GOLD COAST, Queensland/Australia  - In a major coup for Australian surfing, Breaka Flavoured Milk has announced that reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning will headline February’s Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 4-Star, US$85,000 Breaka Burleigh Surf Pro.

In equally exciting news, 1999 ASP World Champion Mark “Occy” Occhilupo has announced he will be coming out of retirement and returning to the professional arena for the Breaka Burleigh Surf Pro.

Occhilupo’s entry into the event marks a comeback for the legendary goofy-footer (right foot forward stance) who officially retired from the sport in 2007.

The showdown between the two Australian ASP World Champions has an interesting twist, with the pair claiming respective world titles exactly 10 years apart – Fanning (2007 and 2009) while Occy secured his fairytale win in 1999.

Occhilupo and Fanning will be joined by a host of other current and former ASP World Tour competitors including current Pipeline Master Taj Burrow, former Hawaiian Triple Crown winner Bede Durbidge as well as Owen Wright, Dean Morrison, Jay Thompson, Nathan Hedge and Darren O’Rafferty just to name a few.

With one of the biggest events on the Australian surfing calendar, Breaka Flavoured Milk set the surfing world abuzz late last year, announcing that they will be returning professional surfing to its spiritual home at Burleigh Heads.

The February Breaka Burleigh Surf Pro will be the first standalone professional surfing event to be staged at the iconic point-break in almost 10 years and places the competition window in Queensland’s prime swell period, with the possibility of scoring an infamous Burleigh Barrel a hard prospect to refuse for the world’s best surfers.

ASP Australasia Tour Manger Dane Jordan said the event is a dream come true for many of the world’s best surfers.

“With current and two-time world champion Mick Fanning heading up 18 of the ASP World Tour top 45, the Breaka Burleigh Surf Pro has assembled potentially the strongest field ever seen for a 4-star World Qualifying Series event.”

“Add in former world champion Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo, top WQS contenders like Shaun Gossman, world-class juniors like Davey Cathels, free surfing stars like Julian Wilson and Mitch Coleborn, along with hard core locals and big wave chargers - the scene is set for a gladiatorial like battle at Burleigh,” said Jordan.

ASP World Tour Competitors
1. Taj Burrow
2. Ben Dunn
3. Bede Durbidge
4. Michael Fanning
5. Jeremy Flores
6. Dean Morrison
7. Kai Otton
8. Dan Ross
9. Tom Whitaker
10. Adrian Buchan
11. Tiago Pires
12. Luke Stedman
13. Luke Munro
14. Kieren Perrow
15. Roy Powers
16. Jay Thompson
17. Blake Thornton
18. Owen Wright

Former ASP World Tour Competitors
1. Nathan Hedge
2. Dayyan Neve
3. Darren O’Rafferty
4. Russell Winter
5. Mark Occhilupo
6. Phil MacDonald
7. Nathan Webster