The Atlantic surprised competitors and event staff alike at the WRV Outer Banks Pro pres. by Pacifico as early morning conditions improved throughout the day. Competitors took full advantage of the sandbars on offer and delivered impeccable surfing as men's higher seeds hit the lineup and the women's top seeds made their debut.
The WRV Outer Banks Pro pres. by Pacifico received another push of swell with men and women delivering big performances.
The next generation of North America women continue to excel both in and out of the jersey, and they put on an exhibition in their respective debuts today with Caitlin Simmers (pictured in key art) leading the charge. Simmers, 15, comes in fresh off her first-ever QS victory and showed no signs of slowing with an astounding 16.75 (out of a possible 20) heat total - including a 9.00 (out of a possible 10).
"I'm feeling pretty good [after that heat]," said Simmers. "I love it here and I feel good coming off the win in Huntington. This is the first time I've done this event but I've been here a few times. Hopefully I can take a win here."
2019 Championship Tour qualification threat Alyssa Spencer making her presence known in her first heat at the Outer Banks. - WSL / Andrew Nichols
Alyssa Spencer made her first appearance in the Outer Banks one to remember with a brilliant 14.75 heat total - utilizing both her dominant backhand and forehand attack. The Encinitas, California, competitor launched through the rankings in 2019 and nearly qualified for the 2020 Championship Tour (CT) season before falling just short, and now looks to resurge toward that winning form.
"That heat was definitely tricky and it was hard to hear in the water so I had no idea what the situation was," said Spencer. "I was just trying to better my scores and taking off on anything that looked like it had an opportunity. This place is really beautiful and I'm enjoying myself here adventuring around with Coral (Schuster), and just having a blast."
2019 WRV Outer Banks Pro pres. by Pacifico victor Zoe Benedetto (USA) right back in winning form. - WSL / Andrew Nichols
A buzzer-beater from 2019 event victor Zoe Benedetto catapulted her from third-place directly into first - earning an excellent 8.25 and 14.75 heat total. Benedetto, 16, returns to the Outer Banks knowing what to expect and capitalized on the last-minute opportunity to overturn the heat amid stacked competition.
"I feel great right now and no pressure here being the last person to win the contest," said Benedetto. "I'm a couple years older so I feel like I have a little bit more competitive knowledge under my belt. It was a slower heat, I started with a five and then the it went pretty lully, but then I got a six and was still in third so it just shows that everyone here can rip a small wave."
Bella Kenworthy looks for a second finals day after her QS debut in Huntington Beach last month. - WSL / Andrew Nichols
Big wins from 2018 World Junior Champion Kirra Pinkerton, Santa Cruz, California's, Autumn Hays, San Clemente, California's, rising stars Bella Kenworthy and Sawyer Lindblad, and Germany representative Noah Klapp rounded off the top seeds' debuts.
Youth from East and West Coast Light Up Jennette's Pier Lineup
Keanu Igarashi made his North America season debut with a statement. - WSL / Elizabeth Fowler
A charge from the next generation led by Huntington Beach, California's, Keanu Igarashi with a high-powered display of forehand surfing to post an event-high 16.05 heat total. The 19-year-old has learned from one of the best in the world, older brother and Championship Tour (CT) competitor Kanoa, and it all came together for the young surfer in his Round 2 debut.
"That was epic," exclaimed Igarashi. "We got here a few days before and just grinded a bit to get ready. My mindset was just go on anything, then I decided to sit and wait then that last one came right to me. It feels great and I have my mom, my dad, and my brother watching but today was extra special because my Japanese family was watching which just keeps me going to the next round."
Ryan Huckabee left none the wave to waste and finished each ride strong. - WSL / Andrew Nichols
East Coast competitors continued to flurry and Ryan Huckabee put an exclamation point on the performances with a stunning 9.00 and 14.50 heat total. The Floridian up-and-coming talent found himself in the perfect place at the right time and unleashed his forehand attack all the way to the beach. Huckabee, 17, has his eyes set on big goals and a season debut to match.
"It felt good to get that win after not doing a contest since March 2020 in Cocoa Beach," said Huckabee. "I do want to be in the running for the Challenger Series so my goals each event is Quarterfinals or better. There's still a lot of work to be done here though but that gives me some confidence after being pleasantly surprised by the waves this morning."
Davi Toledo all smiles after a massive debut Round 2 win. - WSL / Andrew Nichols
The Brasilian contingent is back on the Outer Banks' shores and Davi Toledo went straight to work in Round 1 Heat 1. Brother to Rip Curl WSL Finals contender Filipe, Davi's own powerful style gave him an edge in the softer waves on hand to his surprise as he posted a brilliant 14.50 heat total.
"I'm so stoked after having a really bad freesurf before the competition started," said Toledo. "They were surfing light and I weigh about 175lbs so I just tried to surf as light as I could and I'm glad it worked out - now we just need some bigger waves for me (laughs). It's great to be back just with COVID-19 happening and everything going on in the world, I'm stoked to see more competitions come back and I'm just really focusing on training hard this year."
Other notable performances came from the likes of Florida's Owen Moss with a stunning 15.80 heat total, Venezuela's QS warrior Derek Gomes, South Carolina competitor Micha Cantor, and Indonesia representative Ben Benson.
A 7:30am EDT call will determine a possible 8:00am EDT start for either men's Round 3 or women's Round 3.
