South Africa has landed another top international sporting event, with Quiksilver SA announcing a new six-star World Qualifying Series surfing event, the Quiksilver Pro Africa, that is expected to draw many of the world's top surfers from the World Championship Tour.

The event, with backing from Virgin Mobile, will take place from 16 to 22 April - the best time of the year for surf in Durban, where the best surfers in the world will be surfing the firing beachbreak barrels of New Pier in prime season.

Should New Pier not be optimal, the second venue is the spitting reef tubes of the famous Cave Rock. Either way, world-class waves with world-class surfers are a definite.

Raising the stakes
By securing the two best surf spots in the area, Quiksilver has raised the stakes for the event to six-star prime status.

With 3 000 valuable World Qualifying Series points for first prize as well as US$125 000 in prize money - close to R1-million at the current rate of exchange - it is an event that immediately steps up to the plate as the most important event for South African surfers to enter.

The Virgin Mobile trials are set to run on Sunday 15 April, with main event starting the next day and the event finishing on Sunday 22 April.

"We are really excited about this event," said Quiksilver South Africa marketing manager Dane Patterson. "It is going to be insane, a core international event on our doorstep focusing on quality surfing in the best waves possible. It gives South Africa's top surfers a great chance to collect some much needed WQS points without having to leave their own waters."

'Best surfers in the world'
Quiksilver SA director Barry Wolins was just as excited: "With it being a six-star prime event we are also guaranteed a large number of the top 44 surfers [in the world] competing in the event. So, along with our local surfers getting an opportunity to win those much-needed points, they also get a chance to surf against the best surfers in the world."

Greg Emslie, a long-time competitor on the elite World Championship Tour, is the highest rated South African surfer, but there are a host of up-and-coming young guns ready to challenge him, as well as the world's best, on South African shores.

Included in those ranks are a number of Durbanites in Mr Price Pro champion Ricky Basnett, ISA World Champion and World Junior Champion Jordy Smith, Dave Weare, and Travis Logie.

Cape Town's Damien Fahrenfort and Royden Bryson from East London are other up-and-comers that bear watching.

Excellent year
2006 was an excellent year for South African surfing. Besides the successes achieved by Jordy Smith, Bryson won the six-star-rated Billabong presents the Yumeya Tahara Pro in Japan, while Weare secured the five-star Rip Curl Boardmasters WQS event in Newquay, England.

Basnett's win in the Mr Price Pro was the first success for a South African in that competition in 28 years and he, like the rest of the South African challengers, will be keen to notch up another local victory as soon as possible.

Wolins is happy with the venues selected for The Quiksilver Pro Africa: "We have chosen the two best surf spots in Durban, and the contest is over a week that is known historically for producing pumping surf. Both spots could produce some serious barrels for the event."

Details on the event wildcards, as well as a list of WCT surfers who will be competing in the event, will be provided in the near future.

Source: SouthAfrica.info


Molo Says: "Read about the outcome and watch great images of another great surfing event: the Red Bull Big Wave Africa 2006 and check out our Red Bull Big Wave Africa surfing video. Also read latest news on the upcoming Red Bull Big Wave Africa 2007.

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