In the long run this may be a war, but today the aerialists won the battle in Santa Cruz.

Due to a lagging South Swell, delays and lulls attempted to sour an otherwise great day of competition at the O'neill Cold Water Classic. Heats 1-12 of the first round were run at the fabled point at Steamer Lane.

The list of heat winners reads more like the Modern Collective cast plus the entire ...Lost/Mayhem team than a typical WQS heat sheet. Mason Ho, Ratboy, Cory Lopez, Kolohe Andino, Nate Yeomans, Davo, Luke Davis, Dusty Payne, Evan Geiselman, Julian WIlson, Wilko, Miguel Pupo. All moving on to Round Two after solid performances in head high rights at the Lane. Innovative surfing: rewarded.

A peaking South Swell should see competition resume tomorrow morning. Watch it here.

O'NEILL COLD WATER CLASSIC ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Mason Ho (HAW) 12.53, Jason Collins (USA) 12.10, Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 11.87, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.03
Heat 2: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 12.37, Cory Lopez (USA) 9.20, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 7.24, Brent Dorrington (AUS) 4.83
Heat 3: Kolohe Andino (USA) 16.63, Richard Christie (NZL) 13.90, Michael Dunphy (USA) 9.93, Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 9.06
Heat 4: Nathan Yeomans (USA) 14.90, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.23, Adam Robertson (AUS) 12.07, Sunny Garcia (AUS) 11.87
Heat 5: Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 13.10, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 11.77, Gavin Gillette (HAW) 10.86, Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 9.37
Heat 6: Chris Davidson (AUS) 13.94, Hizunome Bettero (BRA) 12.50, Austin Ware (USA) 11.33, Tim Reyes (USA) 10.90
Heat 7: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 15.34, Willian Cardoso (BRA) 9.80, Brian Toth (PRI) 7.17, Roy Powers (HAW) 7.16
Heat 8: Luke Davis (USA) 15.37, Joel Centeio (HAW) 10.60, Alain Riou (PYF) 8.03, Nicholas Squires (AUS) 7.40
Heat 9: Nat Young (USA) 15.27, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 13.30, Heath Joske (AUS) 12.24, Kevin Sullivan (HAW) 7.17
Heat 10: Dusty Payne (HAW) 15.67, Dion Atkinson (AUS) 13.84, Joan Duru (FRA) 11.73, Dale Staples (ZAF) 8.47
Heat 11: Evan Geiselman (USA) 11.50, Thiago Camarao (BRA) 11.07, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 10.77, Jeronimo Vargas (BRA) 6.66
Heat 12: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.47, Lincoln Taylor (AUS) 13.10, Mitch Crews (AUS) 12.86, Matt Myers (USA) 9.90

It's hard to fathom Taylor Knox taking an early loss at Jeffreys Bay. The world's famous righthander is perfectly suited for Mr. Knox-- Supers is Taylor made for Knox (sorry).

Yet if you've been to J-Bay, or even watched it long enough, you know that the small three-to-four foot days are by far the most dangerous to bet on any favorites.

While watching the edited down version of events (see vid) it looks, by any standard, like another perfect day in Jeffreys Bay heaven. Yet day two of the Billabong Pro was actually a struggle. Long lulls persisted throughout the day as Wedensday's swell faded. Two heats had to be restarted because neither surfer rode a wave during the first 10 minutes of the heat. That should give you a sense of how painfully long the lulls were.

And while J-Bay is an epic wave when it's over six feet. Anything under that -- glassy or not -- is a roll of the dice. You get very few opportunities to make your case, so you better pick the right ones and execute properly.



Unfortunately for Taylor Knox he had problems with both, and suffered an early round exit at the hands of France's Joan Duru.

Taylor wasn't alone. CJ Hobgood went down to last-minute entry Timmy Reyes, who's in J-Bay filling in for the injured Joel Parkinson. Both Reyes and Hobgood have been suffering from confidence issues of late. Reyes' is understandable. The guy's had a rough couple years on the competitive circuit. Injuries have hampered Tim, who's not all that convinced he shouldn't be doing the whole Greg Long thing.

Hobgood, meanwhile, is working through basic equipment issues. It sounds simple. But most pros today expect magic boards to send tingles up their legs on wave one. If it doesn't happen they freak. Back in the real world, however, they're all talented enough to make the worst board in Derek Hynd's J-Bay quiver work well. Let me break it down this way: Nobody loses because of an extra eighth-inch of foam under their feet.

