Billabong Pro 2008 | Jeffreys Bay | July 10th - July 20th

5 July 2008 2 Comments

Billabong Pro 2008 Jeffreys Bay Poster

The eyes of the surfing world will be firmly fixed on Jeffreys Bay during July as the world’s best surfers go to work on the universally renowned waves during the R2.3 million (US $320 000) Billabong Pro, the fifth of 11 events on the 2008 ASP World Surfing Tour.

About the event

Supertubes (pictured below), Jbay’s premiere surfing spot, is the venue for the 24th edition of what has become Africa’s most prestigious and lucrative surfing tournament, is unanimously acknowledged as one of the planet’s top 10 high performance surf breaks.

Supertubes, Jeffreys Bay

Add the talent of the world’s 45 highest ranked surfers, including 8X World Champion and current run-away ratings leader Kelly Slater (Florida), reigning World Champion Mick Fanning, defending event champion Taj Burrow (AUS) and former 3X World Champion Andy Irons (Hawaii).

Then stir in a mixture of the planet’s A-list surf journalists, photographers and videographers national and global distribution of TV footage of each day’s action saturation coverage on websites and webcasts featuring live video images and scoring accompanied by expert commentary in English, Spanish. Portuguese and French.

The result is hundreds of thousands of surf fans worldwide logging millions of page impressions on www.billabongpro.com around the clock between July 10 – 20 while following the fortunes of their favourite surfers via live and recorded action from the event site.

Jefferys Bay Map in South Africa

The Billabong Pro has an 11 day waiting period – July 10 to 20 – but only requires four full days of competition to determine a champion, giving the organisers the luxury of being able to choose the best possible conditions in which to run the contest and ensuring cutting edge performances by the world’s best surfers.

Eight-time ASP World Champion and current World No. 1 Kelly Slater (USA) holds a substantial ratings lead over the rest of the world’s top 44 surfers heading into the R2.4 million Billabong Pro in Jeffreys Bay, the fifth of 11 stops on the 2008 ASP World Tour and the only event of this status on the African continent.

“JBay has been one of my best events,” Slater said. “I’ve had three wins out there, but it’s obviously a good event for Taj [Barrow], a good event for Parko [Joel Parkinson], a good event for Andy [Irons] and it suits Bede [Durbidge] really well.

“Without a doubt, JBay is one of my favorite waves on tour,” Parkinson said. “I am looking forward to surfing there again - it is a special place and I am going to be giving it my all this year.”

The SA contingent

The South African challenge is headed by World No. 19 Jordy Smith (pictured below) from Durban. Now in his rookie year as a full time ASP World Tour member, Smith exploded onto the world stage at the Billabong Pro J-Bay as an 18 year-old in 2006. Gaining entrance to the event via the VonZipper Wildcard Trials, he cut a swathe through the top contenders on his way to the semi-finals and equal 3rd place in his first World Tour event.

Jordy Smith

Smith will be joined by fellow Durbanite Travis Logie, a four-year veteran at this level, and second year campaigners Royden Bryson (East London) and Ricky Basnett (Bluff). All three are determined to take advantage of their intimate knowledge of Supertubes to post good results and boost their ratings.

The Billabong Pro will be preceded by the VonZipper Wildcards Trials which pit eight SA rising stars against four internationals in three heats, with the winner of each heat earning a wildcard into the main event and the opportunity to test their skills against the world’s best surfers.

The SA contingent comprises WQS campaigners Warwick Wright (Durban) and Damien Fahrenfort (Kommetjie), freesurfer and J-Bay local Shaun Payne (Cape St Francis) and Pro Junior stars Rudy Palmboom Jnr (Bluff), Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit), Chad du Toit (Durban), Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) and Dale Staples (St Francis Bay).

They will be hard pressed by the internationals who include 1984 J-Bay champ and 1999 ASP World Champion Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo (AUS) and the exciting talents of ISA U16 World Champion and runner-up, Tamaroa McComb (TAH) and Peterson Crisanto (BRA) respectively, with the fourth trialist yet to be named.

Watch every heat online!

The Billabong Pro will be webcast LIVE on www.aspworldtour.com and www.billabongpro.com featuring multiple camera angles, scores, expert commentary in four languages from the likes of 1977 World Champion Shaun Tomson, Dino Andino and the always lively Greg ‘GT’ Tomlinson.

Previous Billabong Pro Jbay Winners

2007: Taj Barrow
2006: Mick Fanning (AUS)
2005: Kelly Slater (USA)
2004: Andy Irons (HAW)
2003: Kelly Slater (USA)
2002: Mick Fanning (AUS)
2001: Jake Paterson (AUS)
2000: Jake Paterson (AUS)
1999: Joel Parkinson (AUS)
1998: Munga Barry (AUS)
1996: Kelly Slater (USA)
1984: Mark Occhilupo (AUS)

Current ASP 2008 Standings after 4 Events

1. Kelly Slater (USA)
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
3. Bede Durbidge (AUS)
4. Adriano de Souza (BRA)
5. Taj Burrow (AUS)
6. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
7. Mick Fanning (AUS)
8. Andy Irons (HAW)
9. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
10. Bobby Martinez (USA)
19. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
35. Royden Bryson (ZAF)
41. Travis Logie (ZAF)
45. Ricky Basnett (ZAF)

View full rating chart with points