Watch: A Four-Pack Of Perfection From Nias
Xavier Huxtable got two perfect-10s - in the same heat no less adding up to a perfect two-wave total - Kobi Clements got one, and Japan's Riaru Ito also got one.
In fact, excellent scores have been raining all day long with judges awarding 52 8-plus rides for the men's Round of 32 (eight heats in that round).
The webcast continues with women's Round of 32 now in the water.
Comments
what happened to all the bush on the headland behind the point?
ah wait nvm it was an odd angle
Just saw Willow Hardy get a 10.
Backside tube-ride.
Caught from under priority too. Paddled right past the surfer with the P.
I've never made it to Nias, I always figured it would be crowded to the point of not being worth it, given how perfect it looks. Has anyone here done a bit of time there?
I think everyone is heading there next week..
Ive been to Nias many times over the last 20+ years and in my opinion unless its solid 6ft and up its fun and all but with crowds not really worth it and the wave is short as you can see, at low tides and even at 3ft it can really hollow out but not all of them... in this comp its just starting to break good, there's no beach it can become a bit monotonous sitting there watching unless its pumping, there are other fun waves around with a bit of a ride, there are a couple of cool locals but plenty of lying, thieving, manipulating, aggressive a**holes. Also the offshore these guys had yesterday don't happen often at all, a bit of crumble is not good for this wave ( nor for most indo waves, unless really big they don't open up properly and pinch easily).... it needs proper swell to be proper Nias, which if its too west it just goes straight past, if it was a touch smaller yesterday they wouldn't be getting as many tubes
I spent a month up there in 2000 before the earthquake changed the reef.
Back then it really needed to be over solid 5 foot before it started to barrel. Beautiful scenery and had some great surfs but didn't get it pumping. We left for a swell and got Bawa and Asu pumping for only a handful of guys. Geez they were both great waves pre quake.
Have never been back, as really didn't like the local vibe compared to other Indo spots, like ya said some good people, but a lot of dicks, and a lot of hassling to buy shit, not done in the usual friendly info way.
I was there pre-quake also and remember on really high tides even paddling out from the shore as in just in front of the losmens basically... impossible now that the reef has risen, and yep it needed to be big and low to open up, now you can get 2/3fters that really hollow out, but even still in my opinion it needs to be 6ft and up to be proper, i was lucky enough to be there 1 month after the quake was just a handful of surfers there and the new reef!! before the surf media got onto it too, the locals were too freaked out to surf and/or employed by NGOs to do aid/relief work all over the island so was just us few western surfers there surfing our brains out, at night the locals would go up the hill and sleep there instead of beach front for fear of another quake/tsunami. Thought luck had come my way again as i just snuck in to Nias during the 1st Covid lockdown... but all the locals that work on Kuta beach and elsewhere came home, was about 10/15 westerners and a lot of pissed off locals was terrible vibes in and out of the water the whole time i couldn't wait to get out of there to be honest even though had some very epic waves with not many people..
Asu pre quake was amazing, went back post quake and its a shadow of its former self, Bawa pre quake didn't quite get what i was after and have been back post quake on a yacht but didn't surf as it was basically a terrible wave although apparently when its massive it gets towed and its good.
All in all i won't be back even tho Nias is one of my favorite waves, it's just insanely perfect but needs a bit of size, crowd factor and local bullshit are definitely a turn off
I was watching yesterday when old mate Xavier got those 2 x 10's. Funny how the next surfer need 20.01 to win (which is impossible). Which makes me wonder how would the winner be decided if 2 x surfers got 2 x 10's?
highest 3rd wave score is the winner (like that Kelly JJF Tahiti semi final a number of years ago)
Nah, KS won that cos he had the highest single wave total.
The tied score was 19.75, from memory, and KS was the only surfer with a 10.
oh yeh true., wonder if it has happened before then? I would assume exactly same scores would use the 3rd score to decide but would need to be confirmed by the rule book.
I believe that the winner is decided by who post the highest score first
Yep.
10.06 Ties: Where heat scores are tied, the tie will be split by:
(a) counting each Surfer's best counting wave score;
(b) if the tie cannot be broken in this manner, the Tabulator would then
compare each Surfer’s next best wave until the tie is broken; and
(c) if the tie can’t be broken after the foregoing, the Surfers will participate
in a Surf Off unless the tie is to zero, then the advancing procedure to
the next round will be per their seeding. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Head of Tours and Competition will have discretion to
re-surf the heat where the Head Judge determines there were no
rideable waves
Sierra just got a nuts one!
That was sick!
and again.. in the bag.
And again! Incredible.
And again!
And again.
Why is JK in it, for fun?
Must be eh.
Was going there with Sierra anyway so might as well get Krui and Nias with only a couple out. No brainerfor him I reckon. He’s good enough still hey.
Then straight over to the J-Bay invitational, living the dream.
Could be the first ever father/daughter comp winners in pro surfing history.
Josh Kerr really has life sussed ey.
Living the dream! How good would it be travelling the world surfing with your daughter, and from what I understand he is quite the savy business man.
Good on them ..
I reckon he has entered to show that twinnies are a competitive option and to promote Album (which he owns a piece of) Being out in excellent surf with three others would be the other reason.
