- WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot
- WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot
Highlights Day 3
2:12
Pressure builds as the Martinique Surf Pro advances through the rounds to decide the last 16 surfers remaining.

Swell continued to pulse at Basse-Pointe and despite a good decrease in wave height, conditions remained excellent for a third consecutive day of action at the Martinique Surf Pro.

While many top seeds survived a pivotal fourth round of competition, a few big names suffered shock eliminations at the hands of low profile athletes fighting for their piece of the action.

Hawaiian Hurdles on Jorgann's path

Unfortunately for yesterday's top scorer Jorgann Couzinet, things took a turn for the worse in Round Four when the Reunion Island native couldn't find decent scoring opportunities and fell on a few turns.

In his heat, Hawaii's Tanner Hendrickson had no such problem, able to find a few fun rights and culminating with an excellent 8.23 to seal his spot Round Five.

Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) Placed 1st in Heat 3 of Round Four at Martinique Surf Pro Hendrickson will be the sole Hawaiian in contention to bring the title back to HAW since Josh Moniz the first year - WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot

"The waves were firing again today, it's just that when you're out there it's hard to tell the really good ones from the rest," Hendrickson said. "The scenery and vegetation is a lot like home in Hawaii and I really love this place, it's amazing."

Young Gun on the Rise

Twenty-year-old Aussie Kalani Ball reveled in the fun afternoon conditions and showed strong determination to claim his winning 8.40 in the dying minutes of the heat. After a strong start in the first two events of his region, Kalani will look to up the ante with a big performance in a higher-ranked QS event in Martinique.

Kalani Ball (AUS) Placed 1st in Heat 4 of Round Four at Martinique Surf Pro Kalani Ball continues to impress in Martinique - WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot

"These are the best waves I've had for a QS in like a year so it was worth the mission to get here," Kalani admitted. "I learned a lot last year and I think I'm not trying to safety surf anymore, but rather trying to do my biggest turns cause it's the only way to get through heats like this."

A Family Affair

It wasn't a good day in the Muniz clan, as former CT athlete Alejo and brother Santiago were both eliminated from competition despite putting together convincing efforts that would have seen them advance through most of the other heats.

Things were a little more subtle for the Mignots. Diego Mignot managed to put together a come-from-behind victory, courtesy of an inside double-up surfed to perfection for an excellent 8.27. Unfortunately, his cousin Nomme suffered a different fate. He was left chasing an average score to qualify but got up to his feet on a last effort only just right after the buzzer, so the wave was not counted.

Diego Mignot (FRA) Placed 1st in Heat 10 of Round Three at Martinique Surf Pro 2017 Maximum risk-taking usually gets the job done. - WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot

"I was trying to wait for the bombs but was down on luck, they were all close-outs, so I tried to adapt," Diego said. "I got a first decent score and stayed on the inside, luckily I got that awesome little double-up for an 8-plus, so I'm stoked to make it through this important day."

Carribean Crew Still Two Strong

Two survivors of Day 3 will carry all the hopes of the Martinique and the extended Caribbean fans, Timothee Bisso and Dimitri Ouvre.

Tim, a former runner-up in the World as a Junior, had a solid start to his 2017 qualifying campaign, and continued to show signs of brilliance on his backhand to secure a solid 9.17 and 8.57 to advance into Round 5.

Timothee Bisso (GLP) Placed 2nd in Heat 10 of Round Three  at Martinique Surf Pro 2017 Guess where Tim did well at the World Juniors? On a long, powerful right. - WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot

"Making it through is what really matters, the level in that heat was incredible and the waves were just pumping," Tim said. "I'm super happy to get through even in second place. I haven't spent much time at home lately so it's amazing to come back to the Caribbean, for me Martinique and Guadeloupe are so similar and I feel right at home here."

In Other News

Marc Lacomare continued to advance but stepped his game up a notch to belt one of the day's highest heat totals. So did Jackson Baker with an incredible 18.17.

Marc Lacomare (FRA)   Placed 1st in Heat 1 of Round Four  at Martinique Surf Pro Lacomare stands out in the bigger surf. - WSL / Poullenot/Aquashot

The forecast for the upcoming two days showing signs of a decrease in wave height and quality, everyone will get an extra few hours of rest Tuesday as event officials have called for a 12 p.m. re-assessment of conditions.

All results, more photos and daily highlights are available here.

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