Photo: Paco Calleja
Local champion David Rutherford just looks happy to
be there.

Photo: Edwin Morales
The scene at Playa Zicatela

Photo: Edwin Morales
Cristobal DeCol gets a front row seat to some huge
waves.Last weekend, the Four-Star Quiksilver Pro went down in Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca, Mexico. Local wildcard David Rutherford took home the win in a competition that saw huge surf and great competition.

Surfline has the full report, along with a solid photo gallery:

CONDITIONS: Three days of solid beachbreak tubes, courtesy of a serious, long-interval SW groundswell, offered up four perfect ten-point rides, a couple dozen broken boards -- and possibly more tubetime than the entire WQS to date.

HIGHLIGHTS: Apart from the surf itself, which offered up equal moments of joy and terror, the simplicity of an event at Puerto is a highlight in and of itself -- sack up, turn around, pull in and go. Make it, get a great score. Eat it, get Mexican donuts. Early round carnage count included Tyler Newton, who broke a board and got held down by two waves in his R1 heat -- the Kauai charger ended up advancing to the quarters.

STANDOUTS: On Day One, Brazilians Denis Tihara and Junior Faria both posted perfect 10-point rides by getting

shacked silly. "When I first got in the water I took those massive sets on the head," Tihara said. "Luckily, when I finally got out the back I was in perfect position. The first two waves of the set came in and then I got that perfect one. I'm so happy to have gotten a perfect score in my first event at Puerto."

Day Two saw local surfer Angelo Lozano nail a clean ten-pointer. "Getting a perfect 10 at home is the best," Lozano said. "I've never gotten a 10 before. It was just amazing. To go from losing the heat and then coming back and winning the heat, I'm just so stoked."

Day Three, it was all local surfer David Rutherford, who was a Quiksilver Pro Puerto Escondido wildcard. The 24 year-old went on an absolute tear, threading a perfect 10-pointer on an amazing backside barrel in his semifinal heat before amassing the highest heat total of the entire event in the final, a near-flawless 18.45 to secure the victory. "I guess I was just trying to get some scores to back me up and they ended up being pretty good scores," Rutherford said. "I was trying to get one of those big sets, but I never really had the chance to get one of those bombs. I just couldn't be any happier right now to win."

QUOTE: "I'm so happy, I've just been having so much fun throughout this event and it feels good to represent for the locals." --David Rutherford

FINALS
1 - David Rutherford (MEX) 18.45
2 - Kevin Sullivan (HAW) 14.25
3 - Casey Brown (HAW) 13.35
4 - Ricardo dos Santos (BRA) 13.15