Surf event celebrates golden jubilee

THE world’s longest running professional surfing event, the Ballito Pro, will celebrate its golden jubilee in KwaDukuza this year when many of the world’s best surfers take to the surf at Willard Beach on 25 June.

For the tenth consecutive year the region will host the world’s best men in a WSL Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000 rated event with a prize-pool of R3.1 million and the highest available ranking points at stake.

The women will showcase their talent in the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong, while the historic 21st edition of the Billabong Junior Series presented by BOS includes events for men and women aged 18-and-under at Ballito for the third year.

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Last year’s men’s field included a dozen of the world’s elite WSL Championship Tour (CT) surfers and was won for a second time by South Africa’s own Jordy Smith from Durban.

The 112-man entry for the event provides local WSL Africa members with invaluable experience competing against the world’s best, along with opportunities to earn prize-money and coveted rankings points which assist them in gaining entry to the higher rated events internationally and also count towards the annual WSL Africa title.

The Ballito Pro Surf Festival kicks off with the Billabong Junior Series from 22 to 24 June before the crown jewel of the festival, the QS10,000 Ballito Pro and the QS1,000 Ballito Women’s Pro take centre stage from Monday to Sunday, 25 June to 1 July.

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