By Dan Walsh
Italo Ferreira, Brazil’s one-time world surfing champion and the sport’s first Olympic gold medallist, once caught 63 waves in 60 minutes just to see if he could.
He regularly churns through a wave every three or four minutes in a heat and will almost certainly do the same this weekend for the WSL’s winner-takes-all finals day at California’s Lower Trestles break.
Ethan Ewing on the other hand? He’d happily cruise through the five or six heats between him and a maiden world title with just 12 waves to show for three hours in the water – because no matter how many you catch, only your top two waves count toward your final score.
The Australian world No.4’s knack of waiting, waiting and waiting some more before jagging the best two rides of a heat, and demolishing a wave face and opponents alike, has taken him a long way since rivals nicknamed him ‘Ice Man’ during his junior years.
Last season his arrival at the same final five event was in doubt even after Ewing had jumped off the plane in Los Angeles. He had fractured two vertebrae in overhead swell at Teahupo’o barely a month earlier, but surfed through the pain to finish runner-up to Brazilian Filipe Toledo.
Of the Australian trio chasing the title, Ewing’s carving, high-performance approach appears better suited to predicted small waves at Trestles than the big barrel riding of Jack Robinson (ranked No.3) and Molly Picklum (No.4).
Ethan Ewing charges through a Teahupo’o barrel.Credit: World Surf League
And his circumspect, ‘less is more’ approach to heat strategy makes for an intriguing watch given he faces Ferreira in the first sudden death fifth-versus-fourth match-up, with the winner of that heat then taking on the world No.3 and so on.
“It’s a mental thing for me, usually I’m trying to pick the eyes out of the conditions and make my waves count,” Ewing explains, having regularly watched his opponents paddle left and right while he held wave priority, and his nerve, for the right wave.
“But a lot of people on the tour do the opposite, they’re catching as many waves as they can to get their two rides, thinking their scores are in there somewhere with as many rides as they can.
“I just want to be on the best two waves of the heat and surf them the best I can. I think it’s the simplest way to do it, and I’ve tried to be frantic catching everything before and it hasn’t worked for me.
Ewing is one of three Aussies chasing a world title in California this weekend.Credit: World Surf League
“My first year on tour I went way too far with it. I was second-guessing everything and I wouldn’t even catch waves. I’d overthink my way out of heats. So there’s definitely a fine line with it.
“But the last two years it feels like I’ve found the formula that really works for me, and I’m feeling really confident with my heat strategy and surfing.”
Ewing says how his opponent – like Ferreira with his non-stop hustling for one more ride – surfs will factor into his tactics. But overwhelmingly, it’s the conditions that dictate just how many waves he chases.
Somewhat surprisingly too, even to him, the 26-year-old loves the frantic nature of the finals format, which can give lower-ranked surfers just 35 minutes between heats if they keep winning their way towards the world title.
“You do your interview [with the WSL broadcast], get out of your wetsuit, jump into another one and then you’re just hydrating,” Ewing says.
“Then you turn around and you’re 20 minutes out from your heat so you’re watching conditions and stretching, and then you’re out there.
“At a normal contest I’m usually spending most of my time watching everyone surf, probably more than most, but the finals day is just really intense.
“Last year I embraced the feeling of getting on a roll and if someone gains momentum in the first few heats you can see it playing into their favour, they’ve got a feel for conditions and their confidence is up, it’s an interesting format for sure.”
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