Author: AdminBallitoPro

The 50th edition of The Ballito Pro, presented by Billabong, will get the adrenaline pumping with the hottest line-up of extreme sports’ action, all taking place at KwaDukuza from 21 June to 1 July.

The collaborative efforts of KwaDukuza Municipality and The Ballito Pro have resulted in an incredible beachside festival that gives the region a chance to show off its natural beauty. The event has grown year-on-year, with holidaymakers getting the chance to take full advantage of our warm, coastal winters as well as a two-week programme of festivities suited to all ages.

Collette Bundy, event organiser, said: “We are really going all out for the #LiveTheLegacy festival to mark the milestone instalment of the world’s longest running professional surfing contest. We’ve secured some of the best sports’ stars to perform incredible stunts and are also welcoming The Ballito Downwind, a surfski series, to The Ballito Pro roster which makes for a truly fun spectator event.”

Some of the extreme sporting action festival-goers can check out and try out are:

Monster Activations – Willard Beach from 28 June to 1 July

• The Monster Cash-Up presented by Zigzag
This year Monster and Zigzag are coming to the party again and will be rewarding the free surfing that takes place before and after the contest with cold, hard cash. With up to R20 000 to give away throughout the week, Zigzag will be scouting the most explosive surfers and manoeuvres outside of the contest heats, and award the best wave ridden before and after the contest runs. Monster and Zigzag will be giving away R2 000, along with a Groundswell Surf Store voucher, per session to the best wave surfed during the free surf session.

• The Monster Expression Session presented by Zigzag
The Monster Expression Session presented by Zigzag will once again grab the attention of all the beachgoers on final’s day. Set to go down just before the main event finals – with R30 000 up for grabs – this heat is bound to have the spectators in awe. During the day, the public can enter to win one of the three custom-shaped surfboards by guessing the winning surfer. The winning surfer will select three names from the entries that voted for him.

• Monster Skate Demos
The energy levels will continue to soar at the skate ramp where local skaters – headed up by Khule Ngubane – will be showing the festival fans some dry land board action. Throughout the week Khule will be hosting skate clinics, having sessions with local skaters, a best trick jam with many prize giveaways throughout.

• The Le Riche Bro’s Trials Bike shows
South African motorcycle trials’ champions, Bruce and Brent le Riche – sponsored by Monster Energy – will display their passion for all things motorcycle. Brent, ranked the No.1 South African rider 12 times, and Bruce, the No.1 South African rider three times, make an incredible trial-bike team. Their daily 25-minute performance will be sure to keep the festival fans spellbound as they use different elements on their demo rig consisting of kickers, banks and even members from the audience to put on a world class show.

Commenting on the trials’ bike show, Brent le Riche said: “Last year was the introduction of our brand-new rig, a 4-tonne truck with foldout ramps and platforms. This year we have oiled the performance and added even more crazy stunts – you have to see it to believe it! We’re really looking forward to this year’s Ballito Pro. We really enjoy the up-close energy and vibe that the people, event and Monster Energy crew bring!”

Ballito Downwind Series
On 30 June and 1 July, between 100 and 120 paddlers will descend on KwaDukuza for the first-ever Ballito Downwind surfski series in the hopes of winning their share of R10 000 prize money, as well as product prizes from Muscle Wellness, Gara Racing Paddles, Thule and Canelands Beach Club & Spar.

“There are is so much going on in Ballito over The Ballito Pro that it was a natural fit to include the Ballito Downwind event to the calendar,” explained surfski event organiser, Barry Lewin. “It will draw more spectators to the already popular event as well as giving South African paddlers a chance to experience the amazing surf conditions the KwaZulu-North coast has to offer.”

The Ballito Downwind will be a doubles’ race from eMdloti Beach to Tiffany’s Reef on a south-westerly, or Zinkwazi Beach to Tiffany’s Reef on a north-easterly, depending on conditions.

The course will be announced on 28 June. Spectators can expect to see a number of the country’s best paddlers, including South African paddling legend and 10-time World Marathon champion, Hank McGregor.
Commenting on his involvement, McGregor said: “I’m really excited to be participating in the Ballito Downwind, it’s something unique.”

McGregor said he was particularly looking forward to competing in an event on a coastline that he loves: “I train on this coastline almost every day of my life and it’s called the Dolphin Coast for a reason! Alongside the dolphins swimming in crystal water, there’s always a wave, giving that element of excitement at the Tiffany’s Reef. This is one of the best surf breaks in the region and I think to watch the surfski paddlers come in, either from the north or south, is going to be a spectacular finish for the crowd.”

Commenting on the milestone celebrations for The Ballito Pro, McGregor said: “Surfing has always been part of my upbringing, so I’ve watched the event grow and it’s fantastic to be a part of it.”

The Ballito Pro, presented by Billabong, has a full festive programme, including:

• Shaun Tomson’s Positive Wave Tour driven by SMG Rocks
• Retro Jubilee Food & Wine presented by Ballito Junction including cooking competitions, fashion shows and entertainment
• Daily on-stage entertainment
• The Ballito Pro Free Music Concerts Powered by 5FM
• After Dark Parties at Crush Nightclub
• Retail stalls
• Beach recreational activities at the Coke-a-Cola Football Arena
• Children’s games at the Coke-a-Cola Football Arena

Since retiring from professional surfing, 1977 World Surfing Champion and six times winner of the Gunston 500 in Durban, Shaun Tomson, has been riding a wave of success around the world as a motivational speaker, author, journalist and businessman.

Despite his legendary status, Shaun’s life hasn’t always been on the crest of a wave in the public’s eye. Shaun suffered the biggest wipeout in his life with the loss of his teenage son, Matthew, through tragic circumstances in 2006. It was a wipeout so big, that not even Shaun believed he could recover.

But it was the loss of Mathew that actually turned Shaun’s life around. According to Shaun’s Hebrew faith, Mathew’s name means ‘gift from God’ and Shaun firmly believes that what happened next in his life was a miracle.

Inspired by a poem that Mathew shared with Shaun shortly before his passing, “the light shines ahead”, Shaun and his wife Carla found courage and their true purpose in life to help young people make positive choices for life long change.

While spreading his message of hope around the world, Shaun has been invited to this year’s historic 50th edition of the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong at Willard Beach in KwaDukuza from 25 June to 1 July.

Ahead of the international surfing event, which he won when it was the Gunston 500, Shaun has partnered with the KwaDukuza Municipality to engage with local youth in and around the area for the Shaun Tomson Positive Wave Tour driven by SMG Rocks & hosted by Coco De Mer from 18 to 22 June.

Using the mantra “I Will” from his book The Code: The Power of “I Will” as the core of the Shaun Tomson Positive Wave Tour driven by SMG Rocks , Shaun will conduct workshops at several schools in KwaDukuza inspiring youth to believe in themselves and to unlock the power that lies within to shape their future. Based on faith, courage, creativity and determination learned from his personal life experiences, he positively encourages youth to be agents of change in their own lives.

“I have engaged with hundreds of thousands of people through the power of the Code. Our fundamental choice in life is our attitude and the Code is a simple framework to create 12 positive goals to build a positive attitude to transform one’s life and the lives of others,” said Shaun.

