Tahiti offers some wild rides

RICK FIGNETTI

The Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ World Championship Tour is at one

of the heaviest breaks in the world for the Billabong Pro Tahiti.

The surf event is held at Teahupoo -- pronounced “Chopuu” -- a

reef break that peels left and produces one of the hollowest

barreling lefts in the world. The wave reels over a super shallow,

really sharp reef. As the wave breaks, it sucks up and drops below

sea level.

Surfers have died there, and there have been some big casualties

in the past. But it has ultimately pushed surfers into hero status

with a good showing.

On May 1, it was 20-feet-plus and as big as it gets, with some

giant barrels. World champ Andy Irons got some mean backside tubes,

and former winner C.J. Hobgood got some insane barrel shots!

On one of those big days, local standout Raimana Van Bastoloer was

toed into a macker. His Jet Ski partner couldn’t get over the wave

and his ski went over the falls right as Raimana went by inside the

barrel, escaping death.

Another hot Tahitian is wild card Manoa Drollet, who was rumored

to have caught the biggest wave of that super swell.

The Billabong Pro for the men runs through May 17. Right now, it’s

on hold with small surf.

They ran the women’s part of the event in solid 4- to 8-foot surf

at Teahupoo. It was stormy, windy and rainy, but still some hollow

lefts were rolling in.

Up and coming Australian Chelsea Georgeson was pulling in, getting

some deep ones, and solidly defeated fellow Aussie Melanie Redman

Carr, 14 to 10.5. Georgeson defeated Peruvian world champ Sofia

Mulanovich in the semifinals, while Carr took out the hot youngster

from Australia, Rebecca Woods.

We’ll keep ya posted on more WCT action.

Locally, the H.B. Surf Series ran its second event in some good

surf at 9th Street last weekend. In the pro final, former U.S. champ

Ryan Simmons edged H.B. whiz kid Brett Simpson for the win. Ted

Navarro, who’s been on fire since that Lower’s contest where he

posted some of the top scores, finished third, and fourth place went

to H.B. hottie Brad Ettinger, who was ripping it up too.

Other division winners were: Ian Sequeira in groms, little Billy

Hopkins in boys, Matt Mohagen in juniors, Chase Newsome in mens and

Jason Russo in masters. The super men division was won by the vet

Rick Larsen; in long boards, it was Steve Newton doing the fancy

footwork for the victory; and in women’s, Courtney Conlogue made it

two wins in a row.

Coming to Surf City this week is “The Game,” team surfing at the

Huntington Pier. The O.C Octopus series runs May 11-15, with O.C.

facing the Santa Cruz Stormriders, the L.A. Arc Angels, the San Diego

Sea Lions and the Ventura County Pelicanos.

The O.C. team is represented by Simpson, Mike Hoisington, Shaun

Ward, Jay Larson, Danny Nichols, Micah Byrne and Chris Waring, plus

San Clemente’s Dino Andino, Pat Gudauskas, Dane Ward, Chris Drummy

and Laguna’s Pat O’Connell. Big guns Timmy Reyes, Chris Ward and

Shane Beschen are in Tahiti for the WCT stop.

Tonight at the Surf Theatre is a showing of “The Weenabago

Projekt,” a film documenting a skate trip to Canada with local skate

stars Tosh Townend, Ryan Cottrell, Jake Rupp and Wes Lott. Townend is

a former H.B.H.S. graduate who’s been ripping the national skate

scene and premiered the show at the high school a few weeks ago with

good reviews.

See ya!

* RICK FIGNETTI is a nine-time West Coast champion, has announced

the U.S. Open of Surfing the last 11 years and has been the KROQ-FM

surfologist for the last 18 years, doing morning surf reports. He

owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at (714) 536-1058.