Men's Rip Curl Pro Bells Update

Some serious swell arrived over the weekend for the Rip CurlPro Bells Beach, and the best surfers in the world greeted it with some fantastic performances in less-than-perfect Bells walls. We’ve seen more impressive performances from rookies and wildcards, as well as some big names going down, similar to the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast. Here are some highlights of the men's contest thus far:

Kelly Slater, who was eliminated early at Snapper, narrowly escaped a Round 2 upset before falling to Michel Bourez in Round 3. Slater fans are certainly feeling nervous that his subpar results this season could result in a truncated schedule for the 11-time World Champ. Was this the last time we saw Kelly at Bells? Let's hope not.

Mason Ho made some noise in this event last year, and he’s performing even better this time around. Ho has a versatile game and a unique style, and he used that to bounce Jeremy Flores in Round 2 and defeat the reigning World Champ Adriano De Souza in the following round. After a semifinal at Pipe in 2015, it’s clear that Ho knows he belongs in the water with the top CT competitors.

Following an early exit at Snapper, Mick Fanning looks extremely sharp. He could definitely use the points toward qualifying in 2017 since he won’t surf all of the events this year. However, it remains uncertain if he truly wants to return to the CT full time ever again. He was in the booth before the event started and he seemed extremely relaxed.

Sebastian Zietz and Kolohe Andino had a dramatic Round 2 heat that saw Seabass pull out the score he needed in the closing seconds of the draw. It seemed he was overscored, though, and Andino’s exit nets him a disappointing  25^th following his runner-up finish at Snapper.

Speaking of Snapper, Quiksilver Pro champ and reigning World #1 Matt Wilkinson has looked really good at Bells thus far. A shot of him getting ready for a heat showed a different Wilko than we’re used to. He looked intense and focused, as opposed to the jovial guy we’re accustomed to seeing. Another big result for Wilko and we may have to start seriously talking about him as a World Title contender in 2016.

Matt Wilkinson has come out firing in 2016.
Courtesy of Rian Castillo

Jordy Smith has always performed well in powerful waves, and his Round 3 heat reminded anyone who may have forgotten that. He posted a 9+ that showcased his raw power in big walls, and he’s definitely someone to keep an eye on this season. Don’t forget that he was one of the best CT competitors just a few years ago and is healthy for the first time in a while.

Conner Coffin continues to showcase a rail game that is going to net him good results. He bounced Joel Parkinson in Round 3, and I remain extremely impressed by the rookie. Two more big upsets from rookies followed Coffin’s toward the end of Round 3, as Caio Ibelli upset John John Florence and Davey Cathels beat former World Champ Gabriel Medina. I thought Ibelli got dramatically overscored on his heat-winning wave against John John, but he surfed really well nonetheless. These rookies are for real.

Here is a look at the Round 4 non-elimination heats on the way:

Italo Ferreira vs. Nat Young vs. Julian Wilson: This is a really interesting heat. This is Young’s pet event, and he’s been great on his backhand. However, Italo Ferreira has been a monster on his backhand as well. Wilson is the best overall surfer of the three, making this heat extremely hard to predict. I’d lean Young here, but it’s really close.

Matt Wilkinson vs. Wiggolly Dantas vs. Mason Ho: The Wilko hype is real! In all seriousness, though, he looks like a guy that wants to win big this season. I’m not picking against him until he loses a heat or matches up with a top guy. Keep an eye on Ho, though.

Mick Fanning vs. Jordy Smith vs. Conner Coffin: This is a heat of raw power, and the one I’m looking forward to the most in this round. Of course, you have to favor Mick here, but Jordy and Conner both have games built for Bells. I can’t wait for this heat.

Michel Bourez vs. Caio Ibelli vs. Davey Cathels: This is probably the least splashy of the heats, but it’s still intriguing. Here we’ve got a pair of rookies matched up with a tour vet that has won multiple contests over the years. It never made sense to me that Bourez hasn't performed that well at Bells in previous years, and he may have figured something out over the weekend. I’m taking The Spartan after his win over Kelly in the previous round.

