Author: AdminBallitoPro

Major upsets as Tim Reyes and Jordy Smith eliminated in Round 1

The world’s best surfers revelled in the glassy one metre well shaped waves at Bather’s Beach in KwaDukuza on the opening day of the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, posting several scores in the excellent range (over 8.00 out of 10).

The third of nine QS 10,000 rated events on the 2015 World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS), the Ballito Pro offers the highest available rankings points towards qualification for the elite WSL Championship Tour (CT) and has attracted a 96-man field of the world top ranked surfers.

After checking the conditions at 7am, organisers opted to move the event from the main venue at Surfer’s Beach to Bathers Beach, 300 metres to the south, where the waves offered the competitors higher potential to produce the spectacular surfing they are capable of.

Alejo Muniz (BRA), a former Top 34 ranked surfer, made excellent use of his pre-event practice sessions to record rides of 9.00 and 7.50 for a heat tally of 16.50, the second highest of the day, to win Heat 2 and advance to the Round of 48.

“You know it was funny because I’ve been surfing that little right for the past five days,” Muniz said. “We never had a heat over there but it just looked so much better than in front of the contest and today I had to surf my heat over there, so I felt like I knew where to surf more than the other guys. It was pretty cool.”

“I’ve been on the CT for four years and I really want to come back cause I feel like I can do better, so I’m just really focused on this QS. Every Prime (QS 10,000) event is really important but for some reason here in Ballito is really special. I really like this place and the year that I qualify my first time I had to keep my results here so hopefully I can do it well again.”

Brent Dorrington (AUS) claimed the highest heat tally of the day when he racked up scores of 8.93 and 7.67 for total 16.60 to win Heat 8 and progress to Round 2 along with second placed Tomas Fernandes (PRT). The pair caused a major upset by eliminating local favourite and current World No. 18, Jordy Smith (ZAF), in the process.

“It’s been super small and just winning the heat against Jordy, I was stoked,” Dorrington said. “It was a bit of a seesaw heat, the lead kept changing and the guy from Portugal (Fernandes) was getting bombs. I went into second and needed a big score, then I got my 8.9 towards the end, about 5 minutes left, and there wasn’t many waves after that.”

Smith, competing for first time since recovering from a serious knee injury, was hoping for a long run in the event he won in 2010. The Durbanite will be hoping that more practice will prepare him for the second half of the season after finishing fourth in the heat behind third placed Granger Larsen (HAW).

The South African was joined on the sidelines by last year’s winner Tim Reyes (USA), who bowed out in the first heat of the day, and Tanner Gudauskas (USA), the 2009 winner, who despite earning the highest single score of the day, a 9.10, could not find a high-scoring second ride and was ousted by Heat 4 winner Medi Veminardi (REU) and CT rookie Matt Banting (AUS).

Others to shine in the rippable conditions included junior standouts Kanoa Igarashi and fellow American Griffin Colapinto, Costa Rica’s Noe Mar McGonagle and Wiggolly Dantas (BRA).

A combination of incoming tide and a brisk onshore wind that marred the wave quality led to organisers calling a halt to the day’s action at the end of Heat 9. They will convene at 7am on Tuesday morning to make the call on when to restart the event.

When the contest resumes, Michael February, South Africa’s highest ranked QS surfer, will be up against experienced CT campaigner Adrian Buchan (AUS), Maxime Huscenot (FRA) and Ezekiel Lau (HAW) in Heat 10.

All the action at the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong can be watched live while the contest is running at www.worldsurfleague.com and www.theballitopro.com

The competitors in the Ballito Pro will also be competing for valuable specialty prizes in the Monster Energy Expression Session presented by Zigzag and the Monster Energy Wave of the Week presented by Zigzag which will reward the respective winners with R20 000 and R25 000 each. See more details at https://theballitopro.com/expression-session/

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and extreme sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring an
extreme sports programme, the Coastal Living Bru Food & Wine Festival and an exciting retail area while the Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

