Name: Adriano De Souza

Nicknames: Mineirinho

Born: Guaruja, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Hometown: Laguna Niguel, California, USA

Age: 23 (dob 13 February 1987)

Stance: Regular

Sponsors: Oakley, Red Bull, Pukas Surfboards, FCS Fins, Gorilla Grip Accessories

 

Superb Brazilian surfer Adriano De Souza is currently number 7 in the ASP’s world title race rankings.  He holds the record for the youngest surfer to win the Junior World Championship title back in 2004 at the young age of 16, and he has consistently placing in the top 10 in the world over the past few years.  So who is this master aerialist from Brazil?

 

De Souza started surfing when he was only 8 years old, and he’s never stopped since.  Highly motivated with the talent to go far, he not only won the Junior World Title, he went on to qualify for the ASP’s dream tour almost immediately after his world title win.  De Souza smashed his way from ‘The Grind’ aka the World Qualifying Series onto the elite tour in 2005 by winning the WQS by one of the biggest leads surfing history.  None too shabby for a 17 year old.

 

Known for his aerial and beach break stunts and maneuvers, De Souza spent his first two years on tour learning the ropes and working out his rankings.  In 2006, in his rookie year, he placed 20th; and in 2007 he posted a 28th, not bad but still not nearly showing just how good his was at surfing and competitng.

 

However, cue the entrance of 2008: De Souza was on fire and finished the year not only in the top 10, but in 7th place. He’d finally found his footing and was blazing a new trail for Brazilian surfers everywhere.  Last year he stepped it up again and finished an extremely impressive 5th in the world, ahead of current world title race leader Kelly Slater.

 

So what can we expect from De Souza from the remainder of this year’s competitions?  Last year he claimed his first world title race contest win.  Over in the beautiful Spanish Basque Country De Souza claimed the Billabong Mundaka Pro title for the first time.  Defeating Aussie Chris Davidson 16.40 points to 11.83 in the sunny 2-3 foot conditions, De Souza proved to all that he is not only one of the best surfers in the world, but that he is capable of winning contest titles.  The question now remains as to whether he could challenge for the world title?

 

There are now 4 dream tour events still to run: the Quiksilver Pro France in Hossegor, the Rip Curl Pro Peniche, in Portugal, the Rip Curl Search, somewhere in Costa Rica, and the Billabong Pipeline Masters over in the homeland of the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii.  De Souza has a chance to really kick himself into gear and push himself up the rankings and maybe even try for Brazil’s first ASP world championship title.

 

Watch him in action at the Quiksilver Pro France from 25th September - 5th October at http://quiksilverlive.com and check out the vid of him tearing it up at Trestles below.
 

 

It is finally time for the Quiksilver Pro France to start this week over in the surf mecca town of Hossegor, France.  Now that the Hurley Pro over in California has been wrapped up, the European leg of the world title race can begin.

 

Hossegor has been hosting world class surf competitions since 1987 when the Rip Curl Pro used to be part of the world tour. The town’s famous barreling waves at La Gravière and shore dump of le Nord have witnessed many legendary surfers power their way to victory over the years. 



Quiksilver has its European headquarters down the coast from Hossegor in San Jean de Luz, so hosting it’s European Pro contest at Hossegor makes perfect sense.  The competition has been run since 2002 (2001 was cancelled due to the 9/11 attack in New York) and has always been kept as a mobile event.  Depending on where the best waves are, the contest can move up and down the coast, visiting the waves at Hossegor, Seignosse, or even Capbreton- the neighbouring towns to Hossegor.



Over the years it has been Andy Irons (HAW) and Mick Fanning (AUS) who have dominated the contest.  Irons won three contests in a row from 03’ - 05’, and world and event title defender Fanning has won the event twice- 07’ and 09’.  Over winners have included Brazilian Neco Padaratz in 02’, Joel Parkinson in 06’ and Adrian Buchan in 08’.  So do you see a name missing from the list?  Kelly Slater has never won the event, and you can bet that he’d like to change that especially as it is his primary sponsor’s event.



It will be great to see how the newly culled top 34 surfers in the world do in the Atlantic waves off France.  La Gravière is a heavy wave, taking its name from the churning sand and gravel that is dredged up from the sea bed when the ocean storms create big waves.  Expect to see deep barrels and big carving cut backs from the pros as they get whittled down in the coming days.

