EARLY ROUNDS OUT OF THE WAY, TOP SEEDS UP NEXT AT MARTINIQUE SURF PRO 
- IMAIKALANI DEVAULT SCORES WAVE OF THE DAY
- JOSH BURKE TAKES A WIN FOR TEAM CARIBBEAN
- MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Tomas Tudela (PER) improvised and went left for a change.
Credit: © WSL / Poullenot

Basse-Pointe, Martinique / France (Sunday, March 18, 2018) - The Martinique Surf Proresumed on Day 2 with the remaining two heats of the women’s opening round before moving into men’s Round Two.

Whatever little confusion about conditions there was before the start, it went right out the window when Ella Williams (NZL) took off on her first wave. The kiwi surfer ripped it to pieces for a 6.83 and eventually took out the heat and a spot into the next round. Caribbean surfer Maud Le Car(FRA) took out the second heat before the men got back into the lineup for their second round.

Santiago Muniz (ARG) charged into the opening heat with a really dynamic approach in the long rights to post an impressive 15.94 out of 20. The Argentinian looked revitalized, following a year pretty much off tour rehabilitating an injury sustained at the beginning of 2017. 

“The sets were maybe a little slow to come but waves were super fun and I’m happy to be here,” Muniz said. “I love a really good right so I was stoked out there. It’s amazing to be traveling with my brother Alejo, he’s inspiring me so much and we train a lot together. There’s always a little competition between us but it’s mostly support we have for each other and I hope we can both go far in this event.”

In the following heat, Tomas Tudela (PER) took a different approach to surfing the iconic righthand point break, and actually went left. While chasing a scoring opportunity in the shifty lineup, a left popped up and Tudela opted to build speed and launch an aerial rotation, into a very shallow zone, ultimately posting an excellent 8.50 for his effort and the win.

“I wasn’t catching any waves and I saw an opportunity on that left so I took it,” Tudela reflected. “The wind was perfect for an air so I went for a good one and it paid off big time. I’m having a hard year so far so I’m stoked to make a few heats. I’ve never gone past Round Three in this event, so I’ll try to improve on that in the next one.”

Imaikalani Devault (HAW) took a more traditional approach and posted the event’s highest single-wave score so far, an impressive 9 point ride, for a big carve on a set wave and two more turns on the inside. The Hawaiian brought his signature powerful brand of surfing and looked deadly in the lineup.

“There weren’t a whole lot of waves but they were fun!” Devault said. “I caught a bigger set that came a little wide on the reef and it had a great shape and was easy to surf. I struggled to find a decent backup but I’m stoked about the result. It looks like we’re going to have bigger waves later this week so I’m looking forward to it, I definitely feel more comfortable when it’s a bit bigger coming from Hawaii.”

Barbados surfer Joshua Burke took a good win for the Caribbean team this afternoon as well, posting an excellent 8.50 of his own for a couple of big turns, ditching the fins for a reverse on the second one. Fresh off a win at the Ron Jon Quiksilver Pro in Florida, Burke carried momentum into his early heats in Martinique.

“I’m psyched to get two contests near Barbados, I don’t really have to travel it’s like a 20 minute flight to here and definitely on the budget!” Burke said. “These events definitely help raise the profile of our sport in the region, all the kids in Barbados are watching their favorite surfers on their home spot and it’s great. This wave here with a bit more size is ideal and a great place to do five or six maneuvers so I hope we’ll get good conditions for the next rounds.”

Yesterday’s top scorers Tristan Guilbaud (FRA), Lucas Vicente (BRA), Matthew McGillivray(ZAF) and Luke Hynd (AUS) all continued with their winning form and advanced into the third round of the men’s competition.

Athletes and event official will come back at 7:30 a.m Monday to reassess conditions for a potential third consecutive day of action in Martinique.

MagicSeaWeed, official forecaster of the World Surf League (WSL) European Qualifying Series (QS) give us a first overview of the conditions on hand for the event:

A mix of northerly swells and trade windswell is on tap over the weekend and through early next week. Northerly swells will ease next week as trade windswell takes over. Trade windswell will be the dominant source of surf Wednesday into next weekend

The event will be webcast LIVE on worldsurfleague.com.

For all photos, videos, news releases about the Martinique Surf Pro, visit worldsurfleague.com and the WSL app.

The Martinique Surf Pro is supported by Collectivité territoriale de Martinique, Comité Martiniquais du tourisme, CAP Nord Martinique, CCI Martinique, ville de Basse-Pointe, ADEME, Fédération Française de Surf,  Jeep, Jumbo Car, Air France, Brasserie Lorraine, Socacom, Orange, Frantzy Video, HSE, Pelage Brumisation,  Odissey Sport Santé, Assistance 97, Aqua moov, Martinique Première, RCI -NRJ , Surf Session, France Antilles, Zay Radio and MagicSeaWeed.com as official forecaster.

