On 3 June 2009, the Super Tubes showdown opening function was held at the Mexican. The place was packed with familiar faces and it was like one huge family gathering. The who's who's of J-Bay surfing was also there, as well as representatives from most of the sponsors. A couple of faces were also absent, and it's hard to say if they could not make it or if they did not want to be there or maybe just did not know about the event. This was also the first event I covered with the new camera and I just arrived late that afternoon from Capetown.

There was plenty of free grub including tasty spareribs and interesting morsels of taste bud delights. Koffie Jacobs was the master of ceremonies and explained to an excited audience the competition and the way things would go for the evening. There was even a live band to entertain the audience and the barmen never stood still for a minute. Later on, Koffie revealed the 16 names of those surfers that are invited to the competition. There was definitely some mixed emotions, since not all the Supers rippers could be included in the 16 and I know there were a couple of broken hearts out there. Later on, they were all called aside to receive their complementary deck grips, leashes and wax and also to pose for a couple of group photos which I gladly assisted with. The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and catching up with old friends, and off course discussions of surf that passed and surf that was still to come.

The comp will be done in four heats of 45 minutes. Each of those heats will have four contestants. The winners of each heat will then go to the final heat of 60 minutes. If nothing else, this would be an awesome chance to surf Supers in stellar conditions without the usual crowds. I recall one of the competitors said that they are actually not so interested in winning as they are in getting an empty lineup or getting free stuff like the deck grip and leash or perhaps winning a new stick. 

Here are the names as released on 3 June 2009: (May change without notice due to invitees not being available on actual day of comp)  All in all it was a fun filled evening. One over eager guy even shouted out "Koffie for Zuma!" and I think he probably meant "for president." Koffie is getting a lot of shine for this event, but if I look at it I also see that this event would be impossible without all the industry sponsors and without the help of the Jeffreys Bay surfing community. The waiting perdiod started on Monday and will extend to 21 June. Let's hope we get surf before then, because we havn't had something good in almost a week now. I think Wednesday is looking interesting, or maybe even Tuesday. Will keep you posted.