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter @GoLeftSurf

Rip Curl Pro Bells Men's Preview

The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast kicked off the 2016 CT season with a thrill ride of upsets and chaos, and at the end of it all stood Matt Wilkinson, smiling and ready to don the yellow jersey for the first time in his career. The waiting period for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach begins March 24^th, and Round 1 holds some interesting heats.

Heat 2 – Julian Wilson vs. Stuart Kennedy vs. Adam Melling: Wilson, my pick to win the Quiksilver Pro, bowed out unexpectedly in Round 2, while Kennedy was the upset special of the event. Stu took down several of the biggest names on tour and advanced all the way to the semifinals at Snapper Rocks. His equipment was the talk of the event, and it will be interesting to see how he follows up a career performance. Is Julian ripe for another early loss?

Heat 4 – Gabriel Medina vs. Conner Coffin vs. TBD

Medina, like Wilson, experienced an early exit at Snapper, his coming in Round 3. He can’t afford a slow start to a second consecutive season, as it likely cost him the World Title last year. However, things won’t be easy with Coffin lurking in this heat. I was really impressed by Coffin’s power rail game at Snapper, and he should be able to unleash that even further at Bells, especially if it gets big. Medina is a dynamo on his backhand in big waves, though, making this a great matchup.

Heat 5 – Mick Fanning vs. Keanu Asing vs. TBD

It’s all about Mick here, as he was eliminated in Round 3 at Snapper in perhaps the biggest surprise of the event. Fanning doesn’t plan to surf all of the CT events in 2016, so he needs a big result at Bells to earn some serious qualifying points toward 2017.

Mick Fanning could use a good result at Bells to help him qualify for 2017.
Courtesy of MarkYourWavesSurf

Heat 6 – Adriano De Souza vs. Michel Bourez vs. TBD

The reigning champ looked good at Snapper, and he traditionally performs well at Bells. However, Michel Bourez has the kind of power game that can really look good in this event. Could we see an upset? I say no, but the matchup is intriguing. 

Heat 7 – Kelly Slater vs. Kai Otton vs. Alex Ribeiro

Kelly didn’t look great on the Gold Coast, as his equipment seemed a bit slow. There’s always the danger of a bad result at Bells cuing a truncated schedule for Slater this season, and no surfing fan wants that.

Heat 9 – Matt Wilkinson vs. Kolohe Andino vs. Miguel Pupo

Here we’ve got the two finalists from the Quiksilver Pro battling it out in Round 1. Wait, what? I was under the impression that the heats are created by ranking, so how is the current World #1 facing the current World #2 in the first round? I need someone to explain this to me.

Heat 12 – John John Florence vs. Jordy Smith vs. Jadson Andre

John John looked really good before being eliminated at Snapper, seeming to have a more strategic approach to his heats. That could spell serious trouble for the rest of the CT competitors. Jordy should be able to thrive at Bells thanks to his power, but does he have enough to upset Florence?

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter @GoLeftSurf

Quiksilver Pro Quarterfinal Preview

I don’t think anyone expected to see so many big names fall so early in the Quiksilver Pro, and we’ve got an interesting field of surfers remaining in the Quarterfinals. Let’s take a look at the next four heats:

Heat 1 – Filipe Toledo vs. Joel Parkinson: This is a battle of the young guns and the air game vs. the old guard and the rail game. It's the most intriguing heat of the quarterfinals in my opinion, as I could see either of these guys taking home the win in this event. Both Filipe and Parko have won at Snapper before, but Toledo has looked like the best surfer thus far this year. If Parko beats Toledo, I’d consider it an upset at this point. I can’t imagine typing that two years ago.

Heat 2 – Matt Wilkinson vs. Adriano De Souza: Wilko has surfed the minimum amounts of heats at the Quiksilver Pro to this point, and he’s looked really good doing so. However, he gets the reigning World Champ here. De Souza looked to be in trouble early in his Round heat against Connor Coffin, but he battled back in classic Adriano fashion and took home the win. If Wilko can beat De Souza here it could give him some amazing momentum to carry on throughout the season.

