ADVERTISEMENT

10 Things To Digest Before J-Bay Kicks Off

Now pray for swell.

The 2015 J-Bay Open will be won by a natural-footed surfer.

Since the event started in 1981 as the Beach Hotel Classic and through all its incantations and a few missed years there have been 31 natural-footed victories, and three goofy-footed wins. They are thus such a minority that we can afford to mention every one of them and not waste too much editorial space, and even have a bit of a wander around in this sentence, but the three goofy-footed winners were the incredible Occy victory (1984), the tiny Supers Mike Burness victory (1988) and the Luke Egan Dream Sequence victory 1991.

Experience counts.

When Kelly paddles out, his prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe kick in, and all the memories start telling him which way to paddle and which waves to take off on. To a lesser extent, Joel and Mick and Jordy run their campaigns off experience. It’s also the reason why Sean Holmes did so well those years as ‘The Nemesis’ wildcard, and it’s the reason why Shaun Tomson still rips the place. They have long-term experience out there. The waves at Supertubes are incredible to watch, peeling perfectly, but in reality there are a lot of variables at play out there, more so than you would ever believe. The only way to get on top of it all is to have the experience borne from countless hours spent surfing between Boneyards and Impossibles, and possess a sharp enough brain to filter the memories correctly.

Fitness is so imperative.

A wave ridden from the top take-off corner near Boneyards, all the way down to the gully is about 320 meters give or take a few meters, according to these newfangled GPS watches floating around at the moment. That means that paddling back out through a few close-outs at Impossibles and all the way back after a solid bomb will be close on 400 meters. Do that 4 times in a heat and you’re going to know all about it. Surf more than one heat in a day and your arms are going to start talking to you. Surf more than two heats in a day and you do need to be more fit than, say, Matty Wilkinson at the moment, or the original and inimitable Keg On Legs Mick Lowe just after his prime.

Tube rides are still the highest scoring moves.

Supers on a good day with a strong offshore wind, is going to deliver some serious barrels to the competitors. It’s a challenging barrel to ride, sometimes the barrel is not top to bottom and the surfer needs to really hang high. Other times, when there is sand build up at the Car Park Section, the barrel goes totally square. Either way, on a good swell, tubes will always eclipse moves out there. Ten point rides will generally include tubes.

Airs are tricky (did you see what I did there?).

As previously mentioned, good Supers is often accompanied by a stiff offshore, which makes it oh so hollow. This makes Toledo-style air reverses hard to pull off. Then, if the wind backs off, it takes a special kind of air that will link through to the next section and not deteriorate into a close-out move. Jordy knows how to do them, and so does Julian and Kolohe. Other surfers, Bede and Mick come to mind, might struggle a bit, and often get left behind after an air attempt.

It’s a popular, well-supported event.

The little town of J-Bay fills up for the ten days of the J-Bay Open, and the JBay Winterfest and the music festival keeps everyone entertained. The TV camera crews are all over it, there is a media scrum after each heat, and Jordy Smith gets the royal treatment, as he should. The town of JBay is built around surfing, and this event forms an intrinsic part of the surf lifestyle, whether it be competition or otherwise. The people of JBay appreciate having the event, and the local surfers are gracious in their consenting to the World Surf League taking over for a fortnight. The day after the event is over however, it’s going to be hard for a non-local to buy a wave out there.

There will be a tantrum thrown.

Odds are out there as to who it might be, but someone will rise to the occasion, swear at the judges, pull signs, break a board, get fined, feel remorse, apologise profusely, and get banned for an event or two. I’m just not sure who it’s going to be. Jeremy won’t be in town this year with his persecution complex, and the top ten surfers are unfortunately quite a collected and suave bunch at the moment. Except maybe for Nat Young. He’s a red head and might have a temper to match Mick Campbell, but it hasn’t revealed itself as of yet. Maybe someone could egg him on, taunt him…

The commentators will show progress.

Just like America and the ghost of McCarthy and the memories of Nixon, J-Bay events will be forever tainted by the spirit of an over-confident GT, beautiful locks kept in place by a shiny, white Walmart sailor cap, holding the mic with a fingerless leather glove and pouting like a young and confident Tina Turner into the camera. This year, the second year of the J-Bay Open, and Pete Mel and Ronnie Blakey will do wonders to quell those memories, and we are all very thankful to the WSL for that. Not that GT gives a fuck. He’s still smiling, for obvious reasons. We know that.

We will find an answer to the Slater quandary.

Is he going to compete? Is he going to quit the tour this year? Is he going to bring a new board design just for J-Bay? Can this actually be valid paragraph in an article like this, even though it comes up in every single pre-event article written in the free world? Will the editor include this in my word count? Probs not.

The Wildcards are good this year.

Slade Prestwich, who won the JBU Supertrial presented by RVCA, has a good hold on Supers, and Dane Reynolds could win the event if he finds true form. Both surfers could totally fuck the system, and wouldn’t that be great. JBU Supertrial highlights, cooking Supertubes, and Slade’s win can be seen below.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SUBSCRIBE TO TRACKS
A bi-monthly eclectic tome of tangible surfing goodness that celebrates all things surfing, delivered to your door!
SUBSCRIBE NOW
HAPPENINGS
Your portal to cultural events happening in and around the surfing sphere.
Find Events
SUBSCRIBE TO TRACKS
A bi-monthly eclectic tome of tangible surfing goodness that celebrates all things surfing, delivered to your door!
SUBSCRIBE NOW
HAPPENINGS
Your portal to cultural events happening in and around the surfing sphere.
Find Events

LATEST

Ellie Harrison's dream CT debut just got a whole lot more dreamy.

Pairing Italy's famous delicacies with a healthy dose of barrels.

The formation of Goons of Doom, why you should get pissed at their gigs and what a band with Occy, Steph Gilmore, Yago Dora and Jacko Baker would sound like.

ADVERTISEMENT

PREMIUM FEATURES

Bestowing the highest praise upon a surfer.

An edited extract from ‘The Immortals of Australian Surfing’ by Phil Jarratt.

How a land-locked mainlander chased ocean dreams to the North Shore lineups and beyond.

TRACKS PREMIUM

Get full access to every feature from our print issues, read classic Tracks issues from the 70s, 80s and 90’s, watch all of our classic films & more …

TRACKS PREMIUM

Get full access to every feature from our print issues, read classic Tracks issues from the 70s, 80s and 90’s, watch all of our classic films & more …

CLASSIC ISSUES

A threat to Angourie, the death of vibes, and a tongue in cheek guide on how to become a surf star.

PREMIUM FILM

YEAR: 2008
STARRING: JOEL PARKINSON, MICK FANNING AND DEAN MORRISON

This is the last time the original cooly kids were captured together and features some of their best surfing.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

PRINT STORE

Unmistakable and iconic, the Tracks covers from the 70s & 80s are now ready for your walls.

Tracks
Kandui Resort Interstitial