JEFFREYS BAY, Eastern Cape, South Africa (Friday, June 21, 2024) - It was an unforgettable day at the World Surf League (WSL) J-Bay Classic Presented by Corona, with offshore winds and six-to-eight foot sets rolling through from sunrise to sunset. The Bonus Round determined the overall leaderboard with the top four men and women advancing to the bracket stage. The next call for Finals Day will be on Saturday, June 22 at 07:45 AM for a possible start at 08:15 AM GMT+2.
Supertubes Calls; February, Kerr, Morais and Wilkinson Answers
The energy in the air is unlike anything else and it reaches a tipping point when the competition gets called on, pulling competitors and spectators out of their dream state. It's nearly impossible to take your eyes off the lineup, it's a mesmerizing sight. The buzzer sounds the start of the first heat as an eight-foot set rolls through, catching everyone out of position. Frederico Morais (POR) gets a bomb, carving down the face and setting up for the barrel. Morais gets tubed twice, all the way through the Impossibles section and rides out. Everyone's in disbelief and the judges dish out an excellent 8.43 (out of a possible 10), and Morais advances to the Semifinals.
South African surfing legend Sean Holmes (RSA) scratches into an eight-foot wall of water. He tucks into the barrel and squeaks out before producing some beautiful lines as he draws out his turns on the open face to get an 8.27 in front of family and friends on the beach.
Michael February - WSL / Kody McGregor
The next heat starts as a set arrives and Michael February (RSA) is in position. February swoops down the face, into a huge arching turn. As a professional free surfer, February is known as the style master and it shows why. February finds the tube and gets the exit, making it look effortless. The beach erupts when the judges drop a 9.17. The Bonus Round score gets doubled before being added to a surfer's total score and February finds himself at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 35.01 (out of a possible 40).
Taking off right behind February, the 1999 World Champion Mark ‘Occy' Occhilupo (AUS) is going vertical under the lip of a huge wave, before laying into his classic backhand style. It's a privilege to watch Occy surf J-Bay, and the spectators are trying to save every second into their photographic memory.
"Today's absolutely firing J-Bay which is exciting when you're surfing with just two other people out," February said. "I was stoked to get a good score on my first wave. I wasn't even sure if the heat started, but I saw a green flash from the tower and just started paddling as hard as I could. It was such a fun wave, I think anyone who surfed it would've had a good score."
"Surfing with Occy and Josh Kerr is very special. It's weird, because it doesn't feel like a serious event but you still get a bit nervous and that contest feeling kicks in. You kind of just want Occy to surf any wave he wants and watch him surf. It's a really cool experience," February said.
Josh Kerr - WSL / Pierre Tostee
Josh Kerr (AUS) was happy to be back on his twin fin surfboard. Rolling into a huge set wave, Kerr tucks into the barrel, glides down and sets up the next section to get barrelled again. He comes out flying for an 8.90, and with a total of 32.64 he cements his spot in Finals Day.
In a battle of the goofy surfers, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) sneaked into the fourth spot on the leaderboard when he scored a 6.73 in the final seconds of the heat against local youngsters Tide-Lee Ireland (RSA) and Joshe Faulkner (RSA). Patiently waiting for the wall of the wave to stand up, Wilkinson went vertical with his maneuvers, completing it in the most critical section of the wave. His total bumped local hero Sean Holmes (RSA) down the leaderboard as the Australian advanced to Finals Day. Despite some seriously powerful surfing, 2015 World Champion Adriano De Souza (BRA) didn't make the cut.
Stephanie Gilmore - WSL / Kody McGregor
Gilmore, Ho, Baum and Fitzgibbons Slots Into Finals Day
There's nothing smoother than the flawless surfing of Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) on Supertubes. The 8-time World Champion glided into her first wave, driving off the bottom and off the top with beautiful turns back into the pocket, whipping around her bright yellow surfboard. The judges handed out a 7.67 sending Gilmore into the top position on the leaderboard with a total of 28.68, overtaking Coco Ho (HAW) who also locked in her Finals Day slot.
"There's really not that many places in the world where you take off on a wave and you see the longest line of water bending all along the coast," Gilmore said. "The world is your oyster, at that point you can do whatever you want."
