J-Bay is a wave that favors serious rail work–when it’s on, that is. The first round of the J-Bay Open, however, did not favor serious rail work. And, as is usually the case, when the best in the world can’t lay it on rail, they take to the air.
While the forecast called for “challenging” conditions (read: bad), the most surprising thing about the first day was just how unsurprising it was. Save for two losses, the day was pretty predictable. The first loss came when CJ Hobgood took out a very in form Owen Wright. While CJ is always a threat, Owen looked seemingly unbeatable after his performance in Fiji. Although Wright held the lead for nearly the entire head, CJ snuck by him in the last minute of the heat.
“I just want to surf good and it was kind of a slow heat and Owen’s been going hard out there,” said Hobgood. “Owen’s surfing is so smooth. His turns look a lot bigger than mine so I know I have to catch bigger waves than him.”
In the second surprise, wildcard Dane Reynolds took out Filipe Toledo, who is currently sitting at number two in the world. In conditions like the ones on the first day of surfing, Toledo excels. And although Reynolds is one of the best aerialists in the world, he’s famously unable to show just how good he is while judges are watching. Toledo, on the other had, seems to have just about every move above the lip dialed to perfection.
Slater, who has been dragging his feet a bit this year, showed up to the J-Bay party with bells on. In his heat against Matt Wilkinson and Glenn Hall, he managed to pull down a 17.00 heat, the highest of the day.
“I feel really good and I took a lot of time off this week,” said Slater. “I didn’t chase that last swell and I took some time for myself. I also felt really good in my freesurf yesterday. I felt calm and I watched it a couple hours beforehand to see where to sit and which waves to catch and who’s doing what. I don’t feel like anyone’s been able to stand out today. I’ve got to do something, you know? Got to keep these guys on their toes while I’m here.”
See the full results HERE.
