Surf 2 Surf - Bede's Blog

I guess you could call it an opportunity lost.

Not just for me, but for a few of us in the top 10 who were trying to chase down Kelly’s big lead going into The Search in Indonesia.

With Kelly having a third round exit, a few of us got excited about making some headway on that points gap.  But then most of us, including myself, go and bail out in the very next round!

With the exception of Taj who reached the quarters, those of us who went into the event ranked from two to eight weren’t really able to make a dent.

I was spewing but you have to get over it quickly and move on.

Which means getting the focus right for the next event at Trestles in California.

Fortunately, that’s not hard for me because I have a soft spot for the Boost Pro.  I broke through for my first WCT win there two years ago when I was able to beat Kelly in the final. 

I’ve always enjoyed Trestles as a wave and California as a place, so I’m confident of being in the right zone for the event.

I’ll tune up ahead of leaving with a few training sessions with “Elko” (Gary ‘Kong” Elkerton) and get some time in with my shaper Wayne McKewen on my quiver.  I’m away for six weeks on this next stint so it’s important to get things right before I go.

Reflecting on The Search, once again it was an insane event.  We had really good waves at different times.  So much so that the event was wound up within five days which is a rare occurrence on the tour.  Bali was such a great choice of location and I hope Rip Curl come up with somewhere just as good next year.

Occasionally, the event was a bit frustrating when it got super tidal.  You could have one heat with guys getting nines and the next heat with guys getting fives and still getting through. 

The conditions could shift that rapidly, so it was often really hard to know what kind of waves you were in for in your heat, or where to sit.

But your competitor is in the same boat so it kind of added an extra element and edge to each heat.

Some amazing surfing went down during the event.  I was caddying for Timmy Reyes in that heat he had with Kelly.  I’ve never seen surfing like that…it was freakish.  Freddie P was also on fire the whole time we were there and Bruce Irons’ barrel riding on the final day showed he was a worthy champion.

As per usual, Bali also delivered out of the water.  It’s one of my favourite places in the world.  I took my wife Tarryn and we had an awesome time.  We fit pretty easily into  the Bali lifestyle!

In terms of the Tour, my strategy from here is to just keep chipping away without giving up.  I am due a win and I know it’s there soon.

Paige Hareb's Blog

This is my second time to Portugal in about a year and I came here reasonably confident given I knew a little bit about the conditions there and that I had placed fourth here last year in the Under 18 world junior titles.

I was looking for Portugal to treat me right again!

The venue for the 6-star WQS event I was competing in was Cascais which is a pretty city set on a rough, desert-like coast. The people are all very helpful and friendly and the weather is nice and hot.

But that doesn’t mean the water is.

No way in fact!  It was full wetsuits all the way (just like NZ right now)!

Getting around the city was interesting.  A lot of the roads are just made out of cobblestones and the streets are extremely narrow with too many only one lane, and one-way!  I must say Mum got us out of some pretty tricky parking situations. I’d definitely advise car insurance if you’re going to drive in Cascais.

The comp was held at a beach-break that was badly affected by the wind. The waves were about four feet, so there was no lack of swell or waves this time. The weather was predicted to kick in bad in the next few days so they finished the comp within two days which is very quick.

To improve my overall WQS ratings points I needed to finish at least 9th or higher. That’s exactly what I did.  I took out 9th so I was happy as it improved my overall points.  But I was still a bit gutted that I didn’t do better overall. 

I’d like to put some more distance between me and some of the other girls behind me on the ratings. I’m now coming fifth on the WQS (World Qualifying Series) and it’s the top seven girls who  qualify for the Dream Tour (the World Championship Tour) in 2009.

Now we’re more than halfway through the year, there’s not that many WQS comps left.  Most are done and dusted, surfed and won. There are three more in Brazil which I haven’t decided whether I’m going to go to yet or not as they are only 4-stars.
I would have to win one of them to improve my overall ratings points.

The next big one is the last event of the year at Haleiwa on the North Shore of Hawaii.  It’s a 6-star rated and is a crunch comp at crunch time for a lot of the girls on the tour, including myself.

Girls have qualified for the Dream Tour by getting through just one extra heat.  Equally, others have missed out by not progressing through that same “one extra heat”.  Pro surfing is definitely a cut-throat sport!

Did you know that if you drilled a hole from New Zealand all the way through the world it would come out in Portugal?

Yep, that’s right! Portugal is the complete opposite side of the world to New Zealand. Boy, do I feel far from home!

I have now been away from NZ since the start of May.  Nearly four months travelling the world from motel to motel living out of a suitcase.  It’s finally getting towards the end of my ‘around the world’ ticket.  

I’m enroute to Bali before finally heading back home to New Zealand. I only get to have one night in my own bed before heading down to Wanaka for a skiing trip.

But I’m not complaining.  It’s going to be weird not having any comps for a while but I’m looking forward to just relaxing and not having to think about it all.

And, best of all, I’ll be at home!

Obrigado – thanks!
Paige Hareb – Offshore – literally other side of the world!