UPCOMING MARTINIQUE SURF PRO MEN’S ROUND 3 MATCHUPS:
Heat 1: Jorgann Couzinet (FRA), Luel Felipe (BRA), Santiago Muniz (ARG), Matthew McGillivray (ZAF) 
Heat 2: Davey Cathels (AUS), Victor Bernardo (BRA), Tomas Tudela (PER), Taichi Wakita (JPN) 
Heat 3: Nat Young (USA), Charly Martin (FRA), Juninho Urcia (PER), Nomme Mignot (FRA) 
Heat 4: Jadson Andre (BRA), Kei Kobayashi (USA), Nelson Cloarec (FRA), Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 
Heat 5: Evan Geiselman (USA), Thiago Camarao (BRA), Daiki Tanaka (JPN), Tristan Guilbaud (FRA)
Heat 6: Ricardo Christie (NZL), Noe Mar McGonagle (CRI), Reef Heazlewood (AUS), Timothee Bisso (GLP) 
Heat 7: Kiron Jabour (HAW), Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR), Imaikalani Devault (HAW), Mihimana Braye (PYF) 
Heat 8: Miguel Pupo (BRA), Alexandre Viguier (MTQ), Luke Hynd (AUS), Dimitri Ouvre (FRA) 
Heat 9: Alejo Muniz (BRA), Arthur Lassee (FRA), Andy Criere (ESP), Diego Mignot (FRA) 
Heat 10: Miguel Tudela (PER), Aritz Aranburu (ESP), Miguel Blanco (PRT), Lucas Vicente (BRA) 
Heat 11: Maxime Huscenot (FRA), Benji Brand (HAW), Jackson Baker (AUS), Ben Coffey (USA) 
Heat 12: Hiroto Ohhara (JPN), Rafael Teixeira (BRA), Joshua Burke (BRB), Joaquin Del Castillo (PER) 
Heat 13: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA), Hiroto Arai (JPN), Stevie Pittman (USA), Ruben Vitoria (EUK) 
Heat 14: Bino Lopes (BRA), Marc Lacomare (FRA), Beyrick De Vries (ZAF), Samuel Pupo (BRA) 
Heat 15: Marco Fernandez (BRA), Lucas Silveira (BRA), Lucca Mesinas (PER), Yuri Goncalves (BRA)
Heat 16: Deivid Silva (BRA), Adrien Toyon (FRA), Michael Dunphy (USA), Liam O'Brien (AUS)

UPCOMING MARTINIQUE SURF PRO WOMEN’S ROUND 2 MATCHUPS:
Heat 1: Pauline Ado (FRA), Emma Leconte (MTQ), Emily Nishimoto (JPN), Reika Noro (JPN) 
Heat 2: Isabella Nichols (AUS), Teresa Bonvalot (PRT), Meah Collins (USA), Shelby Detmers (USA) 
Heat 3: Claire Bevilacqua (AUS), Garazi Sanchez-Ortun (EUK), Camilla Kemp (PRT), Rachel Presti (USA) 
Heat 4: Mikaela Greene (AUS), Frankie Harrer (DEU), Samantha Sibley (USA), Autumn Hays (USA) 
Heat 5: Philippa Anderson (AUS), Leilani McGonagle (CRI), Sophie McCulloch (AUS), Daniela Rosas (PER) 
Heat 6: Zoe McDougall (HAW), Alessa Quizon (HAW), Melanie Giunta (PER), Neis Lartigue (FRA) 
Heat 7: Brisa Hennessy (HAW), Chelsea Tuach (BRB), Ella Williams (NZL), Julie Nishimoto (JPN) 
Heat 8: Holly Wawn (AUS), Mahina Maeda (HAW), Maud Le Car (FRA), Brianna Cope (HAW)

