Last and Least

“It’s going to be a fast day,” said someone to someone in the frozen darkness. Still, despite the cold, the rain, the miserable conditions and the general kakness that was persisting, the crowds arrived and started filling up the grandstands, the VIP area was full, and there were literally hundreds of cups of coffee being drunk everywhere.

Big surprise was Jordy getting knocked out by Joan Duru. While Duru was surfing on form and finding the good ones, it should have been Jordy’s heat and it was a big disappointment to have the two times and defending champion eliminated, but we had Dale Staples keeping the flag flying high and defeating the acclaimed John John Florence. Dale faltered against Aritz Aranburu however, and the South African contingent was left in the dust.

Adriano De Souza smashed Ezekial Lau in the first semi, and in the dying swell Joan Duru turned on for his semi against Aritz Aranburu, with Duru taking the win on his backhand.

The storm was lurking. That dreadful storm that Spike had forecast was sitting out there in the sea, edging her way towards the shoreline with rain and onshore fluff ruffling the waves. So it was straight into it, and the waves turned to utter shit.

Adriano ripped the bag out of it, and ripped so hard he ripped a fin out. Opting for the runaround, he ended up on the inside far up the point and lucked into a peeler that allowed him to smash his way to an 8.33 or thereabouts and he had it. Done and dusted in the rain.

Still, no one is going to remember the Billabong Pro 2012 for the small, cold and onshore final, instead the event will remain in the history sections for one of the best and most glorious runs of swell that any surf contest in the history of the sport has ever witnessed, and for that we can be truly grateful.