Shaun now lives in California and is South Africa’s only professional world surfing champion. He will be honoured together with other South African winners, defending champion Jordy Smith (2010 and 2017), Ricky Basnett (2006) and Gavin Rudolph, winner of the inaugural Gunston 500 in 1969, at a prestigious awards evening at Coco Der Mer in Ballito on 27th June.

The Shaun Tomson Positive Wave Tour driven by SMG Rocks and hosted by Coco De Mer will conclude with the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birthday on 18th July, with 67 minutes of work at a selected high school. “If you look up the definition of leadership in the dictionary, it should be simply Nelson Mandela. Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others to achieve a shared noble goal and Nelson Mandela epitomizes those words of influence, inspiration and sharing. I am so honored to be small part of the celebration honoring his legacy and hopefully helping continue on the path he created of sharing inspiration and brotherhood so we can all be the best we can be,” he added.

Schools participating in the Shaun Tomson Positive Wave Tour will be hosting art competitions themed “I Will”. The top three artworks will be exhibited on the 27th June, at a special event in honour of Shaun Tomson and the 50th edition of the surfing event. The winner of the art competition will be selected via a social media campaign, and the winning school will receive the Madiba 67-minute, 100 Centenary Prize.

Tomson will also be hosting a screening of his 2008 surfing documentary ‘Bustin’ Down the Door’ presented by Ballito Junction Regional Mall on 28th June. The film chronicles the rise of professional surfing in the early 1970s, following a group of young surfers from Australia and South Africa as they challenge the most dangerous waves in Hawaii.

“This year we celebrate a rare occasion of a centenary and jubilee in one and it is happening for the first time here in KwaDukuza, South Africa through the Ballito Pro Presented by Billabong and the Shaun Tomson Positive Wave Tour. The common denominator between the two being that Tata held sports highly and believed that it was an important vehicle that could be used to build social cohesion and uplift communities,” said Cllr Richardo Mthembu, Mayor of KwaDukuza.

The Ballito Pro Surf Festival kicks off with the Billabong Junior Series pres. by BOS from June 22 to 24 before the crown jewel of the festival, the QS10,000 Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, and the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro pres. by Billabong take centre stage from Monday to Sunday, June 25 to 1 July.

Alongside the surfing, visitors will be spoiled for choice with non-stop activities providing even more entertainment throughout the Ballito festival site. South Africa’s hottest musical acts appealing to all tastes – rock, pop, hip hop, kwaito, electro and dance – will be performing live on Salt Rock Beach over the last weekend. Beach and extreme sports, culinary contests as well as quality retail and food stalls will captivate visitors at this coastal holiday highlight.

Former world surfing champion Shaun Tomson will host the Golden Jubilee celebrations for the historic 50th edition of the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong which will be run at Willard Beach in KwaDukuza from June 25 to 1 July.

Tomson has played a huge role in the history of the world’s longest running professional surfing event. His late father Ernie was instrumental in founding the Durban 500 back in 1969 and Tomson won the Gunston 500 for six consecutive years from 1973 to 1978, a record that is unlikely to be surpassed at this or any other major international surfing contest.

The former Durbanite, now an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker, author and film-maker who resides in California, will spend more than a month in KwaDukuza conducting a Positive Wave Tour comprising motivational workshops with business, council and various high schools leading up to and continuing after the festival.

The tour will culminate with 67 minutes of work at a selected high school to celebrate the Centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birthday on 18 July.

He will also host a screening of Bustin Down The Door at the Ballito Junction Regional Mall, the venue for the Ballito Pro Food and Wine Festival. Produced by Tomson in 2008, the film chronicles the often turbulent birth of professional surfing during the mid-1970’s that led to his crowning as the second pro world surfing champion in 1977

Tomson will be honoured at a glittering awards function on Wednesday 27 June at Coco Der Mer in Ballito alongside the other South African winners of the event. They include two-time and defending champion Jordy Smith (2010 & 2017), Ricky Basnett (2006) and Gavin Rudolph, winner of the inaugural edition in 1969.

This year’s edition of the Ballito Pro Surf Festival also celebrates the tenth anniversary since it relocated from Durban to KwaDukuza and the 21st year of the Billabong Junior Series presented by BOS which has played a pivotal role in grooming young South African surfers for future competitive success.

The Ballito Pro Surf Festival kicks off with the Billabong Junior Series pres. by BOS from June 22 to 24 before the crown jewel of the festival, the QS10,000 Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong, and the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro pres. by Billabong take centre stage from Monday to Sunday, June 25 to 1 July.

Alongside the surfing, visitors will be spoiled for choice with non-stop activities providing even more entertainment throughout the Ballito festival site. South Africa’s hottest musical acts appealing to all tastes – rock, pop, hip hop, kwaito, electro and dance – will be performing live on Salt Rock Beach over the last weekend. Beach and extreme sports, culinary contests as well as quality retail and food stalls will captivate visitors at this coastal holiday highlight.

This year marks the 50th edition of the elite surfing contest, The Ballito Pro, presented by Billabong, and KwaDukuza is gearing up for a programme of non-stop entertainment to celebrate this milestone event. Themed #LiveTheLegacy, the world’s longest running professional surfing competition will commemorate this historic occasion with fun beachside activities, festive cooking contests, quality retail offerings and some special proceedings to honour the event’s roots.

“The 2018 edition of The Ballito Pro is definitely centred on celebration and we want to use this platform to really thank everyone who has contributed to ‘Living the Legacy’,” said Collette Bundy, event organiser. “In addition to being the 50th edition, 2018 marks a decade of hosting the event in KwaDukuza, a space that has allowed The Ballito Pro to grow alongside the region, offering holidaymakers and locals an incredible two weeks of coastal entertainment. We are, once again, looking forward to welcoming the globe to a really stunning piece of South Africa.”

Positive Wave Tour

World Surfing Champion and six-time winner of The Ballito Pro (formerly Durban 500, Gunston 500 and Mr Price Pro) Shaun Tomson is embarking on his #positivewavetour to promote surfing and an environmental ethos. Tomson will be talking to pupils at 10 KwaDukuza schools about his book, The Code, as well as participating in several activations throughout The Ballito Pro including daily signings, prizegivings, a ‘Retro Expression Session’ and screening of his film ‘Bustin Down the Door’.

On Wednesday, 27 June, Tomson will be the guest speaker at his fundraising event, A Night with Shaun Tomson, taking place at Coco De Mer. The proceeds from the tickets sold will go towards Development Surf with the entire #positivewavetour culminating on Wednesay, 18 July with a Madiba Day 67-minute charity initiative. In keeping with the milestone celebrations, 2018 will be the Centenary Celebrations of Madiba, making this a particularly poignant activation.

Charity Drives

This charitable movement will also flow into The Ballito Pro’s #savethewaves drive centred on environmental education and maritime conservation. This effective campaign aims to highlight the detrimental impact of plastic and microplastic on marine life through dedicated awareness programmes and competitions.

The Ballito Pro will also host the Ilembe Surf Riders Development Programme, a newly-established initiative aimed at developing new surf talent, particularly within the Dolphin Coast’s rural areas.