MARTINIQUE SURF PRO MEN’S ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Santiago Muniz (ARG) 15.94, Taichi Wakita (JPN) 13.00, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 12.17, Ryland Rubens (USA) 9.50
Heat 2: Tomas Tudela (PER) 12.97, Matthew McGillivray (ZAF) 12.20, Tom Cloarec (FRA) 10.44, Robson Santos (BRA) 8.86
Heat 3: Juninho Urcia (PER) 9.70, Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 8.67, Takuto Ohta (JPN) 8.00, Shane Campbell (AUS) 6.97
Heat 4: Nelson Cloarec (FRA) 10.27, Nomme Mignot (FRA) 9.94, Cole Houshmand (USA) 9.26, Ugo Robin (FRA) 7.67
Heat 5: Daiki Tanaka (JPN) 11.77, Timothee Bisso (GLP) 11.37, Luis Diaz (CNY) 11.37, Reo Inaba (JPN) 8.07
Heat 6: Reef Heazlewood (AUS) 12.87, Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) 12.67, Vicente Romero (ESP) 11.37, Dane MacKie (BRB) 6.20
Heat 7: Imaikalani Devault (HAW) 13.90, Dimitri Ouvre (FRA) 10.44, Gearoid McDaid (IRL) 9.63, Gatien Delahaye (FRA) 4.37
Heat 8: Luke Hynd (AUS) 11.27, Mihimana Braye (PYF) 9.87, Paul Cesar Distinguin (FRA) 9.50, Alvaro Malpartida (PER) 7.63
Heat 9: Andy Criere (ESP) 13.30, Lucas Vicente (BRA) 12.50, Leo Paul Etienne (FRA) 9.00, Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 8.47
Heat 10: Miguel Blanco (PRT) 12.77, Diego Mignot (FRA) 11.97, Yuji Mori (JPN) 9.44, Tomas Fernandes (PRT) 7.23
Heat 11: Jackson Baker (AUS) 12.06, Joaquin Del Castillo (PER) 11.23, Leandro Usuna (ARG) 9.00, Pedro Neves (BRA) 8.87
Heat 12: Joshua Burke (BRB) 13.73, Ben Coffey (USA) 10.40, Enzo Cavallini (FRA) 9.34, Marcos Correa (BRA) 4.60
Heat 13: Stevie Pittman (USA) 12.37, Samuel Pupo (BRA) 12.33, Tomas King (CRI) 11.84, Slade Prestwich (ZAF) 10.94
Heat 14: Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 14.06, Ruben Vitoria (EUK) 12.84, Che Allan (BRB) 8.87, Nicolas Chalonec (MTQ) 5.80
Heat 15: Lucca Mesinas (PER) 14.00, Liam O'Brien (AUS) 11.67, Charly Quivront (FRA) 10.74, Henrique Pyrrait (PRT) 8.27
Heat 16: Michael Dunphy (USA) 13.83, Yuri Goncalves (BRA) 12.16, Thiago Guimaraes (BRA) 10.80, Jacome Correia (PRT) 9.96

REMAINING MARTINIQUE SURF PRO WOMEN’S ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 7: Ella Williams (NZL) 11.33, Brianna Cope (HAW) 8.90, Marion Philippe (PYF) 7.87, Lucia Martino (ESP) 7.23
Heat 8: Maud Le Car (FRA) 10.47, Julie Nishimoto (JPN) 9.56, Leticia Canales Bilbao (EUK) 7.17, Eliza Greene (AUS) 7.16

FOURTH EDITION OF MARTINIQUE SURF PRO LAUNCHES IN FUN CONDITIONS 
- MEAH COLLINS RACKS UP DAY'S HIGHEST TOTAL
- MEN'S RD1 COMPLETED, WOMEN'S RD1 H7-8 REMAINING
- MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Meah Collins (USA), flowing through the sections to get into Round 2 of the Martinique Surf Pro
Credit: © WSL / Poullenot

Basse-Pointe, Martinique / France (Saturday, March 17, 2018) - The Martinique Surf Pro, Stop No. 3 on the World Surf League (WSL) European Qualifying Series, launched today in bumpy two-to-three foot surf at the iconic righthand point break of Basse-Pointe.

Surfers took on the remaining bits of a previous swell to open their campaign in Martinique. In the men’s Round One, Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) put on a solid performance to collect one of the day’s highest totals for his forehand powerful attack of the Basse-Pointe walls.

“I’m stoked to be back in Martinique,” Guilbaud said. “The previous heats were pretty stacked with waves so I expected it to get quieter for ours, but it was fun we did get a few waves each. Luis and I battled for first but there wasn’t any hassling so it was a really good heat to start things off in this event.”

Young Brazilian Lucas Vicente tore apart the sets on his backhand and won the hearts of the fans and judges with good vertical turns in the lip for the day’s highest single-wave score of 7.83. 

“I had been checking out the waves for a while before my heat and I realized the third wave of the set was the best,” Vicente analyzed. “So I sat patiently and waited to select the right one. That wave was a little bit hollower with two or three bowling sections to get vertical. I love surfing backhand so I was stoked to be here on this fun right. After a month freezing in California that’s a nice change of scenery.”

The current World No. 8 on the QS Matthew McGillivray (ZAF), and a former semifinalist in Martinique Luke Hynd (AUS) were two other qualifiers with decent scores in the opening round of the men’s event. 

The women made history today, paddling out for their first-ever round of professional surfing competition in Martinique. Conditions remained challenging with only medium-sized surf on offer and a higher tide but competitors showed the talent level they’re at with prime performances all afternoon.

Meah Collins (USA) was the highlight of the round, surfing faster and stronger than her opponents to post an impressive 14.30 heat total, the highest of the day (men and women combined). The Californian locked in multiple vertical turns and powerful carves to rack up her highest two scores.

“I felt lucky to have these waves and I’m really happy with that heat win,” Collins stated. “I have really good boards and I know that speed is a big factor so that’s something I try to work on when I’m at home. My local break is not a point break but I do have access to waves similar to this around so I feel comfortable here. I might not have come to just Barbados, but with two events back-to-back in the same zone I didn’t even think twice, this is a great opportunity to rack up points and confidence before the next big events.”

