Gear up for some insane aerial acrobatics and slick wave riding as the world’s most extreme sailors head to the stunning island of Tenerife for round two on the men and women’s wave tour.
Tenerife boasts year round sunshine, consistent winds and pumping swell, making it the perfect choice for the next stop on the PWA World Tour.
The wave fleet will descend onto the shores of Tenerife for a six-day wave sailing extravaganza, taking place on the ruffled waters of the Atlantic Ocean from the 14th through to the 20th July. The sailors will be busting their most daring maneuvers in order to claim their share of the €45,000 prize purse, and to gain precious points towards their overall world ranking.
El Medano – the low down
The beautiful town of El Medano in Southern Tenerife will play host to the competition and is the home town of wave king and event organizer Dany Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL 360). The PWA caught up with Dany to provide us with the insider’s eye on what to expect in the coming seven days of competition.
The conditions
“It is an amazing spot, the wave is a left hander and it is formed at a point break, usually you can fit in three or four frontside turns. The wind is a little lighter than in Pozo, I sail on 4.2m or 4.7m for the majority of the time.”
Moves to expect
“The jumping is really great in El Medano, the wave comes straight at you so you can go really high. We can expect to see super-fast double forwards and massive backloops, but I think the wave riding will be the most impressive thing as a lot of the sailors prefer that… just watch out for the rocks!”
Beachside
“There will be loads to do at the site; there is a large sandy area behind the beach away from the wind where the main tent will be. During the day the tent will be a chill out area with smoothies provided and really comfy chairs, but at night it will all change and become the party area with some great DJ’s coming down to entertain the crowds.
Alongside all of that we also have a seven meter climbing wall, loads of stands for the local surf shops and restaurants, a Canarian football kicking stand and a massage crew. We even have the chance to win a Renault Clio. There will be heaps going on and it promises to be loads of fun.”
Who to watch?
Men’s Fleet
Philip Koster (Starboard / NeilPryde / Dakine) stole the show in Pozo and won the first event of the year. Expect to see ankle dry pushloop forwards from Koster and perhaps another attempt at the triple forward loop. He is sure to be going big in order to defend his position at the top of the ranks.
The 2010 world wave champion Victor Fernandez Lopez (Fanatic / North / MFC) will be hoping to break past the wonder kid Koster in order to re-assert himself at the top of the pile. Fernandez Lopez is famous for his smooth wave riding and radical backside 360’s.
High-risk wave rider Dario Ojeda (Tabou / Simmer / Dakine / MFC) delivered an incredible show in Pozo, defeating many of the big names in the double elimination to earn himself third on the overall scores. Expect to see Ojeda smacking the lip at the last minute to earn extra points from the judges. The freestyler turned wave champ Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) will be hungry for revenge after a tough round in Pozo saw him slip down into fourth. Make sure you have your camera ready for Campello’s huge aerials and super-fast double forward loops.
In between ensuring everything is running smoothly local ripper Dany Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL360) will be making use of his local knowledge to destroy his opponents, with his aggressive wave rides and mind-blowing wave 360’s.
Other extreme sailors that are likely to wow the crowds are Brazilians Kauli Seadi (JP /NeilPryde) and Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC), Brit Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde) and the Australian high flyer Jaeger Stone (Severne).
Women’s Fleet
Having retained her title in Pozo for the twelfth year, Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) will be looking to continue with her winning streak in Tenerife. Daida stormed into first place in Pozo landing an incredible double forward loop and the most impressive front side aerial of the competition.
Hot on her heels, twin sister Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) will be giving it everything she has got to knock her sister down from the top spot. Iballa is certainly not afraid of going for the largest maneuvers if it means she scores maximum points.
Having stormed through the fleet in Pozo, Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) sits in third; she will be looking to fend off any advances from the rest of the fleet with her flawless forward loops.
Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne) famed for her elegant bottom turns and precise cutbacks will be taking advantage of Tenerife’s longer rides in order to make her way into the top three.
Also in the mix and challenging for the top ten will be Silvia Alba Orozco, Evi Tsape (F2 / North), Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) and Alice Arutkin (Starboard / North).
Live Streaming
The PWA is proud to announce that the entire 2011 El Medano Tenerife World Cup will be streamed live via PWA TV on www.pwaworldtour.com. Weather depending, coverage of day one of competition is scheduled to begin at 2pm Thursday 14th July (UTC +1), when the sailors first take to the water.
Scope the action
For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com
Here you can use our:
- Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins
- Check live elimination ladders – View results
- Read daily news summaries
- Browse awesome action photo galleries
- Follow the event live, with top class commentary from pros and industry insiders.
Or for more information, please contact the PWA office via info@pwaworldtour.com
