CAPBRETON, France (Thursday, May 24, 2012) - The ASP Europe 6-Star Estoril Surf Women’s Pro returns in 2012 with a change in dates to September for a better swell window in Playa de Bafureira, Cascais – Portugal. The Portuguese event has been a regular stop on the European leg of the ASP World Tour since 2008 and became increasingly popular to many of the World’s best women surfers.
Joana Rocha, an experienced competitor on the ASP European Tours, and in charge of the organization of this event with her sister Rita and their company Rocksisters, is delighted to once again have the opportunity to host a 6-Star Women’s event in her local town of Cascais.
“Our partners Cascais City Hall and Turismo Estoril are happy to have one more year of an ASP Women’s 6 star event” Rocha said. “It is the biggest surf event in the municipality of Cascais and we are very proud to organize this event since 2008.”
Up until last year, the event used to run in June, but the decision was taken in 2012 to move the Estoril Surf Women’s Pro to September 21-23, to coincide with a better wind and swell window on the Portuguese coast. Forecast analytics show that September is the perfect time of year to run the event with a swell consistency of 78% and an average size of 6Ft. Winds are also very favorable with an offshore North-East dominancy throughout the early Autumn season.
“This year we changed the date, the event was moved to September so the girls can have better waves in Bafureira beach” Rocha stated. “This beach is the perfect place to have all the public watching the competition because it forms a natural amphitheater. The waves are very good and the girls can put on a spectacular show. We really believe this year is going to be one of the most amazing contests since its beginning in 2008.”
Joana Rocha, who has been a regular European Top 10 finisher on the ASP rankings, has taken on the development of Women’s surfing in Portugal and is proud to lead a movement intended to bring Portuguese Women’s surfing to the best international level.
“One of the most important issue is that Portuguese surfer girls can compete with the best surfers in the world. Every year we give a big push in this direction, to have a Portuguese on the Women’s World Tour in a couple of years ! That’s what we really want and so does Portugal ! Surf is one of the most important sports here, so RockSisters and Portugal want to do everything that we can to support the sport and the athletes. Every year a lot of people all around Portugal, Spain and France come to Cascais to see the competition and to get to know all the professional girls. This counts as a huge income for the hotels, restaurants and shops. This is a very important event for our community. Surf, Sailing, Horse Riding, Moto GP, Tennis and Golf are the main sports in Cascais !”
The ASP 6-Star Estoril Surf Women’s Pro will run from September 21-23 at Playa de Bafureira, Cascais – Portugal. To find out more, please visit www.aspeurope.com
The Estoril Surf Women’s Pro is made possible with the support of the following event partners: Cascais City Hall, Turismo Estoril amongst others.