Results

Ballito Pro Round 1
H1: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 14.84, Griffin Colapinto (USA) 12.50, Ian Gouveia (BRA) 11.67, Tim Reyes (USA) 8.90
H2: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 16.50, Marco Fernandez (BRA) 15.70, Wade Carmichael (AUS) 13.90, Chris Ward (USA) 9.96
H3: Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 13.20, Billy Stairmand (NZL) 12.20, Jack Freestone (AUS) 11.23, Luke Davis (USA) 10.27
H4: Medi Veminardi (REU) 16.30, Matt Banting (AUS) 15.33, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 14.37, Aritz Aranburu (ESP) 13.94
H5: Keanu Asing (HAW) 14.43, David do Carmo (BRA) 12.80, Vicente Romero (ESP) 11.20, Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.57
H6: Joan Duru (FRA) 13.16, Tomas Hermes (BRA) 13.10, Kiron Jabour (HAW) 11.27, Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 9.23
H7: Noe Mar McGonagle (CRI) 13.00, Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 12.76, Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 9.93, Marlon Lipke (PRT) 6.60
H8: Brent Dorrington (AUS) 16.60, Tomas Fernandes (PRT) 15.33, Granger Larsen (HAW) 15.16, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.10
H9: Hiroto Arai (JPN) 10.17, Glenn Hall (IRL) 8.80, Deivid Silva (BRA) 8.24, Willian Cardoso (BRA) 8.00

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong got underway in one metre, hip to head high waves at Bather’s Beach in Ballito this morning with surfers in the first 15 heats of Round 1 put on standby to compete today.

A QS 10,000 rated event on the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS), the Ballito Pro features an elite 96-man entry of the world top ranked surfers. On offer is a total prize-purse of US $250 000 (over R3 million) and invaluable ranking points, with the winner taking home nearly R500 000 and adding 10,000 points to his season’s tally.

Organisers decided to move the event 300 metres south of the main venue at Surfer’s Beach where the waves are providing higher scoring potential.

And the move paid immediate dividends when former WSL CT campaigner Alejo Muniz (BRA) posted the first ride of the contest in the excellent category (more than 8.00 points out of 10). The judges scored Muniz 9.00 for a series of powerful manoeuvres, which along with a 7.50, saw him win the heat and progress to the Round of 48 along with second placed fellow Brazilian Marco Fernandez.

Watch all the action live right here on theballitopro.com

The competitors in the Ballito Pro will also be competing for valuable specialty prizes in the Monster Energy Expression Session presented by Zigzag and the Monster Energy Wave of the Week presented by Zigzag which will reward the respective winners with R20 000 and R25 000 each. See more details at https://theballitopro.com/expression-session/

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and extreme sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring an extreme sports programme, the Coastal Living Bru Food & Wine Festival and an exciting retail area while the Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

Nikita Robb from East London won the Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong at Willard Beach in KwaDukuza on Sunday, producing an assured performance in the tricky one metre waves to outshine South Africa’s top women surfers.

A World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000 event, the Ballito Women’s Pro is the first internationally rated event to be run in South Africa since 2009. The event offered total prize-money of R30 000 and coveted points on the QS rankings.

Robb, who competed at the highest levels of the sport, including a spending a year on the elite Championship Tour (CT) in 2010, defeated Fay Zoetmulder (Port Elizabeth), local junior Teal Hogg (Umhlanga) and veteran Heather Clark (Port Shepstone) in the Final to claim the R10 000 winner’s paycheque and 1 000 points.

“It’s just such an honour to have won this event,” Robb said. “I came up to Ballito a couple of days early and just surfed every day. It’s been a long time since I surfed an event and I really had to get my head into it.”

“I started in Round One and had to surf four heats, so I worked hard for it. It wasn’t just a matter of one day and I’m getting 10 Grand, it was a matter of me putting the effort in the water, spending endless hours being the only girl out there and really getting to know the wave. I put the effort in and that’s what really counts.”

History was made at the event when 16-year-old Samukeliswe Cele (Durban) became the first female Zulu surfer to compete in a WSL event. Cele showed plenty of potential and finished third in her Quarterfinal.

“I’m grateful, excited and it was kind of nerve-wracking. I’m no pro and I was very nervous but I knew I could do something out there because I’m good surfer also,” said Cele. “It was fun and I really want to become a professional surfer. The one thing I want to be is a champion, the world champion, I want to win the world tour.”

The Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong, which ran in conjunction with the women’s event, was won by Robson Santos (BRA) whose dynamic manoeuvres and superior wave selection proved the difference in the Final.

