Rob's surely sick of losing to Slater, but is Slater sick of beating Rob? Probably not. Pic: Joli

By the time I got lost in the labyrinth of lanes between LA and San Clemente and made the trek down the fabled Trestles path and over the railroad tracks, for the very first time, I was running a little late. Parko and Taj were already through and Jeremy Flores had, by all accounts, schooled new tour addition John John Florence.

Although the waves were a crumbly two-three feet it was still possible to see why Lower Trestles is considered one of the most rippable waves in the world. The point, with its rattling football-size pebbles, juts into the Pacific at an angle, which draws the swells into a perfect A-frame peak. The wave is custom-made for high-performance surfing because it delivers enough power to generate speed but doesn’t run so fast that the surfers are forced into a race with the cascading face. Like a person with a penchant for punishment Trestles lips simply sit up and scream ‘hit me’.

That’s exactly what, dread-locked, twirling pretzel Rob Machado did. Machado’s victory in the trials brought him up against old friend and one-time sparring partner, Kelly Slater. However, the gloves were definitely off for this encounter, which included a cameo by Freddie Patacchia. From the outset it was obvious that Machado had lost none of the nonchalant precision, which defined his competitive career. Relying on fluid, accurately aimed, backside snaps with butter smooth transitions between turns, Machado posted a pair of mid-sixes and took control of the heat just after the half way mark. Meanwhile Kelly looked rattled and couldn’t move past a five. Sensing that perhaps the old lions might psyche each other out, Freddie Patacchia snagged a set and proceeded to hit the lip upteen times. Holding a 7.60 afterwards, he seemed perfectly poised to stage the ultimate upset. Then with two turns, Kelly posted exactly the same score as Fred did [7.6] with twenty snaps. A back up 5.87 saw Kelly assume the lead moments later. Amidst all this there had been paddle battles and open hassling with Machado. Then, in the final dramatic minute, Machado multi-whacked to nail a seven. Sensing his lead had slipped Kelly took off right behind him and threw everything into two big turns. As Machado made his way up the pebbles he was in the lead. Dripping litres from his dreadlocks, as he was interviewed, he was still waiting to hear Kelly’s last score drop. Seconds after Rob completed his press obligations, Kelly’s score came in and delivered him victory in a two-way tussle that has historically cast Rob as the perennial brides maid.

"The left looks good, Rob!" Rob to himself, 'Yeah, whatever, that might work on rookies, now back away." Pic: Joli

Hovering in the shadows was another of Kelly’s greatest rivals, Shane Beschen. When I quizzed Shane on his thoughts on the heat, he was reluctant to be too easily drawn into the old battle with the divine gladiator one but he did say, “ Well, if Kelly’s last wave was a 6.97, I think Rob’s was more than a 7.” Whatever the result it was undeniably the heat of the day and will go down in history as yet another Slater V Machado classic. As for Beschen, I wondered if he didn’t feel a twinge of envy watching Kelly and Rob out there going at it? “Does it make you want to get back out there?” I asked. “ Oh yeah, I could definitely still throw down with these guys. I’ve been surfing this wave all summer.”

Shane Beschen twists his face fuzz to help control his urge to jump the rail and grab his stick. Pic: Luke Kennedy

Gabriel Medina’s heavily anticipated debut on tour was thwarted by a raging-bull Adriano De Souza. Admittedly, Adriano’s more rigid rotations made him look like a stiff-limbed action figure up against Medina, whose supple limbs bend like plasticine as he twirls through the air. However, the judges saw enough in De Souza’s aggressive approach on a blue DHD, to deliver him the result. Asked whether or not he’d wanted to teach the new kid a lesson Adriano only responded with flattery for his competitor. “ He surfs incredible. Not only in small waves, in really big stuff too… I’m just happy to have another Brazilian on tour. When I first started on tour. I think there were fifteen and in this event there’s only seven.”

Julian Wilson flipped the script on his Brazilian opponents to post an impressive first round total. Pic: Joli

Julian Wilson was more than happy to take down two of those in his heat. Posting two high eights in the first three minutes he left Alejo Muniz and Miguel Pupo floundering in combo land. In around the same amount of time it takes to boil an egg, Julian had locked in the day’s highest heat score – 17.67. As he walked up the beach he was mobbed by Californian schoolgirls and asked questions by the media about his increasingly prominent moustache. “ Oh, my electric shaver broke,” he quipped to a gaggle of contest cameramen. Julian was also one of several top surfers clutching a “Lost” mayhem and suggested he was happy to ride whatever was “hot right now”.

A very Don Juan looking Julian Wilson shares a little shore time giggle with some Californian girls. PIc: Luke Kennedy

When I asked him if he thought things had been taken to a new level performance-wise in New York, he was quite clear about his thoughts. “I think for airs for sure but not for turns and Trestles is the kind of wave where you need the full package. You’re not going to be able to race down the line and do one air and get a ten. You’ve got to mix in some turns.” That may well be the case but it didn’t stop Josh Kerr from speeding down the line on his first wave and dialing a whistle-clean backside air-reverse. It wasn’t a ten but Josh went on to win the heat easily against Dan Ross and Damian Hobgood.

Josh Kerr has more tricks than a three armed double jointed hooker in space. Pic: Joli

Things weren’t as positive for Mick Fanning, who lost to Bret Simpson in the final heat of the day. It’s the second contest in a row, Mick has lost his first round heat. He looks as though he really needs some more size in the wave face to distinguish himself with his big carves. Mick will meet an in form Rob Machado in heat one of round two, which will no doubt be an intriguing encounter.

The final say of the day has to go to Tom Whittaker. Tommy got the official confirmation he was in the event at 10 pm Sydney time, less than 48 hrs before he was due to surf. He was on a plane by one am that night. Tommy didn’t get through his heat against Mick and Brett Simpson, but for a guy coming off the bench with a heavy jet lag he came pretty damn close.

Hurley Pro Trestles 2011 - Images by Peter 'Joli' Wilso