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Day Two of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal

Andy Irons, Fred Patacchia, O’Neill’s Garth Tarlow, and Jordy Smith assess the early round action. Photo: Joli

As a surf fan, I am extremely disappointed with the conditions in Portugal. What was hyped as the swell of the century has only given us two rounds of heats at Supertubos, in conditions that look like an average day on the Outer Banks. Oh well, that’s what happens when you buy into the hype and get your hopes up. Thankfully, the Top 34 adjusted their own expectations and put on a great show in Rounds 1 and 2.

It was frustrating to watch Andy Irons suffer through a restart and then lose by .37 at the buzzer after a pitiful heat for waves. I can only imagine how he feels after his third terrible result in a row after winning in Tahiti. That high has to be fading by now. Another surfer that has mirrored AI’s poor run is Adriano de Souza. His heat today was a simple case of getting out-surfed by Dean Morrison. Dingo got called back up to the World Tour as a replacement surfer for this event, and while he’s the low seed, he is more than capable of beating anyone on Tour. On a positive note, Bobby Martinez, who has struggled harder than anybody on Tour since leaving Australia, found himself in position (and ripping) on every good wave during his Round 1 heat. Sometimes having the waves come to you is all that’s required to get you back on a roll.

An example of this is Travis Logie, who currently sits in last place in the World Tour ratings. Today, one epic tube ride was enough for to dispatch Dane Reynolds. Now Dane, the surfer the webcaster called “The Messiah” before his heat, can finally breathe again since he’s no longer feeling the pressure of a word-title run. Dane is the best surfer in the world (for proof, watch the heats-on-demand to see the ridiculous tail-blow aerial thing he pulled off), however, the combination of the way he surfs and his preparation for competition may never see him become the best contest surfer in the world—which is a title he may not even care for anyway.

When the day was called at the completion of Round 2, I was left with a much better feeling than I had at the start of Round 1. Not because of the surf on offer (it only got worse through the day) but because of a few great tube rides, some big wins by the top seeds, and some even bigger wins by a few low seeds. And with only two events left after this one, it’s the low seeds that will be fighting for WT careers, one heat at a time.

Bobby Martinez posted Round One’s highest heat score of a 16.70 and will surf against Jeremy Flores in Round 3. Photo: Joli

Dane Reynolds, had a 7.33 but failed to find a back-up score to lose his Round 2 heat. Photo: Joli

Early morning clouds quickly gave way to sunshine and offshore winds. Photo: Joli

Underdog, Travis Logie defeated Dane Reynolds in one of the better Round 2 heats . Photo: Joli

The Portuguese love their surfing. Photo: Joli

CJ Hobgood, opened his Round 2 heat with an 8.43 and never looked back. CJ will hope to continue his run of good luck against Pat Gudauskas in Round 3. Photo: Joli

Supertubos, living up to its name. Photo: Joli

Adam Melling’s Round 2 heat against Chris Davidson didn’t go the way he would’ve like, but continued to stay positive. Photo: Joli

Kai Otton’s barrel riding bested three-time World Champion Andy Irons in Round 2. Photo: Joli

Blue skies and head-high waves made for another great day of competition. Photo: Joli

A Round 2 loss will likely push Dane Reynolds out of the Top 5. Photo: Joli

Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, and Fred Patacchia talk strategy. Photo: Joli

A rare backside air from nine-time World Champion, Kelly Slater. Slater beat event wildcard Bruno Santos and will face Gabe Kling in Round 3. Photo: Joli

Pat Gudauskas lost his Round 1 heat, but recovered beating Fred Patacchia in Round 2. Photo: Joli

Bobby Martinez, racing the fast walls of Supertubos. Photo: Joli