“Predict it and it will come” It's not quite the same as Kevin Costner's creed to 'build it...', but then again Ben Matson looks nothing like ol' Kev. Regardless,  Ben predicted this swell - standing steadfast through what was called the best layday in the Rip Curl Pro's history – and came it did. CJ and Mick Campbell got things started in the morning, with the bowl 4'-6' and stacked to the shipping lanes. The lines were being groomed by a light NW'er and the tide was an hour off low – it was hall of fame Bells. Both goofy's have similar backside approaches to Bells but this morning CJ was more angular and radical, pulling tighter pivots in the pocket. The similarity in their application highlighted the difference in their performance. CJ did him by five points. Even though it was only 7am and most punters were still wiping sleep from their eyes, the Bad Brains started blaring out of the speakers across the contest site. Right on! Who needs coffee? I dunno if Chris Ward could also hear the tunes during his heat against Taylor Knox but he started doing what I do when I listen to hardcore – overamping. Wardo was pushing his turns too hard and trying to make it all happen too fast. He spent most of the heat in comboland and, in the end, Taylor did him by six points. It's a credit to Occy that when any contemporary goofy drives hard from behind the foam at Bells they get compared to him. Kai Otton looked like Occy this morning in his heat against Dayyan Neve – maybe knock a few kg's off the weight and add a few inches to the the height, but he was pulling the same timeless tracks. After his last round win I had Dayyan pegged as a potential winner but today he just couldn't get his rail-game going. Despite a last minute flurry he couldn't peg Otton in and Dayyan was ousted. Appearances are deceptive when Bells is looking like this; although it has a large open face, surfers can only keep their rhythm going by following a tight line - one false step step and the wave gets away. Parko hit the bowl with his rhythm stick and Michel Bourez didn't stand a chance. Parko flowed from  subtle arc to dramatic hack, but it was always butter-smooth, never once losing rhythm. He looked bloody sharp. Mick also looked sharp....at least in the first half of his heat he did. Around the halfway mark his opponent, Tiago Pires, pulled into, and out of, a legitimate barrel. It's worth qualifying that cause it is Bells after all, but it didn't pinch and he didn't bust through the curtain. It was a fair dinkum pit, and Tiago scored an 8.77 for it. Following that Mick took off on a a few lesser waves. He still surfed 'em exceptionally well but it seemed his gameplan went out the window. Luckily for Mick Tiago couldn't capitalise and he took the heat. In the next heat Tim Boal ticked all the boxes marked 'rookie errors at Bells' and allowed Bobby Martinez to surf a simple, but smart heat. Boal paddled for smaller waves, took on the lip to often, and let Martinez roam when he had priority. Tactics aside, Boal let fly on a couple of waves, yet overall Martinez was barely tested. Jordy Smith vs Damien Hobgood was a heat I was really looking forward to but the ocean whacked  a cold spoon on this one. After twenty minutes only three waves had been ridden. After thirty minutes Jordy's scoring waves easily outweighed Damien's. He pulled his characteristic full-face gouges through the bowl and laid down some disco moves in the shorebreak. And although he didn't fully unleash Jordy is still looking the goods. Just before heat eight began the grandstand filled to capacity with various spectators. The seat next to me was filled by a lady who had been marinating in cheap perfume all morning and sported saucepan-sized D&G sunglasses; she looked most out of place at a surfing comp. But then Kelly has long since transcended surfing and watching one of his heats is like celebrity spotting without the creepiness. Owen Wright was unfazed surfing against the celebrity and got the better of the first exchange; Kelly taking a mid-sized runner leaving the lanky goofy to cherry pick the next set. This set the tone for the heat. Wright was also the first goofy to really flirt with floaters across the bowl and each one he pulled was an exercise in form and function; he cleared the section and looked bloody good in the process. It was around about now that the action happening off to my left became too much to bear. Winkipop was 3'-6' offshore and absolutely smoking. There were only a handful of surfers on the take-off, what's a surf journalist to do? Five minutes later I was in my wetty and running down the track to Winki. I passed contest director Damien Hardman casting a keen eye over the line-up yet gave it no thought. But after a handful of screamers down to Lowers the word went around that after the Bede vs Adam Robertson heat at Bells (Bede lost - why does he always lose in the closest heats of a comp?) that the comp was moving up to Winki. High tide wasn't gonna do any favours to Bells so the comp organisers asked the crew nicely to move along. The request was taken in good grace, a WCT in waves of this quality is a rare thing and most punters were keen to see how it would go down. I know I was. The first heat at Winki was Drew Courtney vs Adriano de Souza. Courtney channeled the crowds excitement and went to town on his first two waves. The difference between Bells and Winki was stark;  Courtney kept one eye down the line and was ever ready to stomp the weight forward for the next high line drive, coming from behind sections to project floaters laterally or lay down huge carves. Adriano had the better style, but in waves like this the judges wanna see moves. Courtney had a bagful. The second heat at Winki was a similar match-up; a solidly-built bucket-thrower versus a stylish lightweight. The result was also the same – Kekoa Bacalso beating Jeremy Flores, despite the young Frenchman getting a reeling pit down toward Lowers. Bacalso used the speed to bury foam on every turn. Winki is a wave made for fellas who supersize. Unfortunately the wind suddenly turned onshore just before Taj and Bottle Thompson's heat. The dissappointment in the crowd was palpable, but by God, we'd had a great day. Who could complain with twelve heats run in surf as good as Bells and Winki gets? The organisers called it off and we're now looking toward Thursday and Friday to finish the competition. A new swell is due, this one a bit bigger.// STUART NETTLE