Event organizers and surfers representatives decided to call off competition until the next call at 7am on Wednesday, August 6th. EL GRINGO, Arica / Chile (Tuesday, Aug, 05, 2014) - A lay day was called on day 1 of the waiting period for the ASP 3-Star Maui and Sons Arica World Star Tour in Chile. The waves at the treacherous reef break at El Gringo, in Arica, were maxing out at an average of 10-12+ ft. (3-4 metres) with only an occasional set that didn't close out. After being put on hold until 10am (local time), event organizers and surfers representatives decided to call off competition until the next call at 7am on Wednesday, August 6th.
"Due to the difficult conditions and a southwest swell at El Gringo, we have come to a decision that the event should be put on hold for 24 hours," stated the head judge at the Maui and Sons Arica World Star Tour, Sergio Gadelha. "We have a commitment to the safety of our athletes and waiting for optimum conditions to have our event held under a more level playing field and provide better scoring opportunities on the incredible waves here at El Gringo."
Some of South America's best big wave surfers including Marcos Monteiro (BRA), Edward Portocarrero (CHL) and Gabriel Villaran (PER) were on hand to provide input on the decision of holding off the commencement of the Maui and Sons Arica World Star Tour until tomorrow.
Despite their warning, several surfers decided to test the conditions since it was their first time to Arica. One such surfer was Brent Symes (AUS), who quickly got in trouble, lost his board, then spent approximately thirty minutes taking massive sets on the head before barely making it to the beach. Symes then fainted on the beach before being taken to the hospital. He was later released and cleared to participate in the event.
A total of 62 surfers representing eleven different countries will be competing at the 2014 ASP 3-Star Maui and Sons Arica World Star Tour. Chile and Brazil contain the largest group of representatives followed by Peru, the USA, Australia, France, South Africa, Ecuador and Uruguay.
Heat 1 of the event will see Gabriel Villaran (PER), Leonardo Acevedo (CHL) and James Fazio (USA) hit the water. Villaran has already won the event in the past as have fellow competitors Guillermo Satt (CHL) and Alvaro Malpartida (PER), who won the event in 2013.
In addition to the Maui and Sons Arica World Star Tour event, the ASP South America regional office will be simultaneously running the Red Nose Pro Junior event in Baia Formosa, Brazil. This is the first men event in the ASP South America Pro Junior Series. The series will determine the ASP South America Pro Junior champion and the four highest ranked athletes will qualify for the ASP World Pro Junior event held later this year.
News and webcasts for both the Maui and Sons Arica World Star Tour and the Red Nose Pro Junior will be broadcast at www.aspsouthamerica.com