Both Knox and Hobgood should be OK and survive the ASP's pending chop down. They both entered Jeffreys in the Top 20 but are likely to fall out of it depending on who does what. Damien Hobgood, Andy Irons, Dusty Payne and Brett Simpson are among those giving chase.

Meanwhile, it's starting to look like Ian Cairns pre-event prediction of an Owen Wright breakout is a likely reality. Owen came into this season with plenty of fanfare after his multiple Slater bashes last year. Though he hasn't lit the world on fire yet in 2010, he is sitting at number 11 in the ratings--which puts him on Rookie of the Year pace.

Wright's backhand attack is the perfect fit for Jeffreys. His tall lanky frame gives him all the leverage he needs to get down the line and crack the lip in a hurry. Whereas most guys are fighting to get from point point A to point B, Wright is actually throwing some authoritative blow tails in between.

His California counterparts, on the other hand, are fighting for survival. Brett Simpson survived a challenge from Jeremy Flores today--looking solid. Nate Yeomans advanced directly into Round Three after his first heat win, but had the misfortune of running into Jordy Smith there, where his run ended.

All told it's been a solid two days of surfing, and with more bumps on the horizon things should get even more interesting, especially with Wild Card Sean Holmes facing Kelly Slater in the next round.

Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Remaining Round 2 Results:

Heat 3: Sean Holmes (ZAF) 13.50 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.07
Heat 4: Joan Duru (FRA) 13.83 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 11.50
Heat 5: Tim Reyes (USA) 13.34 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.23
Heat 6: Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.86 def. Blake Thornton (AUS) 11.50
Heat 7: Damien Hobgood (USA) 15.04 def. Marco Polo (BRA) 11.30
Heat 8: Jay Thompson (AUS) 18.33 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 14.47
Heat 9: Neco Padaratz (BRA) 11.36 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 10.93
Heat 10: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 15.03 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 9.00
Heat 11: Brett Simpson (USA) 15.40 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.26
Heat 12: Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.83 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.37
Heat 13: Luke Stedman (AUS) 14.14 def. Drew Courtney (AUS) 12.93
Heat 14: Travis Logie (ZAF) 13.60 def. Luke Munro (AUS) 12.00
Heat 15: Ben Dunn (AUS) 16.33 def. Pat Gudauskas (USA) 9.83
Heat 16: Dean Morrison (AUS) 15.84 def. Mick Campbell (AUS) 9.03

Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Round 3 Results:

Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.67 def. Jay Thompson (AUS) 9.27
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.27 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 11.80
Heat 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 17.00 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 10.74
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.07 def. Nate Yeomans (USA) 9.10

Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Remaining Round 3 Match-Ups:

Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 6: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 7: Luke Stedman (AUS) vs. Andy Irons (HAW)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Sean Holmes (ZAF)
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Joan Duru (FRA)
Heat 10: Tiago Pires (PRT) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Heat 11: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 12: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 13: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 14: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Dean Morrison (AUS)
Heat 15: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 16: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)

The brightest news coming out of Torquay on Saturday was the real Andy Irons showed up. Mind you, this wasn't the Andy Irons that showed up at the Quiksilver Pro -- the one who looked like he'd been on vacation for year and wasn't entirely sure he was ready to for it to end.

The Andy we saw at Bells Saturday looked much more lot like the Andy Irons with three world titles. And if that Andy lights up a few more of these tour parties this year could get a lot more interesting in a hurry.

Granted, it was only one heat. But Irons got psyched for his Round One heat, and ended up sending Dane Reynolds to the losers bracket by taking the win. He was excited about the win too. "It feels great it's been a long week of just getting up early like a fire drill but it's just something I do here," Irons said. "I want to be ready for that and having Dane (Reynolds) and Nate (Yeomans), I really respect their surfing. Dane is one of my favorite guys to watch and to get a win over him it feels awesome."

Irons admits he was disappointed by his performance at Snapper, but he's put his early round loss in the rear view mirror. "To be out at Snapper and see how good the surfing came up in the last year and a half, I had to go back into training and get my boards dilated out and now I'm way more motivated for this contest."

Before his heat on Saturday Irons was candid with the press about his feelings toward jumping back into the fire. "I don't want to be one of those guys who says they don't care, just staying somewhere in the top 10 for a few more years. I want to win everything or I don't even want to be there.''

Andy during his Round One win at Bells. Photo: ASP/Robertson.

San Clemente's Nate Yeomans may have just made a reservation for next year's ASP World Tour. By winning the 6-Star Prime O'Neill Cold Water Classic in huge surf at Steamer Lane the dynamic goofyfooter has jumped all the way up to 8th in the WQS rankings from the No. 27 slot. He now stands a great chance of jumping up into the major leagues along with fellow Californians Patrick Gudauskas and Brett Simpson in 2010.

