Kelly Slater was only 7.31 points away from clinching his 9th ASP World Title. Adrian Buchan spoiled Slater’s title by beating him in the Quiksilver Pro France final and extending the ASP champion race to Mundaka, Spain.
The 2008 Billabong Pro Mundaka waiting period starts Monday, September 29. Kelly Slater won his last ASP World Title at Mundaka and Slater only needs to secure a 9th place finish at the Billabong Pro Mundaka to clinch title number 9. All Slater has to do is advance past Round 3, but if he does not and reigning ASP World Champ Mick Fanning or ASP number 2 Taj Burrow win the event, the title race will move onto Brazil. Watch the video of Mundaka working it.
Look out for: Santa Barbara local, Bobby Martinez, has won the Mundaka event the past 2 years. His 5ht place finish at the 2008 Quiksilver Pro France has moved him into 7th place in the ASP world rankings.
The Billabong Pro Mundaka waiting period runs from Monday, September 29 – Sunday, October 12. All the surfing news, reporters, and bloggers will be at the event to capture the potential history. Sorry, but I won’t be ale to make it this year. Maybe sometime in the future when all the world is reading The Surf Blog Spot.
Adrian Buchan (AUS) has defeated 8-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), at the 2008 Quiksilver Pro France. The ASP World Tour title race will have to move onto the next ASP stop, the Billabong Pro Mundaka, Spain. Slater could have sealed the ASP Tour season with a win, but he will have to wait for his 9th ASP World Title. This is Adrian Buchan’s first world tour event win. Adrian beat Kelly Slater 15.73 to 15.16. What a close finish. You never know what you are going to get when the world’s best surfers hit the water.
Final Quiksilver Pro France Results: Final: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.74 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 15.16
Semifinal Quiksilver Pro France Results:
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.90 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.97
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.17 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 8.83
Top 10 ASP World Tour Ratings After The Quiksilver Pro France: 1. Kelly Slater (USA) – 7852 points
2. Taj Burrow (AUS) – 6002 points
3. Bede Durbidge (AUS) – 5668 points
4. Adriano De Souza (BRA) – 5426 points
5. Joel Parkinson (AUS) – 5373 points
6. Mick Fanning (AUS) – 5310 points
7. Bobby Martinez (USA) – 5092 points
8. CJ Hobgood (USA) – 4880 points
9. Adrian Buchan (AUS) – 4719 points
10. Jeremy Flores (FRA) – 4407 points
What do Kelly Slater and a fine wine have in common? They keep getting better with age. Yes, Kelly Slater has worked his magic again by winning the 2008 Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley.
Slater edged out fellow Ozzie surfer, Taj Burrows, by a score of 18.97 to 18.63. The final round of the contest concluded in 2-3 foot surf, light onshore winds, and sunny conditions.
Congrats to Kelly Slater and his 5th win of the 2008 ASP World Tour. What a great accomplishment for the 36 year-old from Cocoa Beach, FL. Slater also chalked up another title for his championship belt 2 days before his back-to-back Boost Mobile Pro win. He also won the 2008 SURFER POLL award for being “The People’s Champ.” The 2008 Surfer Poll award was his 14th Surfer Poll award. He has only been a professional surfer for 28 years and winning half of the awards is a great accomplishment and a pretty high benchmark.
Finals Results: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.97, Taj Burrows (AUS) 18.63
Semi Final Results: Semi Final 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.10, Kelly Slater (USA) 15.67
Semi Final 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 16.50, Taj Burrows (AUS) 17.33
For more Boost Mobile Pro info log onto the Boost Mobile Pro website
The next stop on the ASP World Tour will tip off at the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley. The defending Boost Mobile Pro champion and current ASP World Tour points leader, Kelly Slater, will look to defend his title and points lead.
