The coveted third wildcard into the 2010 Billabong Pro J-Bay will be allocated to the winner of the VonZipper Superheat, a four-man encounter at Supertubes to be run just prior to the first heat of the main event.

The two South Africans in the VZ Superheat – Jeffreys Bay locals Ryan Payne and Dale Staples – are featured in Webisode 6 now available for viewing on www.billabongpro.com, the official website of Africa’s most prestigious and lucrative surfing event.

Payne earned his right to a slot in the VonZipper Superheat, and a crack at the prized wildcard, by winning the locals-only Xcel Pro Showdown at Supertubes in pumping surf in May, proving his undisputed dominance of the break for the second successive year. The 27 year-old from nearby St Francis Bay is super excited about being given the chance to match his talent against the world’s best surfers at what he calls ‘300 metres of the greatest right-hand point break you can get’.

Staples, 19, and also from St Francis Bay, is one of the leaders of the pack of red-hot South African Pro Junior surfers currently making their mark on local and international surfing. With a repertoire of powerful turns and superior tube-riding skills, Staples’ surfing is tailor-made for Supers and he explains how amped he is to be in the event.

The two South Africans will take on emerging international stars and Billabong team riders Heath Joske (AUS) and Keanu Asing (HAW) in the VZ Superheat with just the winner awarded the final wildcard to take on one of the top three seeds in the 2010 Billabong Pro J-Bay!

The www.billabongpro.com website features heaps of content including background information, news, photos and videos and will provide LIVE coverage of all the action during the event using multiple camera angles, slow motion replays, real-time scoring, commentary in English and Portuguese, email messages to the commentators, interactive competitions and video-on-demand highlights of previous heats.

The Billabong Pro J-Bay is scheduled for 15-25 July 2010 at the internationally renowned Supertubes surf break in Jeffreys Bay. The event is stop No. 4 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the series of events that determines the annual ASP World Surfing Champion, and the field comprises the world’s top 45 ranked professional surfers along with three wildcards.

The 2010 Billabong Pro J-Bay is proudly supported by Eastern Cape Tourism, Virgin Atlantic, Monster Energy, Vida e Caffe, Corona and Tavcor

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Issued on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa
Contact: Brendon Kegel
Telephone: +27 (0) 42 200 2747
Email: brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

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