Lord knows Yeomans was due to cash in on some of the good karma he'd racked up over the years. The 27-year-old has been battling on the WQS for what seems like forever. He's won several smaller events at home in California, but none that have carried much weight. "I've been winning 2-Stars for too long and it was time for a big 6-Star win," he said. "To have my name up there with all of the great surfers who have won this event over the years is amazing. This is the biggest result of my career and I'm speechless. "

Thanks to brands like Nike, Hurley and O'Neill, all of whom have stepped up their support of the WQS in North America this year, there has been far more points and prize money available to American surfers. The added opportunity has proven to be a productive launching pad guys like Yeomans, the Gudauskas brothers and Brett Simpson who are taking advantage of the added opportunities. Yeomans earned $20,000 for his win.

The Cold Water Classic in Santa Cruz was only a 4-Star last year when 17-year-old local boy Nat Young took the victory. While Young wasn't able to defend his title in the WQS event this week, he managed to redeem his early exit with another win in the Oakley Pro Junior division (a title he took back in 2007). He thrilled his home town crowd in the final where he edged Hawaiian Tonino Benson, who was also very impressive all week.

"I was the only kid from Santa Cruz in the junior, so I'm stoked," Young said. "It's great to build momentum up for Worlds, even though it's far away, it's good to win this event at home with so many good guys in the draw."

The completion of the Santa Cruz event marks the end of the historic Cold Water Classic Series that was comprised of five events this year, including the first ever WQS event in Canada just last week. A very stoked Aussie Blake Thornton is taking home an extra $50,000 for taking the Series title.

O'Neill Cold Water Classic California Final:
1 - Nathan Yeomans (USA) 15.33
2 - Heath Joske (AUS) 8.60


O'Neill Cold Water Classic California Semifinals Results:
Heat 1: Nathan Yeomans (USA) 12.50 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 8.00
Heat 2: Heath Joske (AUS) 11.43 def. Luke Munro (AUS) 8.86

O'Neill Cold Water Classic California Quarterfinals Results:
Heat 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.50 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 8.00
Heat 2: Nathan Yeomans (USA) 15.00 def. Cory Lopez (USA) 12.53
Heat 3:
Heath Joske (AUS) 13.17 def. Damien Fahrenfort (ZAF) 9.10
Heat 4: Luke Munro (AUS) 9.67 def. Kieran Horn (USA) 8.46

Oakley Pro Junior ASP North America Championships Final Results:
1 - Nat Young (USA) 15.07
2 - Tonino Benson (HAW) 7.76
3 - Cody Thompson (USA) 7.73
4 - Dylan Goodale (HAW) 7.10

With a new swell filling in and heavy hitters on tap today things should start getting interesting at the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing. Though competition started all the way back on Saturday with some Pro Junior's and Women's prelims, today the WQS 6-Star main event reaches the Round of 96, where a throng of current and former world champions will do battle with several former US Open champions and a long list of up-and-comers. With $100,000 going to this year's winner, the largest prize ever in pro surfing, even tour veterans will be finding a little extra motivation.

Some of the more interesting plot lines are outlined in this breakdown...


WQS full timers certainly have their work cut out for them with the likes of Slater, Hobgodd, Irons, Fanning and Machado on hand. And there is a lot at stake for several American hopefuls, including home boy Brett Simpson, who is desperately trying to avoid a repeat of last year's slide down the rankings. While currently rated 9th on the WQS, he's on very slippery ground with several events to go. A nice defense of his home turf is necessary before he heads off to Europe.

Tanner and Patrick Gudauskas, on the other hand, will try to keep their recent momentum going. They've just returned from enormously successful campaigns in the Maldives and South Africa, where both surfed their way into the finals. Tanner's win at the Mr. Price Pro shot him all the way up the the number 6-slot in the WQS, while Pat's runner up finish in the Maldives has him sitting just ahead of Simpson in the 8th spot. Meanwhile Dusty Payne, Austin Ware and Nate Yeomans are all bunched together in the 11, 12 and 13 spots respectively.

Simpson and Tanner Gudauskas are both in the second heat of today's round. Nate Yeomans faces top ranked Jadson Andre in his heat. Pat Gudauskas has drawn former event champion Cory Lopez among others while Austin Ware faces a stacked heat with Eric Geiselman, Australia's Daniel Ross, and the battle hardened Luke Munro. As for Dusty Payne, he'll face his buddy Granger Larson and Australian standout Adam Melling.

Stay tuned for more...