Retro Jubilee Food & Wine presented by Ballito Junction

The #LiveTheLegacy celebrations continue at on Monday, 25 and Tuesday, 26 June from 4pm to 11pm with the Ballito Pro Retro Jubilee Food & Wine presented by Ballito Junction Regional Mall. This two-night culinary extravaganza invites guests to walk through 50 years of surfing development in an old-school carnival-style event complete with food, fashion and fun.

Geraldine Jorgensen, CEO of Ballito Junction said: “We are delighted to be associated with the world’s longest running professional surfing event, particularly as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, and its tenth year in Ballito.”

– Cooking Competitions

On Monday, 25 June, budding young chefs, aged 10 to 16 years, will get the chance to compete in two-person teams for the culinary crown. Each team must create a captivating team name and will be required to dress according to the particular decade selected for them while crafting an impressive feast. The evening will also feature a fun Celebrity Cook-off with a well-known Ballito local teaming up with one surfing legend to compete against another suitably feisty team.

On Tuesday, 26 June, adults will get the chance to prove their kitchen prowess in a timed cook-off. Contestants will be paired with local chefs and restaurateurs to cook a classic dish relevant to a specific decade.

– Fashion

Themed ‘Fashion Through the Eras’, this year’s fashion show will run on Monday, 25 and Tuesday, 26 June, giving local designers the platform to showcase their incredible garments which will be an interpretation of a chosen era. Winners of this fashionable contest can look forward to some awesome prizes.

– Entertainment

The Ballito Pro will play host to the vibrant Miss Ballito contest with visitors given the chance to meet and greet the beachside beauties. Local musicians and leading dance companies will also ensure there is top-class entertainment throughout this retro event.

– Food and Drinks

The Retro Cocktail Lounge and Bar will take guests on a nostalgic journey of classic cocktails across the decades with a happy hour highlight. Expect some delightful mixes such as Manhattans, Martini’s, Rob Roy’s, Harvey Wallbangers, and many more.

Food options will be in abundance as local restaurants and pop-up stalls offer an expansive feast that touch on the decadence of each decade.

Daily Beachside Activities

KwaDukuza’s Willard Beach will play host to non-stop daily entertainment and fun activities for festival-goers. Local artists will set the mood on the artists’ stage with visitors invited to browse the various stalls retailing food, clothes and crafts.

From 29 June to 1 July, there will be some extreme sports’ action at the Monster Skate Jam with the renowned daredevil stuntmen, Bruce and Brent Le Riche, showcasing some unmissable biking skills.

The Coke-a-Cola Football Arena will play host to daily beach recreational activities and a variety of engaging children’s games. Spectators can also enjoy daily beach soccer games in a friendly contest between regional high schools.

Music and Parties

– Ballito Pro Free Music Concerts Powered by 5FM

The best in South African musical entertainment will take over Salt Rock Beach on Thursday, 28 and Friday, 29 June. Musical genres will include rock, hip hop, jazz, kwaito, electro, dance and more…all at no cost! Get ready for this high-profile line which includes:

Thursday, 28 June

OKMalumkoolkat
Black Motion

5FM DJ’s
Ms Cosmo
DJ Loyd
Ryan the DJ

Friday, 29 June

Sketchy Bongo
TiMO ODV
Prime Circle
December Streets

5FM DJ’s
Msizi James
Nick Hamman
Rob Forbes

– After Dark Parties

Crush Nightclub will once again play host to some of the best DJ’s set to get festival-goers rocking into the night from Monday, 25 to Saturday, 30 June. The party list includes:

• Pro pre-party: Royal Love and Friends
• Living the Legacy: Featuring Tommy D
• Swell Sundays: Battle of the DJs
• Battle of the DJs Finals
• Swimwear Show hosted by Big Night Out
• Student Night: Featuring Chunda Munki
• Durban Takeover: Featuring Veranda Panda
• Ride the Tide: Featuring TiMO ODV
• Swell Sundays: Ballito Pro Closing Party

Don’t miss out on any of this #LiveTheLegacy fun as The Ballito Pro, presented by Billabong, celebrates its milestone 50th edition at KwaDukuza.

The world’s longest running professional surfing event will celebrate its Golden Jubilee in KwaDukuza this year when many of the world’s best surfers take to the surf in the Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong at Willard Beach on 25 June.

The event that started out as the Durban 500 in 1969, evolved into the Gunston 500 in 1971, became the Mr Price Pro in 2000 and moved to Ballito in 2009 has always been a key event on the annual World Surf League (formerly ASP) schedule and is set to commemorate its 50th anniversary this year as the premier event in the continent’s biggest beach festival.

For the tenth consecutive year the region will host the world’s best men in a WSL Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000 rated event with a prize-pool of R3.1 million and the highest available ranking points at stake.

The women will showcase their talent in the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro pres. by Billabong while the historic 21st edition of the Billabong Junior Series pres. by BOS includes events for men and women aged 18-and-under at Ballito for the third year.

“We’re excited to host the Ballito Pro for the 10th consecutive year,” says the Mayor of KwaDukuza, Cllr Ricardo Mthembu. “This event is a significant economic multiplier, which presents opportunities for local businesses and communities alike in the region. On the other hand, it is undisputedly an A-list sports tourism event and entertainment scene in South Africa.

“We welcome all participants and I am convinced all guests will enjoy our positive waves and grand culture of Ubuntu. I encourage the more than 50 million streamers who will be following the event from all corners of the world to visit this iconic town ‘Heartbeat of the North Coast’. We wish the event a happy 50th edition and are jovial that it has been dedicated to ‘Living the Legacy’ of Nelson Mandela.”

This year’s edition will be bigger and better than ever as it again welcomes the support of global apparel and equipment giant Billabong.

“Billabong is once again proud to be presenting the Ballito Pro for 2018,” said Chad D’Arcy, Group Marketing & Sales Manager for Billabong South Africa. “Our relationship with KwaDukuza continues to flourish and we look forward to another amazing chapter in this event’s rich and storied history.

“The 2018 edition marks a number of impressive milestones as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the event, the 10th year of KwaDukuza hosting it and also the 21st year of the Billabong Junior Series presented by BOS, which will be the pre-cursor to the main event. We look forward to presenting another world class surfing festival and helping South African surfing thrive. On behalf of Billabong I would like to welcome all of the competitors and spectators from across the globe to our amazing coastline.”

Last year’s men’s field included a dozen of the world’s elite WSL Championship Tour (CT) surfers and was won for a second time by South Africa’s own Jordy Smith (Durban). Runner-up Willian Cardoso (BRA), third placed Michael February (Cape Town) and the likes of Jesse Mendes and Yago Dora (both Brazilians) all went on to qualify for the prestigious 2018 CT thanks to the significant number of ranking points they earned in Ballito.

The 112-man entry for the event provides local WSL Africa members with invaluable experience competing against the world’s best, along with opportunities to earn prize-money and coveted rankings points which assist them in gaining entry to the higher rated events internationally and also count towards the annual WSL Africa title.

Competitors in the Ballito Women’s Pro pres. by Billabong also earn prize-money and points on both the international and regional rankings while the18-and-under competitors in the Billabong Junior Series pres. by BOS will be striving for the prestigious event titles and selection for the WSL Africa squad that is invited to the annual WSL World Junior Championship.

