Due to unfavorable conditions yesterday and this morning, organizers moved the event site South of Encuentro Beach to the Celuisma Cabarete Hotel that is located at Entrada Camino del Sol. With a late afternoon start, semifinals number one finally got on their way with conditions in the waist to shoulder high waves. Former 2009 champion Emmanuel Rondon, Luciano González, Jeremy Green and the Venezuelan Eniel Narvaez were keen to make the most of the fading sunlight.
Jeremy was first to draw blood with a medium size wave that he milked all the way to into the inside. He continued to catch plenty of waves, but one of any considerable scoring potential. Although Eniel was hungry for a win, had a hard time getting into a consistent rhythm. Poor wave selection and a strong rip in the lineup, left him feeling like he could have done more. Luciano played the patient waiting game and managed to catch a few bigger outside set waves. Drawing cleaner carving moves down the the face of the waves and thus securing a spot in the finals. Emmanuel could smell a first place victory right from the start of the heat by picking off the best waves and finding the right sections to hit the lip. Time and time again, it seemed like he could do no wrong and was clearly on a different level that ensured his placement into the finals.
Semifinals heat two had Zane Schweitzer, Carolina Comino, Brandon Sanford & Daury Reynoso all fighting to get into the final. Carolina the only female left standing in the quartals and now in the semis did not let the boys try to squeeze her out of any potential waves. She weaved her way around the lineup catching wave after wave, but she started to lose steam midway into the heat and could not recover. Brandon having only just learned how to kitesurf in the last month, showed remarkable skills and fortitude throughout the heat. His knowledge coming from a surfing background helped him get into the right waves, but with only limited kite maneuvering skills, it hampered his overall scores. Zane was on full alert, catching a slew of waves right from the start and building a promising lead. As the heat went on, you could tell he could feel the heat slipping away from him, he started to make small mistakes and that lead him to finish second in heat but still advancing into the finals. Daury looked so polished and confident from beginning to the end of the heat. Super intune as he rode each wave, finding the right sections with steeper more vertical walls to launch his top to bottom turns. In the end he outscored his rivals with the highest wave points totals and secured a spot into the finals.
The four finalist took a quick 10 minute break then the 15 minute finals began as the sun started to set behind the treeline with Zane Schweitzer, Luciano González, Daury Reynoso and Emmanuel Rondon. Each of the four finalist was one step away from a victory and bragging rights for a whole year. Emmanuel got on the first wave of the finals within minutes of the heat starting, catch a nice wave that he worked over from section to section and putting valuable points on the board. Daury seeing Emmanuel catch the first wave, followed suit and snuck into a midrange scoring wave to get things going. Last years champ, Zane chose to stay clear of the pack and found his own section of the beach to put points on the board with consistent turns linking them with speed and grace. Luciano looked fresh and relaxed as the heat got on their way, keeping in perfect stride with each of his rivals. He continued to build apon his wave points totals with dynamic wave selections. This keen eye and masterful skill at picking apart each wave, resulted in him getting the better scores and winning the finals.
Results:
1. Luciano Gonzalez
2. Emmanuel Rondon
3. Zane Schweitzer
4. Daury Reynoso
