It wasn’t yesterday’s perfection at El Confital today but some small clean contestable waves allowed officials to get on with round 2 of the Ocean & Earth Pro. After a late start due to the tides, surfers were ready to jump back in the water and get a chance to reach round 3.

With six heats held today only, the event was stopped at 3.30 PM the smaller swell making the shallow reef really too dry to keep going. The Ocean & Earth Pro is half way through its second round and all surfers will be back at 10 AM tomorrow morning. Everyone’s waiting for the new swell and we hope the direction of the swell gets back on track towards our Canarian jewel, El Confital.

Best scorer of the day with a solid 8.33 out of possible 10, rising australian star James Wood (AUS) brought some efficient surfing over the shallow reef of El Confital, finishing first of his opening heat in the event with a two-wave combined total of 15.83 points out of possible 20, the best result of the day.

Starring with Foster’s ASP World Tour top campaigner Joel Parkinson (AUS) in the video “Free As A Dog” a year ago, Wood shows a promissing potential and started his maiden canarian campaign with great confidence and skills.

Only mexican of the event, David Rutherford was one of today’s standouts, finding his way out of the tricky set waves. Finding a good 6.83 pointer before winning his heat with a last 7.83 ride, Rutherford qualified for round 3 ahead of Josh Redman (ZAF) and Blake Howard (USA).

ASP Europe junior champion Romain Cloitre (REU) surfed in heat 7 of round 2 facing canarian chargers Jose-Maria Cabrera (CNY) and Jose Casillas (CNY), and Clancy Dawson (AUS). The twenty-five minute heat went to an exciting end when an ultimate set came in and offered the potential to Cloitre to jump back into second and advance for next round, while Cabrera was smothered in the last minute by aussie Clancy Dawson (AUS) winning with a two-wave combined total of 13.33 points.

“It was a close battle out there and we all wanted to get the best waves of the set to score. I just sat and waited for these and got them so I’m stoked to make it. I just hope next heat will be in a real El Confital frame, barrels and bowls,” said the junior regional champion Cloitre. After an amazing summer where he won three of the 5 junior events in Europe, Romain Cloitre (REU) is starting his WQS campaign and will be one of the next youngmen to watch very soon.

Already qualified for the Billabong World Junior Championships in Narabeen next January, other top regional junior Charly Martin (GLP) managed to counter second highscorer of the event and yesterday’s tude master Felix Ortega (CNY) in the small sets. After his stunning performance yesterday, Ortega couldn’t reach the young generation’s technical skills and lost.

“It wasn’t easy today. You expect to surf big barrels when you come here so you have to change your tactics and look for turns and carves in these conditions. It was still good enough to surf well and I’m glad to make this first heat,” confessed 17-year-old Martin.

The Ocean & Earth Pro is LIVE on www.aspeurope.com and will soon hit the best seeded surfers’ round. Soon to surf are former Foster’s ASP World Tour members Kieren Perrow (AUS) and Nathan Hedge (AUS), and World Qualifying Series top european Aritz Aranburu (EUK) currently 10th and close to his first ever qualification for the elite circuit.