Strong Winds Hamper Day Two of ASP 5-Star Islas Canarias Ocean & Earth Pro

Davey Cathels (AUS) Photocredit:Aquashot/aspeurope.com

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (Thursday, November 4, 2010) - Strong winds battered the main event site of El Confital at the Islas Canarias Ocean & Earth Pro on Day Two of this Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) sanctioned event. After the completion of Round One, 6 heats of Round Two were run with young guns Shaun Joubert (ZAF) and Californian Ryah Arthur leading the charge of the strong International field.

Southerly winds played havoc causing face-chop on the 4-5ft (1.2m) set waves turning them into a fight for survival on the freight train right-handers. Barrels were few and far between with committed manoeuvres in the critical section of the wave scoring during today's session of competition. The combination of the wind and a tight take-off zone made for some intense battles.

Ryah Arthur (CA, USA) 22 and Shaun Joubert (ZAF) shared the honours with 9.00 out of 10 near perfect barrel rides, the highest single wave scores of the day. Arthur assured his pass into Round Three leaving Aritz Aranburu (EUK) and Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) to battle it out for second place. After trailing on several occasions it was Aranburu who advanced along with Arthur.

"It was a really tough heat. I had Rudy (Palmboom) one of the toughest South Africans in my heat and Aritz Aranburu a former World Tour guy as well so I knew there would be added pressure from those guys. I just went out there to have fun and try and get the best waves." "I couldn't even believe I made it," continued Arthur about his near perfect tube ride. "I couldn't even see but I just kept going and in the end I made it and I was stoked."
 

Glen Hall (IRL) and Jesse Mendes (BRA) showed a clean pair of heels as they advanced into Round Three late this afternoon. The low tide made for tricky conditions and wave selection was crucial. Hall has his game plan set as he explains.

"I am into the next round and to keep going to the man-on-man stage is one of my goals in all the events I surf in. It is a long way to go still but once you get to that stage it is like a new contest, new theory, new tactics. One more heat and I'll be there and then just reassess everything and take it from there."

The strong winds placed Hall in a pressure situation not knowing his precise scores and those needed by his opponents. With a solid wave in at the midway stage, Hall had done what was needed to advance.

"It was good fun out there but with the strong wind I wasn't sure of my scores exactly and I was getting a bit worried at the end because I knew the others didn't need big scores. In the end it was a pretty comfortable win despite all the worry."

In one of the best clashes of Round One, Adrien Toyon (REU) 21, overcame Australian Nick Riley in a high scoring last minute assault which saw the goofy-footer from Reunion Island clinch the win with an excellent combination of manoeuvres which included a solid barrel to claim an 8.00.

"I am really happy with how I went because I caught my two waves very quickly at the end of the heat. I was waiting for a good one and needed over a 6.00 to take the lead. Right at the end I saw a set coming and was happy to catch it. The wind is not the best at the moment for the barrels but it was fun."

Nick Riley (Manly, AUS) 22, had previously nailed an impressive 8.50 out of 10 with a series of powerful snaps finishing off with a front-side air onto the shallow reef. Riley had a couple of pre-event free surfs at El Confital on the low tide mark and knows firsthand how shallow it can get during the different tides.

"It was hard to find them so I was happy to get that one at least. This is a really interesting wave because it can get really good and then just change in about half an hour. When it is low tide it is so shallow but when there is water on the reef it is a fun rippable wave. Adrien got a good one at the end that I probably should have taken but I am stoked to get through."

Taking in all the action closer than anyone was Kai Garcia (CNY) who on his first competition heat at El Confital watched as his more experienced rivals battled it out. Son of event organiser Federico Garcia, Kai finished in fourth position but is sure to be back next year to improve on that placing.

"The experience here has been really good. Nick Riley and Adrien Toyon are two great surfers. There is a lot of wind today and I think I chose the wrong board for the heat but I am happy with how it went." "I have learnt a lot out there today for sure," continued Garcia. "If you don't do a big bottom turn you don't get anything." (laughs)
 

Gony Zubizarreta (Vigo, ESP) 25, felt the full brunt of both the elements and his fellow opponents in his 25-minute clash. It took over 15 minutes for the inform natural-footer to find some room to move and get his account going. An 8.00 score, combined with a modest 3.13 backup was enough to see him advance in a low scoring bout.

