Jamie O Ripping at
Cloud 9 [video] 0
(Thursday 22nd October, 2009): AN international cast of surfers were literally on “Cloud 9” today with Typhoon Lupit whipping up epic 1.5-2 metre (6ft plus) waves for the opening day of the Billabong Cloud 9 Invitational at Siargao Island in the Philippines.
The famed right-hander lived up to its hype, severing up a smorgasbord of hollow, tubing waves, as contest organisers opted to run round one heats before completing four sudden-death round two heats to close out the day.
Excellent scores were the norm as surfers from Australia, Bali, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and the Philippines pushed their tube riding skills to the limit, weaving deeper and deeper through the bellies of cavernous waves in a tussle for important round three berths.
Hawaiian hotshot Jamie O’Brien fired a warning shot to his fellow rivals switch footing his way through a Cloud 9 keg to post the event’s first perfect 10-point ride.
The former pipeline master, who arrived at the out-of-the-way break only a few hours before his opening round heat, showed no signs of jetlag, netting a combined two-wave total of 17.80 to easily beat Australian Cahill Bell Warren (9.83 – Jan Juc, Victoria) and local Philippines surfer Rodolfo Alcala (3.10) in a one-sided affair.
“We had a really long mission from Hawaii after making a last minute decision to come to the event,” he said.
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