Supertubes at its best was what greeted surfers in the Billabong Pro J-Bay 2012 on Tuesday, the opening day of the event. A solid six to eight-foot of surf groomed by offshore southwest winds and a mid-day low tide made for an incredible day of high performance surfing and perfect barrel rides.
All eyes were on Sean 'The Nemesis' Holmes in the fourth heat of the morning, and he didn't disappoint, winning his heat with relative ease against Brain Toth (PRI), Luel Felipe (Bra) and Ian Gentil (HAW).
Nathan Hedge from Australia has competed many times at Supertubes, and put his experience to good use in heat 11, totally dominating with a 9.27 and a perfect 10-point ride. "I just stayed in the pocket all the way," said Hedgey of his inspiring 10-pointer. "It's the only way to surf Supers on your backhand. I can't remember how many times I cracked it, but I did enough to get a 10-point ride so I'm stoked with that."
With his excellent heat score, Nathan is in the lead for the Nixon Winner Takes All contest that awards a Nixon watch valued at US$10,000 for the highest heat score of the event.
Matt Bromley from Kommetjie paddled out in heat 15 in what can only be described as excellent conditions, and opened up with a set wave that allowed him to perform a combination of moves, including a deep barrel ride, for an opening score of 9.47. This saw him jump straight into the lead, a position that he maintained until the end of the heat.
Conditions remained good until the end of the day, and the forecast looks epic for tomorrow. "At this stage we're going to run another full day tomorrow," said contest director Luke Egan. "All signs look promising for the next few days, so we'll be straight back out there for another full day of it."
(issued by Billabong media)
