13 July 2008 Surfers explores the area

Surf stars explore Eastern Cape while Billabong Pro on hold at Jeffreys Bay
Jeffreys Bay (Sunday, July 13, 2008) – Many of the world’s best surfers are out exploring the splendours of the Eastern Cape while the R2.4 million Billabong Pro remains on standby waiting for Supertubes at Jeffreys Bay to again produce the waves for which it is globally renowned.
The spectacular surfing action on Thursday and Friday saw Rounds 1 and 2 of the event completed in what has been referred to as the best surf in the past two years on the ASP World Tour. The small waves currently on offer and the prospect of much better conditions in the week ahead has prompted the organisers to utilise the event’s 11 day waiting period that extends until Sunday 20 July.
Contest Director Mike Parsons needs only two more days of competition to determine the 2008 Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay champion and will make the next call on whether to resume the contest at 7am on Monday morning.
The cloudless skies and light winds created by the high pressure system covering the southern tip of the continent has encouraged the surfers, their sponsors and the dozens of A-list local and international surf media to get out and about at the only stop on the 11 event ASP World Tour where they can see the Big Five animals and record Africa vistas or participate in adrenaline generating activities.
Groups have set out for destinations between Mossel Bay to the West and Port Alfred to the East, approximately 500 Kms apart, to experience township tours, visit game parks, cuddle lion cubs, try the world’s highest commercial bungi jump, slide through the tree tops or go fishing, play golf or visit casinos.
Those following the event can still see the action from the opening two days of competition at www.billabongpro.com where the WTA section showcases the two incredible rides by Taylor Knox that have the American firmly established as the favourite to win the custom handcrafted Nixon timepiece valued at US $10 000 (approx. R78 000).
The Nixon WTA is a winner takes all competition run with different criteria at four of the premier stops on the ASP World Tour. With rides of 9.90 and 9.80, Knox’s heat tally of 19.70 out of 20 on Day 1 will be extremely difficult to beat, although the big surf and clean offshore winds forecast for Wednesday will give the 32 surfers still in contention the opportunity to do even better.
In May, Australian Ryan Hipwood won the Nixon WTA for the Heaviest Wave at the Billabong Pro Tahiti for a bone crushing ride at Teahupoo. After the award for the Highest Heat Total at Jeffreys Bay the WTA will move on to Mundaka, Euskadi, in September where the award will go to the surfer who gets the Longest Tube Ride. The last stop of the WTA will be on the North Shore of Oahu in December and the prize will go to the overall Triple Crown winner, thus rounding out competition for the year.
When competition resumes at Jeffreys Bay, current World No. 3 Bede Durbidge (AUS) will be up against Leonardo Neves (BRA) in the first heat of Round 3. Royden Bryson (East London) and Durbanites Travis Logie and Jordy Smith are the three South Africans still in contention.
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay
Round 3 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Leonardo Neves (BRA)
Heat 2: Luke Stedman (AUS) vs. Roy Powers (HAW)
Heat 3: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Daniel Wills (AUS)
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Mick Campbell (AUS)
Heat 6: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Luke Munro (AUS)
Heat 7: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 9: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Ben Bourgeois (USA)
Heat 10: Dayyan Neve (AUS) vs. Bruce Irons (HAW)
Heat 11: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 12: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 13: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Royden Bryson (ZAF)
Heat 14: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Heat 15: Andy Irons (HAW) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 16: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Chris Ward (USA)
The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay runs from July 10-20, an 11 day waiting period in which to select the best possible conditions for the 63 heats required to determine the champion.