Irishman Gearoid McDaid has made a habit out of blasting to the relative warm shores of Portugal whenever the charts go dodgy on his home shores.
Portugal V.2 is an edit put together by Onterre Films from some sessions with Surf Solutions earlier this winter.
“Yeah I go to Portugal a lot. The last few years Ive been there a couple of times each winter but this year it seems like it’s been pumping pretty consistent. Every time the waves start to go bad at home and I look at the chart for Portugal it’s pumping and so I jump on a flight and am there the next day. The waves are sick and the weather feels so nice and for middle of winter you cant get much better. I also have a lot of friends in Portugal now which helps get you waves a bit too and is good for some banter post surf. And you cant beat a good UCAL (Chocolate milk) there after a surf.” Gearoid
Owen Wright Fires in First CT Event Following 2015 Head Injury
Frederico Morais Represents Rookie Class with Round 1 Heat Win
Lakey Peterson Sets the Bar at Snapper with Near-Perfect 19.27
Siblings Mikey, Owen and Tyler Wright Through to Round 3
The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast resumed today with the remaining heat of women’s Round 1, men’s Round 1, women’s Round 2, and the opening 2 heats of men’s Round 2. The competition saw the world’s best surfers take on the first event of the Australian leg in clean three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) conditions.
The WSL Champions put on a clinic today at Snapper Rocks with Round 1 heat wins by John John Florence (HAW), Gabriel Medina (BRA), Mick Fanning (AUS), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Adriano de Souza (BRA) and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), and Round 2 victories by Tyler Wright (AUS) and Kelly Slater (USA).
Florence demonstrated why he is the reigning WSL Champion as he posted an excellent 16.83 two-wave score to defeat event wildcard Mikey Wright (AUS) and 2017 WSL Rookie Connor O’Leary (AUS) in Heat 5. Wright secured a strong 7.67, but was not able to lock in the near-perfect 9.16 required to overthrow Florence. O’Leary struggled to find the scores to escape the combination and will surf again in elimination Round 2.
“I feel a lot better without the pressure of winning a World Title,” Florence said. “The waves were so fun during that heat. They really allow you to open up and surf the way you want, which is sick. It looks like the waves are going to pick up more over the next few days so it could be really amazing.”
Medina blazed through opening heat of the year with a commanding 16.50 combined score, putting compatriot Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) and 2017 WSL Rookie Ezekiel Lau (HAW) in a difficult combination situation. The 2014 WSL Champion unleashed a variety of powerful maneuvers to set the tone of his 2017 World Title campaign, but an air on his ride led to Medina tweaking his knee. He continued to surf the heat and even posted his highest score after sustaining the injury, but sought treatment upon returning to shore.
Heat 7 witnessed a heavyweight match-up between three-time WSL Champion Fanning, 11-time WSL Champion Slater, and CT veteran Jeremy Flores (FRA). Flores held the lead for a majority of the heat, requiring the World Champions to answer back with stronger second-wave scores. With time running out, Slater attempted to combat Flores, but could not earn the required score, while Fanning waited patiently with priority. Under pressure, Fanning’s local knowledge paid off as he was able to catch a wave in the dying seconds of the heat to earn a 7.14, defeating Flores by only 0.14.
“I was sitting out there with priority for a while, but it’s so hard in these conditions because sometimes priority’s a curse,” Fanning said. “It’s a confidence booster that I could keep my cool there at the end and that’s how I want to go the whole year. I don’t want to worry about the consequences, but want to just keep going.”
Following a year-long absence from competition after suffering a serious head injury, Owen Wright (AUS) made a stunning return to the elite tour with two excellent 8-point rides for the heat win against rookie Ethan Ewing (AUS) and Sebastian Zietz (HAW). Ewing made a big statement with his opening ride, a near-perfect 9.10, but could not find the second wave score to challenge Wright’s 16.83 combined score.
“This is pretty emotional for me and winning today feels great,” Wright said. “It’s been a tough journey getting here, so I really enjoyed the moment of being out there. Winning my first heat back and my first heat as a dad is the best thing ever. Being a father is giving me dad energy and the buzz of life.”