Camilla Kemp (PRT) and Samantha Sibley (USA) took out the following two heats and Sophie McCulloch (AUS) put on the second biggest total of the women’s event so far with a similar display of forehand carves on the long Basse-Pointe walls.

Event officials will reconvene at 7:30 a.m Sunday for a probable 8 a.m start with the remaining heats of the women’s opening round before deciding of the schedule for the rest of the day.

MagicSeaWeed, official forecaster of the World Surf League (WSL) European Qualifying Series (QS) give us a first overview of the conditions on hand for the event:

A mix of northerly swells and trade windswell is on tap over the weekend and through early next week. Northerly swells will ease next week as trade windswell takes over. Trade windswell will be the dominant source of surf Wednesday into next weekend

The event will be webcast LIVE on worldsurfleague.com.

For all photos, videos, news releases about the Martinique Surf Pro, visit worldsurfleague.com and the WSL app.

The Martinique Surf Pro is supported by Collectivité territoriale de Martinique, Comité Martiniquais du tourisme, CAP Nord Martinique, CCI Martinique, ville de Basse-Pointe, ADEME, Fédération Française de Surf,  Jeep, Jumbo Car, Air France, Brasserie Lorraine, Socacom, Orange, Frantzy Video, HSE, Pelage Brumisation,  Odissey Sport Santé, Assistance 97, Aqua moov, Martinique Première, RCI -NRJ , Surf Session, France Antilles, Zay Radio and MagicSeaWeed.com as official forecaster.

UPCOMING MARTINIQUE SURF PRO MEN’S ROUND 2 MATCHUPS:
Heat 1: Raoni Monteiro (BRA), Santiago Muniz (ARG), Taichi Wakita (JPN), Ryland Rubens (USA) 
Heat 2: Tomas Tudela (PER), Robson Santos (BRA), Matthew McGillivray (ZAF), Tom Cloarec (FRA) 
Heat 3: Shane Campbell (AUS), Kaito Ohashi (JPN), Juninho Urcia (PER), Takuto Ohta (JPN)
Heat 4: Nelson Cloarec (FRA), Nomme Mignot (FRA), Cole Houshmand (USA), Ugo Robin (FRA) 
Heat 5: Reo Inaba (JPN), Timothee Bisso (GLP), Daiki Tanaka (JPN), Luis Diaz (CNY) 
Heat 6: Reef Heazlewood (AUS), Vicente Romero (ESP), Tristan Guilbaud (FRA), Dane MacKie (BRB) 
Heat 7: Imaikalani Devault (HAW), Gatien Delahaye (FRA), Gearoid McDaid (IRL), Dimitri Ouvre (FRA) 
Heat 8: Mihimana Braye (PYF), Alvaro Malpartida (PER), Luke Hynd (AUS), Paul Cesar Distinguin (FRA) 
Heat 9: Tanner Hendrickson (HAW), Andy Criere (ESP), Lucas Vicente (BRA), Leo Paul Etienne (FRA) 
Heat 10: Marco Fernandez (BRA), Diego Mignot (FRA), Tomas Fernandes (PRT), Miguel Blanco (PRT) 
Heat 11: Jackson Baker (AUS), Leandro Usuna (ARG), Joaquin Del Castillo (PER), Pedro Neves (BRA) 
Heat 12: Joshua Burke (BRB), Marcos Correa (BRA), Ben Coffey (USA), Enzo Cavallini (FRA) 
Heat 13: Samuel Pupo (BRA), Tomas King (CRI), Slade Prestwich (ZAF), Stevie Pittman (USA) 
Heat 14: Beyrick De Vries (ZAF), Nicolas Chalonec (MTQ), Ruben Vitoria (EUK), Che Allan (BRB) 
Heat 15: Lucca Mesinas (PER), Liam O'Brien (AUS), Charly Quivront (FRA), Henrique Pyrrait (PRT) 
Heat 16: Michael Dunphy (USA), Thiago Guimaraes (BRA), Yuri Goncalves (BRA), Jacome Correia (PRT) 

REMAINING MARTINIQUE SURF PRO WOMEN’S ROUND 1 MATCHUPS:
Heat 7: Ella Williams (NZL), Brianna Cope (HAW), Lucia Martino (ESP), Marion Philippe (PYF) 
Heat 8: Maud Le Car (FRA), Leticia Canales Bilbao (EUK), Eliza Greene (AUS), Julie Nishimoto (JPN)

