01, Kelly Slater (USA), it seems this man only competes as hard as he needs to through nothing more than an appreciation for the challenge.
02, Bede Durbidge (AUS) Has long been considered under-rated by his peers to which he has famously replied, “ Maybe the boys don’t understand the ratings.”
03, Taj Burrow (AUS) Has taken his application to the world tour a little more seriously in recent years and has all the right boxes ticked.
04, Joel Parkinson, (AUS) just makes it all look so effortless and it would be easy to assume that he is not as determined as his top-five counterparts.
05, CJ Hobgood (USA): We hadn’t heard a lot about CJ in recent years, something his fans were less than pleased about.
06, Adrian Buchan (AUS): The name has been around for a while but Ace hasn’t wasted any time arriving at his preferred position in the world of surfing.
07, Adriano De Souza (BRA) has been the silent assassin of 08, no wins but has consistently been a last day contestant and in the process he has answered any critics who doubted his ability in our sport’s top tier.
08, Mick Fanning (AUS): I think the surfing world forgets sometimes that there can only be one champ at year’s end.
09, Bobby Martinez (USA): While there weren’t a huge amount of noise barracking from the Martinez camp this year, no one can deny his consistency.
10, Jeremy Flores (FRA): The boy has been carrying the expectations of the French nation on his shoulders and taken it all in his stride.
11, Luke Stedman (AUS), I’ve said it before, Luke is the most professional athlete surfing has ever seen and just like a skilled tradesman he is climbing the ladder at a steady pace.
12, Frederick Pattachia (HAW), 2008 was a consistent year for Fred, with the added highlight of an all-Hawaiian final with Bruce at the Rip Curl search event Bali.
13, Chris Ward (USA) is packed full of surprises and full of punch. Hopefully 09 brings no new legal troubles to this California wild child and he can keep punches aimed at the scoreboard.
14, Kai Otton (AUS) It’s funny the education comrades can afford you. Kai is a devotee of great advice, always willing to listen and learn from those who have been before.
15, Tim Reyes (USA) Hailing from Surf City USA, Huntington Beach, means this guy is a beachbreak specialist, but his years on the WCT reef and point break diet have also suited his approach to the wave.
16, Tom Whittaker (AUS) One of the range of Sydney based WCT surfers but what’s different about Tom is he’s from the other side of the harbour.
17, Kieren Perrow (AUS) was a quiet achiever in his return to the big league after a three-year hiatus.
18, Dayyan Neve (AUS) is probably one of the truly underrated surfers the tour has been hiding. A likeable larrikin with a wit that can cut through the atmosphere of any room,
19, Mikael Picon (FRA) Is the only French-born surfer to ever make the WCT and the French love him for doing so. He is the king of Hossegor and is starting to edge away on the ratings.
20, Dane Reynolds (USA) I love this guy, he has all the talent of any surfer this world has ever seen and he doesn’t want a thing to do with competition
21, Taylor Knox (USA) is everyone’s favourite veteran and ain’t he aging like a fine wine? Still owns the most respected cutback in the business and is an honorary member of Australia’s best boardriding club (LE-BA).
22, Damien Hobgood (USA) was stealing the limelight from his world champion brother for a while there but the tables seem to have turned.
23, Heitor Alves (BRA) is a power packed Brazilian with unbeatable speed in small waves, there’s only one problem, the waves aren’t usually small on the WCT.
24, Jordy Smith (ZAF). What hasn’t been said about Jordy in this last two years? Is he all that?
25, Ben Dunn (AUS): Ben is a very calculated and precise but this approach is possibly not leaving enough space for an imagination.
26, Dean Morrison (AUS): Loves surfing so much that when he’s unable to do so, all rationality goes out the window.
27, Mick Campbell (AUS): Enough can’t be said for a guy with the tenacity and backhand of Mick’s calibre.
28, Nathaniel Curren (USA): No doubt having his brother Tim there for guidance has played a major role in his qualification for the 09 tour,
29, Chris Davidson (AUS): Once claimed as Sydney’s child prodigy, Davo or Kingswood Black as his mates know him has had one wild ride
30, Michel Bourez (TAH): This kid must have watched every Slater movie ever made during his childhood in Tahiti, because the resemblance in his style is uncanny.
Page 1 of 2
© Copyright 2010 Australia's Surfing Life | Competitions Terms and Conditions | Privacy | Contact | Subscribe | Rules of this Site