 

This year the elite competitors will be joined by 2 event wildcards.  Julian Wilson (AUS) has been granted a wildcard, he’s sponsored by Quiksilver and his new surf film ‘Scratching the Surface’ will be shown as part of the events run by the contest. The other wildcard has gone to Maxime Huscenot (REU) who back in January won the World Junior Championship title at only 17 years of age.  It seems that the contest is going to have 2 generations competing for a change.  

 

If you fancy checking the action live or booking yourself an Autumn surf holiday in Hossegor, check out our great self-catered rentals.  However, if you’re stuck at home/work/on your iphone, take a look at Quiksilver’s website and keep up with all the action as it happens.  Here’s a little something to wet your appetite...
 

 

After the initial first day of competition when the waves were pumping, the Hurley Pro experienced 3 lay days when the waves just weren’t quite cutting it.  For your average joe blogs surfer it would have been great, but when the stakes are high and you have the world’s best clamoring to win your competition you choose your event days carefully. 



Fast forward to Friday 17th Sept... glassy wave upon wave formed at Lower Trestles and the contest was on.  Here the new heat and round formats were truly seen for the first time.  Round 4 was no longer as critical as it may have been before, but it has changed the pressure.  In the 3 man heats, the winner progressed straight into the quarter finals.  So a very happy Owen Wright (AUS), Mick Fanning (AUS), Jordy Smith (ZAF) and Taj Burrow (AUS) were all able to bypass round 5.

 

The surfers that placed 2nd and 3rd in round 4 had a second chance to battle it out again for a spot in the quarters.  This paid off for Kelly Slater as Chris Davidson (AUS) was too sick to compete, so Slater went through to the semis; Kieren Perrow (AUS) defeated former world champion CJ Hobgood (USA); Bede Durbidge (AUS) took out Ace Buchan (AUS); and Dane Reynolds (USA) ousted the other hobgood twin- Damien (USA).



The quarter final match ups were something special, especially if you saw the heat between the blazing Owen Wright (Aus) and Slater.  Wright pulled out all the stops, even landing a brilliant aerial, but Slater was back on form and took the win 17.03 to Wrights excellent 15.97 points.  Slater could now smell blood.

 

Fanning, Durbidge and Reynolds all progressed to the semis, so it was bound to get hectic.  Slater was unstoppable, defeating Fanning 15.87 to 10.43; and Durbidge beat Reynolds 11.67 to 5.63.  And the rest was history as Slater met Durbidge in the final, taking the win with a massive 18.13 to Durbidge’s 14.13 points.



Slater’s win is looking very dangerous as he now leads the world rankings as the tour heads over to Hossegor, France for the Quiksilver Pro.  What with spot number 7 starting soon, and then Peniche, Portugal only around the corner, everyone is asking if Slater is going to take an unprecedented tenth world title?  Going into the next event the top ten rankings are:

 

 

Our Euro force is still doing well but will be looking for better results in Hossegor.  Tiago Pires (PRT) finished 13th so slips 1 place to 14th in the world rankings; whereas Jeremy Flores (FRA) finished 25th in the contest, so moves from 19th to 21st place in the ratings.

 

Tune in to see how they do at the Quiksilver Pro France from 25th Sept - 5 Oct 2010 at http://quiksilverlive.com.  In the meantime here’s what you missed if you didn’t see the final day at the Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles...
 

 

Even though your fins are small their significance is great.  Your fins are the steering instruments that keep you riding and turning along your wave.  So let’s take a moment to look at what types are out there and what difference the number of fins has to your ride.



Glassed or removable?  Since the 1930s when surfboard fins were first used there have been masses of developments in their shape, size and arrangements.  However, one of the simplest differences in fins is whether they are removable or not. Glassed fins are literally part of the board- glassed into the board with the resin that’s used to finish the board’s shiny hard surface.  

 

Unsurprisingly removable fins are exactly that- removable.  There is a fin plug already glassed into the board so you can insert your own fins, securing them in place with whatever system the shaper has chosen.  One of the most popular is the FCS fin plug and key, but there are different set ups, especially if you have a beginner’s or intermediate’s board such as a NSP which uses a simple screw attachment through the board itself.



One central fin, twin fins, three fin thruster arrangement?  You name it you can pretty much do it if you have the plugs. One fin will give you the hold and steering needed for larger boards, whereas a twin fin configuration will feel looser and more skate-board like.  The three fin set up is one of the most popular as it gives stability, maneuverability and push. 

 

However, if you are feeling like you’d like a change, try a board with four fins- known as a quad.  Faster and looser than three fins, quads are gaining in popularity especially since world champion Kelly Slater started using his on the dream tour.  So the choice is yours... just go find what you like best.