After a sleepy week the ocean awoke today and we got to see the more serious side of
The O’Neill 6 star and the Roxy Pro both kicked off at Sunset today, and there was some phenomenal surfing, in very significant conditions.
The swell period moved from a 16 seconds to 18 seconds at around 2PM, and the new swell announced it’s arrival with the set of the day.
Liam McNamara was commentating and he saw it first, as it feathered across third reef Pipeline. He promptly claimed it as the biggest set of the year so far, while in the water the 4 man heat picked up on it a little late, except for the guy in red. He spotted an insider, took off, pulled into the barrel and added 2 massive carves for a 6 point ride. Meanwhile, his fellow competitors were getting absolutely cleaned by a solid 5 wave 12 foot set. Competitor in red’s tactical decision paid off as the rest of the heat couldn’t catch waves with all of the wash from the set, and he won it.
Pipe also lit up for the afternoon, and Tamayo Perry and Rob Machado shared 8-10 foot backlit waves, but the real star of the day was undoubtedly Sunset, which only proceeded to gain in size and intensity for the afternoon.
By the time the sun finally slid below the horizon, Sunset was a consistent 10-12 feet, with the cream of the North Shore, WQS and big wave surfers from around the world jockeying for waves while 4 tow-in teams shared the reeling lines of Backyards – which is to Sunset what Boneyards is to Supers.
Tomorrow is looking less positive, with a frontal weather system set to bring rain and wind with it, but the swell is going to be bigger. Wiamea, which has only been capping today, is set to start firing, and the show is only getting started.
We’re up before the sun, to see what tomorrow brings.