Taj and a heat-winning drop wallet in the day’s first heat. ASP/Kirstin

…And we’re back in, finally. Did those lay days make you a little crazy? They made Ricardo Dos Santos crazy, so he jumped a plane to Chopes, got in the mix on the two big days, then flew back to Rio to lose in his home country in onshore, overcast, rained-out three foot slop to Jeremy Flores. But, who really won, right? Them’s the breaks though, and playing fields don’t get much more fair than windblown junk. Nobody’s advantaged. Except maybe Josh Kerr, who hucked a frontside full-rote, very high, in the day’s second heat and backed up with a turn to scoop a 9.77. “I was lucky to find those two good ones and I waited forever to get that second good one after that first 9,” Josh said. “Hopefully I can keep it going in the next round.”

Josh, move of the day (fully-rotated, with height). ASP/Kirstin

Other highlights included Taj Burrow’s closeout drop wallet (please refer to above depiction). “We had fun on the lay days and everyone was on vacation mode, but it’s good to be back,” Mr Burrow said afterwards. “Even though it’s howling onshore it’s fun to finally have some waves. That little section on the lay back was a fun one to hit and I was hoping the judges would throw me a good score for the one maneuver. It was pretty difficult in the end. I just never got offered another section like that one. I knew Gustavo was catching up and I was nervous the whole time.”

Ace’s high-scoring barrel. ASP/Kirstin

There was also Ace Buchan’s really-deep-or-not-so-deep-depending-on-your-angle tube. “I tried to get busy in the beginning and it’s hard to get out the back,” Ace shared. “I was out of position at the start of the heat and Raoni wanted to surf on the inside. I had one at the start that I didn’t ride out of and found a left, but that 9 was a diamond in the rough. I didn’t know if it was going to be really open, so I didn’t want to be too deep, but it was a pretty nice round barrel. It’s powerful out there and dumpy now that the tide’s gone out.”

Being that this was an elimination round, there was the potential for intensity, but it was a little lost in the dull beach vibe, identifiable even through the webcast. That, however, is what happens when you’ve got heats to play and a fast-depleting waiting period.

But the swell’s gonna continue growing, and this contest is really gonna set it off. This we know. And first heat up, Taj and Kolohe. Thank you!

Event portal, here.

BILLABONG RIO PRO ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.34 def. Gustavo Fernandes (BRA) 10.70
Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) 17.94 def. Messias Felix (BRA) 5.07
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.56 def. Jack Freestone (AUS) 9.60
Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.50 def. Ricardo dos Santos (BRA) 7.47
Heat 5: Michel Bourez (PYF) 10.16 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 8.67
Heat 6: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.17 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 8.10
Heat 7: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.93 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 14.33
Heat 8: Kai Otton (AUS) 12.24 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 12.20
Heat 9: Brett Simpson (USA) 15.10 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 15.04
Heat 10: Travis Logie (ZAF) 11.40 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.76
Heat 11: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.23 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.50
Heat 12: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 10.70 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 4.93

BILLABONG RIO PRO ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
Heat 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Nat Young (USA)
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 5: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Glenn Hall (IRL)
Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Bede Durbidge (AUS)
Heat 9: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Heat 10: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Heat 11: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)