Santos finished ahead of compatriot Flavio Nakagima (BRA), 18-year-old Matt McGillivray (ZAF) from Jeffreys Bay and Japan’s Reo Inaba. Santos and Nakagima secured the two coveted trialists slots in the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, the R3 million, QS 10,000 rated event that starts on Monday and runs until Sunday 5 July.

“For me this win is very important for getting points in the Prime (QS10,000) event. The Final was very, very hard, but I got two waves – and 8.50 and a 7.50 – and that was enough.”

All the results and images from Sunday’s action can be found on the photos page, and the live feed/results page.

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and extreme sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring an extreme sports programme, the Coastal Living Bru Food & Wine Festival and an exciting retail area while the Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

The competitors in South Africa’s first internationally rated women’s surfing event since 2009, the Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong, were greeted with one metre (2-3 foot) waves, cloudless skies and light offshore winds when the event got underway at Willard Beach in Ballito at 7.30am.

A World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000 event, the Ballito Women’s Pro comprises 19 of the country’s top surfers. It will be completed today with the winner taking home R10 000 of the total R30 000 prize-money, along with 1,000 priceless points on the QS rankings.

The Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong, a 32-man event featuring top international and local surfers, will run in conjunction with the women’s heat throughout the day.

The top two finishers in the Trials gain entry to the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, a QS 10,000 rated event that runs from Monday 29 June to Sunday 5 July with 96 of the world’s best surfers competing for R3 million and coveted QS rankings points.

The finals of the Ballito Women’s Pro and the Ballito Pro Trials are expected to be run between 3pm and 4pm today (Sunday).

Follow the heat scoring live on the home page.

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and extreme sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring an
extreme sports programme, the Coastal Living Bru Food & Wine Festival and an exciting retail area while the Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

What: The Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong and the Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong

When: Both events will be run on Sunday 28 June 2015

Where: Both events take place at Surfer’s Beach, Ballito, in the KwaDukuza region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Status: The Ballito Women’s Pro is a QS1 000 rated event on the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS)

The Ballito Pro Trials determines the two trialists who gain entry to the R3 million Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, a R3 million QS 10 000 rated event

Both events form part of the Ballito Pro Festival, a multi-sports and cultural festival that runs from June 28 to July 5 at Willard Beach and surrounds in Ballito.

Who: The Ballito Women’s Pro features an 18 person field of South Africa’s best established and emerging female surf stars. Tanika Hoffman (Hout Bay) is the top seed, followed by Emma Smith(Jeffreys Bay), Teal Hogg (Umhlanga) and Heather Clark (Port Shepstone). Samkelisiwe Cele (Durban) will become the first Zulu girl to compete in a WSL event

The Ballito Pro Trials features a 32-man field of highly ranked international and South African competitors including Tiago Pires (POR), Connor Coffin (USA), Pedro Henrique (BRA) and SA’s David van Zyl (Glenashley), Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) and Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh)

Format: Both events use four person heats with the top two in each heat advancing to the next round until the last four in the event contest the Final

Prize-Purse: The Ballito Women’s Pro offers total prize-money of the R30 000 with R10 000 and 1 000 QS rankings going to the winner

The top two finishers in the Final of the Ballito Pro Trials qualify for the Ballito Pro where they are guaranteed a minimum of R9 000 in prize-money and 550 QS rankings points

Event Management: The Contest Director for both events is Colin Fitch, the Operations Manager for the WSL Africa regional office – 082 699 4493 / cfitch@worldsurfleague.com

The Media Director for both events is Paul Botha of Life’s a Beach Communications – 082 423 1964 / lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theballitopro
Instagram: @theballitopro
Twitter: @TheBallitoPro
Hashtags: #EvolutionOfEpic and #TheBallitoPro

South Africa’s surf stars are ready to take on the world’s best at the 2015 Ballito Pro presented by Billabong which gets underway on Monday June 29 and runs until July 5 at Surfer’s Beach in Ballito on the KwaDukuza Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

A QS 10,000 rated event on the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS), the Ballito Pro features an elite 96-man entry of the world top ranked surfers. On offer is a total prize-purse of US $250 000 (over R3 million) and invaluable ranking points, with the winner taking home nearly R500 000 and adding 10,000 points to his season’s tally.

The quality the entry for this year’s event is evident as just two South African surfers, Jordy Smith (Durban) and Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga), qualified for the event based on their 2014 yearend rankings. Two more, Michael February (Kommetjie) and Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), have received wildcards as they are the highest placed local surfers on the 2015 QS rankings.

