Thrilling rides, spectacular wipeouts, broken surfboards and nail-biting victories were the order of the day as the men's Mr Price Pro Ballito got under way in a powerful two-metre swell that lashed the Ballito coastline on Monday.
After a two-day wait for the world's best to perform in Ballito, spectators were rewarded as the men shone in the round of 144 at the event's new mobile home.
Stylish Durban surfer Simon Nicholson stood out in the wind-ravaged waves, his experience and knowledge of the Ballito break translating into a winning performance, that proved the first of five heat wins for the South African contingent.
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"Ballito's not an easy wave to ride and I've been surfing here for over 10 years," said Nicholson. "I didn't manage to get out in time when the heat started because I got caught by a big set, by the time I got out I was exhausted.
| 'I managed to get two long running rights' |
"I think I just got lucky because I managed to get two long running rights. I tried to put in some decent turns and I got those scores so I was stoked."
2006 Pro Champion Ricky Basnett looked comfortable in the challenging conditions, edging out Hawaii's Torey Meister with a series of clean carves and a controlled floater.
"Conditions are pretty hard today - there's a lot of swell around, it's super windy and icy cold," said the former ASP World Tour campaigner. "There's a lot of power out there and some good surfing."
Basnett, South Africa's only Pro Champion since Shaun Thomson's six-year reign in the 1970's, fell off elite ASP World Tour competition in 2008.
"The change of venue is pretty amazing," continued Basnett, "It's similar to the Bluff where I live because it's got a lot of power to it."
| Rudy Palmboom had no problems tackling the powerful surf |
Cape Town's Brandon Roberts captured a bittersweet victory for South Africa, narrowly advancing ahead of WQS No.3 Adam Melling of Australia, while eliminating Shane Thorne and Dylan Stone from the event.
"I was a little bit nervous before the heat," admitted Roberts. "I surfed against Adam in Scotland and he smoked me so I knew what I was up against. I've spent a lot of time in Ballito surfing Surfers and I kind of know the wave."
WQS No.51 Rudy Palmboom had no problems tackling the powerful surf, capturing a convincing heat win over Nicolau Von Rupp of Germany and eliminating Shaun Payne and Beyrick De Vries.
"It's pretty rough out there but my game plan was just to sit further out and try to pick off the bombs," explained Palmboom. "It took a while to get them but I ended up with some nuggets so I'm stoked."
East London's Devyn Mattheys, the 2008 Pro Surf Tour champion, produced clean and powerful carves to earn a win in the second last heat of the day, finishing ahead of Australia's Dale Lovelock.
Advancing in second places were Devyn MacNicol, Kyle Lane, Kyle Beach, local Ballito surfer Byron Lindsay, Gavin Roberts and Sean Holmes.
All 16 heats of the men's round of 144 scheduled for Monday were completed. The competition will continue on Tuesday.
- This article was originally published on page 30 of The Mercury on June 30, 2009
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