A massive day of competition was matched by massive performances from the world's best.
Condensed Heats
Recap: Round 1 | Round 2 (Heats 1-5) | Round 2 (Heats 6-12) and Round 3 (Heats 1-6)
Full Results
The drama at the Fiji Pro soared in direct proportion to Cloudbreak's epic conditions as Quarterfinals were decided. The day unfolded with a historic, perfect heat; a series of incredible upsets; and multiple 10-point rides.
The biggest standout was Owen Wright (AUS), who made history with a perfect heat in which he scored 20.00 overall -- the most possible on the WSL scale. Known as the "Avatar" on Tour, when all 6'5" of him emerged with a spitting barrel, standing tall, fans in the channel knew what kind of score was coming. It was when he did it a second time in the same heat that it became historic. With two Perfect 10s, Wright moved into the Fiji Quarterfinals for the first time and posted the seventh perfect heat in Championship Tour (CT) history.
"I'm absolutely blown away by how good it is out there," Wright said. "I never thought I'd ever get 20 points in my life, but there's so much opportunity out there. It feels great to accomplish it. It just feels great to get those waves. There's no better feeling."
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Owen Wright made history during the 2015 Fiji Pro with not one, but two perfect heats (20.00 points total). His feat began when he tackled this cavernous wave in the first five minutes of his Round 5 heat. He wowed the channel, the commentators, and the judges, who were unanimous in scoring the performance a perfect 10. Click on the right to see the other three 10-point-rides.
- WSL / Stephen Robertson
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Just when it looked like Wright couldn't increase his score any further with an 8.93 and perfect 10, he did the unthinkable and added another perfect 10. Wright carved his name into history during Round 5.
- WSL / Kirstin
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Wright looked dangerous in the Final. With a 9.60 already locked in, the Aussie logged significant tube time for a perfect 10, his third of the event.
- WSL / Kirstin
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Wright then backed up his first 10 with a second, stamping his name into the surfing history books.
- WSL / Kirstin
Fiji has already seen a perfect heat: Kelly Slater (USA) had one here in 2013. This year, however, the perfect performance would come an hour after the day's biggest upset, in which Tour rookie Italo Ferreira (BRA) took down Slater, who has won in Fiji four times. The astounding result relegated him to a ninth-place finish, his worst since Fiji returned to the elite Tour schedule in 2012. Slater, who delivered see-saw results throughout this year's event, failed to find a barrel that would allow him to exit cleanly. His repeated closeouts allowed Ferreira to maintain a steady lead with midrange scores.
Going into the event in Fiji, Ferreira and Slater had just 50 points between their standings on the Jeep Leaderboard, with both surfers outside the Top 10. Slater will can jump to No. 10 -- at least, for now -- but his elimination leaves him vulnerable to those who are still in contention for the event title.
Kelly Slater battles Italo Ferreira in a do or die Round 5 wave to wave heat recap.
Slater isn't the only giant to go down in Fiji; in fact the top four surfers on Tour have all been defeated: World No. 2 Filipe Toledo (BRA) was also eliminated today, to Adam Melling (AUS), as was World No. 3 Mick Fanning (AUS), to Kai Otton (AUS). World No. 4 Josh Kerr (AUS) and World No. 1 Adriano de Souza, meanwhile, both went down to Dane Reynolds. The toppling of all four, however, means that De Souza will stay at the top for now, no matter who wins in Fiji.
After losing his own Round 5 heat, the 11-time World Champ comments on Wright's perfect heat.
With the Quarterfinalists confirmed, the Tour's Top 10 will be getting a serious makeover. Along with the elimination of the top four from Fiji, an interference called on Bede Durbidge (AUS) in Round 3 halted his event run and pushing him out of the Top 10. John John Florence (HAW), who withdrew from Fiji due to injury, will see a number of surfers push him down the rankings before he returns.
The next day of competition is likely to be the last, with the swell predicted to peak in time for the Final. Watch LIVE here June 16 at 7:30 a.m. local time (June 15, 12:30 p.m. PT) or on the WSL app.
Fiji Pro Sees Perfect Heat, Huge Upsets
WSL
Condensed Heats
Recap: Round 1 | Round 2 (Heats 1-5) | Round 2 (Heats 6-12) and Round 3 (Heats 1-6)
Full Results
The drama at the Fiji Pro soared in direct proportion to Cloudbreak's epic conditions as Quarterfinals were decided. The day unfolded with a historic, perfect heat; a series of incredible upsets; and multiple 10-point rides.
The biggest standout was Owen Wright (AUS), who made history with a perfect heat in which he scored 20.00 overall -- the most possible on the WSL scale. Known as the "Avatar" on Tour, when all 6'5" of him emerged with a spitting barrel, standing tall, fans in the channel knew what kind of score was coming. It was when he did it a second time in the same heat that it became historic. With two Perfect 10s, Wright moved into the Fiji Quarterfinals for the first time and posted the seventh perfect heat in Championship Tour (CT) history.
"I'm absolutely blown away by how good it is out there," Wright said. "I never thought I'd ever get 20 points in my life, but there's so much opportunity out there. It feels great to accomplish it. It just feels great to get those waves. There's no better feeling."
Fiji has already seen a perfect heat: Kelly Slater (USA) had one here in 2013. This year, however, the perfect performance would come an hour after the day's biggest upset, in which Tour rookie Italo Ferreira (BRA) took down Slater, who has won in Fiji four times. The astounding result relegated him to a ninth-place finish, his worst since Fiji returned to the elite Tour schedule in 2012. Slater, who delivered see-saw results throughout this year's event, failed to find a barrel that would allow him to exit cleanly. His repeated closeouts allowed Ferreira to maintain a steady lead with midrange scores.
Going into the event in Fiji, Ferreira and Slater had just 50 points between their standings on the Jeep Leaderboard, with both surfers outside the Top 10. Slater will can jump to No. 10 -- at least, for now -- but his elimination leaves him vulnerable to those who are still in contention for the event title.
Slater isn't the only giant to go down in Fiji; in fact the top four surfers on Tour have all been defeated: World No. 2 Filipe Toledo (BRA) was also eliminated today, to Adam Melling (AUS), as was World No. 3 Mick Fanning (AUS), to Kai Otton (AUS). World No. 4 Josh Kerr (AUS) and World No. 1 Adriano de Souza, meanwhile, both went down to Dane Reynolds. The toppling of all four, however, means that De Souza will stay at the top for now, no matter who wins in Fiji.
With the Quarterfinalists confirmed, the Tour's Top 10 will be getting a serious makeover. Along with the elimination of the top four from Fiji, an interference called on Bede Durbidge (AUS) in Round 3 halted his event run and pushing him out of the Top 10. John John Florence (HAW), who withdrew from Fiji due to injury, will see a number of surfers push him down the rankings before he returns.
The next day of competition is likely to be the last, with the swell predicted to peak in time for the Final. Watch LIVE here June 16 at 7:30 a.m. local time (June 15, 12:30 p.m. PT) or on the WSL app.
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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.