Top 10 Photos From The 2009 Hurley US Open Of Surfing

Justin Cote

• July 31 2009
• 3,883 views
• 3 comments

10. Rob Machado. Photo: jackenglish.com

It’s not often you see a good water shot from a contest, especially in Huntington Beach where the current pulls photogs right into the pier. Between the sweeping current and large playing field, TransWorld SURF’s Jack English deserves a pat on the back for snagging this image of Three-Time US Open Champion Rob Machado far from his usual spot at “Machado’s Peak” way down the beach.

9. Huntington Beach Going Off. Photo: Checkwood

Even though we all heard about the macking swell headed toward the Hurley US Open Of Surfing a week beforehand, when it arrived everyone was blown away by it’s sheer girth. For some perspective, that HB lifeguard boat sits about 15-feet above the water.

8. Courtney Conlogue Goes Big. Photo: jackenglish.com

As it always seems to happen in contests, the biggest set of the Hurley US Open slammed into the Huntington Beach Pier while the women’s division was in the water. Not one to hold back, local girl and 2009 US Open Champion Courtney Conlogue stroked into one of the biggest waves ridden during the entire event and not only rode it, but dug her heels into a huge bottom turn into lip bash that sent the crowd into hysterics.

7. Aritz’s Closeout From Hell. Photo: Steindler

When we told people it was triple overhead on Saturday at the US Open, we weren’t lying. Basque surfer Aritz Aranburu about to get buried by a mountain of whitewater.

6. Main Street Bikini Girls. Photo: jackenglish.com

The Hurley US Open Of Surfing has always attracted the best bikini talent SoCal has to offer and we feel these three lasses perfectly summarize the sensory overload that is the US Open.

5. The Pier Gets Blasted. Photo: Checkwood

According to Wikipedia, the Huntington Beach Pier is designed to withstand waves up to 31-feet tall and is 1.850 feet long…whoever built it must have been sweating bullets when this end-of-the-pier set came through on Saturday.

4. Andy Irons’ Mega Floater. Photo: jackenglish.com

When TransWorld SURF’s Editor In Chief Chris Cote asked Three-Time World Champion Andy Irons to go out into the macking conditions and do an equally crazy floater, AI didn’t hesitate in the least.

3. Phantom Man Bomb Drop. Photo: jackenglish.com

There’s marketing, then there’s Phantom Man marketing. Hurley’s resident lunatic/hellman Damien “Dom” Wills is no stranger to big drops, but when he did this bomb drop of the end of the Huntington Beach Pier even he had to be having second thoughts about trying to stick the landing.

2. Kelly Slater Stuck Under The Pier. Photo: Checky

In his heat against Brazil’s Adriano De Souza, Nine-Time World Champion Kelly Slater went for broke on a screaming left that took him right into the concrete pier. After falling right next to one of the unforgiving pilings, Kelly disappeared from view while swimming under yet another massive set. While the surfing world held it’s collective breath, the King somehow managed to make it out of the situation unscathed yet probably a bit rattled as he lost to De Souza.

1. Simpo Gets The Hometown Crowd Pumped. Photo: jackenglish.com

If there was one moment that defined everything awesome about the 2009 Hurley US Open Of Surfing it was HB’s own Brett Simpson jogging down the beach just before the final against Mick Fanning and getting his crowd pumped up. Instead of putting his head down and concentrating on the task at hand, he turned to the massive, pro-Simpo crowd and got them into a frenzy the likes before never before seen, well, okay, maybe the infamous OP Pro riot was more frenzied, but this was a positive frenzy that propelled Brett into the biggest victory of his career. Congratulations Brett, way to do it for the USA!