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RIP CURL PRO SEARCH 2008 Surf Contest Headlines

Rip Curl Pro Search To Be Held ‘Somewhere…’

Friday, May 23, 2008: The Rip Curl Pro Search has positioned itself as one of the most exciting and highly anticipated events on the ASP World Tour since its inception in 2005.

After three successful installments in Reunion Island, Mexico and Chile respectively, the legacy is set to continue when Rip Curl and the ASP take the World’s Top 45 ranked surfers somewhere new and exotic for 2008.

“This year’s Rip Curl Pro Search could be one of those ‘best ever’ achievements we’re always striving for,” claims Andy Higgins, Rip Curl Event Manager. “The wave can be perfect, the place is amazing and the surfers are frothing, so if all the stars align and elements come together, it’s going to be one unbelievable spectacle.”

The location for this year’s Rip Curl Pro Search is still yet to be announced, with Rip Curl and the ASP instead opting to publish “Somewhere…” as the location and release a variety of different event advertisements to keep the public guessing until July.

“We really want to keep the location a secret and have asked all those involved with the event or knowledgeable about the location to please do likewise,” Higgins said. “It’s not just a Rip Curl choice, it’s an agreement with the local community, the country and the ASP. That’s why we’ve tagged it with ‘Somewhere…’ and that’s why we’ve made different posters that suggest it could be anywhere.”

Although the mystery surrounding the Rip Curl Pro Search makes it unusual and somewhat difficult for Rip Curl to market, Group Marketing & Advertising Chairman Neil Ridgway enjoys the secrecy and obscurity of hiding the whereabouts of the ASP World Tour’s youngest event.

“It’s The Search! The event’s unique floating license gives us a brilliant opportunity to add some mystery and spice to the ASP World Tour and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do,” Ridgway said. “Sure, it would be easier to just tell everyone where we’re going, but that’s not part of our philosophy.”

“We want to take the world’s best surfers to new waves and we will definitely be broadcasting the entire event live around the world on a ripcurl.com webcast, so we’re actually giving sport fans a free trip there – like a mystery flight.”

The official contest waiting period for the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search – the 6th of 11 events on the 2008 ASP World Tour – runs from July 30 to August 10. Stop No. 4, the Globe Pro Fiji, starts this Sunday, May 25, 2008.

TIME DIFFERENCE: Unknown

COORDINATES: TBD

BAGGAGE CLAIM: TBD

TRANSPORTATION: TBD

ATTITUDE: Two words: The Search. Rip Curl’s longstanding campaign to seek out and find the best surf possible in the most remote regions on Earth has finally translated to the ASP World Tour. With event locations shrouded in mystery, it’s really anybody’s game, and the competitors are transformed into nervous, excited grommets again.

THE WAVE: In 2005, it was a beautiful, coral-reef lefhander that offered high-performance conditions for all skill levels. Working from three to 12 feet and beyond, the break of St. Leu on Reunion Island was an ideal location for the inaugural Rip Curl Search ASP World Tour event. In 2006, Rip Curl scored what many have considered "the best ASP World Tour event ever" as "La Jolla" spun reeling righthand barrels for three days straight before vanishing. While the tight-lipped crew at Rip Curl has continued their mysterious reign of terror in ’07, the collective surfing community knows that the event will be held somewhere in Chile. With the country’s penchant for jaw-dropping lefthanders, look for the continued success of the Rip Curl Search event to excel this season.

PERKS: At St Leu, the waves, the beautiful backdrop, and the hospitality of the people made the groundbreaking event even more special. Last season’s jaunt down in Mexico transformed the entire ASP Top 45 into frothing grommets as the feasted on an endless buffet of sand-bottom barrels. Huey only knows what will become of the event this year, but the anticipation is a perk in its own right.

PERILS: At St Leu, it was the occasional frisky shark, and the more than occasional pesky urchin. In Mexico, the only perils were the bone-crunching sandbar and the fierce heat. In Chile, it was volcano barnacles and suplexing barrels. 2008 is anyone’s guess. Perhaps giant squids, vampiric mermaids or ghost ships, who knows? But we might as well throw the world’s best out there first to be the guinea pigs.

APRES SURF: In St Leu all you had to do was exit the water and bask in the island’s beauty or enjoy the hospitality of the locals - helped if you spoke French though. In Mexico, margaritas and aloe vera were the call after gorging yourself on barrels all day. Chile had more culture than you can shake a stick at, and this season’s event will undoubtedly bring its own brand of off session activities.

ASP WORLD TOUR HISTORY: Rip Curl held its inaugural Search ASP World Tour event in 2005 at the famed lefthander of St Leu in Reunion Island. The second event took the ASP Top 45 into deepest, darkest Mexico. Last season’s event put the fear of Huey into the world’s best, when they tackled the mutant "El Gringo" in remote Chile. This year’s venue is in Oz, so buckle up.

NOTABLE: The Rip Curl Search event is the first ASP World Tour event where the licensee is opting to change the location every year. Rip Curl teamrider and Australian phenomenon Mick Fanning won the inaugural event in 2005 in his first season back after a near career-ending injury. The past two Rip Curl Search events have been taken by former three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons in Mexico and Chile.