In the midst of some chaos, even the smallest bits of order and normalcy can be a welcome sight. As the relief efforts continue for areas all over Kauai and specifically Hanalei, Haena and Wainiha, some distractions can often assist in the process. One that would have been a nice respite was the Margaret River Pro, which was shaping up to be a very exciting event with some big waves for the taking.
But the World Surf League announced Tuesday that it was canceling the remainder of the event because of some shark incidents that have occurred over recent days in nearby areas. WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt stated that the tour puts the safety of its surfers at the forefront and must continue to act with that priority in mind, no matter the financial losses or fan disappointment.
Two separate attacks occurred Monday at Gracetown, which is roughly six kilometers from the Margaret River Pro main break. The presence of beached whales in the area was attracting the sharks to the location, Goldschmidt said. Though they have positions in place to protect the surfers and assist in their safety, she said that the situation was too unpredictable to continue and risk an incident.
It’s a disappointing result for many of the women, including Tatiana Weston-Webb, who was into the quarterfinal round with a matchup against Carissa Moore. Many of the women had put on a tremendous display in round three as the waves had grown and the winds had cooperated. Moore, Stephanie Gilmore, Nikki Van Dijk and Tyler Wright had won their three-woman heats, while Bronte Macaulay,
Weston-Webb, Lakey Peterson and Johanne Defay had each also advanced in second place.
Malia Manuel, Sally Fitzgibbons, Caroline Marks and Coco Ho were each knocked out in those third-round matchups.
For the men, Sebastian Zietz was primed for a third-round elimination heat against Conner Coffin. Zietz appeared to be in a good position to make a solid run at this event, but he’ll have to leave Australia with some work to do on the remainder of the schedule.
Goldschmidt stated that the WSL is not opposed to a solution for concluding the contest at some point this year. If that means a return trip to Margaret River or a completion at some other location isn’t yet clear, but they are not going to award points yet, leaving options open down the road.
Safety remains at the forefront and the top priority. With that in mind, there have been many individuals who have been emblematic in their efforts to help those in need this week, with the number growing every day. A good portion of those have been parts of the Kauai surf community and local watermen/women who have used whatever resources at their disposal to assist in the rescue efforts.
Whether it has been documenting events to share with social media followers, hopping on jet skis or kayaks to transport people or wrangle buffalo, gassing up boats to evacuate folks cut off from the rest of the island or simply driving door to door through local neighborhoods to see who needs help, a lot should be said for how those often in the water were self-activated when the water devastated Kauai.
There is a lot to do and hopefully an expected return of the same storm this evening won’t cause any new damage, but it seems that distractions will be few and far between for the time being.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
