After the celebrations over Jordy Smith's perfect heat score had subsided, we had a chat with the hometown hero to find out what actually happened out there. This was only the tenth perfect 20-point heat in the history of the Championship Tour, and the first ever at Jeffreys Bay.
World Surf League: That was a great performance out there. Bizarrely perfect waves as well.
Jordy Smith: At this stage I just feel so blessed. 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 20 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.
South Africa's Jordy Smith delights the J-Bay crowd with his second 10 point ride, and a perfect heat, in Round Three.
Could you hear the crowd roaring while you were out there?
Well, it was pretty windy and noisy out there, but yes, you can hear the crowds cheering and it's really cool. It gets you so pumped. It makes you feel so stoked you know, to have all the support out there.
Your first 10 was incredible, but that second 10...Did you feel like you did everything possible on that wave?
That last floater, it was a big section, and a big move, and I already had done so much on the wave. That wave had me a bit stumped. I actually don't know what else I could have done on that wave. When I made the floater I thought that it might be another 10.
After scoring two perfect 10s for the first time in J-Bay history -- and the first time in his career -- Jordy reflects.
Your fans on the beach gave you quite a reception when the score dropped.
I know. That was so cool. I stopped paddling and acknowledged all the cheering. That moment was such an incredible feeling.
There are people who say that J-Bay is a complicated wave; that it's a great wave to surf, but a hard wave to surf really well.
Well, the thing is that when you get a good one and you surf it really well, it's magnified, you know? When you do a big carve or a power turn or get a good barrel, it looks so good at Supers. The problem is that it works both ways. If you do a poor turn it also gets magnified. So if you bog a rail or something on a perfect wave at Supers it looks so bad.
Smith knows how to mine J-Bay's emerald caverns. - WSL / Pierre Tostee
Where do you go from here? You just scored 20 points.
Well, the thing is, that score is already in the past, and I'll have the rest of my life to bask on that result, but it's done now. It bears no relation to what I need to do for the rest of this event. It's time to look forward, because I still have a very big task to do here in J-Bay. So I'll just focus on the next heat, and I'll carry on moving forward. I'll have plenty of time to reflect on that heat in the future, but for now I'm just focused on the next heat and this event.
The action at Jeffreys Bay was almost too much to handle today, as 10-point rides came raining down.
Smith Talks Us Through His Historic 20-Point Heat
Craig Jarvis
After the celebrations over Jordy Smith's perfect heat score had subsided, we had a chat with the hometown hero to find out what actually happened out there. This was only the tenth perfect 20-point heat in the history of the Championship Tour, and the first ever at Jeffreys Bay.
World Surf League: That was a great performance out there. Bizarrely perfect waves as well.
Jordy Smith: At this stage I just feel so blessed. 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 20 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.
Could you hear the crowd roaring while you were out there?
Well, it was pretty windy and noisy out there, but yes, you can hear the crowds cheering and it's really cool. It gets you so pumped. It makes you feel so stoked you know, to have all the support out there.
Your first 10 was incredible, but that second 10...Did you feel like you did everything possible on that wave?
That last floater, it was a big section, and a big move, and I already had done so much on the wave. That wave had me a bit stumped. I actually don't know what else I could have done on that wave. When I made the floater I thought that it might be another 10.
Your fans on the beach gave you quite a reception when the score dropped.
I know. That was so cool. I stopped paddling and acknowledged all the cheering. That moment was such an incredible feeling.
There are people who say that J-Bay is a complicated wave; that it's a great wave to surf, but a hard wave to surf really well.
Well, the thing is that when you get a good one and you surf it really well, it's magnified, you know? When you do a big carve or a power turn or get a good barrel, it looks so good at Supers. The problem is that it works both ways. If you do a poor turn it also gets magnified. So if you bog a rail or something on a perfect wave at Supers it looks so bad.
Where do you go from here? You just scored 20 points.
Well, the thing is, that score is already in the past, and I'll have the rest of my life to bask on that result, but it's done now. It bears no relation to what I need to do for the rest of this event. It's time to look forward, because I still have a very big task to do here in J-Bay. So I'll just focus on the next heat, and I'll carry on moving forward. I'll have plenty of time to reflect on that heat in the future, but for now I'm just focused on the next heat and this event.
Jordy Smith
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Corona Open J-Bay
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
In the aftermath of Filipe Toledo's stunning 10-point ride at J-Bay in 2017, pundits and peers pondered how he just changed the game.
Supertubes delivered last year, and the world's best surfers rejoiced.
A full look back at how Filipe Toledo dominated J-Bay with his innovative air game.
Top scores and waves from 2017.