CJ Hobgood at Teahupo’o. Photo: WSL/Cestari
There are a few surfers who shine at places like Teahupo’o. The Hobgood brothers are two of them. That’s why the WSL decided to host a brother-on-brother grudge match. It’s a winner-take-all heat, and the forecast looks as though it’s going to be a good one. “Whoever wins this heat,” CJ said, “is definitely going to be burying the other with a smirk on his face.”
The whole idea came about from their new documentary film, “And Two If By Sea.” In it, Damien revealed that his ultimate dream was to come up against his brother in a man-on-man final.
Damien quit the tour in 2013. Then, two years later, CJ called it quits. Both brothers have won at Teahupo’o before, and both are icons at the wave. The hype isn’t just for average Joe surfers, either—the professionals are fired up about it as well.
“Yessss!!!! So stoked!!!!” Keanu Asing commented. “Wait what!!!” said Josh Kerr. “Mental!!!” Dusty Payne said, “Ohhh I can’t wait for this,” and Owen Wright wrote simply, “Fuck yeah.” Judging by the current forecast, it seems likely that the heat will run on Wednesday, August 28.
“To my brother @damienhobgood I love you I would die for you,” CJ wrote on Instagram when they announced they’d be heading to Tahiti. “You made me a better man but don’t think for one second I’ve forgotten about how you wanted to take all my dreams from me make them your own and beat me to the punch. You wanted to be on tour you wanted the same sponsors heck even the same women at times. Finally, we have a match up, a heat, a fight that we always wanted cause we knew the fullness could be on display. Where the gifts we were given along with our passion can meet up. We know understand each other’s strength and weaknesses not only in the physical but personal…I do know there’s some rust a few years off tour providing in other ways trying to be the best Dads/Husbands we can be but getting barreled is like riding a bike.”