Heat 3 – Kolohe Andino vs. Adrian Buchan: Kolohe has looked electric at Snapper thus far, and maybe 2016 is going to be a massive bounce-back campaign for the young Californian. Ace Buchan has looked powerful and aggressive on the Gold Coast this year, though, so he can’t take this heat lightly. Kolohe has more upside in this matchup, but Ace is the more reliable surfer historically. It’s a tough call to choose a favorite here. Both guys have looked impressive.

Kolohe Andino is capable posting huge scores at any time.
Courtesy of Patrick Warren

Heat 4 – John John Florence vs. Stuart Kennedy: This should be a thrill ride of a heat if the guys get good waves coming through the lineup, and maybe even if they don't. John John has looked dynamic and focused in this event, an extremely dangerous combo. He has been tearing apart Snapper this year, drawing creative lines and showcasing his full repertoire. Kennedy, though, has been perhaps the most electric surfer in the event. His board has looked faster and shown more pop than anyone else’s. He’s already posted some huge upsets in the Quiksilver Pro, so who’s to say he doesn’t have another one in him? 

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter @GoLeftSurf

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Event Preview

The waiting period for the first event of the 2016 World Surf League Championship Tour, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, will see the waiting period begin on March 10^th.  This event is held at Snapper Rocks, a fun right-hand point break on the famed Gold Coast of Australia. Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting Round 1 heats and make a prediction for the winner:

Heat 2 - Julian Wilson, Michel Bourez, Adam Melling: This looks to be one of the tougher heats of the first round. When the season starts, the rankings usually dictate tiered heats as one would expect, and the draws don’t get a little chaotic until after the first event of the year. However, we’ve got three pretty big names in Heat 2 here. Julian made the Final at Snapper last year and should be considered one of the favorites to win the event. Bourez had a fantastic 2014 season before some regression last year. Melling is a CT vet that missed requalifying by a single spot last year, and he’s at Snapper as a Wild Card. This is a tough draw for Wilson, as most of his elite colleagues have much easier heats to begin the event.

Heat 4 – Gabriel Medina, Caio Ibelli, Sebastian Zietz: The main reason I’m interested in this heat is to see how Medina begins the year. His slow start to 2015 was probably the only thing that kept him from winning back-to-back World Titles. If he can hit the ground, or water, running in 2016 then he should be on track to make a serious run at a second World Title.

Gabriel Medina will look to avoid a slow start in 2016.
Courtesy of A Scott

Heat 5 – Mick Fanning, Matt Banting, TBD: I think everyone is curious to see how Mick Fanning comes out of the gate this season in the wake of his decision to only surf selectevents in 2016. He knows he has to surf well when he does participate, though, with an eye on qualifying for 2017. Don’t sleep on Matt Banting, either, as he upset Mick in the first round of this event last year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him head to Round 3 again in 2016.

Heat 8 – Kelly Slater, Matt Wilkinson, Conner Coffin: Is this Kelly’s last season? We’ve been saying that for half a decade now, and nobody really knows. Still, I’ll be keeping a close eye on how he looks at Snapper. After a 13^th last year, one would Kelly will be motivated to perform better. There is always the risk of him starting the season slowly and then skipping events down the line. Let’s hope not.

Can Kelly Slater add one more World Title?
Courtesy of chde.eu

Heat 11 – Jordy Smith, Wiggoly Dantas, Miguel Pupo: How will Jordy bounce back in 2016 from an injury-plagued 2015 campaign? That’s a big question for the CT this season, and this will be our first glimpse of the South African.

Heat 12 – Joel Parkinson, John John Florence, Jack Freestone: To me, this is the most interesting hest of the first round. Parko has surfed well here over the years, so he’s always a threat. If you read the Go Left preseason profile on John John, you know I think he’s in for a huge year. However, Parko has gotten the better of him several times in the past due to heat strategy and veteran savvy. Will John John continue to let stuff like that happen? He won’t win a World Title that way. Keep an eye on Jack Freestone too, as he’s got a ton of talent and got his feet wet with this event last year.

