wildcards and to be perfectly frank, no-one apart from friends and family is staying up late to watch Joan Duru or Marcos Mignot or Joaquim Chaves. Why would they? Pro surfing seems unable to learn the lessons of its much admired sister “sport” UFC. Becoming a pro surfer is about more than getting good at tubes, airs, and turns. It's about finding a way to interest the surfing public sufficient to tuning in or showing up to watch you do your business.
Feels like an eon since Jordy was last spoken of as a contender. This year is shaping up as a return to form for the swaggering South African (WSL/Diz)
Wildcards Chaves and Mignot got sent to the Elimination Round. Canhoto should have joined them but ended up on the right side of a priority blunder from Colapinto, which was, it must be said, skillfully engineered by Callum Robson. With less than a minute remaining, Robson engaged in a paddle battle with Colapinto, forcing the latter to lose the P. Then Cal took the very next wave, with a last, late look confirming P had shifted back to him. Griff swallowed the bait, dropped in still believing he had priority and earned himself a trip to the Elimination Round and gifted the young Peniche wildcard a slot into the Round of 32. Colapinto hasn't quite looked the same since his hip surgery last year, either.
Relatable is my most despised word when it comes to pro surfing conditions. Why would I waste precious time watching pro surfers schlepping around in crappy beachbreaks, falling off trying for airs and closeout reos? I can watch the local boardriders for that. I want to see elite performances in elite waves. I appreciate other people feel differently. For the first time though, I did enjoy watching JJF give a relatable performance. When I see shifty, rippy beachies, I envisage frustrating surfs trying to find a peak that was here a minute ago, but is now a hundred yards down the beach, all the while getting stuck in a shitty, rippy part of the bank etc etc.
John had that exact type of surf. He couldn't even hide his aggravation. At first we were told John was happy, light-hearted, like a butterfly flitting from flower to flower without a care in the world. Somewhere through the heat, the story shifted 180 degrees. Now John was angry, had developed a fortress mentality, and had a chip on his shoulder. Great stuff. I love a fortress mentality, its incredible power should never be underestimated. But he still had to find a wave. We saw single turns, waves that went nowhere, over-cooked finishes, it was a classic frustrating beachie session for John. Wildcard Mignot should have been living all over him in the final minutes but allowed John to steal away and find a small left which he duly spiked for the requisite mid 3-points required.
John had one shot at a legit air yet came unstuck on the landing (WSL/Poullenot)
None of the former world champs: Medina (3), JJF (2) and Italo (1) are running at anywhere near World Title pace, despite John wearing yellow.
Medina was sent to the Elimination Round after a hapless ten-ride heat which he topped out with a 5-point ride. He won every heat he surfed in at the recent ISA games yet could not land simple backside airs with a perfect air wind. If he goes in the Elimination Round he, like Slater, is also cooked for the cut. An inconceivable result.
Ewing looked fast and sharp. Jack Robinson, a bit busy and over zealous, but took us back to 2010 with a lofted alley oop for the air of the day. Jordy still looking on.
A full day of surfing competition with no-one eliminated. It will be completely forgotten by the time we come back for Day 2, which will either be next to the breakwall under westerly storms, or somewhere, anywhere on the other side of the big blow about to hit Peniche.
//STEVE SHEARER
*In 2006 and 2008, Slater won both contests of the Aussie leg.
