They say that Margaret River lends itself well to Hawaii’s surfers due to its heavy water and powerful waves, similar to those found in multiple spots around the Hawaiian Islands. Anyone who watched Sebastian Zietz in his second-round heat would
They say that Margaret River lends itself well to Hawaii’s surfers due to its heavy water and powerful waves, similar to those found in multiple spots around the Hawaiian Islands. Anyone who watched Sebastian Zietz in his second-round heat would probably nod in assured agreement.
The Western Australia break is the scene for the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, currently hosting both the men’s and women’s World Championship Tours. Seabass did not win his first-round heat but was electric in his second-round elimination battle with Australia’s Matt Wilkinson. Zietz, of Kilauea, was constantly flying down the face of each wave at top speed while managing the bumps as if they were non-existent. He and Wilkinson exchanged jabs early, but Seabass separated himself as the 30-minute heat wore on.
By many accounts, Zietz is one of the more well-liked surfers on tour for his fun-loving attitude. But he’s also recently earned some comparisons to Andy Irons for not only his home island but the way he can attack heats and how hard he competes. The heat against Wilkinson was a great example of that tenacity. Seabass went after some fast-moving, smallish waves but got every bit of maneuvering he could, making it all look very easy in the process. He was able to handle less than optimal conditions and his board seemed to be just an extension of his extremities.
His two-wave total of 15.83 was the second-highest score of the second round, behind only John John Florence and his all-or-nothing style, which garnered a 17.60 earlier in the day. The win over Wilko set up an elimination heat with American Nat Young in the third round. Young and Zietz are both in their second seasons on the world tour and Young earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2013, finishing the season ranked eighth.
The Zietz-Young heat did not hit the water before press time, so it will be at least an Equal 13th place result for Seabass, or he could still be in the event and showing some of the tactics he displayed in his breakout performance at Haleiwa in 2012, which is considered a similar wave to Margaret River.
Before press time Saturday (which was Sunday in Australia), four third-round heats were completed with Bede Durbidge, Josh Kerr, Jordy Smith and Miguel Pupo making the fourth round with respective wins over Taj Burrow, Adrian “Ace” Buchan, Adam Melling and CJ Hobgood.
MANUEL UNABLE TO SOLVE MOORE PUZZLE
For as great a year as she is having, Wailua’s Malia Manuel has constantly run into the same road block. Defending world champion Carissa Moore continues to hold over Manuel as the Oahu surfer again eliminated her fellow Hawaii competitor in the quarterfinals of the women’s event. It makes a pair of Equal 5th finishes for Manuel to start the season, though she is now winless in seven head-to-head heats with Moore, who has knocked her out of both WCT events this year.
Moore kept that momentum going with a big win over Stephanie Gilmore in the semifinals, setting up a championship heat against Australia’s Tyler Wright. Moore and Wright finished one and two in the 2013 WCT standings, so they are continuing that rivalry early in 2013. Neither reached the final at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast so this time, it was Moore who earned her first title of 2014.
Moore was active early with a few small rides and gained a lead about 10 minutes in with a three-turn wave and making it out of the whitewash on her board for a 7.50. Wright responded well with an excellent wave for an 8.00 and held a small lead as the clock ticked to just a handful of minutes remaining. But Moore stayed super active and used priority well, picking up an eight-point wave to pull back ahead and came away with a 15.73 to 14.10 victory.
