The surfing world is pumping at the moment. After a three year hiatus, everyone is stoked that the Volcom Fiji Pro is back on the tour calendar. The event kicked off with impeccable 8ft grinders coming off the Cloudbreak reef with every surfer getting lost inside the tube. To add to the buzz, there is something momentous and daunting lurking on the South Pacific horizon…
A monster swell has been generated in the southern ocean. It is steaming its way through the Tasman Sea en route to destination Cloudbreak, ETA 6 pm 08/06/2012.
Australia has already had a little taste of what to expect. The guys at Aquabumps, Bondi Beach commented “This must be the 50 year storm that Bodhi (Point Break Movie) has been talking about.”
Further out east, Cloudbreak’s bigger sister, Teahupoo in Tahiti has also been treated to barrelling perfection. It hasn’t exactly replicated the terrifying scenes that we saw last year at the infamous “Code Red” session, but it’s definitely more than enough for the chargers to get their fix.
The wave faces at Cloudbreak are expected to reach 22ft on Saturday. These goliaths exploding onto the shallow Fijian reef are enough to strike fear into the competitors and truly test their mettle and skills. Will they battle it out like gladiators on the monster waves or move the contest to the backup spot Restaurants? The reserve break will see waves about half the size of Cloudbreak but will still provide the opportunity to get in the pit, and hack out some turns.
Kieren Perrow, the surfers’ representative and influential decision maker, tweeted “It’s up to them (the surfers), if I was still surfing I’d love to paddle big Cloudbreak… but Restaurants is damn amazing at 6 foot too”. Kelly Slater has had an emergency delivery of Al Merrick guns delivered, clearly proving his intentions to charge. Matt Wilkinson has been enjoying the lazy days off but now seems ready to meet his maker, saying “We’re all gonna die”.
No one knows exactly what’s going down but one thing is for sure, it’s going to be an epic weekend of surf! To watch the action live, check www.volcomfijipro.com.
