Top Surfers Duking It Out at Trestles

Day 1 of the Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles saw the world’s top 34 surfers go head to head at the cobblestone point break.

The weeklong wave contest is the latest stop in a worldwide competition that began in Australia in February and wraps up at the Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, in December.

On Sunday, a small south-southwest swell of 2- to 3-foot faces gave way to clean and slightly offshore conditions in the morning. As high tide moved in, the surf became a little less consistent and swamped out.

“Fortunately, we’re at Lowers and this place is amazing even when there’s no swell for contestable waves,” said beach commentator and surf legend Pete “PT” Townend.

Despite the puny waves, competitors did not hesitate to shred what was available in their three-man heats.

“I’m really excited to see what the guys will be able to do out here; it’s really inspiring,” said Carissa Moore, the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals women's world champ. “It’s really cool to be here [in person] for once and not watching the competition over a computer screen.”

Sunday Highlights

In the final minutes of heat No. 4, Australian Owen Wright, currently ranked second on the tour, overtook San Clemente local Pat Gudauskas and Conner Coffin. 

“I’m pretty happy to have made it through the first round because I haven’t won a Round 1 heat in a while,” Wright told ASP. “I really had nothing going on for me coming in to the last five minutes and that wave didn’t offer much at all and I just had to milk it as much as I could.”

Heat No. 5 saw a stacked list featuring 10-time world champ Kelly Slater, World Tour vet Fred Patacchia (Hawaii) and wildcard entry/ASP Dream Tour vet Rob Machado. To nobody's surprise, Slater dominated the first half of the heat, busting fins-free turns and igniting rounds of spray. Machado and Patacchia answered back, splitting the peak with Slater. Machado received one of the longest rides and tied highest heat scores with Slater, a 7.60.

Machado enjoyed "a bunch of really good backside cracks, but he didn’t have what I call ‘the money turn,’ the one turn that gives the judge that opportunity to give that extra half point,” said Townend. The money turn went to Slater, Townend said.

Heat No. 7 featured Carlsbad surfer and WCT vet Taylor Knox, who scored first.

“I’ve been just chilling the last couple of days and kept it fresh by not surfing and got here today and was pretty amped to go surf,” said Knox. “Luckily, a couple of waves came through and I didn’t have to restart my heat.”

Knox surfed against 2009 Hurley Pro Trestles champion Bede Durbidge, who scored third in the heat, and World Tour Brazilian surfer Raoni Monteiro, who unleashed powerful carving turns, but finished second.

The Hurley Pro, which is stop No. 7 of 11 on the World Tour, continues through Saturday at Lower Trestles.