World’s wave warriors in Ballito
Pair on crest of a wave after reaching Ballito Pro quarter-finals
THE annual Ballito Pro Festival has seen the international surfing community and holidaymakers from across the country descend on the town this week.
With barrels and beach bunnies the flavour of the day, there has been non-stop action on the beach and out on the waves.
Speaking to The Independent on Saturday this week, US surfer Matt Young said while the Ballito Pro Championship was the furthest event for American surfers to travel to, it was one of the best.
“I am from California, so it is similar here. I love it. Ballito really is a nice place.
“The waves are curling and they are some of the best I have seen. As a surfer, you want to get a barrel. We all kind of hope for that,” said Young.
Young added that he would stay on in South Africa after the contest finished tomorrow and hoped to travel to Cape Town.
Ballito Pro media director Paul Botha said the weather had played along throughout the week. “We have been very fortunate. The swell has been consistent and we have had lots of waves, with wind only springing up and affecting some events in the afternoon.We are looking forward to crowning the champion (tomorrow),” he said.
According to the organisers, the weekend has a jam-packed line-up at Willard Beach, which, apart from featuring international surfing stars, includes sunrise yoga, extreme sports, non-stop beach action and a buzzing retail area.
SA motorcycle trails’ champs Brent and Bruce le Riche are set to rev up the crowd in the Extreme Sports Zone, while SA skate legend Khule Ngubane will host a mini-ramp skate jam today. Practice and registration start at 10am, with the jam kicking off at midday with a lot of prizes and giveaways.
For more information about the festival, go to: www.wtheballitopro.co.za
DURBAN’S own Jordy Smith and Cape Town’s Michael February carry South Africa’s hopes in to today’s final day of the Ballito Pro after both advanced to the quarter-finals of the R3.3-million event at Willard Beach yesterday.
The pair represent the present and future of the country’s talent on the international surfing stage.
Smitgh was the runner-up for the world title last year and is sitting in third spot on the World Surf League’s elite 2017 Championship Tour after five of the 11 events have been completed. He’s considered a strong contender for the 2017 world title given his record at four of the six remaining events.
February, meanwhile, has broken into the Top 10 in the Qualifying Series for the first time in his career after reaching the final in four QS1 000 events, winning three of them, and the 5200 points he has already earned by reaching the quarters in Ballito.
“I recorded my career-best result a few rounds back, so now everything is a plus and I’m trying to make the most of it,” said the lanky Capetonian after winning his Round of 16 heat and progressing to the last eight in the first of five QS10000 rated events this year.
Smith takes on Miguel Pupo of Brazil in a matchup of the only Championship Tour members still in the event and February will be up against current QS No1 Jesse Mendes whose stellar 2017 campaign has seen him accumulate 22 000 points which guarantees the Brazilian a top 10 finish in the rankings and a berth among the top 34 surfers who will contest the 2018 elite tour.
Durban’s David van Zyl of Glenashley also posted his career best result at Ballito. Granted a wildcard as one of the top two South Africans who did not automatically qualify for the select 112 man field, Van Zyl reached the last 24 before being eliminated in equal 17th place overall, pocketing $2700 and 2200 points.
The final day’s action is expected to get underway at 7o’clock this morning with the champion likely to be crowned before noon so if you can’t make it to Ballito to support Smith and February, watch the action live on www.worldsurfleague.com, on the free WSL App or on Facebook Live on the WSL page.
The eyes of the surfing world will remain on South Africa for the next two weeks as the inaugural Corona Open J-Bay continues a 20-year tradition of bringing the world’s top 34 ranked surfers to the world’s best right hand point break – Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay.
With a 12-day waiting period that runs from Wednesday to Sunday organisers can choose the best available waves and conditions for the four days of competition required to decide the winner.
This year defending champion Mick Fanning of Australia will be seeking to add to the record of four victories that he shares with the greatest of all time, Kelly Slater of Florida.
Meanwhile Jordy Smith, reigning world champ John John Florence of Hawaii and Adriano de Souza of Brazil will be trying to earn enough points to overtake current rankings leader Matt Wilkinson, who along with fellow Aussie Owen Wright and Brazil’s Gabriel Medina will be trying to become the first goofyfoot surfers (surf with right foot in front) to win the event since legendary Australian Mark Occhilupo and Durban’s Michael Burness in the 1980s.
The bustling coastal town will be jammed to capacity with the A-list surfing media and surf fans from near and far who line the natural amphitheatre created by the dunes overlooking the rock-lined point to watch the world’s best in action in surfing’s equivalent of a F1 Grand Prix.