That somewhere will be Stop 6 on the ASP World Tour and will start “somewhere” in Indonesia. The opening day of the contest will begin July 30 and last until August 10. Surfing fans are waiting on edge for the exact location. The event directors and surf forecasters (Surfline) have a spot in mind, but that will not be disclosed until the first heat is underway. Log onto the Rip Curl Pro Search website to see exactly where Kelly Slater and other top ASP surfers will battle. Watch the event live on the Rip Curl Pro Seach webcast and see your favorite pictures from the event.
Where do you think the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search “secret surf spot” will be located?
Current ASP World Tour Top 10 Surfers 1. Kelly Slater (USA) 5210 points
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 3948 points
3. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 3782 points
4. Mick Fanning (AUS) 3753 points
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 3638 points
6. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 3540 points
7. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 3460 points
8. Andy Irons (HAW) 3338 points
9. Bobby Martinez (USA) 3028 points
10. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 2884 points
The contest is over and Kelly Slater has won again. He defeated Mick Fanning in the finals to take home his fourth 2008 ASP tour stop title and his fourth J-Bay title. Kelly Slater, 36-years-young, brought his “A” game to Supertubes Thursday and showed why he is the best surfer in the world. He earned his 38th ASP World Tour victory while downing Mick Fanning in 4-6 foot J-Bay. Winning is Slater’s middle name (not really) and after 14 years on the ASP World Tour, he still has the motivation to win. He wants to be known as the BEST surfer ever!!
Slater beat Fanning 16.73 to 9.40 in the Billabong finals. The start of Thursday morning competition was very clean and as the contest continued, the conditions started to deteriorate with the onshore winds. The officials were worried about the North winds that tend to blow out the faces of J-Bay, which made the final round a little difficult. But this did not stop Slater and his victory drive. Slater now has a 1262 point lead on the World number 2 Joel Parkinson and now has such a large lead that his 9th World Title is in his sights.
The next event on the 2008 ASP World Tour remains a mystery. The “Search” event will be held July 30-August 10, 2008, “Somewhere.”
ASP World Tour Ratings after Stop No. 5 – the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 5210 points
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 3948 points
3. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 3782 points
4. Mick Fanning (AUS) 3753 points
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 3638 points
6. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 3540 points
7. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 3460 points
8. Andy Irons (HAW) 3338 points
9. Bobby Martinez (USA) 3028 points
10. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 2884 points
Jeffreys Bay finally got the restart it needed while completing Round 3 and half of Round 4. The 20 heats of Wednesday’s competition went down in 4 to 6 foot (two meters) surf. There are only 11 heats of the Billabong Pro left and the 2008 champion should be crowned Thursday. The contest officials want to conclude the event with world class surf and the lingering swell. The first heat of Round 4 will be Heat 5 featuring the reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning and Hawaiian Bruce Irons.
I thought the Round 3 rematch between Travis Logie and Kelly Slater would bring out some better competition, but Slater annihilated Logie 19.14 to 12.06 in Heat 8 of Round 3. Next up, Slater will face the current ASP number 4, Adriano de Souza in Quarterfinal 2.
The Last South African Heat Matchup:
Heat 7 of Round 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Taj Burrow (AUS)
Why watch this heat? Taj Burrow beat Jordy Smith in the 2006 Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay semi-finals when Jordy was surfing the event as a wild-card. More reasons to watch. Jordy Smith is the last South African surfer in the event, he will have home field advantage, and will have the local crowd cheering him to victory!
Round 2 of the 2008 Billabong Pro at Jeffreys Bay is complete.
Swell Forecasts indicate that conditions may be unfavorable for Billabong Pro competition over the weekend. Event officials will meet each morning at 7am, local time, to monitor the waves and make an official call.
