Billabong ISA World Surfing Games
August 1-8, 2009
Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica

Pictured: Michael Hill in action Photo: Watts / ISA

The South African surfing team moved back into contention for a medal in the team event after Day 6 of the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in Costa Rica thanks to strong performances by Longboard surfers Justin Bing and Michael Hill along with Open surfer Brandon Jackson.

Team SA, which is supported by a grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF), moved up to fourth place in the team standings behind current runaway leaders USA, second placed Hawaii and Australia in third. The elimination of team members from France, Brazil and host nation Costa Rica in the Longboard and Open repecharge heats saw those teams slip back to occupy fifth to seventh positions respectively.

Bing (Noordhoek) and Hill (St Francis Bay) started their campaigns in spectacular style on Wednesday, both posting easy Round 1 victories before the pair were relegated to the repecharge rounds when they placed third in their respective Round 2 heats.

Facing seven grueling rounds without finishing lower than second in their heats to reach the final, the pair have already successfully negotiated their way through three rounds and are now amongst the last 16 Longboarders left in the event. They face another strenuous day in the rising swell at Playa Hermosa on Friday when Repecharge Rounds 5 to 7 are on the schedule.

Jackson (Durban North), SA’s sole remaining competitor in the Open men’s division, lost out in the last minute of his Round 4 Qualifying stream heat on Thursday, slipping to third place behind former ASP World Tour Campaigner Ben Bourgeois (USA), the convincing winner, and Gabriel Villaran (PER) who slotted into a neat tube-ride with 30 seconds remaining to grab second spot.

However, Jackson immediately redeemed himself with a creditable second place showing behind Miguel Pupo (BRA) in Round 6 of the Repecharges to reach the last 16 in the men’s division.

The women have not competed for the past two days and when they resume action later today Rosanne Hodge and Nikita Robb, both from East London, will be up against USA standout Courtney Conlogue and former ASP and ISA World champion Sofia Mulanovich (PER) in Qualifying Round 4. The SA girls are already guaranteed top 12 finishes in the event but will be aiming for higher honours with Hodge hoping to better the bronze medal earned at the corresponding event in the USA in 2006.

All the action can be followed live via webcasts on www.billabongpro.com/isa09 which also provides news, full results, videos, photos and more. Costa Rica is eight hours behind South Africa with heats expected to start around 4pm CAT.

Ends

About Surfing South Africa (SSA)

Surfing South Africa is recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and the International Surfing Association (ISA) as the governing body for surfriding in South Africa.

Six provincial organisations and three national associations are affiliated to Surfing South Africa which coordinates and manages all aspects of surfriding from grass roots level through to the selection of National teams.

About the International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for surfing, bodyboarding and surfriding.  It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running World Championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Pictured: 73 surfers successfully ride the same wave at Muizenberg in 2006 to set a new Guinness World Record that led to Kahuna Promotions challenging organisations worldwide and the creation of Earthwave
Photo: Jim McLagan / Argus

EARTHWAVE
Global surfing and sustainable lifestyle event
Sunday 4 October 2009

Third edition of Earthwave goes global on 4 October 2009

The third annual edition of Earthwave, the global environmental initiative that harnesses the huge interest surrounding attempts to break Guinness World Records (GWR) for surfing to promote sustainable lifestyle choices, is scheduled to take place on the beaches of the world on Sunday 4 October 2009.

Each event will stage an attempt on the GWR for the ‘most surfers riding one wave simultaneously’ and use the publicity to highlight the effects of climate change and showcase the products and services that are becoming available to reduce our impact on the environment.

“We are really looking forward to Earthwave 2009 and will be going all-out at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg to re-capture the Guinness World Record currently held by Earthwave Brazil,” says Paul Botha from Kahuna Promotions, who co-founded the event in 2006 with his son Dene at the iconic Cape Town surfbreak.

“Earthwave has evolved from our original attempt in 2006 when we successfully set a new record of 73 surfers on one wave while staging a debate on sharks and raising over R10 000 for the then fledgling Shark Spotters program. We will be collaborating with environmental organisations to try and run a ‘Green’ event that provides everyone with a couple of fun days at the beach while promoting lifestyle choices that will benefit the planet.”

Acknowledging the immense popularity of the original event, which attracted 349 participants and thousands of spectators, and its potential as a forum for change, Earthwave went global in 2007 when similar events were staged on the same day in Australia, Reunion Island, England, Brazil, Argentina, Tahiti and South Africa.

Inspired by Nobel Laureate Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth”, each event promoted awareness of Global Warming and climate change. Earthwave Brazil broke the GWR that year, upping the ante to 84 before shattering it again in 2008, raising the bar to an incredible 100 surfers on one wave which received worldwide news and TV coverage.

This year Earthwave South Africa will be expanded to a two-day event on Saturday and Sunday, 3 & 4 October, with a marquee tent on Muizenberg beach housing exhibits, demonstrations and promotions of environmentally friendly products and services. The program will include Longboard and Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) contests with the Guinness World Record attempt set for Sunday afternoon alongside plenty of spectator friendly events like Dig For Gold, sandcastle building and raffles to raise funds for worthy causes.

Earthwave Brazil have confirmed they will be going even bigger, running a three-day event with longboarding and SUP at Quebra Mar in Santos, while details of other events around the globe are still coming in. Interest in running Earthwave events has been received from as far afield as New Zealand, Fiji, Japan, Portugal, Holland, the USA and more.

Previously endorsed by organisations such as the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Surfrider Foundation, whose Argentina chapter ran the event there in 2007, Earthwave invites surfing and environmental organisations worldwide to participate in this global initiative that addresses the most important issue facing mankind today.

Earthwave is the first event of its kind to be run worldwide on the same day, providing the opportunity for stand up surfers of every age and ability and on any equipment to celebrate their lifestyle and make a statement about reducing their impact on the environment.

The event provides unlimited sponsorship opportunities for companies and organisations keen on promoting their environmental credentials or simply wanting to showcase their products and services to a receptive audience and through the saturation media coverage.

See the Earthwave group on Facebook for more information or www.earthwave2007.com for highlights of previous year’s events, where you can sign up for future newsletters. A new website at www.earthwave.info is under construction.

Contact kahunasurf@mweb.co.za for further information on the Earthwave global surfing and sustainable lifestyles event and how to become part of this global movement.

/ends

Issued on behalf of:

Company: Kahuna Promotions
Contact: Paul Botha
Email:  kahunasurf@mweb.co.za

Compiled & Issued by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za