One month to go to the 2016 Martinique Surf Pro

Time is slipping by and the line-up for the second edition of the Martinique Surf Pro is getting clearer and clearer with each passing day. In just one month from now, from 17th to 24th April, 128 top-class international surfers will be getting together at the Basse-Pointe spot for an event that promises to be of a very high standard. The event has already proved itself and is benefiting from the feedback from the maiden edition and therefore attracting even better candidates. Among the surfers so far registered, we find some of the leading players from last year, but also some prestigious new faces.

Contest Site ®Poullenot / Martinique Surf Pro

The second edition of the Martinique Surf Pro will be a sell-out. No fewer than 129 surfers have so far expressed their intention of taking part in the event and others are likely to join them, as registrations remain open until Tuesday 22nd March. The organisers have set up a competition based on the participation of 128 surfers, so there will be a waiting list. The event is looking very attractive and the competitors are keen to take advantage of the right handers (waves breaking towards the right as you surf them) which are powerful and long at the Basse-Pointe spot.

Line Up ®Poullenot / Martinique Surf Pro

Organised under the auspices of the World Surf League (the international pro circuit), the Martinique Surf Pro is the only Caribbean event in the 2016 Qualification Series (QS). We should add that in this circuit, the surfers attempt to accumulate as many points as they can throughout the season. At the end of the year, the top ten in the QS join the World Championship Tour (CT), which brings together the top 34 in the world. Ranked as a QS 3000 event, the Martinique Surf Pro is seen as an intermediate competition, at the third level in the qualifying circuit, coming after the QS 10,000 and 6,000, but before the QS 1,500 and 1,000. The winner of the competition in Martinique will take 3000 points, a precious reward, which should allow them to leap up the QS. When he won the 2015 Martinique Surf Pro, Joshua Moniz moved up 146 places in the qualifying circuit.

Miguel Tudela (PER) ®Poullenot / Martinique Surf Pro

Faces we know and some newcomers
For the second edition of the Martinique Surf Pro, 128 surfers representing 20 to 25 nationalities are expected to attend. In comparison, there were 106 last year. Among those registered, lots of competitors from Europe, and North and South America – with in particular a strong Brazilian contingent. There will also be representatives from the Caribbean, Asia, Africa and the Pacific. But putting the numbers to one side, it is the quality of the line-up, which is really impressive. The standard should be even higher than last year. The competition is going to be tough and it will be harder to grab points. The Hawaiian, Joshua Moniz will be back to defend his title, which he won in a great battle last time. The South African finalist, Michael February will also be there, as will the Peruvian, Miguel Tudela, semi-finalist last year. In fact, among the eight quarter finalists from the first edition of the Martinique Surf Pro, five will be returning. Alongside the three aforementioned, there will also be the Hawaiian, Kiron Jabour and the South African, Beyrick De Vries.

Michael February (ZAF) ®Poullenot / Martinique Surf Pro

Pictures of the waves at Basse-Pointe appeared around the world and surfers, who were absent in 2015, wish to join in this time. Among the newcomers, some have already been highly successful in the Championship Tour, like the Hawaiian, Sebastian Zietz, who was in the world elite last season. The Spaniard, Aritz Aranburu, the American, Patrick Gudauskas and the Brazilian, Willian Cardoso have also competed in the CT in the past few years. Because of their experience of top class events, these four surfers will be among the favourites, along with the Hawaiians, Ezekiel Lau and Elijah Gates, the Americans, Balaram Stack, Evan Geiselman and Michael Dunphy, the Portuguese surfer, Frederico Morais, the Brazilians, Deivid Silva, Samuel Pupo and Ian Gouveia, the South African, Dylan Lightfoot, the Japanese competitors, Reo Inaba and Hiroto Arai, the young Australians, Michael Wright and Jacob Willcox, among others…

As for the French, Maxime Huscenot and Marc Lacomare have got what it takes to get a good result. We will also be keeping an eye on the Cloarec brothers, (Nelson and Tom), Nomme Mignot, Andy Criere and Paul-Cesar Distinguin. We can add that four local surfers from Martinique will be receiving wild card invitations from the organisers and there will be other Caribbean competitors taking part, including some from Guadeloupe.

Tricky forecasts and guaranteed suspense
It is simply impossible here to give the names of all the potential winners, as the standard is expected to be very high all round. With a month to go to the start of the competition, making any forecasts is extremely risky. So, there are no clear favourites for this second Martinique Surf Pro. All of the competitors mentioned above are excellent competitors and many others could do extremely well too. They each have their own preferred conditions, so the identity of the next winner remains very uncertain. But one thing is clear: this year’s Martinique Surf Pro won’t be lacking in suspense. Nor in excitement, as with eight days of competition, the organisers will have plenty of time to select the best surfing conditions.

Key figures concerning the 2015 Martinique Surf Pro
106 competitors representing 20 different nationalities from 5 continents
21 surfers from the Top 100 of the Qualification Series (QS)
5 days of sport
59 series were organised
1289 waves surfed by the competitors and scored by the judges
98 excellent waves (note between 8 and 10)
146 places gained in the QS by Joshua Moniz thanks to his win in the Martinique Surf Pro

Visit the MARTINIQUE SURF PRO website at http://www.martiniquesurfpro.com

 

Agence Mer & Média