“My sincere thanks to KwaDukuza Municipality, the residents, Billabong and Ballito for continuing to be a part of our global surfing family for another three years,” said WSL Africa Operations Manager, Colin Fitch. “The nine years the event has been in Ballito has been nothing short of fantastic.

“Not only have we seen growth in the event and festival but also the growth of our surfers like Michael February, who has progressed from surfing the junior event all the way to becoming the first South African surfer of colour to qualify for the WSL Championship Tour. Thanks to the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong we now have two male surfers on the Championship Tour and along with celebrating the 50th edition of the event in 2018 we can proudly say that we are an Africa Force”.

The Ballito Pro Surf Festival kicks off with the Billabong Junior Series pres. by BOS from June 22-24 before the crown jewel of the festival, the QS10,000 Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong, and the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro pres. by Billabong take centre stage from Monday to Sunday, June 25 – 1 July.

Alongside the surfing, visitors will be spoiled for choice with non-stop activities providing even more entertainment throughout the Ballito festival site. South Africa’s hottest musical acts appealing to all tastes – rock, pop, hip hop, kwaito, electro and dance – will be performing live on Salt Rock Beach over the last weekend. Beach and extreme sports, culinary contests as well as quality retail and food stalls will captivate visitors to this coastal holiday highlight.

World surfing champion Shaun Tomson (1977) will be attending the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the event he won an unprecedented six consecutive times from 1973 to 1978. The former Durbanite, now an internationally acclaimed author and motivational speaker, will also conduct a Positive Wave Tour with business, council and the various high schools in KwaDukuza leading up to and after the festival that will all culminate in a Mandela Day celebration on 18 July.

Jordy Smith (ZAF) won the Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong in front of a packed beach of partisan spectators today, defeating powerful Brazilian Willian Cardoso (BRA) in a pulsating final to add the 2017 event title to his previous victory in 2010.

The big South African overcame a stomach bug that almost derailed his charge in mid week to reach the final of the first World Surf League (WSL) QS10,000 rated event of the year where he used his trademark repertoire of aerial manoeuvres to post an impressive heat total 18.06, including near perfect 9.73.

“I had a bit of a slow start, but I ended up sticking that first air and from there I was actually enjoying my surf out there and just taking my time as the waves came through,” said Smith. “Eventually I got that one wave with a nice section and got one of the biggest ramps all week and just went for it and I landed it.

“I’m really happy with my performance this week and hopefully I can take this momentum to J-Bay. Willian is a tenacious competitor as all the Brazilians are. He’s one of the most powerful surfers in the world and we’re both bigger guys so we were matching fire with fire.

“It’s such an honour winning this event with so many of my friends and family here. Thanks so much to everyone who’s come down to the event, your support makes a huge difference for us local surfers.”

His haul of 10,000 points sees Smith jump straight into fifth position on the QS rankings along with a massive boost of confidence as he heads to Jeffreys Bay for Stop No. 6 of 11 on the WSL Championship Tour (CT) starting on Wednesday where he is a former two-time event winner (2010 & 2011).

While he was disappointed not to claim the win, Cardoso was happy with his runner-up finish which bumped him up into No. 2 on the QS rankings heading into the second half of the year.

“I knew with Jordy it was going to be crazy in that heat and I tried to find the really good waves, but I just found one,” said Cardoso. “I’m just super stoked to be in the final, it’s been about two years since I was in a final so it’s really good to be in that position again.

“This result puts me in a really good position, but I’ve been in this position before so I hope to get more results in the next two primes (QS10,000 rated events) and a few 6 stars so I can go to Hawaii at the end of the year relaxed.”

Cardoso’s patented power moves saw him charge past Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) in the quarterfinals and Mikey Wright (AUS) in the semifinals on his way to the final.

Wright had delivered the highest single ride and heat total in the event with his blend of powerful carves and progressive aerial manoeuvres. But the brother of reigning WSL Women’s World Champion, Tyler, and men’s world title contender, Owen, came up just short against Cardoso and finished equal third at Ballito.

“I went out there to do my thing and catch a few waves, but I didn’t really catch the fun waves that I wanted to. I got a little ramp halfway through the heat, but I fell on the landing. Willian was surfing really good and I’m stoked for him,” said Wright. “This result gives me a lot of confidence. It’s my first year doing all the QS events and this is a really good setup for the rest of the year. I’m just going to try and keep it going.”

Crowd favourite Michael February (ZAF) had an incredible run through the event, posting his career-best result on his way to third place after suffering a narrow loss to Smith in their all-South African semifinal encounter. The Capetonian matched Smith ride-for-ride in the early stages before the heat burst into life in the last five minutes with a flurry of rides that saw Smith nail down his berth in the final with back-to back excellent rides that February could not equal as time ran out.

“When you surf against Jordy you’ve got to be at your best, he’s so good, and it was pretty cool to watch him from the water,” said February. “It’s awesome to surf against him because he is such an amazing surfer. And to have a heat against him at this stage of the contest is really good for me. At the end of the contest you’re always going to surf against the best in the world, and Jordy is definitely one of them.

“It boosts my confidence so much making semis in a 10 000 and I’m looking forward to keeping the positive vibes going, taking everything I learned from this event and just keep it going. It gets pretty busy now, it’s the US Open and after that the European leg so that’s my focus now, and then Hawaii. I had some nice words from Jordy after that heat which was really cool from someone I look up to, it gives you that extra push.”

His third place finish saw February leapfrog from 21st to No. 4 on the QS rankings, giving him an solid base from which to challenge for a place in top 10 in the yearend rankings and qualification for the elite CT

“Secretly I was a little bummed for Mikey February. I would have liked to be in the finals with him but that’s just the way our sport goes,” commented Smith on his compatriot. “I just wish him all the best, I really hope he brings it and joins me on the tour next year. He’s got the ability and the confidence to go all the way.”

Full results, video footage, photos and news from the Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong can be found at www.worldsurfleague.com and on the WSL App.

BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 18.06
2 – Willian Cardoso (BRA) 15.37

BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.10 def. Michael February (ZAF) 13.10
SF 2: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 14.0 def. Mikey Wright (AUS) 10,84

BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Michael February (ZAF) 15.33 def. Jesse Mendes (BRA) 12.43
QF 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.50 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.20
QF 3: Mikey Wright (AUS) 14.66 def. Wade Carmichael (AUS) 6.70
QF 4: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 15.83 def. Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 12.77

WORLD SURF LEAGUE QUALIFYING SERIES RANKINGS (After Ballito Pro pres, by Billabong)
1. Jesse Mendes (BRA) 22,060pts
2. Willian Cardoso (BRA) 12,095
3. Yago Dora (BRA) 11,960
4. Michael February (ZAF) 10,550
5. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 10,000

The QS10,000 Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong is the anchor event in the 13-day Ballito Pro Surf Festival which included the Billabong Junior Series pres. by All Aboard Travel for surfers aged 18-and-under (27 to 29 June), the SSA Ballito Trials pres. by Billabong, which saw local Richie Kidd earn a wildcard into the main event (30 June) and the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro where Sophia Fulton (AUS) was crowned the champion on Saturday 1 July.