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Men’s Opening Round Results:
HEAT 1: Cole Houshmand (USA) 10.10 DEF. Connor O'Leary (JPN) 9.93, Jake Marshall (USA) 9.76
HEAT 2: Barron Mamiya (HAW) 11.77 DEF. Imaikalani deVault (HAW) 10.07, Deivid Silva (BRA) 9.84
HEAT 3: Callum Robson (AUS) 9.17 DEF. Matias Canhoto (POR) 6.80, Griffin Colapinto (USA) 4.83
HEAT 4: Jacob Willcox (AUS) 11.24 DEF. John John Florence (HAW) 7.27, Marco Mignot (FRA) 6.77
HEAT 5: Joan Duru (FRA) 13.96 DEF. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 13.00, Rio Waida (INA) 9.67
HEAT 6: Jack Robinson (AUS) 14.76 DEF. Crosby Colapinto (USA) 11.20, Joaquim Chaves (POR) 7.77
HEAT 7: Jordy Smith (RSA) 13.67 DEF. Kade Matson (USA) 11.00, Matthew McGillivray (RSA) 6.96
HEAT 8: Seth Moniz (HAW) 12.60 DEF. Eli Hanneman (HAW) 11.87, Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 11.50
HEAT 9: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 11.27 DEF. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 10.50, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 8.43
HEAT 10: Samuel Pupo (BRA) 15.00 DEF. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 11.80, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 8.16
HEAT 11: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 13.90 DEF. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.93, Ian Gentil (HAW) 10.73
HEAT 12: Frederico Morais (POR) 13.10 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 11.80, Liam O'Brien (AUS) 7.90
Comments
Thanks Steve, yes I'm torn. I like the relatability of seeing how the pros navigate a frustrating beach break session which we all can attest to, but when it comes to the tour, it also needs to be quality breaks to see the best perform at the best
Surely this unpredictable event location will highlight how ridiculous the non elimination round is. Cheers for the read. You did well to sit through all 12 heats.
Meanwhile in Fiji...
Ha.
"We get complete unknowns, or journeymen slotted in as wildcards and to be perfectly frank, no-one apart from friends and family is staying up late to watch Joan Duru or Marcos Mignot or Joaquim Chaves. Why would they?"
True. But an unknown wildcard doing well can cement that interest. People like Mikey Wright and Barron Mamiya essentially got on tour via wildcard slots. The interest has gotta start somewhere these days if we can't rely on sponsors and magazines to create hype.
Mick and Joel both won events as wildcards. As did Steph.
They also all became world Champs.
Incredible supported talent..........
We don't have that infrastructure in pro surfing no more.
Joan Duru! 2010 called and wants its journeymen back.
Did he have his silver chain necklace on?
#Paying bills #
One of the best comps I've watched in ages was El Quemao, Lanzarote. Joan Duru won, and he was world class in the heavy babels. So good to watch.
Will be interesting to watch at Chopes/Olympics.
"Why would I waste precious time watching pro surfers schlepping around in crappy beachbreaks, falling off trying for airs and closeout reos?"
Yep, I tuned in and tuned out. I get more enjoyment reading these write ups.
Bring back the Dream Tour. Worlds best surfers in worlds best waves.
That's what the core surfing fan wants to see - and paradoxically that's what the target non surfing public would also find much more interest in.
Unknowns and journeymen. Too true. Who the f*ck would've actually been interested in Keanu Asing at Sunset, or Joan Duru at Supertubos.
Quick re-think for Oz. Fanning at Bells and Taj at Margs.
I’m very keen to see Wilco at Cloudy. He is the reigning Fiji Pro champ after all and rips put there.
Did they have any mention of why Slats wasn’t there?
Hip niggles, he posted on socials.
Clearly didn’t make the decision on the day - he is not even in Europe
Exactly, ha.
Would the WSL have run at Cloudbreak today?
My thoughts on Portugal:
1: it sucks
2: read above
3: Kelly slater is a fuckwit. If you're taking a wildcard spot from someone, go to the fucking event.
4: Caio Ibelli really surprised me. He looked sharp
Thought Çaio looked good in Hawaii too.
Agree. He was real unlucky cos he was surfing well at both Pipe and Sunset.
Point 3 well made. Its always about Kelly.
I switched off to watch Stab in the dark with Kolohe - was 300% more interesting.
I re watched Motel Hell for the 3rd time
How good is it? I’m going to sit down and watch again too. I really enjoyed the desert stuff. Harry had to be up there with one of the most barreled humans since 2022.
I checked out first two heats- pfft. Pretty ordinary viewing. I’ve always found the Portugal comp a difficult watch. Either pumping or not- and seems to be not the majority of times.
Switched on MAFS for some manufactured drama instead And I would be someone that you would consider has an interest in following the tour.
