PHUKET SURFING rides the crest of a wave for three days in June with an important role in the Asian Surfing Championship circuit for the first time.
The Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series begins with the Monsoon Riders event at Kalim Beach from June 12 with competition surfing in four divisions; Shortboard, Longboard, Women's and Juniors.
So far 156 surfers have signed up for the event, says organiser and President of the Boardriders Club Phuket, Chanin 'Joob' Aiyarak.
About 70 competitors are Thai with others from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hawaii, US, France, the Philippines, Britain and Japan.
With the tournament now part of the ASC ranking system, local surfers will have the chance to test their skills against the best in tournaments across Asia.
Saturday June 13 and Sunday June 14 will be full days of competition and the event will wrap up with an awards party on Sunday night from 7pm to 11pm at the Jungceylon Shopping Center in Patong.
The evening's agenda will include a live band, Thai dancing, dinner, the awards presentation and a fashion show. Trophies, cash and non-cash prizes will be awarded to the top four finalists in each division.
Organised and presented by the Phuket Boardriders Club, the Monsoon Riders event at Kalim Beach is the first of the three international surfing competitions that will be held this year on Phuket.
The second event, The King of the Jungle, will be held at Kamala from August 14-16, and the third and final event will be the Island Crown at Kata from September 4-6.
Kalim Beach is at the curve of the coastline on the northern end on Patong Beach, a beautiful strip of white sandy beach that at low tide reveals a mass of coral right off shore.
The northern half of the beach is exposed to the monsoon winds, and from June to September large storms in the Indian Ocean can generate enough swell to create surfable waves up to six feet tall.
Phuket Boardriders President Khun Joob says: ''Already this early in the season we've had some very good days of surf, and so we are very confident that over this three day period we'll have waves that will give the competitors in all divisions great conditions.''
The Quilksilver Thailand Surf Series is the first Asian Surfing Championship tour event to be held in South East Asia, and is the first major surfing event in Thailand to be presented by a large international surfing brand.
Attending the event will be ex pro surfer Jake Paterson, Quiksilver's Sports Marketing Manager based in Bali.
He will be joined by Quiksilver Pro Surfer and Indonesian Surfing Championship Tour CEO Tipi Jabrik, founder of the Asian Championship Tour, along with ISC/ASC Media Director Tim Hain.
Together they will assist the Phuket Boardriders Club in running the event according to ASC contest guidelines.
Competitive surf events have been held in Phuket since 2002.
For more information about the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series and how to register for each event, please see www.thaisurfseries.com
Phuket surfing information and events is at www.phuketboardriders.com.
The Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series begins with the Monsoon Riders event at Kalim Beach from June 12 with competition surfing in four divisions; Shortboard, Longboard, Women's and Juniors.
So far 156 surfers have signed up for the event, says organiser and President of the Boardriders Club Phuket, Chanin 'Joob' Aiyarak.
About 70 competitors are Thai with others from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hawaii, US, France, the Philippines, Britain and Japan.
With the tournament now part of the ASC ranking system, local surfers will have the chance to test their skills against the best in tournaments across Asia.
Saturday June 13 and Sunday June 14 will be full days of competition and the event will wrap up with an awards party on Sunday night from 7pm to 11pm at the Jungceylon Shopping Center in Patong.
The evening's agenda will include a live band, Thai dancing, dinner, the awards presentation and a fashion show. Trophies, cash and non-cash prizes will be awarded to the top four finalists in each division.
Organised and presented by the Phuket Boardriders Club, the Monsoon Riders event at Kalim Beach is the first of the three international surfing competitions that will be held this year on Phuket.
The second event, The King of the Jungle, will be held at Kamala from August 14-16, and the third and final event will be the Island Crown at Kata from September 4-6.
Kalim Beach is at the curve of the coastline on the northern end on Patong Beach, a beautiful strip of white sandy beach that at low tide reveals a mass of coral right off shore.
The northern half of the beach is exposed to the monsoon winds, and from June to September large storms in the Indian Ocean can generate enough swell to create surfable waves up to six feet tall.
Phuket Boardriders President Khun Joob says: ''Already this early in the season we've had some very good days of surf, and so we are very confident that over this three day period we'll have waves that will give the competitors in all divisions great conditions.''
The Quilksilver Thailand Surf Series is the first Asian Surfing Championship tour event to be held in South East Asia, and is the first major surfing event in Thailand to be presented by a large international surfing brand.
Attending the event will be ex pro surfer Jake Paterson, Quiksilver's Sports Marketing Manager based in Bali.
He will be joined by Quiksilver Pro Surfer and Indonesian Surfing Championship Tour CEO Tipi Jabrik, founder of the Asian Championship Tour, along with ISC/ASC Media Director Tim Hain.
Together they will assist the Phuket Boardriders Club in running the event according to ASC contest guidelines.
Competitive surf events have been held in Phuket since 2002.
For more information about the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series and how to register for each event, please see www.thaisurfseries.com
Phuket surfing information and events is at www.phuketboardriders.com.
