THE 2003 BILLABONG PRO MUNDAKA: DAY 10

All gain, no pain. Slater moves on to Round Three. PHOTO: ASPWORLDTOUR.COM/TOSTEE

Surf: Small wind-slop at Bakio (Alternative beach)
Events held: Finish round one and through heat eight round two
Nature's call: These dudes are hard to beat
Predicted: More of the same

"Our backs are to the wall; we have to run it." Kelly Slater pointed out at the dismal waves he had just annihilated. Somewhere in the shorebreak floated his young challenger, Nathan Yeomans of San Clemente, CA, floating dazedly and still probably wondering what exactly had gone wrong.

"Now, with every heat, I'm looking to get into some real points," added Kelly quickly and with real professionalism. All of the 25 or so "hardcore" surf fans on this desolate rain-drenched beach looked at him with child's eyes, soundly impressed. And we all should be. Because for RK Slater, the "at least" in at least a ninth place finish most certainly should go a very long way. Why? Because as another good Florida boy, Damien Hobgood put it, "All conditions are Slater conditions!" And the pressure he applied to his rails today, well -- it was about equal to what most guys, one their best day, might give to a 6-foot Bells Beach wall.

But, of course, K isn't most guys, and neither are his closest rivals in this full-on show. Mick Fanning did his part by dismantling a hard-hitting Luke Stedman, coming in at the top of his game. It went something like this: Stedman comes out firing, putting the whole of himself into his first wave and a very solid eight pointer. For most of the day guys had been cooked by one of these, and so even for the young blond monster Mick, this was a very sick dose to swallow. Even the ultra cool Joel Parko looked a little uneasy in his seat. "Steds" then locked another goodie, and then that's what made this one so great. Needing "at least" one, Mick Fanning crafted two eight point rides out of the dust, as if out of nowhere, in the slop that we all faced today down at Bakio Beach. Forget the scores: these waves were enough to have just about all of his peers screaming like he was a character in some Bruce Lee film -- "Hiyaaaa!"

That's right, these guys rip. They're professionals. On top of that, it's supposed to stay small, and yet, everyone is excited. And you should be, too. Tomorrow we'll have another serving of small beachbreak and Taj vs. Timmy Curran, plus Parko, Kalani, and more Kelly and Mick. Hiyaaa!-- Hagan Kelley

Billabong Pro Mundaka Round One Heats (1st, 2nd>Rnd 2; 3rd=33rd receives US$3,000)
H12: Daniel Wills (Aus) 14.67; Nathan Hedge (Aus) 11.67; Fabio Gouveia (Brz) 11.26
H13: Darren O'Rafferty (Aus) 14.5; Shane Powell (Aus) 11.67; Mark Occhilupo (Aus) 8.73
H14: Armando Daltro (Brz) 14.17; Cory Lopez (USA) 11.1; Beau Emerton (Aus) 10.1
H15: Chris Davidson (Aus) 15.0; Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.63; Luke Hitchings (Aus) 13.5
H16: Lee Winkler (Aus) 13.0; Flavio Padaratz (Brz) 12.97; Richard Lovett (Aus) 12.67
Round Two (1st>Rnd3; 2nd=17th receives US$4,000)
H1: Kieren Perrow (Aus) 14.06 def. Darren O'Rafferty (Aus) 12.17
H2: Guilherme Herdy (Brz) 14.66 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.24
H3: Phil MacDonald (Aus) 14.0 def. Peterson Rosa (Brz) 9.63
H4: Mick Fanning (Aus) 16.57 def. Luke Stedman (Aus) 14.6
H5: Michael Lowe (Aus) 11.83 def. Chris Davidson (Aus) 11.43
H6: Dean Morrison (Aus) 15.67 def. Armando Daltro (Brz) 14.67
H7: Paulo Moura (Brz) 11.67 def. Trent Munro (Aus) 11.1
H8: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.0 def. Nathan Yeomans (USA) 9.0
Remaining Round Two Heats (1st>Rnd3; 2nd=17th receives US$4,000)
H9: Taj Burrow (Aus) vs. Tim Curran (USA)
H10: Kalani Robb (Haw) vs. Victor Ribas (Brz)
H11: Luke Egan (Aus) vs. Flavio Padaratz (Brz)
H12: Danny Wills (Aus) vs. Shane Powell (Aus)
H13: Joel Parkinson (Aus) vs. Danilo Costa (Brz)
H14: Jake Paterson (Aus) vs. Mick Campbell (Aus)
H15: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Lee Winkler (Aus)
H16: Cory Lopez (USA) vs. Nathan Hedge (Aus)

 

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