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.33 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.67
Heat 2: Andy Irons (HAW) 15.17 def. Granger Larsen (HAW) 11.83
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) 16.33 def. Rudy (jnr) Palmboom (ZAF) 4.33
Heat 4: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 13.07 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 11.00
Heat 5: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 15.67 def. Ricky Basnett (ZAF) 11.34
Heat 6: Luke Stedman (AUS) 12.00 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 7.60
Heat 7: Kai Otton (AUS) 14.27 def. Jihad Khodr (BRA) 13.94
Heat 8: Travis Logie (ZAF) 15.50 def. Timmy Reyes (USA) 12.00
Heat 9: Ben Bourgeois (USA) adv. Pancho Sullivan (HAW) n/s
Heat 10: Dayyan Neve (AUS) 15.66 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 14.50
Heat 11: Heitor Alves (BRA) 16.66 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.83
Heat 12: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 15.10 def. Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA) 13.70
Heat 13: Mick Campbell (AUS) 15.30 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 9.50
Heat 14: Luke Munro (AUS) 16.33 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 12.55
Heat 15: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 18.60 def. Neco Padaratz (BRA) 11.33
Heat 16: Chris Ward (USA) 13.16 def. Mikael Picon (FRA) 12.17
My Round 3 Key Matchups:
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Daniel Wills (AUS)
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Mick Campbell (AUS)
Heat 9: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Ben Bourgeois (USA)
Heat 14: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
My Round 3 Key Matchup Revisited:
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Look for some payback in this heat. Travis Logie almost changed the 2005 ASP World Title race by beating Kelly Slater in their heat at the Brazilian Nova Schin Festival. Then Nathan Hedge stepped-up with a heat win against Andy Irons and ended up sealing the deal for Slater. That gave Slater his 8th World Title and 2008 looks to be another title year.
The 2008 Billabong Pro surfing contest at Jeffrey’s Bay (J-Bay) is set to start on July 10, 2008. This surfing contest is stop number 5 of 11 on the ASP World Tour. Supertubes will be the spot for the 5th surfing event and will include all the top ASP pro-surfers. Kelly Slater leads the ASP World Tour rankings, has won 3 out of the last 4 ASP tour stop events, and is the only professional surfer to win J-Bay 3 times. Another notable finish for Slater was his 2007 second place finish behind Taj Burrow.
J-Bay Location:Jeffrey’s Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa: Jeffrey’s Bay lies on the southern South African coastline, around 45 miles (70 km) west of Port Elizabeth.
The Jeffrey’s Bay surfing contest runs from July 10-20 with an 11 day waiting period. Mike Parson, the contest director, will decide the best surfing conditions for the 63 heats required to determine the 2008 J-Bay Champion.
Anybody not attending the actual South African surf contest can watch the action LIVE on the ASP World Tour website and on the Billabong Pro webcast. You can get instant event coverage, contest scores, and live video feeds from either website.
Past Jeffrey’s Bay Champions:
2007 – Taj Burrow
2006 – Mick Fanning
2005 – Kelly Slater
2004 – Andy Irons
2003 – Kelly Slater
1996 – Kelly Slater
My 2008 J-Bay Champion prediction: Kelly Slater aka Jimmy Slade
I found this cool 1 minute video clip of Kelly Slater and his on-screen buddy, Jack Nicholson. Remember Kelly Slater and his on-screen days? Do NBC and “Baywatch” ring a bell? Remember David Hasselhoff as Mitch Buchannon, Pamela Anderson as C.J. Parker (who doesn’t?), Carmen Electra as Lani McKenzie, and Kelly Slater as Jimmy Slade?
Some of the famous Baywatch cast members
Well, Jimmy Slade made appearances in season 3 and recurring appearances in season 4. He had some pretty romantic scenes with the full-time Baywatch cast members on and off screen.
Take a look at the video below and see which celebrity is rubbing elbows with Jack Nicholson. Look closely around the 23-24 second mark in the video. Looks like the court-side superstar gave the Los Angeles Lakers some luck and the ended up pulling off a game 5 win. Too bad Jimmy Slade could not make the trek to the Boston TD Banknorth Garden and rub off some of his World Championship know-how for game 6. The Boston Celtics ended up winning the 2008 NBA World Championship in 6 games. That win gave the Celtics their 17th NBA title.
