.png){kind=logo}
When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference.
These cookies are essential to enable user movement across our website and for providing access to features such as your profile. These cookies cannot be disabled. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information and cannot be used for marketing purposes.
These cookies allow us to analyze visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site and enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers, such as Google Analytics, whose services we have added to our pages. Information collected through these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly and/or we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts or content. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
Fiji Pro's Great Expectations: Who Lit Up Round 1?
WSL
Event Site
Condensed Heats
Full Results
After five consecutive lay days, the opening heats of the Fiji Pro had been analyzed, dissected, sliced and diced 10 different ways. But when the contest finally got going, not everyone lived up to the hype.
First, there was Kelly Slater (USA). No need to refresh your results page: He did in fact finish last in his Round 1 heat. After earning a 6.17 early on, he spent most of the heat playing catchup to his competitors. Alejo Muniz (BRA) meanwhile, who is the injury replacement for Michel Bourez (PYF), was aggressive in the lineup.
While Slater was choosy, Muniz earned the heat's highest single-wave score, a 6.60, for a long string of power-hacks, and some time behind the curtain for a decent backup score. Plus, the 11-time World Champ's veteran knowledge wasn't helping his wave selection. Still, the last time Slater surfed Round 2 in Fiji -- 2013 -- he went on to win the event.
Jay Davies (AUS), who wowed the crowd with his performance earlier this year at Margaret River, didn't take down giants or win his heat in Round 1. But he did deliver on his promise of being a show-stopper. Davies found the deepest barrel of opening day, escaping cleanly for an excellent-range score.
Halfway through the Round was Heat 6, and featured World No. 1 leader Adriano de Souza (BRA). After a stellar performance in Western Oz, he's still struggling to find success in the leader's yellow jersey. His opponent Kai Otton (AUS) forced him into a combination situation (needing two new scores) within the heat's first 10 minutes, and kept him there. De Souza is trying to rebound from a 13th-place finish in Rio, but was unable to lock in a score higher than a 4.83. He'll compete in the sudden-death heats of Round 2.
Reigning World Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA), on the other hand, seemed to return to form in Fiji, a contest he won last season. Medina already has two 13th-place finishes and a 25th-place finish this year, but rebounded from the bottom of his heat with a new energy. Fired up, he strung together a number of impressive turns for the first nine-pointer of the event.
The rookie contingency continues to show up for the judges, undaunted by their more veteran peers. Keanu Asing (HAW) earned his first Round 1 victory as an elite surfer, defeating Tour veterans Bede Durbidge (AUS) and Matt Wilkinson (AUS), while Italo Ferreira (BRA) took down former World Champion Joel Parkinson (AUS) after a see-saw battle.
Tune in to the Fiji Pro LIVE through June 19 on worldsurfleague.com or the WSL App.
After his Round 1 heat, C.J. Hobgood (USA) announced he will be retiring from competition after over a decade on the elite Tour. Watch the video here.
Keanu Asing
An iconic event concluded with Keanu Asing and Keala Tomoda-Bannert victorious over Hawaii/Tahiti Nui's top contenders at the legendary
South Shore's own Keanu Asing brought out his world-class backhand attack to post a near-perfect 9.00 and 17.17 heat total in the Final.
Qualifying Series and Longboard Regional Qualifying Series Competitors Await First Call, Reigning Regional Champion Bunch, 2022/23 No. 2
The former Championship Tour competitor Keanu Asing is back at Ala Moana Bowls on CT-event winning backhand alongside a stacked field to
Men's Semifinalists and Women's Quarters locked in for Finals Day.
Fiji Pro
The Australian became the first person ever to score two perfect heats in a single event.
The big man scored not one, but two perfect 20-point heats on his way to winning the Fiji event in 2015.
The world's best surfers are gathering in the South Pacific to meet up with some solid swell on the horizon. Get a head start of your Fiji
Don't miss the Fiji Pro on ABC's World of X Games July 4 at 2:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT.
See some of the greatest moments from the historic 2015 Fiji Pro, through the lenses of Surfing Magazine.