SOMEWHERE, Indonesia (Tuesday, July 29, 2008) - The Rip Curl Pro Search, stop No. 6 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, has announced that swell is set to pulse "somewhere" in Indonesia for a potential Day 1 start of this year's event.
Surfline, official forecasters for the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search event, have indicated that the region in Indonesia is expected to see solid surf in the double-overhead to triple-overhead range from a Southwest swell on the opening day of competition, Wednesday, July 30, 2008.
Kelly Slater (USA), eight-time ASP World Champion and current ratings leader on the 2008 ASP World Tour, has won an impressive four out of five events this season and is eager to get the Rip Curl Pro Search event underway should the swell deliver.
"
It's always exciting to come somewhere new and have swell be on the horizon," Slater said. "
Things have gone really well for me this season, but my luck will run out sooner or later and I'll need to put some hard work in. I think the points don't really reflect how close it really is and the title race is far from over."
Mick Fanning (AUS), defending ASP World Champion and former winner of the Rip Curl Pro Search event (2005), is current sitting 4th on the ASP World Tour ratings and will be one of the marquee athletes to perform at this year's venue.
"
Each year, it's exciting to find out where the Rip Curl Pro Search event is going to be held," Fanning said. "
I've been here a few times before and the waves and the locals and the culture are all fantastic and I'm really looking forward to starting the event."
Komang "Gogo" Suijaya (IDN), winner of the ISC Padang Cup and wildcard into the Rip Curl Pro Search Somewhere, will face Slater and Timmy Reyes (USA) in the opening round of competition.
"
To be awarded the wildcard into the Rip Curl Pro Search is just a dream," Suijaya said. "
To be competing against my heroes like Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater and Pancho Sullivan is really exciting and I hope we get great waves."
Suijaya will join fellow wildcards Owen Wright (AUS) and I Made Garut Widiart (IDN) and Bruno Santos (BRA) against the world's best surfers when competition commences.
Jordy Smith (ZAF), former ASP World Junior Champion and current No. 16 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, has had a mixed bag of results this season, most recently securing an equal 9th in South Africa.
"
I'm not really too concerned with results at this point," Smith said. "
Rookie of the Year would be cool, but it's my first year on the ASP World Tour and I'm just learning a lot. I haven't been to lots of the places on tour so it's cool to go and check out the waves and the culture and the scene."
The location for this year's Rip Curl Pro Search event is
another spot that Smith is infamiliar with, but the powerful
natural-footer will look to consolidate in Indonesia.
"
I've only been to this year's Search venue once before and it was about one-foot when I went," Smith said. "
It's a sick spot though and I know they've had waves the past few weeks so hopefully it will pump for the event."
The waiting period for the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Seach begins tomorrow, Wednesday, July 30, 2008 and extends through to August 10, 2008.
The event will be webcast LIVE via
http://live.ripcurl.com/For more information, log onto
www.aspworldtour.comRIP CURL PRO SEARCH ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Jay Thompson (AUS), Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA)
Heat 2: Bobby Martinez (USA), Damien Hobgood (USA), Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Pancho Sullivan (HAW), Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 4: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Jihad Khodr (BRA)
Heat 5: Andy Irons (HAW), Dane Reynolds (USA), Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Roy Powers (HAW), Ricky Basnett(ZAF)
Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Jordy Smith (ZAF), Bruno Santos (BRA)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA), Tim Reyes (USA), Komang ŨogoSuijaya(IDN)
Heat 9: Mick Fanning (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA), Owen Wright (AUS)
Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS), Bruce Irons (HAW), I Made Garut Widiart (IDN)
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Chris Ward (USA), Ben Bourgeois (USA)
Heat 12: Kai Otton (AUS), Ben Dunn (AUS), Royden Bryson (ZAF)
Heat 13: Luke Stedman (AUS), Luke Munro (AUS), Daniel Wills (AUS)
Heat 14: Dean Morrison (AUS), Mick Campbell (AUS), Leonardo Neves (BRA)
Heat 15: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 16: Dayyan Neve (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Mikael Picon (FRA)
CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 5210 points
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 3948 points
3. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 3782 points
4. Mick Fanning (AUS) 3753 points
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 3638 points
6. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 3540 points
7. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 3460 points
8. Andy Irons (HAW) 3338 points
9. Bobby Martinez (USA) 3028 points
10. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 2884 points
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