Surfers that are part of this organization are competing for money prizes. The main surf competitions are organized by the World Surf League (WSL). There’s a lot of heat tactics that surfers can use so it’s not just about being a good surfer, they also need to be super competitive! The best surfer doesn’t always come out with the trophy because there are too many variables at stake. Sometimes, the surfer that is losing the heat can try to make his rival do an interference in order to make him lose points. If ever a surfer drops in on someone (there’s an other surfer catching the wave on the inside or the other one has priority and he goes anyway), the judges take away half of the points of its second best wave. – Length of each heat – What can be achieved in a set limited time frame. – Individual heats – Since ocean conditions are constantly changing the scale has to be adjusted for each heat. – Quality of waves that day – A scale has to be determined based on what is possible according to the waves that particular day. – Type of wave – A wave like Pipeline, Hawaii will score barrels higher then, say, an air-show wave like Trestles, California. – Level and category or surfers – Open professionals are scored much harsher than say under 12 mini-grommets You’ll understand that the surfers need to choose their waves wisely because it’s not about the quantity of wave they catch but the quality.Īn Example of a perfect 10: Italo Ferreira during the 2018 Corona Bali Protected.įactors judges have to consider when scoring a contest: The judges analyze the following major elements when they are evaluating a surfer’s wave: The wave scoring is done with five quality levels in mind: 0-1.9 (Poor), 2-3.9 (Fair), 4-5.9 (Average), 6-7.9 (Good), 8–10 (Excellent). When it’s a men to men/women to women heat (2 surfers), the first one moves on and the second gets eliminated. And so on, until the finals. When it’s a heat of 4 surfers, the 2 first one get to go to the next round. The surfers that get the best results get to move on to the next round. Surfers know the order of priority by looking to the judge panel where there are some square with the same colors as their lycra and a number next to it (1 for 1st priority, 2 for 2nd priority etc.). Also, if a surfer paddle for a wave, even if he decide not to go or if the wave is not taking him he would “loose” priority, meaning that the other would now have priority. If he goes anyway, he would receive an interference penalty (we will see that further). This means that, even if after coming back from his wave, he finds himself in the inside for the next wave, if the other competitor choose to go for it, he shouldn’t go because the first priority would be to the other one. When one surfer takes his first wave, he then has second priority (if it’s a men to men heat) or fourth (if they’re 4 competitors).
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When the heat starts, there is no priority which means the competitors can catch a wave with the same system of priority as a free style session. So if a surfer gets a 20/20 it would mean that he had two perfect waves and he’s doing fucking awesome 😉 But it’s not common!Įvery surfer has a lycra of a different color. Every wave they catch is rated on a ten-point scale by a panel of judges and only the two best waves of each surfer is counted, giving them a score on 20. Surfers have between 20 to 30 minutes (the duration of the heat depends on the type of competition) to catch the best waves possible. Basically, there are heats that a surfer needs to pass in order to move on to the next round.Ī heat consists of 2 to 4 surfers at the same time in a pre-determined competition zone. Surf competitions always work more or less the same way, either it is a big international event or a national one. In the Water: Heats, Priorities and Scores: How does it work?! That way, the next time you’re watching a competition and everyone around you is talking about heats, priorities or wildcards, you will actually know what the heck they’re talking about. That is why I want to break it down for you. But if you’re new to the world of surfing, understanding how the competition world works can be quite confusing. They’re fun to watch, they connect us to our surfing inspirations and it’s pretty nice to see people killing it at what they do best. Everyone can agree that everything related to surf is pretty cool.
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