G’DAY world.
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Feeling the sand embedded between your sheets is the often grainy weekly wash, proudly brought to you by AKWA Surf, keeping you informed with all the surf happenings locally and what's been happening on the pro tour.
Talk about a wild and windy week.
We started with a torrent of rain sleet and snow which was so brawling even the trusty mail man decided to park the moto and head to the Commie Pub instead.
Of course the upside to the weather being foul is the surf looms up out of deep water and vents its anger at the beach, which surfers gladly open their arms to.
Another cooler front came through after the warmth of the weekend to again provide waves for the duration of the working week, which really did not offer any excuse to not partake in the activity we all know and love called surfing.
When the seas picked up to the peak of the storm finding rideable waves was a slight challenge and surfers had to look a little harder than Facebook to find a protected, clean spot which was still allowing the waves to come in.
One thing being a slightly elder grommet among the swarm of youth is you seem to sniff out all the odd nooks and crannies our incredible coastline offers and this is exactly what Peter "Marsupial" Horton did when he found Noosa on the South Coast at a little point known to the locals as Jones’.
This special little point is a rare occurrence, in fact the last time it the seldom point broke was when the Loch Ness Monster and Mister Snuffleupagus had a rap dance off at Bannister's pool bar and were banned for life.
Marsupial though, who has a sixth sense for smelling out a point break, was in his element gliding over pristine waters with a strange view of the coast line not many have experienced.
Early on Saturday morning the surf was pretty special, with a nice fan of off shore winds wisping the four foot swell to a seductive view especially to surfers.
Conditions looked pretty good for Dolphin Point and it was a pretty popular destination for the local community.
It was also rare to see a wave ski surfer, or more affectionately known as a “goat boater” among the lineup.
“Goat boaters” are about as popular as a piano accordion at a Slayer gig by surfers.
They were everywhere in the 80s but seemingly have been killed off.
As I watched this “goat boater” in the water there was something a little different - he actually could read the wave well and even was landing airs at will.
After chatting to him I found out it was the former five-time world champion John Christianson, so after I gave him a couple of sly digs at being the pig of the sea he happily swapped his craft for his surfboard and I was blown away by how well he actually surfed on a regular board as well and I had to tip my hat to him and commend him on being a true waterman.
Supertubos delivered major upsets and high drama as current tour frontrunners Gabriel Medina and 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater were eliminated in round three from the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal by Brett Simpson and Aritz Aranburu, respectively.
The Brazilian’s early exit ended his chance of claiming a historic world championship in Portugal, effectively sending the title race to the final event of the year in Hawaii.
Huntington Beach’s Simpson took the surprise win over the Medina by less than a point, with a final score of 12.50 to Medina’s 12.06.
With just minutes remaining on the clock, Medina had the opportunity to overtake Simpson, but left the water after his final wave before time ran down.
Heat seven of round three witnessed another shocking defeat when Aranburu eliminated Slater, who will leave Portugal with his second 13th place finish of the year.
In addition to Medina and Slater’s eliminations, current ASP World No. 4 Joel Parkinson (AUS) was also knocked out of the competition in the third round at the hands Adam Melling (AUS), ending the 2012 ASP World Champion’s run at a second title this season.
The race will now come down to the final event of the season, the Billabong Pipe Masters.
Stay classy Milton Ulladulla, and if anyone would like to add anything to this column either call into AKWA surf, buzz us on 4454 5222 or email mekurt@akwasurf.com.au.
Until next week, stay wet.