Alongside the surfing, visitors were spoiled for choice with non-stop activities providing even more entertainment throughout the Ballito festival site. South Africa’s hottest musical acts appealing to all tastes – rock, pop, hip hop, kwaito, electro and dance – performed live on Salt Rock Beach on Thursday and Friday 6 & 7 July. Beach and extreme sports, culinary contests as well as quality retail and food stalls will captivate visitors to this coastal holiday highlight.

The world’s best surfers revelled in the overhead surf at Willard Beach on Day 5 of the Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong, carving massive arcs, manoeuvring into and out of deep tubes and taking to the air with high flying aerials on the two metre plus waves.

After a day of intense competition where the five remaining heats in the Round of 24 and all eight heats in the Round of 16 were completed, Mikey Wright (AUS) emerged as the standout performer, earning the event’s highest single ride, a near perfect 9.87 out of 10 for a no-grab full rotation, and heat total with an impressive 18.80 out of 20 in his early morning heat.

“The waves are pretty perfect so I just went out there to have some fun and get some scores,” Wright explained. “That wave presented itself and I got the air and then I got a little barrel at the end as well, so there are some well spread out conditions and I’m having fun. The main goal to get on tour, however long it takes. This contest is the first prime (QS10,000) so it’s definitely a big event.”

The 20-year-old Australian went on to post another excellent score to outpoint exciting Brazilian aerial maestro Yago Dora (BRA) in the first round of the man-on-man format to move into the quarterfinals of a QS10,000 event for the first time in his career.

The day’s action kicked off with a high-scoring duel between Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) and Jordy Smith (ZAF) that saw each earn a pair of excellent rides. The Moroccan narrowly outpointing the World No. 3 as they both advanced to the last 16 at the expense of David van Zyl (ZAF) who could not find the high scoring waves and ended his 2017 Ballito Pro campaign in equal 17th place with a career-high 2,200 point haul.

“That heat was tough, you know these QS guys want it more than anyone,” said Smith. “It’s good for me to get a warm up and it keeps me on my toes for sure. You’ve got to keep analysing and go to Plan B if the conditions shift, just judge every wave for what it is and really not over think anything too much.”

Despite the onset of the onshore breeze, the first heat in the Round of 16 had the packed beach cheering as crowd favourite Michael February (ZAF) fought back from a slow start to overtake young Californian Griffin Colapinto (USA) and advance to the quarterfinals.

“Super slow start to the heat and then on my first wave I had my leash under my foot so I kind of got a wobble and everyone probably thought it was nerves,” said February. “Then conditions changed a lot. I’d seen Keanu (Asing) got some barrels and I was trying to get something similar but in the end I just found a couple of corners that allowed me to do a few turns, so I was really happy. I already made my best result a few rounds ago, so now everything is a plus and I’m trying to make the most of it.”

February will be up against Jesse Mendes (BRA) in the quarters and win or lose the South African has already accumulated enough points to break into the Top 10 on the QS rankings. Mendes, the current QS No. 1, cemented his place in a qualifying slot for the 2018 WSL Championship Tour (CT) by defeated Keanu Asing and advancing to the last 8 at Ballito.

The balance of the quarters will see a head-to-head battle between Smith and Miguel Pupo (BRA), the only other current CT member still in the event. The bottom half of the draw pits Wade Carmichael (AUS) against fellow Australian Mikey Wright and Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) against Brazilian powerhouse Willian Cardoso, who has also moved into the QS Top 10 by reaching the quarters.

Organisers will meet at first light again on Friday to make a call at 06.45 am on when to start what is likely to be the final day of the event. If the quarterfinals commence at 7.05 as expected, the 2017 Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong champion will be crowned at Willard Beach before noon.

The Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Capitec Bank, Casio, North Coast Courier, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

UPCOMING BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS:
QF 1: Michael February (ZAF) vs. Jesse Mendes (BRA)
QF 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
QF 3: Wade Carmichael (AUS) vs. Mikey Wright (AUS)
QF 4: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) vs. Willian Cardoso (BRA)

BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Michael February (ZAF) 13.67 def. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 11.23
Heat 2: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 14.77 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 12.66
Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.27 def. Joshua Moniz (HAW) 10.77
Heat 4: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.46 def. Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 13.83
Heat 5: Wade Carmichael (AUS) 14.96 def. Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 13.00
Heat 6: Mikey Wright (AUS) 16.17 def. Yago Dora (BRA) 10.60
Heat 7: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 13.44 def. Nat Young (USA) 11.67
Heat 8: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 10.76 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 9.70

REMAINING BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 4: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 16.84, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.24, David Van Zyl (ZAF) 7.77
Heat 5: Wade Carmichael (AUS) 16.50, Yago Dora (BRA) 14.43, Tomas Hermes (BRA) 12.50
Heat 6: Mikey Wright (AUS) 18.80, Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 14.46, Parker Coffin (USA) 10.80
Heat 7: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 15.34, Heitor Alves (BRA) 13.57, Flavio Nakagima (BRA) 12.97
Heat 8: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 15.44, Nat Young (USA) 12.46, Cooper Chapman (AUS) 10.06

The QS10,000 Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong is the anchor event in the 13-day Ballito Pro Surf Festival which included the Billabong Junior Series pres. by All Aboard Travel for surfers aged 18-and-under (27 to 29 June), the SSA Ballito Trials pres. by Billabong, which saw local Richie Kidd earn a wildcard into the main event (30 June) and the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro where Sophia Fulton (AUS) was crowned the champion on Saturday 1 July.

Alongside the surfing, visitors will be spoiled for choice with non-stop activities providing even more entertainment throughout the Ballito festival site. South Africa’s hottest musical acts appealing to all tastes – rock, pop, hip hop, kwaito, electro and dance – will be performing live on Salt Rock Beach on Thursday and Friday 6 & 7 July. Beach and extreme sports, culinary contests as well as quality retail and food stalls will captivate visitors to this coastal holiday highlight.

The young guns on the World Surf (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) were on fire on Day 4 of the Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong, ousting the more established stars as they chased the massive 10,000 points on offer in the first QS10,000 rated event of the year.

The day’s action kicked off early in funky one metre (3 foot) low tide waves and light crosswinds, but conditions improved all morning with a bump in the swell and windless, glassy conditions before the customary sea-breeze made it choppy and prompted WSL Deputy Commissioner Travis Logie to put a halt to proceedings soon after lunch.

The committed approach by the hungry youngsters was evident from the in the get-go with Keanu Asing (HAW) and Griffin Colapinto (USA) eliminating current Championship Tour (CT) surfers Joan Duru (FRA) and Ezekiel Lau (HAW) in the first heat of the day.

The same pair won their respective Round of 24 heats later to move into the last 16 . Colapinto, 18, finished ahead of current QS No. 1 Jesse Mendes (BRA) as they ousted 2015 Ballito champion Alejo Muniz (BRA), while Asing, 23, and South Africa’s Michael February put paid to Krystian Kymerson’s (BRA) chances.

“I just wanted to pick the right waves and go for big turns, especially against those guys who are both probably going to be on the CT next year,” said Colapinto. “There are only five 10 000’s, so you have to capitalise when you’re in one and I’m stoked to be getting something to go on here.”

Despite being bumped off the CT at the end of last year, Asing has a more relaxed approach and after winning a QS3,000 in Barbados earlier this year is looking forward to making more heats in Ballito.

