WSL Extends waiting period for Quiksilver & Roxy Pro

Snapper Rocks forms the perfect venue for spectators - when there's waves of course! Pic: ASP.
With a cyclone building off North QLD, the head honchos at the world surfing league are putting their money on a decent swell at Snapper Rocks towards the end of the week.

Quite literally, because the two day extension of the event is reported to be costing in the range of $100,000! Not to mention the fact that a waiting period extension is almost unheard of in professional surfing.

"After a lot of discussion with the athletes, our on-site staff, our executive team in Los Angeles, our event partners and the local government, we have extended the competition window two days to take advantage of a swell system moving in," tells WSL Commissioner Kieren Perrow,

"The WSL is the world's best surfers in the world's best waves, and the extension is an illustration of our commitment to that philosophy. It's a significant financial, personnel and energy expenditure for the league, but we're passionate about the world's best surfing and we're excited to see what this swell brings."

Will the move pay off? The World Surfing League has been making some interesting changes this year, after being publicly criticized over its live coverage and events hosted in hard-to-reach places last season. With changes to their commentators, locations and now this event extension, the WSL seems to be listening to their customers, and delivering a better experience for those watching from the sidelines.

Initial reports aren’t looking great for the waves at Snapper, but there’s still a few days for that cyclone to wind up and push some swell down here for Kelly and his mates to play with. Even if it doesn’t, they always seem to make terrible conditions look amazing.