In February of 1513, Ponce De Leon left Spain to search the Islands of Benimy. He was searching for a rejuvenating well, which would later become known as the Fountain of Youth.

He came across what he thought was the island he was looking for and named it La Florida. Only it wasn’t an island, it was mainland America and he’d just stumbled across a stretch of coastline in Florida, not far from Cocoa Beach, where one Robert Kelly Slater will be born 459 years later.

ASP surfing is discovering its own youthful wellspring as guys who should be retiring, seem to be just getting started. And guys getting started are already of retirement age. Looking at the Top Five from 2013, four of them are now over the age of 33, and last year’s breakthrough performer, Kai Otton, turns 36 this year. And a 28-year old tour rookie today took down Kai Otton - welcome Dion Atkinson!

The reigning breakthrough performer was no match for ‘Neon’ Dion, as the big kid from South Oz lit it up. That grab-rail carve Neon has going on will win him heats in any right on tour (Hello J-Bay, Bells, Margs, Trestles etc etc). His hunger from eight years of toiling on the ‘QS will give strength when others are weak. He's got enough experience to know how to piece together winning heats. And if he can apply that formula to two man heats this mature age student is going to be a threat.

Imagine if a 28-year old won rookie of the year? Ponce De Leon would be beside himself.

OK, gather round me, I have a theory I want to share with you all. Having priority at Snapper is a curse, not an advantage. Guys sit right up the point with priority and wait for the bigger waves and the bomb sets. But they aren’t the waves you want out there in shitty little windswells like what we’ve got at the moment. As a rule of thumb, the better waves are the in-between-set waves, which really let go and spool down the bank into Little Marley. 

John John, Jordy, and Toledo all succumbed as they sat there like lamingtons on a bingo table waiting for morning tea. Meanwhile their opponents got busy on the inside and just kept padding their lead with the fun little high scoring peelers.

Jordy's Round 2 loss was the big one. Here's the guy many had pegged to contend for a 2014 title and he suffered an ignoble loss to Tiago Pires. Pires surfed competently while Jordy surfed patiently. Too patiently. Needing a lowly 5.67 he sat a full 12 minutes letting wave after potential wave roll under him. Mathematically, Jordy can throw this result away and his world title campaign is none the wiser. But mentally, it's going to take some coming back from.

Last year Slater identified Jordy’s need for improvement in big hollow lefts to hold the ASP trophy aloft. Long reeling righthanders are his bread and butter. So to fall at the first hurdle, is much more significant than the numbers would have you believe.

It might be the salt air, but this ASP production is really growing on me. It's polished, it runs on time and everyone is growing into their role. I hope Ronnie Blakely gets a fulltime gig here. He seems to have an insight into the surfers the other guys from across the pond lack. His smooth baritone voice breaking up the Californian monotones, and his poolboy good looks are the complete package. His flawless complexion compliments that big magnificent mahogany desk they’re all sitting at marvellously well.

Speaking of that desk, did you know that’s the original desk where Ron Burgundy said to Veronica Corningstone, “You are a smelly pirate hooker. Why don’t you go back to your home on Whore Island?!” Mr Paul Speaker bought it at garage sale up in Bel Air while looking for the Fresh Prince’s pants.

Well he didn’t really, and it isn’t the same desk at all. But you find another article on the Snapper Pro with ‘Smelly Pirate Hooker’ and ‘Whore Island’ in the one sentence, and I’ll buy you a Lamborghini.

As Round 2 closes and the form surfers face off in Round 3 we're approaching an unfortunate juncture. The tide phase is moving high toward the middle of the day meaning there'll be waves very early and very late. The whole operation will stop and wait for the guts of the day and high water to pass, then be back in the arvy on an easing swell.

In the past it's the kind of conditions tailor made for the girls to roll out, but I think we might see the men surf the available windows. Given the long term outlook is calling for a decent swell towards the end of the waiting period, and not much from Wednesday onwards it'd take a brave commissioner to hold out for a more favourable situation.

Speaking of Kieren. Watch him the next time they cross to a live feed of him making the call. Is that a wry little smile on his face following his introduction?

"Over to you, Commissioner."