The Jeffreys Bay Open Of Surfing Presented By Billabong is set to enjoy full support from The Association Of Surfing Professionals (ASP), the recognized world governing body of professional surfing, effectively opening the event to any ASP surfer world-wide. While it is an invite-only event, the contest organisers can now include any ASP-rated surfers on their invite list, along with the best South African surfers.

Billabong South Africa General Manager Ernest Bendeman feels this is a great step forward. ""We are super stoked to see this level of support from the ASP to the JBay community," said Bendeman."It really shifts the event into a great space."

The contest is set to run 9 - 13 July, and is rated as an Invite Only Specialty Surfing Event. A total of 64 surfers will be invited to compete, as well as 8 girl surfers. July is one of the best periods for surf at Jeffreys Bay and the tournament organisers are confident of good waves and conditions for the contest.

The ASP agreed immediately with their unwavering support of the event. The ASP has always been behind Jeffreys Bay as a venue and location for World Championship Tour events, and hope to see its return in the near future.

"Jeffreys Bay is a world-class wave and the ASP is 100% committed to returning it as a venue on the elite World Championship Tour (WCT) in the future," said ASP spokesperson Dave Prodan. "The wave and the local community that steward the region have been huge supporters of the ASP for several decades now and we're happy to continue this relationship in 2013. We wish the JBU the best of luck with their event this year and look at this as a stepping stone to returning Jeffreys Bay to the ASP Dream Tour in the coming years."

Surfers who would like to enter the event need to go to the event Fan Page on Facebook Jeffreys Bay Open Of Surfing, like the page, and add their name to the page as a possible entry. The Facebook entries close on the last day of May. Once the list of all possible entries has been collated, the contest organisers will select 64 surfers, as well as an alternate list. These surfers will then receive an official invite and further instructions as to full registration via Surfing South Africa.

The event has over R100,000 in prizes and cash, and the first prize is R30,000.

The tournament is also sanctioned by Surfing South Africa. Surfing South Africa is recognised by the South African Sports Confederation (SASCOC) as the governing body of the sport in South Africa.