Third consecutive lay day called for Billabong Pro Tahiti – 2011 ASP World Tour
The event organisers have called a third consecutive day for the latest stop on Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Billabong Pro Tahiti, on Tuesday, August 23, at Teahupo’o in Taiarapu, Tahiti.
The decision was taken after a slight drop was seen in the surf, resulting in three to four-foot waves at the event site. Even though the conditions were quite rippable, the event organisers opted to wait for the swell to increase before giving the competition
a green signal.
While talking to a reporter, ASP International Head Judge Pritamo Ahrendt said, “The surf has dropped slightly from Sunday and Monday so we’ve called a lay day today. We’re still tracking a significant swell period on the charts that could arrive as early
as tomorrow afternoon, but likely Thursday. We’ll see what comes in the morning.”
The event was also kept on hold on Sunday and Monday due to the same reason. A prediction of solid 10 to 12-foot waves in the coming days have prompted the event organisers to wait rather than make a compromise, i.e. settle for anything less than perfect.
The decision to wait for the promising swell is also supported by the surfers as they early look forward to competing in perfect conditions.
Billabong Pro Tahiti is the fifth of eleven stops on the 2011 ASP World Tour. The competition got done with the first round on Saturday. The day featured intense three-man battles between the elite surfers in 12 heats as they sought to secure their place
in the third round.
A few highlights of the competition on Saturday included the exceptional performance by CJ Hobgood, who dominated his opponents to earn a Round 3 spot. America’s Kelly Slater also made a comeback to the World Tour after missing out on the previous stop.
As expected, the 39-year-old got off to an excellent start and looked as threatening as ever as he resumed his campaign for his 11th ASP World Tour tile. South Africa’s Jordy Smith and Australia’s Joel Parkinson made solid impacts in their respective
heats as well to advance to the third round.
The event organisers will reconvene at the event site on Wednesday morning to assess the conditions and decide to whether to get Round 2 underway or wait for the conditions to improve even further.
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