Most of the world’s top surfers will happily agree that the world tour stop on the Fijian island of Tavarua is their favorite. A luxurious resort in the tropics and awesome barreling reef breaks make the fifth event of the WSL World Championship a competitors dream. For those of us at home watching online or on television it’s easy to get envious. At the 2015 Fiji Pro the surfers were treated to epic waves and the spectators witnessed epic surfing. It was a barrel bonanza, with everyone in the water notching up their fair share of tube time. There were upsets, injuries, a big announcement and a record-breaking performance. The 2015 Fiji Pro served up everything we expected, and few things that we didn’t.
The Old Guard Get Shacked
Some of the most recognizable names in professional surfing showed the world they still have what it takes to dominate on the world tour. To get started we have this awesome display of deep barreling riding prowess from none other than Kelly Slater. In Round 2 he showed everyone exactly what he is capable of at Cloudbreak.
https://youtu.be/KW2bgundOuE?list=PLQ3-3sUOFLfHC-jQ-oTYrzvt9V0W1p2wd
Next up we have Joel Parkinson, the Aussie charger who has surprisingly only won the world championship once in his career. He surfed his way to a perfect ten with this insane barrel ride in Round 4.
https://youtu.be/RPqFuykKWVM?list=PLQ3-3sUOFLfHC-jQ-oTYrzvt9V0W1p2wd
Now onto none other than Taj Burrow, a guy who always seems within grasp of a world title but never quite manages to snatch it away from his fierce competitors. He showed everyone that he’s still as big a threat as ever by firmly slotting himself into the green room.
https://youtu.be/-cKtr4s5hJo?list=PLQ3-3sUOFLfHC-jQ-oTYrzvt9V0W1p2wd
Kai Otton Gets Scorpioned on the Reef
For all the sick tube riding we saw, getting seriously hurt was always just one close-out wave away from everyone in the competition. In the quarter finals Kai Otton dropped into a seriously heavy wave and totally committed to riding it through. He tucked in as the bomb exploded onto the reef, and slammed knees-first before being flipped over and churned up in the froth. He quickly got whisked away out of the water and for him the competition was over. Here’s the wave in question and what Kai had to say about his wipeout.
https://youtu.be/cPr8-dogq-I?list=PLQ3-3sUOFLfHC-jQ-oTYrzvt9V0W1p2wd
Owen Wright Sets Surfing Record
When it came to the final, young Aussies Julian Wilson and Owen Wright were pitted against each other, and the bout gave Wright the opportunity to set an unbelievable surfing record. He became the only surfer in the history of professional surfing to ever score two perfect 20 heats at one event. As the timer ticked away for the last two minutes of the final, Wright stamped his name into the surfing history books with this barrel ride.
https://youtu.be/71bM0SJhejs?list=PLQ3-3sUOFLfHC-jQ-oTYrzvt9V0W1p2wd
Next Stop J-Bay
So with that Owen Wright claimed his first event win of the 2015 World Championships and everyone on tour shifted their focus to South Africa and the legendary right of Jeffreys Bay. For one World Championship surfer it will be his last time competing at the event. C.J. Hobgood announced his retirement at the 2015 Fiji Pro, and here’s what CJ had to say about his time on tour and what he has planned for the future.
https://youtu.be/Q1_wDY3DBjc?list=PLQ3-3sUOFLfHC-jQ-oTYrzvt9V0W1p2wd