Rip Curl Pro Back ON in Building Swell at Bells Beach

Pictured: Conditions have once again turned on for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Snickers. Event organizers will look to complete Rounds 2 and 3 today. Credit: © ASP/ CI/ SCHOLTZ via GETTY IMAGES

BELLS BEACH, Victoria (Thursday, April 16, 2009) – Surf in the four-to-six foot (1.5 – 2 metre) range has arrived at Bells Beach, and with swell increasing and excellent winds, event organizers have called competition back on for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Snickers, starting at 8am.

The second stop on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach completed the first 12 heats of Round 2 on Tuesday, and will look to complete through Round 3 today, setting up a potential finish tomorrow.

Swellnet, official forecasters of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, are calling for surf to increase over the next two days with favorable winds.

“We have another morning of beautiful conditions today and swell forecasts indicate it will only be getting better,” Damien Hardman, Rip Curl Pro Contest Director, said. “We’ll be starting with the remaining four heats of Round 2 at 8am and running straight into Round 3.”

First up this morning will be veteran ripper Taj Burrow (AUS), 30, taking on lethal replacement seed Jay Thompson (AUS), 25, in Heat 13 of Round 2.

The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach pres. by Snickers will be webcast LIVE via www.live.ripcurl.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

Remaining Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 2 Heats:

Heat 13: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 14: Tim Reyes (USA) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 15: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Dean Morrison (AUS)
Heat 16: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. David Weare (ZAF)

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 3 Match-ups:

Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)
Heat 2: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Bobby Martinez (USA)
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Owen Wright (AUS)
Heat 5: Adam Robertson (AUS) vs. Tom Whitaker (AUS)
Heat 6: Drew Courtney (AUS) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Heat 7: TBA
Heat 8: TBA