The Los Angeles Lakers were not the only show in town during the 2008 NBA Finals. The Staples Center was host to the Lakers vs. Celtics for 3 home games, plus many of your favorite Hollywood stars. Not just the normal court-side stars like Jack Nicholson, Will Smith, or Andy Garcia showed up for the Lakers’ home games. Another Hollywood star/ professional surfer you might know decided to take some time off of surfing and check out Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
Take a look at your eight-time ASP World Champion, Kelly Slater, and the Lakers VIP pre-party photo shoot. I wonder if he sat next to Pam? Photos of the home game onlookers.
The 8-time world champion has claimed another crown by defeating C.J. Hobgood in the Globe Pro Fiji final. I thought Slater might lose a close one in the finals, but he held true to form and rounded out the contest by winning in windy 6-foot Cloudbreak. Slater is the only ASP Top 45 surfer to win an ASP event in 2008. Slater has won 3 out of 4 events so far and remains number one on the ASP World Tour.
Kelly Slater’s win at Cloudbreak has extended his ASP ratings lead with Joel Parkinson (AUS) and Bede Durbidge (AUS) maintaining their World No. 2 and No. 3 spots behind Slater. C.J. Hobgood is 0-2 versus Slater in the Globe Pro Fiji and after losing to Slater has positioned him for another record breaking ninth ASP World Champion. Slater already holds the record with 8 ASP World Titles and looks like he might add another one.
Looks like Kelly Slater wanted a piece of that $320,000 pie and decided to show up to the 2008 Billabong Pro Tahiti – Teahupoo event. Rumor has it, he was kicking back watching the Lakers playoff game with his “other” friends. He flew out to Tahiti just in time for his heat. This guy treats his heats as a warm-up when the others surfers in the contest came a week earlier to knock off some rust. It is up to Slater to lose his 9th world champion title. If he does not want to surf an event, then the competition gets that much closer to Sl8ter!!
Yes, Kelly Slater and Sandspit reunite once again. Now you can see why he is unmatched in the barrel. I am talking about the insane Sandspit breakwater located in Santa Barbara, CA and not the Sandspit some people might associate with sand dunes and Morro Bay. According to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, Kelly Slater’s favorite surfing spots around the world include Kirra in Australia, Pipeline in Hawaii, and Sandspit in California.
Kelly Slater won his first world surfing title in 1992 at only 20 years young. Winning this surf title made Slater the youngest surfer EVER to be awarded this prestigious trophy. In a very short period of only 16 years, Slater has raked in a whopping 8 world titles. Kelly Slater is now 36 years old and is currently in first place, again. Tune into the next stop on the ASP World Tour to find out if Slater will go for three in a row.
Check out these fresh video clips from the 2007 Surfer Poll Awards winner of “The Best Movie.” I was searching for some good video clips of Kelly Slater and Bruce Irons, but stumbled upon some sick clips of Kelly Slater and Julian Wilson. These clips just happened to be from Quicksilver’s dual-disc “Young Guns 3.” This is the third installment in the Young Guns series and the footage will surely amaze you. The two-disc DVD showcases some of the progressive surfing leaders along side some of the rising stars in the surf scene.
Young Gun Master Kelly Slater
Kelly Slater is definitely the front-runner when it comes to innovative surfing and is unmatched in the barrel. The 8 time world champion has been on the scene for more than 18 years and still amazes crowds around the world. Even though the Quicksilver Team Rider has semi-retired over the past few years and only surfs select WCT events, he has surpassed Tom Curren for the most career victories. Currently, Slater owns 36 tour victories and is on pace for his 9th World Surfing Champion title. He has already won the first 2 events of the 2008 ASP Tour. There are 11 ASP tour stops.
Young Gun Julian Wilson
Although Kelly Slater is not a “Young Gun” anymore, he does have some young gun rippers following in his footsteps. Take a look at the Sunshine Coast surfer, Julian Wilson. The 19 year-old professional Australian surfer from Coolum Beach, Queensland is also sponsored by Quicksilver. In 2006, Julian made his surfing mark and ended up winning the Quicksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.