Watch LIVE beginning September 1 - 5 for the men's and women's WRV Outer Banks Pro pres. by Pacifico QS 1,000 at www.worldsurfleague.com.
Breakout Performances Unfold in Outer Banks
WSL
The Atlantic surprised competitors and event staff alike at the WRV Outer Banks Pro pres. by Pacifico as early morning conditions improved throughout the day. Competitors took full advantage of the sandbars on offer and delivered impeccable surfing as men's higher seeds hit the lineup and the women's top seeds made their debut.
The next generation of North America women continue to excel both in and out of the jersey, and they put on an exhibition in their respective debuts today with Caitlin Simmers (pictured in key art) leading the charge. Simmers, 15, comes in fresh off her first-ever QS victory and showed no signs of slowing with an astounding 16.75 (out of a possible 20) heat total - including a 9.00 (out of a possible 10).
"I'm feeling pretty good [after that heat]," said Simmers. "I love it here and I feel good coming off the win in Huntington. This is the first time I've done this event but I've been here a few times. Hopefully I can take a win here."
Alyssa Spencer made her first appearance in the Outer Banks one to remember with a brilliant 14.75 heat total - utilizing both her dominant backhand and forehand attack. The Encinitas, California, competitor launched through the rankings in 2019 and nearly qualified for the 2020 Championship Tour (CT) season before falling just short, and now looks to resurge toward that winning form.
"That heat was definitely tricky and it was hard to hear in the water so I had no idea what the situation was," said Spencer. "I was just trying to better my scores and taking off on anything that looked like it had an opportunity. This place is really beautiful and I'm enjoying myself here adventuring around with Coral (Schuster), and just having a blast."
A buzzer-beater from 2019 event victor Zoe Benedetto catapulted her from third-place directly into first - earning an excellent 8.25 and 14.75 heat total. Benedetto, 16, returns to the Outer Banks knowing what to expect and capitalized on the last-minute opportunity to overturn the heat amid stacked competition.
"I feel great right now and no pressure here being the last person to win the contest," said Benedetto. "I'm a couple years older so I feel like I have a little bit more competitive knowledge under my belt. It was a slower heat, I started with a five and then the it went pretty lully, but then I got a six and was still in third so it just shows that everyone here can rip a small wave."
Big wins from 2018 World Junior Champion Kirra Pinkerton, Santa Cruz, California's, Autumn Hays, San Clemente, California's, rising stars Bella Kenworthy and Sawyer Lindblad, and Germany representative Noah Klapp rounded off the top seeds' debuts.
Youth from East and West Coast Light Up Jennette's Pier Lineup
A charge from the next generation led by Huntington Beach, California's, Keanu Igarashi with a high-powered display of forehand surfing to post an event-high 16.05 heat total. The 19-year-old has learned from one of the best in the world, older brother and Championship Tour (CT) competitor Kanoa, and it all came together for the young surfer in his Round 2 debut.
"That was epic," exclaimed Igarashi. "We got here a few days before and just grinded a bit to get ready. My mindset was just go on anything, then I decided to sit and wait then that last one came right to me. It feels great and I have my mom, my dad, and my brother watching but today was extra special because my Japanese family was watching which just keeps me going to the next round."
East Coast competitors continued to flurry and Ryan Huckabee put an exclamation point on the performances with a stunning 9.00 and 14.50 heat total. The Floridian up-and-coming talent found himself in the perfect place at the right time and unleashed his forehand attack all the way to the beach. Huckabee, 17, has his eyes set on big goals and a season debut to match.
"It felt good to get that win after not doing a contest since March 2020 in Cocoa Beach," said Huckabee. "I do want to be in the running for the Challenger Series so my goals each event is Quarterfinals or better. There's still a lot of work to be done here though but that gives me some confidence after being pleasantly surprised by the waves this morning."
The Brasilian contingent is back on the Outer Banks' shores and Davi Toledo went straight to work in Round 1 Heat 1. Brother to Rip Curl WSL Finals contender Filipe, Davi's own powerful style gave him an edge in the softer waves on hand to his surprise as he posted a brilliant 14.50 heat total.
"I'm so stoked after having a really bad freesurf before the competition started," said Toledo. "They were surfing light and I weigh about 175lbs so I just tried to surf as light as I could and I'm glad it worked out - now we just need some bigger waves for me (laughs). It's great to be back just with COVID-19 happening and everything going on in the world, I'm stoked to see more competitions come back and I'm just really focusing on training hard this year."
Other notable performances came from the likes of Florida's Owen Moss with a stunning 15.80 heat total, Venezuela's QS warrior Derek Gomes, South Carolina competitor Micha Cantor, and Indonesia representative Ben Benson.
A 7:30am EDT call will determine a possible 8:00am EDT start for either men's Round 3 or women's Round 3.
Watch LIVE beginning September 1 - 5 for the men's and women's WRV Outer Banks Pro pres. by Pacifico QS 1,000 at www.worldsurfleague.com.
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Catch a glimpse of all the finals day action that witnessed Taro Watanabe and Alyssa Spencer win big.
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The WRV Outer Banks Pro pres. by Pacifico surged through a massive moving to set up a potential finals day.
Men's top seeds made their debut alongside women determining their Quarterfinalists at the WRV Outer Banks Pro pres. by Pacifico.
The WRV Outer Banks Pro pres. by Pacifico received another push of swell with men and women delivering big performances.