ASP 3 star WQS Mens event
Sunset Beach,Oahu-Hawaii
27 October - 10 November 2004

Sobe No Fear/Xcel Pro waiting period kicks off this Wednesday

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 27 October 2004: - - Sunset Beach, Oahu, Hawaii—All eyes are on the North Shore of Oahu as the 2004-2005 winter season kicks off with the prestigious Xcel Pro at Sunset Beach. Presented by Sobe No Fear, Xcel has also teamed up with Freestyle watches, Town and Country Surfboards, American Savings, Surfing Magazine, Fuel TV and the State of Hawaii to deliver the richest prize purse to date for the contest—$52,000 for the 3-star Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) event.

Held at famed Sunset Beach, contestants and spectators are guaranteed a huge dose of Pacific Ocean energy and a great show. Due to the unique reef configuration, Sunset Beach picks up almost any swell from the west, northwest, north and northeast direction creating powerful surf for the competitors. With the jet stream in the north Pacific tracking far north to east of Hawaii surf on the North Shore has been flat to waist high for the past 10 days. All that is about to change as it begins to dip south and point swells towards Hawaii. Increasing surf at Sunset Beach is forecasted later this week with more swell activity building in size as we get further into the waiting period and the winter surf season.

Running since 1984, the Xcel Pro marks the ultimate showcase for top Hawaii surfers and features a stunning list of international athletes who come each year to test their mettle in the North Shore’s powerful waves. Top entrants this year include veteran performers like multiple Sunset champion Pancho Sullivan, Kaipo Jaquias, big wave surfer Garrett McNamara, and former world champion Derek Ho. Up-and-comers like Hawaii men’s amateur champ Ola Eleogram, local favorites Marcus Hickman, Love Hodel and Myles Padaca, and other Sunset standouts like Jesse Merle Jones, Nathan Carroll, and Mikala Jones are sure to turn some heads.

The event has been won in the past by former world champions, using the event for honing their big wave skills including Sunny Garcia, Andy Irons and have been the launch for north shore competition including the likes of Kelly Slater, Bruce Irons and Mark Occilupo.

In conjunction with the 3-star, $50,000 ASP event, Hawaii’s top longboarders will display old-school, high-performance surfing between the semis and finals for a $2,000 prize sponsored by Lei Lei’s Bar and Grill at Turtle Bay Resort. Included are last years winner and former world champion, Dino Miranda, three time world champion Rusty Keaulana, Bonga Perkins, along with international big wave surfers Lance Hookano, Duane DeSoto and Kanoa Dahlin. Two wild cards for the event have Joel Tudor, the 2004 world longboard champion and HPAC summer longboard champion Kapono Nahina.

With three days of competition in the fifteen day window, officials will be looking for waves that provide competitors and spectators a dramatic kick off to the new winter surf season on the north shore.

For information during the waiting period check out the Xcel Pro website at www.xcelwetsuits.com.
The hotline for competition once again is the Surf News Network surfline at 808.596-7873(596-surf).

Waiting Period-
October 27th through November 10th, 2004 (three days)

Hotline for waiting period:
Surf News Network - 808.596.7873 (596-surf)
ASP Hawaii Office: 1.808.739.3965
Website www.xcelwetsuits.com

Previous reports:
# 1 : Sobe No Fear~Xcel Pro QS about to rock the North Shore
# 2 : Waves and competitors aligning for Sobe No Fear Xcel Pro
# 3 : Sobe No Fear/Xcel Pro kicks off North Shore winter season
# 4 : Coming soon

Check the latest Hawaii Surf Reports and Forecasts
More Hawaiian & USA Surfing News available here

Reid Inouye

WQS Contests - Surfersvillage