Breaka! Breaka! Calling All Surfers!

Josh Kerr launching his 2011 World Tour campaign in orbit at Burleigh Heads. Pic: Breaka

The Australian leg of the ASP World Tour commences tomorrow at the idyllic Burleigh Heads point with the 4-Star Breaka Burleigh Pro. Queensland's best surfers will lead the local contingent in their first event of the 2012 season at the spot where modern competitive surfing and the two-man head-to-head heats were spawned back in 1977.

The impressive start list for the Breaka Burleigh Pro includes dual World Champion Mick Fanning, Julian Wilson, Josh Kerr, Bede Durbidge and Jay “Bottle” Thompson, and they'll be joined by World Tour surfers Kieren Perrow, Brett Simpson, Adam Melling, Matt Wilkinson, Dusty Payne and Kolohe Andino, as well as 1999 World Champ Mark Occhilupo who was granted an event wildcard.

Local lad Brent Dorrington cracked his strong forehand at Burleigh last year. Pic: ASP/Griggi

Bede Durbidge finished 16th in last year's ASP World Title Series and is hungry to break back into the top 5 and will be using the Breaka Burleigh Pro to help prepare for his 2012 campaign.

"I love surfing Burleigh! It's pretty different to Snapper and Currumbin so it's good to go out there and mix things up," Durbidge said. "I'm feeling good, I had a really good break over Christmas and New Years and since then I've been training and working on boards, getting ready for this year. I'm not putting pressure on myself for this event, it's just more of a warm up for the year, getting used to heats and getting boards ready again."

Bede slaying Snapper in 2011, just 15 minutes south of Burleigh Heads. Photo: ASP/Kirstin.

The Gold Coast has seen some excellent surfing conditions over the past few days and Contest Director Adam Yates is confident that this will continue throughout the week and well into the Breaka Burleigh Pro waiting period starting Wednesday 8 February.

"There looks like there will be plenty of swell and favourable tides during the initial part of the waiting period," Yates said. "So fingers crossed Burleigh Heads turns it on again for the world's best surfers."

The Breaka Burleigh Pro will commence on February 8 and conclude February 12, 2012 and is proudly supported by Breaka Flavoured Milk, Events Queensland, Surfing Queensland, ASP Australasia, Channel 7, Nova 106.9fm, SEA FM, Ooh!, Australia's Surfing Life, GCCC, XXXX Summer Bright Lager, JR Surfboards, 5 and a half Sunglasses and Air Asia.  

The Breaka Burleigh Pro will be broadcast live via breakaburleighsurfpro.com.au and you will be able to see daily updates and videos on surfinglife.com.au.

Click to download this wallpaper of beautiful Burleigh Heads, which also recently hosted the Billabong World Junior Championship. Photo: Andrew Shield.

For all the latest World Tour news head to ASL's Air Asia World Tour Page.