Friday brought heat to Peniche, Portugal. On the stunning Supertubos break, Kauli Vaast did not go down without a fight but fell in the second round of the Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal against American Griffin Colapinto, the author of the day’s best combination.
The San Clemente surfer slammed a 9.17 on a perfect tube, followed by an air backflip. He then added an 8.00 to his total, lifting his score to 17.17 points versus Vaast’s 13.27.
The Tahitian nonetheless drew notice by pulling off a switch tube, a maneuver he executes on rare occasions.
Earlier in the day, Kauli Vaast had claimed his head-to-head against Jake Marshall. Despite his elimination, that victory temporarily slots him into the world’s top 10, at No. 9 (5,000 points behind Kanoa Igarashi, who was also knocked out).
In the women’s competition, Vahine Fierro and Tya Zebrowski, who failed to make the cut, will have to wait until the Championship Tour’s final stop. The two Tahitian surfers will return to competition at Pipeline, Hawaii, in mid-December.
