10/02/2008
Round 2 of the Billabong Pro Mundaka commenced at 9, 30 am in four to five foot (1 metre plus) waves at Mundaka. Event organizers and the ASP have opted to use the Dual Heat format today. Heats will be 40 minutes long.
First used in ASP World Tour competition at the Pipeline Masters in Hawaii last year, the ‘Dual Heat’ format features two heats run concurrently to maximize conditions on offer for the surfers and action in the water for the fans. The basic premise of the format is that heats overlap each other, allowing more heats to be run in less time without compromising the duration of the heats. Because Mundaka is a heavily tide-affected wave, the Billabong Pro Mundaka is a perfect place to use the format.
Once the first heat has hit the water, each subsequent heat will begin halfway through the heat that preceded it. Priority allocation (the right of way given to a surfer on a wave) will come into play the second half of each heat and two separate judging panels, each presided over by a separate head judge, will be on-hand to judge their allotted heats respectively.
Basques Aritz Aranburu and Eneko Acero will look for the pass to the 4th round. Surfer from Zarautz is to face Bede Durbidge, while Acero's main rival will be Kelly Slater.
Contest director Mike Parsons has said that we will wrap up Round 2 at approximately 3:10 pm and will run as many heats of Round 3 as conditions allow. It is highly unlikely that we will make it to Heat 8 of Round 3 featuring ASP ratings leader Kelly Slater (USA) though. If Slater wins that Round 3 heat, he wins his ninth ASP World Title.
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