While the internet has certainly changed the job description of pro surfers worldwide, Hawaiian surfers have arguably benefited most from this shift.
Flynn Novak's career as a Pipe specialist hadn't earned him a big-name sponsor or a big paycheck until a clip of his small wave aerial antics at Rocky Point, specifically his 'Flynnstone Flip' won him the 2010 Kustom Airstrike crown and a $50K payday. The trick has since landed him a Transworld Surf cover and feature.
The Maui duo, Matt Meola and Albee Layer, have been largely ignored by top brand sponsors and much of the traditional surf media. Yet by sweeping Taylor Steele's Innersection competition and a $100K check they have used the interweb to vault themselves into the spotlight, and probably a higher tax bracket.
You may not have noticed that the webcast was down for most of Round 1 at the Billabong Pro Rio. That's alright. The third stop on tour is like a nasty speed-bump in the yearlong schedule. But just to keep this year interesting, Kelly Slater skipped out with an injured heel, opening the door to the other top ranked surfers on tour, which charges the event with some new importance.
The window of opportunity was felt by those still in the hunt for this year's title. The top seeds managed to capitalize on Slater's absence as the five highest ranked surfers-- Jordy, Joel, Mick, Taj, Adriano-- advanced to Round 3 today.
No one felt the implications of the 11-time world-champ's absence as heavily as Adriano DeSouza. After winning his Round 1 heat against Kai Otton, he commented, "There's a lot of pressure being defending champion and with Kelly not here. I'm the second seed and could take the lead for the title if I do well. It's still too early to really consider the title, but I know the crowd is behind me at this event."
After his younger Brazilian cohort Gabriel Medina took the limelight at last week's Lowers Pro, DeSouza has plenty of motivation to win in front of his home crowd, and avenge last year's "floatergate." But the real test will be his ability to perform under world title pressure.
Perhaps the most surprising loss of Round 1 was Gabriel Medina, who looked unstoppable at last week's Lowers Pro. Adrian Buchan was hungry to win the heat after losing to Medina at Lowers, stating, "There's a rivalry between Gabe and I for sure. He spanked me at Lowers five days ago. I didn't get going in that heat and I knew when the draw changed that there was going to be another match up. I was definitely fired up."
It goes without saying that the Brazil contest is not the most prestigious on tour. However, as the number of Brazilians becomes an increasing majority among the top 32, it's likely that the Billabong Pro Rio isn't going anywhere soon.
Day 1 Highlights:
Complete Round 1 Results: Heat 1: Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.86, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.23, Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.56 Heat 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.57, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.24, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.53 Heat 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 13.60, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 9.20, Taylor Knox (USA) 6.03 Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.80, Kai Otton (AUS) 14.53, Willian Cardoso (BRA) 11.40 Heat 5: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.16, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 11.20, Tomas Hermes (BRA) 9.53 Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.00, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.23, Peterson Crisanto (BRA) Heat 7: Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.14, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 13.74, Brett Simpson (USA) 11.56 Heat 8: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.00, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.24, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 11.30 Heat 9: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.34, Travis Logie (ZAF), 13.87, Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.53 Heat 10: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.90, Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.17, Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.57 Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.84, Kolohe Andino (USA) 10.17, Heitor Alves (BRA) 9.37 Heat 12: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.93, Adam Melling (AUS) 12.57, John John Florence (HAW) 9.16
Round 2 Match-Ups: Heat 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA) Heat 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Tomas Hermes (BRA) Heat 3: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Willian Cardoso (BRA) Heat 4: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. Taylor Knox (USA) Heat 5: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) Heat 6: Brett Simpson (USA) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA) Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) Heat 8: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS) Heat 9: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF) Heat 10: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT) Heat 11: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA) Heat 12: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Surfing--it's been argued--is the ultimate mating dance. And in a place like Hawaii, surfing's tropical birthplace, it's easy to buy into that argument. Think about it: men, all bare chested and bronzed, are busy competing for the attention of lovely bikini-clad girls lying in heat on the beach. So they take to the water, where they perform their intricate dance on massive, bone-crushing waves, proving to the bevy of onlookers that their bravery, strength and skill ultimately makes them a strong candidate for copulation. Let's face it, this is as natural as nature shows get, right?
As a result, surfers--it's been argued--are the premiere connoisseurs of those bikini-clad beauties on the beach. After all, the lead performers can often be found with the most striking of them all, having earned their pick. So understanding all this, it shouldn't be surprising that the best "Swimsuit Issue" in the world is published by the boys at Surfing Magazine.
For World Tour competitors like Joel Parkinson, the months between events are easier to come by with the abbreviated season. And that seems to be suiting him just fine, as he simply goes swell-chasing with his mates, like Laurie Towner, Dylan Longbottom, and Dean Bowen. In this clip, the crew bolts south from Coolangatta to a semi-secret chunk of reef off the coast of New South Wales for a two-day tube feast.
Laurie Towner commented on what it's like surfing with someone of Parko's caliber, stating, "Here we did a quick two-day trip down the coast for this little swell that popped up. Such a fun wave. Joel is such a good barrel rider he never looks out of place on a wave."
With the WT's Brazilian slop-stop getting underway May 9, there's no better time for a double-shot of ocular enjoyment before, let's face it, the worst contest on tour. This double-dose features many of the top 32 surfers indulging in prime conditions on the Gold Coast.
If you're thinking to yourself, "Man, it's got to be tough to leave that to go fight over knee-slappers and claim floaters with the circus," you're right. Slater jumped ship with an apparent ankle injury-- stitches in the heel from a nasty reef-cut-- which he announced yesterday on Twitter: "I can surf but can't really turn on heel still. Stitches in foot. Likely won't be in Brazil for the event. And it's not April Fool's day."
It's quite convenient that the injury still allows him to enjoy getting shacked silly on the Goldy. Don't be surprised if the remaining top 32 get some "April Fools'" ideas as well. Remember guys: just make sure to limp on the same foot before and after your session.
While the internet has certainly changed the job description of pro surfers worldwide, Hawaiian surfers have arguably benefited most from this shift. 
As a result, surfers--it's been argued--are the premiere connoisseurs of those bikini-clad beauties on the beach. After all, the lead performers can often be found with the most striking of them all, having earned their pick. So understanding all this, it shouldn't be surprising that the best "