"To get to share it with two girls that I really admire, I love Coco and Sierra (Kerr). I spent my whole career on Tour with Coco and now Sierra is the future, so it's a cool moment to share some great waves together," Gilmore said.
Sally Fitzgibbons - WSL / Kody McGregor
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) had some work to do going into the Bonus Round, coming up against Sarah Baum (RSA) and Sage Erickson (USA). Baum was already sitting with an excellent score in her total, making it a bit easier to advance to the Semifinals. Fitzgibbons gladly accepted the challenge with a smile and paddled into a gem to churn out powerful, but snappy turns in the pocket for a 7.10. Double that score and she edged out Sierra Kerr (AUS) by the smallest of margins, with Erickson finishing at the bottom of the table.
"It was crazy to be out there with Sarah Baum and Sage Erickson," Fitzgibbons said. "That would've never happened 20 years ago, to sit out there in golden hour and surf pumping J-Bay. To see everyone just enjoying their surfing, it's so meaningful, it goes beyond getting a result. It just shows how far women's surfing has come. I've only had a few runs at this break and it's one of my favourite to watch, so I want to keep learning it and the only way to do that is to surf more, so I'm really grateful to be here," Fitzgibbons concluded.
The day wrapped with a special Heritage Heat, giving surfing legends like Mark Occhilupo, Greg Emslie, Grant Baker, Sean Holmes, Shane Thorne, Warren Dean, Trevor Hansen, Michael Burness and Seth Hulley the chance to share a pumping Supertubes lineup once again.
The next call will be on Saturday, June 22 at 07:45 AM for a possible 08:15 AM start. While there won't be a live broadcast, fans will be able to follow updates on the WSL J-Bay Classic Presented by Corona on the @wsl and @jbayclassic social media channels and catch up on all the best highlights from the day on WorldSurfLeague.com.
The J-Bay Classic Presented by Corona holds a competition window from Friday, June 14 through Sunday, June 23.
The J-Bay Classic presented by Corona is proudly supported by Corona, Kouga Municipality, Eastern Cape Provincial Government, House of Mandela, The Freedom Project, Red Bull, Surfing South Africa, Sealand, and Grit.
Unforgettable Day Unfolds At WSL J-Bay Classic Presented by Corona
WSL
JEFFREYS BAY, Eastern Cape, South Africa (Friday, June 21, 2024) - It was an unforgettable day at the World Surf League (WSL) J-Bay Classic Presented by Corona, with offshore winds and six-to-eight foot sets rolling through from sunrise to sunset. The Bonus Round determined the overall leaderboard with the top four men and women advancing to the bracket stage. The next call for Finals Day will be on Saturday, June 22 at 07:45 AM for a possible start at 08:15 AM GMT+2.
Supertubes Calls; February, Kerr, Morais and Wilkinson Answers
The energy in the air is unlike anything else and it reaches a tipping point when the competition gets called on, pulling competitors and spectators out of their dream state. It's nearly impossible to take your eyes off the lineup, it's a mesmerizing sight. The buzzer sounds the start of the first heat as an eight-foot set rolls through, catching everyone out of position. Frederico Morais (POR) gets a bomb, carving down the face and setting up for the barrel. Morais gets tubed twice, all the way through the Impossibles section and rides out. Everyone's in disbelief and the judges dish out an excellent 8.43 (out of a possible 10), and Morais advances to the Semifinals.
South African surfing legend Sean Holmes (RSA) scratches into an eight-foot wall of water. He tucks into the barrel and squeaks out before producing some beautiful lines as he draws out his turns on the open face to get an 8.27 in front of family and friends on the beach.
The next heat starts as a set arrives and Michael February (RSA) is in position. February swoops down the face, into a huge arching turn. As a professional free surfer, February is known as the style master and it shows why. February finds the tube and gets the exit, making it look effortless. The beach erupts when the judges drop a 9.17. The Bonus Round score gets doubled before being added to a surfer's total score and February finds himself at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 35.01 (out of a possible 40).
Taking off right behind February, the 1999 World Champion Mark ‘Occy' Occhilupo (AUS) is going vertical under the lip of a huge wave, before laying into his classic backhand style. It's a privilege to watch Occy surf J-Bay, and the spectators are trying to save every second into their photographic memory.