Another 17 locals will be aiming for one of the spots allocated to the top two placed surfers in the Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong where they are in a 32-man lineup that includes 15 highly rated international competitors on Sunday 28 June.

Smith, who injured his knee while free-surfing outside the contest arena, has been following a strenuous rehabilitation programme and returned to his hometown from his new home in California earlier this week. The current No. 18 on the elite Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour (CT) and 2010 Ballito event winner glad to be back surfing and is looking forward to his first competition heat after the injury.

“I tore the meniscus and capsule in my knee, but it’s recovered now and it feels great to back in the water,” Smith said. “It’s a great time of year to be home and I’m just looking to gain some confidence surfing again. It’s all about winning the first heat and it’s going to be a blast for sure. I love coming home.”

De Vries is placed 63rd on the QS rankings and, having grown up on the KwaDukuza coast, will have massive hometown support in his bid clinch the honours in an event that he is highly motivated to win.

“The Ballito Pro is one event I really, really want to win, it’s really special for me’ de Vries said. “Every year it comes around I think I’m going to be nervous, but I end up feeling good. I went to school with the guys from Ballito so there are familiar faces on the beach supporting me. I’m surfing lots, I’ve got good boards and this last week my friend Davey Cathels from Australia has been staying with me and we’ve been training together, so I’m fit and ready.”

After a career best runner-up finish in the QS 3,000 Martinique Pro in April, February is the country’s highest QS ranked surfer at No. 58 and is happy to earn a wildcard directly into the Ballito Pro. The lanky 22 year-old’s distinctive yet versatile style that combines powerful rail turns with progressive aerial manoeuvres is tailor made for the wide range of surf conditions the competitors are likely to face during the seven day event.

“It’s super important to get a wildcard as the trials are pretty hectic this year with a combination of internationals and locals,” February said. “I’m guaranteed points now and can focus on the main event and not the trials, so that’s going to help a lot. I’ve also been to Ballito plenty of times so I’m comfortable in the waves and I’ve been spending plenty time in the water and I’m surf fit and looking forward to the event.”

This year’s Ballito Pro features 15 of the world’s top 34 surfers on the elite CT headed by rookie sensation Italo Ferreira (BRA), the current world No. 8. Other standouts are 2014 winner Tim Reyes and fellow American Kolohe Andino, last year’s runner-up Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Hawaiians Sebastian Zietz and Dusty Payne and a strong contingent of Brazilians including Miguel Pupo, Wiggolly Dantas and Jadson Andre.

Jeremy Flores (FRA), 10th in the CT rankings and the runaway leader in the QS rankings, withdrew from the event today after suffering serious facial injuries in a wipe-out while on a free-surfing trip in Indonesia.

David van Zyl (Durban), Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) and Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) lead the South African challenge in the Ballito Pro Trials. Along with juniors like Salt Rock local Shane Sykes, Matthew McGillivray (Jeffreys Bay) and Adin Masencamp (Strand), they will be hoping to grab one of the trialists spots in the main event.

The KwaDukuza Municipality in partnership with Surfing South Africa (SSA) and the WSL has identified the Ikusasa Kwezinkanyezi (Future Stars) surfing development and support program as the CSI component of the annual Ballito Pro going forward. This year the project will involve five surfers from the SSA transformation program.

Ntando Msibi, Sifiso Mhlongo and Avuyile Ndamase (all Durban) and Joshe Faulkner (Jeffreys Bay) will be competing as wildcards in the Ballito Pro Trials while Samkelisiwe Cele (Durban) will become the first Zulu girl to compete in a WSL event when she participates in the Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong

The competitors in the Ballito Pro will also be competing for valuable specialty prizes in the Monster Energy Expression Session presented by Zigzag and the Monster Energy Wave of the Week presented by Zigzag which will reward the respective winners with R20 000 and R25 000 each. See more details at https://theballitopro.com/expression-session/

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and extreme sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring an
extreme sports programme, the Coastal Living Bru Food & Wine Festival and an exciting retail area while the Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

While the surf action heats up the day, The Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM and Crush Nightclub and Big Night Out after parties will light up the night. Taking their cue from the world class surfing event’s theme for the year, ‘The Ballito Pro Version 20.15 – The Evolution of Epic’, Tropika and 5FM have joined this legendary event and are bringing some of SA’s hottest musical acts and DJ’s to rock out on the Salt Rock stage for three nights of non-stop music from 2-4 July.

