<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Competitors were treated to excellent barreling conditions on opening day of the Air Tahiti Rangiroa Pro and many touted the waves as some of the very best on the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS). Two perfect 10-point rides and multiple near-perfect 9’s were tallied today as athletes from Hawaii, Tahiti and USA relished in 30-minute heats and ideal surf, generated by a NNE swell to the remote atoll of Rangiroa, located within the Tuamotu Islands.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Round 2 saw a superheat between Hawaiian <strong>Ulualoha Napeahi</strong>, defending event winner <strong>Heremoana Luciani (PYF)</strong>, <strong>Noa Mizuno</strong> (HAW) and <strong>Kuio Young</strong> (HAW) as they traded barrels in the changing tide. Treated to seemingly endless scoring opportunities, Napeahi had a field day and posted the event’s first perfect 10 – and his first in competition – on a deep, backside tube after navigating the foam ball.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The feeling was really good,” said Napeahi post-heat. “I was thinking to myself, how much deeper could I get? I was literally on the foam ball sliding and thought I was going to lose it, and then caught it and the spit helped me out so on top of that I was thinking, what more could I do to get better, I thought it was a ten. I’ve never got a ten and I thought it was a ten.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Napeahi earned the highest combined heat total of the day, an 18.90, and a place in Round 3 with confidence. His backside barrel riding was unsurpassed today and a lethal weapon against fellow competitors.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I thought riding backside was more to surfers’ advantage because when you’re frontside it’s harder to slow down because the swell direction is so perfect for Rangiroa,” Napeahi commented. “Backside you can kind of stall more and get deeper in the barrel, as for frontside you have to take off behind the peak and drive in the barrel. That heat was a lot for me because, I mean the waves are as a perfect as it can get in any event. It was my first heat and I hope I can do it again.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luciani, a proven winner at Rangiroa, felt calm and prepared after a week of practice ahead of today’s competition, combined with years of knowledge at the Tahitian surf break.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I’m just enjoying life over here in Rangiroa and it’s perfect, waves are so good,” said Luciani. “We’ve had good waves for a week, so I practiced a lot. But I just take it as it comes. Relax, surf and enjoy.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luciani posted the second highest two-wave total of the day, an 18.80 behind Napeahi, and nudged Honolulu’s Mizuno out of the competition, despite his excellent scores of a 9.25 and 8.50. The Tahitian will go against standout <strong>Vehiatua Prunier (PYF)</strong>, <strong>Eala Stewart (HAW)</strong> and <strong>Sheldon Paishon (HAW)</strong> in the first heat of Round 3 once competition resumes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Tereva David (PYF)</strong> also earned 10’s across the scoreboard with the longest barrel of the day that bent perfectly for maximum tube time. The wave seemed to do all the work while David remained perfectly positioned in the pit, however the Tahitian has put in a lifetime at Rangiroa and considers the reef his playground, so wave knowledge and key positioning came into play for his perfect ride.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I came to surf here when I was a little kid,” said David. “It was our gift for Christmas from my uncle, he had the big boat for surf trips and every Christmas and on holidays it was to come on the boat to the Tuamotu Islands. So I’ve surfed this wave uncrowded and with perfect barrels. That is why we are here.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Round Two Heat 7, David went against a formidable Hawaii trio including Kauai’s <strong>Kainehe Hunt</strong>, Oahu’s <strong>Luke Shepardson</strong> and Maui’s <strong>Kai Lenny</strong>. Shepardson and Lenny both had excellent scores and maintained advancing positions for half of the heat, but rankings turned after David scored his 10-point ride and he and Hunt ended up with first and second place respectively.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I was in the peak with Kai Lenny, he had priority and I guess he didn’t see that one because it was a west one,” said David. “I was in a good position and just paddled as fast as I can and then when I took off I could see it was a really good one. It was like a highway, a long wall of perfect barrel and I was just inside, not even stalling, just staying inside and the wave just turned perfectly. I got the perfect speed, the perfect board and the perfect wave and this is the perfect contest.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">David’s home break is Tapuna on the main island of Tahiti, however he is a standout at Teahupo‘o, the famed heavy-water wave, and also along the North Shore of Oahu.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I surf a reef break every day and I’m familiar with it, the reef is my playground, I love surfing barrels,” he continued. “All the Hawaiians too, it’s a good competition because we’re all friends and we all surf good in the barrel, so if you have the luck you make your heat and you’re stoked.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From the North Coast of Tahiti, <strong>Vehiatua Prunier</strong> was another standout today and scored a 9.50 in the last minutes of Round Two Heat 1 to advance in first. After a late drop in the critical part of the wave, Prunier got a deep, albeit short barrel and completed the wave with beautiful rail turns.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“When I came out of the barrel I knew it was a good one because that wave was so round and perfect and I did two maneuvers after, so I was stoked,” said Prunier. “Before that I was a little bit stressing, but I was waiting outside. I had second priority and then white (Ian Gentil) did kind of a mistake, he had first priority and went on a small one and lost his priority and I thought, I’m going to wait for a good one, and this wave came and it was so perfect.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Air Tahiti Rangiroa Pro is the third of five regional events on the Men’s Hawaii/Tahiti Nui QS schedule and will count towards regional rankings and qualification into Hawaii’s coveted Vans Triple Crown of Surfing in November. The winner of the competition will take home 1,000 points, prize money and a lead for the regional title, which will be awarded after the HIC Pro at Sunset Beach, October 27 - November 9, 2018.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>RESULTS</strong></div><div><strong>Athletes listed in first through fourth, all surfers from Hawaii unless otherwise noted.</strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Round 2 (Round of 32) – 1st and 2nd advance, 3rd = 17th place, 4th = 25th place</strong></div><div>H1: Vehiatua Prunier (PYF), Makai McNamara, Ian Gentil, Edrick Baldwin</div><div>H2: Eala Stewart, Makana Pang, Kekoa Cazimero, Eliott Napias (PYF)</div><div>H3: Ulualoha Napeahi, Heremoana Luciani (PYF), Noa Mizuno, Kuio Young</div><div>H4: Ryder Guest, Sheldon Paishon, Logan Bediamol, Kala Willard</div><div>H5: Turo Ariitu (PYF), Michael O’Shaughnessy, Landon McNamara, Ariihoe Tefaafana (PYF)</div><div>H6: Kauli Vaast (PYF), Shayden Pacarro, Eli Olson, Chris Foster</div><div>H7: Tereva David (PYF), Kainehe Hunt, Luke Shepardson, Kai Lenny</div><div>H8: O’Neill Massin (PYF), Heifara Tahutini (PYF), Isaac Stant, Hira Teriinatoofa (PYF)</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Round 1 (Round of 48) – 1st and 2nd advance, 3rd = 33rd place, 4th = 41st place</strong></div><div>H1: Ian Gentil, Makana Pang, Tehotu Wong (PYF)</div><div>H2: Eala Stewart, Edrick Baldwin, Joey Johnston, Ariimoana David (PYF)</div><div>H3: Kuio Young, Kala Willard, Eimeo Czermak (PYF), Christopher Bluthardt</div><div>H4: Ryder Guest, Noa Mizuno, Ludo Horoi (PYF), Andrew Wojcik (USA)</div><div>H5: Landon McNamara, Eli Olson, Atani Ruarii (PYF)</div><div>H6: Kauli Vaast (PYF), Mikey O’Shaughnessy, Cole Alves, Brodi Sale</div><div>H7: Kainehe Hunt, Isaac Stant, Sage Tutterow, Maxime Ratia (PYF)</div><div>H8: Heifara Tahutini (PYF), Kai Lenny, Heimoananui David (PYF)</div>