Occy versus Curren

Goofy versus Regular, rough against the smooth, Australia versus America, introvert against extrovert.

With the Bells Beach ( Torquay, Australia) WCT event about to start, they're putting on a heat between the two old and retired idols. To some this will be more interesting than the event itself.

"In Search of Tom Curren" is my favourite surf movie in terms of admiring surfing style, pure class. I read an article sometime back by Kelly Slater talking about Tom, he was famed for his foibles. For instance Curren would often not cash cheques from winning events and in Miyazaki in Japan (a place I love) he paddled out in the final and refused to catch a single wave because the waves were better down the road at another beach. Curren is also a great musician. In a sport that has had so many characters and currently seems to have so few, it is little wonder that he draws the attention of many even aged 45.

Occy on the other hand is a larger than life character who fell off the tour because tinnitus (ringing in his ears) that drove him to sitting on a couch for a year, eating none stop and if rumours be true taking vast amounts of charlie. He then got off his arse and got back on tour till he retired aged forty when the little groms still couldn't touch him. Famed for the beefiest back hand attack in the world, Bells will certainly be a perfect playground.

Oh yeah and they're both World Champs.