Damn, missed that heat.
Doing the twinny proud. Pumping again!
Oh dear!
Epic stuff from the young Juc local
WINTAAA! hella start..
R/16 H3 10 what a bomb!
Love how stoked Indonesians get from sick waves. So genuine unlike the Brazzo 'give me a 10' claims.
'nother 10.
That's seven now I think.
Interesting viewing after your recent "Ceiling" article mate. Too many 10's thrown here methinks. KK doesn't get a Ten?
I wonder if they were giving away eskies whether so many tens would be awarded?
If it was me judging I wouldn't give a 10 unless they scored the huge barrel and then finished off with a whopping big round house cutty, rather than just flicking off.
Made Joi, good on 'im..!!
doesn't care what happens next.
It’s pumping, but interesting to compare those with the chopes 10’s. Not even close.
Faark, Kyuss King. Should have been a 10
Nias is a dream wave......however,
a six pack of muscle memory, timing and skill wins at Punta Rocka
Josh Kerr - in it for shits n giggles.
Probably take home the chocolates!
Really enjoying the stoke the indo comments Guy brings. Anwar? He gets really excited, it’s cool.
We were talking about this in the chopes contest I think.
Last heat of the day today- compare Satriawan first wave 1.17.
Pulls into a closeout and doesn't do anything special.
Then Ito got a 1.77 for a super deep committed 5 micro pumps backhand, lots of travel time and distance before coming unstuck.
Seems stupid to me.
Looks like this turned into the nias comp thread ! Classic
Nice waves again today
Do people surf that other reef in the background of the drone shots? It's spitting it's arse off, but there's no one out there....
There's been one or two out there the last few days. Super shallow/sketchy if you get it wrong.
Yep, big shifty, raw open ocean peaks. A proper deep water wave and punishing if you don't make it.
Betcha albertinelli has Surfed it . . .
I reckon Nathan Florence would give it a red hot go also.
The drone shot showed 2 crew on it earlier today. Someone got a sick barrel.
Indicators in the background must be one of the sketchiest waves in Indo, think about 100s of pros visiting the area,an absolutely perfect barrel twice as long as Nias in plain sight from the accomadation - yet its almost never surfed.
It looks insane hey.
Super shallow?
this vid offers some good insight:
Isn't that a different wave further around? Not indicators?
Ah yes, I think you might be right!
jeez kerrzy was short shafted twice now......last wave given a 8.5 should have been a 9+
someone just got a smoker on that outer reef
Geez, just kicked up a notch for this second semi
and then dropped right off for the rest of the heat......
pumping, what a comp
shame the live feed dropped out in the finals ....typical indo thing.......but im surprised watching the womens final ,bad feed but better than none when it came back that Oceania Rogers was getting around wearing shit splitters in a Muslim country.
Just got home.
Who won? Anyone know or has feed stayed out. Shows crew surfing it now on live telecast.
Winter Vincent and Ella McCaffrey
Thanks peabo!
DanDanDan, It's ancient history now but I was there in April 1978, before the Surfer article and that timeless lineup pic by Erik Aeder of the wave and local in dugout canoe. I went back again in October 1980 - both well before the earthquakes that lifted the reef and improved the already picture-perfect tube there. In "78, with 4 other surfers - Lee from Noosa, Chris from WA, Clive and Sid from Bondi, we stayed in the one house not destroyed a few months earlier in Lagundri from a flare-up between them and Botahili - long story. First building near the break - Jamborai - was being built at the time. Surf got big on the New Moon - double+ overhead - the beach in front of Lagundri was shaking with the impact of the sets and all sorts of flotsam and jetsam was floating around in the early morning lineup, before the offshore wind picked up and cleaned it up. By 1980 there were a couple of buildings on the point and the word was well and truly out, with a Tracks article almost giving street directions to promote Storm Riders film. It was a long slog in those days to get there, and risky re Malaria etc. Probably a lot easier now I guess ...The development along the point there is a bummer but you can't stop progress hey. We never surfed the outside reef - it didn't have a happy ending and it was / probably still is, a long way from serious medical help.
I spent a month there in July 2007 with a couple of mates. It was costing $10AUD a day for our accommo, meals and drinks. Nothing fancy, just a bed with a mozzie net and table in the room, a fan and bucket shower downstairs but smack bang on the front of the point with a verandah overlooking the wave and beach. Absolutely epic! Lots of swells and saw it in all moods from 2ft to 8-10ft. I love it and went back another couple of times in subsequent years. from 2ft up to 4ft its still a really rippable wave which is great fun for turns and the odd tube. Once it hits 6ft plus it turns into proper barrels, then once it's bigger than that it just gets thicker and heavier. No trades up there so wind can be an issue if its big during the day and goes onshore, otherwise still really fun for turns. When you are staying there you can time your surfs to avoid crowds if needed but I never had any issues. The wave is one of the funnest and easiest right barrels you will surf. Ah good memories!!! As others have said also other good waves around you can get off to see and avoid crowds.
Imagine the world where this, instead of say, Brasil, is a CT stop?!
^ ^ ^
Fuck that was a Good Session .