Keahi De Aboitiz and Moona Whyte earn top spots after an action packed day of wave riding at the Dakhla Kiteboard World Cup. An impressive fleet of talent showcased an extremely high level of wave riding in variable wave conditions and winds that increased throughout the day.
Although the swell appeared a bit smaller than yesterday, a rising tide and lingering groundswell led to the decision to continue on with the wave event instead of freestyle.
The mixed swell and large tidal range played a big factor today. With a shifty peak and slightly offshore winds, it was difficult for riders to know where to line-up. Despite some long lulls between waves, fun chest to head-high sets appeared in most of the heats. Riders were rewarded with lengthy rides and multiple sections allowing a variety of aerial and face maneuvers.
Ultimately, wave selection played a large part in the outcomes of many of the day’s battles as we saw numerous close heats being decided by less than one-tenth of a point.
One such heat was the battle for first and second of the women’s division. Moona Whyte demonstrated her fluid style and rail-to-rail turns to narrowly beat out Kirsty Jones, despite Jones’ excellent wave selection and down-the-line rides.
Jalou Langeree secured third place managing to drop in on some set waves to allow her to execute her powerful vertical backside hacks and fluid riding. Despite strong surfing from Milla Ferriera she was unable to get the waves that she needed to get the scores for the win.
Arguably the most impressive display of kitesurfing seen the entire event came during the the semi-finals heat between Keahi De Aboitiz and Mitu Montiero. Soon after the beginning of the heat, some of the biggest and longest set waves of the day arrived in succession with both riders taking off down the line blasting multiple aerial maneuvers and powerful vertical hits finally finishing up at the bottom of the bay.
Unable to advance against Pedro Henrique’s relentless backside gouges, Felippe Ferriera lost against him in the losers final earning third. In the end it was De Aboitiz winning out with the highest score of the day (9.17) and advancing on into the finals to beat Pedro Henrique from Brazil.
Tomorrow’s forecast is for strong wind. Riders will meet at 10 am with a first possible of the freestyle main event at 11am. For additional information, log on to www.prokitetour.com. Be sure to stay tuned to the Facebook and Twitter feeds for start times, updates, and all the latest info from the PKRA World Tour.
