We really are jumping the gun here as we contemplate the third round of the Outerknown Fiji Pro, but the event is on hold for a day or two, JBay comes in quick behind this event, and the zone is just about to be rocked by a hell storm, the biggest in many a year. So while Fiji goes on hold, Supers just starts to wake up for the year.
It’ll probably be Kelly’s last year of competing at Supertubes, but the man will be coming back for many years to come. He loves the place, he has very good friends here, and he is one of the best surfers to have ever ridden the 300-meter runway that is Supers. If the forecast looks bleak for JBay during the contest however, he’ll go AWOL and chase a swell elsewhere. He’s nonchalant like that.
Jordy Smith wants another win so badly it gnaws at him. The two wins in JBay were two of his finest moments in his pro surfing career and he wants more of those. He feeds off the crowds and the local support, and when he finds his rhythm at Supers it’s 10-point rides and heat wins all the way to the final. The last few years he has either made a competitive mistake or being suffering from an injury. This year he is coming to JBay in top form.
When it comes to win possibilities, it’s always going to be pointing at Joel Parkinson and Mick Fanning. They have both won a couple, and their surfing and their styles are perfectly suited to the Supers walls. If they don't get to the finals, they’ll still both make it to the quarters at least.
The shark incident got a lot of people really spooked about the place, but the truth is that there have not been too many incidents at Supers itself. There have been some further down the point, and some at the beachbreaks in the area, but actual incidents at Supers are actually incredibly rare.
Matt Wilkinson and Owen Wright are two goofy-footed surfers who know how to surf Supertubes in its’ entirety. Without wishing to detract from the wizardry of surfers like Medina and the raw power of Wiggolly Dantes, Matt and Owen perfectly match their rhythm and pace with the waves of Supertubes and surf the wave like it should be surfed, down the whole length of the point. They fit their moves in, they take high lines when they need to, and they bank two high scoring waves every single heat, just like it should be done.
The next big thing at the Corona Open JBay should be Conner Coffin. He has all the moves, and the flair and new school tactics, as well as a grooming of Rincon as his home break, making his surfing the perfect match for long, down-the-line point breaks. He is a powerful little chap as well, and once he gets over a few little tactical hiccups he’ll be the real deal on the Championship Tour. A place like JBay will be the venue of his breakout result.
For those of you who have been tracking the storm approaching South Africa, it looks like they will be holding the Corona Open JBay trials event on Thursday. The JBU Supertrial powered by Monster is set to go Thursday in a pretty mean-looking forecast. Possible giant surf, possible gale force offshore. Going to sort the men from the boys. One brave fellow will win a wildcard into the main CT event. Good luck chaps.
