As you may know by now (5 minutes after the contest), it is South African Chris Bertish who takes first with a day of late drops and fearless drives into the maw, and a few rail grab cutbacks just to add some flair. The sheer intensity of this year’s event made for an epic spectacle— the crowds thronging the beach and cliff, gleaning the irresistible energy charge from the waves and the gifted surfers who ride them. 2nd Shane Desmond, 3rd Anthony Tashnick, 4th Dave Wassell, 5th Carlos Burle, 6th Ken “Skindog” (now “Dogfather”) Collins.
When the tide drops, the waves go nuclear outside. Certainly 20-feet easy, with some 25-footers roaring through. The semi finals hold moments of glory—Twiggy with an air drop on a massive one. However, he is unable to follow it up. Anthony Tashnick with two monsters under his belt. Chris Bertish impressive with air-drops and a drive into one of those nightmare barrels. Shane Desmond does something wild on his backhand—always coming into big, outside, and mean waves. Tashnick, Wassell, and Burle each bringing down massive rides as well.
