Movistar Ocean & Earth Pro Awaits Perfect Barrels on Gran Canaria Island

EL CONFITAL, Gran Canaria – The Movistar Ocean & Earth Pro, an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 2-Star Men’s event, will run this week with the waiting period starting Wednesday, October 21st and running through to Sunday, October 25th.

Second-to-last event of this year’s ASP European WQS tour, the Movistar Ocean & Earth Pro will put the regional tour back in motion at one of the most spectacular waves on tour, El Confital, a perfect righthand reef-bottom point break that has delivered some of the most exciting heats on tour in the past.

With a field of sixty-four men readying for the coveted event offering valuable points and dollars counting for this year’s regional ratings, the Movistar Ocean & Earth Pro promises five days of excellent professional surfing, the reduced number of surfers giving organizers the opportunity to hold heats in ideal conditions.

“The surf fore is showing a very promising swell for the event,” event promoter and Ocean & Earth representative Federico Garcia said. “A solid swell in the six-foot range should hit El Confital in the second half of the week and there’s a good chance we get classic conditions.”

Renowned for its fast barreling waves breaking over a shallow challenging reef, El Confital will once again be the attraction of the ASP WQS 2-Star event. Having seen the rise of many of the world’s best surfers including current ASP World Tour rookies Michel Bourez (Tahiti, PYF) and Nic Muscroft (Victoria, AUS), two former event winners, the Movistar Ocean & Earth Pro is ready for another show with event top seed and Canarian surfer Jonathan Gonzalez (Tenerife, CNY) in the starting-blocks.

“It’s one of the best events on tour and we’ve always had great waves there,” Gonzalez said. “I am from the nearby island of Tenerife and there is no way I would miss the event. Some solid waves are predicted so I am looking forward to competing at El Confital again.”

With just two events remaining before the 2009 ASP European Champion is crowned, the ratings’ race will intensify in the next couple of weeks, the eighth edition of the Movistar Ocean & Earth Pro opening a series of two Canarian events that will finish November 7 on the island of Lanzarote.

“The Canarian showdown has always been one of the most exciting parts of the European tour and has become one of the most popular stops for many of the world’s best ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) surfers,” ASP Europe Tour Manager Greg Puget said. “Everyone is looking forward to watching El Confital deliver its perfect crystal-clear water barrels and this edition promises a great show.”

With no less than twenty locals in the event ready to show their knowledge of El Confital’s bowl, the “Locals Vs Professionals” show will bring one of the best surf bouts of the year. From deep tube-riding to committed vertical off-the-lips, the ASP judging panel will be watching the action throughout the five-day waiting period, with the 2009 Movistar Ocean & Earth pro champion claiming his title next Sunday.

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