The 2016 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League Championship Tour got underway yesterday at Snapper Rocks. In 3-to-5 foot conditions, the world’s best (minus a few due to last year’s injuries) took to the water to start their bids for the world title.
In the first heat of the day, Italo Ferreira, last year’s Rookie of the Year, came out firing. Pitted up against Ryan Callinan and this year’s rookie Keanu Asing, Ferreira let everyone know his intentions early with a win in the first heat of the first event of the year.
Brazilian wunderkind Filipe Toledo, who won the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast last year, advanced into the third round after beating injury replacement Stuart Kennedy and fellow Brazilian Jadson Andre. Toledo is feeling very confident this year. “Coming here again to defend my title with really good boards and with the wind in the first round makes me more comfortable and excited for the next round,” he said. “I am now trying to push harder in ways that I really need to improve. Last year, I had a good feeling fighting for the title so this year I feel more comfortable. I know I have the potential to be there, too.”
Mick Fanning, who has revealed that he may only be competing at Snapper and Bells this year, came out on top at his home break after his heat with Wade Carmichael. “I wasn’t tense, I was laughing and relaxed,” he remembered. “Even paddling out in the heat I wanted to surf and get a couple of good waves and it was fun.” Fanning has decided to take some time off tour to re-group this year. “I always just want to go surfing. I’m not as freaked out to be the first one in the water anymore. It is more about just surfing when I want to surf and being in love with it.”
In heat six, reigning world champ Adriano de Souza took on Kolohe Andino and event wildcard Michael Wright. The mullet-wearing wildcard ended up beating both seasoned vets, just squeezing by de Souza by .04 of a point. “I was pretty stoked for Quiksilver to give me the wildcard this year,” said Mikey. “It was a little dusty at the start, but that last one was a pretty fun and I was stoked to get a couple of good waves.”
Kelly Slater was relegated to round two in the eighth heat when he couldn’t overcome Matt Wilkison. With a two-wave combined score of 17.00, he beating Slater by 3.73 points and Coffin Coffin by 4.83 points. “It started off a little bit slow and I put down a fairly good score and then I had priority,” Wilkinson said. “With Kelly and Conner out there I knew I had to use my priority ride. That one came and Kelly was paddling and I took off. I ended up with a really good one, so I was stoked.”
In the final heat of the day, Joel Parkinson put his local knowledge to good use to knock John John Florence and Jack Freestone into the second round. Within a few minutes of the horn signaling the start of the heat, Parko put up an 8.60 and a back up that would remain impossible to beat. “I definitely had a little bit of local knowledge in that one,” Parkinson said. “I felt that Jack was pretty tense in that heat. The first time on the big league and the big stage really does play a role in your head, but I was really impressed with how much he relaxed. I know in my first ever CT heat I was so much more nervous than probably what he was.”
To watch the event live, head over to WorldSurfLeague.com
