Two-time Pe'ahi Challenge winner Billy Kemper got off to a solid start during the first heat of the 2017 Puerto Escondido Challenge. The Hawaiian found back-to-back barrels early, and never looked back. He took a commanding win with a 24.17 out of a possible 30 points. Trevor Carlson and Nathan Florence advanced out of the heat with him. The big shock of Heat 1, however, happened when defending champion Grant "Twiggy" Baker fell short of advancing. Twiggy pulled into a number of solid pits but couldn't find a clean exit.
