I’ve decided I love Sunset Beach as a venue on the CT. I think it should stay forever. The difficulty of the wave is always evident, which makes it that much sweeter when a surfer does complete an excellent ride. Throw out the wave pool and keep this stop, please.
Speaking of excellent rides, we saw quite a few on Finals Day; 14 to be exact. Not a drop out of water, conditions were pristine. A few solid sets when the open ocean decided to pulse too. The only complaint could have been inconsistency, which we also experienced a bit of. Nonetheless, Finals Day was a fun watch. Here’s what happened if you missed it.
WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS
HEAT 1 – Brisa Hennessy vs. Molly Picklum
A slow heat to start the day. Sunset has a big playing field, it seemed like the girls were trying to find their positioning. The judges made it clear early on what they were looking for – critical sections and commitment. Molly got the better of the first exchange by going up into the lip on any section that stood up for her, while Brisa was relegated to mostly open faced wraps and cutbacks. Counting down near the last minute, Brisa has a solid paddle and misses a wave with priority. Interestingly, instead of letting the wave go and taking priority, Molly, with the lead, snags the wave to better her backup score. She only had a 0.50 as a backup, so this even 3 was welcoming for her. Brisa, originally needing a 2.35, catches a smaller wave right behind Molly and throws 2 pretty solid pocket turns. My original thought was it could be enough, depending on Molly’s scores. We wait after the buzzer. Pete Mel thought Brisa’s was the best wave of the heat. I think not, only due to wave size. Once Molly’s even 3 comes through, it ups the defending champs requirement to 4.85. Score comes through just short – 4.57. Pickles moves on.
HEAT 2 – Stephanie Gilmore vs. Tyler Wright
After watching only 6 waves being ridden in the first heat of the day, these former World Champs did not want to wait around. Tyler holds an early lead only due to having a few waves under her belt to Steph’s one, but nobody has scored even a 1 point ride. Tyler gets an interesting two turn combo underneath priority for the first real score of the heat. Steph only had 2 waves with under 10 minutes on the clock, her heat total under 2 points. She finally picks out a wave she likes needing a 4.05 to turn the heat – one little lip floater thing that was kinda weird, drives and pumps down the line into a big nice closeout hit. 4.67. Kind of a big score in my opinion. Tyler now has a 4.17 and a 0.80, low scoring to this point. Finally, some waves pulse. Just over 2 minutes left and needing a 1.44 – Tyler snags the wave of the morning so far for this 8.00. Very well-surfed. What else could she have done on that wave? Steph knows she is going to need a score. She grabs a wave as Tyler is jumping on the ski. Unfortunately, the wave does not provide Gilmore with the sections she needs, though she surfed the thing to its potential. First two heats of the day and we are waiting after the buzzer for scores to find out who wins on both. The final results show on the screen without really announcing the scores coming in: Tyler wins 12.17 to Steph’s 11.17.
HEAT 3 – Carissa Moore vs. Gabriela Bryan
One of my favorite heats of the day, Gabby Bryan dominated Carissa. She started decently with an even 3, then made an impressive move to bait Carissa on a closeout wave to regain priority. Moore, with only a 0.20 on her scoreline, goes the first wave of one of the first sets to roll through the lineup. A cutback on a sleepy section, into a big hammer on the end section which she was unable to ride out of. 2.73. Just behind her, Gabby Bryan chooses the second wave of the set to throw down two strong wraps, and a clean finishing snap right in front of Carissa; 7 points even. The 5 time World Champ quickly spins for another wave, this one offering nothing in return other than some down the line speed and a kick out. 0.50. Now, with less than 10 minutes on the clock, Carissa was in a bad spot. She needs a 7.27, and Gabby has her pick of the litter. And Gabby does not miss. She air drops into a tapered right that gives her two solid sections for snaps – 8.0. Combo’d with under 3 minutes remaining, that was just about all but it for Carissa. She only had one last attempt with a nice layback gouge, but it obviously wouldn’t be enough, being in the combination situation. Gabby Bryan on through.
