- WSL / Andrew Nichols
- WSL / Andrew Nichols

Huntington Beach is on a run of swell that continues to pulse after yesterday's West Coast Board Riders All Stars pres. by Jack's Surfboards witnessed some all-time conditions. The same swell provided moments of explosive surfing from competitors to begin the third annual Jack's Surfboards Pro QS 1,500.

Surfers didn't let the pristine, four-to-six foot conditions on offer spoil and delivered some brilliant surfing that Jake Kelley led the way with after finding near-perfection.

Backhand Attack: Jake Kelley Smashes Debut
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A few big moments were captured on opening day and Kelley's 9.00 took center stage.

From dropping a new edit to dropping near-perfection in his Round 2 debut, Kelley is gaining momentum heading into another big weekend of competition after his Quarterfinal finish last week at the Ron Jon Quiksilver Pro. The 23-year-old is looking to string together a few results

"It's good to have this many QS 1,500s at the start of the year because I hadn't really been doing a lot of contests other than just to keep a seed," Kelley said. "I like getting some momentum heading through this string of events and it's nice to get some extra points as well as try make a bit more money to help the cause."

Dane Mackie Thrives

Cold Water, No Worries For Mackie
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The Barbadian is making up for lost grounds at last week's QS event in Florida and brought the fire with him.

The 21-year-old has his own world-class, righthand wave of Soup Bowl to sharpen that backhand into a tool when needed most. But the event is long from done for Mackie and the Barbadian has plenty left in the tank.

"I definitely want to do more than just make the first heat and to get the momentum going so far from home is really good," Mackie added.

Davi Toledo's Breakthrough on the QS

Davi Toledo
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Davi Toledo

While 2018's World No. 3 Filipe Toledo is chasing World Titles, his younger brother Davi, 19, earned his first win at the QS level. The Toledo family currently resides in San Clemente, California, and Davi has the world-class break of Lower Trestles at his disposal which is beginning to translate into performances wearing the jersey.

"I just snuck in under the boys and got it. I'm so happy and just thank God for that one. That's my first heat I've made on the QS and that sure felt good. It's like a weight just came off my back -- my shoulders are lighter for sure (laughs)."

Austin Neumann (USA) after winning his Round 2 heat at the Jack's Surfboards Pro. Austin Neumann in pure elation after a big debut win. - WSL / Andrew Nichols

Central Coast native Austin Neumann executed a brilliant air in the final heat of opening day action to garner an excellent 8.83 and put himself into Round 3. Other notable wins included Huntington Beach's own Derek Peters, Brazilians Matheus Navarro -- recent winner in Cocoa Beach, Florida -- and Namor Cayres, and Encinitas, California, native Nick Marshall.

Round 2 will resume at 8:00 a.m. PDT with Round 2 Heat 9.

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