World Title contenders Julian Wilson (AUS) and Kolohe Andino (USA) will advance to Round 3 after defeating rookie Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA), 2016 Rookie of the Year Caio Ibelli (BRA), Jack Freestone (AUS) and Kanoa Igarashi (USA), respectively.
The Quiksilver Pro also ran through the first two heats of elimination Round 2, which saw event wildcard Mikey Wright (AUS) upset the competition with his dispatch of top-seed Michel Bourez (PYF). Slater also punched his ticket to Round 3 after eliminating Trials winner Nat Young (USA). With Slater advancing through, Round 3 will see all nine World Champions on the CT still in the running for the event win.
Competition kicked off with the remaining heat of women’s Round 1 of the Roxy Pro Gold Coast, which saw six-time WSL Champion and five-time Roxy Pro winner Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) steal the win from an in-form Lakey Peterson (USA) and Malia Manuel (HAW) with some last-minute heroics. “This event is so important for a good start to the year,” Gilmore said. “A lot of people that win here go on to win the title so a good start is super important. It means a lot to make that heat at the end
like that, this is my home break and I’d like to do well here. I’d love to win the contest.”
In the first elimination round of the year, Round 2 saw intense match-ups as the women fought to avoid an early exit from the event.
2016 WSL Champion Tyler Wright (AUS) delivered one of the biggest performances of the day with a near-perfect 9.50 on her opening ride and an excellent 8.00 back-up score. Stuck under Wright’s 17.50 combined score, Trials winner Alyssa Lock (AUS) was not able to turn in the scores required to best the defending event winner.
“I took a very calculated approach after yesterday’s heat,” Wright said. “Surfing in Round 2 is no different to any other round, I just focused on not making crucial errors like I did in Round 1. This has been such an emotional day. Seeing Owen (Wright) go out and win his heat was super emotional. When the heat was over i cried for about fifteen minutes. The fact that he won wasn’t a surprise at all, I know what he is capable of, so it was awesome to see him get back to that sort of form.”
Lakey Peterson (USA) found perfection at Snapper Rocks with the event’s first Perfect 10 against CT veteran Silvana Lima (BRA) in the final heat of Round 2. Peterson showcased a variety of maneuvers to earn the highest heat score of the day, a near-perfect 19.27. Lima will be eliminated from the event in 13th place, her worst result at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast.
“I haven’t had a 10 in who knows how long,” Peterson said. “After last season with the ankle injury and the hard work put in during the offseason, I just felt like it all finally came together. After the 10 I looked at my watch and realized there was still fifteen minutes left with just me, perfect waves at Snapper and one other person. I was having a blast. I am so thankful to be here happy and healthy.”
Current World No. 5 Johanne Defay (FRA) survived her Round 2 match-up against compatriot Pauline Ado (FRA) with a strong buzzer-beater finish. Ado held the lead heading into the final minutes of the heat, but it was Defay who solidified the win with an excellent 8.07 and 7.83. Ado fell off tour in 2014 but rejoins the CT this season after two years of hard work on the QS. Ado’s run at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast will end with an Equal 13th place finish.
“It’s been hard to warm-up this week as there are always so many people out at Snapper,” Defay said. “I’m not super happy with my performance in that heat, my wave choice wasn’t great. I feel like I was lucky to get through that one but am feeling good. I’m excited for my next heat and hope I can build from Round 3.”
Heat 2 saw a tight battle between 2017 WSL Rookie Bronte Macaulay (AUS) and Sage Erickson (AUS). Both surfers exhibited clean maneuvers, but it was the rookie who survived the elimination with a 15.40 two-wave score over Erickson’s 13.17. Erickson will leave this event with an Equal 13th place result.
2016 Rookie of the Year Keely Andrew (AUS) and Coco Ho (HAW) will also advance through to the next round after dispatching Laura Enever (AUS) and Malia Manuel (HAW), respectively.
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. local time to assess the conditions and make the next call.
Surfline, official forecast for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro, are calling for:
The interaction between high pressure sliding over New Zealand and a trough east of the Gold Coast has
set up the start of a prolonged run of trade windswell/swell that will continue through early next week. Local winds look good Friday into the weekend. Watching winds in the longer range.
