It may have taken all day, but it was worth the wait. In the end, it really wasn't even close, as it was the only heat in Round One that featured all three surfers breaking into the double digit range. The heat of the day by a long margin was Heat 11. And what started as a runaway win for Miguel Pupo -- he opened with two 8.7s -- turned into a last-minute romp for Michel Bourez.
Late in the heat, Bourez, clearly channeling the techniques of backhand tube-riding pioneer Neal Purchase, Jr., pulled into the second section of a long, winding tube, took his rear foot off his inside rail, jammed it into the inside wall of the wave, then replanted his stance a couple seconds later and proceeded to exit cleanly. It was the most inspiring move of the day.
Baffled and bemused webcast analyst Rosy Hodge repeated, "It's the warrior pose," drawing on yoga to put a name to the maneuver. Whatever it was, it was audacious. And effective. Bourez earned a 9.17, his second 9-point ride in 10 minutes time, and took the win.