Bede Durbidge and Raoni Monteiro survive tricky conditions on day 2 of Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
Australia’s Bede Durbidge and Brazil’s Raoni Monteiro successfully made it through the elimination Round 2 at the latest stop of the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, which continued at Bells Beach in Victoria,
Australia, on Wednesday, April 4.
Durbidge got the better of America’s Kolohe Andino in the 11th heat to advance through into the third round while removing his rival from the contention for the event title in the process
The 12th heat saw Monteiro get the better of Australia’s Adam Melling to confirm his place in Round 3, consequently bringing the competition to a premature end for his rival.
The tricky surfing conditions prevailing at the primary event site on day 2 of the latest ASP World Tour event tested the world’s best surfers for both skills and experience. The inconsistency of the three-to-five foot waves on offer at Bells Beach made
the hunt for good scores quite challenging during the man-on-man battles for survival.
Durbidge made the most of his local knowledge of the waves during the 11th heat that pitted him against the young American sensation Andino.
As the encounter between the two surfers kicked-off, both the surfers got off to a modest start, collecting a series of average-scores and apparently building momentum. In the final minutes of the heat, the Australian surfer found a 7.33-point ride and immediately
backed it up with an outstanding 9.00-point wave to finish with a resultant heat-total of 16.33 points.
Andino was unable to stay at par with his rival’s performance and eventually succumbed to him after finishing with a heat-total of 13.67 points, which included a 5.67 and 8.00-point wave.
The 12th heat featured Monteiro and Melling squaring off for the last remaining slot in the third round.
As the man-on-man battle got underway, Monteiro drew first blood with a 6.00-point ride, while Melling kept the contest very much alive by immediately responding with a heat-total of 5.33-point wave.
The Australian surfer soon added an additional 7.50 points to his account to move to a heat-total of 12.83 points. The effort was nothing short of impressive, though it proved to be insufficient as Monteiro locked his second business-wave to unload a string
of exquisite tricks to earn an 8.77 from the judges. The score moved him to a heat-total of 14.77 points, consequently sealing the fate of the man-on-man battle in his way.
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