Worthy Watch: The High Five

A blast from the past, and one of the best moments in competitive surfing history.

Preseason Surfer Profile: Julian Wilson

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.

Julian Wilson, Australia

2016 Go Left World Ranking Projection: 3

2015 World Ranking: 6

2015 WCT Wins: 0

Julian Wilson is a surfer that I expect to see take the next step in 2016. While 2014 was a lost year for Wilson aside from a surprising win at Pipe, 2015 was a resurgent campaign for the flashy Aussie. Wilson didn’t win a WCT contest in 2015, but he notched three second-place finishes, as well as a third. One of Wilson’s seconds came at J-Bay, where he and Mick Fanning were both awarded second-place points after the shark attack, but it’s hard to imagine Wilson beating Fanning that day at that break anyway.

Julian Wilson, always supremely confident in the air.
Courtesy of Steven Tyler PJs 

A few years ago I thought of Julian as a guy that could really only challenge the top surfers in high-performance waves. He’s always been dangerous in conditions often seen at Trestles and the like, but over the last couple of years he has become a better-rounded surfer, one that is a threat at every stop on the World Tour. This is evidenced by him taking second-place results at both Snapper and Fiji this year, very dissimilar events. Wilson can take to the air with the best of ‘em, but he can also tuck himself into some really gnarly barrels and get spit out with aplomb.

I must admit that Julian is one of my favorite surfers on the pro tour to watch. He’s got style, a flare for the dramatic, the guts to go for the huge maneuver and an arsenal of skills that make him one of the most exciting competitors at the highest level of the sport. Consistency has often been a weakness for Wilson, and if he can avoid early contest exits in 2016 he should be able to challenge for a Top 5 spot in the rankings and potentially the World Title. He now has the versatile game to make a run at the crown.

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

Preseason Surfer Profile: Kelly Slater

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.

Kelly Slater, USA

2016 Go Left World Ranking Projection: 4

2015 World Ranking: 9

2015 WCT Wins: 0

Kelly may be the king, be he didn’t surf like it last season. The guy is 44 years old and it’s incredible that he’s still competing at a high level on the World Tour. However, Slater did not look like the competitor that we’re accustomed to seeing last year. Kelly didn’t win a single WCT contest in 2015, but what’s even more surprising is that he didn’t even make a final. He finished third in Fiji, his home away from home, and he netted fifths at Margaret River, Tahiti and Pipe. Kelly was also able to win the Volcom Pipe Pro, a QS event, last month. Sensing a theme here? Is it possible that Slater is only truly dangerous in big barrels at this point in his career?

Could 2016 be Kelly Slater's best chance for another World Title?
Courtesy of Oziel Marchon

To be honest, I’m not willing to bet against the best surfer in the history of the sport, but his 2015 campaign did give me a moment of pause. Slater did not have those magical moments that we’re used to seeing, pulling out heats in the final seconds with seemingly impossible scores. We need to take into consideration that he was dealing with some nagging injuries last year, to the extent that he even considered skipping the European leg of the tour. He toughed it out an looked good at Pipe before going down in the quarters, but his doing well at Pipe is certainly no surprise.

Many fans have been cringing for years now, nervous that they’ll see a statement from Kelly that he’s hanging it up from the World Tour. It hasn’t happened yet, and would anyone be truly shocked if he bounced back in a big way in 2016 and contended for the world title? Still, his finishing ninth in the world rankings last year felt odd, and hopefully it’s not the beginning of the end for the best of the best. With Mick Fanning only surfing select events in 2016, maybe this is Kelly's best shot to win one more World Title. However, we can't be sure Kelly is going to surf every event in 2016, and this is a big reason that he's not ranked higher here. Regardless what Kelly does this season, every surfing fan should appreciate each wave we get to see this guy ride. 

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

Owen Wright Out For First Half of 2016 Season

Owen Wright has announced that he’ll miss the first half ofthe 2016 WSL Championship Tour season due to injury. Wright suffered a head injury while warming up for the Pipe Masters in December, causing him to miss the final event of the 2015 season. It was a big blow at the time, as Wright was technically in contention for the World Title heading into Pipe, not to mention that he’s one of the best left-handed tube riders on tour and very well could have won arguably the most prestigious surf contest in the world. It’s an even bigger blow now that we know it will affect his status in 2016 as well.

Owen Wright will miss a large chunk of the 2016 CT season.
Courtesy of surfglassy

I had Owen fourth in the Go Left 2016 Projected World Rankings before Mick Fanning’s decision bumped him up to third. Obviously now I must drop Owen from the Top 10 completely, and adjustments to everyone’s ranking will be made accordingly. It’s a shame that Wright’s injury in lingering, especially considering how much it took for him to come back from his last ailment. Hopefully he’ll be back in the water for Fiji and Tahiti, where he has been an absolute standout over the last two years thanks death-defying drops and cavernous barrels that make surf fans weak in the knees. Here’s to getting healthy, Owen. 

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