Good waves allow competition to restart and complete the Round of 32 to set an exciting final day Sunday.
The men's QS3,000 Martinique Surf Pro resumed today in fun three-to-four foot conditions at the beautiful point break setup of Basse-Pointe, and advanced through the fifth round of competition to keep a 16-men field on finals day Sunday. A three-day hiatus for a lack of swell gave athletes the perfect opportunity to rest and come back in full form on day 7 of the event's waiting period.
Deivid Silva (BRA), 21, dominated the day's proceedings with an incredible display of sharp, powerful backhand hacks and carves on the long-running rights off Basse-Pointe. The Brazilian stayed very active in the lineup and caught ten waves including four above the seven point mark.
Silva perfectly timed each assault to the lip. - WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot
"I'm super stoked to get through that one, waves weren't easy but our heat got plenty of fun ones," he said. "I love going right on my backhand and this wave is amazing, it's my first time here in Martinique and I love it ! I'm super focused on the qualifying race this year and I've trained every day since we got here, it's a great rhythm."
Guadeloupe's Charly Martin (GLP), 26, continued to cruise through the rounds with a solid win over fellow European Gony Zubizarreta (ESP). Martin, along with Timothee Bisso (GLP) will be looking to keep the event title in the Caribbean this year.
Martin's signature layback snap in Rd5. - WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot
"I've been hanging with some of my childhood friends over the past couple of lay days and it's been great to spend some time relaxing island style," he explained. "I surfed a little bit around Tartane but mostly small waves and I tried to keep my energy levels up for this weekend. It looks like tomorrow we should have some really good waves so hopefully we can put on a good show."
Former World Junior Champion Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), 21, claimed his ticket for the Round of 16 in one of the most stacked heats of the day, eliminating Frenchmen Marc Lacomare and Medi Veminardi in the process. Ribeiro has been on a steady climb up the QS ranks over the past few years - he finished 47th in 2015 - with a clear objective of making the elite Top32.
Ribeiro's proving grounds of Ribeira d'Ilhas came useful in this event's conditions. - WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot
"It's amazing to compete on a righthand point break and I feel very comfortable out there," he reflected. "Everyone is surfing really well and it's a great wave so it's also a matter of choosing the right ones and being in a good spot. Last year I did too many events and felt really tired so I'm selecting the locations now and trying to be 100% every time I compete. I want to be on the QS Top10 by the end of this year and I'm working towards that."
Portuguese compatriot Frederico Morais, 24, rounded up the day's action with another great display of power surfing to advance into the round of 16.
Morais outpowered most of the surfers today in Martinique. - WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot
"It was a bit slow and I knew it would be a super tough heat so I was stoked to get an 8 on my second wave and just tried to manage the heat after that," he explained. "I'm really excited for tomorrow, it's a fun wave, kind of similar to some of the points we have at home so let's hope it gets a bit bigger and it should be fun !"
Contest officials and surfers will reconvene at 8am Sunday for the final call of the 2016 Martinique Surf Pro.
Martinique Surf Pro Set for Exciting Finals Day
WSL
The men's QS3,000 Martinique Surf Pro resumed today in fun three-to-four foot conditions at the beautiful point break setup of Basse-Pointe, and advanced through the fifth round of competition to keep a 16-men field on finals day Sunday. A three-day hiatus for a lack of swell gave athletes the perfect opportunity to rest and come back in full form on day 7 of the event's waiting period.
Deivid Silva (BRA), 21, dominated the day's proceedings with an incredible display of sharp, powerful backhand hacks and carves on the long-running rights off Basse-Pointe. The Brazilian stayed very active in the lineup and caught ten waves including four above the seven point mark.
"I'm super stoked to get through that one, waves weren't easy but our heat got plenty of fun ones," he said. "I love going right on my backhand and this wave is amazing, it's my first time here in Martinique and I love it ! I'm super focused on the qualifying race this year and I've trained every day since we got here, it's a great rhythm."
Guadeloupe's Charly Martin (GLP), 26, continued to cruise through the rounds with a solid win over fellow European Gony Zubizarreta (ESP). Martin, along with Timothee Bisso (GLP) will be looking to keep the event title in the Caribbean this year.
"I've been hanging with some of my childhood friends over the past couple of lay days and it's been great to spend some time relaxing island style," he explained. "I surfed a little bit around Tartane but mostly small waves and I tried to keep my energy levels up for this weekend. It looks like tomorrow we should have some really good waves so hopefully we can put on a good show."
Former World Junior Champion Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), 21, claimed his ticket for the Round of 16 in one of the most stacked heats of the day, eliminating Frenchmen Marc Lacomare and Medi Veminardi in the process. Ribeiro has been on a steady climb up the QS ranks over the past few years - he finished 47th in 2015 - with a clear objective of making the elite Top32.
"It's amazing to compete on a righthand point break and I feel very comfortable out there," he reflected. "Everyone is surfing really well and it's a great wave so it's also a matter of choosing the right ones and being in a good spot. Last year I did too many events and felt really tired so I'm selecting the locations now and trying to be 100% every time I compete. I want to be on the QS Top10 by the end of this year and I'm working towards that."
Portuguese compatriot Frederico Morais, 24, rounded up the day's action with another great display of power surfing to advance into the round of 16.
"It was a bit slow and I knew it would be a super tough heat so I was stoked to get an 8 on my second wave and just tried to manage the heat after that," he explained. "I'm really excited for tomorrow, it's a fun wave, kind of similar to some of the points we have at home so let's hope it gets a bit bigger and it should be fun !"
Contest officials and surfers will reconvene at 8am Sunday for the final call of the 2016 Martinique Surf Pro.
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A selection of images from where you'd rather be.
Frederico Morais wins the 2016 Martinique Surf Pro in great conditions on the final day of the event's waiting period.
The Portuguese powerhouse dominates finals day and takes out his inaugural QS win over Gony Zubizarreta.
Good waves allow competition to restart and complete the Round of 32 to set an exciting final day Sunday.
Difficult conditions provide perfect ground for major upsets as top seeds continue to fall short against up-and-comers.