Tropika are title sponsors of the Free Music Concerts this year, bringing their own unique smoooth and fresh flavour to the successful music event. “After nearly 30 years in the South African market, Tropika is searching for partnerships that support the brand as it continuously grows at an innovative pace. The Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts is a partnership that is in true spirit of the Tropika brand. It’s smoooth, fresh and cool. It’s the white beaches, palm trees swaying in a balmy breeze and sunny days that go on and on. And what better way to celebrate this by supporting a line up of exceptionally talented South African musicians while sipping a Tropika,” explains Miantha Padayachee, Brand Group Manager for Tropika.

“We will be ‘living loud’ together with Tropika and 5FM at the Free Music Concerts this year and we are very excited to present an epic line up. We welcome you all to come along, take up your spot on the beach under the stars at Salt Rock Beach and celebrate the stellar selection of top SA talent with us, totally free. It’s time to ‘Live loud’ and be proud,” said the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong coordinator, Collette Bundy.

5FM is famous for being the music authority. “The station offers its listeners the best in music and entertainment, the finest DJs and the station has the biggest on air personalities in the business. Our partnership with The  Ballito Pro presented by Billabong enables 5FM to entrench what we are famous for. Three continuous nights of the hottest free concerts set against a backdrop of beautiful beach settings. This speaks to 5FM’s brand essence of Living Loud! 5FM can also offer ways for the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong’s brand to Live Loud; 5FM has planned two live broadcasts from the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong and through our strong digital and social media presence we can promote our participation in the event,” says Natalie Frank, 5FM’s Marketing Manager.

Music fans are in for an impressive line-up on Thursday, 2 July with stars like multi-talented rappers Riky Rick and K.O and the dynamic DJ Milkshake performing audience favourites on the The League of Loud night. One of 5FM’s most popular DJs, Poppy Ntshongwana, will anchor the first concert night, introducing additional high energy performances by the talented Benny Maverick and the popular DJ Tira.

Crowds can expect pop, rock and dance tunes to reverberate the Salt Rock air on Friday, 3 July with the 5FM Live on Stage evening MC’d by 5FM’s Stephanie B. Musical acts include the acoustic duo The Kickstands, local indie musician Majozi and the wildly popular electro folk singer-songwriter, Matthew Mole. Party favourites Desmond & the Tutus and live electronic act The Kiffness continue to heat the evening up with their fun and catchy tunes. SAMA award winners Gangs of Ballet are also set to rock the Ballito Pro stage with their unique blend of alternative, melodic, anthemic and electronic sounds. DJ duo Pascal & Pearce end off the evening with some delicious beats guaranteed to get everyone grooving on the dance floor.

5FM DJs take centre stage on the final night of the free music concerts with the 5FM Live Loud party on Saturday, July 4. MC’d by 5FM’s on-air favourite DJ Nick Hamman, the night kicks off with the Battle of The DJ competition winner with MsCosmo shaking up the audience with her hip hop tunes. Dance fans are also in for a treat with 5FM’s Nicole da Silva and DJ Warras who are ready to entertain with their fresh mixes. Ensuring that the Free Music Concerts are all about living loud and being epic, the three night musical extravaganza will close with the extremely popular radio personality Roger Goode’s dance tunes and the sounds of one of South Africa’s most loved and diverse DJs, Euphonik.

The party doesn’t end on the stage as Crush Nightclub and Big Night Out, the official after party venue for The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, will continue each night’s music celebrations late into the night. Partygoers can look forward to exciting battle of the DJ contests, bar flaring competitions and of course, out of this world after parties.

The free Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM and Crush Nightclub and Big Night Out forms part of The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, the world’s longest professional surfing event and lifestyle festival from June 29 to July 5.

The Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM Lineup:

July 2 – 5FM THE LEAGUE OF LOUD
16h00 – Dj Comp Winner
17h00 – DJ Feel
18h00 – Benny Maverick
19h00 – Riky Rick
20h00 – K.O *
21h00 – Dj Tira
22h00 – Dj Milkshake *
MC – 5fm POPPY *

July 3 – 5FM LIVE ON STAGE
16h00 – The Kickstands 4pm
17h00 – Majozi 5pm
18h00 – Matthew Mole 6pm
19h00 – Desmond And The Tutus 7pm
20h00 – Gangs of Ballet 8pm
21h00 – The Kiffness 9pm
22h00 – Pascal and Pearce 10pm
MC – 5fm Stephanie B

July 4 – 5FM LIVE LOUD
16:00 & 17:00 Dj Comp Winner
18h00 – Ms Cosmo
19h00 – Nicole Da Silva
20h00 – Dj Warrus
21h00 – Euphonik
22h00 – Roger Goode
MC – 5Fm Nick Hamman

After parties at Crush
June 29 – Battle of DJ – Qualifying round
June 30 – Battle of DJs
July 1 – The Ballito Pro Annual Flare Competition
July 2 – The Ballito Pro Music Concert after Party – 5FM Milkshake
July 3 – The Ballito Pro Music Concert After Party – Pascal & Pearce
July 4- The Ballito Pro Music Concert After Party – 5FM Roger Goode & Euphonik

South Africa’s top surfers, young and old, are excited about competing in the Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong, the first internationally rated women’s surfing event to be staged in the country since 2009.

A World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000 event, the Ballito Women’s Pro will be run at Willard Beach in KwaDukuza on Sunday June 28 with a total prize-purse of R30 000 and invaluable QS rankings points on offer.

Tanika Hoffman from Hout Bay, the highest QS ranked surfer amongst the 18 women entered, has already competed in four events in China, Australia and New Zealand this year and is enthusiastic about competing in her home country.

“I love to compete locally and even though I’m not from Durban I am familiar with the waves in Ballito,” Hoffman said. “It’s great that all of South Africa’s top best surfers have entered and the event is going to tightly contested. Hopefully the Ballito Women’s Pro will be a stepping stone towards more and bigger QS events for women being run here.”

Heather Clark from Port Shepstone, the most experienced competitor in the lineup, was the undisputed ‘Queen of SA surfing’ while competing at the highest international levels of the sport from the 1990’s until the mid 2000’s. She is the only entrant who participated in the last QS event held in South Africa and cannot wait to get back into a competition vest.

“I’m actually so excited to be competing again and even though many of the other girls will be half my age, surfing against younger girls makes me really up my game,” Clark said.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time in the water so my fitness levels are right up there and my goal is to finish better than the equal 9th place result I got when the event had to be called off in 2009 because the surf was dangerously big. I can’t wait and hope that the waves will be good for the event.”

Another competitor who reached the top echelons of surfing is Nikita Robb from East London, who qualified among the world’s top 17 women on the elite Championship Tour (CT) in 2010 and now works as a surf tour guide.

“I’m physically ready as I’ve been doing lots of surfing and training,” Robb said. “There is a good variety of surfers in the event, from very experienced to rookies. I think the local girls will have the upper-hand because of their local wave knowledge so I’ll be going to Ballito early to get used to the waves at the contest venue.”

Locals will be cheering for Sophie Bell and Jade Mets from Salt Rock along with Teal Hogg from Umhlanga. Others in contention for a podium finish include former QS campaigner Faye Zoetmulder (Port Elizabeth), Heidi Palmboom (Bluff), the Smith sisters, Emma and Gina from Jeffreys Bay, and Chrystal Hulett (St Francis Bay). Promising young Durban talent Samukeliswe Cele will be making her first appearance in an internationally rated event.

The format for the Ballito Women’s Pro sees a four-person trials heat where the top two finishers will advance to the Quarterfinals of the main event.

The Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong will be run on the same day as the women’s event with a field of 32 men. The top two finishers in the trials will qualify for the elite 96-man field in the R3 million Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, a QS 10,000 rated contest that runs from June 29 to July 5 at Willard Beach.

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and extreme sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring an
extreme sports programme, the Coastal Living Bru Food & Wine Festival and an exciting retail area while Big Night Out and 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

Extreme sports enthusiasts have a host of thrilling attractions to look forward to at the popular surfing and lifestyle festival, The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong. Festival goers can leap off the SevensevenSports bagjump, watch the Le Riche Brothers break out some impressive motocross moves and be part of the surreal 2nd Lunar Project Event.

An absolute must for anyone looking for their next adrenalin rush, the SevensevenSports bagjump is a big air discipline that involves leaping off a six meter high tower onto a custom made stunt airbag. As one of South Africa’s newest extreme sports, and definitely a first for the coastal town of Ballito, bagjumping is certainly not for the faint-hearted. It’s also not just a spectator sport and from July 2 to July 5 the whole family can experience the heart stopping free fall feeling of bagjumping.

