Christie off to solid start at US Open

Richardo Christie. Picture courtesy of WSL

GISBORNE/Mahia surfer Ricardo Christie has made a strong start at the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach in California, progressing to the third round this morning.

Gold Coast-based Christie unleashed a series of searing backhand manoeuvres and put it all on the line to make the heat, even surfing through the concrete pylons of the Huntington Beach Pier on a solid left wave.

The US Open is the second men’s Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000-point-rated event of the year, offering valuable points toward Championship Tour (CT) qualification.

The Californian beachbreak provided surfers slightly wind-affected but punchy shoulder-high to overhead waves in a building swell this morning.

Christie focused on the lefts, which offered more vertical sections, and posted a heat total of 12.30 (out of 20) from his top two waves to place second.

French CT surfer Joan Duru topped the heat with 12.73, which included a heat-high wave score of 6.80, largely for a solid air reverse move. Luel Felipe, of Brazil, came in third posting 9.60 and Australia’s Mitch Coleborn was fourth after mustering only 6.66.

The difference in scores masked how tight the heat was, with Felipe only needing 7.33 and Coleborn 7.97 in the dying minutes to overtake Christie.

In the final minute, Coleborn was left alone out the back with priority. A solid set wave came through, but it closed out, offering Coleborn no opportunity to post a score.

In round 3, Christie will come up against three CT surfers — California’s Kolohe Andino, Huntington Beach local Kanoa Igarashi and Ethan Ewing of Australia.

With a stacked competition, and the women’s CT contest running concurrently, it is unlikely Christie’s heat will get under way today.

The swell forecast for the competition is for the waves to steadily build over the next three days into the overhead range.

However, onshore winds are predicted, which could make for tricky conditions.

Christie will be looking to make the most of the high points on offer at the US Open. After winning his maiden QS event in April, the Martinique Surf Pro, Christie was in 10th place on the QS.

Since then, Christie has slid down the rankings to 26, with his last result a 49th at the Ballito Pro 10,000 event in South Africa.

At the end of the year, the top 10 QS surfers qualify for the 2018 CT.

Christie made the CT in 2015 but despite a few solid results he was not able to requalify, and returned to the QS to work his way back. He failed to requalify last year but has had a much stronger 2017 so far.

Fellow Kiwi surfer Billy Stairmand, of Raglan, will surf in heat 23 of round 2.