Endless waves, long heats
24 men and 11 women made the long journey to the 4-star cup of the united IWT X PWA Wave Tour. It remains to be seen who is there to collect points for the world championship title or simply to windsurf one of the longest waves in the world. In any case, the competition situation - especially last night - seemed surreal. The wave is so long that only a certain area, marked out with buoys, can be included in the ranking, as the riders disappear from the judges' field of vision after around five to six turns - plus almost mast-high set waves and a diagonal onshore wind that blows the wave flat... What a place to hold a contest!
The two best waves per rider counted in the 25-minute heats.
In Pacasmayo, it is particularly important to find the critical sections of the long, slow wave and utilise them accordingly.
The long cruising and the long rail turns on the shoulder of the wave are also part of the game here - but no top scores are generated there. These were achieved yesterday at the lip of the wave, when heat winners such as Julian Salmonn from Germany, Fidji winner Baptiste Cloarec and reigning world champion Marcilio Browne really let rip with vertical turns in the pocket, close to the breaking part of the wave, and sometimes even found sections for high aerials.
Round one is complete
So far, only the men have taken to the water and round one was already completed last night. The riders in first and second place in the four-man heats will jump straight into round three of the contest, while the third and fourth-placed riders will get a second chance in round two today. This could be very exciting, as renowned Tour riders such as Antoine Martin, Federico Morisio and Arthur Arutkin will have to prove themselves to stay in the running.
The forecast looks good and we are very excited to see what awaits us on this fantastic wave from Pacasmayo in the women's and the upcoming men's rounds over the next few days.
On the YouTube channel of the IWT Wave Tour there are also live broadcasts with beautiful drone shots.
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