"Today's absolutely firing J-Bay which is exciting when you're surfing with just two other people out," February said. "I was stoked to get a good score on my first wave. I wasn't even sure if the heat started, but I saw a green flash from the tower and just started paddling as hard as I could. It was such a fun wave, I think anyone who surfed it would've had a good score."
"Surfing with Occy and Josh Kerr is very special. It's weird, because it doesn't feel like a serious event but you still get a bit nervous and that contest feeling kicks in. You kind of just want Occy to surf any wave he wants and watch him surf. It's a really cool experience," February said.
Josh Kerr (AUS) was happy to be back on his twin fin surfboard. Rolling into a huge set wave, Kerr tucks into the barrel, glides down and sets up the next section to get barrelled again. He comes out flying for an 8.90, and with a total of 32.64 he cements his spot in Finals Day.
In a battle of the goofy surfers, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) sneaked into the fourth spot on the leaderboard when he scored a 6.73 in the final seconds of the heat against local youngsters Tide-Lee Ireland (RSA) and Joshe Faulkner (RSA). Patiently waiting for the wall of the wave to stand up, Wilkinson went vertical with his maneuvers, completing it in the most critical section of the wave. His total bumped local hero Sean Holmes (RSA) down the leaderboard as the Australian advanced to Finals Day. Despite some seriously powerful surfing, 2015 World Champion Adriano De Souza (BRA) didn't make the cut.
Gilmore, Ho, Baum and Fitzgibbons Slots Into Finals Day
There's nothing smoother than the flawless surfing of Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) on Supertubes. The 8-time World Champion glided into her first wave, driving off the bottom and off the top with beautiful turns back into the pocket, whipping around her bright yellow surfboard. The judges handed out a 7.67 sending Gilmore into the top position on the leaderboard with a total of 28.68, overtaking Coco Ho (HAW) who also locked in her Finals Day slot.
"There's really not that many places in the world where you take off on a wave and you see the longest line of water bending all along the coast," Gilmore said. "The world is your oyster, at that point you can do whatever you want."
"To get to share it with two girls that I really admire, I love Coco and Sierra (Kerr). I spent my whole career on Tour with Coco and now Sierra is the future, so it's a cool moment to share some great waves together," Gilmore said.
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) had some work to do going into the Bonus Round, coming up against Sarah Baum (RSA) and Sage Erickson (USA). Baum was already sitting with an excellent score in her total, making it a bit easier to advance to the Semifinals. Fitzgibbons gladly accepted the challenge with a smile and paddled into a gem to churn out powerful, but snappy turns in the pocket for a 7.10. Double that score and she edged out Sierra Kerr (AUS) by the smallest of margins, with Erickson finishing at the bottom of the table.
"It was crazy to be out there with Sarah Baum and Sage Erickson," Fitzgibbons said. "That would've never happened 20 years ago, to sit out there in golden hour and surf pumping J-Bay. To see everyone just enjoying their surfing, it's so meaningful, it goes beyond getting a result. It just shows how far women's surfing has come. I've only had a few runs at this break and it's one of my favourite to watch, so I want to keep learning it and the only way to do that is to surf more, so I'm really grateful to be here," Fitzgibbons concluded.
The day wrapped with a special Heritage Heat, giving surfing legends like Mark Occhilupo, Greg Emslie, Grant Baker, Sean Holmes, Shane Thorne, Warren Dean, Trevor Hansen, Michael Burness and Seth Hulley the chance to share a pumping Supertubes lineup once again.
The next call will be on Saturday, June 22 at 07:45 AM for a possible 08:15 AM start. While there won't be a live broadcast, fans will be able to follow updates on the WSL J-Bay Classic Presented by Corona on the @wsl and @jbayclassic social media channels and catch up on all the best highlights from the day on WorldSurfLeague.com.
The J-Bay Classic Presented by Corona holds a competition window from Friday, June 14 through Sunday, June 23.
The J-Bay Classic presented by Corona is proudly supported by Corona, Kouga Municipality, Eastern Cape Provincial Government, House of Mandela, The Freedom Project, Red Bull, Surfing South Africa, Sealand, and Grit.
J-Bay Classic presented by Corona
Enjoy another perfect day at Supertubes.
Freddie loves J-Bay!
From winning the trials, to winning the main event!
A Supertubes Special
Sally Fitzgibbons, Michael February Finish Runners-Up
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