“Just coming through that heat was the game plan and I’m trying to work on wave selection and heat management. Once I get on the waves I know it’s going to be a good score,” Asing commented. “It’s an important event, but I don’t know about getting back on the CT. If it happens this year, it happens, but you know I’m not really dwelling on if I do or if I don’t, that’s just wasted energy.

“I’m here in Ballito and just carrying on making more heats and just focussing on that. I’m really enjoying where I am right now, just focussing on one day at a time, one wave at a time and one turn at a time.”

February was elated to record his best result in a QS10,000 event after making the final of four QS1,000 events earlier this year, winning three of them.

“I’ve won smaller events and finished third in QS6,000’s, but this is definitely the best result I’ve had in an event like this,” February explained. “All the events we’ve surfed since the beginning of the year had 20 minute heats and it’s such a pleasure to have half-hour heats with only two or three other guys.”

After building a solid 13.66 heat total with eight minutes remaining, February gained priority and then shadowed third placed Kymerson, who needed an excellent 8.33 to grab second place, for the rest of the heat.

“I knew I just needed two waves although you’re nervous because you constantly want to back it up. But Krystian can go to the air and make anything happen and I’d rather just sit on him because he can just get a corner and get a nine, like he did in my previous heat!”

February will take on Colapinto for a place in the quarterfinals when the event resumes.

Joshua Moniz (HAW, 21) and Miguel Pupo (BRA) ousted Ryan Callinan (AUS) in the only other Round of 24 heat completed before the event was called off for the day.

Pupo and Jordy Smith, who managed to secure second place in his Round of 48 encounter despite having been up all night with and upset stomach, are the only current CT surfers still left in the event.

“I’ll just keep fighting with whatever it is to see what happens,” said Smith. “It’s awesome that there are still three South Africans in the event, it’s about time! Really stoked for everyone and I hope they can go all the way. All the contests here have given the guys some warm ups and it put them in that position on a consistent basis, so they get a lot of reps, and with getting a lot of reps you get really comfortable, you iron out your kinks.”

Organisers will meet at first light again on Friday to make a call at 06.45 am on when to get the remaining Round 4 heats underway

When competition resumes Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR), who posted a heat total of 15.50 out of 20, the highest of the day, will be up against South Africans David van Zyl and Jordy Smith in Heat 4 of the Round of 24.

The Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Capitec Bank, Casio, North Coast Courier, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.83, Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.17, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.00
Heat 2: Keanu Asing (HAW) 14.30, Michael February (ZAF) 13.66, Krystian Kymerson (BRA) 6.40
Heat 3: Joshua Moniz (HAW) 15.10, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.30, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 6.20

REMAINING BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 3: Keanu Asing (HAW) 14.33, Griffin Colapinto (USA) 13.40, Joan Duru (FRA) 11.70, Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 6.20
Heat 4: Joshua Moniz (HAW) 15.66, David Van Zyl (ZAF) 13.34, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 10.34, Marco Giorgi (URY) 5.56
Heat 5: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.30, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.93, Adam Melling (AUS) 8.50, Vicente Romero (ESP) 7.73
Heat 6: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 14.50, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 14.00, Brett Simpson (USA) 11.24, Diego Mignot (FRA) 9.83
Heat 7: Tomas Hermes (BRA) 15.34, Mikey Wright (AUS) 15.33, Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 13.17, Jacob Willcox (AUS) 10.13
Heat 8: Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 14.10, Yago Dora (BRA) 12.27, Dion Atkinson (AUS) 11.04, Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.83
Heat 9: Parker Coffin (USA) 13.93, Wade Carmichael (AUS) 12.00, Samuel Pupo (BRA) 11.90, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 11.03
Heat 10: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 13.03, Nat Young (USA) 12.37, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.13, Lucas Silveira (BRA) 11.60
Heat 11: Flavio Nakagima (BRA) 14.77, Cooper Chapman (AUS) 9.50, Nathan Yeomans (USA) 9.26, Victor Bernardo (BRA) 5.63
Heat 12: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 15.50, Heitor Alves (BRA) 10.86, Kilian Garland (USA) 9.37, Ethan Ewing (AUS) 8.04

REMAINING BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 4 MATCHUPS:
Heat 4: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR), David Van Zyl (ZAF), Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Heat 5: Tomas Hermes (BRA), Yago Dora (BRA), Wade Carmichael (AUS)
Heat 6: Michael Rodrigues (BRA), Mikey Wright (AUS), Parker Coffin (USA)
Heat 7: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), Heitor Alves (BRA), Flavio Nakagima (BRA)
Heat 8: Willian Cardoso (BRA), Nat Young (USA), Cooper Chapman (AUS)

UPCOMING BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 5 MATCHUPS:
Heat 1: Griffin Colapinto (USA) vs. Michael February (ZAF)
Heat 2: Keanu Asing (HAW) vs. Jesse Mendes (BRA)
Heat 3: Joshua Moniz (HAW) vs. TBD
Heat 4: TBD vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 5: TBD
Heat 6: TBD
Heat 7: TBD
Heat 8: TBD

The QS10,000 Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong runs until Sunday 9 July with 112 of the world’s best surfers competing for a R3.3 million prize purse and precious QS ranking points.

It is the anchor event in the 13-day Ballito Pro Surf Festival which included the Billabong Junior Series pres. by All Aboard Travel for surfers aged 18-and-under (27 to 29 June), the SSA Ballito Trials pres. by Billabong, which saw local Richie Kidd earn a wildcard into the main event (30 June) and the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro where Sophia Fulton (AUS) was crowned the champion on Saturday 1 July.

Alongside the surfing, visitors will be spoiled for choice with non-stop activities providing even more entertainment throughout the Ballito festival site. South Africa’s hottest musical acts appealing to all tastes – rock, pop, hip hop, kwaito, electro and dance – will be performing live on Salt Rock Beach over the last weekend. Beach and extreme sports, culinary contests as well as quality retail and food stalls will captivate visitors to this coastal holiday highlight.

Brazilian surfers posted impressive performances on Day 3 of the Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong, winning seven of the 13 heats contested and filling another five runner-up spots to stay in contention in the first QS10,000 rated event of the year.

Organisers completed the remaining 11 heats in Round 2 and the first two heats of Round 3 before putting the event on hold, and then calling it off for the day as the onshore sea-breeze freshened early in the afternoon.

Former World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) member Heitor Alves (BRA) delivered the day’s highest heat total, and the third highest of the event so far, with 15.50 points out of a possible 20 in his Round 2 match-up.

Starting with a 6.03, Alves consolidated his lead by adding a 6.67 and then waited down the beach from his rivals where he snagged an excellent 8.83, powering off the bottom and smashing the lip with the most powerful backhand manoeuvre of the day.

“It’s good, I’ve been here for a month and I’ve been training a lot in this wave so I’m confident and just try to enjoy it out there,” said Alves. “I sat away from the other competitors by myself and got the waves that won the heat, so it worked!

“This event is very important. I’m not sponsored and I try to pick the best contests to go to that cost the least money. So I came to South Africa and now I’ve made my first heat and I’m happy. For me the tour starts right now and I’m focussed on getting a good result that will push me to the top of the rankings for qualifying.”

