Like a game of football, Semifinal Heat 2 between Filipe Toledo and Kolohe Andino at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro was a tale of two halves. In this particular case, the role of second-half comeback winner was played by Kolohe Andino. Midway through the heat, Toledo was on a tear, had a solid lead and the psychological advantage of never having lost to Andino in a man-on-man heat.
The Californian found the green room multiple times in his Quarterfinal match with Jordy Smith.
But then Mother Nature played her cruel hand in the form of a large salmon bait ball invading the Main peak at Margaret's, forcing event directors to clear the lineup in the name of "safety first". Salmon are big fish, but they are definitely not at the top of the food chain pyramid.
Heat 2 of the Semifinals goes on hold momentarily while the fish feeding clears out.
Obviously shaken by the preponderance of marine wildlife boiling and skirting through the lineup at Main Break, both Andino and Toledo jumped at the chance to head to the beach, reset and paddle back out when the lineup cleared of any remaining possibilities of men in the grey suits.
A Semifinal result is a keeper for Filipe Toledo's 2017 campaign. - WSL / Ed Sloane
The second-half chance was all Andino needed to get the upper hand. Making amends for a less than stellar result at the Quik Pro at Snapper Rocks (after finishing 2nd there in 2015), Andino has continued to carry the terrific form that saw him ranked No. 4 overall in 2016. And while it was superior wave selection and high-line tubes that saw him take out Jordy Smith, Andino's technical rail game and end-section smashes provided the difference versus the spicy Brazilian.
Big pocket snaps have become a trademark of Andino's surfing. - WSL / Matt Dunbar
Toledo, for his part, surfed a smart heat and his high-speed down carves and critical end-dump floaters held the heat in the balance until the final seconds. Requiring a good, but not great, score to advance, the ocean went flat for Toledo and Andino moved on to the Final to face World Champ John John Florence.
Andino Bounces Back
WSL
Like a game of football, Semifinal Heat 2 between Filipe Toledo and Kolohe Andino at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro was a tale of two halves. In this particular case, the role of second-half comeback winner was played by Kolohe Andino. Midway through the heat, Toledo was on a tear, had a solid lead and the psychological advantage of never having lost to Andino in a man-on-man heat.
But then Mother Nature played her cruel hand in the form of a large salmon bait ball invading the Main peak at Margaret's, forcing event directors to clear the lineup in the name of "safety first". Salmon are big fish, but they are definitely not at the top of the food chain pyramid.
Obviously shaken by the preponderance of marine wildlife boiling and skirting through the lineup at Main Break, both Andino and Toledo jumped at the chance to head to the beach, reset and paddle back out when the lineup cleared of any remaining possibilities of men in the grey suits.
The second-half chance was all Andino needed to get the upper hand. Making amends for a less than stellar result at the Quik Pro at Snapper Rocks (after finishing 2nd there in 2015), Andino has continued to carry the terrific form that saw him ranked No. 4 overall in 2016. And while it was superior wave selection and high-line tubes that saw him take out Jordy Smith, Andino's technical rail game and end-section smashes provided the difference versus the spicy Brazilian.
Toledo, for his part, surfed a smart heat and his high-speed down carves and critical end-dump floaters held the heat in the balance until the final seconds. Requiring a good, but not great, score to advance, the ocean went flat for Toledo and Andino moved on to the Final to face World Champ John John Florence.
Filipe Toledo
Filipe Toledo's unanimous 10-point ride heard around the world at the 2017 Corona Open J-Bay. Rewind and watch one of the greatest waves
Featuring Yago Dora, Filipe Toledo, Caio Ibelli, Ian Gouveia, Kelly Slater, John John Florence, Gabriel Medina, Julian Wilson, Adriano de
Featuring Yago Dora, Griffin Colapinto, Leonardo Fioravanti, Jordy Smith, Filipe Toledo, John John Florence, Kanoa Igarashi, Italo
Featuring Gabriel Medina, John John Florence, Liam O'Brien, Yago Dora, Italo Ferreira, Carissa Moore, Griffin Colapinto, Tatiana
Relive every single 9-point ride surfed at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Bonsoy since 2019. Featuring Gabriel Medina, John John
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro
Here are five must-see heats from an epic year at the wild and rugged Margaret River, in Western Australia.
The WSL filmmakers go behind the scenes to capture all of the action from the 2017 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro.
The Californian is absorbing another round of life lessons during his roller-coaster ride in 2017.
If the charismatic Australian is to save his year he'll need to get busy at the Hurley Pro.
The rookie from Portugal talks about his huge upset win over Mick Fanning and John John Florence in Round Four.