The fight for Fiji: Surf trip to paradise
by Dickie O’Reilly
Larry Burke and Dane McConahue carry Kelly Zaun up the beach following his victory in the South Bay Boardriders Contest Series. Photo by Mike Balzer
Years from now, The Spyder/South Bay Bay Boardriders open men’s finals will be remembered as one of the most memorable and contentious inSouth Bay history.
Advancing to the finals were six of the South Bay’s top surfers. Two of them, Mira Costa grad Dane Zaun, 21, and El Segundo grad Matt Pagan, 20, are competing on the World Qualifying Series tour of the Association of Surfing Professionals. Though neither was still in contention for this year’s Boardriders series title, their finishes in the May 12 contest were certain to impact who did win the open men’s s title.
At stake was the biggest prize ever awarded at a South Bay surf contest – a $10,000, all expenses paid trip for two to Fiji, aboard Air Pacific.
For the second year in a row, the final contest of the six-contest series was set for the south side of the Manhattan Beach pier. Spyder Surf once again had taken on the presenting sponsor role and brought in raised scaffolding for the judges, wave by wave commentary for the crowd, and significant prizes for the over 200 contestants, competing in 10 age and open divisions.
The competition was fierce across all the divisions. Just ask the judges, who faced grilling from parents as to why 9-year-old Johnny lost with six waves but 7-year-old Christopher advanced with only three waves. (It made being a little league umpire seem easy.)
After five contests, three surfers remained in contention for the open men’s title.
Leading the series in points was Derek Brewer, 39, a former Armani model who logs more water time than most pro surfers. In second was Shaun Burrell, 36, a former pro surfer. In third was pro prospect Kelly Zaun, 19, a former Mira Costa High star who now competes for Mira Costa College on the NSSA circuit.
Brewer unexpectedly fell out of contention when he failed to advance out of his first round heat. Zaun won his second round heat to advance straight to the finals. Burrell took second in his second round heat, which meant he needed to place at least third in the reportage to advance to the finals and keep alive his hopes for a honeymoon in Fiji. Burrell is getting married in the fall.
Jockeying for position in the May 12 finals actually began in March, during the fourth contest of the series. Burrell was leading in series points, but Brewer was close behind. Burrell received an interference by taking off in front of Brewer in one of their early heats.
Contest number five in April had unusually good waves and Burrell was putting on a clinic as he ripped through the early heats. But by then, Kelly Zaun’s consistent top three finishes had put him in contention for the Fiji trip. His older brother Dane, who might just make a good Fijian travel companion, wasn’t about to leave that contest’s outcome up to the judges.
Dane took an intentional interference penalty in the finals to block Burrell from catching a wave that might have put him in first place. Burrell ended up fourth and Kelly Zaun closed the points gap by finishing second.
The competition background was common knowledge among the several hundred people who lined the beach and the Manhattan pier for the reportage of the decisive sixth and final contest at the Manhattan pier.
Zaun’s and Brewer’s Waterman’s restaurant teammates cheered wildly for anyone but Burrell. Burrell’s supporters were a much smaller group, consisting of his mom, dad and fiancé.
In the waning minutes of the heat Burrel caught the biggest and longest wave of the heat, which he finished off with an impressive and dangerous off the top shot through the pier piling. Now, all that stood between him and a honeymoon inFiji was a 20 minute heat in rapidly deteriorating surf.
Mother Nature didn’t want to have any part in deciding the winner of the 3 p.m. finals. The tide had filled back in and the waves were having a tough time breaking before they reached the sand. By time the six finalists entered the water, the afternoon wind had kicked up and the gray marine layer thickened.
But that’s how surf contests go and all of these guys were used to it. Pagan jumped out to an early lead, managing to get a few turns in on a rare, decent size wave. Chris Broman also found a wave that he could get going on. Then Zaun scored with a big backside re-entry.
Burrell was sitting towards the south end of the contest zone, surrounded by Kelly’s brother Dane, Pagan, Jamie Meistrell, and Dimitri Papa. Dimitri may have only been concerned about himself, but the others weren’t. When the five minute warning horn sounded Burrell was the only surfer who had not yet caught a wave. Finally, with just under three minutes left, Burrell found a small, low scoring right hander.
He let his frustration be known by spiraling his board 15 feet up into the air at the end of the ride.
The five other finalists all had three or more waves, but only the best two waves are scored. So Burrell still had a chance when a small pulse rolled through. Burrell was out of position, but not about to let anyone stop him from catching the wave. He paddled and kicked furiously until he caught it. He hopped through the chop in an effort to reach a clean face that would allow him exercise his signature acceleration. But like his first wave, it dissolved on the beach before he could make anything of it.
Thirty seconds later, the final horn sounded and the 2011-2012 South Bay Boardriders Surf Series title was in the hands of the judges.
For Zaun to erase Burrell’s 222 point lead and win the trip to Fiji, he needed to have won the heat, or finished at least two places ahead of Burrell.
As he emerged from the water his confident teammates hoisted him on their shoulders and carried him up the beach.
Almost a full hour passed and it was after 5 p.m. before the scores were finally tallied and beach marshal Wright Adaza took the stage to announce the results.
Sixth place Sean Burrell. Fifth place Dane Zaun. Fourth place Dimitri Papa. Third place Kelly Zaun. Second place Chris Broman. First place Matt Pagan.
Kelly Zaun was going to Fiji. At 18, he was the youngest of the finalists. But during the seven month long contest series, he never showed signs of pressure, or fatigue. (During the sixth and final contest he surfed seven heats, to win not only the open, but also the junior 18 and under division.)
Talk about next year’s South Bay Boardriders Contest Series had already begun when people were packing up to go home. The competition is expected to be as intense as it was this year, especially if Zaun adds to his bragging rights with stories about epic surf in Fiji. DZ