1ft, 2x10s, 1 Mako

10 by 10: Jordy Smith pulls into the first wave for a long 10 second tube. Photo Sean Thompson

Smith recorded the first perfect 20 point heat total at Jeffreys Bay ever. His first 10 pointer, in the heat against a hapless Leonardo Fioravanti, was helped by a 10 second barrel. His second 10 pointer made it just the 10th time ever that a WSL surfer has scored the double.

His first perfect 10 was quite silly. Jordy took off on a blustery wall and styled into two nice big carves, then tucked quickly into a long barrel. It just happened to be 10 seconds long.

This added to his previous high score of 8,60, which gave him a total heat score of 18,60 out of 20 to put some serious pressue on Fioravanti. The Italian was sitting on a 16,17 and needing to up both his highest waves to stay in the game.

SIDE SLIDE: This slashing tail-glide came on the second wave. Photo Sean Thompson

But Jordy's next wave was the knockout blow. He took off on another wind-blown face. His nonchalance on the takeoff and subsequent bottom turn belied what was to come, while also suggesting the commentators' remark of a possible perfect 20 out of 20 to be way off the mark.

It wasn't. At all. The first turn was a elastic U-turn back into the white water. The second was a huge hack that ramped him right off the top of a falling lip to freefall back down. The third was an intense slash that had spumes of spray heading for Planet Foamball. These searing hacks were topped off with a fourth: a vertical snap slash followed by a side-slipping fin slide.

CLAIM IT BRU: Jordy knows after the big off-the-top floater finale. Photo Sean Thompson

The crowd were screaming themselves hoarse. Then Jordy set up a little barrel. It was a mere three seconds long. That was capped with a gigantic rooftop over-the-top floater with an over-the-broken wave bounce-down. People went moggy. It was sublime to sea.

“At this stage I just feel so blessed,” said Jordy on the beach after his heat. ”That was an incredible heat and I am so stoked to have surfed that heat today. There were such unbelievable waves out there. To do it, to get twenty points in front of all my friends and family and all these local fans is also just such an amazing thing. It’s Mandela Day today, and I think Madiba was looking out for me and sent me the bombs today.”

In 2010, on Mandela Day as well, Jordy won this event, his first win on the Championship Tour, so it is no doubt a very special day for him.

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Other surfers to score 10-point rides today included Julian Wilson (AUS) and Filipe Toledo (BRA). Surprises included Conner Coffin (USA) defeating former event and world champion Joel Parkinson (AUS) from the event.

In the penultimate heat of the day, a non-elimination heat of Jordy, Filipe Toledo and Julian Wilson, a breaching Mako Shark caused the event to be called off for the day after the shark sighting protocol was followed with the activation of a response team.

“Judges and ski drivers saw a shark breach about 100 yards out behind the lineup so the heat was put on hold,” said WSL Commissioner Kieren Perrow. “We’ve made the decision that we’re not going to restart the heat again today and we’ll come back tomorrow when there will still be great waves on offer.”

Surfing will resume tomorrow morning, and the wave forecast looks very favourable for another great day’s surfing.

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Corona Open J-Bay Round 3 Results
Heat 1: Joan Duru (FRA) 15.50 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.40
Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.83 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.57
Heat 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.83 def. Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 9.67
Heat 4: Frederico Morais (PRT) 13.07 def. Connor O’Leary (AUS) 12.16
Heat 5: Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.24 def. Caio Ibelli (BRA) 12.67
Heat 6: John John Florence (HAW) 18.27 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.94
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 20.00 def. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 16.17
Heat 8: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Kelly Slater (USA) INJ
Heat 9: Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.27 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 15.30
Heat 10: Conner Coffin (USA) 18.67 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.90
Heat 11: Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.73 def. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 16.07
Heat 12: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 16.54 def. Jack Freestone (AUS) 13.47

Corona Open J-Bay Round 4 Results
Heat 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 18.74, Joan Duru (FRA) 16.07, Owen Wright (AUS) 13.10
Heat 2: Frederico Morais (PRT) 19.07, John John Florence (HAW) 17.17, Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.90

Corona Open J-Bay Upcoming Round 4 Match-Ups
Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Filipe Toledo (BRA), Julian Wilson (AUS)
Heat 4: Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Conner Coffin (USA), Michel Bourez (PYF)