Huntington Beach surfer Brett Simpson, 23, notched up another memorable day at Haleiwa today, posting the highest wave score of the Reef Hawaiian Pro to date: 9.93 out of a possible 10, during round three. Simpson, 23, won his four-man heat ahead of three of the North Shore’s best surfers, including current world No.11 Fred Patacchia. The Reef Hawaiian Pro is the first jewel of the prestigious $815,000 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
Haleiwa was reeling off right-hand perfection today that Simpson compared to Lower Trestles, only more powerful. He has tasted success here before, reaching the final of this event back in 2006; the same year he received the NoseGuard Vans Triple Crown Rookie of the Year Award.
“This is one of my better events and the waves are super good and fit my surfing,” said Simpson. “It’s pretty high performance. It’s just like surfing Lowers just a little bit more powerful.
“When you get a score like that, even if you get a 5-something you’re still in the 14 total and that means guys need two 7’s, which is totally possible when the waves are this amazing.
“There are really good waves out there and it’s just a matter of getting them. Hopefully I’ll keep starting off with a little bang. I got one of the better ones and you can’t really ask for more.”
– From Press Release