Ballito Pro festival of surf and music

The Ballito Pro, V20.16, international surf contest will be bigger and better in every respect this year.

Launched to the business community, sponsors and media at Zucca Restaurant, Simbithi, on Tuesday, the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong will run over 12 days from June 22 to July 3, and incorporate men’s, women’s and junior’s events in a mix of surf and entertainment festivals in Ballito.

The event is a strategic partnership between the World Surf League (WSL), the KwaDukuza municipality, Billabong SA and various public and private sector partners.

The Pro is the world’s longest running professional surfing event (having started as the Gunston 500) and last year attracted 160 000 visitors to Ballito, the live webcams were viewed by a global audience of 100 million and generated R40 million worth of publicity for the region.

Welcoming the event, KwaDukuza mayor Ricardo Mthembu said he was proud to see the Ballito Prro return to Ballito once again.

“We will continue to promote the event and our aim is to see all races coming together to participate in it and become champions.”

Reigning world champion Adriano de Souza of Brazil heads a potent line-up of elite surfers for the 2016 Ballito Pro. More than 150 local and international surfers applied for the 112-man field to contest the first WSL Qualifying Series QS10,000 rated event of the year.

De Souza, who clinched the 2015 WSL title when he became the first Brazilian to win the iconic Pipeline Masters in Hawaii in December, will be joined by three more of the world’s top 10 ranked surfers, namely Sebastian Zietz of Hawaii, winner of the recent Margaret River pro, Caio Ibelli of Brazil who leads the 2016 Rookie of the Year standings, and South Africa’s own Jordy Smith, currently ranked No 7 and the 2010 Ballito champion and 2013 runner-up.

“I feel a bit of extra pressure at Ballito but I always want to win so badly in front of everyone at home,” said Smith.

“Now that I live abroad people don’t get to see me surf as much, and the support is always so crazy, so I’ll be trying extra hard.”

A total of 15 of the elite top 34 ranked competitors on the WSL Championship Tour (CT) will be in the mix at Ballito with exciting talents like Australian Jack Freestone the runner-up in the last CT event at Rio de Janeiro, perennial standout Jeremy Flores of France and defending Ballito Pro champion Alejo Muniz, also of Brazil.

With a total prize-purse of US $260 000 (about R4 million) on offer, of which US $40 000 and a massive 10,000 points on the QS leaderboard goes to the winner, the event has also attracted entries from all of the top 10 QS ranked surfers, including Italian prodigy Leonardo Fioravanti, Australian Dion Atkinson and American brothers Tanner and Patrick Gudauskas who won at Ballito in 2011 and 2013 respectively.

In addition to Smith, the South African challenge for the title will come from Beyrick de Vries from Umhlanga and Michael February (Kommetjie), who at No 36 is the highest ranked local. Jeffreys Bay residents Dylan Lightfoot and Matt McGillivray have been awarded the wildcards that go to the country’s two highest ranked QS surfers who do not automatically qualify for the event.

The QS1,000 rated Ballito Women’s Pro will start on Sunday and run in conjunction with the men’s event. The Billabong Junior Series, featuring JQS1,000 events for under 18 boys and girls, will be run from June 22-25. While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and sports entertainment.

Locals and holidaymakers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring the ‘Fire up your stoke…a nite of food & wine’, an extreme sports programme and an exciting retail area, while the Ballito Pro Music Concerts powered by 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.

Please read our WhatsApp broadcast list disclaimer.
Join us on BBM at 59015786
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.