Ohh la la: Hossegor Turns On for Round 1 of the Quiksilver Pro France

EVENTS HELD: Round 1
CONDITIONS: 6-8 walls in the morning, 6 foot back-less shacks in the afternoon
NATURE'S CALL: Smaller the next couple days but getting grande mid week.
PREDICTIONS: More epic-ness

"We we're all hoping they wouldn't move the contest to where we were surfing because we were getting so many barrels, but we knew they would. Then we heard the call and they told us we were going to get fined, so we got out but we took our time." - Fred Patacchia

Tim Reyes winning his heat in round one with one of the highest scoring waves of the day, a 9.33.

One of the reasons, out of many, why this stop is a favorite on tour is because it's so easy to get great waves while freesurfing. At nearly every other spot on tour practicing means battling it out on a single peak with hordes of frothing fans, but here there's miles and miles of dreaminess. How good was it today? Picture sunny skies, all-day offshores and tubes as far as the eye can see. Think tow-in teams on the outside pulling in behind almond-eyed curtains while paddlers free-fall into wide-open pits next to shore. Ridiculous, but not easy. "You just gotta look for the ones with a corner," said Dean Morrison. "It gets really shallow at the end but it's fine because it¹s sand."

Dingo's heat was a screamer with each surfer not even thinking about doing turns. It was all about pulling in, pumping, skirting the edge of the foamball and doggy dooring out. It's the kind of wave you're guaranteed to get in the barrel, but you're definitely assured of making it out. It's feast or famine.

The feast? Bruce Irons flowed through some incredible drainers, throwing down a 10 and a 9.57 on the scorecard. Kelly and Andy also looked comfortable as hell in the board breaking shacks.

And the famine? Pancho Sullivan was a starving man, scoring only 1.8 total points while waiting in vain for one with an open door. Troy Brooks had it even worse. He hyper-extended his knee while free surfing last night and is out for the next two contests. "I straightened out on a heavy shorey to come in on and the wave just exploded and came over the top of me," said Brooks. "It felt like a swimming pool landed on me head."

Dean Morrison finding the "corners" to win his heat in round one.

Taj also had a rough one and will now face ar Fench junior Joan Duru in a Round 2 clash­ which will likely happen tomorrow. Should he have another shocker and go down? Kelly will be looking #8 square in the face with a chance to wrap it up next event at Mundaka.

Stay tuned

Kelly slater, pushing for 8

Results round one (1st progresses to round 3, 2nd and 3rd to round 2)
HEAT 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 11.86; 2. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.70; Jarrad Howse (AUS) 7.00
HEAT 2: 1. Tim Reyes (USA) 17.66; 2. Nathan Hedge (AUS) 11.40; 3. Roy Powers (HAW) 9.23
HEAT 3: 1. David Weare (ZAF) 15.67; Taylor Knox (USA) 11.67; 3. Luke Stedman (AUS) 6.00
HEAT 4: 1. Fred Patacchia (HAW) 14.17; 2. Toby Martin (AUS) 13.84; 3. Bobby Martinez (USA) 3.83
HEAT 5: 1. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.07; 2. Cory Lopez (USA) 12.84; 3. Pedro Henrique (BRA) 7.06
HEAT 6: 1. Damien Hobgood (USA) 14.60; 2. Yuri Sodre (BRA) 13.74; Travis Logie (ZAF) 9.17
HEAT 7: 1. Trent Munro (AUS) 13.50; 2. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.17; Mick Fanning (AUS) 9.16
HEAT 8: 1. Kelly Slater (USA) 15.67; Joan Duru (FRA) 10.13; Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.94
HEAT 9: 1. Andy Irons (HAW) 16.24; 2. Patrick Bevan (FRA) 9.32; 3. Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 8.07
HEAT 10: 1. Greg Emslie (ZAF) 12.40; 2. Jeremy Flores (REU) 10.90; Taj Burrow (AUS) 8.67
HEAT 11: 1. Dean Morrison (AUS) 15.66; 2. Mikael Picon (FRA) 14.66; Chris Ward (USA) 8.50
HEAT 12: 1. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 16.83; 2. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 5.33; Victor Ribas (BRA) 4.50
HEAT 13: 1. Phil Macdonald (AUS) 13.00; 2. Marcelo Nunes (BRA) 9.73; Darren O’Rafferty (AUS) 8.33
HEAT 14: 1. Danny Wills (AUS) 10.50; Jake Paterson (AUS) 6.67; Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 1.80
HEAT 15: 1. Bruce Irons (HAW) 19.57; 2. Mick Lowe (AUS) 6.07; 3. Paulo Moura (BRA) 4.80
HEAT 16: 1. Peterson Rosa (BRA) 16.67; 2. CJ Hobgood (USA) 9.50; Tiago Pires (PRT) 6.40
HEAT 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs Joan Duru (FRA)
HEAT 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs Patrick Bevan (FRA)
HEAT 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs Jeremy Flores (REU)
HEAT 4: Taylor Knox (USA) vs Tiago Pires (PRT)
HEAT 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs Adrian Buchan (AUS)
HEAT 6: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs Yuri Sodre (BRA)
HEAT 7: CJ Hobgood (USA) vs Pedro Henrique (BRA)
HEAT 8: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) vs Toby Martin (AUS)
HEAT 9: Shaun Cansdell (AUS) vs Roy Powers (HAW)
HEAT 10: Travis Logie (ZAF) vs Jarrad Howse (AUS)
HEAT 11: Cory Lopez (USA) vs Mikael Picon (FRA)
HEAT 12: Luke Stedman (AUS) vs Marcelo Nunes (BRA)
HEAT 13: Nathan Hedge (AUS) vs Jake Paterson (AUS)
HEAT 14: Chris Ward (USA) vs Mick Lowe (AUS) HEAT 15: Victor Ribas (BRA) vs Paulo Moura (BRA)
HEAT 16: Darren O’Rafferty (AUS) vs Pancho Sullivan (HAW)

 

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