HEAT 4 – Caitlin Simmers vs. Caroline Marks
A very intriguing matchup here in my opinion. Caroline took the world by storm when she first joined the tour; everyone loved her style and resemblance to Occy, specifically on her backhand. Caity seems to be the new edition to this; tons of comparisons to Dane Reynolds, and the fan favorite for style. Really back and forth affair the entire heat, they just about went wave for wave. Caity had control for the front half of the heat, Caroline chasing a 7 for quite some time. Here was the key exchange. Caity then sat on priority with Caroline needing a 5.23. Simmers lets her counterpart go on the first wave of the set, with the clock ticking down from a minute. Caroline down carves to set up two nice rail turns in the lip, some busy work, and a solid closeout reo to finish the wave. Caity goes behind her but doesn’t improve her scoreline. After the horn and signing autographs on the beach, Caroline gets the news of a 5.50, and moving on to the Semi’s.
MEN’S QUARTERFINALS
HEAT 1 – Jack Robinson vs. Nat Young
Nat already pulled off the giant upset of John John, albeit Florence looking out of rhythm. He would need similar luck in a tough matchup against the in form, Yellow jersey donning Robinson. Jack waited nearly half the heat to open his account, but he did so with intent. A 7.33 was awarded for threading through a head high tube, finishing the wave off with 3 turns. Nat stayed alive with a 3 turn combination underneath priority, scoring 5.33. There was a moment Nat could have taken control of the heat when Jack used his priority on a wave he would get caught behind after one turn. Before that low 2 point score was officially announced, Nat had priority and only needed a low 4. He then botched his prio trying to pull under the lip of a wave that would have pinched on him had he made the section. Jack then safely surfs a wave to an overcooked 6, and the heat is just about over. Robinson bettered his scoreline one more time with the best wave of the heat, counting down from 10 seconds.
HEAT 2 – Ethan Ewing vs. Griffin Colapinto
Really slow heat, unfortunately. 2 waves for Griffin and 3 for Ethan. This one turn 6.17 was the first wave of the heat. Compared to this 5.33 for Ethan. I understand the “commitment and critical” argument for Griffin’s wave, but the 2nd and 3rd turns on Ethan’s wave were 3 point turns in my eyes. He still needed another score though, so Griffin won.
HEAT 3 – Filipe Toledo vs. Caio Ibelli
Factoring in the wave starved last heat, I would have live bet on Caio to get the few opportunities he needed to beat Filipe’s scorching rail game. And from the first exchange that would have looked like a smart move when Mr. Ibelli damn near rode up on dry reef, garnering a 7.17 from the judges compared to Filipe’s even 6. Fortunately, as you all know, I am not a gambling man. I say fortunately because the waves turned on, as evident by this fucking screamer that Caio was just too deep for. Watch Filipe melt your mind with his carves on the wave behind for an 8.67. Caio must have seen the first turn; he quickly developed Slater’s same strategy that he used against Ethan Ewing in strictly looking for barrels. It wouldn’t work. Filipe found another deep pocket to lay into late in the heat, following that up with a wrap and a closeout hack; 8.40. Toledo looking dangerous.
HEAT 4 – Joao Chianca vs. Matthew McGillivray
Great first exchange. McGillivray’s wave went a bit flatter, resulting in Chumbinho getting the nod by almost 2 full points – 8.83 to 7.00. Joao looks like he throws every fucking inch of energy he has into every single turn. The kid is gnarly. His style resembles that famous thing Ross Williams told John John “you need to dirty up your surfing” – or something like that. Matty Ice would surf a solid, smooth heat with a 7 and a 6, but the judges preferred the raw aggression from Joao, and the Brazilian moves on to meet Toledo in the Semi’s.
