Date: Sunday, April 20, 2014 Schedule: Round 2 (Heats 1-6) and Round 3 (Heat 1-4) Conditions: Three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) waves at Bells Bowl and Rincon.
Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach Rd. 3
Women’s competition immediately transitioned from Round 2 to 3, with the world’s best lighting up pumping waves at Rincon.
Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.37, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 17.00, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 15.93
Heat 1 began in electric fashion, with Sally Fitzgibbons, Courtney Conlogue and Nikki Van Dijk each posting incredible efforts in the high performance conditions at Rincon.
Fitzgibbons led the affair, earning the highest scores of the entire Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach competition due to ferocious carves and fin-wafts. Fitzgibbons’ near-perfect heat of 18.37 saw the Australian throw away multiple 8 point rides.
While both Conlogue and Van Dijk were relegated to Round 4, both campaigners strung together spectacular forehand displays of their own in a heat that saw a flurry of excellent scores from start-to-finish.
Heat 2: Coco Ho (HAW) 15.87, Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.56, Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.70
Fireworks continued in the all-Hawaiian Heat 2, with Coco Ho, reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore and Malia Manuel extending the trend of excellent scores at Rincon.
Ho set the pace with an 8.50 for a flawless connection of forehand maneuvers, while Moore fought back with a 7.83 and 7.73 of her own. Manuel also entered in the race, displaying classic power surfing and unique progression for a pair of 6s. Ho backed up her strong start, belting an additional 7.37 to relegate her fellow islanders to Round 4 while advancing to the Quarterfinals.
The memorable day continued when Tyler Wright, Lakey Peterson, and Laura Enever reveled in the lineup as Rincon continued to pump.
While the previous heats saw each athlete contest for the lead, Heat 3 was owned by Tyler Wright from start-to-finish. The Australian detonated the groomed walls at Rincon with a display of powerful carves and progressive fins-free turns. Wright’s excellent 16.93 heat total secured a berth directly in to the Quarterfinals.
Five-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore, rookie Dimity Stoyle and Bianca Buitendag punctuated the stunning day of surfing, with each athlete locking in excellent rides while battling for a Quarterfinals berth.
Buitendag started first with a striking backhand attack for an 8.00. Dimity Stoyle notched two excellent scores of her own. The rookie locked in on two firing Rincon sets, belting countless turns for an 8.00 and 7.57.
Gilmore fought back, first posting an 8.27, eventually overtaking the rookie in the dying minutes with three massive turns for a 9.17 and a slot in the Quarterfinals.
Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach Rd. 2
Following the completion of Men’s Round 2 competition, the ASP Top 17 took to the water in high-tide conditions that forced the athletes to choose between sets at Bells Bowl and Rincon.
Hawaii’s Coco Ho and New Zealand’s Paige Hareb battled in the first Round 2 clash in inconsistent conditions brought on by the high tide, with both athletes looking to Bells Bowl for their scores.
Ho opened her campaign first with a low 4.00, but connected a strong second ride of a 7.33 for a series of sizzling forehand combinations. Hareb was unable to find a rhythm, with Ho securing a Round 3 berth.
Heat 2 saw a battle of the Hawaiians with Kauai’s Malia Manuel taking on Oahu’s Alessa Quizon in inconsistent conditions at Bells Bowl.
Manuel asserted her dominance over rookie, Quizon, navigating the challenging high-tide conditions with seamless rail work. Manuel carved up an excellent 15.00 heat total, securing a Round 3 berth, while Quizon will look to regroup in Brazil.
Reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore battled local trials winner Zoe Clarke next, with both surfers shifting to Rincon for their waves over Bells Bowl.
Moore drew first blood, blending her polished carves on the slopey faces for a 6.00 opener. Clarke was quick to answer back, blasting a 5.33 and 4.67 of her own, surpassing the champ for the lead. Moore was unfazed and logged the highest score of Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach competition of 9.73 for a complete forehand repertoire to nail down the Round 2 win.
Tyler Wright, 2013 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Runner-Up, found herself in Round 2 against dangerous French rookie Johanne Defay, with both surfers putting together strong rides in Round 2.
While Defay would show spark at Rincon, Wright decimated the conditions, netting the event’s high heat total of 17.53 when she displayed her explosive forehand arsenal to take a convincing Round 2 win.
Lakey Peterson built momentum in her Round 2 bout against Hawaiian Alana Blanchard. Peterson logged a pair of 6 point ride to start, while the Hawaiian also posted some midrange scores on the board.
Peterson’s superior wave selection allowed her to unload her full array of polished carves and progressive turns, eventually belting a 9.17 and 8.00, securing a Round 3 berth.
Australian Laura Enever took on Pauline Ado in a close Round 2 battle in improving conditions at Rincon, with both regular-footers posting solid scores on the board.
Both Enever and Ado put their rail game on display through two crucial exchanges, with Enever’s 6.83 and 5.40 narrowly surpassing Ado’s 6.60 and 5.60 for a spot in Round 3.