MARTINIQUE SURF PRO MEN’S ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Taichi Wakita (JPN) 11.00, Tom Cloarec (FRA) 9.90, Joh Azuchi (JPN) 9.87, Dylan Christensen (USA) 4.96
Heat 2: Matthew McGillivray (ZAF) 11.33, Ryland Rubens (USA) 10.67, Vincent Duvignac (FRA) 8.03, Eduardo Motta (BRA) 5.70
Heat 3: Juninho Urcia (PER) 10.76, Ugo Robin (FRA) 9.10, Keijiro Nishi (JPN) 7.54, Tom Sibon (MTQ) 7.46
Heat 4: Cole Houshmand (USA) 12.23, Takuto Ohta (JPN) 9.87, Eithan Osborne (USA) 9.43, Luke Dillon (GBR) 7.70
Heat 5: Daiki Tanaka (JPN) 11.33, Dane MacKie (BRB) 9.13, Chauncey Robinson (USA) 8.90, Noah Beschen (HAW) 8.34
Heat 6: Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) 12.83, Luis Diaz (CNY) 10.46, Caina Souza (BRA) 6.03, Luis Perloiro (PRT) 5.10
Heat 7: Gearoid McDaid (IRL) 12.33, Paul Cesar Distinguin (FRA) 10.50, Joao Chianca (BRA) 9.57, Adam Auffay (MTQ) 5.00
Heat 8: Luke Hynd (AUS) 12.77, Dimitri Ouvre (FRA) 11.57, Arne Bergwinkl (DEU) 9.13, Vitor Ferreira (BRA) 4.53
Heat 9: Lucas Vicente (BRA) 12.63, Miguel Blanco (PRT) 10.44, Pedro Coelho (PRT) 10.23, Yage Araujo (BRA) 8.77
Heat 10: Tomas Fernandes (PRT) 10.84, Leo Paul Etienne (FRA) 10.27, Guilhermo Satt (CHL) 9.24, Jose Gundesen (ARG) 9.10
Heat 11: Joaquin Del Castillo (PER) 12.44, Enzo Cavallini (FRA) 10.80, Tommy Coleman (USA) 10.33, Alex Maniatis (GRC) 9.07
Heat 12: Ben Coffey (USA) 12.86, Pedro Neves (BRA) 10.36, Tomas Lopez Moreno (ARG) 9.63, Arashi Kato (JPN) 8.30
Heat 13: Slade Prestwich (ZAF) 12.74, Che Allan (BRB) 11.07, Bruce MacKie (BRB) 10.07, Jacob Burke (BRB) 9.03
Heat 14: Ruben Vitoria (EUK) 10.30, Stevie Pittman (USA) 9.30, Kaiki Yamanaka (JPN) 8.90, Dwight Pastrana (PRI) 7.84
Heat 15: Charly Quivront (FRA) 13.00, Jacome Correia (PRT) 12.80, Alonso Correa (PER) 11.80, Leo Calvo (CRI) 9.47
Heat 16: Yuri Goncalves (BRA) 11.37, Henrique Pyrrait (PRT) 10.90, Shane Sykes (ZAF) 10.77, Shaun Burns (USA) 8.46

MARTINIQUE SURF PRO WOMEN’S ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Emily Nishimoto (JPN) 11.60, Shelby Detmers (USA) 8.26, Nagisa Tashiro (JPN) 8.17, Kloee Openshaw (USA) 3.76
Heat 2: Meah Collins (USA) 14.30, Reika Noro (JPN) 11.97, Shino Matsuda (JPN) 11.30, Tessa Thyssen (FRA) 8.60
Heat 3: Camilla Kemp (PRT) 11.83, Autumn Hays (USA) 10.70, Kirra Pinkerton (USA) 9.07, Pacha Luque-Light (AUS) 8.77
Heat 4: Samantha Sibley (USA) 12.33, Rachel Presti (USA) 11.33, Bailey Nagy (HAW) 10.54, Chelsea Roett (BRB) 6.56
Heat 5: Sophie McCulloch (AUS) 13.33, Neis Lartigue (FRA) 11.27, Marissa Shaw (USA) 8.33, Brittany Penaroza (HAW) 7.94
Heat 6: Melanie Giunta (PER) 11.83, Daniela Rosas (PER) 9.67, Emily Gussoni (CRI) 9.26, Tanika Hoffman (ZAF) 8.44

TOP QS TALENTS BOUND FOR CARIBBEAN LEG STARTING IN MARTINIQUE 
- MASSIVE FIELD INCLUDES  12 FORMER CT ATHLETES
- EVENT ADDS WOMEN'S QS3,000 CATEGORY
- MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Bino Lopes (BRA) has been a standout in Martinique and will be back to try to win the prestigious QS.
Credit: © WSL / Poullenot

Basse-Pointe, Martinique / France (Wednesday, March 14, 2018) - The Martinique Surf Pro, Stop No. 3 on the World Surf League (WSL) European Qualifying Series will return for a fourth edition from March 17-24, 2018. 

The event has shed light on current and future surfing talents for the past three years, offering a glimpse of the massive talent pool on the qualifying series. Past winners include former Championship Tour surfer Ricardo Christie, current World No. 15 Frederico Morais, and strong QS contender Joshua Moniz.

The highly anticipated QS3,000 in the Caribbean will add a women’s division this year and kick-off a mini-leg of its own, followed by the Barbados Surf Pro the following week.