We all know there's tons of Euro surfers these days, I think a Euro leg is here to stay and Portugal is the 'go to' for them. The fans turn out, in snow gear not bikinis unfortunately, Peniche is the best beach-break on tour and for me the rippable lefts, a rare sight in WSL, are eminently contestable and plenty entertaining. Not sure they've got the surf season in the right order but the possibility of using a back up site is a triumph for sanity even if a bit small.
Jack's air was a stomper, should be miles ahead, he's the real deal.
I tuned out when I saw Griff meditating in that mask. I tuned in not long before it..
hahaha, what has happened to pro surfing.
Yeah, I remember Kong and his meditation mask before 10ft Sunset heats...
Is Callum now being coached by Charlie Medina?
I switched on, found out what Roadkill was having for dinner and switched off.
Got everything I need from the write-up cheers.
Thanks for keeping Kelly honest Steve. The rest of the surf media, with the exception of Beach Grit, seems determined to keep giving him a free pass.
Kudos for continually reminding us of his long list of claims and excuses, it does not paint a very rosy picture, certainly not one of a real champion.
Steve has done a lot more than just keep Kelly honest over the years. In fact he’s toned it down in recent times. Bring back The Outsider!!
Really enjoy your write ups, Freeride.
Huge dissonance in your thinking here though fella. The first few paragraphs pondering why the WSL would want the best surfer of all time turning up to surf. The 11 time world champ, the oldest surfer of relevance in history! And then the next paragraphs are aghast at the nonentities filling the wildcard slots and the lack of star power as a draw card.
I’ll tune in to watch Kelly no matter what he’s up to - just because he’s Kelly. I’m much more intrigued in witnessing the unfolding of what’s possible in regards to longevity in surfing performance by someone who is publicly required to maintain competitiveness if he’s to look himself in the mirror or face his peers. That’s untrodden ground in our sport and I know I’m not the only one who’s interested. Older surfers have no reason to push themselves to that cutting edge if they’re free surfing. You think it’d be easy turning up to potentially get schooled by young rippers in slop whilst waiting for the waves to show up enough for you to send the indolent fuckers to the showers? That takes guts.
You should be grateful that Kelly is still vested enough in prolonging the senescence of hi fi surfing. I certainly am.
Yeah, yeah, we all know you hold Slater to a higher account than other surfers due to his achievements but I for one think he’s still very relevant.
So what if the judges at Sunset were crushing on turn X instead of turn Y. I thought his carving 360 was astounding. Not something many of the CT surfer’s could pull off. Could Jake Marshall do it? What about Deivid Silver?
The judges are paid to judge by some arbitrary fantasy WSL format they make up on the day. I judge surfing differently and I say that Slater still slays in conditions that suit him.
Wildcard 4 Lyfe yo!
Go Kelly…..let’s see how far you can push it out! Maintain the rage fella!
Kellys fueling the rage in maui .......
Played quite a bit of golf. Not exactly easy on the hips.
Had a co worker once who was in his late 50s with a bad back....played every weekend and tournament.
Never once heard him accept the reality that it was golf that was fucking his back up.
People are insane.......
F$&@ golf is anybody going to say it. What have semi retired surfers become cheesy golf coast, white shoe tossers. Please do not go into the night quietly in a pair of hush puppies.
Dont understand why France & Portugal arent back to back.
Thats a lot of wasted air miles. Think of the climate impact !
Bahahaha
Kelly didn’t give a wildcard a opportunity he has denied a deserving surfer a crack at the 2024 tour. A chance to make the cut by doing all events. And lets be honest, its just bullshit games from Kelly again. He didn’t pull out on the day - he wasn’t even in the country, most likely never planned to be. He made the decision much much earlier.
Brings into question the entire season wildcard thing. Has anyone actually ised it and then gone on to greatness. Sally missed the cut and then got a wildcard and then…..missed the cut. There is a challenger serious for a reason. (To Sally’s credit she did it).
Kelly plenty have people have come
For and earned your - get out of the friggen way.
