A frame grab from Dane Reynolds’ layback heard round the world at the 2012 Reef Hawaiian Pro. What will we see this year?
The twelve day waiting period for the 2013 Reef Hawaiian Pro will commence on November 12th with the event being contested at Ali’i Beach in Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.
The furthest west break on the North Shore’s famed Seven-Mile Miracle, Haleiwa is widely considered to be one of the most high-performance waves in the world. The wave can range from playful and high performance when smaller, to fear-provokingly powerful in larger conditions with a West Northwest to Northwest swell direction being considered ideal.
Former event winners of the prestigious Reef Hawaiian Pro include: Sebastian Zietz (2012), Taj Burrow (2011), Joel Parkinson (2010), Joel Centeio (2009), Michel Bourez (2008), Roy Powers (2007) and Andy Irons (2006). The performances and results at this ASP Prime event will have critical implications for surfers looking to qualify or re-qualify for the elite 2014 ASP World Championship Tour.
As the first jewel of the 2013 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the Reef Hawaiian Pro is the unofficial opening of the North Shore winter season. Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Contest Director Marty Thomas has confirmed that 27 of the 2013 ASP Top 34 surfers will be part of the 128 man field competing at the 2013 Reef Hawaiian Pro. With the added motivation of a lucrative $250,000 prize purse on offer, the 2013 Reef Hawaiian Pro will surely play host to many competitively fierce battles where reputations will be born, strengthened or torn down.
Defending his 2012 Vans Triple Crown title, Kauai’s Sebastian Zietz will be challenged by a superfluity of talented surfers that thrive in waves of consequence. This includes former Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Champions John Florence (2011), Joel Parkinson (2008-2010), and Bede Durbidge (2007). After a four year domination of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing by Australian surfers, Hawaiians have returned to prominence with the last two Triple Crown titles going to Hawaiian surfers; 20 of the 30 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing titles have been secured by Hawaiians.
The Reef Clash of the Legends competition will also be a feature of the 2013 Reef Hawaiian Pro, pitting voter-nominated surfers Sunny Garcia, Michael Ho, Kaipo Jaquias and Brad Gerlach against each other for the honor of being crowned the 2013 Reef Hawaiian Pro Clash of the Legends Champion.
The 2013 Reef Hawaiian Pro can be viewed live via webcast at www.vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com and www.reef.com.
