Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP).
Foster’s Men’s World Tour.
Globe WCT Fiji May 22nd – June 3rd 2005.
Catch it LIVE on www.aspworldtour.com and www.globefiji.com
FIRST COURSE AT RESTAURANTS IN THE GLOBE WCT FIJI
IT’S 10.45am on Tuesday morning in the beautiful Fijian islands, and we’ve just started round four of the Globe WCT Fiji. After yesterday’s excellent surfing and waves were frustrated with rapidly rising swell and howling onshore winds mid-afternoon, the event having to be canned at the end of heat 13 of round two, we have resumed this morning at Tavarua’s wave machine named Restaurants. It’s ‘only’ averaging 3-5’+, and theres plenty of bump in the face, but there are some gems amongst the reef huggers, and it’s expected to rise all day. Globe’s blessings continue!
We started at 8.50am after a prolonged decision process. Yes, the leading edge of the ‘Perfect Storm’ swell is with us, but it is still sorting itself out. At around 1.40am this morning, when this photojourno’ awoke at his desk, face on the keyboard, the high tide conditions had the entire massive normally becalmed reef shelf around Namotu awash with confused chop and whitewater lines running in all directions.
The constant crashing of small waves on the island’s foreshore was loud and unrelenting, from that stage through until another awesome dawn, many a tale exchanged at breakfast this morning after what was a restless night’s sleep for most. There was a new face at the Namotu breakfast bar this morning too, some mighty big bloke, who flew in yesterday to surf the forecast swell.
He was up at around 5am, and spent a solid half an hour pouring over the weather charts on the computer in the Namotu office before emerging onto the dining deck as the daily procession of sleepy heads began. Grasping for mugs of coffee, surfers and work crew alike shook off their pillow heads looking a little dazed at the new Namotu inhabitant.
“Pumped?” asked Nathan ‘Hog’ Hedge, not shy at all, of the mountain man standing across from him on the Namotu deck at 5.45am.
“Pumped?” came the return, a boomeranged question.
“Are you pumped? You know…” continued Hog, puffing up and putting his arms out beside his torso like a wrestler entering the ring.
“Well there’s probably some surf out there,” said Laird Hamilton, deadpan, almost nonchalant, but without any hint or air of cockiness, as he is sometimes assigned by the gossipmongers.
“Struth he’s a big bastard!” said Dan Wills with a giggle. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone fitter. He looks like Rob Rowland-Smith’s brother!” said Willsy, himself looking the fittest he ever has, referring to the renowned Australian Rugby League professional trainer and taskmaster from Sydney. It was a good comparison, though Laird might weigh in bigger. A large man has a large appetite, as evidenced as the big bloke’s heaped plate of scrambled and fried eggs, baked beans, pancakes and bacon, as he stepped from behind the self-serve trays.
