O'Neill World Cup of Surfing starts today

The second contest of the Vans triple Crown of surfing's waiting period gets underway today, with the O"Neill World Cup of Surfing. The contest is held at Sunset Beach and is definitely one of my favorite surf contests to watch. The wave at Sunset is big, angry and sketchy at the best of times, but has delivered some of the most memorable moments in North Shore surfing. It is also the wave where South Africans first made their mark on the North Shore, when very young surfers, Gavin Rudolph and Johnny Paarman, gave the rest of the surfing world a lesson there at the Smirnoff Cup back in the Seventies. Jordy has had a second there and we can only hope that he and the rest of the Saffers can do well!

Sunset Beach Park

• Second stop of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
• Northern-most beach park on the North Shore coastline.
• Surfing takes place more than 100 yards out to sea.
• Sunset Beach is the standard by which other beaches are measured.
• Pre-modern Hawaiians knew Sunset as Paumalu.
• Surfboard riding began here prior to the 19th century.
• Parking isn’t always close to the beach park so bring additional transportation, like a skateboard or bicycle.

Curtain Call: Sunset is last chance for Qualifying hopefuls

For some it’s a romance. For others it’s a tragedy. And for the men on the ASP World Qualifying Series (QS), The O‘Neill World Cup of Surfing is the climax to a long, grueling season. The first rounds of competition are chocked full of drama with many QS competitors having their World Tour dreams materialized or destroyed in front of a huge audience. Look for QS competitors to put it all on the line at the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing in hopes of qualifying for next year’s elite World Tour.



How heavy was last year's event? Just check the video above!