Teahupoo: Hobgood Out, Swell On The Way

E365 -- The Dream Tour's top 45 have been enduring a glut of lay days in Tahiti this last week, patiently waiting for the Pacific to deliver in one of the most lauded locations on the Tour. After five days of sitting on their hands it looks like the Billabong Pro Tahiti is set to start today, without defending champion Damien Hobgood.

With a predicted 2m swell forecasted for today, it looks like Teahupoo will deliver classic hollow pipes for the top 45 to get stuck into, while they try to avoid potential broken boards and reef rashes.

One man that knows about the perils of Teahupoo all too well is Damien Hobgood. The defending champ went over the falls last month, knocking his pip on the reef, tearing up his back, and breaking his shoulder. Never one to give up, Damo has been threatening to compete in the Billabong Pro Tahiti ever since, saying that as long as he could paddle in, he would enter. Unfortunately, it was not to be, though he hopes to be fit for Fiji - another competition he won last year.

"I wanted to wait until the last minute to see if it would be possible for me to surf but my arm was too weak to be able to pull that off," Hobgood told Surfervillage. "Also if I would have hit my shoulder again, that could have put me out for a lot longer and after making that mistake last year, I didn't want to repeat it. I should be able to surf Fiji so I am really looking forward to getting back in the water for that event."

FURTHER SURFIN'