"It was really hard at the beginning because I couldn´t find any waves. I was sitting there for fifteen minutes and the guys were hasseling a lot so I went to the peak but was too deep. One guy was on me so much I couldn´t believe it."
"At the end I had to get something and I didn`t care if it´s a barrel or not. I took a very bad wave and then went back to the peak and that wave came and I scored an 8.00 which then put me in the heat. It was hard to find waves but I got through and I was lucky."

Winds are expected to improve overnight and the swell to maintain with an excellent period which makes for another full day of competition tomorrow. First call for Day 3 of competition will be at 08:30am at the main event site of El Confital.

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Upcoming Islas Canarias Ocean & Earth Pro Round Two Match-Ups

Heat 7: Shaun Cansdell (AUS), Beyrick De Vries (ZAF), Andre Teixeira (BRA), Thiago Guimaraes (BRA)
Heat 8: Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA), Medi Veminardi (REU), Heath Joske (AUS), Brandon Jackson (ZAF)
Heat 9: Tim Boal (FRA), Davey Cathels (AUS), Nic von Rupp (DEU), Juan Pedro Gonzalez (CNY)
Heat 10: Stephen Walsh (AUS), Joao Guedes (PRT), Marco Fernandez (BRA), Gony Zubizarreta (ESP)
Heat 11: Masatoshi Ohno (JPN), Chris Salisbury (AUS), Nick Riley (AUS), Freddie Meadows (SWE)
Heat 12: Omer Bar (ISR), Charlie Brown (BRA), Adrien Toyon (REU), Joan Duru (FRA)

Islas Canarias Ocean & Earth Pro Round Two Results

Heat 1: Ryah Arthur (USA) 15.70, Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 13.13, Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 12.96, Brendon Gibbens (ZAF) 6.27
Heat 2: Adrien Valero (FRA) 12.93, Hugo Savalli (REU) 12.64, Jose Maria Cabrera (CNY) 11.26, Patrick Beven (FRA) 7.07
Heat 3: Glen Hall (IRL) 13.07, Jesse Mendes (BRA) 10.93, Joackim Petersen Guichard (NOR) 9.94, Eduardo Acosta (CNY) 5.70
Heat 4: Charles Martin (GLP) 14.00, Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 13.07, Manuel Lezcano (CNY) 4.83, Norman Landa (EUK) 3.80
Heat 5: Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 14.77, Nathan Hedge (AUS) 8.50, Bruno Rodrigues (BRA) 8.26, Eric Rebiere (FRA) 6.70
Heat 6: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 13.16, Vincent Duvignac (FRA) 10.06, Luciano Casillas (CNY) 7.06, Karlos Figueira (EUK) 5.07

Islas Canarias Ocean & Earth Pro Remaining Round One Results

Heat 15: Heath Joske (AUS) 10.60, Andre Teixeira (BRA) 7.07, Ladislaus Ruedegger (AUT) 3.47, Armando Navarro (CNY) 3.17
Heat 16: Brandon Jackson (ZAF) 13.56, Thiago Guimaraes (BRA) 9.00, Lenny Perdomo (CNY) 4.90, Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) 3.44
Heat 17: Tim Boal (FRA) 10.33, Stephen Walsh (AUS) 9.17, Antonin De Soultrait (FRA) 3.90, Raul Garcia (ESP) 2.56
Heat 18: Davey Cathels (AUS) 13.60, Joao Guedes (PRT) 9.33, Ivan Monagas (CNY) 6.57, Gary Gonzalez (CNY) 4.70
Heat 19: Marco Fernandez (BRA) 12.50, Nic von Rupp (DEU) 7.50, Felix Ortega (CNY) 4.67, Samuel Lopez del Pino (CNY) 3.13
Heat 20: Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 11.13, Juan Pedro Gonzalez (CNY) 7.33, Oli Adams (GBR) 6.76, Anderson Santos (BRA) 4.83
Heat 21: Masatoshi Ohno (JPN) 9.10, Omer Bar (ISR) 6.74, Damian Moro (CNY) 6.24, Juan Carlos Garcia (CNY) 2.40
Heat 22: Chris Salisbury (AUS) 13.67, Charlie Brown (BRA) 8.57, Javier Medina (CNY) 8.23, Luca Dioguardi (CYN) 2.86
Heat 23: Adrien Toyon (REU) 14.33, Nick Riley (AUS) 12.67, Rafael Moreno (CNY) 5.46, Kai Garcia (CNY) 3.73
Heat 24: Joan Duru (FRA) 14.73, Freddie Meadows (SWE) 8.60, Robertson Goncalves (PRT) 5.83, David Mailman (USA) 4.87