Massive Surf Pounds Tarifa As Light Winds And Stormy Conditions Keep
Competition On Hold

Overnight storms have created massive surf and a shore break that
literally have brought destruction to the event site here in Tarifa this
morning.

First priority for the Organizers this morning was to try and find the
Judges tower, which had simply disappeared during the night. Having
located what was left of the structure – concealed under about 2 feet of
sand at the top of the beach, some 50 meters from where it was the
previous evening – they then set about excavating the area to try and
recover as much as possible. Efforts to salvage the tower were hampered
still by the biggest sets washing up the length of the beach, swamping the
dig site again and again.

After a morning of storms and torrential rain, the skies cleared letting
the sun through to highlight some of the incredible Atlantic swell that
was breaking offshore in the Straits of Gibraltar. The two sub aquatic
mountains that lie south of the beaches of Tarifa cause the incoming swell
to pitch up into massive, thundering, breaking waves that at times must
have been reaching triple mast high today.

Slowly but surely the wind began to pick up, but with the massive beach
break and the onshore direction getting off the beach was nearly
impossible. The only man to try was local Christopher Ferraretto (AHD),
who, after several times through the rinse cycle, made it through to the
outside. Only once he reached the outside did it become clear just how big
the break was, with the majority of sets over mast high. With the wind so
onshore, it was difficult to really perform, but by simply being out
there, Ferraretto earned maximum respect from the crowds on the beach.

The wind never really fulfilled its early promise and at 17.00 competition

was abandoned fro the day.

Forecasts remain variable so anything could happen tomorrow.