Building its international profile over the years, the Martinique Surf Pro will once again host some of the best surfers on the planet in the paradisal setup of Basse-Pointe. The long, powerful right-hand point break has delivered epic conditions over the years, and will now feature the very best of women’s surfing as well, with 48 athletes battling up for the precious ranking points on offer.

“It’s epic to have an event there this season,” Maud Le Car stated. “I have to admit I’ve been waiting for it since the first year it came on tour. There are a lot of young girls surfing in the Caribbean and this will definitely help them get motivated by giving them a glance at professional surfing and even maybe a shot at participating.”

A total of twelve former CT athletes, men and women combined, will once again raise the performance level and push the next generation of elite tour hopefuls to bring their A-game for a shot at the precious ranking points.

The event will be webcast LIVE on worldsurfleague.com.

For all photos, videos, news releases about the Martinique Surf Pro, visit worldsurfleague.com and the WSL app.

The Martinique Surf Pro is supported by Collectivité territoriale de Martinique, Comité Martiniquais du tourisme, CAP Nord Martinique, CCI Martinique, ville de Basse-Pointe, ADEME, Fédération Française de Surf,  Jeep, Jumbo Car, Air France, Brasserie Lorraine, Socacom, Orange, Frantzy Video, HSE, Pelage Brumisation,  Odissey Sport Santé, Assistance 97, Aqua moov, Martinique Première, RCI -NRJ , Surf Session, France Antilles, Zay Radio and MagicSeaWeed.com as official forecaster.

Caption: Silvana Lima (BRA) will represent the Brazil Team at the WSL Founders' Cup of Surfing specialty event in May. 
Credit: © WSL /  Morris

SNAPPER ROCKS, QLD/Australia (Monday, March 12, 2018) - The World Surf League (WSL) today announced the full teams for the Founders’ Cup of Surfing presented by Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold. The specialty event will be the first public event at the world-famous Surf Ranch facility in Lemoore, California and will be held from May 5 - 6, 2018.

A first for the world’s best surfers, the continental co-ed teams event will see a cross-section of the world’s best surfers battling it out for the public at the world’s most high-performance man-made wave. 

“The Founders’ Cup of Surfing is going to be a really special part of the 2018 calendar,” Kieren Perrow, WSL Commissioner, said. “We’re really excited to be opening up this amazing facility to the public with this teams event. It’s something new for surfing, but I think it will be a lot of fun and exciting to see how the world’s best surfers perform in this kind of a format.”

AUSTRALIA TEAM:
Captain: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
Mick Fanning (AUS)
Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Julian Wilson (AUS)
Tyler Wright (AUS)

BRAZIL TEAM:
Captain: Gabriel Medina (BRA)
Adriano de Souza (BRA)
Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Silvana Lima (BRA)
Taina Hinckel (BRA)

EUROPE TEAM:
Captain: Johanne Defay (FRA)
Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Frederico Morais (PRT)
Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Frankie Harrer (DEU) 

USA TEAM:
Captain: Kelly Slater (USA)
John John Florence (USA)
Kolohe Andino (USA)
Carissa Moore (USA)
Courtney Conlogue (USA)

WORLD TEAM:
Captain: Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Michel Bourez (PYF)
Kanoa Igarashi (JPN)
Paige Hareb (NZL)
Bianca Buitendag (ZAF)

The Surf Ranch facility, which was revealed online to the public in December 2015, boasts the best man-made wave in history - a 700-yard, high-performance, bi-directional wave featuring barrel sections and maneuver sections. 

Primarily existing as a testing facility, the Lemoore site has spent the past two years dialing in the technology under the guidance of 11-time WSL Champion Slater and feedback from visiting WSL surfers. A private test event last September proved very successful, paving the way for the May Founders' Cup of Surfing and the Surf Ranch CT event in September. 

Tickets will be available tomorrow, March 12, 2018 (Pacific Time) at WSLFoundersCup.com. 

Caption: Back-to-back WSL Champions Tyler Wright (AUS) and John John Florence (HAW) celebrate their wins at the WSL Awards gala. 
Caption: © WSL /  Cestari

COOLANGATTA, Queensland/AUS (Thursday, March 8, 2018) - The world’s best surfers were honored tonight at the World Surf League (WSL) Awards -- the event that celebrates the achievements of the 2017 season and officially opens the 2018 WSL Championship Tour (CT) year. 

Recognition was delivered to those who have contributed to the sport, including the Heat of the Year, Move of the Year, and the WSL Champions across all Tours.

