Gallery: Early Round Action From Two Heavy Days At Sunset Beach
Two days of back-to-back surfing and the quarterfinalists of the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach are locked in. With no shortage of swell, the conditions have been about as challenging as they come, leading to some inspired performances by the likes of John John Florence, Seth Moniz and Jack Robinson, while also making for some unexpected upsets as last year's WSL Final Five surfers Griffin Colapinto and Ethan Ewing were sent packing. With a break in the action on President's Day, it seemed like the perfect time to take a deep dive into some of the moments that have defined the event thus far.
The man to beat at the moment, Florence as posted the two highest heat scores on both days of competition thus far.
The other man to beat, Robinson has a connection and comfort at Sunset unlike most other surfers on tour.
The wide-open spaces of the Sunset lineup, one of the most challenging competitive environments on tour today.
Struggling to find high scoring waves, Slater went down to Ethan Ewing in the Round of 32.
A goofy-footer's delight, Callinan off the bottom and headed for the lip.
The California kid earned a nine-point ride thanks to this under-the-lip hack.
Moniz giving friends and family on the North Shore much to cheer about with his performance at Sunset thus far.
Smith hasn't been getting the attention he deserves for his surfing at Sunset, he's a huge threat to anyone he faces out there.
The man with the best hair on tour since Rob Machado.
Florence like it was just another day at the skatepark on the North Shore.
Ferreira finding his pre-heat focus.
Tour rookie Willcox feeling remarkably comfortable in the big stuff at Sunset.
Among the storylines developing is the potential grudge match between Florence and Robinson in the forthcoming final. The two surfers are sitting on opposite sides of the draw, and thus far, have established themselves as the ones to beat. But that doesn't mean their going to enjoy a cakewalk come finals day.
Florence will take on South Africa's Jordy Smith in the quarters. And should he survive his battle with the big bloke, he'll take on the winner of the heat between Moniz and Kanoa Igarashi. Moniz has been taking care of business, and with all the support of family and friends, it's not a stretch to see him going the distance at Sunset.
On the opposite side of the draw is Robinson, who will take on former world champ Italo Ferreira in the quarters. If Robinson handles Ferreira, he'll be up against either Liam O'Brien or Ryan Callinan for a full-on Aussie battle royale. It's interesting to note, that both Ferreira and Callinan are the last two remaining goofy-footers in the draw, and while the goofies haven't historically fared that great at Sunset, they do offer an X factor to the judges.
The woman have yet to take the water, so they'll likely work through their early-round heats before we land on finals day, which could come as early as Wednesday, February 21, if forecast models hold.
John John Florence Leads The Charge Into Quarterfinals At 15-Foot Sunset Beach
With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.