Other Brazilians who won their heats and joined Alves in Round 3 include Tomas Hermes, Michael Rodriques, Victor Bernardo and Willian Cardoso.
Nat Young (USA), who narrowly missed out on requalifying for the CT at the end of last year, is another for whom the first QS10,000 rated event of the year is vitally important for his aims of getting back on the elite tour.

“The Ballito Pro is really important, it’s the first QS10,000 of the year so it would be great to do well here, “ Young explained. “Last time I was here I got third so I I’ve had some success and the waves are fun so I’m just looking forward to it and I’ll be trying to make us many heats as possible.”

The 26-year-old from Santa Cruz caught his two counting rides early in the heat and used the priority system to good effect to ensure that his opponents couldn’t overtake him.

“I got a couple of scores at the start, two sixes or something like that. Those aren’t great scores but even though there are a lot of waves it’s kind of hard to find the ones with a lot of potential. After that I had priority so I was just making sure that if a good wave came that I was going to catch it.”

Round 3 started with a high scoring encounter featuring local favourite Michael February (ZAF) , Charles Martin (GLP), former US Open of Surfing winner Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) and 2014 Ballito Pro winner Alejo Muniz (BRA).

Muniz got off to a great start with a near excellent 7.83 and Ohhara followed suit with a 7.0, and then briefly took the lead with a 1.93. Martin moved down the beach and caught two waves that bumped him into second spot while February’s first four rides were all throwaway scores.

The South African then bounced back into contention with an excellent 8.83, matching the third highest ride of the event for a high-flying aerial rotation in the power pocket and powerful closing manoeuvre that had the partisan crowd on their feet applauding.

February then took the lead with a 5.77, but Muniz fought back with a 7.03 to reclaim the lead. The packed beach was on tenterhooks throughout the last three minutes as first Martin and then Ohhara challenged for second place, but February hung onto to his advancing position and is through to the last 24 in the event.

“It would’ve been nice to get a better wave earlier on in the heat, but in the beginning I was kind of up and down the whole time. I knew there were a lot of waves all over the beach so I went and sat a little deeper and that worked out for my best wave,” February explained.

“After that I felt a little more comfortable and decided to sit with everyone else to get a backup, but Alejo and Hiroto can get scores on any waves so I’m definitely happy to make my heat. I’ve been coming here for a few years and just the support and having everyone backing you means a lot. You surf for yourself but it’s really nice to have everyone here and you want to do it for them as well.”

Organisers will meet at first light on Thursday morning and make a call at 06.45 am on when to get the remaining Round 3 heats underway

When competition resumes 2016 runner-up Joan Duru (FRA) will be up against Keanu Asing (HAW), Griffin Colapinto (USA) and Ezekiel Lau (HAW) in Heat 3 of Round 3.

Top seed and current World No. 3 Jordy Smith (ZAF) will be in Heat 5 of Round 3.

The Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Capitec Bank, Casio, North Coast Courier, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.86, Michael February (ZAF) 14.60, Charly Martin (GLP) 11.20, Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) 8.93
Heat 2: Krystian Kymerson (BRA) 13.67, Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.10, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 10.40, Marc Lacomare (FRA) 7.40

REMAINING BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 14: Tomas Hermes (BRA) 14.34, Yago Dora (BRA) 12.53, Kiron Jabour (HAW) 10.34, Tom Whitaker (AUS) 9.60
Heat 15: Josh Kerr (AUS) 14.60, Mikey Wright (AUS) 14.43, Torrey Meister (HAW) 11.16, Billy Stairmand (NZL) 9.73
Heat 16: Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 14.73, Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 14.33, Aritz Aranburu (ESP) 13.07, Thiago Camarao (BRA) 8.73
Heat 17: Parker Coffin (USA) 12.00, Lucas Silveira (BRA) 11.36, Hizunome Bettero (BRA) 11.30, Jack Freestone (AUS) 9.84
Heat 18: Wade Carmichael (AUS) 13.00, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.66, Reef Heazlewood (AUS) 11.50, Bino Lopes (BRA) 8.80
Heat 19: Nat Young (USA) 12.50, Samuel Pupo (BRA) 12.43, Mitchel Coleborn (AUS) 9.00, Billy Kemper (HAW) 7.23
Heat 20: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 11.83, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 10.83, Ricardo Christie (NZL) 9.07, Ian Gouveia (BRA) 8.77
Heat 21: Nathan Yeomans (USA) 12.76, Kilian Garland (USA) 11.63, Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 10.90, Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 10.90
Heat 22: Victor Bernardo (BRA) 12.34, Ethan Ewing (AUS) 11.96, Pedro Henrique (PRT) 10.90, Dimitri Ouvre (FRA) 7.90
Heat 23: Heitor Alves (BRA) 15.50, Cooper Chapman (AUS) 14.30, Seth Moniz (HAW) 10.00, Soli Bailey (AUS) 6.37
Heat 24: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 13.07, Flavio Nakagima (BRA) 10.83, Jackson Baker (AUS) 8.00, Santiago Muniz (ARG) 6.43

REMAINING BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 3 MATCHUPS:
Heat 3: Joan Duru (FRA), Keanu Asing (HAW), Griffin Colapinto (USA), Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
Heat 4: Joshua Moniz (HAW), Tanner Gudauskas (USA), David Van Zyl (ZAF), Marco Giorgi (URY)
Heat 5: Miguel Pupo (BRA), Vicente Romero (ESP), Adam Melling (AUS), Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Heat 6: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR), Ryan Callinan (AUS), Diego Mignot (FRA), Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 7: Jacob Willcox (AUS), Tomas Hermes (BRA), Mikey Wright (AUS), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Heat 8: Michael Rodrigues (BRA), Josh Kerr (AUS), Yago Dora (BRA), Dion Atkinson (AUS)
Heat 9: Parker Coffin (USA), Wade Carmichael (AUS), Samuel Pupo (BRA), Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 10: Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), Nat Young (USA), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Lucas Silveira (BRA)
Heat 11: Nathan Yeomans (USA), Victor Bernardo (BRA), Cooper Chapman (AUS), Flavio Nakagima (BRA)
Heat 12: Willian Cardoso (BRA), Heitor Alves (BRA), Ethan Ewing (AUS), Kilian Garland (USA)

The QS10,000 Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong runs until Sunday 9 July with 112 of the world’s best surfers competing for a R3.3 million prize purse and precious QS ranking points.

It is the anchor event in the 13-day Ballito Pro Surf Festival which included the Billabong Junior Series pres. by All Aboard Travel for surfers aged 18-and-under (27 to 29 June), the SSA Ballito Trials pres. by Billabong, which saw local Richie Kidd earn a wildcard into the main event (30 June) and the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro where Sophia Fulton (AUS) was crowned the champion on Saturday 1 July.

Alongside the surfing, visitors will be spoiled for choice with non-stop activities providing even more entertainment throughout the Ballito festival site. South Africa’s hottest musical acts appealing to all tastes – rock, pop, hip hop, kwaito, electro and dance – will be performing live on Salt Rock Beach over the last weekend. Beach and extreme sports, culinary contests as well as quality retail and food stalls will captivate visitors to this coastal holiday highlight.

Jordy Smith (ZAF) opened his campaign in the Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong with a workmanlike performance, advancing to Round 3 of the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000 rated event when he finished runner-up to Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) in his first heat.