Heat of the Year: Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Carissa Moore (HAW) Quarterfinal at Trestles / Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Julian Wilson (AUS) Final in Tahiti 
Move of the Year: Carissa Moore (HAW) at Trestles / John John Florence (HAW) at Margaret River
Wave of the Year: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) in Maui / Filipe Toledo (BRA) at J-Bay 

WSL Junior Champions: Vahine Fiera (PYF) and Finn McGill (HAW) 
WSL Qualifying Series Champions: Johanne Defay (FRA) and Griffin Colapinto (USA)
WSL Longboard Champions: Honolua Blomfield (HAW) and Taylor Jensen (USA) 
WSL Big Wave Tour Champions: Paige Alms (HAW) and Billy Kemper (HAW)

CT Rookies of the Year: Bronte Macaulay (AUS) and Connor O’Leary (AUS) 
WSL Women's Runner-Up: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
WSL Men's Runner-Up: Gabriel Medina (BRA)
WSL Women's Champion: Tyler Wright (AUS)
WSL Men's Champion: John John Florence (HAW)
 
“It is fitting that today is International Women's Day as I’d like to thank all of the inspirational women in my life,” Wright said. “My mum and my aunties who were in Maui to celebrate with me. To Steph Gilmore and Layne Beachley, you two are my biggest inspirations in surfing. I’d also love to thank my coach Glenn (Hall) and his wife, Jemma (Hall), you two are so important to me and have helped so much in the last two years with everything from surfing to just talking, it means the world. 2017 was so special for so many reasons but one of the best parts was watching my brother Owen (Wright) come back. It was amazing and heart-wrenching all at the same time. Getting over my knee injury at the end of the year was tough but thanks to all of the support I got through it and I am back up here today, so thanks to all of my support crew.”  

“Accepting this trophy for the second year in a row is so special to me,” Florence said. “Last year, I really learned to step back and enjoy everything -- the wins, the losses, just everything that we go through on tour -- and it really made it a fun year. It is crazy to see the level of surfing that we have on the Championship Tour. Everyone continues to push the boundaries and to be a part of that is amazing. It’s so cool to see where surfing is going. I’d like to thank all of my fellow competitors for pushing me. I couldn’t do this without that inspiration. I’d love to thank my mom and everything she has done for me and my brothers. I’d also like to thank my crew on tour.” 

The 2018 WSL CT will commence with the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast starting Sunday, March 11 through March 22, 2018. 

For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com. 

2018 WSL SOUTH AMERICA CALENDAR SET TO OPEN WITH SERIES OF EVENTS IN MARCH 

MARCH BEGINS WITH THE MEN’S & WOMEN’S COPA TRIATHLON REEF PRO PERU AND IS FOLLOWED BY THE TRADITIONAL RIP CURL PRO ARGENTINA ON EASTER WEEKEND.

- MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Miguel Tudela
Credit: © WSL / Mauricio Espinoza

The race for the 2018 WSL South America Championship Title begins this month with contests in Peru and Argentina. The first event of the season will be the WSL Qualifying Series QS 1,000 Men’s and Women’s Copa Triathlon Reef Pro, held in San Bartolo, Peru on March 10-11. This will be followed by the traditional WSL Men’s and Women’s Qualifying Series Rip Curl Pro Argentina in Mar del Plata during the Easter Holiday from March 27 – April 1.
 
Points from both regional events will be valid towards the WSL South America rankings. While the Women’s event in Argentina has a QS 1,000 status, the Men’s division is a QS 1,500 rated event and will distribute $25,000 in prize money.
 
Regardless of the event status, all Regional events around the globe (QS 1,000 and QS 1,500 events) provide 1,000 regional ranking points to the event winners. With all the talent coming out of Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina and more, earning the WSL South America Regional Championship Title comes with a high-level of prestige and an added bonus…all WSL Regional Champions are given automatic entry into the following year’s QS 6,000 and QS 10,000 events around the world. These are the events that draw a beeline straight to the WSL Championship Tour.
 
Last year, huge waves bombarded the Peruvian coastline in San Bartolo and forced event organizers to relocate the event. That gave the world its first glimpse of competition held at Peñascal, which looked uncannily like Sunset Beach in Hawaii.
 
Miguel Tudela (PER) and Anali Gomez (PER) thrilled the hometown crowd as they both secured 1^st place in their respective divisions. Gomez continued her torrid performance throughout the 2017 season and capped it off by becoming the first athlete to become a 3-time WSL South America Champion.
 
In Mar del Plata, the waves were all-time and the contest was held at the harbor jetty known as El Yacht, since it’s located right next to a yacht club. Thiago Camarão (BRA) won the 2017 edition of the Rip Curl Pro Argentina and like Anali Gomez, also maintained a high success rate during the year and clinched his first WSL South America Championship Title.
 
The WSL Qualifying Series Copa Triathlon Reef Pro and the Rip Curl Pro Argentina will be broadcast live at www.worldsurfleague.com and more news and information regarding WSL South America athletes at all World Surf League events can be found at www.wslsouthamerica.com

Caption: Six-time WSL Champion Stephanie Gilmore will lead Team Australia at the inaugural Founders' Cup of Surfing event at the Kelly Slater Wave Co Surf Ranch. 
Credit: © WSL /  Morris

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LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Monday, February 26, 2018) – The World Surf League (WSL) today announced the Founders’ Cup of Surfing presented by Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold, a historic region-versus-region teams event featuring a cross-section of the world’s best surfers to be held at Surf Ranch in Lemoore, CA from May 5 - 6, 2018. 

