As some of you may already know, the third event in the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour is currently underway with the Billabong Pro Rio taking place in Rio Dejanaro, Brazil. While the event started off strong with Kelly Slater coming away with some serious points, it seems that small surfs have plagues the remainder of the event. Organizers and sponsors hope to get the pros back out on the ocean tomorrow, but it seems to be one bad day after another.
So, just how bad are the waves in Rio Dejanaro right now? You might be surprised to hear that five consecutive lay days were called as a result of poor surfing conditions. These weren’t monstrous waves with typhoon winds, but instead they were barely tall enough to ride. At best, the waves were about half a meter tall, offering practically nothing for the world’s best professional surfers to show what they are made of.
The first round of the 2013 Billabong Pro Rio finished without any injuries or problems. Even though Kelly Slater missed the event during last year’s ASP World Championship Tour due to an ankle injury, you could tell he brought his A-game this time. The American-borne professional surfer came away with a first place standing with a whopping 16.30 points, blowing away his competitors.
Another notable surfer who’s coming away with some serious recognition during this year’s Billabong Pro is Nat Young. As just 21 years of age, Young is a rookie coming into the ASP World Championship Tour, but he’s surfing like a true veteran. Young came away with a win in the first round, allowing his to skip the second round and go straight to the third. Of course, we still haven’t seen the second round due to the poor waves in Rio Dejanero, so we’ll have to keep waiting to see what happens.
Following the first round of the Billabong Pro, however, it seems like mother nature just hasn’t been kind. For five days in a row, waves off the beaches of Rio Dejanero have remained steady at just half a meter tall, forcing organizers to call lay days in hopes of bigger waves. Organizers have been discussing possible options for reconvening the event, but it still looks like waiting is the only viable option. Mother nature can only give us so many bad days of waves, so check back with us next week for more details on the 2013 Billabong Pro Rio.