And finally...

The Go Left Projected Winner - Julian Wilson: I like Julian to win this event for a multitude of reasons. I see 2016 being a huge year for him, one where he is in contention for the World Title throughout the season. Snapper fits his surfing well, and he was able to make the Final last year. He’s got every trick in the book, he’s entering his prime and he’s got a competitive fire that one needs to win on the CT.

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter at @GoLeftSurf

Preseason Surfer Profile: Gabriel Medina

Gabriel Medina, Brazil

2016 Go Left World Ranking Projection: 1

2015 World Ranking: 2

2015 WCT Wins: 1

It was really a tale of two seasons for Medina in 2015. I have to admit that a 25^th and three 13ths in his first five events last season had me scratching my head. Had he enjoyed the offseason a little too much following his remarkable 2014 World Title season? Was 2014 an aberration? These questions were running through my head, but really I just thought that we had a sleeping giant on our hands with too much talent to continue his struggles. It turns out that Medina was that sleeping giant, and a fifth-place finish at J-Bay seemed to signal his awakening. Medina would make at least the quarterfinals in the final six events of the season, again resembling the wunderkind that we saw dominate in 2014.

Gabriel Medina could be about to embark on a run to his second World Title.
Courtesy of A Scott

You could argue that Medina is the most dangerous surfer currently on tour. He can post 10s in so many different conditions thanks to his versatile game. He’s probably the last guy I would want to draw in a random heat to be surfed at a random WCT location. Medina made a name for himself early on with ridiculous airs that a guy of his size usually can’t pull off with such altitude and style. I think a lot of people started to think of him simply as an aerial guy for a bit, but he’s since proven that he can turn it up in a variety of ways in a plethora of conditions.

Medina has a ridiculous backside rail game that makes him a serious threat in any right-heavy event, such as J-Bay, where he reached the quarters in 2015 and started his run. Some of the backside hacks he puts on rights are insane, and he has a smoothness and rhythm to his transitions that yearn for big scores and are often sated by numbers in the excellent range. Before 2014, Medina’s weakness was supposedly big-wave conditions, but his win that year in Fiji squashed that narrative pretty quickly. Just in case anyone saw that victory as a fluke, Gabby put on a show in Tahiti and took home top honors in some serious barrels there as well.

So to recap, Medina started the 2015 season very slowly, and was still in World Title contention at Pipe. That’s extremely hard to do, but the kid finished the year with a 5^th, 2^nd, 3^rd, 1^st, 5^th and 2^nd. If he surfs anything like that for the duration of 2016 he will win his second World Title and make it three straight for Brazil. I still favored Mick Fanning slightly for the crown this season before he announced his abridged schedule, but I wouldn’t be remotely surprised to see Medina run away with the race in the wake of Mick’s decision. I expect John John Florence to be in the running in 2016, and that he and Medina will be battling it out for the World Title for years to come, but I favor Medina significantly right now due to his strategic nature in the lineup. It’s clear that Medina is a perennial World Title threat, and should be for the next decade or so barring major injury.

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter @GoLeftSurf

Preseason Surfer Profile: John John Florence

Leading up to the 2016 World Surf League Championship Tour season, I will be counting down my projected Top 10 surfers for the highest level of men's competitive surfing. A preview of the women's 2016 season is also to come.

John John Florence, Hawaii

2016 Go Left World Ranking Projection: 2

2015 World Ranking: 14

2015 WCT Wins: 0

I’ll start by saying that John John is my favorite surfer on tour, and I’m doing my best not to be biased. Some people will see his 2015 ranking of 14^th and think ranking him second for 2016 is crazy, but remember that it was just a year ago that Florence finished the season third in the World Rankings. There is no doubt that 2015 was a disappointing year for John, though. A midseason injury that forced him to miss a pair of events (one of them being Fiji, where he is always a contender) was partially to blame, but the only final Florence made was at Margaret River. In fact, that was the only event that saw John John reach a semifinal. All that being said, Florence could very well be the most talented surfer on the World Tour, so I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing that I ranked him any lower.

