JEFFREYS BAY, South Africa (Monday, July 13, 2009) – The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay will commence this morning at 7:30am in clean three-to-five (1.5 metre) surf at South Africa’s iconic pointbreak.

Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay has seen the ASP Top 45 survive through four consecutive lay days, but today’s improved conditions will have the world’s best surfers in the water.

“We’ve got the ning of what could turn into a really good day of waves out there this morning and we’ll be getting underway at 7:30am,” Mike Parsons, Billabong Pro Contest Director, said. “Recent swell projections have prompted us to activate the new competition format so we can make the most of the conditions on offer, but we will not be running the dual-heat tem today.”

The new ASP competition format will see man-on-man, elimination heats from the outset of competition this morning, resulting in a day of dramatic match-ups.

First up this morning with be 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie Tim Boal (FRA), 26, up against compatriot Michael Picon (FRA), 30.

The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay will be web LIVE via www.billabongpro.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay can also be followed via your mobile phone. Anyone with a 3G or GPRS enabled phone can log onto asptogo.com from their mobile browser. Content is updated real time as per the web – event status, results, live scores, news, photos and video highlights along with ASP World Tour ratings tables.

For more information go to http://aspworldtour.com/2009/aspmobile.asp

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Tim Boal (FRA) vs. Michael Picon (FRA)
Heat 2: Jay Thompson (AUS) vs. Nathaniel Curran (USA)
Heat 3: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Nic Muscroft (AUS)
Heat 4: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Phillip MacDonald (AUS)
Heat 5: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Marlon Lipke (DEU)
Heat 6: Chris Ward (USA) vs. Torrey Meister (HAW)
Heat 7: Dustin Barca (HAW) vs. Sean Holmes (ZAF)
Heat 8: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) vs. Ryan Payne (ZAF)
Heat 9: Tim Reyes (USA) vs. Devyn Mattheys (ZAF)
Heat 10: Dayyan Neve (AUS) vs. Heath Joske (AUS)
Heat 11: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Heat 12: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. David Weare (ZAF)
Heat 13: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)
Heat 14: Jihad Khodr (BRA) vs. Roy Powers (HAW)
Heat 15: Tiago Pires (PRT) vs. Ben Dunn (AUS)
Heat 16: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Drew Courtney (AUS)

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. TBA
Heat 2: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. TBA
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. TBA
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. TBA
Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. TBA
Heat 6: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 7: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 10: Mick Campbell (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 11: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. TBA
Heat 13: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. TBA
Heat 14: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. TBA
Heat 15: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 16: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. TBA

original story from ASP

JEFFREYS BAY, South Africa (Thursday, July 9, 2009) – A lay day has been called for the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, with only small two-to-three foot (1 metre) surf coming in through the fabled pointbreak.

Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay may have called a lay day for the opening day of the waiting period, but between requalification campaigns, ASP World Title races, free surfs and format decisions, there is plenty going on around the event site today.

“We’ve called Billabong Pro J-Bay competition off for the day and we’re on hold until 10:30am for a possible 11am start for the VonZipper Trials,” Mike Parsons, Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Contest Director, said. “We’re expecting some swell late Sunday and Monday/Tuesday look promising. At present, the competition format is still undecided. We’ll be back tomorrow morning at 7am to assess the conditions.

The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay has the option to run either the traditional or new competition formats, as well as utilize the overlapping heats tem for either. Event organizers will determine which format they will use in accordance with the conditions.

Surfline, official surf foreer for the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, are calling for the current SW groundswell to dissipate throughout the day before a smaller scale WSW to SW swell settles in over the coming days.

Regardless of the conditions, the world’s best surfers have got their respective game faces on as they prepare two do battle at Jeffreys.

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Jeffreys Bay — The rivalry between Australian wunderkind Mark Occhilupo and California soul champion Tom Curren produced the most exciting competitive clashes in the history of surfing.  For the first decade of surfing’s ASP pro circuit Occy and Tommy dominated the world stage with their dueling performances.

In a major coup for surf fans world wide, this year at the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay spectators can watch a LIVE webcast of these two superstars as they re-ignite their intense rivalry in the world’s best right hand point wave, going head to head for the first time in over two decades. Each has won eight of their 16 previous encounters and the Clash of the Icons will provide yet another chapter in their 26 year rivalry.

During the 1980’s no rivalry was more heralded than the Tom Curren/Mark Occhilupo challenge. Whenever the two surfers came up against each other in heats, sparks flew, temperatures rose and onlookers gathered to witness unmatched and historic wave-riding duels.

“I saw Occy before he became a household name, when he was first breaking out, it was at Jeffreys,” said Curren.  “He had so much energy, just pushing every turn with so much speed and power… I watched his footage over and over and seeing him for the first time I remember thinking his anticipation going into every turn was something great; something amazing.”

Occy – amped, animated, and outspoken – was a young Aussie mischief-maker and a powerhouse hell-competitor beloved by everyone. Curren – enigmatic, humble, and deceptively understated – was a precise but devastatingly savage contest opponent idolized globally.

“I first saw Tom surf when I was really young in Cronulla, it was at Wanda Beach,” said Occhilupo.  “He was staying at Jim Banks’ house, I walked over the hill to the beach after school and it was like solid 6-8ft and he was the only one out.” “I think he won the Beaurepaires that year and the first time I saw him he was at his peak, he was just ruling.”

No matter where the event was held or who else was in it – there were always two camps, the Occy troop and the Curren crew. It was goofy vs. natural, radical power gouges vs. the sublime style-master, Australia vs. America.

Mark Occhilupo vs. Tom Curren Statistics Total of 16 heats

Mark Occhilupo – 8 wins
1983, Semis, Marui World Surfing Pro, Herbara Beach, Japan
1983, Round 1, Beaurepaires Open, Cronulla, AUS
1984, Round 3, OP America Series, Jensen Bch, Florida
1984, Round 2, Gunston 500, Durban South Africa
1984, Round 2, Tutti Frutti Lacanau Pro, Lacanau, France
1985, Final, Op Pro HB, California, USA
1986, Semis, Op Pro HB, California, USA
1986, Final, BHP Steel International, Newcastle, AUS

Tom Curren – 8 wins
1984, Semis, Stubbies Surf Classic, Burleigh Heads, AUS
1985, Semis, BHP Steel International, Newcastle, AUS
1985, Semis, Billabong Pro, Sunset/Waimea, HAW
1985, Semis, Stubbies Surf Classic, Burleigh Heads, AUS
1985, Semis, Rip Curl Subaru Easter Classic, Bells, AUS
1986, Semis, Marui Japan Open, Habushi-Ura, Niijima, Japan
1987, Final, Stubbies US Pro, Oceanside, USA
1988, Semis, Marui Japan Open, Habushi-Ura, Niijima, Japan

Career Statistics

Mark Occhilupo – June 16, 1966
Total of 685 heats, 380 wins, 55% winning
22 finals, 12 wins, 55% winning

Tom Curren – July 3, 1964
Total of 506 heats, 353 wins, 70% winning
45 finals, 33 wins, 73% winning

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