Ride my wave at Arugam Bay
Surfers from the South will travel to East seeking sweet revenge as the second leg of Red Bull Ride My Wave Surfing Championship is set to come alive at three surfing points in Arugam Bay. The most ferocious battle on the waves for locals will be held next weekend – August 8 to 10 – at Okanda, Elephant Rock and the Main Point at Arugam Bay.
The surfers from South were given the tough run last season when their opponents from the East finished clearly ahead by 22.5 points. With an excellent mixture of swell, wind, tide and sunny skies, South finished with 142.3 points after the opening skirmishes on their territory earlier in the year, well below the East’s final tally of 164.8 points.
Last year’s standing will make South more determine as they will be left with less options but to go out with their best tricks. The East team, which ruled the first leg of Red Bull Ride My Wave held in March, will seek a repeat. The showdown promises nothing but an electric display of surfing.
But nothing comes on platters for both teams who will dish out their fullest potential with a single aim. The first leg of Red Bull Ride My Wave was held in March where top surfers fought the waves of Arugam Bay for three days. The South and East were both neck-and-neck and the contest was tantalizingly poised for a furious and gripping finish. True to expectation, the final day provided a riveting exchange in the water which saw the East reach deep into their repertoire to deliver a surfing spectacle that served as a fitting denouement to Red Bull Ride My Wave’s opening act.
This time too, action, on or above par compared to last year can be expected as the competitors are now familiar with the nature of the competition and have no doubt had time to fine-tune and upgrade their skills. Moreover, the waves, the weather, the wind and the crowds will be bigger, louder and perfect — fueling an atmosphere which will be outright electric.
The competition format will be same as last round, where it will be broken down into heats of 20 minutes. Participants will be permitted to tryout 12 waves from which the best of two will be counted into their scores. Each heat will see four surfers competing and the best two advancing their way into the next round.
The three-day surfing action will unwind along three of Arugam Bay’s most famed surfing points. Okanda will be the venue in the opening day with Elephant Rock hosting the second day’s action. The Main Point at Arugam Bay will be the place where proceedings will be brought to an exciting culmination. The victorious team will simply possess the pride of being Sri Lanka’s premier surfing team and an opportunity to travel to the Maldives to explore the much talked about waves there.
Surfers at the Red Bull Ride My Wave first leg held earlier in March