COMPETITORS in the Margaret River Pro were met with great conditions on the first day of the contest on Wednesday.
The Men's Round 1 kicked off early with Brazil's Filipe Toledo winning his heat (12.23 points), South Africa's Jordy Smith thrashing his opponents in the second heat (15.33), and local hero Taj Burrow of Yallingup bringing the goods at the last minute to win the third heat with 10.77 points.
Cowaramup surfer Yadin Nichol, who won a wildcard entry through Tuesday's Trials, later took on Kelly Slater and got the top score. Nichol boasted 15.23 points while Slater finished with 11.87, still remaining in the competition.
A decent crowd of spectators were already settling in when the event started.
Local surfer Richard Lowe, Prevelly, admired the super swell from afar.
"It's just pumping. I'm a little disappointed that the comp's on right now," he joked.
While the Men's competition took place at Mainbreak, some people could not look away from The Box on the right, where a few locals were taking advantage of the barrels on offer. The Pro will give competitors the option of surfing either Mainbreak or The Box in later rounds.
For updates on results, visit Surfing WA's website.
For more news, see our Margaret River Pro page.
Photos by Zannia Yakas.