“We are excited to bring a new element for all adrenaline junkies to The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong this year. If you have ever wanted to know what it’s like to be a real life stuntman or stuntwoman- bagjumping is definitely not to be missed!” said Eben Combrinck, from SevensevenSports Bagjump.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong wouldn’t be complete without some death-defying motocross stunts from famous motocross duo, The Le Riche Brothers. As two of South Africa’s best trail bike riders Brent and Bruce Le Riche have been wowing festival crowds for three years with their powerful freestyle motocross displays. Together they hold a plethora of South African titles as well as multiple US national round wins and spectators can catch the wildly popular event from July 2 to July 5 in the Extreme Sports Park.

On Thursday July 2 from 6:30pm until 9pm skateboarders and spectators are invited to the 2nd Lunar Projects Event in collaboration with the Mamba Skate Park and organised by Peg Lunar Projects. The action filled evening of technical racing will take place at Eden Village in Salt Rock and is set in a jungle of trees, complete with techni-coloured lasers and pumping music. Entry is open to all but pre-registration for racers must be done at mambaskate.com.

The Extreme Sports Park forms part of The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, the world’s longest professional surfing event and epic beach and lifestyle festival taking place in Ballito from June 29 to July 5.

Bursting with an assortment of foodie experiences Coastal Living Bru Food and Wine Exhibition (June 30- July 2), which runs concurrently with The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, returns to La Montagne Resort in Ballito for three nights of fine wining and dining and quality fashion and lifestyle entertainment.
“Coastal Living Bru is about celebrating and showcasing the very best cuisine the North Coast has to offer. We are very proud of our local restaurants, chefs, food and beverage artisans and proudly showcase their talents at our three night celebration of food and wine. Come and join us for glass of wine and an exquisite bite to eat whilst being entertained in an idyllic outdoor setting under the stars overlooking the lapping waves of the seas below, “ said Collette Bundy, coordinator of the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong.

The popular culinary event hosts a number of exciting cooking competitions, including the tightly contested ‘Fleur du Cap So You Think You Can Cook Ballito Style’. A crowd favourite the pro chef competition pairs together professional and amateur chefs to prepare a mouth-watering dish from mystery box ingredients, with the contest culminating in an exciting finale on July 2. Chefs have to cook to the theme ‘liquid motion – evolution of epic’, and impress the panel of expert judges. Prizes include a Smeg appliance to the value of R20 000 and a marketing and publicity package from Caxton Magazines for the pro chef and a R5000 Hirsch voucher and cash prize of R10 000 for the amateur chef.

Another popular cooking competition is the Fine Young Cooks Awards. A group of budding young chefs are paired together with students from the International Hotel School to rustle up a delicious dish to impress the judges and hopefully win themselves some amazing prizes. The three night competition will have a four teams competing each night with a winner announced every night.

Catering to the more culinary-minded other foodie highlights at the three night event include a restaurant, coffee and wine showcase, a wine auction, live entertainment and the opportunity to sample the best culinary delights of KwaZulu-Natal has to offer at the artisanal food and beverage market. With sponsorship from the Lifestyle Centre and some of their Foodies Market traders the market will offer the best in organic vegetables, free range eggs, meat cheeses, sauces, fresh baked goods, ice-cream and so much more.

Coastal Living Bru visitors will once again be treated to a fashion extravaganza, with the spotlight falling brightly on the bevy of beauties gracing the glittering catwalks as part of The Miss Ballito Pageant. A Rotary Club of Zimbali initiative the pageant not only equips young ladies to excel at life but raises money for local charities too. Other exciting attractions include a fashion show and designer and dance extravaganza.

A brand new addition to this year’s event is the Monster Beach Surf Movie Night on July 1. Hosted by popular personality Kai Linder the epic movie night is bringing the beach to the big screen with a range of impressive movie titles including, Cluster, Strange Rumblings in Shangri La, and My Road Series. The movie night will be free to the public but seats are on a first come first served basis.

The Coastal Living Bru Food and Wine Exhibition forms part of The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, the world’s longest professional surfing event and epic beach and lifestyle festival taking place in Ballito from June 29 to July 5.

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