PROPER Billabong Pipe Masters, thrills and spills on the North Shore with the locals taking the whip hand. It was a big NW Pipe swell arriving right on the button of the model predictions.
First light saw a steady reading of 6ft at 18 seconds on the buoys with the top 10 percent of waves coming in half as big again -- mowing down the unwary, mopping-up the groms and knighting those with knowledge. Dark uneven rulers dominated the horizon, standing up on Third Reef and throwing a palpable shadow of gloom over the uninitiated.
When Pipe is throwing second reef wash-throughs/closeouts/9s seemingly at random, it's not luck which sees these names through to the third round:
Upcoming Round 3 Match-Ups Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Aamion Goodwin (HAW) Heat 2: Kalani Chapman (HAW) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW) Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Jamie O’Brien (HAW) Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA) Heat 5: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. John John Florence (HAW) Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Marcus Hickman (HAW) Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (USA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF) Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Adam Melling (AUS) Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Evan Valiere (HAW) Heat 10: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Shane Dorian (HAW) Heat 11: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS) Heat 12: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Ian Walsh (HAW)
There's at least one Hawaiian in 8 out of the 12 Round 3 heats. Of these 9 surfers only 2 are on the World Tour.
Gudauskas RIP, we will always remember you. You did't need to hang up yourself from your ankle while scratching your head on the reef. It was just the triple crown, not such big contest.
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