1st DAY OF THE MASTER OF THE OCEAN 2023 STARTS WITH MODERATE CONDITIONS, HIGH SPIRITS AND TROPICAL BEATS!
CABARETE, Dominican Republic- 22nd of February, 2024
The first day of the 19th edition of the Master of the Ocean 2024 started with a bit of rain but then the sun shone brightly around 11 am. There were moderate conditions with 2 to 4-foot swell for the athletes in a paradise setting at the competition site. The day kicked off a bit behind schedule as the registration event during the afternoon and night before was a colorful success. It was held on Wednesday the 21st at Millenium at the Yalla Restaurant Venue on Cabarete Beach. The Master of the Ocean Competition is an extreme elite competition of 5 watersports: surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, stand-up paddling and wing foiling. It is a unique watersports decathlon that consists of Team, Overall and Expression Session Categories. 12 to 18 knots of wind remained pretty consistent throughout the day of the 22nd. The Opening Ceremony was at 11.30 am with an official Dominican Flag hoisting ceremony.
The first Expression Session Kite Heat got underway at 1 pm followed by two further heats of Expression Session Kite Heats in moderate wind conditions of up to 20 knots. Maxime L´Huillier from France showed style and versatility coming in first position. He was followed by veteran Action Man Brian Talma (from Barbados and last year´s Master of the Ocean winner) and Nixon Lorman with a green lycra showing some great wave riding skills. The second heat of Expression Session Kite displayed a host of local talents with Andry Ramirez coming in first with a panoply of tricks followed by Miguel Angel Rodriguez and young and upcoming woman rider Victoria Bramtot. Heats had some good wave riding and solid moves such as handle passes and one-foot jumps. The conditions of the surf were not big enough for the full completion of many moves and the wind was coming from a westerly Haitian direction which made some stances difficult for some riders on their boards.
The first heats of the day were followed by an Overall Kite Heat with Brian, the Action Man from Barbados, Talma coming in 1st place and pulling off some nice wave riding for the crowd. 2nd was Maxime L´Huillier from France who also put on an impressive display of talents and skills for the spectators followed by Cabarete local Francis Gonzalez in third place in his usual top form. The day continued with Team Kite Heats and Overall Kite Heats until past 5 pm with the crowd thoroughly enjoying the warm sunshine accompanied by tropical beats from local DJs.
Despite the moderate wind conditions and smaller waves, crowds were delighted with the first day of the Master of the Ocean 2024. Tomorrow we are looking forward to the first Overall SUP and Overall Surf heats after the Skipper´s Meeting at 7 am and increasing wind conditions for the 2nd round of all wind sport heats in all disciplines. Saturday, the 24th of February, is community day with a myriad of community and environmental activities for children and adults in conjunction with Happy Dolphins DR including a rescue drill, a coral nursery demonstration from GIZ and Iberostar and environmental talks by community, marine science and conservation experts.
We want to especially thank our sponsors Ministerio de Turismo, Millennium Resorts & Spa, Corona, Digo Hispanic Media, Listín Diario & Zona N, Eucerin, Copa Airlines, Edelweiss Airlines, and the German Embassy in Santo Domingo.
Look out for community day on the 24th and more action and amazing world-class performances from international and local talents tomorrow!
For more information, please visit masteroftheocean.org and its social networks on Instagram and Facebook.