WOMEN’S SEMIFINALS
HEAT 1 – Molly Picklum vs. Tyler Wright
Right as Molly is grabbing her first wave, Laura Enever is saying she thinks Molly is “out for blood” and going to “take it to Tyler”. That’s exactly what happened. Molly got started really early with a mid range 5 for a nice turn on a closeout section. A couple of falls before she gets a 4, and Tyler Wright still to catch a wave. Now needing a 9.67 with about half the heat gone, Tyler hardly claws into the wave she’s presumably been waiting for, and she is much too deep, giving up priority in the attempt. Molly sits with it and Tyler picks two bad waves. Under 5 minutes left and Molly gets the wave of the heat – clean in and out barrel followed by 2 turns; 6.67. Tyler is combo’d, and there’s about 3 minutes left. She goes on a bomb and falls on the first turn. Laura called it; not quite sure what happened to Tyler.
HEAT 2 – Gabriela Bryan vs. Caroline Marks
Caroline got a nice 5.67 start, lining up a solid backhand hit on a standup section. Gabby was on the wave in front of Marks, and she went down on her second turn. Her next wave was just an up and out. Clearly wanting to get a score on the board, she took off on a frothy one under priority but surfed it up to a 5. Caroline, with just one wave so far, waited a few minutes to pick the wave she wanted but it wasn’t a great one, only a 5.77, still enough to give her the lead. Gabriela catches the wave behind and does a nice snap before getting a little hung up in the lip, and consequently went down on the next turn where she was a bit tardy to the section; 3.83. Caroline got an interesting priority call here. Gabby was out to the lineup way before her. I guess the argument would have to be that Gabby was too far on the outside? I’m really not sure. Either way, now Caroline really held the cards. Hawaiian Bryan needed a 6.44 when Marks picked out the wave of the heat, this 7.33, with less than 5 minutes on the clock. Caroline to the Final.
MEN’S SEMIFINALS
HEAT 1 – Jack Robinson vs. Griffin Colapinto
The heat of the day. Between this one and the Final. You should just rewatch both of those heats if you haven’t seen them yet. Something to note – Griffin threw away a score higher than either of Jack’s keepers. To me, it looked like Jack needed a really big steep section to match Griffin’s turns. Robbo did snag a decent barrel with a nice round wrap to follow, but was only given an even 8. It was clear the judges wanted to see some strong, committed surfing. Griffin wins in what looks like a close one, score wise, but he really controlled this heat from start to finish.
HEAT 2 – Filipe Toledo vs. Joao Chianca
Fuck. Actually, this heat has to be thrown in there too. I really hope we get more of this matchup because I think Joao has the fire now to want to beat Filipe, badly. At any kind of serious wave, he absolutely will. I hope for the Margaret’s contest they run at The Box for at least one round. Anyway, Joao started strong and Filipe fell on his first turn. Rebounding quickly, Toledo throws one vicious down carve and a couple follow up minor maneuvers, nabbing a 6.33, just shy of Joao’s 6.50. Chumbinho then uses his prio and does not miss, a strong 8.17. Last year’s World Champ needed an 8.34 when he got this one. The second turn was the turn of the event. Then, under priority and feeling the flow, Filipe ups the ask with a 7.23. Joao now needs an 8.17 when he gives his all in two huge turns before the wave goes fat. It would not be enough, a 7.37. Filipe to the final at Sunset Beach.
