The 35th annual Vans Triple Crown of Surfing got underway Tuesday in Haleiwa with the first round of the Hawaiian Pro, and Cam Richards stole the show with an eye-grabbing maneuver.
Richards scored a Day 1-high 9.33 wave with a full rotation 540 during a dominant heat in which he also scored a 7.93 at Alii Beach Park.
“It’s my first year giving it my all,” said Richards, a World Surf League qualifying series surfer from Pawleys Island, S.C., who is trying to work his way up to the championship tour. “I just hope to do well, make as many heats as I can, make some money and get some points. Hopefully next year is really good. It’d be cool to qualify this year, but who knows.”
With his heat victory in the 3- to 5-foot surf, Richards moved on to the second round. His combined 17.16 score was the best of the day.
Hawaii’s Shayden Pacarro, who placed second to Richards in that heat (one of 18 on the day), tied two others with the second-highest-scoring single wave of the day with an 8.0.
Maui’s Dusty Payne, the Hawaiian Pro winner in 2014, also got through the first round.
“The Triple Crown is always challenging, there’s never an easy heat,” Payne said. “Every time you can make one it’s fortunate. I’m happy to still be going.”
Payne is back in action after missing eight months with a disc herniation injury in his back. He missed the Triple Crown last year.
“I’m just happy to be surfing, ” he added. “I missed it last year and was pretty bummed. But my body feels good and I’m just really happy to be here at home.”
Contest organizers will reconvene this morning to assess conditions and determine whether to resume competition. A call is expected at 7:30 a.m.
The Hawaiian Pro holding period goes through Nov. 24. It will be followed by two other events in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing — the Vans World Cup of Surfing (Nov. 25 to Dec. 6) at Sunset Beach and the Billabong Pipe Masters (Dec. 8 to 20) at Ehukai Beach.
Eventually a Triple Crown champion (the best surfer in the three events combined) and a world champion will be crowned. The world champion will be decided at the Pipe Masters, the final stop on the championship tour. Haleiwa’s John John Florence, Brazil’s Gabriel Medina, South Africa’s Jordy Smith and Australia’s Julian Wilson — the Nos. 1 through 4 surfers on tour — all have a chance at the world title.