This could be the year of John John Florence.
Courtesy of chde.eu

I’m expecting big things from John John in 2016. It's been reported that he's more motivated to win a World Title than ever, and his win at The Eddie may serve as foreshadowing for a multitude of victories on the CT. Florence is good enough to win in any conditions, and if he locks in on heat strategy a little more this season he could win it all. No matter what, I will be excited every time John John hits the water, a sentiment I imagine plenty of surfers share.

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter @GoLeftSurf

John John Florence Wins The Eddie

Is there anything that John John Florence can't do? Yesterday, after much anticipation, the Eddie was called on. A lot of living legends entered the contest; Clyde Aikau, Kelly Slater, Shane Dorian, the list goes on an on. However, it was young John John Florence that bested them all in surf where the word "heavy" doesn't really do it justice.

The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau is an event that doesn't run every year. The contest requires massive surf at Waimea Bay, and certain conditions must be met in order to see the event get the green light. This contest is a tribute to Aikau, one of the great watermen of Oahu's North Shore. Eddie was a surfer, lifeguard, peacekeeper and hero to many. He famously perished while trying to save the lives of others, inspiring an ESPN 30 For 30 documentary.

John John certainly did Eddie proud yesterday, and one has to wonder if 2016 is Florence's year. Sure, he's not going to be surfing any conditions that even remotely resemble those of yesterday throughout the WSL Championship Tour season, but it's a fact that he's one of the most gifted surfers we've ever seen, and yesterday added another feather to his already crowded cap of accomplishments.

Bali Pro Down to Quarters

Hell of a day yesterday for Rounds 4 and 5 of the Oakley Bali Pro, as Keramas went off with some incredible barrels, and the boys went hunting for deep tubes (highlights below). The performance of the day undoubtedly came from reigning World Title champion Joel Parkinson, who put up a perfect heat in Round 5 against John John Florence's 19.20 in the best head-to-head performance of the competition thus far. Just going into that heat and knowing that one of those guys was going to be eliminated didn't feel quite right, but afterward it really seemed like they both deserved to advance. A vet-on-vet upset occurred in Round 5 when C.J. Hobgood ousted current number one Kelly Slater, and another stunner came one heat later when Nat Young bounced Adriano De Souza from the contest.

Here is a look at the quarters matchups:

Taj Burrow vs. Joel Parkinson
-What a heat this will be. Both guys looked seriously on their game yesterday, and it might come down to wave selection, which is why I'd give Parko the nod here. The champ hasn't won a contest yet this year, and it's really starting to feel like that streak is going to end.

Josh Kerr vs. C.J. Hobgood
Kerr had a fantastic Round 4 heat where to took down both Kelly and John John, so he's on a roll. His tube-riding has been better than I expected, as he's proving that he's much more than just an aerial guy. Will C.J.'s veteran savvy be enough here?

Julian Wilson vs. Nat Young
Julian is probably my favorite surfer on tour, though I felt he coasted a little yesterday and didn't love that. He'll need to compete harder to take down Young, one of the hottest surfers over the past few events. This is a great matchup of young guns and it's fun to know one of them will end up in the semis.

Michel Bourez vs. Mick Fanning
Normally I'd almost assume Mick is going to win this one, but Michel's game has looked tighter this week than I've ever seen it. He's becoming one of the more impressive power surfers on tour, and he's had a patient approach to this event that has netted him some of the best waves in the lineup. If pressed for a pick, I'd still take Mick, but I think it's much closer than you'd think at first glance.

Ho-ly Sh*t

Kelly is King

In an interview following his convincing victory over Sebastian Zietz in the quarterfinals of the Volcom Fiji Pro yesterday, Kelly Slater made a simple statement, "I want to win this contest." It sounded harmless enough, but if you watched his heat before the interview, you knew it was Kelly time. Slater posted a perfect heat in the quarters, putting up a pair of 10-point barrel rides in the span of three minutes that surely left his rookie opponent dizzied out the back. We've seen it time and time again; when Kelly wants it bad enough, he's unstoppable. Add in the fact that he has more experience at Cloudbreak than anyone else on tour, and I didn't see a way Kelly could lose. And he didn't disappoint.