Peniche is always a hard one to watch, brown, rip-faced mostly closeouts does not make for enjoyable viewing. Why do they keep going back for more of the same. Fiji right now would be good size for everyone.
I'm so glad you do these write ups freeride76
I've skipped soo many bad days over the last few years .
Only to tune into your fine updates.
# Thank you
I watched 4 waves last night it was terrible...
Yes and Seppo Joe’s* California broadcast drawl puts me to sleep
*affectionate moniker, no offence intended
Lucky Kelly chose pro-surfing and not middleweight boxing !
I used to admire his exploits . Sadly those memories have been replaced with
low level resentment .
Kellys withdrawal surprised no one...except me!!
How would you like your Lobster FR?
Can send it through or can shout you a countery and beer next time ur out West.
Well played.
I'll take the countery next time I'm out there SR.
cheers mate.
Ur a gentleman FR.
Too easy mate.
I can chew your ear off about how great Kelly Slater is and how he should surf on tour til he can't walk any more ;-)
I'm right with ya there , and with Slackjaw above.
But he's taking the piss out of it right now.
Number 1 : We’re surfers. We take the piss. Even Kelly. If we truly gave a fuck about rules and sporting integrity we’d be arguing over whether our balls were over the line in our tennis matches. But we don’t. We are surfers.
Number 2: Even the muppets who own the rule book don’t respect the integrity of the regimented sport . If the WSL flaunts the fact that it doesn’t GAF why should we?
Go Kelly…..ya silly old cvnt*!
* He’s a month or two older than me so that’s a legit call.
^^^^ gold!
He's a month younger than me, so your call still applies...
Bahahaha!
Without Portugal there would probably be no Tour (for good and bad). I've heard from good sources that in the recent years the money collected from the sponsors of the Portuguese events was amounting to ~30% of the total collected for the whole tour...
I tuned in for a bit. I didn't mind watching the pros grovel but it was probably just a bit too relatable. Needed to be a bit bigger or better for me.
Love the write ups Steve but if Kelly left there'd be much less to talk about
Don't get me wrong, I want him to stay around forever.
He can. Just take a one off wildcards at events where he is still relevant I.e pipe, Fiji and chopes. Be honest his turns just don’t cut it on the pro tour anymore.
Hip therapy- 10min mark-
No Kelly, no pirouette 360's !!
first few heats were good viewing, but it really did hurt to see jjf’s heat- we all know what that man is capable of and to see him grovelling for a shite back up score put a downer on it for me thereafter (ee being the exception)
i love ks - but piss poor form again- he needs to put in to shut up all the effing haters
top write up as always fr
I expected Kelly to turn up in Portugal. Seriously, wasted space with these shenanigans. Turn up or piss off. How the Wsl let this half arsed shite, continue is ...?? ... also half arsed.
Anywho, pray, tell, for swell.
Thought JJF was lucky to get the score he needed, he says he's motivated but it's hard to tell. Seeing his brother get the wave of his life elsewhere won't help his mojo. The slab tour beckons.
Can’t believe there are so many comments, I always forget this comp is on - so bad
Kelly will retire at Bells..
as soon as i finished watching day 1 i'm here reading the write up. thanks again.
as usual watched the entire day 1 comp in 2-3 sittings over two days hitting the 15sec skip button and with the sound muted (didn't even need to turn it up to work out was going on with the interference call).
i primarily watch comps for the excitement and drama e.g. for the last 2 minutes etc., (used to) to watch Kelly get beat (not so surprising now) or a last gasp frenetic Medina/Italo (get beat).
typically seeing some special surfing is a bonus and often it's the comp context/pressure that elevates it in your mind. we see better & more entertaining surfing and surf in freesurf clips, generally, unless the waves on comp day happen to be all time (and not Trestles). anyone sitting down and watching an entire 800 or whatever hours of comp (in any conditions, whoever is surfing) deserves a medal and then counselling.
in summary: love comps, for the results.
I might be a club of one, but having watched him growing up on the Quik Europe groms team 20 years ago, I'd stay up all night to watch Joan Duru surf. Class act, like Ramzi.
Nah, he’s surfing better than ever too.
Portugal looks great