#1 MEDINA
#2 WILSON
#3 TOLEDO
There’s no better scenario than a WSL World Title coming down to the last event at Pipeline in Hawaii? Three surfers in contention, all three members of the FCS Global Team. It would come down to who wanted it most, and who could tame Pipeline.
With Toledo stumbling in round 3, it came down to Gabriela and Julian. Both surfers would march into the final series. Jules would put up a gallant fight, making it all the way to the final but would ultimately be beaten by the numbers.
Coming into the event on top, Medina would charge through his heats all the way to the final, racking up excellent scores with mind-blowing tubes and huge airs to completion. In the end there could only be one, and Medina would prove too strong.
Congratulations Gabriel Medina... The 2018 WSL Men’s World Champion.
3 SURFERS, 3 FIN FAMILIESIt’s about how you want to surf and the feel you want in the water… All three contenders were riding their signature fins, which each template representing a different fin family.
PERFORMER FAMILY: MEDINA, the ultimate all-rounder.Gabriel’s signature fin, the FCS II GM Large is considered an ‘All-Round’ template. This versatile fin, which sits in the Performer Family, and actually shares the same geometry as this fin, has a customized carbon flex sitting between PC and PCC. Offering a combination of speed, flow and response, Gabriel’s fin is suited to a wide range of conditions.
ACCELERATOR FAMILY: TOLEDO, 100% committed approach.
Sitting in the Accelerator family, between the Performer and the Carver, Filipe’s signature FCS II fin is considered an ‘All-Rounder’, with additional control. For that reason, it’s ideal for punchy waves and committed turns. The FT features AirCore technology and a medium-to-stiff flex pattern that’s ultra-responsive.
CARVER FAMILY: WILSON, power and finesse.
Available in Grom, Medium & Large sizes, Julian’s fin sits in the Carver family, so it’s suited to power surfing on open face waves. The FCS II JW fin feels sturdy, fast and predictable with great projection out of the lip, and plenty of control when pushing your board hard through a turn. The JW features AirCore technology and a medium-to-stiff flex pattern that’s ultra-responsive.
THE STATS ARE IMPRESSIVE FOR FCS II
At the completion of the 2018 WSL season here are the stats on the FCS II system. 79 WSL World Championship Tour events, and 14 WSL World Titles, have now been won by surfers riding the FCS II system and fins.
SurFebruary is a fun annual event in February, where participants raise money for cancer research by catching a wave or getting in the water every day – rain, hail or shine.
This episode sees Rich catch up with Mick Fanning on his recent trip to the US to chat about what he’s been riding, the development of his iconic fin template and how he came to embrace the FCS II system.