Ballito Pro draws world champion

The big news that defending world champion, Adriano de Souza from Brazil will be competing in the 2016 Ballito Pro, presented by Billabong, has fans wondering if the Brazilians might repeat their dominance of last year’s event. Especially with the return of 2015 Ballito Pro champion, Alejo Muniz, also from Brazil who will be charging for back-to-back titles.

Currently ranked sixth on the 2016 Championship Tour (CT), De Souza has won events in vastly differing conditions ranging from onshore beach breaks in his home country to clinching the 2015 Billabong Pipeline Masters at The Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii, arguably the best reef break in the world, which makes him one of the most versatile surfers on the planet.

The Ballito break allows surfers to utilize all the judging criteria as the wave offers barrels, heavy sections for turns and some great sections that the surfers do some amazing aerials on. The wave also allows for combinations of major maneuvers which score well and are entertaining to watch.

Other exciting contenders at this year’s event include Hawaiian, Sebastian Zietz, who at number four on the CT is the highest ranked surfer at the event, Brazilian Ciao Ibelli, ranked fifth on the CT and 2015 Ballito Pro semi-finalist as well as Australian, Jack Freestone who is a two-time world junior champion.

South Africans will pin their hopes for a local champion on Jordy Smith who, after an injury ravaged 2015 season, is back to his best this year and ranked seventh on the CT. The 2010 Ballito Pro champion, who carved his way to a runner-up finish at Bells Beach in April, has the complete package of off-the-face and above-the-lip maneuvers to clinch another title in Ballito.

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