The event will be broadcast LIVE via WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL app and the WSL’s Facebook page as well as Fox Sports in Australia, Sky NZ, SFR Sports in France, Sport TV in Portugal, EDGE Sports in China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and other territories and on Globo TV in Brazil.
Roxy Pro Gold Coast Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Keely Andrew (AUS) 12.67 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.13
Heat 2: Sage Erickson (USA) vs. Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Heat 3: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Alyssa Lock (AUS)
Heat 4: Johanne Defay (FRA) 15.90 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 13.93
Heat 5: Coco Ho (HAW) 14.50 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.36
Heat 6: Lakey Peterson (USA) 19.27 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 13.40
Roxy Pro Gold Coast Round 3 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW), Johanne Defay (FRA), Coco Ho (HAW)
Heat 2: Tyler Wright (AUS), Nikki Van Dijk (AUS), Lakey Peterson (USA)
Heat 3: Courtney Conlogue (USA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Keely Andrew (AUS)
Heat 4: Carissa Moore (HAW), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.46, Michel Bourez (PYF) 10.27, Conner Coffin (USA) 9.40
Heat 2: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.67, Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 8.83, Ian Gouveia (BRA) 8.13
Heat 3: Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.33, Jack Freestone (AUS) 10.67, Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 3.10
Heat 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.50, Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 6.07, Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 10.70
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.93, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 11.77, Nat Young (USA) 10.66
Heat 6: John John Florence (HAW) 16.83, Mikey Wright (AUS) 13.50, Connor O’Leary (AUS) 8.20
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS), 13.27, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.13, Kelly Slater (USA) 11.20
Heat 8: Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.80, Leonardo Fioravanti (ITL) 12.07, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 10.90
Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.86, Joan Duru (FRA) 16.40, Italo Ferreira (BRA) 11.66
Heat 10: Frederico Morais (PRT) 15.70, Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.10, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 13.43
Heat 11: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.17, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.44, Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.33
Heat 12: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.83, Ethan Ewing (AUS) 15.27, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 12.20
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Mikey Wright (AUS) 14.17 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.20
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.03 def. Nat Young (USA) 12.94
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Remaining Round 2 Match-Ups:
Heat 3: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
Heat 4: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 5: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Ian Gouveia (BRA)
Heat 6: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA).
Heat 7: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Heat 8: Caio Ibelli (BRA) vs. Joan Duru (FRA)
Heat 9: Conner Coffin (USA) vs. Bede Durbidge (AUS)
Heat 10: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) vs. Ethan Ewing (AUS)
Heat 11: Kanoa Igarashi (USA) vs. Connor O’Leary (AUS)
Heat 12: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
This just in from London. Carve reader Will Robertson sent in this pic of a Sri Lanka tourist board ad which is all over London underground.
“It’s been a while since I last surfed A Bay, but judging from this poster on the wall of the London tube the reef must have shifted and it’s got a lot more square. And Fanning’s doing a good job of surfing it switch too.
It’s definitely a “different kind of surf” – quite literally.
Oh how lazy ad people can miss some fundamentals – thought I would share the love.”
Not sure what is more annoying. Using a wave from a totally different ocean as A Bay (A Bay is actually very fun in its own right). The sacrilege of putting Mick the wrong way round. Or the irony that we actually emailed Sri Lanka tourist board to offer a bit of help before Christmas and they ignored our emails.
If you want a campaign done right, maybe hire surfing art director?
Weaving its way through Seignosse, The Wander Landes Festival presented by VISSLA and Heads Beach Brewing Company will appear at a selection of different hotspots Thursday 21st September – Sunday 24th September 2017.
Tickets are now on sale via the website www.wanderlandesfestival.com
Sharing their passion for music and love of the ocean, Sunset Sons have invited a host of special guests to join them on stage and in the water to offer a unique surf/sound experience with a fusion of live performances, delicious street food, surf competitions and afterparties.
