San Diego Pro Surfing : Curren Wins Heat; Gerlach Wins Lesson

Brad Gerlach sat on the hood of his car Saturday, staring out toward the beach, studying the refined form of World Champion surfer Tom Curren as he rode another wave to shore.

Curren, 22, of Carpinteria, earned a 5-0 decision over Leucadia’s Gerlach during their heat earlier in the third round of the $28,000 Stubbies Pro International Surfing Tournament at Oceanside Harbor Beach.

Curren, ranked No. 2 by the Assn. of Professional Surfers, won 5-0 over Martin Potter of Great Britain to advance to today’s 8 a.m. semifinal against Gary Clisby of Huntington Beach. Australians Tom Carroll and Mark Occhilupo meet in the other semifinal.

Gerlach, 20, ranked No. 4 by the ASP, said he was not as bothered by his loss as most people had assumed when he initially refused to speak with the media after the heat.

“No, (losing) actually doesn’t hurt that much,” Gerlach said. “It helps, because whenever I surf against Tom Curren I learn so much. If I had won, I wouldn’t have learned anything.”

Gerlach learned to be a little more selective in his choice of waves. He had been awarded priority at the beginning of his heat, which means he rides the first wave. He said he got anxious and didn’t wait for a good wave.

The wave he picked was small and he eventually fell off during his short ride.

“I should have waited off the start; that probably dictated the heat,” Gerlach said. “I needed waves with a wall; all of my waves were basically peaks.”

Said Curren: “I was able to establish a better rhythm. Brad started with a small wave and fell out. That gave me priority and I was able to pick and chose.”

The two surfers have met five times this year and Curren has won each time. In their last meeting, the situation was the same for Gerlach. In that heat at the Op Pro in Huntington Beach, Gerlach again began too abruptly.

Still, Gerlach said that with each defeat he’s learning more and getting closer to beating Curren.

Curren and Gerlach will likely meet Oct. 5 in the Marui Pro competition at Hibara Beach, Japan. Gerlach said he is confident that he will beat Curren there.

“Soon there’s going to be a heavy rivalry between us because I’m going to start beating him,” Gerlach said. “I’ve learned more competing against (Curren) than I have against anybody else. . . . I want to be the world champion and the only way to be world champion is to beat the world champion.”

Curren exudes confidence much the same way he rides the waves--with grace.

“Lately, I’ve had to think about Brad quite a lot,” Curren said. “I’m aware that I’ve come up against him a lot this year. He’s done well this year and he’s got a lot of push, but I have too.”