STEDS' BLOG: "We Pretty Much Became Football Wannabes... "

THE TAHITIAN DRILL

Stiff offshores during Rnd3 heat with Bottle.
<photo> Joli/WPS

Tahiti was shaping up to be a mirror image of last year, which was really not that cool. If you remember last year, the event had to go over the waiting period as it physically could not be run as the surf was so tiny.

This year, fortunately, we saw that late in the waiting period there was a three-day window, it was the only possible time to run the event. Big Louie Egan made the call and pretty much called the event off for five days straight. I have never seen anyone ever do that before.

It was awesome. We had a full five days to do whatever in Tahiti. So we pretty much became football wannabes. It is about 35 degrees in the shade around midday but we were out there doing drills. I thought I was in the Swans and Otto pretty much sent in his resume after the week.

When the drills stopped, the swell came, and it was perfect timing. I was over it and wanted to get the show on the road. Five-foot crisp barrels were floating around by the afternoon of the first day and it stayed like this for a good couple of days.

Contest Director Luke Egan ... nailed it.
<credit> Joli/WPS

The comp was over in three days and it normally takes four to run a contest. The judges worked like maniacs and squeezed the whole event out while the swell was on. Awesome job, boys.

I'm off to Fiji today and the swell looks like it's going to be pumping. Check the report here - http://www.worldprosurfers.com/surf-world-tour/fiji-surf-report.asp

Can't wait.

LS