HALE‘IWA — With surf at times higher than 10 feet (Hawaiian scale), Day 2 produced solid high-performance rides on Sunday at the 2007 Xcel Pro Presented by No Fear. Wave faces were the largest at Sunset Beach so far this
HALE‘IWA — With surf at times higher than 10 feet (Hawaiian scale), Day 2 produced solid high-performance rides on Sunday at the 2007 Xcel Pro Presented by No Fear.
Wave faces were the largest at Sunset Beach so far this season, beginning the day at 10 to 14 feet with clean, glassy conditions, thanks to a north swell that had arrived overnight.
High-performance surf continued into the afternoon, as sets stayed consistently large into the afternoon and winds remained light and variable.
Rounds 2 and 3 produced solid cover-ups for many riders, as Roy Powers barreled a 9.43 — the highest-scoring wave of the day — after sitting in fourth place for most of his 24-minute heat.
“I was watching everyone catch some good ones,” Powers said in a release, “and knew I had to get one of those barrels.”
The ride catapulted Powers to a heat win and a place in Round 4 (round of 32).
Competitors were stoked to be able to get in some time with world-class Sunset.
“The waves were just great,” said Shane Beschen, fresh out of the water after advancing from Round 3 to Round 4. “It’s been going off all day — you can’t really ask for much better surf.”
Xcel president Ed D’Ascoli added, “This was, hands down, one of the top 10 contest days we’ve ever run in the 24-year history of the Xcel Pro.”
The swell is expected to drop sometime this week but may still be solid enough to run the final Day 3 of competition with a Round 3, Heat 13 8 a.m. HST start.
The waiting period runs to Saturday, November 10.
Watch for Powers, Beschen, and more in Round 4 when the last day is underway. They’ll be joined by 2006 Xcel Pro champion Evan Valiere of Kaua‘i, who also advanced and will face tough competition in defending his title; current Men’s WQS leader Jordy Smith; and Hawai‘i’s own Sunny Garcia.
The 4-Star 2007 Xcel Pro Presented by No Fear is the only WQS contest held on O‘ahu’s North Shore before the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing begins in November.
The talented local and international field will battle for valuable ratings points and a $75,000 total purse.
For more information, visit the official Web site www.xcelwetsuits.com.
For more surf stories, see the Surf page on B3.
