Australia’s Mick Fanning took center stage at the Reef Hawaiian Pro on Friday, and he didn’t win his heat.
Fanning is one of three surfers on the planet who have a chance at the world title, so how he fared on the waves at Alii Beach Park in Haleiwa was watched closely by fans in attendance and those tuning in on TV.
"For me, finally getting to Hawaii is putting my brain at ease," said Fanning, who is a three-time world champion. "Instead of watching people get barreled in Hawaii on the Internet, I finally get some waves, getting out to (free surf) Pipeline and getting used to it again. I’ve been coming here for years, but every time I come, I feel like a rookie. It’s such a different feeling, and I’ve got to get used to the power and how fast everything moves here."
Fanning, the second-ranked ASP world tour surfer, advanced into the fourth round with a heat total of 16.50, finishing behind Damien Hobgood. Fanning and 31 others were seeded right into Thursday’s third round of the event, which serves as the first leg of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
Fanning doesn’t think his early arrival to Hawaii’s wonderland of waves is necessarily an advantage over top-ranked Gabriel Medina and third-ranked Kelly Slater, the only others who have a shot at the world title, which will be decided at the Billabong Pipe Masters — the Triple Crown finale — in December.
"Kelly (an 11-time world champion) has won at Pipe seven times and Gabe is a phenomenal kid and has put up great results at Pipe in the past," Fanning said.
Hawaii’s Keanu Asing, one of the surfers fighting to make it onto the tour, helped his cause big-time on Thursday in the clean, 6- to 8-foot-plus waves at Haleiwa. Asing moved into the fourth round by placing second in his four-man heat, and according to ASP officials, likely earned enough ratings points to qualify for next year’s tour.
With heavy-duty carves, Maui’s Dusty Payne turned in the highest heat score of the day, an 18.70, with two 9-point-plus waves.
Former Triple Crown champion Bede Durbidge of Australia topped his heat with speed and power, and he had the best scoring wave of the day with a 9.63 in which he cranked off the lip five times.
Durbidge’s 8.83 was more dramatic. He finished it with a huge bang into a wide-open section that closed quickly with a wall of whitewater. And, somehow, he stayed up.
"It was a perfect section coming up and I was going 100 mph and jammed into it, put everything into it," Durbidge said.
Julian Wilson, another Australian, barely slipped past Kauai’s Sebastian Zietz, a former Triple Crown champion. Both, however, advanced to the fourth round.
"Going against Seabass in a tough heat, I knew I was going to need big scores," Wilson said. "I’m excited about being here. It was great to get the (first-place) result. It’s also great to be competing for six weeks at the best place in the world."
Zietz, who is still working on requalifying for next year’s tour, showed off his fluid, high-performance style.
"I won this contest two years ago (as well as the Triple Crown) and it changed my life," said Zietz, who catapulted onto the tour with that 2012 performance.
His best wave Thursday was an 8.77.
"When I got inside, I unleashed a carve and did a snap and then did an air at the end," he said.
The wave would have scored more than 9 points if he didn’t wipe out on the aerial. Zietz is looking to contend for the Triple Crown again.
"I love the wave here and I’m confident," he said.
Hawaii’s Ezekiel Lau finished a fraction of a point from advancing, surfing in a highly competitive heat against Durbidge, Mitch Crews and Tanner Gudauskas. Lau didn’t quite get to the level he established in the previous two rounds, when he dominated his heats.
The Reef Hawaiian Pro road also ended for Hawaii’s Pancho Sullivan, 41; Sunny Garcia, 44; Mason Ho and Tanner Hendrickson. Hawaii’s Joel Centeio and Torrey Meister took second place in their heats to advance to the fourth round. Fellow Hawaii surfers Fred Patacchia and Alex Smith will compete in the third round when the contest resumes for its final day, which contest organizers say will likely be Saturday.
