Surfline.com, the official swell forecaster of the event is planning for a quiet first week with no major swell in sight. This El Nino season has produced plenty of swells so far and the patterns are looking good for more to come. Surfers and organizers are on standby, patiently waiting for the right conditions. The decision to run the event is in the hands of Event Director Gary Linden.
Saturday January 30th, Rogue Wave Events presented the event to the enthusiastic Mexican media during a press conference in Ensenada attended by contestants, Coco Nogales (Mexico) and Rusty Long (California). The competitors' names were selected for their heats randomly, from a Mexican sombrero by the media who anxiously waited their turn to draw.
The Heats are as follow:
Heat 1:
Oscar Moncada (Mexico)
Carlos Burle (Brazil)
Nathan Fletcher (USA - California)
Andrew Marr (South Africa)
Greg Long (USA - California)
Taylor Knox (USA - California)
Heat 2:
Dave Wassel (USA - Hawaii)
Chris Bertish (South Africa)
Grant Baker (South Africa)
Gabriel Villaran (Peru)
Kelly Slater (USA - Florida)
Mark Healey (USA - Hawaii)
Heat 3:
Coco Nogales (Mexico)
Ryan Seelbach (USA - California)
Evan Slater (USA - California)
Garrett McNamarra (USA - Hawaii)
Mike Parson (USA)
Heat 4:
Shane Dorian (USA - Hawaii)
Rusty Long (USA - California)
Peter Mel (USA - California)
Ramon Navarro (Chile)
David Rutherford (Mexico)