Hawaiian Barron Mamiya fires during Margaret River Pro heat at The Box after a last-minute Robbo lesson
When Barron Mamiya wanted intel on surfing at The Box, he knew exactly where to look.
With 6-8ft conditions pumping at the iconic slab wave about 700m north of Main Break, Hawaiian Mamiya paddled out before dawn on Wednesday to watch local guru Jack Robinson free surfing the break he knew so well.
“I hadn’t surfed there in two or three years,” Mamiya said, adding he’s maybe only been out two or three times total.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I knew Jack was out because he was sending some videos in the group chat early, early. And I was like, ‘I’m going to go out there and watch him’.
“I sat in the channel and I just watched him for like an hour. I was kind of just watching where he was taking off and what he was doing, and the waves that he wanted, and once I did that I got a good idea.
“Obviously he’s one of the best barrel riders out there.”
The last-minute study session paid off immediately when round-of-16 heats resumed at the World Surf League Margaret River Pro later that morning.
Mamiya had the top-six scoring waves in his match-up against American Jake Marshall, including back-to-back 8.00 and 7.17 barrel rides, on his way to a two-wave 15.17 to 5.73 heat win.
He will next face Japanese/Australian goofy-footer Connor O’Leary, who upset Kanoa Igarashi.
O’Leary, who arrived in Margaret River in danger of falling below the mid-season cut-line, has now secured his future this season with what is already his best finish of the season.
“Getting through (the cut) yesterday was a huge weight off my shoulders,” he said after an 8.50 to 2.50 win.
“Coming into today I just set myself with no expectations. It is a different challenge, a less nerve-wracking and less stressful one and more like a really exciting opportunity to get a good barrel.”
Earlier, American Griffin Calapinto rode one of the waves of the day, emerging from the foam of a deep barrel and raising his arm in amazement before scoring a 9.00 on his way to beating Australian wild-card Mikey McDonagh.
“I feel like that is one of the best heats of my life,” he said. “Getting barrelled in the jersey is the dream.
“That 9.00, I was kind of baffled myself. I got the the bottom and thought I could stand tall and cruise and next thing the wave was so fast the foam ball just lifted me up and you can kind of see my fin come out and I was almost going 180 degrees backwards and I thought I blew it . . . but then it shot me back out.”
Local hope Jacob Willcox and Leonardo Fioravanti of Italy also advanced to the quarterfinals at The Box before the contest was moved back to Main Break.
Jordy Smith of South Africa, who has moved up to No.2 in the ranking, and Imaikalani deVault of Hawaii, who needs to win the event to survive the cut, also advanced in the remaining round-of-16 heats before conditions saw organisers call off competition, likely until the second-last day of the window on Monday.
Watch the WSL Margaret River Pro live and free on 7PLUS
MEN’S ROUND-OF-16 RESULTS
HEAT 1: Griffin Colapinto USA 16.00 (9.00, 7.00) def. Mikey McDonough AUS 2.43 (1.50, 0.93)
HEAT 2: Leonardo Fioravanti ITA 12.16 (6.83, 5.33) def. Miguel Pupo BRA 7.04 (5.17, 1.87)
HEAT 3: Connor O’Leary JPN 8.50 (5.67, 2.83) def. Kanoa Igarashi JPN 2.50 (1.50, 1.00)
HEAT 4: Barron Mamiya HAW 15.17 (8.00, 7.17) def. Jake Marshall USA 5.73 (3.33, 2.50)
HEAT 5: Jacob Willcox AUS 12.50 (8.17, 4.33) def. Joao Chianca BRA 4.07 (3.70, 2.17)
HEAT 6: Crosby Colapinto USA 6.53 (4.50, 2.03) def. Jackson Bunch HAW 3.34 (2.17, 1.17)
HEAT 7: Jordy Smith RSA 17.33 (9.50, 7.83) def. Marco Mignot FRA 7.17 (4.67, 2.50)
HEAT 8: Imaikalani deVault HAW 15.33 (8.50, 6.83) def. Alan Cleland MEX 8.26 (5.33, 2.93)
