Scottburgh Pro Threatened

The O’Neill Scottburgh Pro which is scheduled to take place in Scottburgh on the Kwa Zulu Natal south coast at the weekend may be postponed due to the onslaught of the mammoth 25 foot swell that has wreaked havoc in KZN over the past few days.

The freak swell combined with the equinox destroyed beaches, buildings and roads along the coastline and caused enormous damage. Representatives from Surfing South Africa, sponsors O’Neill and Event Coordinator Nerve Events will make a final decision to run the event or postpone it, at 15h00 on Tuesday, March 20.

“It is by far the biggest swell we have ever seen in Scottburgh. Our main beach has handled the dramatic high tides and gigantic swell fairly well in comparison to some of the other beaches on the KZN coast,” commented Scottburgh resident and O’Neill spokesperson Mark Fessler.

“However there is fairly extensive damage to the main beachfront, especially the public pool and the kid’s beach train, whose railway track has literally been ripped apart by the swell. We are praying that the O’Neill Scottburgh Pro will still be able to be held this weekend, and hope the ocean will settle as soon as possible,” said Fessler.

Sea conditions are expected to worsen on Tuesday, which may make it impossible for organizers to erect any scaffolding for the contest tower.

“Numerous calls have come into the Nerve Centre which indicate that the waves on the South Coast are out of control. Construction of the event tower has been halted due to unsafe conditions, and it is definitely not safe for a contest at this time," said Paul Godwin of Nerve Events.

Organisers will take into account the fact that there is a large amount of potentially lethal debris floating out at sea, as well as take into account the dangers posed by the dirty water, which has been caused by the rivers bursting their banks.

There is also a chance that the shark nets may not be in place by the weekend, if the swell does not drop off soon.

The country’s top women surfers will be waiting to hear whether the contest is on or off, and if it does take place, it will be the first event for women on the 2007 Surfing South Africa (SSA) Pro Surf Tour (PST).

The O’Neill Scottburgh Pro carries a 2A rating, with a R15, 000 prize purse.