Kelly got busy early against John John Florence in the semis and went on to post an 18.17 to advance to the finals, where he met Mick Fanning. Fanning had just eeked out heats in the quarters and semis, and I didn't feel like he was much of a threat to Kelly. But nobody would have been a threat to the master, as Slater posted yet another perfect 10 along the way to a 19.80 score in the final heat. It was like watching a movie you know the ending to, but still being enthralled every step of the way. That's the kind of surfer and entertainer that Kelly Slater is.

With his victory in Fiji, Kelly moves up into a place he knows better than anyone in the history of surfing, the top spot in the World Tour rankings. He currently enjoys a narrow lead over Mick, who has been incredibly consistent this season with finishes of third, fifth, third and second. Jordy Smith followed up his win in Rio with a fifth in Fiji, good enough to put him third in the ranks. We've now got a quick turnaround for the next event, the Oakley Pro Bali, as the waiting period starts on June 18th.

Cloudbreak Comes Alive

The Fiji Pro got going again yesterday, and we saw why contest organizers were being patient in calling the contest on, as we saw some incredible waves comes through Cloudbreak. This quote from Kelly Slater (via ASP), a guy who has probably surfed this break more than any non-Fijian, really says it all about the conditions:

“That was unbelievable,” Slater said. “Those were some of the best waves I’ve ever had in a contest. On the 10, I was deep in the barrel and grabbed my rail, but I had to let go to get speed and then I hit the foam ball, I barely made that one. I did the turn and got another tube. On that one big one, it was so perfect and I just wanted to be in the right spot. As I was in the barrel, it spit really hard and there was lots of mist and I couldn’t see. The foamball pushed my tail up in to the wave and I just couldn’t come out the way I wanted to. I didn’t even care if I won or lost, because I’d get to surf again.”

That last statement was essentially the theme of yesterday's heats; the pros were so stoked and frothing at the sight of a pumping Cloudbreak that one of the sport's biggest events of the year boiled down to a simple and pure love for surfing. These guys are pros, but they were all little kids once that audibly oohed and aahed at hollow barrells and open faces. They still ooh and ahh, usually silently, but sometimes that little kid inside gets too excited an makes an appearance, and that's great to see. They're not surfing robots, after all, though sometimes their performance might have you suspecting otherwise.

We got down to the quarters yesterday, and here are the matchups:

John John Florence vs. Jordy Smith

Kelly Slater vs. Sebastian Zietz

C.J. Hobgood vs. Josh Kerr

Joel Parkinson vs. Mick Fanning

I've got to stick with my original pick of Kelly to win it all, but really several of these guys have surfed well enough thus far to make my confidence in that pick wane a bit, just because so many competitors have looked so good. John John has probably consistently surfed the best in the contest to this point, with Jordy a close second and Kelly probably right behind them, though Slater's Round 4 heat was absolutely insane. Zietz has shown that he can translate his Pipe skills to Cloudbreak without issue, C.J. Hobgood is one of the best lefthanded barrel riders in the world and always kills it in Fiji, Parko seems to finally be coming alive this season and Mick put together a 19-plus heat in the last round. This should be a great finish at what has probably my third-favorite event on the tour.

John John's Tube Riding is Unmatched

Watching John John Florence in his second round heat of the Volcom Fiji Pro has made it abundantly clear that he is the premiere tube rider in the world right now. The kid is just on another level, his very own plane of existence, and when that shines through in an event featuring the 30-plus best surfers on the planet it illustrates how simply incendiary Florence’s performance really was. Growing up with Pipe in his backyard has made Florence a tube-riding aficionado, given him a veteran’s savvy in the green room that seems unreachable at the tender age of 20. The sky really is the limit for this youngster, and with a contemporary like Gabriel Medina, a Hawaiian and a Brazilian are sure to treat surfing fans to a rivalry of the highest order for more than a decade to come.