Tow In Ireland Awaits
THE waiting period for the second Billabong Tow-in Surf Session presented by Monster Enery, Irish Surfing Association (ISA) and Irish Surf Rescue Club (ISRC) at Ireland’s Mullaghmore Head is officially on.
The invitee only event has been given a four month waiting period, from November 1st to March 1st, in attempt to better the ridiculously massive waves that they scored in last year’s first ever contest.
Those waves were estimated in the 20-30 feet range with the French pairing of Benji Sanchis and Eric Rebiere winning the Open Teams Division, after Sanchis successfully rode a mutant slab on his backhand that truly put Mullaghmore on the big-wave map. Local chargers also put in a phenomenal performance with pioneers like Richie Fitzgerald, Peter Conroy, Glyn Ovens and the UK’s Gabe Davies showing their years of time put in on these waters.
These surfers will again be on call for the event and will be joined by an elite collection of Europe and the world’s best big-wave surfers.
Last year’s inaugural Tow-In Surf Session witnessed epic conditions, with waves in the 25 feet range. Billabong team riders Benjamin Sanchis (pictured above) and Éric Rebière won the Open Teams division, the French surfers successfully negotiating some of the heaviest waves ever seen in European surfing competition history. Sanchis, the 2011 Billabong XXL biggest wave award winner, will be back to defend his crown, joining a select invitee list of local and international big- wave specialists.
“I’ve been preparing for this event by tow surfing massive swells in Teahupoo in Tahiti, which is regarded as the most dangerous location in the surfing world,” said Sanchis. “Mullaghmore is a spectacular wave, but you really need to be prepared to surf big waves there.”
Sanchis and his fellow invitees will be hoping for waves as big and perfect as last year. “With last year’s conditions we drew a line in the sand,” said event organiser and local big wave rider Paul O’Kane from the ISRC. “We won’t run the event unless the conditions are at least as big and clean as that, and ideally even bigger. With only one day needed to complete the contest, I’m confident we’ll see some truly epic big wave surfing.”
“Last year we drew a line in the sand,” said organiser Paul O’Kane from the Irish Surf rescue club (ISRC), a man who knows a thing or two about tackling serious waves on the west coast of Ireland. “We won’t hold the event unless the surf is as big and clean as that. It’s not always easy getting massive swells with light winds, but we’ve the whole of winter and hopefully it will come together. Either way, we’ll be prepared and the ocean will call the day. We’ve set the benchmark, now we just wait.”
Since last year the ISRC has further trained up its elite team of water safety crew, as with a 20 feet minimum wave height required to run the contest, the safety of competitors is of paramount importance. The club was set was set up on a voluntary basis to improve safety within tow surfing in Ireland and can now use the Tow-in Surf Session to both show the effectiveness of PWC’s and help formalise procedures down the track.
“Our team has put an enormous amount of training, both here and abroad, to ensure that the sport of tow surfing and this event can be as safe as possible. It’s a step in setting up a set of legal procedures that all the various local authorities both understand and adhere to,” said O’Kane. “While the event is designed to also showcase Mullaghmore Head, County Sligo as a place of unique beauty and incredible surf, we also want the world to see just what passion and commitment is needed to surf these waves.”
“The North Atlantic in winter is the most prolific surf generating ocean on Earth and Ireland is prime placed to see the brunt of every storm. After analysing over a decade of data we know Mullaghmore averages over six swells in a winter in the 20ft+ face range. You never can be sure, but everything is primed for an historic event.” magicseaweed forecaster, Ben Freeston.
With winter swells already starting to stack up in the Atlantic and world’s best big-wave surfers now eyeing off the spectacular headland of Mullaghmore everything is in place for what should be another historic day in Ireland’s big-wave progression. Edited event footage will be available within 24 hours of competition finish, while for latest news, further information and the invitee list head here.
