The Corona Piha Pro WSL Challenger Series event will host 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater, who has confirmed that he will launch his 2020 season in New Zealand this March.
The American is widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all-time, with comfortably the most title victories (11) and event wins (55), as well as holding the record for both the youngest and oldest World Champion in the men’s ranks.
Slater is one of the few superstars that truly transcends their sport… He is a renowned campaigner for environmental causes, has collaborated with world-famous musicians, appeared in movies, had his own video game, written two autobiographies, and developed the pioneering Surf Ranch Wave Pool (a man-made facility which allows people to surf away from coastlines and at their own convenience, and which is transforming the sport).
It will be the first time Slater has competed in New Zealand since 1993, but the Floridian surfing icon sees the peaky beach breaks of Piha as the perfect place to get his 2020 competitive season underway.
“I’m excited to be surfing again in an event in New Zealand and seeing all my fans there. I love the country and all it has to offer… incredible surf, golf and so much more. I’m also looking forward to starting my 2020 WSL season by competing at a Challenger Series event.”
The Corona Piha Pro is one stop on the newly-announced WSL Challenger Series and will see more than 100 hungry surfers aiming to qualify for the elite Championship Tour (CT) in 2021, while also displaying the talents of a number of CT riders, such as Kelly Slater.
How to watch the Corona Piha Pro
Due to the limited amount of parking space within Piha, and the challenging access via Piha Road, fans will only be able to enter Piha during the period of the Corona Piha Pro (16-22 March) with a Parking Permit for the relevant date – these can be purchased online at iTicket.co.nz.
Piha residents will be given Resident Vehicle Access Passes and Guest Passes to help ensure smooth and constant access for them throughout the seven days.
There will be a managed access point on Piha Road (near the Karekare turn-off). Once through this point, vehicles will be directed to their specific parking area. Managing access to Piha will help reduce the chances of congestion and ensure people can get into Piha more efficiently. Any vehicles without the required access will not be permitted entry.
We recommend that people carpool as much as possible – Parking Permits will be charged per vehicle, not per person. Access to the beach is free of charge.
Parking space in Piha is limited – once parking allocations in Piha have been sold out, overflow Park-and-Ride options will be activated from Glen Eden.
Alternatively, the Corona Piha Pro will be shown live on Sky Sport and the Sky Sport Now app in New Zealand.
About WSL
The World Surf League (WSL) is dedicated to celebrating the world’s best surfing on the world’s best waves through a variety of best-in-class audience platforms. The organisation, headquartered in Santa Monica, is a global sport with regional offices in Australia, Africa, North America, South America, Hawaii, Japan and Europe. The WSL has been championing the world’s best surfing since 1976, annually running more than 180 global events across the Men’s and Women’s Championship Tours, the Big Wave Tour, Qualifying Series, Junior and Longboard Championships, as well as the WSL Big Wave Awards. The League possesses a deep appreciation for the sport’s rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation and performance at the highest levels, and in doing so crowns the undisputed Men’s and Women’s World Champions across all tours.
