In case you do not follow the World Circuit of Surfing, let me go ahead and break down why Billabong Tahiti Pro displayed such an amazing level of surfing.
The Spot – Teahupoo (Tahiti)
Similar to what occurs in Hawaii, swell from the open ocean hits the coral reef and produces some of the best surfable waves in the world. But such an amazing wave is not easily surfable! The force of the wave is enormous and it crashes into a very shallow razor sharp reef. Another thing about this event is that since it is part of the ASP World Circuit, if you are a professional surfer you need to surf this event regardless of how big it is. And trust me many pro surfers are not very eager to ride these waves when it gets big! Can you blame them!? That was the case this year in Tahiti it was BIG!
Semi Final 2 – Clash of Titans
Now that the scenario has been put into perspective, lets talk about the main characters involved. During the whole event the level of surfing was amazing, but it became a never seen hit until the 2nd Semi Final. John John Florence (currently ranked #1) faced all time greatest Kelly Slater (11 time World Champion). Just as the hit started, John John grabbed a huge wave followed immediately after by Slater. Those two waves set the tone for the rest of the hit. We got to see probably two of the world’s best surfers face each other surfing perfect huge waves, and boy did they surf. Not many times in televised events do you get to watch so many things aligning to provide perfect conditions. John John and Kelly facing each other (which many considered a rematch from 2011 final). And second there were perfect swell and weather conditions providing such great massive waves.
Take a look at the 2nd Semi Final and you be the judge!
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