Top women returning to J-Bay

THE best women surfers on the world surf tour will join their male counterparts at the 2018 Corona Open J-Bay, international surfing body World Surf league (WSL) announced this week.

The addition will see the world’s best women compete on the tour, to take place from July 10 to 17, overlapping the men’s tour, from July 2 to 13.

WSL media correspondent Craig Jarvis said the return of WSL women’s surfing to the region was welcomed and it was hoped this would encourage more South Africans to be part of the tour.

“These days, women professional surfers are incredibly talented and there has been such improvement over the last decade, they would do well at the Supertubes,” Jarvis said.

He said last year’s edition of the Corona Open J-Bay drew a lot of attention from audiences around the world.

He said it was probably the best surf event in many years and the amount of attention focused on Jeffreys Bay had led to expansion for next year.

The increased number of visitors to the seaside town will bode well for its tourism and economic sector, with international visitors being able to watch some great surfing while exploring the town.

WSL chief executive Sophie Goldschmidt said there was a lot of excitement around the return of women’s surfing to Supertubes. “We can’t wait to see what the world’s best women surfers will bring to Jeffreys Bay next season,” she said.

Key changes to the 2018 CT calendars include the addition of the Surf Ranch Lemoore in California from September 5-9.

It will also see the introduction of the Bali Pro in Indonesia from May 27 to June 9, replacing the Fijian leg of the tour.

Two other venues, Cascais, Portugal and Trestles, USA will also be removed, with the option of returning in future.

This year’s men’s championship tour will conclude with the Billabong Pipe Masters in memory of Andy Irons in Hawaii from December 8-20, while the women’s championship tour will close with the Maui Women’s Pro in Honolua Bay, Hawaii from November 25 to December 6.