Culminating in one epic live show at the Salle des Bourdaines in Seignosse, The Wander Landes Festival will give fans the opportunity to see Sunset Sons perform on their adopted home turf headlining on Saturday 23rd September.
Joining the Hossegor locals on stage will be Bristol-based indie rock outfit New Carnival . The upand-coming four-piece, renowned for their funk-laden live sets, have been independently releasing great sounding music that has gained widespread attention including that of Radio 1.
Also gracing the stage with his distinctive voice and captivating guitar style is London-based
singer songwriter Nathan Ball. Biarritz native Lee-Ann Curren , daughter of living legend Tom Curren, will join Sunset Sons in the surf and on stage on Saturday 23rd September.
Swapping the shires of Cornwall for the sands of Seignosse, four-piece band Haunt the Woods will bring their unique sound to the Salle des Bourdaines.
The final act joining Sunset Sons in Seignosse is Consolers . Delivering performances that never fail to get the young and the old smiling, this Hanover born band will be bringing their colourful chorus-driven sounds to The Wander Landes Festival.
Acts will put on additional performances throughout Seignosse in Heads Beach Brewing Company, Louvine and L’Acaï.
Sunset Sons commented: “Since releasing our debut album last year and playing many different festivals across Europe, we decided that it was time to bring the party vibe to our hometown. Hossegor is where this band started, it’s where we all met and it really does means everything to us. Having the opportunity to invite our friends to play at The Wander Landes Festival while incorporating different parts of the town is going to be ace.”
Celebrating the Atlantic’s peeling waves and warm water temperatures, The Wander Landes
Festival will kick off ocean activity on Friday 22nd September with the official Foam Froth Surf Event courtesy of Catch Surf. Welcoming participation at all levels, this tag team style surf session using only soft-top surfboards will bring together musicians, pro surfers, industry veterans and fans.
Bringing a mouth-watering element to the four-day fiesta, the Louvine Terrace will burst to life with food trucks and vendor stands serving delicious delicacies from around the world. Welcoming an all-star cast of local chefs and finessing foodies, Louvine will add some serious street food flavour to The Wander Landes Festival on Friday 22nd September.
Adrien Waller of VISSLA commented: “We are stoked here at VISSLA to join forces with The
Wander Landes Festival. VISSLA represents creative freedom, a forward-thinking philosophy, and a generation of creators and innovators, and we feel it’s an awesome opportunity to support this first edition of a great music and surf event in our local playground.”
THE WANDER LANDES FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
THURSDAY / JEUDI
21/09 19h00 – 02h00
HEADS OPENING PARTY (Free event)
Music: Consolers / Guest DJ sets
@ Heads Beach Brewery, Seignosse
FRIDAY / VENDREDI
22/09 10h00 – 16h00 (Free event)
FOAM FROTH
Surf: Event presented by Catch Surf
@ Estagnots beach, Seignosse
18h00 – 23h00
STREET FOOD FESTIVAL (Free event)
Food: Vendor stands / food trucks
Music: Haunt the Woods / Daz DJ set
@ Louvine, Seignosse
SATURDAY / SAMEDI 23/09
12h00 – 15h00
ENTRÉE AT L’ACAÏ (Free event)
Music: Shit Disco DJ set
@ L’Açaï, Seignosse
19h00 – 00h00
LES CONCERTS (Tickets:20/50€)
Music: Sunset Sons, New Carnival, Nathan Ball, Lee-Ann Curren, Haunt the Woods, Consolers
@ Salle des Bourdaines, Seignosse
SUNDAY / DIMANCHE 24/09
19h00 – 02h00
CLOSING PARTY (Free event)
@ Heads Beach Brewery, Seignosse
The Wander Landes Festival is a ticketed event that hopes to welcome thousands festival goers across the four days. Tickets are currently on sale priced at € 20.
Please note The Wander Landes Festival also offers a VIP Ticket option priced at € 50 which includes a meet and greet experience with artists before the show at Salle des Bourdaines, a signed festival poster and merchandise.
The Wander Landes Festival is proudly sponsored by VISSLA and Heads Beach Brewing
Company.
For further information and to purchase tickets please visit www.wanderlandesfestival.com
