Arugam Bay gets ready for Red Bull Ride My Wave

On 23 July, Red Bull Ride My Wave returns to Sri Lanka’s surf capital – Arugam Bay. Competing surfers will take on the waves in a head-to-head competition to be crowned champions of Red Bull Ride My Wave 2015.

Driven by the popularity of the 2014 event, this year’s edition of Red Bull Ride My Wave will see domestic and international surfers compete over three days on the island’s eastern coastline. Red Bull Ride My Wave will be hosted by officials from the Association of Surfing Professionals, who will run the event as per international surfing rules and regulations, including three days of heats before the finals on 25 July.

The islanders will play with home advantage but will no doubt face stiff competition from the international surfers. The combination of homegrown and international talent promises to promote Sri Lanka as one of the best surfing destinations.

Red Bull has been actively involved in surfing events for several years, hosting competitions on every continent around the world. Surfing in Sri Lanka has seen a considerable movement from being a healthy pastime and tourism tool to one of professional sport. This has been driven by both passionate surfers within the country and Red Bull’s very own series of surfing projects.

In 2013, Red Bull Sri Lanka held the Local Hero Tour with Peruvian Pro Surfer, Gabriel Villarán, who ran workshops and judged an intense competition where 30 young Sri Lankans showcased their talent on the beaches of Arugam Bay. The success of this event set the foundation for an international surfing stage in Sri Lanka, activating the inaugural Red Bull Ride My Wave last year. The competition pitted the sport’s greatest local surfers from the Eastern and Southern waters against each other in a quest to determine which region was home to the island’s best surfers. Hosted by Costa Rican Pro Surfer, Diego Naranjo, the East Coast team emerged victorious and went on to represent Sri Lanka at Red Bull Both Ways in the Maldives, where they placed second, third and fourth respectively.

To register for Red Bull Ride My Wave 2015, sign up before 19 July 2015 at www.redbull.com/ridemywave.