Five teams - USA, Brazil, Australia, Europe and World -  made up of men’s and women’s surfers from the elite WSL Championship Tour, will compete over the two-day event at the world-class, man-made wave venue of Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California. The competition will be hosted against a festival backdrop honoring the culture of surfing - food, music, beverage, art and special guests will all be on site for enjoyment.

“This technology has captured the imagination of the global surfing community and created a number of new opportunities for the WSL,” Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO, said. “The Founders’ Cup of Surfing will be the organization’s first public event at the facility and we’re very excited to showcase the wave and the world’s best surfers through this unique team format in May.”

The Surf Ranch facility, which was revealed online to the public in December 2015, boasts the best man-made wave in history - a 700-yard, high-performance, bi-directional wave featuring barrel sections and maneuver sections. Primarily existing as a testing facility, the Lemoore site has spent the past two years dialing in the technology under the guidance of 11-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and feedback from visiting WSL surfers. A private test event last September proved very successful, paving the way for the May Founders’ Cup of Surfing to be the first time the public will be allowed onto the grounds.

The Founders’ Cup of Surfing will see the men and women competing alongside one another in the team format, a first for WSL events that will add a new dimension to surf competition. The teams will be made up of three men and two women from each region, and the five-person teams will compete against one another throughout the course of the two-day event.

Kelly Slater (USA), 11-time WSL Men’s Champion, will lead the US men’s and women’s team at the Founders’ Cup. Although still recovering from a foot injury suffered last year in South Africa, Slater is eager to rehabilitate in time to compete in the Founders’ Cup.

“Surf Ranch and the wave system are obviously special to me and it’s really exciting to see it come online for the public in 2018, first with the Founders’ Cup and then with Surf Ranch Open,” Slater said. “As someone who has competed in probably every competition format there is, the Founders’ Cup region-versus-region, co-ed format is really intriguing to me. I think May is going to be a great showcase for the world’s best surfers at the facility.”

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), six-time WSL Women’s Champion, has been one of the standouts at the testing facility throughout the past year and the 30-year-old natural-footer will lead the Australian team at the Founders’ Cup this year.

“The facility and the wave at Surf Ranch is amazing,” Gilmore said. “It’s such a fun wave to surf and really high-performance. Having it come online to complement our ocean-based events in 2018 is really exciting and I’m looking forward to leading the Australia team at the Founders’ Cup in May.”

Gabriel Medina (BRA), 2014 WSL Men’s Champion and last season’s world runner-up, was victorious at last year’s test event at the Surf Ranch facility and the 24-year-old Brazilian will lead his South American colleagues at the venue in May.

“Leading the Brazil team at the Founders’ Cup in May is a real honor,” Medina said. “We have so much talent in Brazil on both the men’s and women’s side that I think we will be in a strong position to do well in the inaugural teams event.”

Johanne Defay (FRA), perennial threat on the WSL Women’s Championship Tour, has been one of the standouts throughout the 2017 training sessions at the facility. Defay will Captain the European squad at the Founders’ Cup.

“The Surf Ranch wave is so fun!” Defay said. “I was pumped when we heard that there would be a CT at the wave this year and now the Founders’ Cup. Team Europe will have some rippers on there for sure.”
 
Jordy Smith (ZAF), universally-regarded as one of the most progressive and powerful surfers on the planet, will captain the five-person World Team this May.

“Being able to captain the World Team is a real honor,” Smith said. “Our respective countries may not have the same numbers at the elite level as USA, Brazil and Australia, but we are able to draw from a huge talent pool. I’m frothing on the team aspect. It should be really exciting.”

Tickets will be available for sale starting March 12. Registration for pre-sale tickets can be found at WSLFoundersCup.com. 

The Founders’ Cup of Surfing presented by Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold in May will be the first public event held at the facility. The Surf Cup Open, a men’s and women’s Championship Tour event, is scheduled for September 2018.

Presenting sponsor, Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold, is made with sustainably sourced organic grains and features ingredients free from artificial colors and flavoring. Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold was born from a commitment to innovate using ingredients and inspiration from nature. 

Led by reigning two-time WSL Champions John John Florence (HAW) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the first event of the 2018 WSL Championship Tour will be the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast in Australia from March 11 – 22, 2018.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com. 

BARBADOS SURF PRO MEN AND WOMEN'S QS 3,000
RETURNS TO 2018 SCHEDULE
- EVENT ORGANIZERS LOOK TO BUILD UPON SOLID CONTEST FOUNDATION ALREADY IN PLACE
- LOCAL SURFERS REVEL IN CONTINUED OPPORTUNITY AT HOME
- MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Drill Hall Beach played host to surfers from around the world in 2017, including Australian runner-up Shane Campbell (AUS) (pictured) and another stacked international field awaits in 2018.
Credit: © WSL / Nichols