Smith, the top seed and current World No. 3, stayed very busy trying to find waves with scoring potential and eventually found a running right hander that he ended with an air-reverse that the judges rewarded with 7.73 points out of 10.

“Your strategy tends to change every minute, every second of the heat and you just keep reassessing things. I wanted to get the best waves out there, but that didn’t happened in the first five minutes and when others start off with big scores you’ve really got to go to backup strategies and backup waves,” Smith explained. “You couldn’t really tell if it was a good wave so I just figured if I keep getting waves and multiple opportunities one of them would be good.

“Obviously I love being in Ballito, this will always be the first real contest that I ever competed in on the international stage, so there’s a lot of history and it means a lot to me. Also, I get to hang out with my friends and family, there’s extremely good waves here, just 30 minutes north or south of Durban, so it’s a great opportunity for me to stay in tune.”

Second seed Connor O’Leary (AUS) was not as fortunate. The defending event winner, whose haul of 10,000 QS points at last year’s event saw him qualify among the elite Top 34 on the WSL Championship Tour (CT), struggled to find good waves in the freshening onshore breeze and he was eliminated after placing fourth in the next heat.

Organisers then put the event on hold for an hour, and then another hour, in the hopes that conditions would improve. But with the wind strengthening they called the action off for the day and will reconvene at 6.45am local time for a possible 7 am start.

Earlier on Day 2, 2016 Ballito runner-up Joan Duru (FRA), who also qualified for the CT last year, made good use of the clean early morning conditions to earn the joint highest heat total of the event to date, 16.50 out of 20, which left his three opponents in a combination situation and needing to replace both their counting rides for victory.

Miguel Pupo (BRA) posted a heat total of 15.10, the second highest of the day, and advanced through a heat at Ballito for the first time in four attempts.

“I wanted to get an early start, but I didn’t get one and Brett (Simpson) got a couple of nice waves. But then I got the 7.77, and right after that I got a 5 and another 7, so I got a good total in the middle of the heat,” Pupo commented.

“This is an important event for me, I’ve been here for four years and I haven’t made a heat yet, so I’m pretty happy to make this heat! It’s always good here, I’ve been on tour for a few years and it’s good to come back and see the kids and the young guys surf. That fires me up.”

Local wildcard David van Zyl (ZAF) showed the benefits of competing consistently in the expanded WSL Africa series of events this year by causing an upset when he and heat winner Keanu Asing (HAW) relegated the highly rated Davey Cathels (AUS) to third spot in their heat.

“Things change so quickly out there and you have to adapt, so I went out looking for the two best waves I could find. It ended up being a really slow heat, but luckily I got a nice little barrel and managed to back it up with a small score and that was enough for me to get through,” said van Zyl.

“Usually it’s quite nerve wracking because the Ballito Pro is the main QS event in South Africa. But now we’ve had four or five events to warm up and build up some points so it takes a bit of the nerves off. I’ve just been so stoked to be able to surf events around South Africa and now have a big one in my home region.”

When competition resumes Yago Dora (BRA) will be up against Tomas Hermes (BRA), Tom Whitaker (AUS) and Kiron Jabour (HAW) in Heat 14 of Round 2.

The Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Capitec Bank, Casio, North Coast Courier, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 5: Joan Duru (FRA) 16.50, Marco Giorgi (URY) 10.57, Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 9.70, Leandro Usuna (ARG) 9.16
Heat 6: Keanu Asing (HAW) 12.84, David Van Zyl (ZAF) 10.50, Davey Cathels (AUS) 10.24, David Do Carmo (BRA) 9.40
Heat 7: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 12.80, Griffin Colapinto (USA) 12.66, O’Neill Massin (PYF) 10.10, Carlos Munoz (CRI) 8.66
Heat 8: Joshua Moniz (HAW) 15.17, Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 12.13, Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 11.87, Nomme Mignot (FRA) 10.00
Heat 9: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 15.10, Brett Simpson (USA) 11.34, Marco Fernandez (BRA) 9.63, Noe Mar McGonagle (CRI) 8.07
Heat 10: Vicente Romero (ESP) 14.87, Diego Mignot (FRA) 11.20, Ian Crane (USA) 11.17, Jadson Andre (BRA) 7.93
Heat 11: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 13.67, Adam Melling (AUS) 12.23, Michael Dunphy (USA) 9.53, Evan Geiselman (USA) 8.83
Heat 12: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 14.50, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.40, Koa Smith (HAW) 11.00, Hiroto Arai (JPN) 5.40
Heat 13: Jacob Willcox (AUS) 11.60, Dion Atkinson (AUS) 11.43, Mihimana Braye (PYF) 10.53, Connor O’Leary (AUS) 10.27

REMAINING BALLITO PRO PRES. BY BILLABONG ROUND 2 MATCHUPS:
Heat 14: Yago Dora (BRA), Tomas Hermes (BRA), Tom Whitaker (AUS), Kiron Jabour (HAW)
Heat 15: Josh Kerr (AUS), Torrey Meister (HAW), Billy Stairmand (NZL), Mikey Wright (AUS)
Heat 16: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA), Michael Rodrigues (BRA), Aritz Aranburu (ESP), Thiago Camarao (BRA)
Heat 17: Jack Freestone (AUS), Hizunome Bettero (BRA), Lucas Silveira (BRA), Parker Coffin (USA)
Heat 18: Bino Lopes (BRA), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Wade Carmichael (AUS), Reef Heazlewood (AUS)
Heat 19: Nat Young (USA), Mitchel Coleborn (AUS), Samuel Pupo (BRA), Billy Kemper (HAW)
Heat 20: Ian Gouveia (BRA), Ricardo Christie (NZL), Vasco Ribeiro (PRT), Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 21: Stuart Kennedy (AUS), Alex Ribeiro (BRA), Nathan Yeomans (USA), Kilian Garland (USA)
Heat 22: Ethan Ewing (AUS), Victor Bernardo (BRA), Dimitri Ouvre (FRA), Pedro Henrique (PRT)
Heat 23: Soli Bailey (AUS), Cooper Chapman (AUS), Seth Moniz (HAW), Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 24: Kanoa Igarashi (USA), Santiago Muniz (ARG), Willian Cardoso (BRA), Flavio Nakagima (BRA)

The QS10,000 Ballito Pro pres. by Billabong runs until Sunday 9 July with 112 of the world’s best surfers competing for a R3.3 million prize purse and precious QS ranking points.

It is the anchor event in the 13-day Ballito Pro Surf Festival which included the Billabong Junior Series pres. by All Aboard Travel for surfers aged 18-and-under (27 to 29 June), the SSA Ballito Trials pres. by Billabong, which saw local Richie Kidd earn a wildcard into the main event (30 June) and the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro where Sophia Fulton (AUS) was crowned the champion on Saturday 1 July.

Alongside the surfing, visitors will be spoiled for choice with non-stop activities providing even more entertainment throughout the Ballito festival site. South Africa’s hottest musical acts appealing to all tastes – rock, pop, hip hop, kwaito, electro and dance – will be performing live on Salt Rock Beach over the last weekend. Beach and extreme sports, culinary contests as well as quality retail and food stalls will captivate visitors to this coastal holiday highlight.