WOMEN’S FINAL
Molly Picklum vs. Caroline Marks
Molly stuck to her game plan of getting started early and trying to build the pressure. She fell on her first wave, but quickly got a start she was looking for in a 4.33. Staying busy she gets another 4.33, and Caroline clearly starts to feel something as she decides to have a look at one of the waves behind Molly. Picklum goes up the point to keep catching waves and looking at opportunities, a really smart move. Caroline’s plan finally paid off for her, she grabbed a 7.50, though I thought she got pretty lucky with the sections the wave offered her on the inside. With only a 1 as her backup, Marks looked for something to better that, but could only improve to a 2.40, though that was enough for the lead. Molly now needed a 5.58. 10:31 on the board. The Australian gets a solid looking wave and chooses an interesting line, score coming up just short at 5.50. She gets back out and baits Caroline into a burger and out of priority. Huge note here – Caroline opted to paddle back out instead of taking the ski. Molly, going on her wave of choice, throws down a huge down carve, straight into a big turn in the lip. Unfortunately she goes down on the second turn, but the judges still throw her a 5.40 for the one. She takes the ski and gets back out before Caroline. Interestingly, she kept busy on a wave where she didn’t improve her scoreline; leaving the door wide open if Caroline can grab priority. We just now get a vision of Caroline, still trying to make the paddle, finally turn around and call for the ski. Molly gets back out before her. Caroline now needs a 3.40 under priority to win the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach. She does a good job to bait Molly into a wave that Picklum has a look at, switching priority. Now 1:24 on the clock, Marks goes. A dead let up of a wave, it goes completely flat, as does the ocean behind it. Count it down – Molly Picklum is your Women’s Champion.
MEN’S FINAL
Griffin Colapinto vs. Filipe Toledo
Both guys got a sharp start, but Griffin’s wave offered him a crazy closeout section on which he did not disappoint, though maybe a little late. Griff got the nod on the exchange – 9.17 to Toledo’s 7.83. Over 20 minutes would pass until the next wave was stood up on, Filipe going on a small insider that offered nothing. Another 6 minutes to pass and Griff lets Filipe go on another insider – a 3.50 to turn the heat with one turn. Just over 6 minutes when we finally see some waves. Colapinto swings and backs up his 9 with a safe 6.33. Filipe just behind him gets a 3 turn combo with a hammer for the finish, an 8.27, leaving Griffin needing a 6.93. Seconds after that score rolls in, Griff uses his priority – big round cutback, deep bottom turn into a tighter, still round hook, a sharp little layback that he loses the fins on a little, but makes a tough recovery. As he is kicking out, Filipe is twisting into his first speed wrap off the top. Two pumps later, he’s leaning back and into an under-the-lip hook. A delayed bottom turn and into an oncoming closeout section to, again, put the exclamation mark on, this one a bit louder. As the final 10 seconds count down the scores roll in and Griffin is informed he needs an 8.58. Four seconds showing when Griff gets to his feet, one turn, wave goes flat. Filipe Toledo wins the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach.
Looks like we could be in for a back to back World Champ, at least on the Men’s side, which would be the first since John John in 2016 & 2017. Of course a lot will happen between now and then. Filipe will likely be able to skip Teahupoo again – if he were to so choose, and he’ll probably still be at Lowers in September. And the way he’s surfing right now, who do you got to match him? We didn’t even see any of his air game and he just won that thing.
On the Women’s side we’ve got an interesting look. Carissa is still at the top, but Molly Picklum will now be joining her in Yellow as they are tied up there. Tyler Wright is still the surfer in form, in my opinion. Steph Gilmore is officially below the cut line as of right now. Again, a lot will happen.
I’m not going to post any of the ranking because you can just look those up, but interesting things to me:
- Courtney Conlogue, Sally Fitz, and Steph all below the cut line.
- Caity Simmers and Tati tied, just above the cut line.
- Johanne Defay still has not surfed due to injury.
- Every male surfer below the cut has lost in R32 or before in both contests (17th place). You really need 9th or above.
- Sammy Pupo, O’Leary, Zeke Lau below cut line (surprises)
- Kolohe, Jake Marshall, MRod all down below cut line (not surprises)
And there we have it. Portugal up next. I’ve got those stats I told you about coming soon. Then some kind of preview write-up for what was previously known as the “Euro Leg” on tour. Until then, hope you’re staying out of the wind. Possibly see you at Camp Shred next weekend?
Cheers,
hwilsin