Green Light: Red Bull Cape Fear Will Run on Monday at Shipstern Bluff
Action from a previous Red Bull Cape Fear event. Mellow.
COASTALWATCH | NEWS
Kilogram for kilogram, there isn't an event in surfing that packs a punch like Red Bull Cape Fear. And this coming Monday May 13 it will take things to a new level at the notorious Tasmanian slab Shipstern Bluff.
In the six or seven years since the Red Bull Cape Fear concept has been alive, it has only run twice, 2014 and 2016, both times at Cape Solander/Ours. In 2018, it was announced that the event would be moving south to Shipsterns, but didn't receive the swell ideal for running the event. But as of today, in May 2019, the most spectacular event going around will finally get the go ahead.
Officially, the event has the green light, which means that all the competitors will be packing, booking flights and prepping themselves for some serious slab wrangling for Monday at Shipstern Bluff, which will be broadcast live to our phones, laptops and TVs (epic).
Here's the words from our Chief Forecaster Ben Macartney on the swell that will make it run:
"An intense Southern Ocean low moving below the mainland over the next 48 hours gives rise to a heavy SW groundswell, building on Sunday afternoon and spilling over into Monday morning to maintain still very large and mostly clean 8 to 12ft surf under cross-offshore NNW to NW winds; well suited to paddle and tow-surfing all morning" EG, see the Wave Tracker image below.
The Coastalwatch Wave Tracker showing colours.
A little more info on the event itself, there are 20 surfers competing, one of whom will be three time World Champion Mick Fanning. There will be four five-man heats with the winner of each heat making the final. And it will be absolutely mental.
Make sure you've a tab open to the Red Bull Cape Fear event website on Monday morning to watch the mayhem.
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