NEWS
Kelly making it look easy.
In the winner's circle again.
Pissed off Enough to Come Back
PHOTO: @THESURFCHANNEL / @SPEEDYELK
PHOTO: @THESURFCHANNEL / @SHANNONQUIRK
ASPUPDATE
BY CHUCK GRAHAM
I
guess it depends on your point of view. Was Mick Fanning’s wave at the buzzer of his quarterfinal heat against Yadin Nichol at the 2013 Billabong Pipeline Masters enough for his third world title? Maybe … maybe not. Fanning and Kelly Slater both came to Pipeline and accomplished what they needed to do. Fanning needed to advance to the semifinal to win the world title, and Slater needed to win the final and not have Fanning advance beyond the quarterfinal. Nichol made it difficult enough for Fanning. Their heat could’ve gone either way, but Fanning got the nod. Slater didn’t lose a heat during the entire event. After learning Fanning advanced out of the quarterfinal, Slater looked noticeably dejected. It would’ve been understandable if he had simply gone out in his quarterfinal heat against Sebastian Zietz and surrendered the heat to
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8:32am 6.98 3:45pm -1.67
9:18 6.85 10:06 6.46 10:57 5.84 4:29 -1.57 5:13 -1.25 5:58 -0.75
JANUARY 2014 Tide Chart Ventura, CA
14
DEEP SURF MAGAZINE February 2014
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MON 06
11:52 5.06 12:58 4.23 6:45 -0.14 7:36 0.51
the young Hawaiian, but being the ultimate competitor he is, Slater paddled out and put on a Pipeline clinic from the quarters through the final, surfing with reckless abandon on the lefts and the few backdoor waves on offer. Slater thrashed Joel Parkinson in the semifinal and barely nipped Hawaiian John John Florence in the final for his seventh Pipeline Masters title. It was also Slater’s 56th World Championship Tour victory. World title number 12 is proving to be elusive enough, but Slater did something he typically doesn’t do. During a post-final interview, the 11-time world champ strongly hinted at coming back in 2014. Usually he waits until the first leg in Australia before revealing his plans. Here’s hoping the drama surrounding the 2013 Billabong Pipeline Masters fuels Slater’s fire to make another run in 2014.
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8:57 1.68 2:22 3.52
10:31 1.32 4:07 3.13
11:47 0.81 5:44 3.11
12:45 0.33 6:55 3.28
6:05 5.53 1:29 -0.05
SUN 12 MON 13
6:45 5.67 2:06 -0.31
7:20 5.78 2:38 -0.47
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7:52 5.85 3:07 -0.55
8:23 5.85 3:35 -0.56
WSURF.COM TIDE CHART